My Mission and Before

January 28, 2014

Hello Family and Friends,

First I think I should probably start off that I feel almost perfectly well. Still have a cough but everyday I've just felt better and better. Everybody has been sick these past 2 weeks including Sora Letinu so there is just something going on. I'm trying to just block out people haha. I have been on antibiotics and after a talk with Sora Hill and her telling me to please just take it easy. So we did. Instead we made quite a few phone calls and tried to set up future lessons. Not much success there. I can't tell you how many times I heard," Sure sure I would love to meet just I'll call you when I'm free." Gosh, like I don't know what that means?

We started English classes this week and I thought that we were going to have so many people. We had a few new people but it's basically just the normal people that have been coming for years. Sora Letinu and I are teaching advance class... well I'm teaching the advance class and I have so much fun with it. The people that are in our advance class are very kind of cocky with their English so I kind of like to stump them... is that bad? We went over adjectives this past week and how to describe things. I put pictures up on the board and told them to describe this painting to me without using these words and then I would list a couple of words. It was really hard. I think I need to do this in Romanian. :) That would be super good practice.

We did have a lesson with Alina this week. She's still preparing to leave for Dubai but I'm actually pretty sure that we are going to have Skype lessons because she'll be there for a while and then come back to Constanta and then go back and then return. So I'm praying this works. President is concerned that when she does go to Dubai that she wont be able to connect as well to the LDS people there or that she will really want to get baptized and she wont be able to because of the laws there. So we will see what happens. Kind of hard. Anyways, we talked to her this week about the basics. The basics of the church, the basics of happiness. I really just want to prepare her so that way she will still keep the standards and do things that really will bring happiness into her life. It was such a great lesson and the spirit was there. She told us that she felt a little bit better about going to Dubai knowing that there was a church there that she could go to that had great people in it. I really really love her, and I really pray that she will be able to accept the entirety of the gospel intro zi.

We planned on doing some branch and district contacting. Getting members involved with actual contacting, but the weather was absolutely dreadful. I know it's been snowing a lot here in Romania but I don't know if other places have the impact of the wind. It's literally like a slap in the face. I love living next to the sea but it's also horrible. Walking outside and you can't even walk straight because of the strength of the wind. At first it was just rain which wasn't too bad. I mean I was cold obviously but it wasn't that bad. But then it started to get colder and colder and now we have quite a few inches of snow out front. I feel so bad for the stray dogs and cats. One that adores me okay and I adore her. She was out in the rain and then being in the cold her fur is literally frozen. It makes me so sad. I may have pleaded to keep her. Dang rules. ;) Just kidding I know why we have rules I wont take the dog promise :) Even if she does remind me of Layla!

Walking to the library today was quite funny though and I laughed most of the way here. I have never lived in snow and being here makes me really want to stick to that decision and never live in the snow. It's been quite an adventure though trying to walk. It's hard work! Or I just have never learned how to walk properly maybe? I am grateful that Sora Newell left her rain boots here since all my boots have little holes from walking and just pore in water and make my feet all wet. It's been quite the adventure though. I'm hoping it warms up though so that way we can do more then just Block Knocking this week.

Well a little about what we are trying to do. I really want to get in touch with these members since I am pretty sure I will be here for another few transfers. It'll be my longest area ever! But I really want to help these members and yesterday Elder Myler gave a great talk about missionary work and then President Contantinescu accompanied him and talked about how we can really have happiness through sharing the gospel :) So here we are going to visit the sisters here :) Super excited!!!!

Love you all,

Sora Stewart