BUNA ZIUA FRIENDS!
Well, if you enjoyed my emails the past 18 months this is a sad day for you and if you are excited to not get them spammed in your inbox, it's a happy day haha. All jokes aside, this is my last email. I'm finishing my mission and get home pretty soon. So let me tell you all about it and all about this last week. Here's the rundown! :
- finished teaching Oana all the lessons!
- saw city center and the christmas market at night- wow i love Christmas in europe
- had an exchange with an old comp- sora later and it was the bestest day
- went to a school in a neighborhood outside of brasov, this school is kinda in a poorer neighborhood and we helped with a nativity and one of the elders was santa and they all got gifts
it was adorable
it was adorable - had a branch baptism! It was a baptism that people had been looking forward to and so many people not from Brașov came to support and it was adorable to see this 10 year old son finally have his whole family baptized (his dad got baptized). It was such a tender day and i was so happy to be there. The son turns to me and goes " how weird is it that i am now older in the church than my dad" it was pretty funny haha but a super tender day
- then Saturday our girl oana got baptized! It was the most perfect day. Oana 5 weeks ago just walked into the church building on Sunday because she thought she was walking into another church building but we invited her to stay and we met her and she had such a desire to get baptized. When I first got transferred to this area i was telling my mom i was stressed and worried and said "i only have 5 weeks in this city how do i help find someone and teach them and help them get baptized" I honestly thought it wasn't going to happen but through a lot of prayer and miracles, God helped us in our goal and led Oana straight to our church. It was beautiful. She bore the most beautiful testimony about having an emptiness filled in her life now. It was so perfect.
-she also brought a friend who she had told about the Book of mormon and he wanted a copy and also wants to get baptized!
- Sunday was so bitter sweet! It was my last Sunday in romania and we got to bare our testimonies and it was so tender, I'll miss church in romania, in romanian, the romanian hymns and the especially the members
- we ended off sunday night with a lot of finding and streeting and one last time on the street inviting people to Jesus Christ - my favorite thing to do
My mission will be the hardest chapter to close. I'm eternally grateful for romania, the people here and my Savior. I love this country and I love this Gospel. Romania will always have a little piece of my heart and my heart will forever miss romania. Before I left on my mission I got some advice from my brother all he said was "the two hardest days of my life were getting on planes, one to leave Carson City and one to leave Mongolia, but leaving Mongolia was so much harder. Soak it up." I can say that 18 months ago I didn't know how this would be possible but I can say today I fully understand it. Serving here in Romania has been my biggest blessing and getting on the plane will be so hard. I'm grateful for the chance I had to be here, to learn here, to love these people and learn their beautiful language. I came to love my mission and leaving behind this new family breaks my heart. Here's a few simple truths I learned over the course of my mission that I'm eternally grateful for:
- Jesus lives! - God is our strength in our hardest times and will carry us through -God truly does hear and answer every prayer -miracles are real!!! - God loves and sees His children in every part of the world, He is keenly aware of you - true joy comes through Jesus Christ! - this is the true church and is our way back to living with God and SO MUCH MORE!
I have LOVED my mission. Serving a mission is possibly one of the best things someone can do. The opportunity to serve my Savior everyday and grow closer to Him will forever impact my life. I have no words to describe how I have been changed or to describe how grateful I am or what I have learned. I wish I could describe to you all how much I love my mission and this work and this Gospel. I can't put it into words the love I have for my Savior, His gospel and His disciples and people in Romania. I'm grateful for every moment spent here. Every moment spent on the streets talking to people, knocking on their doors, being in sketchy blocs, teaching people about Jesus Christ, eating questionable food, laughing with my companions, being so tired and having the privilege to do it all. I can't say much more, the best I can is said in some scriptures. Enjoy a few that I have loved my whole mission.
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. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel
2 My brethren, count it all joy
And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever
I can't say the smallest part of what I feel and my joy is FULL! My mission taught me to count everything as joy! Everything can be turned to joy. Every trial, every rejection, every heartbreak can be made joy through Jesus Christ. And here in romania is where I came to the knowledge of my Redeemer. Romania will forever hold a special place in my heart for this reason. And how grateful I am.
I love you all and I know that God loves you. That's the best thing I think I could share with you all.
Până ne vom revedea românia,
Sora schof 
