Halloween Fericit!
I hope you all have a fun Halloween this Wednesday. This last Saturday we started off the transfer with our branch Halloween party. It was so fun and we had 3 investigators come. The night was filled with no lights, only candles, lots of candy, homemade pumpkin pie, musical chairs and the game 'mafia.' It seemed that everyone enjoyed their time and we even dressed up as a district. We were the Kings and Queens of Hearts and spades.
My tenth transfer is already here. I can't believe it. We got a new elder in our district. His name is Elder Cobabe and he is from Sacramento, CA. He is a 'boboc' or a new missionary, strait from Utah and has a good spirit about him and such a desire to do the work. Plus, he speaks amazingly well already. I am so excited for this transfer. We are continuing to work with Natalia and she is making great progress. We have been reading with her everyday. When we started she would not read out loud and now she does it with no hesitation and asks wonderful questions. We are excited to really study and teach the restoration this week to help her progress even more. The Lord has blessed us with wonderful people to work with and even yesterday we had a tender mercy. Alina is a less-active 28 year old daugher of an active member. Yesterday, without notice, she came to church! I was able to talk to her for quite a while and she is wonderful. I taught relief society and she even participated. We are going to go visit with her tonight. The Lord is aware of us all and puts the right people and situations together to help us grow.
The last couple of days we have been on house arrest. Sora Sam has some problems with her foot and has been told to stay off of it until we can get to a doctor. Hopefully they can help her and she will feel better soon.
I have a thought for you this week. It comes from my study of Virtue this week. The scriptures tell us to add faith to diligence, to faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge temperance, to temperance patience, to patience godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity. I sat for a second and thought about it. I thought, what would that sound like in my own words? Probably a little different but I gave it a try. You must have a desire, then have the faith that it can happen, make sure that your actions and your thoughts are clean and working together, study things out in your mind, try it out, be calm when things don't work out exactly as you want, keep the temple always in mind and the promises of it's covenants, share your knowledge and joy with those around you and finally be filled with the love of Christ. It might be a few more words and doesn't sound as pretty, but it made a lot more sense. This is how we need to live our lives. I love taking the scriptures and applying them into our own lives and with our own words. They truly are meant for us and our day. When we choose to apply it's words and teachings in our lives we come closer to Heavenly Father and we have a greater knowledge of our plan here on earth.
Va Iubesc
Sora Remsberg
President Hill...
Visited Sibiu :]
Amy with President Hill, the assistants (Elder Newey and Elder Harisson) and Sora Sam
22 October 2012
Ceau!
Transfers are here again. How quickly 6 weeks fly by. Sora Sam and I will be staying together here in Sibiu this next transfer. However, we will be getting a brand-new elder. He flies into Romania on Tuesday and we will meet him Thursday. It sometimes blows my mind that exactly a year ago I was doing the exact same thing that he is doing.
This week was really good. President Hill was here for interviews. It is always so good to talk to him and to feel of his spirit. As we were talking I realized how much I love Sibiu. How much I love the members. How much I love missionary work. How much we need to be enthusiastic about the work. What the Lord is asking us to do is not hard, in fact it is simple. He is asking us to open our mouths and bear testimony of him and his gospel. He is asking us to be examples of him and to help others come unto him. Yes, it may be awkward or something we are not quite used to doing, but it's not hard.
We have worked a lot with Natalia this week and are continuing to work with her. She is progressing and she has started reading the Book of Mormon, something she hasn't done before. We helped her set a few goals and where she sees herself at the end of the year as far as baptism and the church. After having that discussion I realized how important goals are in life and how they give us direction. We need to constantly be setting goals, whether they are easy, hard, long-term, or short-term. As we set and achieve goals we will begin to realize how much we have learned and grown.
We had a Relief Society activity this week. We were able to watch the General Relief Society broadcast. We actually had an investigator there. She is 30 years old and Orthodox, but grew up in an Adventist family. The messages were so inspiring and the activity was filled with the spirit. Maria loved it, especially the music. She said she has never heard of such a wonderful and unique society especially for the women of the world. We are excited to continue to meet with her.
This week I read the story of King Lamoni's father and his response that he would be willing to give up all his has to know God. I thought about that for a while and started wondering, "What am I willing to give up to know God?" At first I thought 'I gave up a few of things to come on a mission,' but then I thought, 'what am I willing to give up now to know God even better?' My mind immediately went to the words diligence and obedience. Each day we choose whether we want to follow the small and simple rules we are given and how hard we are willing to work and do what we need to accomplish the Lord's work. In every city that I have had the opportunity to be in I have met and talked with members that have literally given up everything, their families, relationships with friends, different jobs so they can be at church on Sunday, ect. They are such inspirations to me.
Have a fabulous week
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg
I first want to say how happy I am for Janae and Isaiah. The temple is such a blessing in our lives! Enjoy every minute and go back often!
Transfers are here again. How quickly 6 weeks fly by. Sora Sam and I will be staying together here in Sibiu this next transfer. However, we will be getting a brand-new elder. He flies into Romania on Tuesday and we will meet him Thursday. It sometimes blows my mind that exactly a year ago I was doing the exact same thing that he is doing.
This week was really good. President Hill was here for interviews. It is always so good to talk to him and to feel of his spirit. As we were talking I realized how much I love Sibiu. How much I love the members. How much I love missionary work. How much we need to be enthusiastic about the work. What the Lord is asking us to do is not hard, in fact it is simple. He is asking us to open our mouths and bear testimony of him and his gospel. He is asking us to be examples of him and to help others come unto him. Yes, it may be awkward or something we are not quite used to doing, but it's not hard.
We have worked a lot with Natalia this week and are continuing to work with her. She is progressing and she has started reading the Book of Mormon, something she hasn't done before. We helped her set a few goals and where she sees herself at the end of the year as far as baptism and the church. After having that discussion I realized how important goals are in life and how they give us direction. We need to constantly be setting goals, whether they are easy, hard, long-term, or short-term. As we set and achieve goals we will begin to realize how much we have learned and grown.
We had a Relief Society activity this week. We were able to watch the General Relief Society broadcast. We actually had an investigator there. She is 30 years old and Orthodox, but grew up in an Adventist family. The messages were so inspiring and the activity was filled with the spirit. Maria loved it, especially the music. She said she has never heard of such a wonderful and unique society especially for the women of the world. We are excited to continue to meet with her.
This week I read the story of King Lamoni's father and his response that he would be willing to give up all his has to know God. I thought about that for a while and started wondering, "What am I willing to give up to know God?" At first I thought 'I gave up a few of things to come on a mission,' but then I thought, 'what am I willing to give up now to know God even better?' My mind immediately went to the words diligence and obedience. Each day we choose whether we want to follow the small and simple rules we are given and how hard we are willing to work and do what we need to accomplish the Lord's work. In every city that I have had the opportunity to be in I have met and talked with members that have literally given up everything, their families, relationships with friends, different jobs so they can be at church on Sunday, ect. They are such inspirations to me.
Have a fabulous week
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg
15 October Pictures
2. Yoga....who doesn't like to do yoga for FHE?
3. Sibiu looks so pretty (Amy says this is the park where they go often)
15 October 2012
Ceau!
This week was wonderful. We were able to listen to all of conference, the weather has cooled down and we saw so many mini miracles. This week we really focused on using our time effectively and doing all we could to be obeident, willing and fulfill our purpose as missionaries.
We did a lot of contacting in the park and around the blocks, but not much came out of it other than when we were headed back home a nice lady stopped us and asked us where a bank was. We didn't really know the area, but we continued to talk. She just moved to Sibiu, is religious and also wants to learn English. Perfect! We told her we are missionaries here and that we also teach english on the side. We gave her a restoration pamphlet with our information on the back, got her number and set up a time to meet. We met the next day and it was a great discussion and the Branch President was also able to come! Other than cute Maria, not much came from our contacting. However, when we went to a less-active's home for a lesson, she had 2 of her non-member friends there! They stayed and participated in the lesson and even said they would be interested to learn more. Later on that week we had a lesson with an investigator. She is actually the sister of one of our strongest youth here. We got there and she had a friend over! We talked about faith like a seed using Alma 32. We even had real plants. We wanted to plant seeds together, but we couldn't find a place to buy any. Her friend participated in the lesson and said she "wanted to change her religion" and was interested in meeting with us more. We have had 2 lessons with her since then. She is a cute 15 year old going to high school and just trying find her place in life. How blessed we are to have met all these people this week!
The Lord is aware of us. He sees our efforts. He knows the plan better than we do. As we consciously make the effort to follow him and do his will, he places miracles in our lives. As we give him our hearts, he places his trust in us. I have only been to Sibiu for a month, but I feel that the Lord has given me so many opportunites to learn, grow, serve, and become a better disciple of Christ.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg
This week was wonderful. We were able to listen to all of conference, the weather has cooled down and we saw so many mini miracles. This week we really focused on using our time effectively and doing all we could to be obeident, willing and fulfill our purpose as missionaries.
We did a lot of contacting in the park and around the blocks, but not much came out of it other than when we were headed back home a nice lady stopped us and asked us where a bank was. We didn't really know the area, but we continued to talk. She just moved to Sibiu, is religious and also wants to learn English. Perfect! We told her we are missionaries here and that we also teach english on the side. We gave her a restoration pamphlet with our information on the back, got her number and set up a time to meet. We met the next day and it was a great discussion and the Branch President was also able to come! Other than cute Maria, not much came from our contacting. However, when we went to a less-active's home for a lesson, she had 2 of her non-member friends there! They stayed and participated in the lesson and even said they would be interested to learn more. Later on that week we had a lesson with an investigator. She is actually the sister of one of our strongest youth here. We got there and she had a friend over! We talked about faith like a seed using Alma 32. We even had real plants. We wanted to plant seeds together, but we couldn't find a place to buy any. Her friend participated in the lesson and said she "wanted to change her religion" and was interested in meeting with us more. We have had 2 lessons with her since then. She is a cute 15 year old going to high school and just trying find her place in life. How blessed we are to have met all these people this week!
The Lord is aware of us. He sees our efforts. He knows the plan better than we do. As we consciously make the effort to follow him and do his will, he places miracles in our lives. As we give him our hearts, he places his trust in us. I have only been to Sibiu for a month, but I feel that the Lord has given me so many opportunites to learn, grow, serve, and become a better disciple of Christ.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg
Ce te face fericit?
[refer to Amy's letter below. It explains the pictures.]
1. Amy and Sora Zimmerman on exchanges in Cluj
2. The infamous "ce te face fericit" board
3. Amy and Elena
4. General Conference....with Lucian, Luminita, and Casia
(I don't think Casia wanted to take a picture)
8 October 2012
Buna!
Thank you all for your letters. You sound like you are all doing wonderfully.
First of all, I was able to watch both morning sessions of conference. We watched in Romanian, but I was able to understand it all. What a blessing that members can hear the words of our prophet and apostles live and in their own language. We are so blessed. How excited I was to find out about the change of age for missionaries. This will definitely change the church. It will bless the mission fields. It allows a lot of youth who slip away in the short years after high school or those who get married or those who finish schooling and play sports to serve the Lord. This not only will bless the areas and many of people whom they will serve, but it will help the youth of the church to remain active throughout their lives.
This week we had sister exchanges. I was able to go to Cluj to serve with Sora Zimmerman for a couple days. It was a blast. She and I were companions in the MTC and we haven't really served around eachother since coming to the country. We had a couple lessons, went to institute and did a lot of contacting. One thing we did was we bought a small white board and wrote the question "Ce te face fericit?" or "What makes you happy" We took this board with us and walked all through the city. We asked everyone this question. Some would just smile and laugh and walk by us, some would give us a response and walk away, and others would start a conversation with us. We were so surprised to hear some of the responses: family, friends, money, girls, vacation, good food, nothing, and Jesus Christ. It was successful way to talk with people and even a few wanted to meet with us later in the week.
This question made me think, what makes me happy? It's quite simple really, God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, family and friends. Of course there are many more answers I could say, but when I truly think of lasting joy, joy that will last in the eternities, those are my answers. Through God's plan and Christ's Atonement we know the purpose of life. We know that this is a time to prepare to meet God and a time to perform our labors. I know that the gospel is the way in which we can return to live with Heavenly Father. It is the way that we can live together forever with our family. The Lord's plan for us is one of happiness. It is our way to successfully make it through this life on earth. I am grateful for this knowledge in my life and the opportunity I have everyday to share this with others and help them find the things that truly make them happy in this life.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg
Thank you all for your letters. You sound like you are all doing wonderfully.
First of all, I was able to watch both morning sessions of conference. We watched in Romanian, but I was able to understand it all. What a blessing that members can hear the words of our prophet and apostles live and in their own language. We are so blessed. How excited I was to find out about the change of age for missionaries. This will definitely change the church. It will bless the mission fields. It allows a lot of youth who slip away in the short years after high school or those who get married or those who finish schooling and play sports to serve the Lord. This not only will bless the areas and many of people whom they will serve, but it will help the youth of the church to remain active throughout their lives.
This week we had sister exchanges. I was able to go to Cluj to serve with Sora Zimmerman for a couple days. It was a blast. She and I were companions in the MTC and we haven't really served around eachother since coming to the country. We had a couple lessons, went to institute and did a lot of contacting. One thing we did was we bought a small white board and wrote the question "Ce te face fericit?" or "What makes you happy" We took this board with us and walked all through the city. We asked everyone this question. Some would just smile and laugh and walk by us, some would give us a response and walk away, and others would start a conversation with us. We were so surprised to hear some of the responses: family, friends, money, girls, vacation, good food, nothing, and Jesus Christ. It was successful way to talk with people and even a few wanted to meet with us later in the week.
This question made me think, what makes me happy? It's quite simple really, God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, family and friends. Of course there are many more answers I could say, but when I truly think of lasting joy, joy that will last in the eternities, those are my answers. Through God's plan and Christ's Atonement we know the purpose of life. We know that this is a time to prepare to meet God and a time to perform our labors. I know that the gospel is the way in which we can return to live with Heavenly Father. It is the way that we can live together forever with our family. The Lord's plan for us is one of happiness. It is our way to successfully make it through this life on earth. I am grateful for this knowledge in my life and the opportunity I have everyday to share this with others and help them find the things that truly make them happy in this life.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Va Iubesc,
Sora Remsberg
Life...
according to Amy and Sora Sam
1. Sibiu is gorgeous
2. They moved into their new apartment (with the help of the elders)
and this is what happens after a long day of misisonary work.
3. Oktober fest...in September? (I guess that's okay)
4. Amy and Alexandra
1 October 2012
Ceau!
Happy October. This week was really good. I have truly fallen in love with Sibiu. I was sitting in church yesterday and realized how lucky I am to be here. Even though there were only 8 members there and one visitor, I was seriously so happy. The spirit was so strong. This branch may be small, but they are rebuilding. They are healing wounds and have such a desire to become stronger.
First of all, we found an apartment! What a blessing. We were able to move in on Friday. It is only about a 7 minute walk to church and a 20 minute walk to centru (downtown). The elders were so nice and helped us up the 4 flights of stairs with all of our luggage. We have accumulated quite a bit. Life seems more normal now. We will definitely miss our friends that we made at the hotel. I have really learned that we get to make our homes filled with the spirit. Homes are just a sanctuary from the rest of life. For third hour yesterday we talked about how to make our homes and branches filled with the spirit. We must continually be aware of the things we do at home and at church, praying, scripture study, honesty, respect, creating a peaceful atmosphere to make sure that the spirit is there.
I received my first calling this last sunday. I have been called to be the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society. Alexandra, one of our strongest youth and the first counselor in the Relief Society, has the opportunity to serve a mini mission and will be leaving in a week. We will really miss her, but we are so excited for her and the things she will learn as she serves in Bucaresti. Sora Sam has also been called as the secretary. We are excited to work with Sora Brooklyn, the president, and to see the branch from a different side than from the missionary side. I love our church. I love that we have opportunities to serve. How blessed we are to help each other build the kingdom of God. There are many times I feel like I don't know enough or that there is someone better that could probably do what I am doing, but then I remember I am called of God to be here and it is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I know that is true not only for me, but for ever member here in Romania and in the rest of the world. God knows us so well. He knows what we need in order to return to him, we just need to trust him and follow him.
We have started meeting with a 24 year old sister named Mihaela from the branch. She is less-active and has been a member for about 8 years. She spoke this Sunday and we had the opportunity to help her prepare her talk. It was so fun teaching her how to give a talk and then discussing how she could write her talk. She knows so much. We just provided the outline and she did the rest. How blessed we are to be in a church that allows us to study, learn and grow. She was super nervous on Sunday, but she did wonderfully. We are excited to meet with her more often to help her strengthen her testimony of the gospel.
The branch has also been great with providing referrals for us. They are so willing to refer their friends and family to hear the missionary discussions. Seriously, I just love the members and people here.
I hope you have a fabulous week.
Va Iubesc
Sora Remsberg
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