turtle catchers 🐢⭐

Ok so this week was so fun and so good! Basically being a missionary is my most favoritest thing ever so let's get into it 

We had some AMAZING lessons this week! 

☆ Luiza!!! She was a referral (filled an ad out online) and we called her and she said that she wasn't sure God loved her (sad) and I got to testify to her and tell her that God does love her and bare my testimony of the most tender subject ever and she is so cute, I came on a mission because I knew God's love so it was amazing to testify of that to someone and to help them feel it 

☆ Luiza again! We met up in person and she had so many questions. We went over the restoration, the plan of salvation and she had some deep questions I've never had to answer în romanian before so the gift of tongues was real and then she goes "well can we walk to your church I wanna see where it is" so we did and she came to church on Sunday! 

☆ Felicia! She is my fav. She works all day every day (literally) and she still came to our lesson and loves them. She is so cute and you can tell she believes and just wants to know more. She was in Hungary this weekend so she said she couldn't make it to church so we were so shocked when she walked through the doors!! She came right from her trip to go to church with us  She also brought us some small American flags to remind us of home.  

☆ visited an inactive member and had to convince her that the elders were strong enough to help her up the stairs to the church (she's convinced that she won't make it up the stairs but she wants to come to church so we told her there is a way) 

☆ met up with our friend andreea în person finally! She works at the mall so we went over and visited her and she is so cute and gave us free food and told us she always has her book of mormon on her and it is actually more marked than mine haha 

Some fun highlights! 

◇ spent dinner hour at the mall and FINALLY caught a turtle!! win 

◇ had a BAPTISM! one of the elders friends got baptized and it was so amazing to see and all the members were so excited for the growth in the branch 

◇ had a lot of people in church on Sunday and the members were SO happy and talked to them all and made sure they knew what songs we were singing, so tender and cutie 

◇ talked to a lady about country music and she told me she liked blake shelton so I asked if she like Luke Bryan (I feel like they are really similar) and she didn't know who that was so she looked him up and started playing Luke Bryan for us right on the street 

◇ the other sisters in timi had an exchange so I got to see the stls (aka my fav people) and get dinner all together, win 

◇ not a highlight - got transfer news and after one short transfer together my comp and I are getting split  it was wayyyy too fast of a transfer 

◇ highlight - I get the cutest funniest new comp, sora momberger! I'm super excited! 

Spiritual thought!: 

I've been reading the old testament lately and I've been loving it! Didn't think that would happen hahah (sorry to my seminary teachers (my mom) who tried to tell me but I didn't pay attention). I read the story of when Jacob left Rebekah and Issac and slept on a pillow of rocks and he didn't feel God was there. The lord talks to Jacob and comforts him and Jacob goes on to say that the lord was always there he just couldn't see or recognize it. God is in our desolate places. Even when we can't see him, God is there. He was there with Jacob on the pillow of rocks after his brother wanted to kill him, he is there with us in every desolate place, every pillow of rocks. I know that God is God who stays and shows up for us. Beautiful thing I get to share here in this beautiful country. 

Love you guys, send emails, I'm the worst at responding but I love getting them! 

Sami 

Baptism!

Our church in Timi

The devil can scrap but the Lord has won...

Ok this week was pretty good. Had some good lessons and some good member visits. So let's get to it. 

I can't really remember day to day to enjoy a long list of what happened this week :

☆ had some good long finding sessions (my fav) and talked to some cool people 

☆ taught some amazing lessons 

☆ one lesson we had with a friend who basically tried to drop us but we had a lesson with them and it was long but really good and their heart softened by the end of it and it was a really cool thing to see 

☆ met up with another friend who we had been trying to meet up with for a few weeks and she told us how she feels this church is different and feels a bigger peace at this church 🥹

☆had some really cool members visits and meals - I love these members with my whole heart and they love to have the missionaries over 

☆ got told at English class to buy a recorder so we can all play together 

☆ was sick on saturday so I was #out 

☆ got yelled at "I love you sisters, bye sisters, I miss you sisters" by a crazy man who tried to convince us he is the president of romania

☆helped the other sisters a lot who are mega sick 

☆ had an in depth convo about zodiac signs with a member (in romanian) and she knew everything about them and told us everything about our zodiac signs 

This week was good. There are a lot of miracles going on in Romania right now. There are a lot of people on baptismal date in the country (keep them all in your prayers) and even little miracles for me here in Timișoara. We have a lot of progressing friends and so many who want to get closer to God. It's a beautiful thing to see. But when that happens the adversary works way harder to try and keep people from doing that. As a missionary I feel like I see the different ways the adversary is attacking - it comes just generally in life, it came specifically to our friends this week, and it can attack us personally and make you feel down about yourself and your efforts and that can make it hard to do the work. But as hard as Satan works - God is better than it all and miracles were and are seen. I've been thinking about this a lot this and as well as one other topic so bare with me. (If you know me you know I like to share all my thoughts). This week one of our friends was telling us that they didn't want to meet anymore and they didn't think the book of mormon is true and all these things. And it made me so upset. I was wondering why I took it so hard and I just realized that it was because I saw the change in their life and know this Gospel is true with all my heart. This Gospel is my greatest asset, greatest support and greatest help. Everything I have and am I owe to God and this Gospel. So I guess to end this little rant, God is so good and working here in Romania. The adversary works hard but God wins. The Gospel is true and God is the reason for everything. 

I love you all so much, I'm the worst at responding to emails but I LOVE receiving them

love, sami 

Street scenes from Timi

Fish sticks and bean puree

Orthodox Wedding

Hiking in the national forest for P-day