Week 16!

My Family!

So we got to go up to Bucharest for zone conference, see president and sister Hill and get all rejuvenated. I learned a lot of cool things, but mostly it was just great to be around so many people who are on the same team when I'm kind of a non-stop outsider here in Constanta, ya know? Our English Classes are going great! This one started out considerably smaller and we were kinda worried, but they've been growing! That doesn't happen a lot, but one of our goals was to make a contagious English class, and we've been spending a lot of time making lessons that people will tell their friends about. and it's working! I actually really like teaching. I don't know if I could ever do it as a profession but I'm having a lot of fun making lesson plans and leading the class, and you know I just naturally like to impart every bit knowledge I have ;) 

This Saturday, I was at a branch contacting activity in the city's center. I was paired up with a member who's preparing to leave on his mission to Germany. I have had THE hardest time just opening my mouth. It's so scary to just stop strangers to talk about such a sensitive subject, even if it's one that I hold close to my heart. But Saturday I decided to just let the barriers go and open my mouth.

At first we just walked around as a companionship, kinda daring each other to go and stop specific people and that kind of thing. But after we warmed up a bit we started branching out more. We stood at opposite ends of the street and started stopping every single group of people that walked through. 

Still SO freaky. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, but I realized after awhile that I was totally stopping people, explaining the Book of Mormon, and having conversations with people- on my own in a foreign language. and I felt SO good afterwards. I just felt like sharing it with everyone for the rest of the day, and it's really good to see that I'm progressing, even if it's just by tiny bits.

So now that you all think that I'm rocking the language- here's the funny story from yesterday.. So I get up to bear my testimony. We were just about out of time and I wanted to help motivate people to share the Book of Mormon with their friends. So Imagine me, standing up and walking to the front of the room. A smile on my face and probably a little glint of fire in my eyes as I was like "I, am a grateful woman."

Yeah. not that bad, but I was trying to say "I'm grateful for the opportunity" and that's what I thought I said. So when everyone started snickering I kinda panicked, wrapped up my testimony and sat back down. I was just glad to find out I didn't cuss anybody out in Romanian!

Dad, I just started a sourdough starter! I'm going to find a heavy duty jar so I can transfer it around with me and have some homegrown sour dough wherever I go! I'm glad to hear you're baking again! I just made an apple loaf, just by making an applesauce with really course chunks and less water, and then rolled it up in the bread for a danish kind of thing. it was actually really good! That's crazy you got sick from your race- did they feed you afterwards or something?

I'm so excited for the Jonesville branch! and the fact that we just inherited 2 missionaries is pretty sick. We better have a ward by the time I get home! haha

love you all so much! I'll try to send you a pic in a second.. we'll see if it works!

by the way, we're totally going paintballing as a district this afternoon. Do I not have the coolest mission president?

haha

love you!

Elder Collison 

hey! this is the day we were helping out a member with his garden. on the bench I'm sitting with Elder Taylor. He goes home in two weeks! 

This is me and Gabi! we had a massive " book of mormon" set up, with a collage of families on the other side. The sisters and some members were singing hymns and we were contacting in the area.