27 August 2012

Buna Ziua

Two things first.

1. Janae...Happy 21st Birthday!

2. Rachelle... I am so proud of you.

Enjoy every minute in the temple!

This week went by so quickly, even with the record heat that we had. In the shade it was about 100 degrees for a couple of days. I guess this is very uncommon for Romania. A lot of the crops have been ruined and it has affected the prices of food. They say this is the last heat wave of the summer. We are hoping and praying for cooler weather and rain in the next couple of weeks. Fall is near. They time just goes so quickly.

We are meeting with a cute 15 year old. We met her at English. She has a desire to know if the church is true and is starting to read the scriptures and pray. How important it is for not only investigators to read and pray to confirm the truthfullness of the gospel, but also for us as members as well. We are trying to get the help of the youth from the branch to help her have friends in the church and for her to see how the gospel in the lives of others her age.

This week we got to meet with so many less-actives. It was great. I want to share one experience with you. Fratele Krista is an inactive member. His wife is one of the strongest members here and he has fallen away from the church for about 8 years now. We visit his wife and he will occasionally sit in on our lessons or ask us a question we don't really know how to answer. Anyways, this week we went over there and Fratele Krista was different. More relaxed. More open. Happier. The branch president had come to visit him that week to invite him to come back to church. We asked him about his baptism and when he went through the temple. The spirit was strong. Then he asked a question and before we knew it him and his wife were in an argument. My heart hurt because the spirit left so quickly and because I know with all my heart he will come back to activity. We were able to bear our testimony of the church, we were able to tell him how much we love him and how much the Lord loves him and how we are all extending the same invitation, to come back to church. There are so many people that have at one point felt the joy of the gospel and known of it's truthfullness but have fallen away. As members we need to find them and to help them come back.

This week I studied Mosiah 23:10 a lot and what it means to be an instrument in the Lord's hand. The Lord, when we are willing and worthy, can use us to bring about miracles and change in others lives, even our own. As we continue to pray, to gain knowledge, to be patient in afflictions and trials, and to stand in holy places we become the means by which the Lord can raise the hands that hang down. I love the scriptures. I love the Lord. I love missionary work. I love you all.

Va Iubesc,

Sora Remsberg

Sfanta Maria

the biggest holiday, third to Christmas and Easter.

It is a day when that is set aside to celebrate
Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The branch in Arad had a bbq in the forest.

Amy and her district sang as part of the program.

I'm guessing the elders must have made it sound good :]
just kidding.

I'm sure it was wonderful.

ps. one is so happy, one is so angry. So funny

20 August 2012

Ceau!

This week has been good. We have really been blessed to meet a lot of new people through many different ways. We are working with a couple investigators and are excited for the lessons we will have with them this week.

The weather has started to cool down and summer is coming to an end which has really helped our missionary work. More people are outside and more people are back in town.

As we go from place to place, whether it be walking, bus, or tramvii, there are people all around us in need of the gospel and that the Lord has placed in our path. In everything we do we try to have the spirit with us and are constantly praying for it's companionship to lead us to those who need the gospel, to guide us, and to help us. When our schedules are busy and we are just feeling rushed, sometimes I forget or don't hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost to talk to the one person that just passed by or the person sitting next to me. However, when we do listen to the quiet whisper or the feeling to talk to someone the Lord sees that we trust him and follow his counsel and he places even more situations and you feel the spirit even stronger in our lives. Sora Cook and I were able to meet 3 really awesome people this week this way. We were just on our way from an appointment, quickly going to english class, and leaving a dropped appointment. What a testimony builder not only of listening to the spirit, but that there are people who want, are willing, and need the gospel.

Va Iubesc,

Sora Remsberg

ps. Sorry the e-mail was so short this week.

Babba is Back

Babba. Def. - cute old lady wearing a crazy patterned dress

Apparently Romania has changed the way missionaries dress.

(at least the way Amy and S Cook dress)

Babba dress requirements:

1. patterned

2. from a second hand store (8 lei or less)

3. way cuter on than on the hanger

Maybe it will become the new fashion, just maybe??

The Zoo...

Came to town!

Who would have known that you could find a camel in the middle of the parking garage in Arad, Romania?

Well, Amy and Sora Cook found one :]

Un An!

Ceau!
Hermana Linnea Harris, Congrats on hitting your year mark. 

It seems like just yesterday we were in the MTC together. I love you. Keep being awesome in Salt Lake!
This week we had a Mini zone conference. We will now be having zone conferences every transfer. I am really excited because we are so far away from eachother that it gives us an opportunity to see them and to be more unified, but it also allows us to meet together with the zone leaders and to align our goals and ideas to what the goals of the mission are. As I said before, the mission is really working towards becoming more obedient and a SYL mission. This week Sora Cook and I, remember, Sora Cook is in her 2nd transfer, spoke for one day only in Romanian. It was absolutely amazing. I am so impressed by her. How blessed we are to have the gift of tongues while here in Romania. The fun part was that night after speaking all day in Romanian, I dreamt in Romanian. I remember thinking to myself "I'm dreaming in Romanian, how fun!" I just love this language and am grateful for the opportunity I have to learn it and to be surrounded by it everyday.
We started English again this week. We didn't have many people come, but we definitely had quality people come. We are excited to start teaching and hopefully find some investigators through it. We are also trying to meet and find former investigators. So many of them have come to church multiple times and were progressing, but somehow lost connection with the church and the missionaries. We have set some really good goals this week and we know that we can achieve them. The Lord is preparing people everyday to accept the gospel.
I have thought a lot this week about the blessings I have seen in my life and in the lives of those I love in the past year and the goals that I want to accomplish before I leave. I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for this opportunity that I have to serve him. Sometimes the work is hard and frustrating and I feel so inadequate, but I know that the Lord is helping me, that his is preparing a way for me to be successful if only I turn to him. I am so blessed to have had wonderful companions that have taught me so much. I'm grateful to leaders who have given such wonderful guidance and encouragement. I'm blessed to have met these Romanian members and people. They have changed my life. There are no words that can describe how much I love them and desire them to continue being strong in the church, to come back to activity and be strong members, or to find the church and to become strong members. This gospel changes and blesses lives, I know it! I've seen it happen. Lastly, I am thankful to a supportive family. The Lord has watched over and blessed them while I have been away and I have felt their prayers and their support while here. The Lord loves us and one of the greatest ways he shows that love is through our families. No wonder it is the most important social unit on the earth. If we continue to strengthen our homes and families we will find more joy and happiness in this life and in the life to come.
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg

And the transfer begins with...

Dark hair and Short hair

Of course change is necessary to start a new transfer....

why not change your hair? :]

6 August 2012

Ceau!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! LA MULTI ANI!

I hope your day is absolutely fabulous.

I love you!
This week I will hit my 1 year mark. I can't even believe it.

I am in my 8th transfer.

It seems like time has literally flown by.

At the beginning of the transfer we always reset goals as a mission, zone, district, companionship, and as individual missionaries. The mission is really pushing to be a SYL (speak your language) mission and a more exactly obedient mission. As I think of goals or "rules" that we need to follow I realize how important it is to recognize why we do or follow them. We can do things just because we are told to do them, but that often results in resentment or just going through the motions. We can do it because we agree with what is asked of us, but then we don't really learn or see the greater picture or we see it as something that just benefits ourselves. How much better is it when we follow the commandmants, when we follow the rules, when we do what we are told because we love the person who has given them to us and recognize that by being obedient blessings will come. At that point you can grow. I am definitely not perfect and am still learning this myself, but I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to grow and learn while here.

This last week I finished the New Testament, cover to cover. I absolutely loved it! I can't believe that I had never done that until now. One of my favorite things is realizing how the Bible and Book of Mormon work together. In the last chapter of Revelations it made mention of the Tree of Life. We learn about the Tree of Life and what it represents at the beginning of the Book of Mormon in Lehi's dream. How blessed we are to have the Book of Mormon to help us better understand and to use alongside the Bible. I can't imagine one without the other. I know that as we read them together and apply the lessons and principles that it teaches us that we can find true happiness, despite our situations.

Sora Cook and I were also blessed to find two really good new investigators this week. We are excited to begin working with them to help them grow closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

Va Iubesc,

Sora Remsberg