This mission is the best thing I have ever done in my whole life! Seriously... I was walking around Constanta and I looked at myself in a car window and I just started laughing... I am a missionary... 21 years old... living in Europe.... talking to random people on the street about Jesus Christ and His Gospel... and I am getting paid 900 Ron a month... living in a nice condo... ha I just thought to myself... "What a crazy life I live:)"

Ok so for this week! Last Monday after I wrote you we went and had family home evening at one of the members homes. It was so much fun- We shared our testimony about the important of having strong testimony and then we taught them how to play spoons! they thought that it was the best game in the whole entire world! We had so much fun! There is a mom and a dad and then they have a daughter, Alina who is 12 and the only young women in the ward and then Alex who just got baptized and he is 8. It was so much fun! The little girl reminds me of Maddy so we instantly clicked even though the only thing I really say to her is "im place de tine" Which basically means that I like her! ha she gives me a big hug and a kiss on both cheeks every time she sees me! She leads the music while I play for the branch so she is basically my new best friend! So yes back to FHE- the Romanian people here are amazing! They made all of us pancakes and then the dad opens up there floor and goes down to their basement like at grandmas rounds house and brings up some good jam for us and we have this big feast. As we continued to talk the dad told us he is out of work. I was so touched... They don't have a lot of money and nothing is coming in but yet they made this big meal for us. They are willing to give everything to the missionaries they really do love us. Which brings me to a favor mom.... They want me to there family how to play the piano...no one here knows how to play.. I don't really have time but is there some way that you can send me some beginner music or maybe some simplified hymns? They have a keyboard at their house and they said they would be willing to practice- I wont have time to really help them out that much... any suggestions? Seriously this family is amazing... So if you could help me out with that then that would be awesome! The Dad speaks English so he came up and asked me after sacrament meeting.. he was so nice and was like.."Can you please just teach me some basics and like one hymn... if you have time?" I told him I would try to figure out something:)

The baptisms that come out of Romanian are from English classes and from Member referrals so that is what we have been doing this week. We have made a great lesson plan to present to the members on how they can be missionaries and that we could teach all their friends. No one stays active here unless they have friends in the church. We have presented it to a couple members and they seem really excited to work with us. I am feeling a bigger sense of unity in the branch! Which is what we need to build it up. English classes start this Tuesday which will be great because as I am teaching English I will pick up on some more Romanian. This week we have been doing a lot of member visits and yes English and bus contacting. Funny story though so we were bus contacting and we dont give the cards to little kids so these kids want it and when we didnt give it to them... they got off the bus and threw an orange peel at us... ha it almost nailed me in the face... It make me laugh because in the MTC Sora Wilson warned us that we might have fruit thrown at us! I just started laughing super hard! But I love being really busy and Sora Modzelewska does a really good job and filling up our days. She wants the best for me and she is determined that I become the best missionary ever! So its great. She cooks for me and I clean so it works out nicely!

BEST STORY: This is the best story for the week! Our German girl. Ok so you know I was so happy because I felt like i was fulfilling my missionary purpose with her because I could teach in English. Well we met with her on Tuesday for Hot Chocolate and she was asking a lot of questions and we were getting to know her better. She basically came right out and said that she wanted to learn more. So we set up a lesson with her on Saturday and the church! We taught her about the Godhead and about how much God loves her. She had a lot of questions though so we basically did an overview of everything! ha She is very open minded. She says that she only goes to church on Christmas so she said that religion really hasnt played a big role in her life. She looked at God like he was this powerful and scary person that is nowhere and everywhere at the same time. We bore strong testimonoy to her about how much God truly does love her. And then we taught her how to pray and we asked her if she had ever prayed before which she hadn't. We then challenge her to pray for us and..... SHE DID! It was in German but it was so cool! I just sat there stunned thinking that this was the first time in her life she has communicated with her loving Heavenly Father! We asked her how she felt after and she was like "Peaceful.... and calm..." We were smiling from Ear to Ear and promised her that everytime she prayed she could feel this great peace in her life. We challenged her to pray everyday and she said that she would .... So YES... my First real live investigator:) She didnt want to leave the church- We gave her a tour and then I played for her on the piano. It was awesome! She is going to be gone this week visiting another city but right when she gets back we are going to meet with her again! I am so excited!

We are also teaching another lady but it is really sad... She has no hope for life... how sad... She is getting a divorce and her son is very ill. She honestly does not believe that God is there for her. It breaks my heart. I can't imagine being in that much dispair.:( But we are trying to help her! The other person that we are teaching is all the lessons again to Sora Modzelewska recent convert. She was baptized like 3 days before I came into the area! So everything is going really good! I really like this area!

The branch is great! They told me that they talked to the Butikofers! So funny! Its cool because the branch president and his wife they speak perfect English but they refuse to speak to us in English because they want us to learn Romanian- They are so nice! The Branch Presidents wifes' little brother leaves on a mission this week going to Germany so we had his farewell on Sunday. It is so cool! The work really is growing her in Romania! All of the youth want to go on missions! Its super exciting to see the progress that is being made here!

Our zone conference was way fun in Bucharest on Wednesday! It was a lot of fun meeting with all the missionaries! I called the Cooks on the way back because they werent at the conference and they were super excited to hear from me! They volunteered to be my grandparents out her on the mission field and they told me that they would take care of me! ha

Romania is awesome though! I am cultured shocked every time I walk out the door but that is why I love it! it is funny though because the church is the same no matter where you go. In sacrament meeting yesterday a lady got up to give her talk and even though I couldnt really understand it- the mannerisms are all the same... Start off with a joke... glance back at the Bishop... ha I couldnt help but laugh! But yes I played the piano yesterday! I will come home way better at the piano! I am glad that before I left the MTC I bought a hymn book and wrote down all the English titles on it so that makes my life a lot easier! So its going great! I am also teaching that recent convert her favorite song on the piano! So thank you again grandma and mom for making me learn how to play the piano! ha

- I have to say... Jaron thank you so so much for the IPOD idea! It seriously saves my life! I love listening to the music! It is all great! Also thanks Aunt Peggy for sending me the song from your ward! I love at the end hearing you talking to Uncle Doug though! I was laughing as I was listening to it! Thank you everyone for all of the Emails! It is so great to here from everyone! I read through them all unfortunenetly I dont have a lot of time to respond and I dont really think I am supposed to respond but keep them coming because they mean a lot to me:) I have the best support system in the world! Even Derek Hanks wrote me! ha I loved it! It is also fun to hear from all of my great friends:)

How is Sarah doing by the way? She didnt write me back?? I hope she is just praying a lot and just pushing through the MTC- It is 10000 times better once you get out to the mission field!

 On Saturday we had like 3 teaching appointments and it was a Blizzard!!! The waves on the Black sea were so ridiculous! But I am used to Idaho so it reminded me of being right back at home! :) 

Some things that culture shock me here

- They hold their boquet of flowers upside down. serious so the water drains to the flower ha I thought that it was the most random thing ever!

-There are dogs everywhere!

- Some people dont have indoor plumbing.... They use outhouses.... just like at grandma rounds house... It is crazy because they will have a pretty nice house and they no bathroom.

-Riding buses is also very interesting for me... Sometimes we are smashed on the bus... ha I was afriad I was going to fall out one time!

- When we are on the bus and everytime we pass an orthodox church everyone does the cross on their chest

-There is an orthodox church on every block!

Those are random and I am sure there is more but I love it here! This is exactly where I am supposed to be! I might not have 100 baptisms.... but you know what no effort is wasted - everytime I open my mouth I am doing what the Lord wants me to do. It was really interesting to me because I was reading section 4 in the doctrine and covenants where is talks about thrusting in your sickle... I had never really read it before but the last sentence in that verse I am talking about talks about the missionary recieving Salvation. I had to step back and think... wow Heavenly Father is allowing to me to come on this mission so that I may work really hard and bring others to Him but in this process if I do it right I am working to gain Salvation for my own Soul. This is the time for me to really sit down like we make our investigators and make sure that I have a strong testimony in Jesus Christ. This mission will benefit me for the rest of my life! In the MTC the emphsized so much that this mission will determine who I marry... how I raise my kids... and my eternal destiny! Crazy... I have almost been out here for 3 months! 1/6 of my mission is gone! I am really working hard on enjoying every single day! This time is going to go by so fast! I don't want to have any regrets! I am learning some great life lessons out here! I am learning to fully rely on God... Learning to get along with random companions with totally different backgrounds then I have... I am learning that I can do hard things... I am also learning that I can love people and that God shows His love to His Children here in Romania and that is awesome! I already have people here that I love. Another girl in the ward is 19 and getting ready to go on her mission She loves us! I hope that who ever is reading this blog and is thinking about going on a mission to... GO! Honestly best decision you will ever make! This life is all about becoming like Jesus Christ:)

 I have our one family picture and everyone loves it! no one can believe that we have that big of a family... my companion is always saying ... that's what I want... ""One big happy family!" I love you guys so much and I am thankful for all that you do for me! I would not be where I am today without everyone having my back and supporting me! Grandma don't cry about me being the piano player! ha Thanks for teaching me.. everyone always asks me where I learned I say from ""Bunica mea" (My grandma) mwaah love you! I am learning patience and humility for sure! ha I wish I could speak now but I know that it will come! :) Keep praying for me! ha I know that you guys are!

I love you all so much!!!!

va iubesc!!!

Sora Abby Polatis... your now Romanian daughter:)

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                                                            New best friend

                                                               New investigator

                                                                      looks good enough to eat!

                                                       Apartment where I live

                                               

                                                            nursing puppies???

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