Wonderful Journey

Hello everyone!

I have a couple of things to say this week, and we'll be talking a lot more about all of it another time. But I wanted to say that first of all, this was a great week. We worked hard, the weather was mostly helpful, and the work just keeps going forward.

Ionela is praying!!! Yay it makes me so happy. She still doesn't feel like she has received an answer yet, but it is an eternal truth that if we ask in sincerity of heart, the Lord will answer in His own way and His own time. But the answer will be for us in a way that we will not be able to doubt. I told her that, and she got really happy and is trying to find the answer. With that attitude, her heart will change, and it will be a beautiful miracle in her life.

Danuta is doing well, having spiritual experiences and is getting closer to wanting to ask God if it is true. She knows it's true, but she doesn't know if she should get baptized. She said "If God wants me to get baptized here, then I'll do it with all of my heart, but He'll let me know." I asked her if she had asked Him if He wants her to get baptized here. "No." "Well, how can you know what He wants unless you ask Him?" She thought about that and said, Yeah, maybe I should ask Him. But I'll ask Him when I know that I'll be willing to do what He asks. That is wise, but we also need to recognize and always remember that He will help us to accomplish what He asks of us, because He knows that it will bring us happiness.

Andreea and her little sister Sonia are doing good. They want to get baptized - but they want to learn more first and to be prepared for the new life they will live. The Spirit of God testifies to us to help prepare us to live the gospel, and living the gospel helps us to prepare to live for eternity with God. So everything is a preparation, and with each step God strengthens us and helps us to come closer to Him. That is the point. To get close to God. And not just close to Him, or near Him, but to be with Him - and even like Him - so that we can receive the same eternal happiness that He has. And this is possible through and only through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and His atonement. And it is wonderful.

I often think to myself, how is it possible for people to change so much? When you think about the natural instinct of people to fight for them, with their way of thinking, and then you think about Jesus Christ, how He lived and how He desires for us to be like Him, it's almost impossible to comprehend. And then I remember. God is our Father. We have the potential to be like Him, to be where He is. And that potential is made possible for us through the infinite sacrifice made by our Savior. And if He was able through the power of God and with His love for us to give His life for each one of us individually, then that sacrifice has a lot of power connected to the eternities. And since He suffered for each of us one by one, then each one of us has the ability to receive some of that power. All that He asks is for us to come to Him, to love Him in both word and deed, and to believe. That belief is something that can move mountains, that can sustain hope for an unknown future, change a heart, or even just give you a reason to smile even when you can't find anything else.

God loves us. Infinitely. Perfectly. And this is something that we can always find joy in. This is something that will always tell us that no matter who we are and what we are, we still have the ability to become who He knows we can be. I am so grateful that we can receive the power of the Atonement in our daily lives - if we would receive it - through the restored and perfect gospel of Jesus Christ. God's love is wonderful and it is so real. Tangible even, in our lives. It is with faith that we can have eyes to see.


Random funny thing: This is a saying from Moldova, not from Romania, but it is still super funny. "i bot la in ghips" (Ee boht lah un gheeps) which litterally means to "put your mouth in a sling" or in other words, shut up. I laughed so hard when Sora Gogu explained to me what it meant...and now we say it randomly just cuz it is really funny to say. There is also the one where you say "iti faci ca o oaie" (uts fach cah oh waeeyay) which is an expression that means that you're acting like an old lady, but the litteral translation is "your making yourself like a sheep." HAHAHA Yup, that one got me laughing to tears.

Now, I do need to say that I love Romania so much. I have loved being able to share my soul with the people, and enjoying the beauties of the earth even amidst all of the poverty and sadness. Happiness was found every step of the way. This is the work of the Lord, and it is not finished. It will go forward until the Father Himself shall say that "the work is done." We still have some time, and I am grateful that each of us are called to this work if we have a desire to give all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. And He sustains us in it. This has truly been a wonderful journey, and it is not over. Neither is this blog, so don't worry. You'll hear from me again - just turn on your computer about once a week and we'll be able to smile together.

I'm sure that there are a lot of other things that I could say, but none of them are coming to my mind right now. So I will end by saying that I know that God lives. He loves us. Jesus Christ is our Savior, and it is through Him that we can return to live with God again. God doesn't change. How He worked in the time of Adam, Noah, and Abraham, He still works that way. I know that the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored by the power of God through Joseph Smith. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and helps us to more fully understand what is taught in the Bible so that we can not be led astray by the interpretation of men.

I know that God still works through a prophet, and that prophet today is Thomas S. Monson. I know that God desires for each of us to return to Him, and in accordance to that desire, He has given us the ability to choose, and to find out for ourselves if these things are true. All we have to do is desire to know, and ask Him through prayer. He will answer. I know because He answered me, and I'm not anyone extremely special for Him to answer me and not to answer the rest of you. We are all His children. I know and am so grateful for the knowledge that God created our families so that we can be together forever - even after death - and that this is made possible through the Priesthood Power of God in His holy Temples.

I know that as we are faithful to Him, all things (especially the bad things) will be for our good and will help lead us to our eternal joy. I pray that each of us will be able to continue to work and fight for that joy that God so badly wants to give to us, and of these things I testify in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Don't forget that I love you all so very much, more than I can type. Smile lots! Always, --Sora Karina