Just a Smile

Ceau la voi!!! It's so cliché to say, but the weeks are starting to fly by. It scares me! As of today, I've been in Romania for exactly 3 months!! I want to start this email by telling you about an experience I had just yesterday but it really helps to sum up what we're doing here. As a missionary, my purpose if to invite others to come unto Christ. After church yesterday, Sora Drotar and I got onto the busy Tramvai. For some reason, 1.30pm on a Sunday is a busy time of day, and the Tramvai was packed. It's pretty difficult to speak to people about the resorted gospel when your face is pressed against their shoulder, so I was a little gutted to not be able to contact. But I looked around and saw a little old lady sat in the corner. She had a black wooly hat over her thin white hair, and giant glasses perched on the end of a wrinkly nose. Sora Drotar was squished up next to her. I made eye contact at the lady and smiled. She looked at me and smiled back. She then looked to her right at Sora Drotar who also smiled at her. She smiled back. "Are you students?" the lady asked. "No, we're missionaries!" Sora Drotar told her. "Oh, that's why you smiled. I've been so sad for a long time, and you two are the first people to make me feel happy." She told us. "Why are you sad?" Sora Drotar asked. "My husband died 6 months ago." She then jumped up, realising she was at her stop. "Ceau!!" she called as she rushed off the Tramvai. As the Tramvai drove away she stopped, smiled and waved! We smiled and waved back. Of course, it would've been amazing to tell her about the plan of salvation and set up at time to visit her. But it was still incredible just in those 1-2minutes to bring a light into her life. Bring some hope back into her heart. Amazing.

Since Area Book contact has proved so fruitful for us in the past, Sora Drotar and I decided to Area Book contact this week. This is where we search in the records for people who've been taught by missionaries in the past and see if they're now ready to receive the restored Gospel. We spoke to and went to visit a man named Edi and his family. He has 3 gorgeous daughters and a lovely and supportive wife. Sora Cook told me about Edi before so it was really awesome to understand what she was talking about when she described him as... "different". So we arrive at his apartment, a little stressed, after getting lost on the way. We climb the stairs and find waiting for us, a middle aged man, thin moustache, his belly tucked into his dark blue sweatpants. His remaining 3 hairs on the top of his head were sweaty and combed over as if to hide his shiny bald spot. His dark socks pulled up high. We sat down and his wife came home, pleased to see us. She's a strong catholic and not really that interested but wants her husband to have more faith so pleased for us to be in their home. We began asking his religious background. And asked him why he thinks there are so many religions in the world. BOOM! He starts talking and talking and talking! He went off on a huge string of analogies, something about old fashion televisions, and the internet, and something about German mothers, and George Washington. Anyway... We taught him about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon in between his analogies. He kept saying that he thinks every religion is true, and tried to explain why using even more analogies... something about different languages, pilots, food, and husbands. I had a cool experience in the lesson though. I testified to him, "I know this Church is true."

"No!" He said, "You think it's true, you feel it's true."

"No!" I testified.

I felt like Jeremiah and his "Burning Testimony" from the Old Testament. "I know it's true."

"You feel" he said.

"I know!" I said more powerfully. He then went quiet and just listened, and I was able to finish my testimony. It was so cool to receive another witness in myself and I really do know that it's true and I know why I'm here. Edi said "no" to all of our invitations but we still left on a good note and his 13 year old daughter who was there is going to come to English classes. So who knows, maybe in the future, his heart will be softened.

The Lord truly knows what he's doing. We met a new investigator the other day. We decided to go block knocking using surveys. Surveys are pretty good because even if people don't want to hear from us usually they're willing to answer a couple questions and we leave them with a positive impression of the church. On just the third door, there was an older lady and a young student, Diana, who lives with the lady. We began talking about the purpose of life and they invited us in. We ended up staying and having a 2 hours lesson with Diana. The older lady was super nice and fed us and gave us food to take home, but she wasn't as interested. Diana was really interested though and wanted to know more and more. She reminds me a lot of myself. She's 22 and studying Pharmacy. Anyway, she agreed to read a chapter of the Book of Mormon before our next appointment and she's especially interested in what happens after this life so net time we want to speak about the Plan of Salvation. It was just sooo cool. Usually block knocking consists of a whole lot of doors in our faces, but that day, the Lord blessed us for our patience and lead us to find someone new.

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and your letters and your support. I promise I'm working on replying to every letter I receive, it just takes time! But know that I love you all and I am appreciative of your support.

Keep the Faith! I know this church is true!

Love Sora Rivera