From April 20, 2015
This week has been great really.
A new transfer starts. I am staying in Sibiu, I am glad.
I got a new companion, Elder Kennedy. He is a cool dude. Lots of laughs, so that is sooo solid. It's crucial to stay laughing out here! He was in a smaaaall city named Alexandria and was basically running the branch there. So word on the street is that he is going to replace me here.. dun dun dun
I am for sure more committed to leave it all out here in Sibiu and love these people to the max. I love this city and I have learned a lot here. Ups and downs have left me in a greater state than I was when I started here. I am nervous for what might happen next transfer and that I will leave Sibiu, so I am going to do more solid work and love these people more than ever!
Saying goodbye to Elder Reed was a bummer, but good. He is such a solid friend. He taught me a lot of good stuff. keeping your sense of humor is so crucial out here I swear! Grateful for people like him, especially out here in the mission. I learned a lot from that guy. We had a goood time together and got some good work done.
Planning on keeping that rolling. We have some solid plans for this place.
Sora Huffaker came into Sibiu, she was here for 6 or 7 months before and came back for her last transfer. She has a lot of knowledge of the branch which is a good help. It was a little rough trying to step up and fill a position without knowing anything that is/was going on here.
But we are all stoked on life and to be in Sibiu.
I have noticed sometimes how lightly some people take stuff and the effect it has on others, especially their families. Many people take so much of the gospel light anymore. Whether it is scripture study, serving/loving others, or prayer, etc.
We sit here and prophesy about all these incredible things and a perfect Savior, but many times we are slow to remember to have respect and keep even the simplest commandments. Or we prophesy about a boy who labored over the word of God and sincerely prayed with a question and faith to receive an answer.. but yet we don't think that we deserve responses, or think that we can't ask questions! And especially that we too don't need to labor over the scriptures. There are so many truths and mysteries that we look past. I have kinda had to speak with a little sharpness recently. I just wonder why people take the basics of the gospel so light sometimes and don't care about laboring over the word of God and prayer etc. We all need to work on it. It is the bomb. Missionaries especially should be realizing that!
I love when I become as a child and totally submit to the Lord. He is the best one to guide our lives. So many people think they have to have boring, dry, and even mundane lives if they let the Lord live them. But it is totally not that way. He wants us to be STOKED on LIFE and he makes it the best. I have started really diving harder into the scriptures and praying hard for wisdom/intelligence.. so worth it. I love the scriptures. They rule.
Anyways,
We went to go do some service for this dude Mihai this week. oh man he is so sick. We show up and the sisters are already there just goin to work. then we see this old wrinkley dude from a distance.. getting closer we realize.. The guy is straight up only wearing black underwear and boots hahahahaha. Still just workin hard and tilling some land with a shovel. I was dying. He is hardcore man.
I also had to put a baby mole rat creature out of it's misery because it's face got chopped off...
TODAY
We went to this little village, Loman in the mountainous hills near Sebes. It was so amazing. We had to bus to Sebes and get a ride to Loman then piled into this guys car to go up to his home ontop of one of the hills. He is a member from England and has been here doing service in Romania for like 20 years. He is the coolest dude and tells awesome stories and is just trying to do good for these people. He holds church up at his place with a small group of people. We hungout with him and BBQ'ed a little then played with his Lab puppy and ran around the hills and looked over incredible valleys dotted with cottages and shepherds. I was in love. So amazing to get back in nature and just be away for a little bit. out of the city and noise. Fresh air and tall pine trees.
YA,
D&C 93: 36-37 ...Intelligence is the glory of God. Receiving through... laboring to know God, studying his word, and prayer! - These are the things that put away the temptations of the "evil one". Thus we have a true change of heart, thus we turn to Christ and are turned away by the thought of sin as the people of King Benjamin in Mosiah 5. it is good stuff. Live it.
The gospel is incredible. The restoration is so real. Coolest part, is that it is still happening. Like Elder Ballard said in Priesthood session, we need to raise the bar! Hey, we are all serving him!
God needs you.
