It's been a really good week, and a lot has happened. Sorry I'm so bad at replying to emails, no pressure-but it's way easier to reply by letter because I actually have more time to do that. I'm loving all the updates through email! just don't expect any profound replies.. ;) oh man, I was laughing so hard reading your email. That would be so scary but that was really funny to read about!
I'll try to answer all your questions Dad ;)My daily activities change a lot.. we rarely have any lessons, so a regular day goes like this- wake up at 6:30, exercise for 1/2 hour, eat breakfast, shower and get ready for the day. Then at 8 I have an hour of personal study. at 9 Elder cobabe and I have an hour of study together. at 10 I study the language, I generally just read the Cartea lui Mormon- picking out and studying the words I don't know yet and asking about the grammar principles that don't make sense yet. It's actually a really effective way to study. after that we leave the apartment and try to find people. Lunch is a really unfortunate necessity because it takes so long in this particular mission for travel, so going back to the apartment-making and eating lunch- and getting back to city center is almost always a two hour ordeal. then we get back to missionary work. Contacting. visiting members and less actives. We usually get back at 8ish because I'm still in training and we have an extra hour of study.
I Have been juggling! I've actually made up quite a few things that I'm quite proud of, and I'm going to start using it for contacting and object lessons, just need to find a connection to the gospel is all.. haha ;) But I can do this one thing where I throw all three at the same time behind my back, catch the lowest one in the front and throw it up, and then catch the other two and start the routine. yeah.. it would probably be better to see it.
I really liked your insights about missionary work Dad (about Alma and the four sons of Mosiah and about judging who might be ready to hear the gospel.) This mission is really bad about that, cause it's almost necessary for our safety and for the safety of the members. Sometimes drunk men come into the church and cause a lot of harm and there are so many people that are just plain crazy ( you'd never see anything like it in America, they have like- no mental health care here) so I've already become really judgmental and I don't like it. A lot of times I'll see an old woman sitting on a bench, probably crazy and looking really lonely, and I really want to talk to them and just try to strike up a conversation. But I've already been kinda trained against that, it's not good. As I become an older missionary and start having a little more weight in the decision making I want to become like what you described.
So my week! It's been awesome ;)
We got to take a trip out to La țara, which I guess is probably just the Romanian equivalent to 'the country' (literally it means To (directional) Land) We went to visit a family of members out in the middle of nowhere. it was really cool. I can't tell you how much I've missed weeding and gardening in general. Spring hit and I was stuck in nice clothes trying to stay clean. So going out there to work in there gardens was so awesome! we just did some weeding and helped them harvest some onions. It wasn't really the hard work I'd been craving, but it was so good to just be outside, in the dirt- ya know?
On tuesday, we were doing last minute English contacting, and for about 2 hours straight; we didn't have more than 5 minutes without a conversation- it was just eerie. Cause generally people just are not interested at all, but it played out like this; We were on the bus on our way to a lesson, and an old lady sat next to us. She saw our name badges and freaked out. In Romanian Jesus is Spelled Isus. but in Turkish, Isus means donkey. So the orthodox church changed theirs to IIsus. there are a ton of Turks in Constanta because this used to be a part of the ottoman empire, and even today people are immigrating here. So we get at least 3 people a day that totally freak out about that, telling us to change it, or telling us we're evil for worshiping a "different Jesus". anyways, so she freaked out, but then we got into a conversation. We got off the bus, had our lesson, then made our way back to the bus. as we were getting on, she got on from a different door and sat next to us again and our conversation resumed. Nothing came of it for her, but as we were talking, two more guys moved seats to sit closer to us, and i thought they we're going to tell us off. Well, one did tell us off, but the other one, as the lady turned down a book of mormon card, asked if there was any chance he could have it. I was like, "better yet, I've got a book with me, no charge", threw open my jeanta and tossed him a book as he was getting off the bus. It was just kinda cool how we inadvertently contacted that guy. After that we changed buses and we were standing in the aisle because all the seats we full. An old man got on (totally reminded me of Grandpa Boyer but a lot smaller and older). He was barely able to walk, and when the bus took off, he fell. I caught him and brought him to the rail along the side, and that opened up a really awesome conversation and he said he would try to make it to church on Sunday. After we got off at our stop an older lady that had witnessed that stopped us and we talked for a long time.
It was just really cool. we weren't even directly looking for people during that time, but so many prepared people were all of the sudden placed before us!
Hope your weeks are awesome! love ya!
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(Sorry... We can't seem to get the picture any bigger...)
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