Hey Everyone!
Things have been going well and I am doing great out here. This week I really focused on changing my attitude and now I am not worrying about anything else really than just doing what I know I should do and making sure I'm continually working on myself. I was getting too focused on what others were doing and I think I was missing out on some of my own things I can improve. But since I've started doing this, my days have been so much better.
I continue to SYL and Elder Garrett continues to speak only English, but it doesn't bother me anymore. Lol, I'm sure we must seem really odd to the Romanians, walking and talking like that. But it's good and Elder Garrett helps me when I get stuck and helps me to speak better. Overall, I am doing really well this week! Elder Garrett wanted to try my study program and got up with me at 6:30 this morning to study! It was really cool. I've really learned a lot from these two transfers with him, both directly and indirectly. Things are going well.
Let's see, a lot of stuff happened this week. Hopefully, I get to it all. First off, last Friday Elder Garrett and I had exchanges with the zone leaders. I went with Elder Ryttersgaard(I had an exchange with him my first transfer) and it was really good. Not that we were able to do a lot. We met them at 3 and then Outreach was at 5:30, so it was a short exchange. But it was good just to be with another missionary, to learn from him and to talk about missionary work and get tips and advice from him.
Then Outreach was the most fun it's ever been! Mostly thanks to the zone leaders, and the fact that we had 9 people(that's a lot for us, lol). They (the zone leaders) taught us two games that were super fun. The first was "apă în faţa," literally water in face, lol. One person has a cup with some water in it and he picks something specific, like a dog. Then he tells everyone the general topic, animals, and he goes around the circle and each person guesses an animal until someone guesses it right and he gets the cup of water in his face. Then it's his turn and he picks whatever topic he wants, from clothes to soccer teams to countries in Europe. It was really fun. The 2nd game is "racecar". Everyone sits in a circle and one person starts by saying"vroom" and each person says that to pass it on. Oh, and everyone has their lips covering their teeth. So you can either say "vroom" to pass it on or make the sound of a car braking and it reverses directions. Sounds lame, but it gets really funny and you're out when your teeth show, basically when you start cracking up. People were seriously crying, they were laughing so hard!
Oh, Thursday, well Wednesday night, my companion called President because my ear had been hurting a little. It wasn't bad at all and I'm perfectly fine now. So President said I should go to the doctor and so I did Thursday. Then I had to buy some Augumentin(?) and some other stuff that's a nose spray. It's pertty lame, especially because it all cost about $40(I know that's not a lot back home) but it is here, and it's all a personal expense. :( I have receipts if you can get money back from the insurance company. I have no idea. Tell and then next week I will send a tape and I can put those in there too. And do I get extra money this month, to cover that medical stuff? I hope so!
Saturday, Elder Garrett and I played a soccer game with Iulian, Cătălin, and Florin, three super cool brothers in our branch. The way it works is one person is the universal goalie and then there are two teams of two each. It was me and Cătălin as a team and it's the first team to get three goals. After each game, the goalie switches places with one of the losing team's players. Cătă and I didn't lose a single game, out of 10! Lol, we dominated, it was tight.
Oh man, I forgot to tell you guys last week and I got a talk and I gave it yesterday. Guess what my topic was? I know you guys will get a kick out of this, especially J. "Daughters of our Heavenly Father." lol. It's from the general meeting of young women, it's in the conference issue. My talk went really well and a lot of people complimented me on my language skills. I can't believe I've had to give two talks already, though! I'm only in my 3rd transfer. No, it's good for me, lol, and I did well, so I'm not complaining.
Happy Birthday, A! You'll have to write and tell me what you got and how your birthday was and when your getting baptized and lots of stuff. I can't believe you're 8! I won't even recognize you when I get home!
Man, S, that video was sooooooooooo good! Dang! Thanks for sending me that or having J send me that. That was really cool to see. Wow, I looked good in those pictures! Oh, sorry, back to you, lol. Just kidding. But really, that video was really, really awesome. Good job! [S made a video in school about her family. It's by invitation-only on YouTube. If you want to see it, as well as J's funny one, email us and we will send you the link.]
Lol, yes, Mom, I think you're right. Firstborns really are smarter! I must be a genius then, because my siblings are SUPER smart. That's good to know. : ) [In last week's news, a headline stated: "Study: Firstborns really are smarter than siblings." Other family members mocked the study but I knew Ross would agree with its truth!]
Sounds like everyone is doing well. J's working hard at the nursery, Mom and Dad, of course, are always working hard and everyone else is doing the fine summer. I am, too, but it's just a little too hot when it's 95 and I'm walking around in black pants and a white button-up shirt and tie. Oh well. Everyone have a fantastic week. I love you all!
--Elder Ross
[Ross' English is deteriorating more -- meaning Romanian is taking over. Yea!]
