ROAD TRIPPIN'

 Bună Bună!!! 

Alright this week was straight FIRE!! We had Zone Conference this week in Cluj!!!! And all the fun that comes with that

Highlights:

-Usually we always take trains every time we leave the city but we lucked out because they had a senior couple take us in a van with 4 other sisters up to Cluj #partybus!!! 

- We had to go meet at our Stls apartment though to get picked up so we left Craiova last Monday and then stayed the night with them. We made chicken nuggets, French fries and homemade canes sauce (we are addicted). Then at the Stls apartment there is a massive patio so we dragged out our mattresses and slept under the stars!! It was so fun!! Some of us couldn't handle the "cold" though and bailed out back inside... cough cough* Sora Reynolds * cough but that's alright 

-The next day was travel day!!! 6 hour drive baby!!! We had snacks, stories, beautiful sights, and air conditioning (the trains here have none) so no complaints from me! 

-Zone Conference!!! It was amazing!! The presentations were all centered on us working to get a temple here Romania!! It's still a far ways a way but we know there are people here prepared for our message, they just need to be found!! 

-Service!! We had a two day Zone Conference and the second was spent helping clean up a construction site for a school for underprivileged kids!! It was lit!!! 

- Then we drove back to the Stls apartment stayed another night (unfortunately inside this time because of rain) and took a train back to Craiova the next day.

- Saturday we had a Grătar (barbecue) for a friend of the Elders who is working towards baptism right now. It was so good we had the whole gang pull up and then some. We planned for 8 and had 17... it was crazy, we had several kids, several trips to the store, several last minute dishes cooked and of course it wouldn't be a Romanian Grătar without several pieces charcoled on the outside raw on the inside meat 😉 but we survived and everyone had good time!

- Sunday we met with a friend and her son and walked around the park, we were able to answer a ton of their questions about our church and it lead to us teaching a lesson without them even knowing! So cool!

Not-so-Highlights

-It's still hot. I'm over it. Sora Reynolds is over it. Every missionary in Romania is over it. And I'm pretty sure every Romanian is over it (at least all the ones I've talked to). So it's about time that Romanian weather just chills out a little bit. 

-Traveling is fun but as per usual it takes it out of you a bit, nothing we can't handle though 😉

-My sandels officially broke. It was hanging on by a thread but now has literally snapped in two. What a rip. 

Funny: 

- At every Grătar our Sorin always gives everyone food and tells them to "Mănâncă tot!!" (Eat it all!!!) This time was no different. It was after dinner, after we had all eaten enough and he kept giving us missionaries giant handfuls of tortilla chips. I was so full and one the Elders actually wanted to eat some, so he was a g and took some of my chips for me. But then one time when I was passing him some of the chips we got caught in the act!!! Needless to say I ended up with more chips than I ever needed or wanted. 

Gând Spiritual:

This week I listened to a BYU Speech that I loved, it was under the "most popular" category so many of you might of heard it before. It is called "Wrestling with Comparisons" and it is fire

I love this quote, 

“My contest is not with anyone else; my contest is with myself. The race is against sin, not against each other.”

The speaker, J B Haws, invites us all to remember this every time we go out of the house, and I extend the same invitation to each of you. 

I hope you all have a fantastic week! 

Vă Iubesc!!! 

Sora Hansen

Nunță de Maria Elena și Bogdon Mihai Andrei Gheorghe

 Bună Bună!!!

Had a train today and don't have a ton of time so here's just an overall summary of the week:

- English Class!! Our friend Marius brought snacks because it was his saint day (cool Orthdox tradition) and we decided to plan a wedding!!!! Twas lit!

-Miracle!!! Went tramvai finding and ended up running into a girl I have been messaging on Facebook for a few months now!! We're gonna meet up this week!! Let's gooo!

- District Activity!!!! Did some service at our branch President's house, had a fire District council in a park in a random small town over some ice cream, stale bread, pizza and with the company of stray dogs. We had a fire meal (probably one of my favorite member meals yet) and then of course throw in a few rickety trains and there you have a successful day!! 

-Solid flower finding and block knocking sessions on Friday. Can't complain too much!

-Miracle again!! Saturday we had people at games night!!! The Lord's hand in the work is real. So games night consisted of:

-us 4 missionaries (normal)

- 1 friend whose been coming for a bit we haven't talked much about the gospel

- A lady who stopped us on the street about a month ago and her son, both open to talking about religion 

-our member family the Ions (who have said every weekend since I've been here that they will come to Games Night but this is the first time the have succeeded in coming)

We were able to basically have three gospel lessons at once. Us, Sora Elena and the Lady were able to talk together with Sora Elena popping off sharing her fire testimony. Sorin playing ping pong with her son, bearing his small, simple, but nonetheless powerful testimony as much as he could. And then with everyone else occupied the Elders were able to have conversation with our other friend able the gospel as well. It ended with some Books of Mormon handed out and hopefully more conversations!! 

In the middle of activity I just sat there completely overcome by the spirit. As I looked around I just knew that God's hand had been in this work. He put these people in our path to be there at this exact moment. Out here it can be really easy to think that the work isn't progressing, that no one will listen, that maybe there really isn't anyone prepared for our message. It can be tiring and discouraging. But this night I knew that these people were prepared to be there, that the work we are doing here really isn't all for nothing. And even if these people don't progress in the gospel this was testament to me that the work I'm doing is important, and God is working through me. I am so thankful for this experience.

 

Gând Spiritual:

Romans 8:28

28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Vă iubesc!!

Sora Hansen

Domnul Rizzers

 Bună Bună!!

Alright yall here's the week...

Highlights:

- Service with the kids from the country again. This time we were doing games with them outside, made me miss my coaching days 🥲 but it was a blast for sure. They all call me the speed goddess now, and needless to say I was everyone's first round draft pick for relay teams.

- Went to an Orthdox church service with our friend Mariana! It was very different, but a super cool experience!

- Went chalk finding again!!! We drew the plan of salvation this time!! We had a few good convos and only got bashed once (Let's goooo!!) 

- We had the coolest block knocking experience!! We felt prompted to go to a  specific apartment block and the first door we knocked let us in!! They talked woth about their family, our missions, loved our pamphlets, gave us their number, practically force fed us nasty chocolates and sent us on our way! We'll how it goes from here! We're excited!

-Bubble Waffles 

- Found some pass along cards that are just pictures of Jesus, so we've gone out just asking people if they want a free Jesus picture. (With like 98% of the people here being Christian Orthdox we get a lot of people who are more than willing to take it!)

- Had an unexpectedly packed church this Sunday but hey no complaints here. It's a good thing that Sora Reynolds and I made like 48 muffins instead of the original 12 we planned on. 😅

Not-so-Highlights:

- Creepy old men. Enough said. 

Funny:

- Watch badlandschugs videos, currently keeping the Craiova missionaries afloat.

Gând Spiritual:

 2 Nephi 2:2 

2) Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and *he shall consecrate thine afflicitions for thy gain*.

This Sunday we talked about trials and how they can help shape us, prepare us, and strengthen us. This week I got some good perspective on some trials in my life, and how up until now I had no idea why I had to go through that, or what lesson I supposed to learn. But though it has been a bit of time since I can now see how I was being prepared for the mission I didn't even think I was going to serve. The plans of the Lord are truly amazing 😊.

As always if you have any questions, need anything, or just wanna talk, hit me up!!! 

Vă Iubesc atât de mult!! 

Sora Hansen

CRAIOVA COOKIE CRAZINESS

 Bună Bună!! 

Highlights:

- Making a baking video with a spiritual thought!! Gonna drop soon!!

- For the baking video we made a ton of cookies, and it's been awesome, we've...

    -Shared them with our neighbors at the church (our church building is in like a shared commercial space) 

   -went cookie finding, basically tried handing them out in the park, it wasn't very successful... but a random foreigner trying to hand out baked goods in a park... idk if I would take any either

    -brought some when we visited some of our members this week, they were a hit!

    -and of course all of us missionaries here inhaled way more than we'd like to admit (and we're not even going to talk about the amount of cookie dough on top of that)

Anyway this is all to say everything didn't turn out how we liked but I glad we were still able to use them this week!!

-We helped out another one of our neighbors at the church. They have a bunch of kids from the countryside that come in every week, so we went to play games with them and help them learn a bit of English!! It was so fun!

-EXCHANGE with Sora Ballard!! She's an absolute legend. We had a great day and I really enjoyed learning from her!! We also were able to have a fire language study and get some of our questions answered by one of her friends.

-Had a bishop visiting from the UK. He wanted to talk with us, and then later that day had us meet with him and his nonmember friend for înghețată!! Let's go!!! 

-Visited our Branch President!! Him and His wife live outside of Craiova so it was a bit of a trek to get out there, but it was so fun!! They are some of the funniest people I've met, and so we had a blast talking with them, having a meal, and discussing a few general conference talks! The meal was fire too!! We had sarmale (first homemade batch I've had), tons of bread, apple pastries, and fresh goat cheese from their goats!! 

-We helped some Elders in Germany teach a translation lesson. So basically we just get on the call and translate everything that they want to teach into Romanian and then translate whatever their Romanian friend says into English. It was so cool!! Sometimes I forget I like actually know some Romanian haha.

Not-So-Highlights:

-No one wanting our cookies at the park 

-Seeing like every bug to ever exist on the pieces of metal and wood we were helping move!! With the star of the show being a few spiders as big as the palm of my hand.(Many prayers were said)

-Crazy trains and not knowing if we would able to get cash to get tickets back home

-THE HEAT🔥 

Gând Spiritual:

"Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going... Soon enough you will have the success you seek."

- Elder Holland (April 2016) 

I listened to this talk this week and it was literally just what I needed. I feel like I set always these goals and somehow week after week I don't measure up. But I love how he points out in this talk that we literally get credit for just for trying. So as you may feel like me and just don't feel like you're achieving what you'd like to, know that as long as you keep trying, it. is. enough. 

Vă iubesc atât de mult!!

Sora Hansen