HEY HEY!  MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!! Gosh its weird being here without you all!! So i have more time today to write because i am doing my laundry. But how fun to have a Christmas party!! Well sundays around here are ok, You do sacrament then RS then sunday school is like study time. Then there is a devotional at night. Well Abby was having kind of a hard time so her branch president authorized us to do a split together tomorrow...YAY!! That makes me excited. Well we think someone super special is coming because the Mission President, Pres brown and his counselors are getting released.....So perhaps the prophet will come:) ;) Thats the rumor anyways!  So nice and his type!! I had to do new missionary orientation on Wed and Thurs and it made me really excited! I am the only sister going to Bacolod, I dont know if i told you that or not! The language got harder on thurs and fri:( I pray all the time and all the elders all the time are wanting to help me speak it, the branch president says they all think i am like 19! My teacher the hottie is good haha but we got a new one as well, Sister Weight! She served in Iloilo, she says when she got back her hair was horrible, she lost alot of it and discouraged me saying she GAINED 30lbs!!! That is not happening! NO rice for me! We had a leadership training and the counselor had me summarize the last 24 hours of the saviors life, SCARY! HAHA i was a little bit nervous but he said i did alright! I also never realized that Jesus was completely alone in the Garden while taking on our sins, Because sin is what seperates us from our heavenly father and he had them all! Interesting! Keep praying for me and Abby, her perfectionist attitude kind of gets her, her branch president told her to be like me hahaha which is funny because i need to be like her! Still every time people see us they are like in shock that we came together! The elders in my zone are awesome, we all get along really well, i have to figure out how to send pictures to you all! But tomorrow is a chill day, we wake up eat, go to fireside with the GA then we have some study/free time the we are watching "its a wonderful life" tonight we get to watch a christmas carol! So easy days! Someone dear elderd me but did it wrong and i couldnt see or respond so post to FB my address and stuff! Tell everyone that we love them and Merry Christmas! Me and abbs will celebrate and open our packages! Have a wonderful day! I will be thinking about you all! It snowed and people act like they have never seen the snow before! I miss all of you! Please stay safe!!!
 Tell tate to seriously study as much as he can! Language and PMG!! He will need it! I see Tanner all the time, we took a picture together and we met up again to do our laundry! Yes, i wanna go to BYU-I and marry someone close, i am tired of being away!! I sent home a check that g&G p sent me! Tell everyone i love them! Getting teary so i better go!

Love you!!
Sarah

Christmas Letter from SARAH !!

So I know I just emailed you yesterday, but as part of our Christmas we got to email today! Well i met up with Abby after breakfast, we opened all our gifts and WE LOVED THEM!! Lindsey, thanks for the necklace at the book, it will definitely come in handy and we already promised each other that we had to leave our necklaces on always! Mom the earrings were so pretty! And definitely needed, never can have enough jewelry  Delsey P sent us both stockings filled with things, like gum and bobby pins, nail file ect....so tell her thanks! Um tell hillerie thanks as well! We keeping getting complimented on our necklaces and the elders were in the room when we opened our hunger games shirts they just shook their heads but we loved them! We took alot of pictures so next monday i will send some more! Russel M Nelson came and spoke to us today! He just told us different ways of missionary work and to be careful out there to open our mouths but also our eyes and keep the Holy Ghost with us to keep us out of danger! Um, it was a little bit rough but we just have to keep a smile on our face! We ran into Sister Clements, apparently all of us are sick of our compaions hahaha so we all just hung out for a while on the temple walk! POSITIVE...that's what we have to stay! How were the festivities?? I hope you all remember the real reason for Christmas and keep us in mind! I feel a little bit dumb in my language but maybe that is normal??? Love you all! Let me know next week if you got my letters and that check to give me piece of mind that they are getting there! Thanks! But Merry Christmas!! I have the greatest family in the world! I want to know if anything exciting happened?? Engagements, or baby announcements or something! Miss you all! Love you so much! 14 days still kinda feels like a long time! It has gone fast but slow at the same time! Hope you all have a wonderful day, stay safe in driving and whatnot! Tell everyone Hello!

Love you!

Sarah

                                                           Christmas Letter from ABBY!!

Merry Christmas!!! There are giving us 20 minutes to write your guys today! So I hope that you guys are having a great Christmas! Sarah and I opened our presents together today! WE LOVED THEM!! so so Cute! This Christmas is different but it is really good! I honestly woke up the other day and I thought, "Why am I just trying to get through the MTC? Why dont I just enjoy this experience... So that is what I am doing now! I am finding happiness in every day because it is really a choice. :) I choose to be happy! and for every one that reads this blog... Missionary work is truely amazing! I have been reading my scriptures and all they talk about is missionary work so I know that I am where I am supposed to be... Which is right here in the good old MTC! Christmas eve afternoon class was a big turning point to for me.. We had been struggling with our "investigators" because we would all three of us prepare different portions of the lesson-- our teachers helped us and we went into our lesson with NO notes... and we all studied the same topics... we really needed Stella to understand Faith and the importance of church attendance... well I went in there and I really prayed.. I mean really prayed that I would know what to say because we didnt have notes... I felt the spirit so strongly!!! Sora Kelly was talking and I couldnt wait for her to finish her sentence so that I could say what the Holy Ghost wanted me to say! It was amazing.. I was on the edge of my seat bearing testimony!!! I have never felt so good in my life.. That is why missions are amazing because it is moments like that that make everything hard.. worth it!!!! I came out of the lesson and started crying because I was so overcome with how good I felt.. My teacher just hugged me and told me good job! I know that if I continue to work hard the spirit will be with me.. "i cant be afraid I can only believe" because with God all things are possible. I dont expect this mission to get easier but for myself to get stronger!! I know this mission is the best thing for me. Yes I started tearing up when Sarah and I were opening our gifts but I have really tried to enjoy this Christmas day! Last night we had a nativity scene thing and then we watched the Christams Carol which I dont love that movie but they gave us some popcorn... ha so it was good... I sat by a kid who is from Italy.. and he was like "my family has adopted 3 kids from Moldova... you will get off of the plane and just start crying because of how poor the country is!" I was almost in tears.. he said I will never feel more charity then I will being in those countries. Elder Nelson came today which was super cool! he talked about how we are the links to peoples salvation!!! It was crazy though he really emphasized us being obedient so that we could be safe! The work is hastening but that must mean that Satan is also trying harder so he emphasized being really smart and getting out of scary situations but he promised if we are obedient we will be safer then our friends back at home! It was a really good talk!  So it was really good.. and we have more stuff for the rest of the night! So it will be fun... but yes i missed our christmas haha I decided today that I am making my husband go to our house every year for christmas! haha but seriously! I want to let you guys all know that this church is true! The atonement is the greatest gift of all! We are so so lucky to be part of this gospel! We need to always be missionaries and seek those who are looking for the truth! Heavenly Father does love us and will answer our prayers! Joseph Smith did see the God the Father and Jesus Christ! The Book of Mormon is true! and since I have been here I have really learned to love the Bible as well! This gospel really is amazing! God wants me here! He needs me in Romania! In three weeks I will be in Europe!! I cant believe it! Thank you so much for being the best family in the whole entire world!! I am so so so lucky! I cant thank you enough for all you have given me! Be safe in your travels!! Thanks again for all the gifts.. We loved the necklaces I will wear both of them probably everyday... ha But honestly I am so excited for this mission to shape me into the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be! If i continually keep an eternal perspective this mission is only a small moment in the grand scheme of things and I am going to give it my all!! Thank you for all your great example! Tell everyone hi for me and I will be writing again on P-day... which is Thursday! Enjoy your Christmas break!! I love you guys so much! Find people to serve!!! Heavenly Father needs us:) LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!  I am so thankful for all my blessings and for Jesus Christ our Savior during this holiday season!

CRACIUN FERICIT!!!

LOVE SORA ABBY POLATIS

Hey everyone! How are you doing? Well first things first.. Sarah needs you to send her her retainers she said they were in one of the storage things she left on the click clack.. Her front teeth are kind of seperating??? So She needs those pretty soon... She needs to get that taken care of before she gets to the Philippines:) ha picture sarah coming home with a big gap in her front teeth... ha not really funny but kind of:) but everything is going good here! The experience that I told you on Christmas was one of the highlights that I had that week! but early that day I was challenging a random teacher playing an investigator.. I could feel Heavenly Fathers love for her as she played her fake investigator! It was so cool-- being a missionary is the best thing ever! Its like mind reading.. ha but k so they had us pair up with an Elder in our district and I was put with Elder Ormsby.. who I love in a missionary kind of way! but we had to think of a problem that we had in our lives and then we had to teach each other according to that need and by the Spirit. He went back to when he was ten years old. It was so crazy because he was talking about how sad he was and then all the sudden it hit me that when he was ten was when his little sister was born who has down syndrome. I started crying so hard. And so did he. The spirit was so strong- I reassured him that his little sister was a blessing to her family and that Heavenly Father loved her so much! It was so cool- The spirit was so strong! After words he just looked at me and said, "you did amazing... that is exactly what I learned after about a year my sister was born." His sister is so dear to him so it was pretty powerful! But o ya on Sunday... Sora Kelly and Sora Gerhartz and I sung Mary's lulluby for our ward. .... occapella? ha I know thats not how you spell it but mom you would be reallly proud I had my own part of everything! Our branch presidents wife started crying they said it was really beuftiful! So my singing career is taking off!!! :) yay... Dad you said I could be anything I want as long as I am a nurse right?? Welll Abby Swift here I come! ha just kidding- but it was pretty fun! It is also funny in here because mom you know how we have the familiar face? Well I get that all the time... people are like do I know you?? ha and I get that I look like the girl off of the Narnia and of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games!! but thanks again so much for the packages! I loved the hunger games theme! Tell Hillerie thanks!! I love it! its funny because the quote that you put on my necklace was the first thing that Dad said to me when I got in here and I love that story so much! and Lou that book is full of great quotes and Sarah and I promised we are going to wear your necklace everyday! I love it that was so so thoughtful! I sent Delsy a thank you card today but be sure to thank her again that was nice of her! Dad thank you for the Christamas stories I love that one about that lady with her bag of cookies! Christmas really is what you make it! Christmas in here was good- I wish that it was a little more focused on Christ.. They were kind of trying to entertain us for the whole day but it was good!that he is home!  Mom you made me tear up a little bit when you said that it feels like I have already been gone for 18 months.. ha it should be going by fast for you guys! But I am glad that you are missing me and supporting me 100% it is so great to have a family that has my back.  ha our teacher was saying that when I get there I will be buying warmer close because the winds coming in from syberia are brutal... he said that your face freezes and to buy an electrical blanket so I can warm up my bones:) Sounds fun huh! well honestly it does sound fun to me! I cant wait to be in Romania! I am so so excited! Sora Rivera wrote us saying that she doesnt understand anything but Romania is great! So I am not going to stress and I am going to do the best I can and work really hard and fully rely on the Lord! It seems like my MTC experience hasnt been the best and I am sorry for that.. but at the same time I would not change it one bit! I have never studied or prayed this much in my life! I have come closer to my Heavenly Father. He truely loves me and wants me to suceed. The book of mormon and Bible are amazing! I love reading the Bible. I was reading the stories about Christ life and wow... wow is all I can say! The atonement is amazing! It is not just for sins it is for EVERYTHING! sorrows... unhappiness... everything! so amazing! I am so happy to be a missionary! It is what I am supposed to be doing! I mean now that I have studied the scriptures that is all it talks about! We all need to be missionaries. This mission is not about me.. Its about he Romanian people! I am here to help them! Faith is a really interesting thing that we were talking about his week. Its not like you have faith or you dont... Faith is a process! A process that I am so thankful for! I think because I was a little nervous and uneasy at the first I thought that I was lacking faith but I realized in alma 32 when it is talking about faith its not saying that you plant one big seed and then it grows into a BIG tree.. NO... we plant many seeds and grow our faith like a forest. We hope in one principle which leads us to action- we gets results and our faith increases then we continue on... how cool is that! I have really been striving to be the best missionary that I can be! I want you guys to be so proud I do want to set a good examples to all of you! Missionary work is amazing! I know it! Tate be really excited to get out here in the mission field. It will change your life! We need to always be striving to be our best selves.. the gospel is what this life is about! I know that this gospel is true! Heavenly Father is amazing... The plan of Happiness is so amazing! I am sure in Heaven we shouted for joy when this plan was presented! and now here we are in the middle of it! how great is that- We are getting trials so that we can become more like God! I am thankful for my trials! Also have you guys really read 1 nephi chapter one... I mean like really read it? my mind was blown in a workshop that we had... It is exactly like Joseph Smith story of the restoration of the gospel... Lehi sees a vision... he gets a book... people hate him! I mean how have I never understood that? But I love it! I love this gospel... Personal study is one of the best hours of my day! Well anyways I know that my emails never make sense but hopefully it kind of does today?? but We are going to go clean the temple.. it is closed so I guess we go clean for about 3 hours which should be good and then we teach our investigator tonight:) wish me luck! And yes dad.. I will become Romanian:) I love you all! Work hard! Enjoy life! I know that it makes you guys happy when I am happy out here! I CHOOSE to be happy! It really is a choice! I love guys! Dad tell the stake presidency thanks for sending me that Dear Elder! you guys are great!

Well have a great week family!!!! I hope that all is well! I pray for you always! Keep the dear elders coming! You will only be able to do that for like 2 more weeks! my travel plans come next friday so I will let you know when I am calling home! leave the 14th wide open!!! I love you guys!!!

But yes I have to go! I love you guys so much!!!!

Love Sora Abby Polatis

te iubesc!!!