No pictures this week

Dragele Mele,

Side Note: it is some random Romanian holiday.. we have no idea...haha normal.. probably some orthodox holiday... anyways the library is closed so we are at a random internet cafe.. and we cant upload pictures.. which I am really sad about because I have some way good ones for the week and they match with everything I wrote! so If you want to wait and upload this blog post with pictures that is cool=but whatever!

 

So this week has been AMAZING! I am loving the mission more and more every day that I am here! I had a really weird point in my mission when I kept wondering how you could be a good missionary or even just be "trying your best".. well I think I have it figured out! ya the secret to all missionary work... well we were contacting and I asked a boy if he knew English and he said yes then I kept talking to him in Romanian.. anyways I was tripping over my words and He kind of looked and me awkwardly then... I just said goodbye and walked away (yes I am an awkward sister missionary now....:) ha anyways I just turned to Sora Rivera and I was like "I am trying my best.. I am not trying to mess up..." We both starting laughing so hard.. because honestly that is what I feel like is the main thing we are doing as missionaries.. there is no way we can be perfect.. so we are just trying our best and trying not to mess up. ha so I really am loving life!!!! I am doing this sweet study thing this transfer with the book of mormon.. I have a clean copy of it and I am going through and finding the answers to questions of the soul.it is so amazing!! 1- Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people 2- What is my purpose 3- Does God know and love me 4- Is there life after death 5- Does God answer my prayers and then I am doing another color just when it says if you keep the commandments you will prosper in the land. I am obsessed with it! I love it.. I just have to read 13 pages in the Book of Mormon daily and I will finish at the end of this transfer.. it is so amazing. I can honestly say that God does know us personally... we have a great purpose and potential... there is life after death and it has the potential to be magnificant... God does answer prayers... Bad things happen to Good people because it is all part of the amazing plan! Our trials really are for our good! It has really been amazing. I love love love the Book of Mormon. I really do hope you guys are reading everyday!

 

So this week we had the opportunity to go to zone training in Buc this last Tuesday it was so much fun! Sora Rivera and I had to present to our whole zone about how to turn your English Students into Investigators! It was so much fun! ah I loved it! We made cookies for everyone... and then we found a recipie and put cheesy one liners with each ingredient. examples: eggs: be "eggcited about sharing the message of why we are really here.." etc etc... super fun! and we made big tall chef hats out of paper.. it was really fun. We put on our hats and talked about how to "make" the best investigators... the night before Sora Rivera made the hats and she was like "maybe we shouldnt wear them.. they might look dumb.." and I was all.. " O no.. we ARE for sure wearing those hats.." ha It ended up going great- everyone loved our presentation!

 

We also had exchanges with our Sister Training leaders this week. Which was awesome.. I went with Sora Cook who was Sora Riveras trainer and then Sora Rivera went with Sora Kelly.. We had a lot of fun! I loved Sora Cook she was so great! We just went contacting all day.. all of our lessons tanked on us... but she didnt seem to mind.. we all four went walking on the beach in the morning and then we out! Sora Cook is so nice.. seriously I want to be just like her! It was also really fun because I kind of got us lost (whoops) ha so we were randomly walking and this young girl lifts up her glasses and looked super excited to see me. I just acted like I knew who she was... She comes up and starts kissing me on the cheeks I am freaking out because I could not remember this girl... but then she turned and introduced herself to Sora Cook.. as Roxana... then it clicked I had met her a few night before at a ward birthday party we had for Elena and Anca. She was a girl that we wanted to make our new investigator for the week! I was so excited! I reminded her to come to church and she said she would! -- She is so cool! then the next day SHE CAME! yahoo! we had a Book of Mormon all marked up and ready to give her... she said she is leaving to Buc for the week so we sent it with her and told her to start reading! :) It was so cool.. I mean literally we were lost walking on a random street... I love missionary work! At the end of the exchange.. Sora Cook sat me down and she was asking me what I felt like my potential and goals were for the rest of the mission. She turns to me and she goes " I am HIGHLY recommending that you train soon or you become a sister trainer leader... you are amazing." I was like "Sora Cook thanks but honestly there is a lot of other girls in the mission that are older and know the language more and have more experience.." She was so nice and she was all "no Sora Polatis you are exactly what the new girls need as they come into the country.." I was like almost in tears.. she was so so so nice... She is going to request to President that I train next transfer and then go up and white wash Moldova with her and then "kill her off...meaning, she will be going home after that" ha I told her that would be great with me! So we will see how it goes....

 

Everything else is going really good.. other question... how in the world did grandma have patience to teach all of us piano? seriously.. this lady after church asked me if I would teach her little 8 years old son... hmmmm interesting.. ha a little difficult explaining how to play the piano to a little kid in a foreign language.. but it some how worked out.. he wont be any mozart anytime soon but it makes his mother happy so I will put in my time:) I also love the branch here.. they are so awesome.. the ward has sports night every Friday night and we play ultimate frisbee in the park.. I have not had that good of work out in my entire mission!! Seriously we ran the field probably 100 times.. and it just happened with our schedule that we hadnt eaten for like 7 hours so we were dying! ha but I loved it and my team kept winning ever ytime so it was so much fun! and 2 of our investigators came and played with us too! I love Fridays!! I am loving working with sora Rivera ... she is a lot of fun! I convinced her to buy a night gown... ha I am sure you guys have seen pictures of me in mine.. anyways it is like the big joke of the sister missionaries that I own a grandma nightgown.. well I convinced Sora Rivera to buy one and now we are twins!! ha She is converted for life! :) As far as investigators go.. this week was a little rough we were not getting a lot of dragoste (love) from our investigators.. or recent converts... or less actives.. but its ok! this week is a new week with endless possibilities! Another random thing.. this week I got REALLY TAN! ha we did weekly planning outside on the beach.. and I didnt realize how the sun was directly hitting my idaho white legs... anyways.. I walk inside.. fried... ah.. so we went to the store.. they dont have normal aloe vera.. you have to go to a legit farmacie for that stuff... ha but we found some lotion with aloe vera in it.. so I was saved! but I am now putting on sun screen.. dont you worry! ha

Constanta is beautiful.. ha it is true.. but I think I did miss the memo where we can walk around in bikinis and speedos reguardless of if we are near the beach or not... or if we can pull them off or not... hahahahaha I love romania so much!

  I am so happy to be here in Europe.. I love Romania! This is where I am supposed to be. I am so thankful for all of the blessing that I do have -- really I am so so lucky!! :) Have a great week!!

Cu Drag, Sora Abby Polatis