Polatis Missionaries

Hey Everyone!!
Sorry that there was one million pictures but honestly I don't think I can do justice to everything I did and experienced these past 2 weeks! So amazing!

Tell the singles ward hi from me!

Ok well... I have to basically catch you up on 2 weeks worth.. So first week:

- I presented at zone training again. It was really fun to present with Sora Lund we did it on Survey Contacting.. it was really fun!

- Went and visited Sora Dragu again.. (She was the old lady I was crying so hard to when I was leaving buc) She recognized Sora Lund and I! It was so great! She has nothing but is so happy. She is such a great example to me! I love her!

- Sora Lund got a package in it with Mac and Cheese... O man that was a great meal!!! haha I never thought I would ever miss macaroni and cheese:) ha

- Ok so when I went to a vegas a few years ago with all my friends in college we were watching the fountains at the bellagio hotel.. well the song was "time to say goodbye" and the fountains coordinated with it.. well I remember watching the fountains and loving life and realizing how blessed I was... all of us were leaned up against the fence and loving life.. well so we were contacting through this cute little park and I start to hear the "time to say goodbye" song and I look over and there is this cute little splash park that has fountains that are coordinating with THAT song.. The kids were running through the water without a care in the world. I loved it so much I just sat there and reflected on how much I have changed but also how I am still the same me... Sora Lund and I sat on a bench and we just watched the fountains for the rest of the song! I felt so happy and perfectly content! I loved it!

- As far as people teaching goes.. we sneaked attacked a less active member and just showed up at her apartment because she wouldnt meet with the sisters that were previously here.. She was really happy that we were back and let us share a message with her! We love Sora Nan! She is so sweet-- She also said that my Romanian sounds great! (She really helped me when I was here practicing Romanian when I was a young missionary)

- we also had another lesson and the girl is just not really focused... we showed up to meet her and she brought us Jehovah witness pamphlets .. haha So we really had to restate our purpose..

-I also translated in Church for one of the Senior Couples... it was really fun.. ha I am not super good and it because sometimes I would stop translating because I would think to myself "well this is really easy..." they would then look at me looking for a translation.. ha I was like ..."o sorry sorry they are just talking about the importance of tithing!"

- We had this crazy guy from America speak in Sacrament meeting.. He said he had a vision or revelation to move to Romanian.. anyways.. he gets up there and he has a missionary translate for him.. I felt so bad for him.. he did a good job translating but the guy was like talking about rumors of wars.. well it does not come across the same way as it would in English.. he started talking about a youtube video that Russia will cause the 3rd world war and that the Mormons are going to break up the United States and cause the second civil war.. well he was not very clear that these were "rumors" so there was quite the commotion from our grandma session in the congregation!

- We went to Gorzo for her birthday.. we framed this big picture of us for her birthday because her living room has a ton of pictures of missionaries.. well we then got her flowers but we did not know that if you only get 2 different flowers in a boquet it is meant for a funeral... So she was a little offended thinking we were wishing her to die.. ha but she understands that we are americans... lesson learned.. then we had dinner.. a little rough this week COW TONGUE AND STOMACH soup... I just ate it and pretended it was something normal.... haha I think I will be less picky after this mission haha

WEEK TWO

-Well so it was my first train ride ever in my life! I was so excited! ha we felt like we were on Anastasia.. and the hunger games at the same time! ha Sora Lund has a great imagination. I loved it! First off... we get in our little room and get all settled in.. the conductor guy comes and takes our tickets.. we were told to try to keep your tickets because sometimes they try to take them and kick you off the train.. ha well the conductor wouldnt give us our tickets... ha so we just prayed that we would stay on! well we did... we had a lot of fun.. planning.. making goals... a little bit of sleep (The train ride was about 14 hours) Well we get to the border of Romanian and Moldova.. we are there for about 3 hours! crazy huh.. We were told what would happen -- we would have three people come to our room.. one for our passports... the next to check our bags.. the last one to make sure we were healthy and not bringing diseases into the country.. well the first 2 came and everything went well.. the last one is the funniest one.. so keep in mind this is like at 3 am.. he knocks on the door and opens up the door.. turns on the light and all he says is "Ce fete frumoase" which means... "what pretty girls!" ha we looked like death.. well our beauty must have stunned him because he didnt ask anything about our health he just asked where we were from and wished us luck in Moldova! it was so funny!! Then after that we waited at the border while they changed the wheels on the train because I guess the tracks are different between moldova and romanian.. and the train was freezing.. ha Sora lund went into an empty compartment and stole some more blankets for us.. she was like "I just risked getting thrown into a moldovian prison for you!" ha I was really grateful! We were able to sleep a little bit and then we finally arrived!!!

- On Monday we had one of the Russian sets of Elders take us all of Moldova because he has served his whole mission in that one city so he was the perfect tour guide! Everything is in Romanian and Russian!

COOL LESSON

-Then that night I was on an exchange with Sora Case! She is so cute! I love her-- such a hard worker.. well we were meeting with this guy that she had contacted months before.. We met him at the park and sat down with him to get his expectations.. he seemed a little shut out at first.. He then talked about how he feels a void in his life and he is really looking for ways to improve his life. We both strongly testified that this gospel is what he is looking for and that it would change his life.. He was like "you guys seem so sure?" We both said ... We promise we are 100% sure it will change you life..." He then looked at us and really softened up and was like ... well if you are sure ....I want to know more.. So we taught him the whole restoration right there on that bench! it was so cool.. he wanted to do it in English but he was not getting the religious terms so we did it all in Romanian and it is so cool because honestly... I know that my Romanian isnt perfect.. at the end of it he was like "that makes perfect sense." We committed him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon! it was so cool! We were so happy after!

- Tuesday was our exchange day.. it was really fun.. we did some contacting and talked and made some really good goals! We had to get on our maxi taxi at 5:00 to iasi.. so funny because it is just this little ghetto 18 seater van thing.. We loved it! We went on all the back roads of moldova and got to see the whole country! We went through little villages that had water wells out front.. and by every well was a cross with Christ on it.. it was so crazy! it was an absolutely gorgeous drive! we were also at the boarder again for about three hours going through security and waiting in the line.. I loved molodova but it felt great to be back home in Romania! It is a little sketchy at the borders ha but we made it through!

- Wednesday we got to Iasi! I loved that city! it was fun to see Sora Rivera again and Sora Macdonald! they are a lot of fun! It was raining in the morning but it stopped for us when we were done with studies.. we went out to lunch because we had to try the "best burger in the whole entire world" ha it did end up being really good! Iasi is gorgeous.. pretty hills... amazing buildings... nice people! I loved it! We went contacting and I worked with Sora Rivera on really making commitments with every contact! She is a great missionary and we have only been apart for about 2 weeks so it was fun to be reunited!

- We then had to catch another sleeper train at 11 pm to get back to buc this morning at 7 am. While we were looking for a train we met this really really cool girl and we gave her a Book of Mormon and she said she would read it and was really grateful! I will probably never see her again in my life but it was just so cool because we were just talking to her and she turned away and I mouthed to Sora Lund.. "We have to give her a book of mormon!" it was great!

- The train was good.. we were dead tired so we slept like rocks! ha I was really surprised how well I was able to sleep at these random places.. Heavenly Father really did bless me this week!

Well I know that this was really long novel.. but this is my life! I love it! I am loving this transfer so much! Being a sister Training leader is the best thing ever! I feel myself really growing as I am studying for the other sisters in the mission and helping them achieve their goals! I feel blessed! I can not believe how lucky I am-- I am so blessed! This is the coolest mission ever! Family good luck with everything! the Church is true! I know it! Have a great week! Good luck with everything!

cu mare mare mare drag,
Sora Abby Polatis