My Mission and Before

February 24, 2014

Hey everyone!

It has been such a fun fantastical busy week. Yes I know that sentence and those words don't make sense and I just don't care :) That's how this week has been. It's been so great! I love it! 

 

Well, Sora Letinu and I did a lot of cleaning. Why is that always my weakness? Parents I promise I am a LOT more clean than I was before! Still not the best though. Trying. Sorry. Forgive me :)

So Tuesday after contacting for a bit on and eating at Mesapotamia (love that place) walking out of the mall we found a place that has a bunch of toys. Sora Letinu loves kids and one of the kids she adores has a birthday coming up so we went and looked in there for a bit and well I saw this huge stuffed animal Chewbacca. Well Sora Stapley loves star wars. I believe she took 3ish hours one day to explain the entire star wars movies. It was impressive. I had to buy it for her so I did.

That was an important part of this week sa stiti.

 

Anyways, We had a lesson planned out with Alina we really wanted to meet with her one more time before Sora Letinu left. She has just kinda I don't even know. She has been the subject of a lot of my prayers lately. Because she's not really progressing. I've been really trying hard to follow up on her and to my utmost surprise she's read everything that I have texted her. She was even showing Sora Letinu a verse that she loved. Tender. So tender. She still isn't going to church which is a whole other story. We did decide to talk about the restoration again to see how much she remembered. Well she didn't remember much. Unfortunately. Super unfortunate. But that's why we decided to talk about it. We really focused on how the restoration has affected our lives. Andreea was there and I am so grateful she was. SO GRATEFUL! Love her. Love her so much. It was a tender lesson though and the spirit was just so strong. And that is really all I can ask for. The spirit. Something really cool that Sora Letinu said as we were walking home though is that she saw something so good in her eyes. So good and so special. I agree. Can't wait to meet with her again :)

 

Wednesday got up to Bucuresti and it was the longest maxi taxi ride ever. Ughh how I dislike maxi taxis. It was so cramped. So cramped. they had the heat blasting. It was bloody hot. So so so hot. My leg felt like it was going to burn off. I hate small maxi taxis. Okay sorry off of my I hate maxi taxis. We got to Bucuresti and it was so funny. Sora Ralls and Sora Bray came to pick me up at the auto gara because Sora Letinu was staying there to go to Ploiesti. While I was on the phone I heard there is a boy following us. Go faster. Then they hang up. Oh gosh. Haha. So I get there. And Iancu is there. Iancu is this 15 year old boy that was baptized last year in Panduri. He's the coolest kid. Lives so close to the auto gara and when we get lost he always helps us get to the auto gara. These poor soras just didn't know that he was a member and so Iancu had his baptismal program in his pocket that he was going to show them to say that he wasn't a weirdo. This kid who was just baptized last year still carries his baptismal program with him. He carries it with him. Is that not amazing! I just kept thinking to myself. How important the gospel is to him that he wants to remember what he did on that day that he carries it around with him. So special so amazing. Well it was also really funny and Iancu was really chill about it. And walks us close back to the gara so we can do some treaba. Such a cool kid.

Well that was the day I become a mom! So cool. My "daughter" is Sora Ule (pronounced like Sora Ewell). I love her. She's so cool. She's super funny and we just talk all the time :) LOVE HER! She loves to work which is great because hello great week here! I felt so bad though by the time we would get to the 12 week program she would just about be asleep. She is so jet lagged. When we got into our maxi taxi she was just out. I felt so bad she was just so so so so tired!

 

Thursday. We had a lesson with Andreea and with Elena. Andreea said I have a surprise for you! Elena is here! So sweet Sora Ule had a lesson with the two best people ever! :) It was such a good lesson and for having limited amount of sleep on Sora Ule's part she did so good. She really wants to learn Romanian and she is such a hard worker. She's pretty shy and so I was just so impressed with all that she did. Hello gift of tongues here. After out lesson I told them that Sora Ule knows how to play the piano and so Elena begged her to teach her. SO there she was on her first day in Constanta talking to Elena teaching her Piano. It was so tender. Tender mercy. :) Love those moments. Andreea was writing a note in my book of Mormon and so we just sat back and watched them. They were so cute. Such a tender moment.

 

Friday. Lots of contacting. When around the city doing some English contacting. Literally walked across the entire city. Did some competitions with the Elders to see who could pass out the most cards. :) It was so fun :) SO fun. Did the 12 week training program. :) So fun. It was too funny as we were watching a part of the district she fell asleep in the chair. haha. So funny. I was dying. She kept apologizing I just thought it was funny and I felt bad. Let's just say when its bed time as soon as she hits the bed she is out. She's definitely a little culture shocked which is totally normal. Sometimes she'll ask things and I just think well yeah that's just normal isn't it. And then she just looks at me and then I realize... ohhh nope that's just how people do it here. Like buses. As we took the bus the first day and I gave her her ticket she just kinda stared at it... then I realized.. oh yeah. We don't really use public transportation at home Duh... haha. :) We don't have to use 50 bon to use shopping carts and we don't have to bring our own grocery bags. You know didn't really realize how different it is.  :)

 

Saturday. Had district meeting. :) Elder Myler is still here thank goodness. He's such a good leader. We've set some goals for English classes and really trying to have a lot of people come here. That's just how we get most of our investigators. We went over to the park and played Frisbee... I really suck. I need to learn how to catch.. and throw... I just need to learn how to be more athletic... dangit. I decided though even though I can't catch and throw I can be a pretty good defense and knock the Frisbee when they try to throw it :) Andreea and Elena brought some of their friends so that way we can meet them. It was so fun :) There friends were so cute. :) So nice. So NICE! We had to run and eat really fast though and then run to the church because we had a lesson with Daniela and her friend Vali. Taught them 30 minutes of English and then Spiritual thought. We talked about prayer and the importance of using our own words when we speak. They both use fixed prayers. I just don't think I will ever understand fixed prayers. Ever. Sora Ule bore powerful testimony of prayer and how we can feel when we pray. She testified of the Book of Mormon and through prayer she knows it's true. I seriously love my companion :) Love her.

 

Sunday... weirdest Sunday. Lessons were really good... we just have a few members... who well... yeah. Just one... she just thinks crazy crazy things and there was an argument in Relief Society about it. That was crazy. Sora Ule played piano and bore her testimony :) It was so good :) So good :)

Well and that brings us today. :) We have some great goals for this upcoming week with lessons and contacting! Praying that it'll all happen! :) Super excited!

It really was just a crazy hectic fantastic week!

 

I love training. :) It is so much fun and it kicks my butt into super high speed gear of let's get things done! I love it! I love the 12 week program. I think it's amazing for all missionaries not just new missionaries. It really goes over the basics. Why we are here. What our purpose is what we need to do as missionaries. I love it :) LOVE IT! :)

Love you all!
Sora Stewart