Hello all!! so I survived my first transfer in Romania!!! And guess what everyone??? the four of us are all staying in Arad!!!!! Yay!!!!!!! I was a little nervous since Sora Cook has been here for 5 transfers and this would be her 6th transfer in Arad = half of her entire mission spent in one city, so I was a little nervous that she'd get transferred but yaaaaaaay she's not going anywhere... and neither are our wonderful elders! YAY for the best district ever!! We went ice skating today. The weather here is still cold but not too bad. It tends to snow a little then melt from day to day. There hasn't been huge snow since before Christmas.
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| Skating with the Elders |
Lessons and peoples.... This week, we had a few good lessons with potential new investigators. There was one lady who we found in our Area book. She'd been taught a few lessons about 3 years ago. We'd been praying, and thinking and reading in our Area Book (which is a folder with records of all the people taught). I felt prompted to call her, and so we had a lesson and it went really well. She's a super strong Christian with the utmost faith in the Bible and was really great to talk to and we had a good restoration lesson. She's having trouble accepting that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate people, and although we could give her a huge list of Scriptures that clearly show they are separate people (although one in purpose) we know that the best way for her to accept it is to accept the Restored Gospel, the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith as a prophet. If the Book of Mormon is true, then that means Joseph Smith was a prophet and he did indeed see God the Father and Jesus Christ as separate people. We have another lesson with her tomorrow, so fingers crossed. We also had a lesson with a man and his wife whom we found through the Area Book. The record indicated the most perfect golden investigator, who read the Book of Mormon in one night and committed to be baptised, but then the record just stopped. So we met with Him and his wife. They were very nice but not interested in Eternal Salvation... jk... the wife was content and happy with her life, and although the husband knows the Book of Mormon is the word of God he doesn't really care, and is more concerned with running a retirement home from his backyard. He says if the church will fund his retirement home then he'll join. So yeah... you meet lots of interesting people on a mission.
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| Yay for skating! |
If you are fat, it's God's will.... Sora Cook and I have been exercising outside everyday. We have skipping ropes and we play hymns on our iPod speakers as we jump, or do lunges or tricep dips on the benches. One morning this past week, our orthodox neighbour, Maria, who loves to write out prayers for our salvation, came outside at 6.45am to tell us that what we were doing was not Biblical, it's just not in the bible. She said that she is fat because God wants her to be fat and there's nothing she can do to change that! ..... hahaha she's really nice though, we just nodded and smiled and told her we understood but we were gona do it anyway. She then brought us a creepy orthodox picture of Jesus later that morning. So yes, good to know... if you're fat it's God's will!
Talking next week!!!!!! Yikes, so I'm giving a talk in sacrament next week. I'm really really nervous. I love giving talks in English... but Romanian??? blaaaagh! I'm nervous. I think I'm going to end up writing it all out then having the Elders and Sora Cook help me to translate it. I can speak on whatever I feel prompted to speak on. Sora Cook spoke yesterday, a wonderful talk about receiving revelation. I'm thinking of speaking on gratitude but I don't quite know yet. I recently read 'Murmur Not' by Neal A. Maxwell. It's a talk he gave in 1989 in a general conference. It's amazing and I highly recommend it. I printed it off and I've read it over and over again this week. And as I try to apply it in my life, I'm noticing far more blessings. I'm thinking of using a few quotes from it in my talk.. but we'll see, I'll let you all know how it goes next week!
Weird starring man with a moustache... So yesterday at the Tramvai stop there was this man. He had a moustache, and he was starring at us. So, a little creeped out, we went walked away. He followed us a bit and continued to stare. We stood behind the shelter and he stood on the other side. We had lost sight of him by this point so wondering where he was we peeped our head around the shelter and boom he was there. Weird. we continued talking, and waiting for the Tramvai. The moustache man was still behind the shelter. I then tried to peep around and BOOM all of a sudden I'm standing face to face with the moustache man just starring at him as he starred back at me. "Ceau" I said. "Ceau" He said back. We continued to stare, meanwhile Sora Cook's busting up laughing at the awkwardness. "Cum sunteti?" (how are you?) I asked. "bine, si dumneavoastra?" (fine, and you?) He replied. "bine" (fine) I said..... We continued to stare at one another. We then went into a slightly awkward conversation about who we were, as missionaries that we were on our way to the Retirement home, and I gave him a pass along card with mormonii.ro on it. Hahah It was strange.
The Elders don't like dogs... Long story short, a giant bear sized dog lives at the Retirement Home where we go and sing every week for service. And the bear sized dog must be able to smell Elder Benson's fear because it was growling super loud and then it would wag it's tail and let Sora Cook and I met it, then it'd turn to Elder Benson and growl. I like him, he's a giant fully dog.. I think part wolf, or grizzly, or both, but I like him. Elder Benson and Elder Groberg have been trying to find other places in Arad where we can do service because they hate the dog so much. Silly elders, He growls probably because he knows that they hate him.
Well that's all I have time for this week. I love this Chruch! and I know that it is the only Church upon the earth that has the true Priesthood authority of God. I know that Christ is the head of this church. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that we have a living prophet upon the earth today. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God alongside the bible. Recently I've been reading at the end of Mosiah. I just know with every fiber of my soul that the Book of Mormon is true! I love this work!
Keep the Faith
Love Sora Rivera
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