Hey Everyone!
This was a good, long week, with a lot of things going on and a lot of working hard. Unfortunately, most of our investigators(a lot of them at least) aren't being able to meet with us. A lot of them aren't answering their phones even. It's pretty lame and frustrating to be honest, but there is nothing I can do. It's been like two weeks or more since we've met with Alis, Adriana, or Alina. In any case, we had a good week and used the extra time to find new investigators.
We started up our english classes. I pretty much teach all the beginner classes by myself, though Elder Middleton comes in and helps me on two of the four. But I plan and organized it and all that good stuff. The classes have gone pretty well. After one of my classes on Saturday, a few people were standing looking at the street board that we have by the door. It has pictures of the 1st Vision, the prophet and apostles, Book of Mormon, etc. I talked to a couple people about it, then started talking to this guy that was pretty interested. I gave him a Book of Mormon and talked to him about it and I'll talk to him more about it next week after class.
So, the weather has been a lot nicer lately, except today, the wind is blowing like crazy, and so I've been street contacting. It'd seriously probably been a couple months since I had done that, but it's really good. We've met some really cool people, though we haven't gotten any new investigators out of it yet.
On Tuesday we had our interviews with President Ashby. It went pretty good, like always, nothing unusual, until our interview when both me and my companion were in there together. President turned to me and said, "So, this is your first transfer senior right?" Awkward silence, I didn't really know what to say. "Uhhh, no." Then he tried to cover up, lol, "Which one is it then?" I responded, "My fourth." Then he was just like, "Oh." I really do love President Ashby and I know he is an inspired man, at least when the spirit of his calling is on him, but he has no clue who I am as a missionary. Oh well, that has no impact on my work as a missionary. I'm not out here for him, but rather for God and my family and my friends, including those I hope to make by sharing the Gospel.
Wednesday, we had zone conference. It was really good. It was a boost that I felt like I'd been needing for a long time. Before Wednesday, it was two months since the last zone conference. So it was even better than normal. I took a lot of notes and mostly I gained from the things that the Spirit told me a lot more than what the speakers taught me, though those were good, too. There were a few things taught(not by our zone leaders, they had a really solid presentation) that go against Preach My Gospel and also what Elder Kapischa taught us(even though that was just last transfer, people have already forgotten it). In any case, I really enjoyed zone conference and I learned a ton from it. I also dodged the 10-minute talk again.
Also at zone conference I got two packages. One from Grandma and Grandpa L and one from Stephanie and Guy. They were both really great. Stephanie and Guy sent me jerky and a Cars soundtrack, which were both very appreciated. Then grandma and grandpa sent me a bunch of great food; fudge, fruitcake, caramel corn, candy, etc. They also sent me a little towel and some socks. Everything I got was sweet and so tell everyone thanks a bajillion! It made my day!
Man, on Thursday we went to go street contacting and all this people were heading up towards Hotel Unirea. So we walked up there and there were thousands of people gathered there. Turns out it was the anniversary of the zone of Moldova joining with the rest of Romania. There was a big parade, which we watched, then dancing and who knows what else. The President of Romania was there and I was like 10 feet from him. I guess I could have fought the crowd to shake his hand but I didn't really care to. It was a pretty cool event, though.
Friday we had a pretty sweet branch activity. It was one put on by the branch, not us, so people actually came. We had some way fun games, too, and everyone seemed to have a blast. One game was we all got someone's name put on our back and then we had to go around asking everyone questions about who it is until we guessed. I won too fast, so Diamanta made me do it again. There was also musical chairs, lol, way awkward. One BYU girl sat on Elder Stroud's lap not once, but twice. There was also a donut eating contest where it was on a string and we couldn't use our hands. Yeah, I dominated that one, too. It was good times.
We had a fun exchange with Diamanta on Saturday. She went bloc-knocking with us and it's pretty interesting knocking on doors with three people standing there. We didn't really have any good discussions, but we still had a couple lessons and it was fun. Man, the BYU girls want to come with us, too. Wonder how that will work. We'll see. yeah, they aren't as awkward now. Even friendly you could say.
Ok, I am slow today and the others are almost ready to go. Other updates....I spoke in church yesterday on the enduring to the end. It went really well I think. i also had to translate for Bethany, one the BYU girls that spoke, too. I think it was the best that I've done translating. Then in 3rd hour I translated while Chrissy, another BYU girl, gave the lesson for the combined Relief Society and Priesthood. That went well, too. It was a fun day.
Ok, next Monday is when we get transfer calls so you'll probably hear that I'm transferred, not because I've heard anything, but just because I've been here so long. So, I want a camera so I can take some pictures. My companion's camera isn't working either anymore. So i looked and they cost about 300-330 Ron. I hope that works. I want to buy one soon so I can have pictures of this city. So I'll do that Tuesday or Wednesday, giving you time to put money in or to block my account if you don't like that idea, lol. S, I gave your email to Diamanta. More updates coming next week and hopefully some pictures, too :)
Have a great week everyone. I love you all!
--Elder Ross
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
It's warmer but work is slower -
Hey All You Wonderful People!
This week was a slower one, not a lot of things to report. The weather has been a little warmer lately. I can't wait until the spring, though. Basically, it was just another week in Iasi. I really do love it here, but I've been here so long sometimes I think I get too comfortable and it makes it harder to give it my all/work hard. Just two more weeks, I can endure!
At the beginning of the week, we finished(almost) getting our fliers out for english. Then Tuesday and Saturday we had sign-ups for the course. It was a smaller turnout than last time(about 100, last time was 150), but I blame some of that on the schedule the mission gave us. We were told exactly when to have sign-ups and start, but it's right in the middle of everyone's testing time. So everyone's really busy and so obviously that made sign-ups less effective. In any case, the classes should be pretty good. Almost all of our students are young, like 16-25, the very best age range. I'm pretty happy about that. I'll be teaching beginner, Elder Stroud and Elder Bennett are going to teach medium and Elder Middleton is teaching advanced. Classes start this week and they go for 8 weeks.
No, it's not like that. Actually the vast majority of the people are very Christian, though most of them are passive in their respective faiths, going to church only once in while. Gianina was an exception, now of course, she has a great faith in Jesus Christ :). Almost everyone is Orthodox and one of the most common things we here when talking to people is "I was born Orthodox, I was married Orthodox and I'm going to die Orthodox." Slam! Lol, that's how it goes sometimes. We didn't have a lot of time in the blocs this week, but with the time we did, we found a couple people that seem cool and we'll go back to this week.
Church yesterday was really great. First of all, a young lady (20's) randomly showed up at church and told me that she has a friend in America and was telling her about this church and that it exists here in Iasi. Her friend also told her about the Book of Mormon. I gave her a Book of Mormon and a Restoration pamphlet and she stayed for the 1st hour. She didn't know how long church was so she planned other stuff and had to leave after sacrament meeting, but she said she'd come back next week. Of course, that's not good enough for a missionary, lol, so I got her number and we're going to meet with her sometime this week. I'm super excited! It's not everyday that someone just walks into the church wanting to know more.
Gianina got confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, another highlight of the day. I translated for three straight hours: in sacrament into english for the BYU girls, in Sunday School into romanian because one of the girls was teaching, and in Relief Society(yes, they called me Sora Loveland again ha ha) into english again. It was a lot of fun. Speaking of the BYU girls, on Saturday my companion and I had the opportunity to set them all apart in their callings. The blessings we gave were pretty simple, but I felt that we said what needed to be. It was a good experience and it's always amazing to feel the Spirit work through me. The girls are still pretty awkward, lol, but they are going to do a lot of good here. Ha ha, an example of how they are awkward(btw, it's pretty much only towards us missionaries). One of them, before church started, went around the room shaking everyone's hands and saying hey. She skipped every single missionary. In the back were sitted in a line Narcis, then Elder Stroud, then an investigator, all right next to each other. She shook Narcis' hand and then went right to the investigator...why, I have no idea. It was funny, though.
Then last night we had exchanges. I went with Narcis and we did home teaching and then he went with me to a lesson. It was with Cristi and Nicoleta, it had been a long time since we met with them. They're doing alright. She is super busy with finals in psychology and he is pretty stressed with his business, because of the new year and getting things started. They're still struggling with smoking, but Cristi is doing really well with reading the scriptures and praying. They're both still convinced that they are going to quit smoking, they're still working at it and it is just a matter of when. Narcis did awesome, he is super good and was a huge help. I love having a companion who speaks so well and then we just play off of each other. It makes really awesome lessons. My companion went with Petru to the blocs and they had a pretty good night, with 4 lessons.
We didn't get to meet with some of the investigators I really wanted to, like Alis and Alina. Both of them bunged us. Alis has gotten super busy with that testing period I was telling you about, but she said she should be able to meet with us on Thursday. Alina said she was coming to church for sure, then didn't. She didn't answer when I called yesterday, either. Sorry, S, everytime I remember to ask for her email, she doesn't answer her phone. I hope we get a hold of her soon. We started working a lot with Rodica this week, a girl who's been to english before and who's been coming to activities and outreach for a while. She seems to be progressing well. She is reading and praying. We had another lesson with Romina, the young lady that Sora Wright found for us. She reads a ton from the Book of Mormon, but she has some weird ideas and she is really stubborn. Like if she's set her mind on something no amount of common sense or even scriptures(even the Bible) will sway her. Her biggest problem is that she isn't praying right now. I think, though, that the Spirit will work on her, especially because she is reading so much from the Book of Mormon. Of course, if she doesn't have an open heart, then nothing can happen. We're really going to try to get her to pray.
Yeah, it's different without the Wrights. This last week for district meeting we had it at the other elders' place and then they made us lunch. This week we'll do it at our place and then we'll make lunch. Sora Podaru and Traian started being in charge of Outreach, but she has problems with her work schedule. So for now, I think Diamanta will be in charge and because there has to be a priesthood holder, Petru will be there, too.
Lol, I see the kids all figured out how to put tons of different smiley faces in their emails. Thanks a ton for the video and the pics. I love seeing what everyone is up to and I really loved seeing and hearing W! The song the Sons of Promise did was way sweet, too. Well, I've got to bounce. Have a great week everyone! I love you!
----Elder Ross
This week was a slower one, not a lot of things to report. The weather has been a little warmer lately. I can't wait until the spring, though. Basically, it was just another week in Iasi. I really do love it here, but I've been here so long sometimes I think I get too comfortable and it makes it harder to give it my all/work hard. Just two more weeks, I can endure!
At the beginning of the week, we finished(almost) getting our fliers out for english. Then Tuesday and Saturday we had sign-ups for the course. It was a smaller turnout than last time(about 100, last time was 150), but I blame some of that on the schedule the mission gave us. We were told exactly when to have sign-ups and start, but it's right in the middle of everyone's testing time. So everyone's really busy and so obviously that made sign-ups less effective. In any case, the classes should be pretty good. Almost all of our students are young, like 16-25, the very best age range. I'm pretty happy about that. I'll be teaching beginner, Elder Stroud and Elder Bennett are going to teach medium and Elder Middleton is teaching advanced. Classes start this week and they go for 8 weeks.
No, it's not like that. Actually the vast majority of the people are very Christian, though most of them are passive in their respective faiths, going to church only once in while. Gianina was an exception, now of course, she has a great faith in Jesus Christ :). Almost everyone is Orthodox and one of the most common things we here when talking to people is "I was born Orthodox, I was married Orthodox and I'm going to die Orthodox." Slam! Lol, that's how it goes sometimes. We didn't have a lot of time in the blocs this week, but with the time we did, we found a couple people that seem cool and we'll go back to this week.
Church yesterday was really great. First of all, a young lady (20's) randomly showed up at church and told me that she has a friend in America and was telling her about this church and that it exists here in Iasi. Her friend also told her about the Book of Mormon. I gave her a Book of Mormon and a Restoration pamphlet and she stayed for the 1st hour. She didn't know how long church was so she planned other stuff and had to leave after sacrament meeting, but she said she'd come back next week. Of course, that's not good enough for a missionary, lol, so I got her number and we're going to meet with her sometime this week. I'm super excited! It's not everyday that someone just walks into the church wanting to know more.
Gianina got confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, another highlight of the day. I translated for three straight hours: in sacrament into english for the BYU girls, in Sunday School into romanian because one of the girls was teaching, and in Relief Society(yes, they called me Sora Loveland again ha ha) into english again. It was a lot of fun. Speaking of the BYU girls, on Saturday my companion and I had the opportunity to set them all apart in their callings. The blessings we gave were pretty simple, but I felt that we said what needed to be. It was a good experience and it's always amazing to feel the Spirit work through me. The girls are still pretty awkward, lol, but they are going to do a lot of good here. Ha ha, an example of how they are awkward(btw, it's pretty much only towards us missionaries). One of them, before church started, went around the room shaking everyone's hands and saying hey. She skipped every single missionary. In the back were sitted in a line Narcis, then Elder Stroud, then an investigator, all right next to each other. She shook Narcis' hand and then went right to the investigator...why, I have no idea. It was funny, though.
Then last night we had exchanges. I went with Narcis and we did home teaching and then he went with me to a lesson. It was with Cristi and Nicoleta, it had been a long time since we met with them. They're doing alright. She is super busy with finals in psychology and he is pretty stressed with his business, because of the new year and getting things started. They're still struggling with smoking, but Cristi is doing really well with reading the scriptures and praying. They're both still convinced that they are going to quit smoking, they're still working at it and it is just a matter of when. Narcis did awesome, he is super good and was a huge help. I love having a companion who speaks so well and then we just play off of each other. It makes really awesome lessons. My companion went with Petru to the blocs and they had a pretty good night, with 4 lessons.
We didn't get to meet with some of the investigators I really wanted to, like Alis and Alina. Both of them bunged us. Alis has gotten super busy with that testing period I was telling you about, but she said she should be able to meet with us on Thursday. Alina said she was coming to church for sure, then didn't. She didn't answer when I called yesterday, either. Sorry, S, everytime I remember to ask for her email, she doesn't answer her phone. I hope we get a hold of her soon. We started working a lot with Rodica this week, a girl who's been to english before and who's been coming to activities and outreach for a while. She seems to be progressing well. She is reading and praying. We had another lesson with Romina, the young lady that Sora Wright found for us. She reads a ton from the Book of Mormon, but she has some weird ideas and she is really stubborn. Like if she's set her mind on something no amount of common sense or even scriptures(even the Bible) will sway her. Her biggest problem is that she isn't praying right now. I think, though, that the Spirit will work on her, especially because she is reading so much from the Book of Mormon. Of course, if she doesn't have an open heart, then nothing can happen. We're really going to try to get her to pray.
Yeah, it's different without the Wrights. This last week for district meeting we had it at the other elders' place and then they made us lunch. This week we'll do it at our place and then we'll make lunch. Sora Podaru and Traian started being in charge of Outreach, but she has problems with her work schedule. So for now, I think Diamanta will be in charge and because there has to be a priesthood holder, Petru will be there, too.
Lol, I see the kids all figured out how to put tons of different smiley faces in their emails. Thanks a ton for the video and the pics. I love seeing what everyone is up to and I really loved seeing and hearing W! The song the Sons of Promise did was way sweet, too. Well, I've got to bounce. Have a great week everyone! I love you!
----Elder Ross
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Baptism and Farewell to Senior Couple
Hey Everyone!
Wow, emails were AMAZING this week! I heard from tons of people, lots of siblings and bunch of friends. It's so great to hear from everyone and to be included in your guys' lives. That is SUPER cool about P getting his mission call! I knew he was supposed to get it soon and I was really hoping to hear that today, so I'm way glad he did. Dude, you'll tear it up, P! I'll write you a letter that says more.
This week was kind of a boring one in that it felt like I was doing the same thing every single day. English sign-ups are this Tuesday and Saturday and so we had 6000 fliers(just us two, 12,000 total) to get it. Unfortunately, we didn't succeed and we still have about 1400 left. We might do that tomorrow or just forget about it. It's a lot harder to pass them out in the winter. Because it's colder, there are a lot less people outside walking around. Luckily, it's not as freezing or painfully cold as it was a couple weeks ago. I'm definitely not a cold weather person. I really can't wait for the spring.
So, Gianina got baptized yesterday! It was really nice to have a baptism and it's definitely been a miracle how she progressed and made it to this point. From being a Buddhist/Muslim to gaining a faith in Jesus Christ and then to believing in modern prophets and understanding the imortance of baptism. It's been a wild ride, but it has been soo much fun! Her testimony grows every day and she's committed to the church and continuing to grow and progress. That was by far the highlight of my week, seeing her baptism. Elder Wright performed it. He totally butchered the prayer, he said it in Romanian, but I (Elder Bennett and I were witnesses) let it go. He couldn't do it the first time, so I said it for him and he did it a secon time and got through it. The Lord understands what he was trying to say.
We didn't really manage to meet with a lot of our investigators this week. One investigator that is doing really well (besides Gianina of course. Btw, she'll be confirmed next week) is Alis. When Elder Middleton and I were on exchanges, we had a super sweet lesson with her. At the end of it, she was like, yeah, I need to read from the Book of Mormon every day. Up until then (she's had the Book of Mormon for at least 6 months) she was at 1 Nephi 5, lol. Not exactly much of a reader. But stuff started to click and she committed to reading 5-10 minutes every day. We're meeting with her again tonight before FHE and then she'll stay for that. She's pretty excited to meet the BYU girls, too, and they'll be a big help in her coming to all the activities and stuff, just like Christina did from the last group. She was great at befriending Alis and getting her to activities and church. But yeah, I really think she is going to take off and be a really strong progressing investigator. She has told us she is searching for the truth and she knows it's not at the Orthodox Church. I know where she will find it :)
So Traian got confirmed yesterday and also received the Aaronic Priesthood and became a Priest. It'll be really cool to see him pass and bless the sacrament. Yeah, I haven't mentioned a lot about him or his wife, because the other elders have always been the ones that work with them. Sora Podaru is way solid, though,(the Relief Society President, if I haven't told you that before) and she'll keep Traian in line, lol. President Popovici is hoping that in the near future that those two can run Outreach. They would do really well, I think, and would be a ton of fun. Man, the Wrights are leaving like tomorrow! It will be weird having them gone. I really have grown to like them a lot. Lol, I think a lot of it is that they are trunky and don't care as much now. They just want to have fun. Anyway, Outreach will continue but it will be from 6-9, instead of 4-9. Not really a big difference, because no one usually shows up until later.
The new BYU girls are here now and it seems like I can't get away from them, lol. I've seen them every single day since Wednesday. Outreach Wednesday and Thursday, activity on Friday, on Saturday I translated for President Popovici while he interviewed them and of course on Sunday, when I translated for like 4 hours straight! I think I'm a little rusty since the last group left. I didn't do as well as I wanted to and they probably think I'm a horrible speaker, but it's all good. I did alright, I'm probably just a really harsh self-critic. I'd like to be able to do it perfectly, but I'll get better and better with time.
Anyway, the girls are pretty cool, a lot of different personalities which is good. I don't really know what else to say about them, I still don't know them too well. They're really nice, they let us go over to their place to make the baptismal program(we tried going to two internet places but in one all of the computers were down and in another there wasn't a single computer free). I'm still convinced that, for me, they won't compare with the last group, but they will do a good job here. It was cool to sit in their interviews and hear them accept their callings. They are very willing to serve and I'm sure they will bless the branch and all the kids that they work with.
Ok, lameness, they won't take back my camera, so pretty much I'm a failure and I broke my camera after only like 2 months of usage. That's the second one on my mission :( I don't really know what to do now. I really did try to take care of them. I don't have any pictures of anything over the last couple weeks too. It's pretty ghetto, especially because of the baptism. I can get some pictures from my companion at least. Anyway, what should I do?
Dad - Thanks so much for writing me every week, I love hearing from you! I really appreciate the updates on the ward and stake. I'm really glad that my experience at the Christmas party was useful. That was something I never realized would be such an experience. I just did my small part and it's awesome to see how a lot of people have benefitted from that story. You're always super supportive, Dad, and I really appreciate that. I'm lucky to have such an amazing family that is 100% behind me. Thanks for your advice and reminders as well. I still learn from you 8000 miles away. I love you!
Mom - Sounds like life is busy as ever, which is always good. I know that is definitely how it is for me as a missionary. When not a lot is going on, when I'm not keeping busy, then, I don't know, something's missing and I don't feel right. But when I'm anxiously engaged in a good cause, then life is awesome and time flies! Yeah, sorry I didn't specifically mention my presents. I really did love them all! The food was good, especially Fruity Pebbles. The Mapleine and Root Beer Extract are definitely hot items here in the mission. Tell P the earmuffs and gloves were really appreciated, especially when it was freezing cold. The stockings were nice, too. Elder Bennett got the other one, because Elder Hardman was gone by the time I got it. I love the calendar! The Asian family is a nice touch. I liked what Grandma J. sent a lot, too, the Book of Mormon characters will be a hit. Same with the CTR rings. I probably still forgot to mention something, but thanks a ton for everything! You are the best mom in the whole world! No, I didn't get Grandma and Grandpa L's gift yet. Thanks for everything, Mom! I always save your email for last, because it's my favorite!
J - Fat chance, huh? Lol, we'll see about that. I think I'll always have quickness on you, so just because you're bigger don't think you can take me on so easily. That's super cool about going to colleges on recruiting trips. I'm sure wherever you go will be the right place for you. Just don't forget to include your Heavenly Father in the decision. I love you, man.
S - Thanks so much for writing me as often as you do. I love your great attitude and the happiness that always emits from your emails. That is my favorite thing about you, S, how you are always all smiles and no matter what, you can find happiness in any situation. Remember that, that's a super good quality that will help throughout your whole life. Happiness comes from the inside and is indifferent to our circumstances. So, how is school going for you? Keep me updated on your life, lil sis. I love you tons.
E - Lol, that was quite the long email you wrote me. How are you enjoying Oliver Twist? What kind of activities have you been up to lately? What's the latest word on the home street? Well, feel free to write me a little more if you want. You're a stud and I'd love to hear what you are up to. Keep it real.
A - I'm doing great in Romanian, thanks for asking! Maybe one day you can come back and visit it with me. That would be sweet! Man, I wish I could be your teacher, too. Maybe when I get back, I'll be able to teach your class. It's not too far away, but you're right it's good that I'm on my mission, huh? Have a great week, A and keep out of trouble!
W - You little champion of men, I miss you! I can't wait to see the new dance you came up with. I'm sure it is hilarious. I'm glad you're still chillin with N. He's a cool kid, huh? Wow, your favorite colors are blue AND brown AND green. I'm glad you were able to decide. Little buddy, I love you. Don't forget it.
Ok, I need to go now. I love you all so much! Have an amazing week. I think mine will be awesome, too!
--Elder Ross
Wow, emails were AMAZING this week! I heard from tons of people, lots of siblings and bunch of friends. It's so great to hear from everyone and to be included in your guys' lives. That is SUPER cool about P getting his mission call! I knew he was supposed to get it soon and I was really hoping to hear that today, so I'm way glad he did. Dude, you'll tear it up, P! I'll write you a letter that says more.
This week was kind of a boring one in that it felt like I was doing the same thing every single day. English sign-ups are this Tuesday and Saturday and so we had 6000 fliers(just us two, 12,000 total) to get it. Unfortunately, we didn't succeed and we still have about 1400 left. We might do that tomorrow or just forget about it. It's a lot harder to pass them out in the winter. Because it's colder, there are a lot less people outside walking around. Luckily, it's not as freezing or painfully cold as it was a couple weeks ago. I'm definitely not a cold weather person. I really can't wait for the spring.
So, Gianina got baptized yesterday! It was really nice to have a baptism and it's definitely been a miracle how she progressed and made it to this point. From being a Buddhist/Muslim to gaining a faith in Jesus Christ and then to believing in modern prophets and understanding the imortance of baptism. It's been a wild ride, but it has been soo much fun! Her testimony grows every day and she's committed to the church and continuing to grow and progress. That was by far the highlight of my week, seeing her baptism. Elder Wright performed it. He totally butchered the prayer, he said it in Romanian, but I (Elder Bennett and I were witnesses) let it go. He couldn't do it the first time, so I said it for him and he did it a secon time and got through it. The Lord understands what he was trying to say.
We didn't really manage to meet with a lot of our investigators this week. One investigator that is doing really well (besides Gianina of course. Btw, she'll be confirmed next week) is Alis. When Elder Middleton and I were on exchanges, we had a super sweet lesson with her. At the end of it, she was like, yeah, I need to read from the Book of Mormon every day. Up until then (she's had the Book of Mormon for at least 6 months) she was at 1 Nephi 5, lol. Not exactly much of a reader. But stuff started to click and she committed to reading 5-10 minutes every day. We're meeting with her again tonight before FHE and then she'll stay for that. She's pretty excited to meet the BYU girls, too, and they'll be a big help in her coming to all the activities and stuff, just like Christina did from the last group. She was great at befriending Alis and getting her to activities and church. But yeah, I really think she is going to take off and be a really strong progressing investigator. She has told us she is searching for the truth and she knows it's not at the Orthodox Church. I know where she will find it :)
So Traian got confirmed yesterday and also received the Aaronic Priesthood and became a Priest. It'll be really cool to see him pass and bless the sacrament. Yeah, I haven't mentioned a lot about him or his wife, because the other elders have always been the ones that work with them. Sora Podaru is way solid, though,(the Relief Society President, if I haven't told you that before) and she'll keep Traian in line, lol. President Popovici is hoping that in the near future that those two can run Outreach. They would do really well, I think, and would be a ton of fun. Man, the Wrights are leaving like tomorrow! It will be weird having them gone. I really have grown to like them a lot. Lol, I think a lot of it is that they are trunky and don't care as much now. They just want to have fun. Anyway, Outreach will continue but it will be from 6-9, instead of 4-9. Not really a big difference, because no one usually shows up until later.
The new BYU girls are here now and it seems like I can't get away from them, lol. I've seen them every single day since Wednesday. Outreach Wednesday and Thursday, activity on Friday, on Saturday I translated for President Popovici while he interviewed them and of course on Sunday, when I translated for like 4 hours straight! I think I'm a little rusty since the last group left. I didn't do as well as I wanted to and they probably think I'm a horrible speaker, but it's all good. I did alright, I'm probably just a really harsh self-critic. I'd like to be able to do it perfectly, but I'll get better and better with time.
Anyway, the girls are pretty cool, a lot of different personalities which is good. I don't really know what else to say about them, I still don't know them too well. They're really nice, they let us go over to their place to make the baptismal program(we tried going to two internet places but in one all of the computers were down and in another there wasn't a single computer free). I'm still convinced that, for me, they won't compare with the last group, but they will do a good job here. It was cool to sit in their interviews and hear them accept their callings. They are very willing to serve and I'm sure they will bless the branch and all the kids that they work with.
Ok, lameness, they won't take back my camera, so pretty much I'm a failure and I broke my camera after only like 2 months of usage. That's the second one on my mission :( I don't really know what to do now. I really did try to take care of them. I don't have any pictures of anything over the last couple weeks too. It's pretty ghetto, especially because of the baptism. I can get some pictures from my companion at least. Anyway, what should I do?
Dad - Thanks so much for writing me every week, I love hearing from you! I really appreciate the updates on the ward and stake. I'm really glad that my experience at the Christmas party was useful. That was something I never realized would be such an experience. I just did my small part and it's awesome to see how a lot of people have benefitted from that story. You're always super supportive, Dad, and I really appreciate that. I'm lucky to have such an amazing family that is 100% behind me. Thanks for your advice and reminders as well. I still learn from you 8000 miles away. I love you!
Mom - Sounds like life is busy as ever, which is always good. I know that is definitely how it is for me as a missionary. When not a lot is going on, when I'm not keeping busy, then, I don't know, something's missing and I don't feel right. But when I'm anxiously engaged in a good cause, then life is awesome and time flies! Yeah, sorry I didn't specifically mention my presents. I really did love them all! The food was good, especially Fruity Pebbles. The Mapleine and Root Beer Extract are definitely hot items here in the mission. Tell P the earmuffs and gloves were really appreciated, especially when it was freezing cold. The stockings were nice, too. Elder Bennett got the other one, because Elder Hardman was gone by the time I got it. I love the calendar! The Asian family is a nice touch. I liked what Grandma J. sent a lot, too, the Book of Mormon characters will be a hit. Same with the CTR rings. I probably still forgot to mention something, but thanks a ton for everything! You are the best mom in the whole world! No, I didn't get Grandma and Grandpa L's gift yet. Thanks for everything, Mom! I always save your email for last, because it's my favorite!
J - Fat chance, huh? Lol, we'll see about that. I think I'll always have quickness on you, so just because you're bigger don't think you can take me on so easily. That's super cool about going to colleges on recruiting trips. I'm sure wherever you go will be the right place for you. Just don't forget to include your Heavenly Father in the decision. I love you, man.
S - Thanks so much for writing me as often as you do. I love your great attitude and the happiness that always emits from your emails. That is my favorite thing about you, S, how you are always all smiles and no matter what, you can find happiness in any situation. Remember that, that's a super good quality that will help throughout your whole life. Happiness comes from the inside and is indifferent to our circumstances. So, how is school going for you? Keep me updated on your life, lil sis. I love you tons.
E - Lol, that was quite the long email you wrote me. How are you enjoying Oliver Twist? What kind of activities have you been up to lately? What's the latest word on the home street? Well, feel free to write me a little more if you want. You're a stud and I'd love to hear what you are up to. Keep it real.
A - I'm doing great in Romanian, thanks for asking! Maybe one day you can come back and visit it with me. That would be sweet! Man, I wish I could be your teacher, too. Maybe when I get back, I'll be able to teach your class. It's not too far away, but you're right it's good that I'm on my mission, huh? Have a great week, A and keep out of trouble!
W - You little champion of men, I miss you! I can't wait to see the new dance you came up with. I'm sure it is hilarious. I'm glad you're still chillin with N. He's a cool kid, huh? Wow, your favorite colors are blue AND brown AND green. I'm glad you were able to decide. Little buddy, I love you. Don't forget it.
Ok, I need to go now. I love you all so much! Have an amazing week. I think mine will be awesome, too!
--Elder Ross
Monday, January 7, 2008
Happy New Year! Many more, health and all that you desire!
Happy New Year! Many more, health and all that you desire!
Or so the Romanians say to everyone they say for the new year. Or a lot of times they will also wish you to have a beautiful wife(or as the case may be, a great husband. It's way funny. I love Romanians and their many vorbas(sayings).
The New Year's was really fun up here in Iasi. I think usually we are not supposed to be outside after 9pm or something, but the Wrights were way cool about it. As they said, "President Ashby kept us from seeing the fireworks last year so this year we're going. What are they going to do? Send us home?" Ha ha ha. Senior couples are hilarious when they are trunky.
We went down to Palatul Culturii and they had a way good show. There was a laser light show going on and some good music blasting really loud. You could feel the bass shaking the ground. So after the countdown, well for one, everyone pulled out their bottles of champagne and started drinking and couples started kissing, but better than that was the firework show. It was super impressive, a lot better than I thought it would be. And it looked especially cool, because it was above the palace, which looked really cool as the background. It was a tight celebration, I think I want to always go to big celebrations for New Year's from now on, like city squares and stuff.
Yes, I got your package! I'm really sorry I forgot to mention that last week. I realized that later in the week, when it was too late. Anyway, your package was great! I love everything. It was nice to have a second Christmas. I got the package from Grandma and Grandpa J, too. Tell them thank you for me. You guys are the best.
Man, you're right, it has been soooo cold here! Like I'm wearing 2 pairs of socks and my feet are still cold, long johns for my legs and chest, gloves and I put my hands in my pockets and they are still cold and I have my big, fur coat that mostly keeps my head warm. My nose feels raw sometimes because it's so cold. I really hope it doesn't get that cold again. That's how it was the end of last week, but it's a little warmer right now. We got a ton of snow last night and it is super beautiful here right now. The snow warmed it up a little too. I know that one of the days it was -14 C. I'm not a winter person, lol, it was ok until the last couple weeks and now I am ready for spring.
So, Sora Maria, an old member lady that has been bed-ridden for a while, passed away this week. On Thursday we had a funeral service for her and then after that we went to her burial. She was able to buried in her temple clothes, at least her temple whites. It was a really good service, really positive. Right before the burial, we went into the funeral parlor where Sora Maria was laying. It was just her and one other lady in the room, but there was such a contrast between the two. Sora Maria looked really at peace, but the other lady didn't look that way at all. And then the people that were around her were all weeping and wailing and they looked so sad, like it was huge tragedy. And then our member sisters were standing around talking, smiling and there was a really good spirit in that. It's so nice to know exactly what happens after this life and that Sora Maria is in a better place now.
Other good has come from that event as well. Yesterday, my companion, the Wrights and I had a discussion with Angelica(Sora Maria's daughter) and Nina and Romina, mother and daughter who are friends of the family. We gave them all Books of Mormon and had a good lesson. Romina was the only one that seemed interested, but she was really interested and we set up to meet with her again on Friday. She's way excited to read the Book of Mormon, too. We'll see what happens.
No, Gianina didn't get baptized this week. Unfortunately she didn't pass her interview, but she didn't have any problems with the Book of Mormon or Jesus Christ, nor is it worthiness stuff. We just have to go over a few things with her, like Joseph Smith(shouldn't be hard, she believes the Book of Mormon is true already) and that God has a body. She'll get baptized this Sunday.
Ok, this one should be a shock for the BYU girls...guess who decided they wanted to get baptized and then did yesterday?! ...Traian! Sora Podaru's husband. Elder Wright performed it(No, the Wrights don't ever do tracting with us). I guess on the 1st he all of a sudden decided he wanted to be baptized and he met with the other elders every single day and on Saturday I had my first baptismal interview, with him, and it was really cool actually. He was well prepared and he is committed to keeping his baptismal covenants. I really enjoyed doing the interview and hopefully I get lots of chances to do more.
On Wednesday, I went up to Chisinau for a ZL/DL. Because the office didn't get my companion's passport to him, he stayed in Iasi with Elder Davis and just had a normal day. The meeting was really good and I learned a lot. My favorite presentation was one done by Elder Armstrong and he talked a lot about being a good leader. He used scriptures from Mosiah 2 and also D&C 121, talking about how many are called but few are chosen, how many people(even missionaries, believe me) aspire to the honors of men. It's something I've thought a lot about and something I really want to avoid, to stay humble and to always lead with love. It really felt like his presentation was made just for me, I really, really liked it and I learned a lot and also learned some things I want to study more. It was a pretty long day, with a 3 hour Maxitaxi ride each way and I was ready to get back to work, especially after coming off of two days of nothing because of New Year's.
It is really nice to be on the other side of the holidays! Especially knowing that the next time they come I will be with all of my loved ones. So hopefully this week is a pretty normal one and we start getting back into the swing of things. People are starting to come back from holiday. Diamanta got back on Thursday and it's been really good to see her again. Lol, she is pretty upfront with Elder Bennett. One of the first things she said to him was, Oh are you a boboc? Oh, then why is your romanian so bad? Then when she found out he is in the same group as Elder Hardman, she really got on him. "Elder Hardman was a lot better, he learned really fast. You need to work harder." Luckily, Elder Bennett is a stud and he didn't take it the wrong way and it makes him want to work even harder at the language. He really does struggle with romanian, but he works at it. He's a hard worker and a fun guy. I get along well with him and I'm trying to help him grow and learn. Diamanta is helping him out, too. She's a great friend, just frank.
Yup, E, I lit a shirt on fire on Thursday, January 3, my one year mark. We didn't really have a good place to do it, so we did it on the balcony over a bucket. The shirt lit up super fast and burned a lot better than I thought it would. I was holding it up with an old broom handle and after a minute it burned itself off and fell into bucket, which became this pot of infernal flame. Until the bucket caught on fire, too, haha. Thank goodness everything is cement in Romania. But it consumed the entire bucket and nothing was left. It was sweet. I haven't had time to return my camera yet, but my comp took pictures and I'll get those from him and hopefully next week I'll send you guys a bunch of pictures.
So I've started to step it up a little. For district meeting I talked about happiness and how it always depends on us and is indifferent to our circumstances. Then I talked about the example of Jesus Christ and things He did in His life to grow and to be happy. I read Luke 2:52, which is something like. "And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, in favor with God and with man." So we talked about those 4 things and how when are striving to be better in all 4 of those that is when we are the happiest. So, to answer your question on New Year's goals, that is kind of it. I have a goal to grow in wisdom by reading the Book of Mormon twice this year(yeah, I finished it by my year mark, a super good feeling!) and finishing the Bible. In stature by working out every morning. It's a lot more fun, because my companion has an ab wheel and then I found a couple bars(can't really explain what they are) for working out. It makes a big difference and I already feel better for doing it. I worked out every single day last week. Lol, today my biceps are a little sore. And a little bigger, too :) I've got to be ready to take on J when I get home! Also, with stature, to be more bold, to be able to present the Gospel better to people. In favor with God, I'm really trying to pray more and pray more sincerely. Also, to be more in tune with the Spirit. In favor with man, the biggest thing I thought of was really loving these people. I'm already in love with them, but keeping it up and serving them. Also, learning the language better is a way that I can gain more access to the people's hearts. Some of those goals are a little broad or vague, but I'm going to study them more and make a list.
Well, this email is one of my longer ones I think. S, I agree with you. I like it, too, when I write to each one of you. Unfortunately, I wrote a lot today and I don't have very much time. I still need to write President, too. Tell you what. Have everyone write me an email next week and then next week, I promise, I will write everyone their own message. Sound good? Remind me, too. :) Ok, I'm going to go now, but I love you all! Have a beautiful week, everyone!
Cu Drag, Elder Ross
Or so the Romanians say to everyone they say for the new year. Or a lot of times they will also wish you to have a beautiful wife(or as the case may be, a great husband. It's way funny. I love Romanians and their many vorbas(sayings).
The New Year's was really fun up here in Iasi. I think usually we are not supposed to be outside after 9pm or something, but the Wrights were way cool about it. As they said, "President Ashby kept us from seeing the fireworks last year so this year we're going. What are they going to do? Send us home?" Ha ha ha. Senior couples are hilarious when they are trunky.
We went down to Palatul Culturii and they had a way good show. There was a laser light show going on and some good music blasting really loud. You could feel the bass shaking the ground. So after the countdown, well for one, everyone pulled out their bottles of champagne and started drinking and couples started kissing, but better than that was the firework show. It was super impressive, a lot better than I thought it would be. And it looked especially cool, because it was above the palace, which looked really cool as the background. It was a tight celebration, I think I want to always go to big celebrations for New Year's from now on, like city squares and stuff.
Yes, I got your package! I'm really sorry I forgot to mention that last week. I realized that later in the week, when it was too late. Anyway, your package was great! I love everything. It was nice to have a second Christmas. I got the package from Grandma and Grandpa J, too. Tell them thank you for me. You guys are the best.
Man, you're right, it has been soooo cold here! Like I'm wearing 2 pairs of socks and my feet are still cold, long johns for my legs and chest, gloves and I put my hands in my pockets and they are still cold and I have my big, fur coat that mostly keeps my head warm. My nose feels raw sometimes because it's so cold. I really hope it doesn't get that cold again. That's how it was the end of last week, but it's a little warmer right now. We got a ton of snow last night and it is super beautiful here right now. The snow warmed it up a little too. I know that one of the days it was -14 C. I'm not a winter person, lol, it was ok until the last couple weeks and now I am ready for spring.
So, Sora Maria, an old member lady that has been bed-ridden for a while, passed away this week. On Thursday we had a funeral service for her and then after that we went to her burial. She was able to buried in her temple clothes, at least her temple whites. It was a really good service, really positive. Right before the burial, we went into the funeral parlor where Sora Maria was laying. It was just her and one other lady in the room, but there was such a contrast between the two. Sora Maria looked really at peace, but the other lady didn't look that way at all. And then the people that were around her were all weeping and wailing and they looked so sad, like it was huge tragedy. And then our member sisters were standing around talking, smiling and there was a really good spirit in that. It's so nice to know exactly what happens after this life and that Sora Maria is in a better place now.
Other good has come from that event as well. Yesterday, my companion, the Wrights and I had a discussion with Angelica(Sora Maria's daughter) and Nina and Romina, mother and daughter who are friends of the family. We gave them all Books of Mormon and had a good lesson. Romina was the only one that seemed interested, but she was really interested and we set up to meet with her again on Friday. She's way excited to read the Book of Mormon, too. We'll see what happens.
No, Gianina didn't get baptized this week. Unfortunately she didn't pass her interview, but she didn't have any problems with the Book of Mormon or Jesus Christ, nor is it worthiness stuff. We just have to go over a few things with her, like Joseph Smith(shouldn't be hard, she believes the Book of Mormon is true already) and that God has a body. She'll get baptized this Sunday.
Ok, this one should be a shock for the BYU girls...guess who decided they wanted to get baptized and then did yesterday?! ...Traian! Sora Podaru's husband. Elder Wright performed it(No, the Wrights don't ever do tracting with us). I guess on the 1st he all of a sudden decided he wanted to be baptized and he met with the other elders every single day and on Saturday I had my first baptismal interview, with him, and it was really cool actually. He was well prepared and he is committed to keeping his baptismal covenants. I really enjoyed doing the interview and hopefully I get lots of chances to do more.
On Wednesday, I went up to Chisinau for a ZL/DL. Because the office didn't get my companion's passport to him, he stayed in Iasi with Elder Davis and just had a normal day. The meeting was really good and I learned a lot. My favorite presentation was one done by Elder Armstrong and he talked a lot about being a good leader. He used scriptures from Mosiah 2 and also D&C 121, talking about how many are called but few are chosen, how many people(even missionaries, believe me) aspire to the honors of men. It's something I've thought a lot about and something I really want to avoid, to stay humble and to always lead with love. It really felt like his presentation was made just for me, I really, really liked it and I learned a lot and also learned some things I want to study more. It was a pretty long day, with a 3 hour Maxitaxi ride each way and I was ready to get back to work, especially after coming off of two days of nothing because of New Year's.
It is really nice to be on the other side of the holidays! Especially knowing that the next time they come I will be with all of my loved ones. So hopefully this week is a pretty normal one and we start getting back into the swing of things. People are starting to come back from holiday. Diamanta got back on Thursday and it's been really good to see her again. Lol, she is pretty upfront with Elder Bennett. One of the first things she said to him was, Oh are you a boboc? Oh, then why is your romanian so bad? Then when she found out he is in the same group as Elder Hardman, she really got on him. "Elder Hardman was a lot better, he learned really fast. You need to work harder." Luckily, Elder Bennett is a stud and he didn't take it the wrong way and it makes him want to work even harder at the language. He really does struggle with romanian, but he works at it. He's a hard worker and a fun guy. I get along well with him and I'm trying to help him grow and learn. Diamanta is helping him out, too. She's a great friend, just frank.
Yup, E, I lit a shirt on fire on Thursday, January 3, my one year mark. We didn't really have a good place to do it, so we did it on the balcony over a bucket. The shirt lit up super fast and burned a lot better than I thought it would. I was holding it up with an old broom handle and after a minute it burned itself off and fell into bucket, which became this pot of infernal flame. Until the bucket caught on fire, too, haha. Thank goodness everything is cement in Romania. But it consumed the entire bucket and nothing was left. It was sweet. I haven't had time to return my camera yet, but my comp took pictures and I'll get those from him and hopefully next week I'll send you guys a bunch of pictures.
So I've started to step it up a little. For district meeting I talked about happiness and how it always depends on us and is indifferent to our circumstances. Then I talked about the example of Jesus Christ and things He did in His life to grow and to be happy. I read Luke 2:52, which is something like. "And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, in favor with God and with man." So we talked about those 4 things and how when are striving to be better in all 4 of those that is when we are the happiest. So, to answer your question on New Year's goals, that is kind of it. I have a goal to grow in wisdom by reading the Book of Mormon twice this year(yeah, I finished it by my year mark, a super good feeling!) and finishing the Bible. In stature by working out every morning. It's a lot more fun, because my companion has an ab wheel and then I found a couple bars(can't really explain what they are) for working out. It makes a big difference and I already feel better for doing it. I worked out every single day last week. Lol, today my biceps are a little sore. And a little bigger, too :) I've got to be ready to take on J when I get home! Also, with stature, to be more bold, to be able to present the Gospel better to people. In favor with God, I'm really trying to pray more and pray more sincerely. Also, to be more in tune with the Spirit. In favor with man, the biggest thing I thought of was really loving these people. I'm already in love with them, but keeping it up and serving them. Also, learning the language better is a way that I can gain more access to the people's hearts. Some of those goals are a little broad or vague, but I'm going to study them more and make a list.
Well, this email is one of my longer ones I think. S, I agree with you. I like it, too, when I write to each one of you. Unfortunately, I wrote a lot today and I don't have very much time. I still need to write President, too. Tell you what. Have everyone write me an email next week and then next week, I promise, I will write everyone their own message. Sound good? Remind me, too. :) Ok, I'm going to go now, but I love you all! Have a beautiful week, everyone!
Cu Drag, Elder Ross
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year!
Hey Everyone!
It's been a pretty good week, definitely a different one with Christmas and its three days of partying. Basically, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we watched some movies, hung out with some members and had some meals. The whole time I went without shaving : ) and for the first time in over a year I went over 24 hours without wearing a shirt and tie. But I'm definitely glad the holidays are almost over. Just today and tomorrow and things will be back to normal. Well, not true, Wednesday I'm in Chisinau for ZL/DL, but after that regular missionary work is back!
I'm kind of movied out. On Monday, Christmas Eve, we went over to the Wrights and they fed us a good meal. I didn't get food poisoned this time :) After that we went and hung out with Narcis and his mom Cristina. We watched a couple movies with them. Oh man, she brought us this nasty milk/yogurt thing and we couldn't drink it. Elder Dabling managed to get half of it down, Elder Middleton said he was allergic and I went to the bathroom and poured it all down the toilet. Elder Hardman just left his where she put it and didn't even try. It was a good time, though.
On Christmas we went to Sora Genoveva's and she fed us a really good meal. It wasn't as good as the one that she gave to us and the BYU girls, though. That one remains my favorite. Then I talked to my wonderful family on the phone. It was really awesome to talk to everyone.
Oh, whoops, you're probably wondering who my new companion is. Ok, it's Elder Bennett. He was actually Elder Harman's companion in the MTC. He's a way cool guy, about a year older than me. He played two years of college baseball so he has an Associate's. It should be a really good transfer. He doesn't speak too well, so I'll do what I can to help him out. Elder Stroud is the new zone leader. He was in the MTC for 3 weeks with me, he's in the group ahead of me.
He's a really good missionary, but isn't a great speaker, so Elder Middleton and I remain the strong speakers in Iasi. Elder Dabling was a really good speaker but now he's gone. I think I have improved a lot lately, though, and hopefully keep on getting better. In the blocs, I get a lot more people now that think I am german or italian than think that I'm american. It's pretty sweet, because it means I'm speaking a lot better and my accent is better. Someone thought I was french, too, last night. That's one of the funnest parts of bloc knocking, hearing people guess where I'm from, haha. We've gone to the blocs the last two nights and it's been a lot of fun actually. We've met really cool people and had a lot of lessons. We've found a couple new investigators, too.
Other than that, we haven't been able to do a lot of missionary work. We haven't been able to meet with any investigators, because of the holidays, except for Gianina. We had a way good lesson with her after church. Church was good, btw, and Aurelia came this week. Anyway, Gianina is doing really well and is pretty much ready for baptism. The one thing she's not sure on is if there is a living prophet so I gave her a general conference ensign and she is going to read some talks by Gordon B. Hinckley and pray about it. She'll be ready, it's only 6 days away, woohoo! She will be baptized by Elder Wright, which will cool, because I don't think he's baptized anyone in the time that he has been here and it will be great that he can do that right before he goes home.
Man, I'm not having luck with my camera lately. The screen went out on it so that it just shows white now. Luckily, it has a warranty so I'm going to take it back after the holidays and get a new one. I really hope that works out, otherwise, well, that would be bad. I can still send pics, so I'm going to attach a few now....nevermind, it's not working. lame. Sorry!
Well, I think that sums it up. Please ask questions if you have them. I love you guys! Have a good one
--Elder Ross
It's been a pretty good week, definitely a different one with Christmas and its three days of partying. Basically, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we watched some movies, hung out with some members and had some meals. The whole time I went without shaving : ) and for the first time in over a year I went over 24 hours without wearing a shirt and tie. But I'm definitely glad the holidays are almost over. Just today and tomorrow and things will be back to normal. Well, not true, Wednesday I'm in Chisinau for ZL/DL, but after that regular missionary work is back!
I'm kind of movied out. On Monday, Christmas Eve, we went over to the Wrights and they fed us a good meal. I didn't get food poisoned this time :) After that we went and hung out with Narcis and his mom Cristina. We watched a couple movies with them. Oh man, she brought us this nasty milk/yogurt thing and we couldn't drink it. Elder Dabling managed to get half of it down, Elder Middleton said he was allergic and I went to the bathroom and poured it all down the toilet. Elder Hardman just left his where she put it and didn't even try. It was a good time, though.
On Christmas we went to Sora Genoveva's and she fed us a really good meal. It wasn't as good as the one that she gave to us and the BYU girls, though. That one remains my favorite. Then I talked to my wonderful family on the phone. It was really awesome to talk to everyone.
Oh, whoops, you're probably wondering who my new companion is. Ok, it's Elder Bennett. He was actually Elder Harman's companion in the MTC. He's a way cool guy, about a year older than me. He played two years of college baseball so he has an Associate's. It should be a really good transfer. He doesn't speak too well, so I'll do what I can to help him out. Elder Stroud is the new zone leader. He was in the MTC for 3 weeks with me, he's in the group ahead of me.
He's a really good missionary, but isn't a great speaker, so Elder Middleton and I remain the strong speakers in Iasi. Elder Dabling was a really good speaker but now he's gone. I think I have improved a lot lately, though, and hopefully keep on getting better. In the blocs, I get a lot more people now that think I am german or italian than think that I'm american. It's pretty sweet, because it means I'm speaking a lot better and my accent is better. Someone thought I was french, too, last night. That's one of the funnest parts of bloc knocking, hearing people guess where I'm from, haha. We've gone to the blocs the last two nights and it's been a lot of fun actually. We've met really cool people and had a lot of lessons. We've found a couple new investigators, too.
Other than that, we haven't been able to do a lot of missionary work. We haven't been able to meet with any investigators, because of the holidays, except for Gianina. We had a way good lesson with her after church. Church was good, btw, and Aurelia came this week. Anyway, Gianina is doing really well and is pretty much ready for baptism. The one thing she's not sure on is if there is a living prophet so I gave her a general conference ensign and she is going to read some talks by Gordon B. Hinckley and pray about it. She'll be ready, it's only 6 days away, woohoo! She will be baptized by Elder Wright, which will cool, because I don't think he's baptized anyone in the time that he has been here and it will be great that he can do that right before he goes home.
Man, I'm not having luck with my camera lately. The screen went out on it so that it just shows white now. Luckily, it has a warranty so I'm going to take it back after the holidays and get a new one. I really hope that works out, otherwise, well, that would be bad. I can still send pics, so I'm going to attach a few now....nevermind, it's not working. lame. Sorry!
Well, I think that sums it up. Please ask questions if you have them. I love you guys! Have a good one
--Elder Ross
Monday, December 24, 2007
Transfer Calls
Alright, let everyone know...transfer calls are in!! And...I'm staying here in Iasi! My companion is transferred and so is Elder Dabling, so Elder Middleton and I are staying.
I'm excited, but definitely mixed feelings. I've stayed here a while. But I do have a baptism to look forward to! A lot happens in this transfer, too. I hit my year mark, the Wrights leave and there isn't a couple replacing them(lots of complications with that) and the new group of BYU girls comes in. I'm pretty positive they aren't going to be as good as the last group. Lol, that's why it takes 11(I think?) girls to replace the 5 of them! Anyway, now you know. I'll tell you who my new companion is next Monday. Have a good one. I love you guys!
--Elder Ross
I'm excited, but definitely mixed feelings. I've stayed here a while. But I do have a baptism to look forward to! A lot happens in this transfer, too. I hit my year mark, the Wrights leave and there isn't a couple replacing them(lots of complications with that) and the new group of BYU girls comes in. I'm pretty positive they aren't going to be as good as the last group. Lol, that's why it takes 11(I think?) girls to replace the 5 of them! Anyway, now you know. I'll tell you who my new companion is next Monday. Have a good one. I love you guys!
--Elder Ross
Christmas Eve
Hey Amazing People!
So it's a little after 6:30 a.m. right now!! Basically, our day was so full today that we needed to come to internet early to fit it all in. So, we got up even earlier than usual, 6am, to get here. So, if you guys are still sending emails or need to say something, I'm checking my email again at the Wrights, because today we get transfer calls! I forgot to mention it last week, but yeah, I'm pretty anxious to see what happens.
So, it's Christmas Eve! It's crazy, I can't believe Christmas is pretty much here already! No, I didn't get your package yet, I'll get it on Friday. But I have a few things to open so it's definitely ok. This way I get two Christmases(what is the plural for Christmas anyway??) Besides, I got one of the best Christmas presents yesterday. Gianina has a baptismal date!! She is getting baptized in two weeks. It will be really sad if I get transferred, but if that's what is supposed to happen, then it's ok.
It was a hard week in the blocs because of Christmas coming up and we only got one new investigator, but the rest of our week went really well. We got a baptismal date(pretty huge) and we had 8 lessons with a member present. One was with Alexandra Popovici(the branch president's daughter), who is inactive, but she was willing to help and did really well, bore good testimony. I think by using her, it might help her to feel the Spirit again and bring her back. Also, the BYU girls will be glad to hear, Aurelia hasn't dropped off the face of the planet. She came to Outreach both days and came caroling with us on Saturday. She'll be fine. Caroling was a big success by the way. We visited tons of members and they loved it. We did that the whole day.
Oh man, lame story of the day. I was messing around with my camera and I accidentally formatted it, basically deleting all my pictures! It was way lame. I took some pictures from my companion and I've taken a few since then, so I'm trying to build the collection back up. I'm just glad I've sent you guys a lot of pictures and that they are preserved. Still, it was a little depressing, lol.
To explain why today is busy, we are going to Little Texas this after this, then we have to get in Harry Potter 5(we've already watched Spiderman 3, Fantastic 4 - Silver Surfer, and Eragon. Man, movies are sooo good when you haven't seen them in a year!!). Then we have a Christmas dinner at the Wrights, then we're going to Diverta and getting a few more movies and then we're going to Cristina and Narcis' to watch movies with them and hang out with them. Tomorrow, open presents, go to a members and watch movies, it'll be chill. Transfer meeting got moved to Friday, so we don't leave until later in the week.
Oh man, I got food poisoned this week! It was something we ate after distict meeting. After the meal, I was feeling really rough after a few minutes and I went into the bathroom and threw up everything(I eat a lot when we're there, so it hurt, lol). It was lame, I can't say it's been years since I've thrown up now. I felt better after that, though. Elder Dabling threw up as well and the other two were feeling really sick, so Elder Hardman took a long nap when we got home. He felt a little better, but was sick throughout the day.
Ok, so I don't really want to write a ton now. I don't have a lot of time anyway. I will talk to you guys really soon! I can't wait! I love you guys, and all those that read this, too. You're all the best!
--Elder Ross
So it's a little after 6:30 a.m. right now!! Basically, our day was so full today that we needed to come to internet early to fit it all in. So, we got up even earlier than usual, 6am, to get here. So, if you guys are still sending emails or need to say something, I'm checking my email again at the Wrights, because today we get transfer calls! I forgot to mention it last week, but yeah, I'm pretty anxious to see what happens.
So, it's Christmas Eve! It's crazy, I can't believe Christmas is pretty much here already! No, I didn't get your package yet, I'll get it on Friday. But I have a few things to open so it's definitely ok. This way I get two Christmases(what is the plural for Christmas anyway??) Besides, I got one of the best Christmas presents yesterday. Gianina has a baptismal date!! She is getting baptized in two weeks. It will be really sad if I get transferred, but if that's what is supposed to happen, then it's ok.
It was a hard week in the blocs because of Christmas coming up and we only got one new investigator, but the rest of our week went really well. We got a baptismal date(pretty huge) and we had 8 lessons with a member present. One was with Alexandra Popovici(the branch president's daughter), who is inactive, but she was willing to help and did really well, bore good testimony. I think by using her, it might help her to feel the Spirit again and bring her back. Also, the BYU girls will be glad to hear, Aurelia hasn't dropped off the face of the planet. She came to Outreach both days and came caroling with us on Saturday. She'll be fine. Caroling was a big success by the way. We visited tons of members and they loved it. We did that the whole day.
Oh man, lame story of the day. I was messing around with my camera and I accidentally formatted it, basically deleting all my pictures! It was way lame. I took some pictures from my companion and I've taken a few since then, so I'm trying to build the collection back up. I'm just glad I've sent you guys a lot of pictures and that they are preserved. Still, it was a little depressing, lol.
To explain why today is busy, we are going to Little Texas this after this, then we have to get in Harry Potter 5(we've already watched Spiderman 3, Fantastic 4 - Silver Surfer, and Eragon. Man, movies are sooo good when you haven't seen them in a year!!). Then we have a Christmas dinner at the Wrights, then we're going to Diverta and getting a few more movies and then we're going to Cristina and Narcis' to watch movies with them and hang out with them. Tomorrow, open presents, go to a members and watch movies, it'll be chill. Transfer meeting got moved to Friday, so we don't leave until later in the week.
Oh man, I got food poisoned this week! It was something we ate after distict meeting. After the meal, I was feeling really rough after a few minutes and I went into the bathroom and threw up everything(I eat a lot when we're there, so it hurt, lol). It was lame, I can't say it's been years since I've thrown up now. I felt better after that, though. Elder Dabling threw up as well and the other two were feeling really sick, so Elder Hardman took a long nap when we got home. He felt a little better, but was sick throughout the day.
Ok, so I don't really want to write a ton now. I don't have a lot of time anyway. I will talk to you guys really soon! I can't wait! I love you guys, and all those that read this, too. You're all the best!
--Elder Ross
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Rest of the Story - A Moldovan Blessing
In the previous letter, Elder Ross talked about a blessing he gave. Here is the rest of the story of the investigator told by a sister missionary via her mom. (He hasn't heard this story yet.)
Hi all.
I just read my email from my daughter this morning, and wanted to share with you a part of it. Just a little background on Luidmila, when she started coming to church she was very rough, had piercings all over her face, very biker hard core type, but when she felt the spirit she started removing her piercings, came to everything at church, stayed for all 3 hours on Sunday, began wearing a dress, total committment. Then she just dropped off the face of the earth, and Brianna was so sad because she knew the hard life Luidmila has, and also knew the difference the gospel was making in her life.
Here is what happened (from Brianna's email):
We had so many miracles this week, but one that I want to be sure to talk about is that Liudmila came back! I know crazy. She just showed up on Friday when we were waiting for Maria to finish with her interview.(Note: Maria was baptized that day) We were standing around talking to the other missionaries and she just walked in. After us not talking or hearing from her for 2 1/2 weeks it was almost like a ghost walking in the room. It seemed like an eternity to me even though it was only a few weeks. We found out that the reason why she hadn't come was because she had been in a major automobile accident and had been unconscious in the hospital for 2 weeks! Because she wasn't conscious and nobody knew to call us, we just thought thatshe had dropped us. She was like, "I am in the hospital still but I told the doctor I was going to leave for an hour so that I could see you." So, she's back! She still has some short term memory loss problems and one cracked rib and a broken one and is in alot of pain, hense still being in the hospital.
We asked her if she wanted a priesthood blessing and she agreed without hesitation. Because the elders in our district were all busy we pulled two other elders from our zone that were there for the Christmas Party, Elder L and Elder C to give her a blessing.
It was amazing you guys. These boys don't know anything about her, not about her problems, trials, life, and not much about her accident either,basically we just told them that she had been in a car accident and they gave her a blessing. The blessing that they gave her was so beautiful. I cannot even explain to you how personal it was. It talked about everything that she needed to hear.
That's why I know two things, #1 Those boys were worthy and #2 Heavenly Father works on the earth through the Priesthood power which is real and wonderful. The spirit was so strong.
Brianna will probably miss Luidmila's baptism, but I feel certain that she will be baptized, and Heavenly Father will bring amazing blessings into her life. Thanks to two moms for raising worthy young men who were in tune with the spirit and who gave that wonderful blessing to a young lady whose life it will change!
Hi all.
I just read my email from my daughter this morning, and wanted to share with you a part of it. Just a little background on Luidmila, when she started coming to church she was very rough, had piercings all over her face, very biker hard core type, but when she felt the spirit she started removing her piercings, came to everything at church, stayed for all 3 hours on Sunday, began wearing a dress, total committment. Then she just dropped off the face of the earth, and Brianna was so sad because she knew the hard life Luidmila has, and also knew the difference the gospel was making in her life.
Here is what happened (from Brianna's email):
We had so many miracles this week, but one that I want to be sure to talk about is that Liudmila came back! I know crazy. She just showed up on Friday when we were waiting for Maria to finish with her interview.(Note: Maria was baptized that day) We were standing around talking to the other missionaries and she just walked in. After us not talking or hearing from her for 2 1/2 weeks it was almost like a ghost walking in the room. It seemed like an eternity to me even though it was only a few weeks. We found out that the reason why she hadn't come was because she had been in a major automobile accident and had been unconscious in the hospital for 2 weeks! Because she wasn't conscious and nobody knew to call us, we just thought thatshe had dropped us. She was like, "I am in the hospital still but I told the doctor I was going to leave for an hour so that I could see you." So, she's back! She still has some short term memory loss problems and one cracked rib and a broken one and is in alot of pain, hense still being in the hospital.
We asked her if she wanted a priesthood blessing and she agreed without hesitation. Because the elders in our district were all busy we pulled two other elders from our zone that were there for the Christmas Party, Elder L and Elder C to give her a blessing.
It was amazing you guys. These boys don't know anything about her, not about her problems, trials, life, and not much about her accident either,basically we just told them that she had been in a car accident and they gave her a blessing. The blessing that they gave her was so beautiful. I cannot even explain to you how personal it was. It talked about everything that she needed to hear.
That's why I know two things, #1 Those boys were worthy and #2 Heavenly Father works on the earth through the Priesthood power which is real and wonderful. The spirit was so strong.
Brianna will probably miss Luidmila's baptism, but I feel certain that she will be baptized, and Heavenly Father will bring amazing blessings into her life. Thanks to two moms for raising worthy young men who were in tune with the spirit and who gave that wonderful blessing to a young lady whose life it will change!
A Book of Mormon found
Hey Everyone!!!
This last week has been really good and a lot of fun. Not only did the work go really well, but we had a lot of fun, too. And on top of that, it's snowing now! The city has totally changed and it is so beautiful! There is a pretty good layer of snow and it is way fun to play in. On Saturday we got in a big snowball fight, in between our English classes, with the BYU girls and it was a blast. Afterwards I couldn't even feel my hands, but it was definitely worth it.
Let's see...some highlights of the week. Tuesday and Wednesday were awesome days and they really showed why not counting contacts is way better than worrying about them. I'm definitely an advocate of that program our zone is doing and I'm happy to say I had my little part in getting that started. Anyway, Tuesday my companion and I only had a little bit of time to go to the blocs, but we went determined to try to find some new investigators. We had a lesson with a lady we found last week and we gave her a Book of Mormon. She's really sweet and called us her children. Then we started knocking doors.
We had one lesson that wasn't too good, nothing special. He took the pamphlet but didn't give us his number. After a while we bloc-knocked into this older guy. We started talking to him, then his wife came to the door. We kept talking to them and she kept asking us what church we are from. We kept telling her, but it's a long name, even more so in Romanian, and all the churches here have short names; Orthodox, Adventist, Baptist, etc. Eventually, my companion handed the old man his Book of Mormon and pointed to where it says the Church's name on the back. He disappeared to find his glasses. We kept talking to his wife and a minute later he came back, holding another Book of Mormon. It was an older one, an edition from 1998 before they added the guide. It was burned and rain damaged but mostly intact. He found it in the woods, nestled in the branches of a tree. He's read the whole thing and loves the book. It's a way amazing story. So they let us in and we had a really good time with them. Unfortunately they are really Orthodox and they don't understand the significance of the Book of Mormon and how it is a proof of this church.
We went back there yesterday and gave him a new Book of Mormon. The 1st couple pages of his are burnt so he can't read, the introduction and a couple other things. He said he doesn't need the old one anymore, so he gave it to me! I'm going to hang on to it forever. I'll send you a picture of it soon. It's pretty sweet.
Then we went to English and our classes were small, but because they were small we had really good lessons that were longer than normal and talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. We gave out 3 Books of Mormon, so 4 on the day! And set up with 2 of them to meet next week and to talk more. It was an incredible day, giving out that many Books of Mormon and gaining 3 new investigators as well.
Wednesday was an incredible day, too. We had exchanges and I was with Elder Middleton. We had a really full day, meeting with lots of members. All of those went really well; Florin, Fratele Pitulan, Ioana(we had a really good lesson with her. Danielle helped us out and she did an incredible job. The Spirit was really strong), Diamanta and Petru. In between those, we had some time to go to the blocs and find some more investigators. We just had a really good attitude, like let's go find some people to teach, and it worked out for us. We went to the door after Bica's(the couple with the burnt Book of Mormon), because they were the last ones we talked to, and while we were knocking on that door, he came out and said he wanted a new Book of Mormon so he could read all of the pages in the front. So we set up with him and so got two new investigators(the definition for a new investigator is you've had one lesson and set up to come again). Then we went and knock some doors, had a not-so-good lesson. It seems we always have one of those before we found someone really cool, because then we found a couple that is really friendly and open and had an awesome lesson with them. Then we set up to go back on Saturday. We didn't think we would have our 2nd English class on Saturday, so we planned it then. We ended up having a class because Diamanta came with a friend, so we ran exchanges and Elder Middleton and Elder Hardman went out to that lesson and I just taught the class on my own. It went well, it was a really fun class. My companion said the lesson went well, too. They planted a Book of Mormon, which is always good. Just like the example we got from Mr. Bica, you never know how it will make its way into the right person's hands. So, Wednesday was solid, four more new investigators, making the weekly total 7, more than my companion and I have had in the last transfer!
Thursday, we had a good district meeting(I asked Elder Middleton to run it this week) and an awesome lunch like always. The BYU girls dropped in to give me something to take to Sora Rappleye and they got force fed some cake by Sora Wright, lol. We had interviews with President Ashby that day. They went really well, nothing special. And then we went to Chisinau that night. The Christmas party was fun, though different than I expected. Hey, there may be pictures of me on Sora Ashby's blog! The first couple hours was games. Sora Ashby told us that if we put together a puzzle that was out and got done by 12, we would get a prize. It was 10. Sora Rappleye and I quickly assembled our team of professional puzzle players and got to work. There were 6 of us and we finished the puzzle at 10:40! Sora Ashby was really impressed and said that we set a record. What can I say, all my puzzle training at Outreach with Danielle paid off. Lol, I'd always have a few minutes in between lessons and we have taken on dozens of puzzles together!
After that, we did skits. Our district ran a "zone conference." Elder Middleton welcomed everyone out, then Elder Hardman and I were the AP's. I was Selck and he was Banu and it was sooo fun. Our zone leaders didn't tell us what we were doing until like 2 minutes before we were up so it was all on the spot but that's what made it fun and it was super funny.We had an amazing lunch, done by a lady that caters for the US Embassy. I ate Caviar for the first time in my life! Not bad...not good, either, lol. Then we had the tie exchange and I came out with a decent tie and then we watched The Nativity Story. It was good.
Afterwards, while interviews were going on, we watched We Are Marshall. It's really good. I missed the ending, but it's ok, because I gave a blessing to one of Sora Rappleye's investigators. Man, I love giving blessings. I always have such a sweet feeling afterwards, even when I'm not voice. I was this time and it was a really good experience. I was glad to be able to help out.
So, this morning the BYU girls left. :( They've all become super good friends and I'm going to miss them. They've done a ton for this branch, too, and all of them have grown from their experiences here. It's been cool to be the one missionary that was here when they came and was here when they left. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but I'm happy they get to be with their families for Christmas and I'm sure I'll see them again. Oh, Mom, this email is going to them, too, so can you get their emails from it and send them my letter every week or tell them about the blog or whatever it is you do. Thanks!
Well, that was my week. Next week, when I write it will be Christmas Eve!!! I am super excited for Christmas and I really can't wait to talk to my amazing family! Sorry, I didn't get Alina's email yet. She's still grounded and she didn't answer when we called last night. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten! And yeah, I listen to tons of Christmas music! Pretty much all I listen to, and some Disney music, like "The Best of Friends". Nope, just church Christmas music. We have some White Christmas, some Beach Boys, etc all mellow, approved music, don't worry! And it's all thanks to Alie, one of the BYU girls. She hooked us up well!
Well, I think that is my weekly update. You guys are the best. I love you tons! Happy Holidays!
--Elder Ross
This last week has been really good and a lot of fun. Not only did the work go really well, but we had a lot of fun, too. And on top of that, it's snowing now! The city has totally changed and it is so beautiful! There is a pretty good layer of snow and it is way fun to play in. On Saturday we got in a big snowball fight, in between our English classes, with the BYU girls and it was a blast. Afterwards I couldn't even feel my hands, but it was definitely worth it.
Let's see...some highlights of the week. Tuesday and Wednesday were awesome days and they really showed why not counting contacts is way better than worrying about them. I'm definitely an advocate of that program our zone is doing and I'm happy to say I had my little part in getting that started. Anyway, Tuesday my companion and I only had a little bit of time to go to the blocs, but we went determined to try to find some new investigators. We had a lesson with a lady we found last week and we gave her a Book of Mormon. She's really sweet and called us her children. Then we started knocking doors.
We had one lesson that wasn't too good, nothing special. He took the pamphlet but didn't give us his number. After a while we bloc-knocked into this older guy. We started talking to him, then his wife came to the door. We kept talking to them and she kept asking us what church we are from. We kept telling her, but it's a long name, even more so in Romanian, and all the churches here have short names; Orthodox, Adventist, Baptist, etc. Eventually, my companion handed the old man his Book of Mormon and pointed to where it says the Church's name on the back. He disappeared to find his glasses. We kept talking to his wife and a minute later he came back, holding another Book of Mormon. It was an older one, an edition from 1998 before they added the guide. It was burned and rain damaged but mostly intact. He found it in the woods, nestled in the branches of a tree. He's read the whole thing and loves the book. It's a way amazing story. So they let us in and we had a really good time with them. Unfortunately they are really Orthodox and they don't understand the significance of the Book of Mormon and how it is a proof of this church.
We went back there yesterday and gave him a new Book of Mormon. The 1st couple pages of his are burnt so he can't read, the introduction and a couple other things. He said he doesn't need the old one anymore, so he gave it to me! I'm going to hang on to it forever. I'll send you a picture of it soon. It's pretty sweet.
Then we went to English and our classes were small, but because they were small we had really good lessons that were longer than normal and talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. We gave out 3 Books of Mormon, so 4 on the day! And set up with 2 of them to meet next week and to talk more. It was an incredible day, giving out that many Books of Mormon and gaining 3 new investigators as well.
Wednesday was an incredible day, too. We had exchanges and I was with Elder Middleton. We had a really full day, meeting with lots of members. All of those went really well; Florin, Fratele Pitulan, Ioana(we had a really good lesson with her. Danielle helped us out and she did an incredible job. The Spirit was really strong), Diamanta and Petru. In between those, we had some time to go to the blocs and find some more investigators. We just had a really good attitude, like let's go find some people to teach, and it worked out for us. We went to the door after Bica's(the couple with the burnt Book of Mormon), because they were the last ones we talked to, and while we were knocking on that door, he came out and said he wanted a new Book of Mormon so he could read all of the pages in the front. So we set up with him and so got two new investigators(the definition for a new investigator is you've had one lesson and set up to come again). Then we went and knock some doors, had a not-so-good lesson. It seems we always have one of those before we found someone really cool, because then we found a couple that is really friendly and open and had an awesome lesson with them. Then we set up to go back on Saturday. We didn't think we would have our 2nd English class on Saturday, so we planned it then. We ended up having a class because Diamanta came with a friend, so we ran exchanges and Elder Middleton and Elder Hardman went out to that lesson and I just taught the class on my own. It went well, it was a really fun class. My companion said the lesson went well, too. They planted a Book of Mormon, which is always good. Just like the example we got from Mr. Bica, you never know how it will make its way into the right person's hands. So, Wednesday was solid, four more new investigators, making the weekly total 7, more than my companion and I have had in the last transfer!
Thursday, we had a good district meeting(I asked Elder Middleton to run it this week) and an awesome lunch like always. The BYU girls dropped in to give me something to take to Sora Rappleye and they got force fed some cake by Sora Wright, lol. We had interviews with President Ashby that day. They went really well, nothing special. And then we went to Chisinau that night. The Christmas party was fun, though different than I expected. Hey, there may be pictures of me on Sora Ashby's blog! The first couple hours was games. Sora Ashby told us that if we put together a puzzle that was out and got done by 12, we would get a prize. It was 10. Sora Rappleye and I quickly assembled our team of professional puzzle players and got to work. There were 6 of us and we finished the puzzle at 10:40! Sora Ashby was really impressed and said that we set a record. What can I say, all my puzzle training at Outreach with Danielle paid off. Lol, I'd always have a few minutes in between lessons and we have taken on dozens of puzzles together!
After that, we did skits. Our district ran a "zone conference." Elder Middleton welcomed everyone out, then Elder Hardman and I were the AP's. I was Selck and he was Banu and it was sooo fun. Our zone leaders didn't tell us what we were doing until like 2 minutes before we were up so it was all on the spot but that's what made it fun and it was super funny.We had an amazing lunch, done by a lady that caters for the US Embassy. I ate Caviar for the first time in my life! Not bad...not good, either, lol. Then we had the tie exchange and I came out with a decent tie and then we watched The Nativity Story. It was good.
Afterwards, while interviews were going on, we watched We Are Marshall. It's really good. I missed the ending, but it's ok, because I gave a blessing to one of Sora Rappleye's investigators. Man, I love giving blessings. I always have such a sweet feeling afterwards, even when I'm not voice. I was this time and it was a really good experience. I was glad to be able to help out.
So, this morning the BYU girls left. :( They've all become super good friends and I'm going to miss them. They've done a ton for this branch, too, and all of them have grown from their experiences here. It's been cool to be the one missionary that was here when they came and was here when they left. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but I'm happy they get to be with their families for Christmas and I'm sure I'll see them again. Oh, Mom, this email is going to them, too, so can you get their emails from it and send them my letter every week or tell them about the blog or whatever it is you do. Thanks!
Well, that was my week. Next week, when I write it will be Christmas Eve!!! I am super excited for Christmas and I really can't wait to talk to my amazing family! Sorry, I didn't get Alina's email yet. She's still grounded and she didn't answer when we called last night. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten! And yeah, I listen to tons of Christmas music! Pretty much all I listen to, and some Disney music, like "The Best of Friends". Nope, just church Christmas music. We have some White Christmas, some Beach Boys, etc all mellow, approved music, don't worry! And it's all thanks to Alie, one of the BYU girls. She hooked us up well!
Well, I think that is my weekly update. You guys are the best. I love you tons! Happy Holidays!
--Elder Ross
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Slower week but working hard
Hey Everyone!
It was really good to get all of your emails this week and to hear from you all. This week has been a slower one but we have worked really hard so I feel good about it. There were definitely a lot of fun times in this week, too! For starters, last P-day we went ATVing! It was so sweet. Radu, one of the other elders' investigators took us to a course in town and it was really good. Like tons of hills, ditches, rocks, tires, etc. Man, after about 10 minutes(it was 30 minutes and only cost about$12) my muscles were getting sore and it was way hard to use my thumb to push the gas. I was definitely sore for like 3 days afterwards and some of the skin on my hand wore off, but it was undoubtedly worth it. Such a blast.
We also had a branch activity on Friday. It was super fun as well. The BYU girls with a couple of the sisters from the branch made sarmale and fruit salad. So we had a big meal, then the BYU girls sang a couple songs along with Nicu. Silent Night and then a way cool sounding Romanian carol. Elder Dabling also sang a song, I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day, or whatever that song is called. Vasile, a member from Constanta here in Iasi for school, sang and played on his guitar. It was just a really chill activity to just listen to music and to talk(Elder Hardman and I sat in the back with the BYU girls. We've kind of been "their" elders. We always translate for them and help them when they want to visit people. I'll say more about that later :) .) Later, President Popovici called out for some American carols so all of us Americans went up there and sang a couple songs. We wish you a merry christmas and rudolph the red nosed reindeer, a couple more maybe, I don't really remember.
Saturday, we had sport for the very last time. Last week was going to be the last time but Diamanta wanted us to do it for one more week. We went and played basketball again. It was sooo much fun! I pretty much tore it up, lol. There weren't a ton of people there. Elder Hardman, Elder Middleton and myself, Danielle, Christina, Laura and Natasha, well, I guess all the BYU girls except for Alie(she's still reconvering from being sick), Aurelia and Ioana. I was on a team with all girls, naturally, and we whooped the other team pretty good, even though they had two guys, both of which play pretty well. Anyway, it was super fun and it just felt so good to play some basketball.
Sunday, was fun. We had some really good speakers yesterday. Elder Hardman spoke first and he did a really good job. Then Nicu spoke on the power and authority of the priesthood, a really good talk. The last scheduled speaker was Alie and she asked me to translate for her. It went pretty well, I thought. I did a lot better than last time. Still made some mistakes, but it happens. Man, I always get super hot when I'm translating. When I sat back down the first thing I did was take off my suit coat. It must be the mental concentration because I seriously thought it was like 100 degrees. It was good, though and I'm glad I got to translate for her. I translated for the girls during Sunday School, too, and then Nicu taught in priesthood. It was a good 3 hour block.
After church, we went with the BYU girls to Sora Genoveva's place. That was a ton of fun, too. She made us an excellent meal and it was just fun to talk with her and the girls. Oh man, at one point she pointed to Laura and told her to come with her. Then she pointed to me and Danielle, but we didn't know which one of us she wanted. So we figured me, because Laura is leaving today(the others leave next week) and so maybe Sora Genoveva wants to give her something and wants me to translate for her. So I walked in the other room and Sora Genoveva was holding up a bunch of tights(still in their packages) and handing some to Laura. She saw me and was like, what are you doing here, this is for girls! It was really funny and all the girls were laughing super hard. I guess she just had some tights she wanted to give them. They tried them on and then wore them home.
Then one of the biggest highlights of the week was last night. We went to the BYU girls' apartment to give them their Christmas presents. Haha, they were such good presents. We got each of them a shirt that says, Look What I Found in Romania, then below it has a picture of my companion and I. Then below that it says, I Love My Romanian Elders. It was a huge hit, they LOVED the shirts. It was super funny, too, to watch their faces as they all unwrapped their shirts and started laughing. It was soo fun. We hung out with them for a little bit(it was at like 8pm, so we didn't have anything else planned) and just chilled and talked. They are all super cool girls. I'm going to miss them when they go. I'm the one elder that was here when they came and I'll be here when they leave. They've all become really good friends and it's cool to me to know that you can find friends. Who would have thought I'd make American friends(mormon nonetheless) in the middle of Romania.
This week, as far as missionary work goes, was interesting. Our zone is on a probe, like we're the test to see if not counting contacts will improve the work. So, my companion and I worked really hard this week. We were in the blocs almost every single day, trying to find new investigators, new people to progress in the gospel. A lot of our investigators now aren't meeting with us and we don't know why. So we've been trying to find new ones. For example, we still haven't met with Alina. She bunged us two more times, the last one because she got grounded for two weeks and so she can't do anything, not even come to church. She can't use her computer either, so I'll get her email for you, Serena, when she is free again. Gianina was unreachable(turned out she had been visiting her grandmother, but came to church yesterday) and Cristi and Nicoleta haven't answered their phone in a long time. Adriana dropped her baptismal date and said she doesn't want to be baptized, she doesn't understand why there has to be a church. If she has faith, then that's enough. I hate that argument. It's so prevalent here in Romania.
We found one new investigator, an older guy who's really friendly. We've given him a Book of Mormon and he wants to come to church(he was out of town yesterday so didn't come), so we'll see what happens. So of all of our whole week and going to the blocs so much, he was the only new investigator we got. At times that was discouraging, but my companion and I talked about it and we know that worked hard. We're glad that we didn't count contacts, even though we would have had a ton. I don't want that false sense of achievement. But I'm comforted by the fact that I know I worked hard and God knows I worked hard. That's all that matters.
Those are good questions, Dad. I'm not exactly sure what youth do here. To be sure, there are way more activities and youth do a lot more in America. A lot of people play soccer, but for the most part people just hang out with their friends, and if they play sports, then it's with their friends, not an organization or league. That's probably a big reason why so many youth smoke and start really young, too. I've seen 10 year olds smoking, and not just once.
Ok, about Christmas calls, either you guys call me or I can call you. Pick a time when you want to talk. Anytime Christmas Eve or Christmas pretty much works. We won't have much to do, besides watch movies, lol. So pick a time and let me know and we'll plan for that. Questions?
J, sounds like you got some sweet parts in the play coming up. You'll have to keep me updated. You need a name for your group? I didn't even know you really had one, but that is way sweet. I bet you guys sound really good. You should record a song or two and send it to me.
S, I heard your play went really well. You are amazing! I can't wait to see a play you're in when I get home. It's probably less than a year now. That's such a weird thought for me. Because I'll probably come home one transfer early to have time with my amazing family and to make it to school in time, that means I have less than a year. It really feels like I just came out here and now I can count down instead of up, lol. Of course I still I have a ton of time and I'm going to keep working hard and keep giving it my all.
I'm pretty excited for this upcoming week. It will be another really fun one. Hopefully, a really productive one, too. Thursday, we're going to go with the BYU girls to visit President Popovici. That will be so much fun, because he is one of the funniest people I've ever met. Friday we're in Chisinau for a zone Christmas party. Saturday, we have a movie night with a bunch of members and investigators. I'm pretty excited for all these activities. It'll be weird after the New Year when things are quiet and normal again. It will take some getting used to, I'm sure.
Well, you guys are the best. I love you a ton! Have a great week! --Elder Ross
P.S. Thanks for the story of Joseph Smith, Mom. I'm trying hard to build my spiritual muscles!
It was really good to get all of your emails this week and to hear from you all. This week has been a slower one but we have worked really hard so I feel good about it. There were definitely a lot of fun times in this week, too! For starters, last P-day we went ATVing! It was so sweet. Radu, one of the other elders' investigators took us to a course in town and it was really good. Like tons of hills, ditches, rocks, tires, etc. Man, after about 10 minutes(it was 30 minutes and only cost about$12) my muscles were getting sore and it was way hard to use my thumb to push the gas. I was definitely sore for like 3 days afterwards and some of the skin on my hand wore off, but it was undoubtedly worth it. Such a blast.
We also had a branch activity on Friday. It was super fun as well. The BYU girls with a couple of the sisters from the branch made sarmale and fruit salad. So we had a big meal, then the BYU girls sang a couple songs along with Nicu. Silent Night and then a way cool sounding Romanian carol. Elder Dabling also sang a song, I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day, or whatever that song is called. Vasile, a member from Constanta here in Iasi for school, sang and played on his guitar. It was just a really chill activity to just listen to music and to talk(Elder Hardman and I sat in the back with the BYU girls. We've kind of been "their" elders. We always translate for them and help them when they want to visit people. I'll say more about that later :) .) Later, President Popovici called out for some American carols so all of us Americans went up there and sang a couple songs. We wish you a merry christmas and rudolph the red nosed reindeer, a couple more maybe, I don't really remember.
Saturday, we had sport for the very last time. Last week was going to be the last time but Diamanta wanted us to do it for one more week. We went and played basketball again. It was sooo much fun! I pretty much tore it up, lol. There weren't a ton of people there. Elder Hardman, Elder Middleton and myself, Danielle, Christina, Laura and Natasha, well, I guess all the BYU girls except for Alie(she's still reconvering from being sick), Aurelia and Ioana. I was on a team with all girls, naturally, and we whooped the other team pretty good, even though they had two guys, both of which play pretty well. Anyway, it was super fun and it just felt so good to play some basketball.
Sunday, was fun. We had some really good speakers yesterday. Elder Hardman spoke first and he did a really good job. Then Nicu spoke on the power and authority of the priesthood, a really good talk. The last scheduled speaker was Alie and she asked me to translate for her. It went pretty well, I thought. I did a lot better than last time. Still made some mistakes, but it happens. Man, I always get super hot when I'm translating. When I sat back down the first thing I did was take off my suit coat. It must be the mental concentration because I seriously thought it was like 100 degrees. It was good, though and I'm glad I got to translate for her. I translated for the girls during Sunday School, too, and then Nicu taught in priesthood. It was a good 3 hour block.
After church, we went with the BYU girls to Sora Genoveva's place. That was a ton of fun, too. She made us an excellent meal and it was just fun to talk with her and the girls. Oh man, at one point she pointed to Laura and told her to come with her. Then she pointed to me and Danielle, but we didn't know which one of us she wanted. So we figured me, because Laura is leaving today(the others leave next week) and so maybe Sora Genoveva wants to give her something and wants me to translate for her. So I walked in the other room and Sora Genoveva was holding up a bunch of tights(still in their packages) and handing some to Laura. She saw me and was like, what are you doing here, this is for girls! It was really funny and all the girls were laughing super hard. I guess she just had some tights she wanted to give them. They tried them on and then wore them home.
Then one of the biggest highlights of the week was last night. We went to the BYU girls' apartment to give them their Christmas presents. Haha, they were such good presents. We got each of them a shirt that says, Look What I Found in Romania, then below it has a picture of my companion and I. Then below that it says, I Love My Romanian Elders. It was a huge hit, they LOVED the shirts. It was super funny, too, to watch their faces as they all unwrapped their shirts and started laughing. It was soo fun. We hung out with them for a little bit(it was at like 8pm, so we didn't have anything else planned) and just chilled and talked. They are all super cool girls. I'm going to miss them when they go. I'm the one elder that was here when they came and I'll be here when they leave. They've all become really good friends and it's cool to me to know that you can find friends. Who would have thought I'd make American friends(mormon nonetheless) in the middle of Romania.
This week, as far as missionary work goes, was interesting. Our zone is on a probe, like we're the test to see if not counting contacts will improve the work. So, my companion and I worked really hard this week. We were in the blocs almost every single day, trying to find new investigators, new people to progress in the gospel. A lot of our investigators now aren't meeting with us and we don't know why. So we've been trying to find new ones. For example, we still haven't met with Alina. She bunged us two more times, the last one because she got grounded for two weeks and so she can't do anything, not even come to church. She can't use her computer either, so I'll get her email for you, Serena, when she is free again. Gianina was unreachable(turned out she had been visiting her grandmother, but came to church yesterday) and Cristi and Nicoleta haven't answered their phone in a long time. Adriana dropped her baptismal date and said she doesn't want to be baptized, she doesn't understand why there has to be a church. If she has faith, then that's enough. I hate that argument. It's so prevalent here in Romania.
We found one new investigator, an older guy who's really friendly. We've given him a Book of Mormon and he wants to come to church(he was out of town yesterday so didn't come), so we'll see what happens. So of all of our whole week and going to the blocs so much, he was the only new investigator we got. At times that was discouraging, but my companion and I talked about it and we know that worked hard. We're glad that we didn't count contacts, even though we would have had a ton. I don't want that false sense of achievement. But I'm comforted by the fact that I know I worked hard and God knows I worked hard. That's all that matters.
Those are good questions, Dad. I'm not exactly sure what youth do here. To be sure, there are way more activities and youth do a lot more in America. A lot of people play soccer, but for the most part people just hang out with their friends, and if they play sports, then it's with their friends, not an organization or league. That's probably a big reason why so many youth smoke and start really young, too. I've seen 10 year olds smoking, and not just once.
Ok, about Christmas calls, either you guys call me or I can call you. Pick a time when you want to talk. Anytime Christmas Eve or Christmas pretty much works. We won't have much to do, besides watch movies, lol. So pick a time and let me know and we'll plan for that. Questions?
J, sounds like you got some sweet parts in the play coming up. You'll have to keep me updated. You need a name for your group? I didn't even know you really had one, but that is way sweet. I bet you guys sound really good. You should record a song or two and send it to me.
S, I heard your play went really well. You are amazing! I can't wait to see a play you're in when I get home. It's probably less than a year now. That's such a weird thought for me. Because I'll probably come home one transfer early to have time with my amazing family and to make it to school in time, that means I have less than a year. It really feels like I just came out here and now I can count down instead of up, lol. Of course I still I have a ton of time and I'm going to keep working hard and keep giving it my all.
I'm pretty excited for this upcoming week. It will be another really fun one. Hopefully, a really productive one, too. Thursday, we're going to go with the BYU girls to visit President Popovici. That will be so much fun, because he is one of the funniest people I've ever met. Friday we're in Chisinau for a zone Christmas party. Saturday, we have a movie night with a bunch of members and investigators. I'm pretty excited for all these activities. It'll be weird after the New Year when things are quiet and normal again. It will take some getting used to, I'm sure.
Well, you guys are the best. I love you a ton! Have a great week! --Elder Ross
P.S. Thanks for the story of Joseph Smith, Mom. I'm trying hard to build my spiritual muscles!
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