Polatis Missionaries

Buna Frumosilor!

Well this has been quite the week! I have asked Taxi drivers from the east to the west about the rumors that this winter will be the coldest in 100 years.. they all said yes! ha Well one of them said, "who knows.. no one really can know that!" ha so we will see.. one day at a time! Today is a really nice day.. with the sun shining! Well my week

MONDAY: A little rough start of the week

It was the end of the day it had been rainy all day.. we were waiting for people to go contacting and then plans changed then they were back on.. and we still had to get ready to leave on our midnight train to Arad. So I was a little tired and annoyed. But I thought to myself. "You are a missionary.. forget it and talk to people." So we were at a bus stop waiting under the shelter and this girl my age walks under the shelter. I said. "Cute Jacket." She looks at me and says thanks then she asked if I was Romanian and why I was speaking Romanian. I then pointed over to Sora Lund and said "We are both missionaries here for our church so we are trying to learn Romanian and speak with people!" She then gets this look of disgust on her face and starts yelling at me in English - "NO NO NO NO WAY!" She then starts backing up like I have some disease and either yelled "I am not a satanist" or "you are both satanists" She then comes back to me and says in Romanian "just so you know... you DON'T like my jacket." She then stood in the rain and got on the next bus that showed up. I just stood there in shock.. I mean this happens to me about once a transfer but I was really thrown off. I did not understand why she hated me so much. I am not used to being hated. Sora Lund and I came to the conclusion that his gospel must be true because people would not get so upset if it wasnt! Well after that I had kind of had it and it was late so we just walked home... sad to admit it I just cried as we walked home in the pouring rain... I don't think I will get offended back in the states. ha We then got on the train and all was well. Sora Lund just woke up with tons of bed bug bites. But we arrived! it was actually really cool because we woke up and listened to the Relief Society session of conference. We both said... "I bet they could never picture this... 2 sister missionaries on a night train in sweats in the middle of Romania listening to their talks!" So cool!

TUESDAY:

We made it to ARAD! so much fun! we all went and bought gypsie skirts at this mansion! It was so much fun! None of us had been there before and it was the Arads PDay so we all went and it was quite the adventure. We just walked in. They brought us down stairs in this big room. Brought out all these different skirts! So funny. Probably like 20ish gypsie trying to sell us stuff! Elder Barclay is amazing at talking with people and speaking Romanian.. so he talked down all of our stuff and we got them cheap.. Even after we walked out they followed us and sold us things even cheaper. It was so much fun!

WEDNESDAY:

Exchange day with Sora Ralls! She is so great! We were in the taxi and I asked the guy about winter because it is a big conversation starter. He was freaking out because it is going to be so cold. I asked him. "What are we going to do?" He then looks at me and asked if I was married I told him no... he said "Well you need to get married so you have some body heat for the winter to make you warm." ha it was in Romanian so it was something like that then he was going into more detail about it.. and I just said.. I get it... I get it! haha so funny! We then had a lesson with this mother and daughter who were obsessed with the united states! They kept hugging me and loved everything we said... I just said.. "I am from Idaho." they then said. "O wow cool that is so amazing!" ha it was like I had just given this great speech.

THURSDAY:

Made it home, figured out all of our finances, had a less active lesson!

FRIDAY:

Zone conference! I loved it! I went to the leadership meeting and President Hill is so amazing! He just wants all of us to be so happy as missionaries. He talked about how one time Elder Holland just randomly showed up to some ones sacrament meeting and they said that they could not keep him quit. After every little thing he would say "wow.. that was amazing!" or "That was the best talk I have ever heard." Wow what a great song!" I just loved it! it just shows how great it is to be positive! I want to be like that! The whole day was great. Very uplifting and inspiring!! It made me super excited to get out there and talk with everyone!

It was really cute though because this elder came up to me and he is in his third transfer and he said "Sora Polatis I remember when you talked with me when I first got into the country. I was so so nervous and you told me to not worry and that everything would work out. You really helped me!" It was so cute! I remember talking to him a couple months ago! He made my day!

SATURDAY:

Super cool we had a lot of random people show up to English. This really nice girl came to our class and she spoke english really well. Afterwords I went up and talked to her and she said she would be interested in learning more about are church. I then asked her how she found out about english and she said. "Well about a year ago some boys handed me a flyer in the park. I didn't have time back then. A couple days ago I was looking through my stuff and I found the flyer. I decided I would come!" We are really excited to meet with her this week! It just goes to show that no effort is wasted!

We then watched a conference session at the Francoms and she fed us dinner. Conference is like the super bowl here for us missionaries! it was so much fun!

DUMINICA

Sora Lund was sick this day:( But we still wanted to go to conference. We watched the session in Romanian because some of our potentials investigators showed up from English! I actually understood it! It was really cool and powerful! I love conference so so much! The next session we watched in English. I LOVE PRESIDENT MONSON! When he was talking about his wife I was basically in tears. I want to marry a guy like President Monson! But it was really really good! I also saw Elena from constanta she now lives in Buc going to college... I love her! She is a reason why I was called to Romania! We were talking and I told her that a part of my heart will always be in Romania.. she seemed shocked.. and said. "Do you really mean that?" I said "Of course!!". and then I told her everything I loved about Romania!

So everything is going great! I was a little sad because we arent going to sibiu this week because one of the sisters needs dental work done in Bucuresti so they are just coming and doing exchanges here but it should still be fun! I also dont think I am going to go to Rittas (My jewish lady's baptism this week) She is going to stop and come to church with me on the 13th at Mihai Bravu. I just really thought about it and I didn't want to be "that" missionary and show that it was "My" baptism. Because in reality we are all on the same team working to the same goal- It is not "my" baptism but I am very happy for Ritta! Also we find out about transfers this week! can you believe it?? I really hope that Sora Lund and I stay together. We will see! Maddy good luck with districts! Just have fun and look good! :) ha I love being a missionary. Everything is going great! I can't believe it next monday I have been gone for 11 months! wow.. crazy! but I love it!

You all sounds like you are doing amazing!!

LOVE YOU! CU MARE DRAG: Sora Abby Polatis