Family!!!! 

Can you believe I have lived in this country for over a year! Crazy.. I can actually look in my journals and read what happened to me here last year! It just seems so weird. I still have time! Thankfully! I am loving it here so much! You all sound like you are doing great! 

This week has been great! Full of adventure! Speaking of adventure.. I am actually all the way across the country right now in Arad! I love it here! 

This week: 

Monday: New investigator! On transfer day Sora Drotar and I talked to this lady that was hanging out around the missionaries at the train station. She said she was nervous to come up and talk to us. Well we gave her a book of mormon and got her number. We called her up and she agreed to meet with us at the church. A little before we get this text message asking if she has to pay for the lessons. We replied and said no.. and then we got another message that said... "Houston we have a problem..." We knew that she didnt know english so we were very confused.. We tried calling and then it was just weird.. Anyways we found out once she showed up to the church that she didn't have credit on her phone and that "Houston we have a problem was the only text message that would send for free! ha But we gave her a tour of the church and we sang "be still my soul" as I played it on the piano. She was in tears! She loved it! she has a little boy.. hopefully it works out well. She didn't show up to church yesterday... bummer deal.. but hopefully next week!

Tuesday:

We gave our presentation on speaking Romanian more! It went really well- We talked about really good activities that we can do in our companionships to be speaking Romanian for most of the day. Sora Peterson and I are really working on that and memorizing scriptures this transfer!

Wednesday & Thursday:

Exchange in Pitesti. We hopped on a two hour train to pitesti to be with Surori Hebdon and Gee. They are so cute!! Pitesti is so small. They just reopened the city for sisters. Sora Hebdon is training Sora Gee. The area is a little rougher... only 2 females in the branch.. and about 8 men. Their city map is about 1/8 of the Bucuresti map. Area book is a little low on potentials. They seemed a little worried about the task ahead of them. I just said "God must trust you sisters so much!" We spent time and thought of some really good ideas they can do their area. It was a lot of fun! I love going on exchanges. Each sister just really needs a "you are great! keep going... God loves you" speech! We had so much fun! During lunch we even had a little dance off in the kitchen... ha it was just what they needed! They are both amazing! I know that they will be blessed in that area! 

*funny story... So I am riding on the train to pitesti and this guy about my age is on the train.. he is on the phone and he says in romanian.. I don't have pen.. I need a pen and paper.." I then just handed him my pen and a piece of paper.. He was so surprised that I knew romanian haha He then took the opportunity to keep talking to me.. he tried speaking in english and I would just speak in romanian.. He tried asking us to come hang out with him and his friends.. then he asked for my number.. I explained to him our purpose but he was not at all interested in religion. He said "lets talk about sports.. I am a gymnast!" He then starts stretching his arms in all these nasty ways!!! I almost died of laughter! 

Friday: 

Lesson with a less active. We just thought she was less active because she was sick but we thought we really needed to visit her.. We get there and she wasn't just coming because of health.. she just didn't want to come for other reasons!! I was in shock! Anyways we told her that we would be on her doorstep and 9 on sunday to pick her up. She then also got visited by the district president here in Romania.. Between the two of us SHE CAME! We picked her up and she was so thankful.. She even prayed in relief society and she started crying! it was so precious! 

Sunday: 

Well none of our investigators showed up to church which is super sad. I never know how high my hopes are until they are crushed. But our less active came so that was good! Another funny moment at church was that we have a new senior couple in our branch fresh from Utah. Well it is her second sunday and she comes up to us and says "How long until I will understand everything people are saying to me?" It just put me back to my first transfer in the country-- we just said.. You have some time:) 

Today I am now hanging out in Arad! It is a lot of fun! Elder Poulson and Elder Whitehead are here from my MTC district so we all met and had a district lunch at this Mexican Restaurant.. He it tried really hard to be mexican.. so I guess that is what counts! ha But tomorrow night I leave for Timisoara.. We get home thursday morning.. friday I then go to ploiesti (Sora Petersons old investigator is getting baptized this weekend so we will be there for that. We will be home sunday and then I leave to Sibiu on Monday.. So next Wednesday I will be done with all my exchanges! ha We are going to bust them out! 

That is my life! I love it so much! my mission is so unique! Last night we were waiting at the train station and all of the sudden the assistants show up with all their baggages.. ha they were headed to Iasi and then to Moldova.. it is just crazy.. We are always on the road! But it is great! I can't imagine my mission anywhere else in the world. I may not have a hundred baptisms in this mission but that is not what matters to me. I have learned to how to be happy and to know that God loves me no matter what the outward "success" is. I love Romania! I know that this church is true! God is truly mindful of us and loves us! I hope that you all have a great week! Keep working hard and being great! 

va iubesc atat de mult! va pup! 

Sora Abby Polatis