Hey Everyone!
Thanks for all your wonderful emails! This last week was one of the rougher ones I've had so far, but we have been doing everything we can so it doesn't get me done too much. All the same it's frustrating. I like what you told me about, Dad, how members need to do missionary work in 3 ways. Unfortunately, the members here are not very good at it. There aren't doing well with each other and they don't even try to help those that aren't members(with the exception of one or two really strong members). With the new system of work here, us missionaries need to work a lot through members and get referrals from them. But....there hasn't been a single referral given by a member in the last 4 transfers! It's sad and our work definitely suffers because of it. We should have a lot more. For example, Deva only has two elders in it and it got 16 referrals just last transfer!! Timisoara has a had a couple this transfer but they are all from investigators. I've still never gotten a referral my whole mission. : (
We have stronger investigators than members and we're going to start taking investigators to members, lol. How crazy is that! Gabriella and Andy are two of the most strongest people, well they are actually, the two most strongest(along with Sora Negriu) people in our branch and they are investigators. Gabriella is doing really well and we are going to give her a baptismal date tonight actually. It will probably be for next transfer and I'll probably be gone, but it will still be sweet to see her make the commitment. I was really hoping we could get Andy baptized this transfer. We wanted to invite his mom to an activity and hopefully she would have seen that we are normal and who knows, maybe we could have gotten permission for him to be baptized. But, unfortunately activities here aren't going well, because the members don't care and don't come. We had one two days ago and only 6 members came! That is a super poor showing. I don't know what has happened to this branch...and only about 12 or so members came to church yesterday. We had 40 every week when I first got here!
Well, enough about how the work is going poorly here. I am doing really well and I really like being with Elder Jepsen. We have been working really hard and I love it. Plus, we teach super well together and bounce off each other. It's pretty tight. The language is coming along well, too. I'm really trying to learn tons and Jepsen and I SYL a lot. It's way good for me. I don't think I'll go senior next transfer, but I'm trying to prepare myself in case, so the Lord can use me how he wants. That's kind of what I think to push myself harder.
Sunday a week ago President Ashby and Sora Ashby came down. He spoke and it was a really good talk. And Doctor Gardner, was at zone conference. The Gardners are a pretty cool couple, it was fun.
English classes started and it's kind of a joke. We had 6 people in our first hour and then 5 in our second one, so we are going to combine the classes. Hopefully, our advanced class tomorrow has some people. That's definitely the best level to teach.
Sounds like everything is going well on the home front. Wow, early early morning seminary, Mom. Have fun! Who are you team teaching with? That is pretty cool, I'm sure you will learn a ton. And believe me, I know that Harry Potter is out now! lol. It's here, too. Hmm, maybe if I wait until November when it comes out in Romanian, it could be a language study....
Dang, I don't know if I can wait that long to open that present. I'm supposed to hold onto it for 3 months without opening it?! We'll see, I guess, lol. [We are sending him his birthday present with some friends who are traveling to Romania. His birthday isn't for a few more months.]
Thanks for writing me, E and A! I think it's safe to say A had help and E didn't, haha. I liked his creative spelling of license plate. I'm not sure what he's trying to tell me about it, though. Does it have significance? That is a good question, A, what do I eat for breakfast. Usually, cereal. Exciting, huh? And when we run out of milk, then eggs and some meat.
Well, all, hopefully this next week is a good one. I think it will be, it feels good to me. Well, have a great week, too. I love you all!
--Elder Ross
p.s. no, I don't have showers, I just get the floor all wet :P [His last letter talked about talking cold showers to stay cool.]
