My Mission and Before

April 21, 2014

Adeverat a inviat.

Come on now I had to start it that way :) It was Eater :) HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!

Well sorry that I am writing this a day late. Because it is Easter and here in Romania all holidays last like 3 days! So things were shut down and we really had no where to write, if we had done it at the church it would have taken so long since there is only one computer so we just took part of our P-day yesterday and moved it today.

Hmmm... I probably wont organize my letter like I usually do because to be honest almost every day was the same. We didn't have any investigators and so we mostly just did contacting. Sora Uhl and I both hit our breaking points this week. Our stress levels have been insane. I have had such a hard time just to keep going. Just to keep moving on. So with lots of discussions and setting goals and making plans we really hope that we can both just move on with a fresh start and just get going :) So far it's been great :) I really am grateful for such a patient companion since I have been a grouch. Don't worry positivity is one of the things I am working on :)

Like I said most of the week was contacting. We did get a few new potentials and we were able to meet with a family this week. This family I believe I wrote about last week there father had just died and Gabi (the member) had us come over and teach his family. I was extremely stressed out and super worried for this lesson. I mean a member in their family just died. I just wanted them to know that it's not the end. I wanted them to just really understand that what we teach and if they apply it in their life it really can change things. I literally just needed the spirit and I prayed so hard that the spirit would be there. And well the lesson was hard. It was just really hard. First the mom walked out... then the sister... and soon it was just Gabi and his oldest sister who will be going back to Germany in a couple of weeks. But they did set up another lesson for when we can visit so yesterday we visited them. I was not the most overly enthusiastic about this lesson based on what happened. We went though and it was a beautiful lesson. The daughters were 30 minutes late to the lesson but this gave us time to just talk to the mom Lucretia and she opened up so much. I was extremely surprised since I have tried to meet up with her before and well she has hung up on me a couple of times which I just think is funny now. But she opened up and it was wonderful. When her daughters came later she stayed which was amazing. We started talking and just chatted a bit and then we shared our message about prayer. They were so intent. They were listening. It was great. We asked them questions of how they feel when they pray and if they pray with their own words and they shared experiences about how they have just felt peace. After we shared a little bit about prayer and how we really can have a relationship with Heavenly Father Cristina (she's Gabi's twin sister) looks over at her family and says," I love how they talk about God. It is so different and you can tell they actually have relationships with God. They really do and believe in what they talk about." It was just the best feeling in the world. The spirit was so strong there. It was wonderful. We will be meeting with them again this week. There hearts are slowly opening to the truth of our message. I love this Gospel. SO MUCH!

We did start English classes this week... and because of Easter we only have had one class so far. It was so fun. For one... no creeper men were in our class MIRACLE in itself. I think I laughed more then I ever had in our class. It was great. We had written out make believe scenarios and then had them use like 3 items that they had to use to save the world :) It was so fun. One of our English students (he's also the elder's investigator) has a great imagination it was hilarious :) So hopefully this transfer will be good with English and no weird creepy men!

The weather has been pretty groaznic which is so hard for me. I never knew how much I could miss the sunshine... but it's been a really long time since the sunshine has come out. I think that part of the reason for me Romania has been so hard is everything is grey. Grey blocks. Grey streets. Everyone wears black (I hate that). Grey Skies. I even live next to the Black sea. Haha and it really is grey and black when there isn't sunshine. It has rained about everyday this week but then the sun came out Saturday and I was so ready to contact. I really really love street contacting :) Well Sora Uhl and I both go our Saturday and there in NO ONE THERE! What the heck! Usually we have to crawl over cars because they are all parked over the side walks and there are so many people outside. Nothing absolutely nothing. It was so frustrating. Dang you holidays.

Later that night though everyone came out where cars were parked in the middle of the street... that was weird haha. They all came out for the Easter Mass. Where it is said that a fire from Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and lights the priests' candles and then they share the light with everyone. It was fun but gosh... I really wish people would really think of these things. Lets just try to make sense right now okay? Haha. It was fun though watching has they pass the lights from person to person. It's also said that if you get home with your candle still lit that you get good luck for a year and I did it! haha. Sora Uhl made it almost to our block and then a car drove by it was super funny.

We did visit two of our members this week. One of them she wanted to go contacting with us and so we went to Ovidiu which is just like 20 minutes outside of Constanta to go contacting with Alina (she is 14 and is our only Young Woman here) so we started out and then it started to pour. We were only able to talk to one man... who was not very nice and Alina was pretty upset about that. So we headed back to there house and they had stay for there Easter celebration. It was so sweet. For you all to know this is the Olteanu family. They are wonderful and they have a 6/7 month year old baby. Who I was just dying over. She is such a happy little baby it's adorable. So we celebrated with them and we were able to share a message about our Savior. While I was over there I literally felt like I was at home. It was so great haha. They are some of my favorite people here in Romania. They just have rock hard testimonies in our Savior and in his gospel. :) It was really fun and as a tradition they have hard boiled eggs that are dyed Red and then you beat them against each other as you say "Hristos a inviat" then the other says "Adeverat a inviat" It was great I only one like 3 times there but it was still fun :)

We also visited Sora Mihaiela she is so funny. I love this woman. She is so strong and sturdy and literally she goes contacting by herself that is how devoted she is. She always asked for English Cards and she will just stand in the street and pass all of her cards out so we can have students for English. She is amazing. She invited Sora Uhl and I over on Sunday and it was wonderful. SO MUCH FOOD! But it was really fun. We were able to teach her son and her brother who are not members. Both of them are very open to the gospel and so we are hoping that the Elders will be going over there soon. They are both going to be going to district conference this upcoming week so it should be good :) We played the egg smashing thing again and I swear there was probably cement in my egg because I beat everyone! haha. :) It was great I love winning :)

Those were basically the highlights of this week. We had a lot of downs this week. It's been a hard week but I feel like with all the downs we have had it just makes me want to try even harder. I don't want to be trunkie. I don't want to "die" as a missionary. I want to give it all I have. It's really hard sometimes. A lot of times. But with all the downs it just makes me really grateful that even though I am a missionary I can be even more converted. I can give even more then I have already. I can change. I can repent. I can be forgiven. I can be better. I love that about the gospel. It's always about improving. It's always about repentance and forgiveness. I love that.

I love this gospel. I love my Savior. He lives. A INVIAT! (He was resurrected). Let us always remember this. Let us always live the way He desires us to live. Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then let us stand to see God's hand extended toward us. (Sorry shortened that scripture a bit.)

I love you all so much!

Sora Stewart