Romania, 15 August 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011 by Sora Jay
Hello Everyone,
Yesterday was the exact year and a half from when I entered the MTC, and now I get a couple more weeks.
We had the unusual opportunity this week to go on exchanges. The APs called us just after we had gotten home and gave us our travel plans, so it was pretty much a surprise. From Wednesday morning to Friday morning I was in Ploiesti. Sound familiar? I served there during December and January.
Right as I got off the train when we got there I was able to see Sora Fraser and we reminisced the days we served together in Bucuresti, and then one of the investigators that I had worked with was there at the train station and he told me that he had been baptized. I left the station with Sora Henrickson, and my companion and Sora Fraser went back to Brasov. We went and visited a less active family and helped them clean their one-room house a little bit because they had just painted it. I asked Sora Henrickson about some of the less-actives that I had worked with in particular one large family Familia Banita, they hadn't ever come to church when I was there but Sora Henrickson told me that Sora Banita is now the Relief Society president. It was awesome to hear that they were back and strong.
After that we went to go see a recent convert named Victor. I remember my companion from Ploiesti, Sora Ausen, telling me about him. When we walked into the crowded hallway of his bloc he screamed, "Sora Jay!" and ran over to us and hugged me. At first I had no idea who he was. He kept calling me his angel and telling me that I was the one who started him on his path to conversion. Then I remembered where I knew him from, when we were teaching a lesson to Alin one time he came and sat in (there were always tons of people in those lessons), and it was actually when I was on splits with one of the member-girls there. On the last day of the transfer we had gone to say goodbye to one of our investigators, Nastasia, and her family and we saw him standing on a street corner and I recognized him from the lesson and I gave him a Book of Mormon.
He told me he is eternally grateful for me having given him the Book of Mormon. He credited all the other missionaries for working with him as well but told me that I started him on the path by teaching that lesson and giving him the Book of Mormon. After that we went down to see Nastasia. She had been baptized as well after I left.
The next day we went to see one of my former investigators, Vali. She hadn't been baptized, but when we were talking to her she knew so much. It's crazy to see how much she has learned since I've been gone. She said there is nothing holding her back from joining the church except that she has to keep the orthodox burial traditions for her parents (which lasts seven years) and it will be over in February of next year so she'd rather just finish and then decide.
Then we went to the church to go on splits with some of the members to visit less-actives. When we showed up at the church they had just finished the weekly cleaning. There were so many people there to clean, I was amazed (especially because here in Brasov it's only the missionaries that clean the chapel). All of them were such good members of the church that they came even on days other than Sunday, and better yet, when I was there I heard some of them discussing the needs of the people they home and visit teach. After visiting a less active family we went and visited Alin and his family. It was great, he's doing really well and has even learned to play the piano well, which is just what the church needed. His family is doing way better (they were super poor before) because right after he got baptized his mom found a job and has been earning money. Alin is going back to school in the fall, and his little brother Gabi is going to start kindergarten too. I think they were too poor to go before.
I talked to Victor and Mihai again before I left, and then I came back to Brasov.
I think that exchange was just a chance for me to see the fruits of my labors. My transfer in Ploiesti was hard because I felt like I was fighting against my whole district to stay obedient, and I didn't get along with my companion super well, and I had to move the apartment, and there were tons of holidays that made people not have time to meet with us. But even with all that, God was still able to use our efforts to do some good. And that was the result of only one transfer in one area, imagine how much more there is that I don't know about. It was really cool to go back and see what had happened. The branch in Ploiesti is doing super well. They are setting the standard for the rest of Romania. The branch president told me he is really proud of their success.
Going back and seeing them all made it really obvious how much of an impact the gospel has on people's lives. I always tell people that, in lessons and on the streets, that their lives can be better and they can be happier because I have seen it in my own life, but now I have even better evidence. They were all so much happier.
For me and Tom and Ed, as missionaries, it's really easy to see the difference that it makes in people's lives to have and to live the principles of the restored gospel. When I was back at home I didn't know how much I had, either because I had never seen what it was like to not have it, or because I became complacent, or perhaps at times I didn't have the faith to act on promises or principles to experience the truthfulness of them. Here all that I have done is try to persuade people to try it, and find out; "If any man shall do his will, he shall know of the doctrine; whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." And you can't persuade somebody to do something that you haven't done yourself.
I've tried it and I know it's true. This morning I wrote down in my study journal all of the notable spiritual experiences I have had in my life, there turned out to be a lot more than I thought; you guys should try it too.
Love,
Sora Jay
PS ma enerveaza cand scrii intr-o limba pe care nu o inteleg bine, inceteaza! (glumesc) And Victor said he's been to Sao Paolo before, because he used to do drug busts there. I think he's some sort of detective.
Yesterday was the exact year and a half from when I entered the MTC, and now I get a couple more weeks.
We had the unusual opportunity this week to go on exchanges. The APs called us just after we had gotten home and gave us our travel plans, so it was pretty much a surprise. From Wednesday morning to Friday morning I was in Ploiesti. Sound familiar? I served there during December and January.
Right as I got off the train when we got there I was able to see Sora Fraser and we reminisced the days we served together in Bucuresti, and then one of the investigators that I had worked with was there at the train station and he told me that he had been baptized. I left the station with Sora Henrickson, and my companion and Sora Fraser went back to Brasov. We went and visited a less active family and helped them clean their one-room house a little bit because they had just painted it. I asked Sora Henrickson about some of the less-actives that I had worked with in particular one large family Familia Banita, they hadn't ever come to church when I was there but Sora Henrickson told me that Sora Banita is now the Relief Society president. It was awesome to hear that they were back and strong.
After that we went to go see a recent convert named Victor. I remember my companion from Ploiesti, Sora Ausen, telling me about him. When we walked into the crowded hallway of his bloc he screamed, "Sora Jay!" and ran over to us and hugged me. At first I had no idea who he was. He kept calling me his angel and telling me that I was the one who started him on his path to conversion. Then I remembered where I knew him from, when we were teaching a lesson to Alin one time he came and sat in (there were always tons of people in those lessons), and it was actually when I was on splits with one of the member-girls there. On the last day of the transfer we had gone to say goodbye to one of our investigators, Nastasia, and her family and we saw him standing on a street corner and I recognized him from the lesson and I gave him a Book of Mormon.
He told me he is eternally grateful for me having given him the Book of Mormon. He credited all the other missionaries for working with him as well but told me that I started him on the path by teaching that lesson and giving him the Book of Mormon. After that we went down to see Nastasia. She had been baptized as well after I left.
The next day we went to see one of my former investigators, Vali. She hadn't been baptized, but when we were talking to her she knew so much. It's crazy to see how much she has learned since I've been gone. She said there is nothing holding her back from joining the church except that she has to keep the orthodox burial traditions for her parents (which lasts seven years) and it will be over in February of next year so she'd rather just finish and then decide.
Then we went to the church to go on splits with some of the members to visit less-actives. When we showed up at the church they had just finished the weekly cleaning. There were so many people there to clean, I was amazed (especially because here in Brasov it's only the missionaries that clean the chapel). All of them were such good members of the church that they came even on days other than Sunday, and better yet, when I was there I heard some of them discussing the needs of the people they home and visit teach. After visiting a less active family we went and visited Alin and his family. It was great, he's doing really well and has even learned to play the piano well, which is just what the church needed. His family is doing way better (they were super poor before) because right after he got baptized his mom found a job and has been earning money. Alin is going back to school in the fall, and his little brother Gabi is going to start kindergarten too. I think they were too poor to go before.
I talked to Victor and Mihai again before I left, and then I came back to Brasov.
I think that exchange was just a chance for me to see the fruits of my labors. My transfer in Ploiesti was hard because I felt like I was fighting against my whole district to stay obedient, and I didn't get along with my companion super well, and I had to move the apartment, and there were tons of holidays that made people not have time to meet with us. But even with all that, God was still able to use our efforts to do some good. And that was the result of only one transfer in one area, imagine how much more there is that I don't know about. It was really cool to go back and see what had happened. The branch in Ploiesti is doing super well. They are setting the standard for the rest of Romania. The branch president told me he is really proud of their success.
Going back and seeing them all made it really obvious how much of an impact the gospel has on people's lives. I always tell people that, in lessons and on the streets, that their lives can be better and they can be happier because I have seen it in my own life, but now I have even better evidence. They were all so much happier.
For me and Tom and Ed, as missionaries, it's really easy to see the difference that it makes in people's lives to have and to live the principles of the restored gospel. When I was back at home I didn't know how much I had, either because I had never seen what it was like to not have it, or because I became complacent, or perhaps at times I didn't have the faith to act on promises or principles to experience the truthfulness of them. Here all that I have done is try to persuade people to try it, and find out; "If any man shall do his will, he shall know of the doctrine; whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." And you can't persuade somebody to do something that you haven't done yourself.
I've tried it and I know it's true. This morning I wrote down in my study journal all of the notable spiritual experiences I have had in my life, there turned out to be a lot more than I thought; you guys should try it too.
Love,
Sora Jay
PS ma enerveaza cand scrii intr-o limba pe care nu o inteleg bine, inceteaza! (glumesc) And Victor said he's been to Sao Paolo before, because he used to do drug busts there. I think he's some sort of detective.
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