La Multi Ani (Happy New Year)!

Hello everyone, and la multi ani! (or happy new year! Their way of saying happy birthday is the same as happy new year, but it works!) Ii am doing great.


This past week was really fun and we got a lot of work done. We still don't have any baptism dates, and it's starting to frustrate me, if i don't lie about it. But we have 2 investigators that are praying about baptism (Vatuta and Daniel). So hopefully that will be set in stone this week. I just wish that people would understand how much easier and happier it would be if they would accept sooner rather than later.


Vatuta is amazing and wants to get baptized, she just doesn't think that she is prepared, even though she is so ready, and she will be baptized. She's praying for the 16th. And Daniel is amazing. We met him on the bus a few days ago, and he was really excited to come and see how church was. We had a lesson with him on Saturday and he told us a story about how he got hit by a car when he was 15 years old, and was in a coma for 3 or 4 months. While in his coma he had a vision that he was on the road to heaven. On his way an angel of the lord came and told him it wasn't his time yet, but that one day he would arrive there in safety as long as he kept the commandments of God and listened to the council of His servants on the earth. It was cool. So after he woke up, he quit smoking, and he has read the Bible 3 times, and tries to read any religious book he can get his hands on. He was excited to get the Book of Mormon, and he said he'll get baptized when he finds out it's true. Actually, he said yes, then asked where the baptism will be, and who can baptise him. It was a fun lesson.


We think that Ion believes the things we are teaching him, but he is scared about something. After last weeks reasons, this week he only gave us excuses. I just don't know how to find out what he's scared of so that we can help him. But the lord is in this work, because it's His work, so He will help us. Thank you for your prayers in his behalf...I know that he wants what we have, he's just the most stubborn person on the face of the planet. I know the Holy Ghost has the power to soften hearts and heal souls, so we are praying for him to feel the Spirit so as to have a stronger desire to be baptized.


Other than that, this week was busy and went really well, especially considering the business of new year's and how many people were annoyed that we wanted to talk to them before the holiday. But we still got some good work done, and now have even more possibilities for the new year. I'm excited.


So you heard about the "bear dance?" It's really funny, because they don't really look like bears. Elder Harley calls them the muppets from hell because they are like colored paper mache creatures, (they are costumes people wear that are supposed to resemble bears). They come and they dance around, and yes, it is good luck if you allow one to dance in your house or in your courtyard.


For New Year's eve, we got together with some of the members and danced and waited, and ate lots of food, and then when it was almost midnight we went outside where there were tons of fireworks going off, counted down, and then you go to each person and instead of toasting with your glass of whatever drink, you kiss each other on the cheek and wish them blessings for the new year, like health, luck, success, the lord to be with them, and all good things. ( these are litteral translations for the blessings of sanatate, noroc, succes, Domnul sa fie cu voi, si toate cele bune) It was fun.


We left, but the members stayed, and stayed, and fell asleep. They were there sleeping until 11ish am, and then at 12:30 they were still there, and invited us to eat with them. It was hilarious. Some of the members left earlier than that - like 6 am. Here in Romania the actual day of new years is bigger than the eve of it. So they celebrate as long as they can. And lots of people get drunk, apparently leading up to new year.


Two days before the new year, Sora Owen and I wanted to buy some flowers for someone that we were going to be visiting, and there was a drunk man at the stand who asked if we would buy his flowers, and we said no, and he said, "oh, it's ok, i'm just joking." But then he saw my name tag and he said "oh, you're with the church? here, let me buy your flowers..." and despite us saying he didn't have to, he wouldn't let us refuse and so he bought our flowers for us and just praised us for being with the church. We left as fast as we could to get to the bus stop, where there happened to be another drunk man who came up to us, and asked us if we were Romanian. We said no, and in English he started proclaiming his love to us "I love you, I love you , I love you...Do you understand when I say that I love you?..." and so on. Unfortunately we understood. Well, it started getting rediculous, and a woman near by came up and started talking to us...she works at a little store near by where we buy our bread, and we talked to her for a little about how her Christmas went and so on, until she finally said, " I just thought that you needed someone to save you from that man, and I thought I was perfect for the job." Right she was.... All the while the drunk man was hovering over her back, still wanting to talk to us but not being able to interrupt... Then the bus came and he got on it. (We wanted a different one, thankfully.) He looked back and one last time said "I love you, English!" before the doors closed and he drove away. It was so funny. We had fun.


Oh, and with the fireworks, they were right above the blocs and right outside houses and everything. One of the Elders made the connection that " It was a good thing that everything is made out of cement here, because otherwise they would all be going up in flame..." which is so true. Some people were even lighting the fireworks off of the actual roof of their bloc...so illegal, but it made a great show for us!


Anyways, I wish that i had more time to tell you more stories, but I don't, so I'll just have to tell you more next week. A quick vorba (saying) is this ;" nu e o mare branza" which you say in our terms, "it's not a big deal", but literally it translates into "it's no big cheese". I love using that one! It's hillarious, and it works. People actually don't think it's weird even though it sounds so funny in my brain.


But anyways, I love you all so so very much, and I can't wait until I can rejoice with you when the people we are teaching decide to come unto the lord through baptism by someone who holds the restored priesthood authority of God. There is no greater joy than giving yourself unto the lord in His work. It truly is amazing. (And at church we had 25 Romanians!!! That is close to a record. I'm sure it's 2nd place since I've been here with everywhere that I've served. And 7 of those were investigators between the Elders and us. ) Yes, it is a great blessing to see people choose to change their lives for their Savior. I love it, and I love you!


Have a great week! Love always, --Sora Karina