Week 22

Hey Mom and Dad!! I'm doing pretty awesome ;)

Man, I'm so excited you guys are all getting into this running. I wish I was part of this getting healthy movement! Everyone seems to be loving it and getting pretty fast. I've been able to play a lot of soccer in the morning for exercise and we play ultimate Frisbee every friday night. Plus I'm walking every day all day and my legs are constantly sore. So I'm really hoping that once I get home I'll be able to jump right in!

The summerset stampede is such an awesome trail! I can't imagine pushing a stroller over all the roots and everything.
Dad! You can run 13 miles! dang that's far.. I'm so proud of my papa!

Just so you know: I read Matthew's email first about Gabriel losing an eye and I believed him and that is not cool!!! 50 lashings I say..

I love you guys! your letters are so legit! I so look forward to mondays and being able to hear about your weeks and your advice and testimonies ;)

My weeks been pretty good, just the same treaba as usual- contacting and English classes. Actually- we almost had a lesson this week! I mean, they bunged us and it didn't happen- but that's the closest we've gotten so far! 

Our branch President Alin gave us a list of names he wanted us to look up. These were tons of people he had files of but had never heard of them, had no idea if they were still alive or around, so He wanted us to try and find these people.
A lot of them lived in the little villages surrounding Constanta, and there was one in particular gypsy he warned us about and recommended all four elders go together. On thursday we all went together, and by then- we were terrified! haha, everyone we talked to- "oh my goodness, do not go there" or "don't carry anything on you, go dressed in rags, don't leave each other's side." We had at least 20 people give us warnings and we were sure we were going to die. But of course by then I was SO curious and ready for the adventure, and it was our duty- so we went. We found the bus that would take us all the way out there and started asking around for directions.
k, so on the bus- we meet Ion and Gabi, the two nicest Romanians I've met. They got on the bus at the same time as us- and they were worried for our safety so they stayed with us for the whole 3 hours we were looking for this person! They had lived in the village all their lives so they basically went door to door with us, asking all their friends and family if they had ever learned the name we were looking for. We found out later that the guy had moved to spain a year earlier, but I am so glad we went there. At one point the rest of the group was up a ways and I was just in the back, talking with Ion. We had an awesome - 30 min. conversation- In Romanian! I love those moments, when I can look back and see that I have learned a bit of the language.. haha, those don't come every day

But it was super cool. We had been so scared and expected a lot of evil, and for that day I was only surrounded by the nicest people- it was way cool.

Today, Elder Montoya and I are going to Bucharest. (The trip didn't work out last week because it turned out that the day we were supposed to get our visa's was some Saint day and it was closed) So our p-day is cut a little short, but we get to go take a 1 day vacation to Buch. Hooray! haha

Love ya!

Elder Collison