Sibiu

Hello family and everyone!!! How are you all doing? I am doing great.

So I'll start out by telling you a little about the city that I am now in. Sibiu has the reputation as the prettiest town in Romania. I can see why. It is one of the oldest towns, and it is beautiful. It is not too big, but it's not as small as Arad where I was for my first 2 transfers. We usually walk everywhere which gets kinda annoying sometimes, but we haven't quite figured out the bus systems yet for that to be a help. But we get by and all is well.

The work is going well, too. Sora Staley is awesome. She is someone that I've wanted to be companions with since I first got in the country and met her, and now I'm blessed to be able to do that, and we are just getting to work and running and proving our faith, and smiling the entire way while we do it. And the Lord is already blessing us. We got one new investigator referred by a member, who came with us. - That was cool. The relief society president wanted us to go over and meet with the sick mother of a less-active member, and we went, taught her about faith, and she asked us to come back to teach her more about what we believe in. Super cool.

Another something amazing is that one of the goals that Sora Staley and I set right from day one is that we want to find a family to teach, a family that will all be involved in the gospel, and we have been praying for it and working to do all that we can in order to find a family and anyone else that will listen. So we were vila knocking the other night and it started to get cold so we went down a street to find a block (an enclosed apartment building) that we could go and knock. We both felt good about going into a green block that looked decently lit. In it we were rejected at every door that opened except for one where a little girl opened the door, and went to get her dad for us to talk to. He listened to us, all the while in the back ground we see his daughter (9 years old), his son (almost 11 years old), a grandma figure, he told us how they have a 4 month old baby, and his wife who is not against us coming again, but also isn't as interested as he is to learn more. He set up with us to come back the following night.

So last night we went over there, and to our surprise the kids weren't there, but he had invited 2 of his friends over there to listen to us, one who had been an investigator about a year ago but who hadn't been talked to since then. We had an amazing discussion, and it went so well, the Spirit was so strong, and we are meeting with them on Wednesday, this time with his kids. This is the family that we've been praying for, for only a couple of days, but the Lord has blessed us greatly even with the people that we have met on the street that we haven't yet been able to meet with.

It is amazing to see the Lord's hand here in the work. When you don't know what to do or even where to begin, He puts you on a good path and leads you when you just go. And that is what He is doing with us right now. It is so cool.

I know that this church is true and that God really does help us do whatever needs to get done if we will just be willing to take the steps that will get us started - He'll give you the extra pushes you need and carry it the rest of the way.

So the branch here is really interesting. It is small and doesn't quite function properly, but it is here. We have one set of Elders here with us which are amazing - Elder Johnson and Elder Bernier (who I served with in the MTC) and it is going to be such a fun transfer. Elder Johnson is the 1st counselor in the Branch Presidency, and the Branch President is cool, but he's not the most forward "get her done" type guy. Like yesterday when the Sunday school class went on for an hour and a half, (it is only supposed to last 45 minutes) the Branch President just sat there, and Sora Staley and I were with the 2 kids that are there Serban and Casia and the Branch President came to where we were talking with them and just said, "They're not done yet, but I couldn't listen anymore - it was boring." and I was thinking, “ok...you are the one that can stop it...” but it will get better in time.

Funny story, Casia is 8 1/2 years old, and she didn't want to get baptized until yesterday when Sora Staley said "Why aren't you baptized yet?" Casia said, “I don't want to." Sora Staley said, “Why not? You could be a sister missionary someday you know.” Casia just shrugged her shoulders. Then at the end of the lesson, Casia said, "Yeah, I guess I could be a sister missionary someday." and Sora Staley said "Well then, when do you want to get baptized?" and Casia said, "This Saturday! It will be my day!" It was so cute.

So now we are teaching her what her parents (who happen to be the branch president and his wife) asked us to teach her to make sure she's ready, and we'll see - we might have a member baptism this Saturday. But what a great start that will be.

Something interesting about opening an area is how you come here and you have nothing. We have an apartment, but that apartment didn't even have dishes, a broom, a mop, pillows, hangers, food of any kind, and things that you usually don't think about because every apartment has them, we didn't have - like a drying rack to dry our clothes on, an area book, any missionary supplies, yeah. It was kinda crazy trying to get that ready. We also didn't have a filter, so we're buying water so that we don't get sick, and that's more money. Fortunately, Sora Staley doesn't always use the monthly sums that we get for food and other essentials, and so she has plenty to get us started, and then I have enough to help us get by. It will work, but until we get it all figured out, it will be interesting. We keep finding things that we don't have when we need them and realize it's not there. he he.

Our first morning of breakfast, Elder Johnson had bought a couple of things for us the day before so that we would have something - we had cereal in plastic cups that we ate with the measuring spoons Sora Staley had brought that were extra at her old apartment, and then ate yogurt with plastic knives, and bread and jam. Wow. I took a picture cuz it was so funny, but I don't have time to show you all now. Anyways, life is great, I'm happy, and all is going well. So much happened in just these few days, but I can't think of what else to say.

Just know that God loves you, I love you all so so very much, and I'll tell you more next week! --Sora Karina

ps Sora Thompson - Felicitar!!!!! Sunt foarte entusiasmata pentru tine! Sunt putin trista ca nu voi fi acolo, dar, sunt sigura ca va fi minunata. Si da, am aflat direct inainte am plecat la arad ca ani a avut 2 fete inainte ea a fost cu lica, si ele si mama anei au fost botezate, si am auzit ca a fost minunat. crazy, huh? am crezut asa, dar totul e bine. Este ciudat ce el a facut, dar nu stiu de ce. Nu am crezut ca a fost o problema...ori cum, ai o zi frumoasa, si sa-l dai pe Eric salut pe partea mea! Si vreau sa stiu cum el te-a intrebat te rog. te iubesc si te-am pupat! --sora Karina
ps. Sora Poulsen - Multumesc pentru email. Tot timpul este bine sa te aud. Ma bucur ca totul merge bine pentru tine. Merge bine pentru mine deasemenea. Si acuma am o opertunitate sa fac ce n-am facut inainte cu un oras nou - sa deschid! Este putin diferit si este greau, dar este posibil, si ma distrez deci este bine. Te distrez cu Castro, Si sa-mi spui ce s-intemple! Te iubesc --Sora Karina