balcony finding, miracles and mary janes

This week was interesting with nothing and everything happening!

We have been prepping for our friend Alina's baptism which is Friday so we met with her a lot and it's been awesome. She knows opposition is hitting her especially hard the week of her baptism but that just makes her even more excited for Friday, she's counting down the days. 

We soaked up the last bit of warmth and sun and did our studies outside and it was blessed. Sadly now the sun is gone and the rain and cold is here. Rip the chaco tanline, I have to wear the Mary Jane shoes again 

We taught our cute friend Maria again! It was rainy so we sat underneath the cover of a bus station and talked with her and she gave us plums from her pocket and her umbrella to take home. She promised she would come to church on Sunday to get it back, and she did so whatever it takes I guess. 

Got transfer news! And I'm blessed because both my comp and I are staying. But just a tiny bit of a different situation because our area changed zones haha. Quick little background on my mission - we have 3 zones, west, central and east and I spent 7 transfers straight in the west zone and then I moved out for 1 transfer and now my area just got moved back to the west zone, so 9/12 transfers on my mission are going to be in the west zone hahah. Good thing I love it. 

We had the most fun games night ever! I love our little games night crew. 

Taught our friend Anamaria again and I'm still working on liking her cat. Not loving the cigarette smell I walk out with every time but it'll be ok. She's super cool and funny so I enjoy our lessons. She's reading the book of mormon and praying about it so pray for her! 

Most of the week we got kinda throttled in streeting, everyone was mean and didn't want to talk, but Sunday we met some really cool people and they were so nice. It was such a nice turn around from the other days. We also had a great church service with so many people there  I love seeing a full church room. 

We tried finding in a spot and ended up talking to people on their balconies haha but they told us their apartment number so we went back and tried to teach them again but they weren't home so we knocked their bloc and met some super cool people. Including a cute old lady who heard we had a message about Jesus and let us right in her door and we chatted for a while. Super cute. I love romanians.

I do want to share this super cute little miracle we had this week. After one of our lessons we were walking home and romania is getting dark early now so it was pretty dark out but we still wanted to find someone that day. We hadn't found anyone yet and it was almost 9 and we had heard stories all day from other missionaries of prayers and miracles and faith so we stopped and we said a prayer and went on. I wanted to go a certain way home so we did and we saw a family so we immediately crossed the street to talk to them. Unforch they weren't interested but it lead us to talk to two girls sitting at the bus stop and they were super interested and we set up a lesson the next day. They came the next day and brought another girl too and that girl was so interested to hear more. It was super cool how God led us to people to lead us to the person we needed to meet. Miracles are real. 

Ok I know this is a little long but I do have an actual little spiritual thought to share :

Soooo I've been a little frustrated with my romanian language progress. The language has always been my weak spot and being 15 months in I thought I would be better. The gift of tongues and understanding is something that has never lacked from my prayers. I have such a desire to speak and express better and I try so hard but sometimes the words just can't get out of my mouth. I read Jacob 7 again this week. Jacob talks about not having the words to portray what he wants, not being able to say what he wants and having anxiety over it (real). He says that someone who is trying to argue with him has perfect understanding of the language and could use a lot of flattery and Jacob wasn't sure how he could teach the people better. But luckily God's got his back. Jacob spoke plainly and with the spirit and confounded all of Sherems words. 

Through small and simple things God brings to pass His eternal work. 

Through the plainness of Jacob's words, combined with the spirit he taught his people exactly what they needed. 

God blesses our efforts and desires. 

He knows our struggles and is there with us through them all. 

Whatever we are lacking, God can and will make up the rest. 

Although I feel so weak and so simple in my language, I have seen countless moments when I have seen the power of the gift of tongues, where I have been complimented on my language, where people truly understand what I am saying and understand my feelings through my stuttering. 

God makes up all our weaknesses. So whatever it is that we feel less than adequate, God will make it up. Through our effort and desire, God will provide the rest and not leave us to fall. 

Sorry this got long, but I love you all

Love sami 

Opposite matching on our hike

so you hate cats?

Hey friends! What's up I hope everything is good!

Here's some haps! 

LESSONS! we had some awesome lessons this week! 

2 with our friend Alina! We finished up teaching her everything, she passed her baptismal interview and is all set for her baptism on October 3rd - I could not be more excited. 15 months in the making hahah. She is excited and can't wait for her baptism, she wants to serve in the church after her baptism and understands and sees the different of her life with the Gospel, basically everything you can ask for.

Taught our friend Victoria! Invited her to be baptized in November and she said yes! We have a lot to teach her but she is amazing. She travels an hour or more for our lessons, church, activities and everything. She doesn't even have a car. She is awesome. 

Taught our new friend Anamaria! She filled out a request online and we called her and then went to her house. She lives in a bloc and it is smaller than my parents closet at home. So tiny. Also filled with cigarette smoke. So an immediate shower was taken and laundry done right after. I smelled horrible haha. She also has a cat and she laughed at me because I hate cats and she could tell lol. She also prayed that her cat would stop throwing up during the night. Butttt we taught her some good lessons and she is so excited to read the Book of Mormon and meet with us. The spirit was there and testifying, even in a smoke filled tiny commie bloc. 

Taught our friend Beatrice this week! She mostly just yapped lol. 

Had a few other really awesome lessons as well! 

Some random things!: 

- some sml meetings and prep for some presentations we have to do! 

- got bowed to and spoken Japanese to? Idk man 

- met up with one of our cute members and brought gratitude journals and got smoothies! She is adorable

- a lady kept yapping and telling us she was pro Israel after we literally just asked to help her with all her boxes 

- had service with our branch! It was romania's day of service and we went and cleaned up a part of the city with our branch and Alina and Victoria came! 

- taught English! And had games night and we played a game with one of our friends and she could not figure it out and it and was so funny so she just ended up roasting us lol 

I'll just leave ya with a quick quote "Fortunately the Lord loves us more than we love ourselves" Elder Neal A Maxwell. No matter what we are going through, who we are, what we have done, the Lord loves us infinitely more than we love ourselves. His grace is there for each of us even when we feel like we don't deserve it. He loves us more. 

Love you all! 

Sami 

Sora Dancu a member of our branch

Our friend Victoria

Romania's Day of Service

The city of Alba Iulia that we went to for P-day

Our friend Anamaria

Day of service

Setting Alina's baptismal date 

rain and trains...

Bună tuturor! This week was good! 

Monday we were able to see our friend alina and she got a blessing! She is so ready for her baptism later this month! 

Tuesday we taught english and it was one kids birthday so we celebrated! La mulți ani! We also found some cool new friends! 

On wednesday we went to 2 members houses! We ate lunch with Sora Dancu and heard about her conversion story and then visited our new-ish member Diana and retaught her baptismal covenants. It was super fun. Then we got on a train to go to București for an exchange but we got blessed with first class tickets  and also had some sml meetings on the train 

Thursday I was on an exchange with Sora Droubay! We were comps at the beginning of our missions and it was so fun to be together again when we can actually speak the language and do a little better missionary work haha. We taught our friend Alina over the phone, went finding and helped figure out some future plans hahah. It was a blessed day and it was super rainy in buc! But it was so fun to be with her again. 

Friday we took a train back to Sibiu and had a bunch of lessons set up but they mostly fell through. Except for one and it was super cool. We just were able to bare testimony about the power to change and not be stuck as we are (my favorite part of the atonement & favorite part to teach). Christ can change lives and it's amazing and beautiful to teach that! We also had some cool finding miracles! We ran into some old people who had been taught before and are interested in coming again! Right place. Right time. 

Saturday we had an activity with our relief society where we painted book of mormons. It was fun! Definitely not artistically talented but it all turned out well and we even had a friend come! Out friend victoria is awesome and travels so far to come to all the things. She's so cool. We also taught Alina and she is so excited for baptism and she ready. It's so fun having a friend this far along! Kinda crazy to say that it's my first time my whole mission but it's worth the wait. We also had games night and I spent most of it playing soccer with a little kid and it was so fun but not in a dress, sandals and the wind haha.

Sunday Alina and Victoria both came to church! Relief society was so good and our friends were participating and everything. We went finding that night and met some super cool people. Best part was someone coming up to us and asking me if I was a missionary and to share something with him since he really needed a scripture or a pick me up. He was having a really hard time în life at the moment and he honestly just really needs the light of Christ. We shared some verses and our testimonies of the atonement and power to change and be forgiven and to be new. It was awesome. We also got bashed by somebody who told us she doesn't believe in church but was baptized by a random priest so she's chill. Super random honestly. Also walked into the sketchiest bloc of ALL TIME (trying to find an old friend) and got dumped on again by rain, so crazy! Crazy sketchy bloc and may or may not have been invited into a random guys apartment but we ran down the stairs and we were safe haha. A little sketch. But good. 

This week was so good sorry the email was so bad! We are finding a lot, teaching a lot and have so many cool friends! I love this mission! 

Quick little thought:

At the beginning of the week I was studying and honestly just had a lot în my head and was stressed and I read my patriarchal blessing again and it was so helpful and really calmed me down and helped me not be so stressed. It's so cool that God speaks to us directly and that He is continually speaking to us. I love sharing that message with the romanians, the fact that God is still speaking to us and directing us is so cool and gives so much purpose and meaning to life. God is there for you and He cared about what you care about! 

Love you all! 

Sami

Serious rain in Bucharest

Life planning

Comps one year mark

Sketchiest bloc ever

Guess which one is mine?

First class train

mission conf‼️🥳☀️

Hey friends, I hope you had a fabulous week, I sure did! Let me know all about your great weeks since you get to read mine  

Anyways this week started off pretty normal! We had some normal start of the week things, met 2 super cute people on Tuesday and then got on a train to București to go to mission conference! This train was luckily only 6 hours so not horrible. We got to buc at like 10:30 pm and then finally got some sleep around 11:30-midnight yayay

Wednesday was a blast! We had mission conference and I got to see all my cute mission friends! Elder and Sister Alliaud from our area presidency came! We talked a lot about faith and baptism and helping people come unto Jesus Christ, it was pretty awesome. We also had some SML meetings wahoooo but the day was super fun and I loved seeing all my old comps and all my friends! 

Thursday we had MLC with the Alliauds and it was awesome. We learned a lot and I really enjoyed it. We also saw one of members who was visiting buc and more sml things wahoooo

Friday was PACKED! Since we were gone for 2.5 days we had a lot packed into a few days! We met up with an inactive member and taught her about the temple and she wants to works towards going! We had a lesson with a cute older lady în a park. A big sml meeting, and met such a cute lady in the park that night! It was kind of a blessing because the conversation before was kinda crazy and a little mean and bashy so she was so nice. 

Saturday was awesome too! Met with our friend Victoria and she was so excited to get a Book of Mormon! Then we taught this new friend, Georgiana, she was so cute! We went to her house and talked and she was also so excited to read the BoM since we told her it's our favorite book. She invited us back again to read together, she was so cute and it was a great lesson. We also had games night where one of our friends neighbors came and she happened to be taught by missionaries in the past! She came to church the next day and had a wild story! I'll make it short : basically she said she has the hardest time waking up on time but really wanted to come to church since she loved what my comp was explaining Saturday night, she prayed to get up on time to come to church and so did we, she ended coming and loved it! The lesson in 2nd hour was about temples which is the crazier part, she had a dream where she saw a temple and knew she had to go inside and had questions about it. She knew that since this is the 2nd time she met missionaries with our church she had to listen and it was a sign from God. We ended up talking for a while after church with a member and we are meeting up again this week. I'm so excited for her. She knows God is telling her something. 

The rest of Sunday was chill. Our mission president challenged our whole mission to find 101 friends (4 friends per companionship) on saturday and sunday and we saw some amazing miracles! We ended up finding 5 people and it was awesome to be guided and feel the power and miracles pouring out! You could definitely feel it. It was so awesome to see how we found 103 friends in 2 days and see all the miracles and faith in the mission. Big things are in store for romania. 

I found out today that I have 100 days left of being a missionary. My mission has been my biggest blessing and my favorite thing. These are some of my favorite scriptures that hit home. 

"Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever....Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land."

My joy is full in serving Christ. I know it is all thanks to God. He's been mindful of me while wandering in a strange land and He is my light and joy. Serving God is the most joyful work and thing we could do. I'm excited for these last 100 days to work hard, love harder and serve here in Romania. 

Love you all! 

Sami

Theo!

Some of us that have served in Ploiesti with Theo

Our friend Georgiana

Sora Popescu, a member

P-day hike