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Just a random picture of me, with my companion in the background.

Dear family and everyone that I love so much - how are you? I'm doing great.

This week is transfer week, and I am leaving Constanta - I am so sad to leave, although I am really excited to go to Galati which is also on the East side of the country but more north of Constanta. I'm going to be serving with Sora Hardy who was in the MTC with me, but not as my companion, and I am so excited. It will be great. And my companion Sora Owen is leaving to Brasov, so they are closing sisters here, and 2 Elders are coming in our place. It should be interesting, but all will be well.

Just a quick update on Vatuta, she still hasn't gotten the word from her husband, but is not giving up, just being patient, and we found out this morning that she is still drinking coffee - we explained to her that if she wants the Lord to make a way for her to be baptized and work a miracle, she has to be willing to do everything that He has asked her to do, and so she needs to be completely obedient. She committed to do that, and has once again renewed her determination to serve God and to follow Him how He has established that she should do. She is an amazing woman.

And Ion is starting to accept the idea of baptism - we had a great lesson with him where we had twine on the floor-two pieces both at the same starting point but going in different directions in a V shape. We told him that one was the iron rod or the way of God towards eternal life, and the other was the way of the world which leads only to temporary satisfaction. And we need to choose which one we will follow. There are some steps that need to be taken, and we had them laid out in opposites such as 1. faith versus doubt, 2. repentance versus pride, 3. baptism versus fear, 4. receiving the Holy Ghost versus a closed heart, 5. enduring to the end versus disobedience. He was able to have his feet on both parts of the twine until he got stuck on step 2 and said "I can't make the third step, I'm stuck" so we told him that he couldn't make the third step on both paths, so he would have to choose one path - and after sitting there for a few seconds, he actually walked towards baptism! He is so close to accepting the fact that he needs this in his life - and when he came to church he was so happy and loved it. I'm so excited for him to be making these changes in his thinking, and I am confident that the missionaries that will continue working with him will help him get there for real. Church was also exciting because 5 of our less actives that we've been working with came! It was so fun. And the Spirit was so strong. Everyone talked about how we can make goals of eternal value, and how we as a mission have a goal this year to help 200 souls come unto Christ, and with faith, obedience, diligence, and the help of all the members, we will succeed, for the Lord is at the helm of this work, and it will be amazing.

My mom asked me to share a memory of Grandma Coy in my email today. Probably my favorite thing to remember about her was how much fun we had reading together. We were always in our books. I remember one time when Dad and Grandpa were out doing something together and Mom, Cindy and the girls went out to go shopping or something, and Grandma and I stayed behind to spend time together. When Dad and Grandpa came in, they saw the two of us reading our separate books, and my Dad said "so this is spending time together? reading?" and of course we both looked at each other, Grandma and I, and looked at my dad and Grandma just said "well yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be?" and we went back to reading. And she would always recommend the best books, too. I also remember how at Christmas when we had it at their house in California, we would get a puzzle, and the dining room table would then become our project place, and we would just work on the puzzle for hours with her, and even though we didn't always finish them, it was so much fun discovering the picture with her, laughing with her, and just talking about how beautiful it would be when we would finish it together. That always seemed to me to be a theme of hers - accomplishing whatever task together. I know that through the Atonement and love of our Savior, and through the plan and Priesthood of God, we will all be together again, and we will be able to finish the work of the eternities together with her, and with Grandpa, and with each other. How wonderful that will be. Only now we are preparing ourselves to be ready for that day, and she will be anxiously waiting.

Here in Romania when someone dies, they hold a funeral 3 days after the death, and then they hold what's called a "pomenire" or a ceremony to remember the death 40 days after, 3 months, six months, nine months after, and on the year mark to remember their life and how they are now living in spirit. To me this defeats the point. We celebrate their life in our memories, and in our actions. Of course a service after their death is appropriate. But to always remember their death is not what should be remembered. Because Jesus Christ suffered for us in the flesh and through His death, He will help us in all our doings in this life. And because He resurrected, and took up His body again never again to die, He prepared the way for us to be able to do the same thing. There will come a day when all of us will reunite in body and in spirit, never again to part, and as we remember our life and the lives past from this earth, we should also always remember the beautiful day when we will have the greatest family reunion with all of our loved ones, returning to continue the works of eternity. I am thankful for the knowledge I have that that day will come.

Today is the day called "Martisoara" which is a fun day where we celebrate women. They have these little trinkets that you can wear that someone gives to you as a gift - boys will give them to girls, and girls to girls but not boys to boys - and they are a symbol of luck, friendship, and prosperity. They all have a braid of red and white string that is somehow connected to the symbology of the Orthodox religion, but I don't know exactly how - I think that it has something to do with the virgin Mary, her purity and our sin, all somehow in the beauty of women, but I'm not quite positive on that yet.

Ion came over this morning at 8:15 to give me and Sora Owen one of the gifts which was so nice of him. He said that he wanted to make sure that we didn't go around all day with out a martisoara, because that just would not be ok. It was fun. and then next week on the 8th is the Ziua Femeilor or the Day of the Women which is their equivalent to Mother's Day, even though it's more of a holiday for all the girls to have a "girl's day out" It's fun.

But anyways, I love you all so so very much. As much as I wanted to be with all of you this week, I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be here in Romania sharing the precious truths of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with all of God's children. Each child is precious to Him, and He desires for us all to find the joy that is available to each of us in this life made possible through His Son and our choices, and for us all to return to His everlasting presence again.

I love you, and I know that together we will have joy. I pray for you all to have this joy every day. Know that I am doing great, and all is well in the work of the Lord. Have a great day! Always, --Sora Karina