A rougher week

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.]

New Photos

Me and Elder Jaynes in the beautiful center of Timisoara.

With Sora Negriu.

with Sora Radu

Burning a tie at my six-month mark.

The flaming pot we made in order to burn my tie.

Exploring an abondoned house...prepared for anything with a shovel.

Me, Andy and Elder Garrett.

Making crazy faces. The two sisters, Sora Beck and Sora Harrison, are pretty much the coolest ever!

Hot in Timisoara

Hey All!

This last week was kind of exciting, thought it went pretty slow. Guess what the average temperature has been the last several days....110! Nuts, huh? I am constantly sweating and feeling really gross, lol. It's the worst in my apartment, because it is really humid in there. We have one fan and got permission to get another one, but there aren't any left in the city to buy! Lame! Well, I will continue to endure and enjoy every minute of my freezing cold showers.

Dang! That is nuts, I had no idea Brandon was so close to the end of his mission! How far behind is Peter? Man, that is so wild! I'm sure they have served very honorable missions and they have been a huge example to me. I think that is great that Grandma and Grandpa have that desire to serve a third mission. I know if they get to go, they will be fantastic!

Well, a lot of this last week has been spent getting ready for English. We got 6000 fliers Wednesday afternoon and between the 6 of us in Timsoara had to get them all out by Friday night when we had sign-ups. It was intense. The entire day Thursday, Elder Jepsen and I were out in that 110 degree weather passing out fliers. In the end we got out only about 5000 fliers and then sign-ups bombed, too. The biggest problem is the heat, no one was outside in that kind of temperature and only 53 people signed up. Last time we had about 160! So probably there will only be one companionship teaching english and it will probably be Elder Jepsen and me.

Oh, I guess you're probably wondering why I didnt' write yesterday. We had zone conference up in Arad and so we have P day today. Zone conference was really good! I love learning how I can be a better missionary and help others accept the gospel. It was combined with another zone and so Elder Selck(my trainer/dad) was there. It was really good to see him and talk with him. I'm lucky I had a chance to serve with him. A lot of the conference was on how to work better through members and we received standards of excellence that we need to strive to meet, that really make us change our focus and concentrate on the members a lot more. I'm way pumped now and ready to see what good we can cause!

Wow, sounds like the reunion was amazing! Thanks for the massive update mom, it took like 20 minutes to read! lol, I am jealous that I missed it. Sounds like a lot of great things: seeing everyone, fishing, touring family sites, talent show, lots of food and just being together as family! Next time, though. : )

I hope the bar exam went well for Aaron. I bet that would be way stressful.
Hey, L, I got a letter from yesterday! It's sooo good, thank you so much! Smelled good, too

S, thanks a ton for your email. Sounds like you were pretty tired, lol. I probably won't even recognize your cat when I come home. If the little kids thought she grew after a week, imagine after two years! I'm glad you had so much fun. Keep enjoying the summer, you've got school coming up!

Well, all, I'm signing out now. I'm going to try to put some pictures on snapfish. Hope you like them. I love you all!

--Elder Ross

p.s. funny comment from zone conference:elder canfield walked up to me and said, "you are one big, ripped man." lol, i thought that was super funny...true , too, lol

Letter from July 16th

[We have been away at a family reunion so I neglected to post this sooner. BTW, there is no letter yet today. He might be at a zone conference -- maybe we will hear on Wednesday.]

Hey Everyone!
It's been an awesome and super busy week! I'll get to what you want to hear about the most....my new companion is Elder Jepsen. He's a super cool guy, just two transfers ahead of me in the mission and he is a pro at the language, like seriously one of the mission's better speakers even though he's so young. He's a really hard worker, too. I'm going to learn a lot this transfer. I'm going to try to get the most out of it, because who knows if my next companion will be as good.

Man, our mission is super bottom heavy, meaning there are a lot more younger missionaries right now than older ones. There are only 3 people older than those from my MTC district(none of us went senior this transfer) who aren't senior right now and so we did a little math and 3 or 4 people from my district have to go senior next transfer. That will be nuts! I feel like I just got here! Pretty soon we'll all be the leaders! Well, this transfer just started and that's what I'm focusing on. Elder Jepsen and I have a lot of really cool people to work with, members and investigators.

A little update on a couple people we work with...I don't have anything more, because I was in Bucharest most of the week. Marian, a pretty apostate member who is super inactive, was working with us a lot and we were making some progress with him. He even came to church. But then the last time we went there I went to open the door out of the room we were in and the handle broke. It was definitely really weak, I hardly used any force at all. Anyway, I didn't think too much of it, it didn't seem like a big problem, mostly because it was a crappy door. So then I called him to set up with him and I was chatting with him for a few minutes and then I asked if we could come over and he said no. I was kinda surprised, he said we could come over whenever before, so I asked him why. He said he was mad and it didn't seem right to him that someone would do that(break that handle) in his house. He said he was never going to accept any missionaries again or come to church again, because that didn't seem right to him. I was way taken aback and was like you are going to do all that and risk your salvation because of a door? He just said yup, lol. So that was pretty frustrating. Obviously he was just looking for an excuse. Oh, and he'd fixed the door already, he said it wasn't a problem. What a joke! Anyway, to answer your question mom, Gabriella'a waiting until September because that's when her son's wedding is and she doesn't want to cause problems for that.

My district is super young now! I love it! Elder Woodhouse became senior, district leader and trainer all in this transfer. Crazy, but he can definitely do it. So every companionship has someone that's in their first area. Myself, Sora Harrison and now Elder Grant, bobocul(the greenie). We expect miracles this transfer, it's going to be incredible.

The time in Buch was fun, but I was there for 4 days and I am definitely glad to be back in my city. It was cool to be in Buch for church. There were a lot of members there and it was cool to see a lot of missionaries, too. Sunday night, Elder Waters and I had an exchange together. That was my first time having an exchange with someone my age(mission-wise) or younger. We're actually in the same group. It was really cool and the lessons went really well. I gained a lot of confidence when I realized I can actually teach on my own now and do pretty well, too. It was an incredible feeling!

Monday morning was supposed to be my P-day, but I spent a lot of it in the mission office. Elder Garrett reported their at 8 and then I was stuck there until like 1pm. I was put to work sorting mail and putting together boxes of supply. I started to go crazy and was ready to kill myself. Office elder is definitely a calling not meant for me!

Man, Tuesday morning was a joke, lol. I was at Elder Waters and Elder Carroll's place and they woke up at like 9 or 9:30! I woke up about normal, 6:30, and was kinda bored. I starting reading this medieval book of tales they had, then I took a shower and then I cleaned like their whole kitchen and even mopped their floor. That actually felt really good to do that, to go in and just make their kitchen way clean. I'm glad I got to do that, I really like serving other people. I always have a really good feeling afterwards.

Well, it sounds like back on the home front, things are happening! J got his Eagle, S got her dance award, E got his running award, A got baptized and W just being as crazy and funny as ever. Plus, people visiting, mom's business and the reunion. Thanks a TON for the pictures!!! It is so great to see pictures of everyone, I love it! I know, I'm a hyppocrite, but I'll send pictures next week. I'll put them on snapfish.

J - You stud! That is way cool about baptizing A! It is really a cool experience. Lol, I get it again one of these days, but if it's my job to plant seeds while others harvest, so be it.

I'm glad you have such a sweet attitude about helping others and serving them. You will be an amazing missionary! Nice work on the body building. Get those biceps HUGE! But don't forget those abs, my personal favorite, lol. Thanks for the email. Keep it real! Love ya, man.

Well, everyone, hope I updated you well. If not, ask questions. I love you all tons!!! Have a great one!

--Elder Ross

In Bucharest - waiting for new companion

Hey Everyone!!!

It's been a crazy week and especially the last couple of days. Guess what??! I'm not in Timisoara right now! On Saturday morning President Ashby called us and informed us of what is happening with transfer calls. Normally we find out Monday morning then head to Bucharest Tuesday night. We found that Elder Garrett is going to be an Office Elder(and will be the rest of his mission, he only has 3 transfers left) and that we needed to be there Sunday night, meaning taking a train Saturday night and that I am staying in Timisoara for another transfer. I'm happy, I love that city and especially the people there. That also means you can send me mail there still...L....hint, hint. So Saturday was super busy getting Elder Garrett packed, buying train tickets and having a full day of lessons on top of that.

We got here in Buch Sunday morning and went to Elder Carroll and Elder Water's apartment to shower. Then we went to church, which was fun. The branch was bigger than the one in Timisoara. Oh man, and this gypsy kid was there who's not all there if you know what I mean. Anyway, he was super entranced by me. I don't really know why. He just kept calling me a monster and saying I'm huge and feeling my arm. Lol,it was super weird. He just kept saying that word, monster, over and over again. It was odd.

Then after church, us and a bunch of missionaries from here all went to a member's house for lunch. It was really good. Then Elder Waters(he's in my MTC group) and I had an exchange. We went to a member's house and gave her the sacrament(she only has 1 leg) and taught her the plan of salvation. Not bad, huh? Two elders who have been in the country only 4 months teaching the plan of salvation. Then we went to an investigator's house and talked with her for a while. Overall it was a really good exchange. I really liked being able to speak more and have an equal part in teaching, because we're both at the same level. It was awesome.

So then today, P-day, Elder Garrett and I had to be at the office at 8am. He had a meeting with the other office elders, President and the AP's. I was pretty bored and read a whole little quote book while I was waiting. Well, after that meeting they put Elder Garrett to work and so I was stuck in the office for like 3 more hours. So I helped the Facers(the office senior couple) with putting together supply boxes and getting stuff ready for the missionaries that are going home. Finally, Elder Garrett and I got out, lol. I really hope I never go in the office, I couldn't take it. We met up with a bunch of other missionaries, played some pool, got some food, then the office elders picked up Elder Garrett and took him away. I'm in a threesome with Elder Waters and Elder Carroll for the next couple days until transfer meeting. I can't wait to find out who my new companion is! In my district, Elder Woodhouse is staying and Sora Harrison and me. The three of us will have been together for 4 transfers! Craziness. It's a good thing they are awesome and I love both of them. I'm really excited for this next transfer. It will be awesome! Well, there is the long update on me.

I got grandma's email last week and I'll send her a letter at transfer meeting. I didn't have time to get to the one for Craig and his family done, because I thought I had Sunday and Monday to write letters. Same thing with a letter for Katie P so if you could let those people know that would be great. Oh, and L's letter is going to be sent late this week, beacue I don't get back to Timisoara until Thursday and so I'll probably send it Friday. Just a heads up!

Ok, a few romanian words for you. Tata - father, Mama - mother, frate(pronounced like frappe but with a t) - brother, sora - sister, frate nebun - crazy brother. Grandpa - bunic. Grandma - bunica. And S, the best word for false is neadevarat (nay-ah-day-vuh-raht) which is just the negative of adevarat or true.

Wow, Mom, sounds like your business is crazy busy! Especially with the new possibility.! That is really exciting. And J, congratulations ahead of time on your eagle court of honor. I wish I was there to sit in the eagle's nest with you. Thanks for email, E. I burned a tie for my 6 month mark and talked about that a bit in my tape I sent you guys last week. And, I am having a great summer. Thanks for asking, bud! And thank you, S, for your email. That was really nice to get. Seriously.

Well, today's been a crazy day and it's not over yet. I better bounce. Have a fantastic week and don't let the suspense of my next companion keep you from sleeping, lol. Just kidding. I love you all!

--Elder Ross

Happy 4th!

Hey All!

Things are going really out here and this last week a lot of cool things have happened. Also, in exactly one week transfer calls come and we find out who leaves this beautiful city and who stays. Actually, the other companionship of elders and the sisters will already be in Bucharest. The elders because Elder Jaynes is "dying," it's his last transfer and the sisters because Sora Beck lost her wallet and ID so she has to talk to the police in Buch. So Elder Garrett and I get the transfer call all by ourselves and next P-day we will be the only missionaries in the city. Crazy, huh?

So last Thursday, we as a district, went to the opera house and watched a play. It's American, I think, it's called Barrymore but it was translated. And....it was pretty bad, lol. We left in the middle of it. The opera house itself is really cool, though.

Then Saturday, we had another branch activity. We had sandwiches, like the stuff all spread out and then people made their own. After that we had a pie eating contest, which I'm sad to say, I lost at. But then we had bobbing for apples and I did really good there. I got mine faster than anyone else and didn't even have to dunk my head to get it. What can I say, I have a huge mouth. : ) Then we went to a park and played water balloon volleyball. It was fun, but it was hard for a lot of the Romanians to figure out how to toss it well and so we ran out of balloons after like 20 minutes. It was a really fun activity, even though there were only about 20 people there.

Speaking of not very many people, church attendance was pretty poor yesterday. And there were only 4 investigators total and two of them showed up during the 2nd hour. Concediu is beginning. Usually sometime during the summer people take a month long vacation and I guess that's starting up now.

I got two letters in the mail this week! One from Dad, W and J(I think it was those 3) and one from Craig and Sam. It was super cool to get those and I will write Georgia gang back. And hopefully I will send you guys a tape today or tomorrow, whenever I finish it. Hopefully sometime soon.

Yeah, my health is perfect. That medicine was just a waste of money : (. but yeah, I know you are supposed to finish antibiotics and I did. Really, it was nothing (don't worry, i wasn't downplaying it, L:) ). I'm 100% healthy. Actually, probably 110% healthy, that's how good I'm doing. And ripped! Workouts are going well : )

I thought my mission prep notes ended up in a box in the attic. If they're not there then don't worry about it. But one thing I do need is a pair of shorts. I tried to find a pair here, but they are at the cheapest $70. Ridiculous, huh! So athletic shorts, Nike would be nice and only like $20. Have J pick them out.

No, I didn't pick my topic but it wasn't too hard. There are lots of amazing women in my life! They're pretty much the best. Lots of examples of being faithful daughters of God. Thanks!

I started a couple new endeavors with my studies this week. I'm going to read the Bible straight through(that will definitely take a while, I'm in Genesis 30- something) and I'm going to read Jesus the Christ. And of course, continue reading the Book of Mormon in Romanian. Yeah, so I'm pretty excited about those.

We had a lesson with Gabriella last night, which went really well. She talks so much like a member, it's crazy, in a good way of course. Anyway, she said something really funny. She asked us if we walk around together all the time and of course, we're like yeah, we're always together. Then, she said she doesn't believe us, and we were like, ok, why? Lol, she said I'm way more tan than Elder Garrett and so it's not possible. It was pretty funny and I laughed.

Well, all of you wonderful people in my family, I'm not going to respond to a lot of what you said, because I need something to say on the tape. I hope you the most wonderful week ever and thanks for all of your prayers. I love you all!

--Elder Ross

Great Week!

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!]

Hey All!

It's only been days since I wrote and nothing really exciting has happened. Well, maybe a couple things. We had a big branch activity on Saturday, Cinco de Mayo. Pretty sweet, huh? Celebrating the Mexican independance day in Romania on June 16th. But it went really good and we had a lot of people there. There was a TON of food and a pinata, which turned out to be indestructible. A lot of people hit that thing hard, including myself. Finally, at the end Elder Woodhouse just started going to town on without a blindfold and....the pinata broke the stick. So we pulled it down and ripped it open. Then I stood on the curb and launched all of the candy into the air. It was a fun activity.

Last night, Elder Garrett and I had a lesson with Gabriella and it went really well. She was asking about what it takes to be baptized and what the interview was and some other things. She said she is thinking about getting baptized in September. It's a ways off, but at least she thinking about it and each person needs their own time to be ready. I'm excited for her! And we talked about eternal families, because she is divorced and she doesn't think her sons will ever accept the Gospel. I think that's a personal specialty of mine, eternal families, so I talked a lot and taught her the doctrine on that. Like how if she does everything that she possibly can in this life, then she will find someone in the next life and have a family. Hopefully, she joins this Church and helps her sons, too, to accept the Gospel.

But on the bad side, this week was really hard for me. I'm just trying to hang in.Usually I have to study by myself for a little bit and try to come up with some things that would help that specific person. I thought my comp was going to start SYLing, but he absolutely refuses to and I won't respond to his English, but he keeps talking anyway and I get more and more frustrated. I just need to work on my patience and refining myself. I know all of your prayers are with me and that makes all the difference. I know it's helped me a lot. Just keep doing it.

Hahaha, I really liked the little announcement about J's Eagle Court of Honor. Quite fitting. Man, it's so cool to hear about Elder S! I'm sure he's tearing it up in D.C.! I'm sure he is a great missionary and he seems like the kinda guy that will do what's right no matter what. He will help lots of people I'm sure.

Yeah, we have a branch mission leader, but he is inactive and hasn't been to church for as long as I've been here. I think we do help branch leaders with training, but the District Leader does most of that.

I do like this new focus of working with members, but I know my comp and I are doing a poor job of it. Our numbers were super, super low this week. Like 6 or 7 lessons and I think 2 contacts. I don't even know what to say to that....we did have stuff going on, like service and the branch activity, but still, it's a joke.

Dad - Happy Father's Day again! Sounds like it was good for you. And like you're getting into golf. I've only played that one time with the priests but it was a blast. It's not nearly as boring as it looks! Thanks for the update on the Spurs! That's pretty cool. Well, you're the best Dad in the entire world. Thanks for all you've done for me(that's a lot!). I love you.

J - Dang, dude, sounds like you owned at football camp! Wow....my brother is a male dancer....that sounds wierd, lol. No, that is really cool. Sounds like you've done well as a thespian and most of all that you won't admit it in public. [J won two thespian awards at the high school awards banquet. One for "best male chorus" and the other for "best male dancer."] How'd your trimester go? Did you get decent grades? Well, have a good week, bro. love ya

L - Thanks for all your great emails and for really helping lift me up. Between you and my family, there's no way for me to feel down for long.

Hey, I sent a letter to you guys for P. I still don't have his address. Want to give it to me? lol. Well, everyone, I'm signing off now. Sorry if this email was kinda down. The mission is hard, but I still do feel like the luckiest man alive! I am soooo blessed! I hope everyone has a fantastic week and I love you all!
--Elder Ross

Re: Waiting to Hear

Note - Last Thursday, we received a short email from Ross which read -

Ok, I'm here really quick typing up something for our district...the whole mission has changed! It's nuts. Just wanted to give you a heads up that P day next week is Wednesday, not Monday. Have a good one
--Elder Ross

That is why the letter came a bit later this week.

Hey Everyone!

It has been an exciting week and a half! It's been very busy and there have been many great experiences. No, my P day will remain on Monday. This week we had zone conference and then Tuesday we teach English classes(that was actually our last class) and so that's why I'm writing you today.

To start off, last Wednesday, one week ago, Elder Garrett and I had AP exchanges. They called us the night before at about 10pm and said they were showing up at our apartment at 7 in the morning. . .

Anyway, the exchange went super well! I went with Elder Despain and I'm so glad I did. I learned SO much from him. He is a really, really good missionary. He has a really good way with talking to people and has a real passion for the work. It really got me fired up again for the work and helped remind me my purpose and why I am here. We did a lot of little things that I haven't done since I was with Elder Selck, which make a huge difference. Like actually planning our lessons out, tailored for each individual, and SYLing the whole day. That was one of the coolest parts. Elder Despain is a missionary that really strives for the Spirit and takes the work seriously, but he's fun to be with too. I know I'm a different person than him but I saw a lot of qualities that I really liked and want to apply. It was also a good reminder for me of how missionary work should be. It definitely gave me some fire.

Then Thursday we had the district meeting that changed the mission, lol. Our whole mission is switching from the focus of proselyting and finding through our own efforts to working with members and using referrals. This is a huge change from before, when we NEVER met with members unless they were a recent convert or a less active. I am really excited for this and I'm glad I'm here at a time to see the change and help make it happen. When I was at internet and wrote you that short email, I was typing up a list for each companionship. We divided the member list in thirds and now we are trying to work with all those people and build them up. The retention rate of members here, after only one year after baptism, is like 35%. Hopefully, with the focus on members, we can help more stay stronger, bring back some that are lost and get solid referrals thtat will lead to solid people being baptized and staying.

Then Sunday, there was a district conference in Arad. All the members from Timisoara, Arad, Deva, Oradea and Cluj were there. Elder Selck was there and it was really good to see him. I talked to him for a while and he is doing really good. I miss that kid. That was a really good transfer with him. I just didn't realize it until it was over. Anyway the conference was really good. President Ashby spoke a lot and so did Elder Roth, a Seventy from Austria. Then that night we stayed in a hotel and the next day we had zone conference, which is always awesome. I learned a lot and took tons of notes. And I escaped the 10 minute talks again. I'm not sure if I told you but there are at least two 10 minute talks by missionaries each zone conference, drawn out of a hat. I haven't had to give one yet, but Elder Garrett had one this time. So that is the sum of my last week and a bit.

Oh, we started teaching a new guy, Mihai. He is the son of a recent convert. He's a little bit slow but he is a really great guy with a pure heart. I think we can get him baptized. We'll see, I guess. Oh, and we started working with a less active who has fallen far. He doesn't even believe in Jesus Christ anymore. I don't understand how that happens. Satan must have worked hard on him. Since you said something about Lord of the Rings, that's what I'm thinking about...we need to smack him with the Spirit and draw Satan out of him, just like Gandalf drew Saruman out of King Theoden. Something like that.

[I had found this quote from another missionary mom.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings -- "The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet it is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: Small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere."

The quote corresponds with Alma 37:6 – By small and simple means the efforts of these elders and sisters really can "confound" the wise and help the kingdom roll forth!]

Man, I can't believe some of the stuff I see out here. I mean, stuff I hear that Elders are doing. One elder watched a the third Pirates movie at an investigator's house. What kind of example is that for that investigator? Then last night my companion was talking to an elder on the phone and that elder said he needed to make a list of rated R movies to see when he gets home. Ok, that is sad! He said something like he deserves it after two years of serving. He deserves something else and I'm a missionary so I'm not going to say it, lol.

Yeah, my new district leader is doing good. I like him a lot. He has a really huge love for the people and the country. He seems really good with people too and is really funny. I like him a lot.

Well, it sounds like everyone is super busy, which is good! Oh, I almost forgot... Happy Father's Day coming up Dad! I hope you have a good one and that mom buys you something good and says it's from me. Thanks for all you do, Dad! I love you and you have always been a great example and friend to me!

Everyone have a fantastic week and I love you all! And yeah, L., I'm still at my specific address for at least 4 weeks so send me a letter! I can't wait. Have a good one, everyone!
---Elder Ross

Hey Everyone!

Things are going pretty well out here in the land of vampires and the new transfer is under way. The new District Leader is super cool, Elder Jaynes. He is in his last transfer, but he doesn't seem too trunky, which is good. He has a lot of ideas for the branch here so I'm exciting to see some activities start happening. Elder Middleton was a good DL, but it's nice to have a change. He is in Bucharest now. Elder Selck, my first companion in Romania, is now a Zone Leader! He is a super good missionary and I learned a lot from him. We worked really hard together. Lol, I predict he goes AP later in his mission.

This last week was pretty good, nothing too exciting. SYLing isn't really happening much. I tried to set a goal to just SYL with my companion up until lunch and so far it's only worked a little bit. Usually he just doesn't talk period and so that way he is still SYLing(in the sense that he's not speaking English) without actually speaking much Romanian. I still have a HUGE desire to learn the language as much as I can. I would go without speaking English EVER if I had a companion who was willing to do that. Hopefully, one day.

The work went ok, though. It was an average week. We met with Gabriella again and talked about what she really believed. She believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet but not that this church is the only true church. She believes that parts of the Book of Mormon are good, but she isn't sure about all of it. She is really hard to work with, because she exercises little faith. We don't really have any investigators who are progressing too far along the path toward baptism, but we found a super cool lady two days ago that seems like she will take off. She read the Restoration pamphlet we gave and marked up stuff in it and asked us questions about it and really wanted a Book of Mormon, which of course we gave her. She takes her committments very seriously and that is pretty hard to find here. I'm excited to continue to teach her.

Last Thursday or Friday, Elder Garrett and I gave a member a blessing. She has a kidney infection and was in a lot of pain. I got to anoint her which was the my first time in any language. It was really cool and as Elder Garrett gave her a blessing we could feel the Spirit going through us, edifying us, as it went to her. It was a sweet experience and I haven't heard how she's doing, but I'm sure she is better, at least more than she would be if we hadn't given her a blessing.

Man, last Tuesday, at the gara(train station) we almost got robbed. Some guys tried to work one over on us. One guy came over and starting talking to us about tons of different things, really trying to keep our attention. He was just talking to Elder Garrett actually. Anyway, his buddy was standing about 5 feet behind Elder Garrett against a column, obviously waiting for a chance to slice open Elder Garrett's backpack or something and try to jack his stuff. I just stood staring at that guy. He had some super shifty eyes and could not keep eye contact for even a second. The guy trying to keep our attention kept poking me with something, trying to get me to turn more to him and not pay attention to the other guy. I just ignored him and lol, I was too intimidating, I guess because the shifty guy finally walked away and all of a sudden the other guy ran out of things to talk about. Strange coincidence huh? lol. Not on my watch, punk.

Sounds like a lot of fine arts are going on in the family. Plays, choirs, recitals. Sounds like they all did a great job, too! E's song must be from Peanuts, which I actually really want a Cd of. Do they have that? Their music is really good and classical, I especially like the theme song. Lol, if you ever want to send me some music, there's an idea. That and the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. Don't worry, that music is all legal. I can listen to classical, MoTab(duh), Disney music, and some movie soundtracks(really have to pay attention to the Spirit on this one).

Speaking of stuff to send me, I would LOVE to get some letters to my actual address out here. I'm still here for at least 5 more weeks and yeah, that would be nice. Do it, you know you want to. Thanks! Oh, and random, but I will need stick deodorant sometime. It doesn't really exist here, at least not of good quality. Some good Old Spice would be wonderful.

Dad - Thanks for all the information and for helping me understand more about the priesthood and how it works. Thanks for your always supportive emails. They really are a help to me and will continue to hang in there and to do my best.

Mom - Sounds like you had an amazing temple experience! I'm pretty jealous. Thanks for always keeping me updated and being interested in how the work is going over here. It's great to always have people I can talk to and get advice from. Hopefully, I help you guys out, too!

J - Good luck with the ACT. Tell me how you do. You'll tear it up!

W - Thanks for the email buddy. I love getting emails from you! I'm doing very well. Have a good one, buddy. I love you.

Oh, I almost forgot. I just made a new email. It's a gmail account. It's almost the same start but with a 7. So you guys can start writing me there. I just thought I'd try it out, because everyone has gmail here. Well, everyone have an amazing week! I love you all very much. Peace
--Elder Ross