Half Way

 Buna ziua!

With Sora Kelly in Constanta

Speaking of the weather! The summers here are quite fantastic! It's been super... almost unbearably hot! But now, today, and yesterday, there's been a huge storm! With flash floods, thunder, lightening! The whole works. It's a little awkward to show up to people's homes completely drenched, but at the same time, Romanians are amazingly hospitable people! They give you slippers and cardigans and all sorts to keep you warm! I really love it.

Tomorrow is my half way mark. I don't know about you all back home, but time for me is flying!!! Sora Polatis and I were laughing about it! Your life gradually starts to be completely taken over by your mission. You start to see the rest of your life in transfers. You say things such as, "I only have 3 transfers of school left". It’s very weird. A mission is a miniature life. You're born somewhere; you go on through to your midlife crisis, all the way through to your "death". A veil definitely comes over you. You begin to wonder what was I doing before this life? Where will I go after this life? What is my true purpose here? - all questions of the missionary soul. See you all in 9 months!! WOW!

With Sora Polatis

This week we were blessed to have a bunch of children and their parents show up to English class. We quickly decided that a children’s class was necessary so Sora Polatis and I did a little children's class with 4 little girls aged 6 - 12 and their mothers. It was sooo much fun! We taught them the basic introduction questions, name, age, brothers and sister etc. Then we play a bunch of games to help them practice. They loved it! The mothers really seemed to enjoy it too. We're really hoping that they'll come again tomorrow and we can try and arrange a lesson to teach them the gospel too! yay! So fun!

With Sora Kelly

Some of you have asked how Romanian is going? Well, I obviously have a long way to go still. I mean, it's the same with any language! I have a long way yet to go in just English, but I am pleased to say that Heavenly Father has really blessed me. Yesterday, after church I turned to Sora Polatis and I was like... "Isn't it so cool that we just understood all of that?!" :) It's truly awesome! And we've totally decided to be those really annoying RMs when we get home chatting it up in our language so that no one else can understand! :D I've discovered though, that I'm not very good at translating. The other week I was translating for one of the senior missionaries, and I kept forgetting which language I was speaking. The Relief Society president would say something and I'd just turn to Sora Powell (the senior missionary) and repeat it to her in Romanian and she'd look at me strangely. Sora Polatis, thankfully had my back and would just laugh and jump in, in English to help me out.

Update on investigators - Well, Andra dropped us, sadly. Alina is not progressing, she has a boyfriend, and isn't interested in baptism, sadly. Andreea has exams this week, but will be done on Friday! YAY! and she's just as wonderful as ever. And that's all we have right now.

We got to go La tara this week! YAY! That means out of the city. We went to visit some members who live out there. They had an out house and everything! Heehee it was so fun! It was a suuuper hot day, so I look kinda gross in the photos, but I don't really care! Yay for out in the countryside! :)

The Outhouse!

We also went to visit a family in the branch here. Constanta is a fantastic branch! We’re so blessed to have a bunch of families! We went to visit the Constantin family! They are a family with 3 little kids. A 4 year old boy, a 16 month old girl and a baby boy of 1 month! They're preparing to go through the temple this August to be sealed! They are an adorable family. Mihailis, the little boy took quite a liking to me and spent the entire time showing me every single game and toy he owned and all the different ways to play with them. He was also very proud of his brand new baby brother! "E fratiorul meu!!" (he is my little brother!) So adorable!! We did have one of those only in Romania moments at their house though. You know your in Romania when it's about 95 degrees in the house and they give you a hot drink. Sora and I were ready to keel over! Romanians think it's unhealthy to drink cold drinks. Got to love 'em!

I hope that you were all able to watch the broadcast, "The Work of Salvation". Wasn't it just fantastic?! I was blessed enough to watch it twice! Once in English, then again in Romanian. I love how the church is so focused on missionary work! It’s an amazing time to be a missionary. At the same time, it was also a huge humbling experience for me. Sora Polatis and I were both, a little saddened by the broadcast in that, the work here in Romania just doesn't seem to be taking off in the same way it is in other parts of the world. We were blessed though to read in Jacob chapter 5 this week. Verses 21-22 say:

21 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard.
22 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.

I read that. And I felt just like that servant! Lord, Romania is a poor spot of ground! and I felt the Lord say in response... I know! I know it is, but look, Counsel me not Sora Rivera, I'm taking care of it, it's brought forth much fruit and will yet bring forth more fruit.

I love this country. And it's my love for this country that sometimes make this mission so hard. But, I trust that the Lord knows what he's doing. I love this work! I love my mission! This church is true.

Keep the Faith!

Sora Rivera