Jacob in Romania 6-24-2013

Hello!!!                                                6-24-13

How is everyone doing? I love your emails they are very funny and make me laugh. So last week was my first official week in Romania. And let me tell you it is very interesting. Ha-ha I have to start getting use to Romania because it’s a very different mission. I mean of course we are sharing the Gospel with people but the success rate is very low, as you already know. 

One of the main things we do on a daily basis is contacting. For at least a few hours a day we just go around and talk to people about the church. I would say most people just laugh or think we are a joke but every once in a while we have a pretty good conversation. Its very fun and getting to know different people is always fun. Actually I believe it was last Wednesday we went contacting and it was awesome. I don’t really know what to expect but my trainer Elder Rasmussen told me it was one of the best contacting he has ever done in his mission. We got about eight people in a row that showed some interest and actually talked to us. It seems like everyone here has their own set of beliefs. Sometimes it’s difficult to share a message with them. We ended up passing out two copies of the Book of Mormon and we also got a few phone numbers. That doesn’t sound like very much but it is. Our Zone has a goal of giving out 100 copies of the book of Mormon for the next six weeks. So as you cant probably see it pretty hard to give out copies. I love contacting though. I’m getting a little better with the language. One way to learn faster is but writing out what I would want to say for a contact. They I study those words out. I figured that is one of the most important things I need to learn how to do at this point because that’s the majority of what we do. 

Another thing we do is English contacting. The mission does English classes (taught by us) every Tuesday and Saturday. My first time going to that will be tomorrow so we will see how it goes, but I love English contacting. We basically just go around and pass out flyers about the class. I have a lot of fun with it because I will sometimes start talking to someone in English and they will just start at me and then ill explain it in Romanian. Ha-ha Or if they know a little then I just explain to them in English that they can learn more. And it’s free so when ever people hear the word "free" they get really excited. 

Lets see so this week we had 1 official lesson. His name is Marian and knew Elder Rasmussen from when he served in Galati a few months ago. He’s 18 and a really smart guy. In the lesson he actually brought his girlfriend which was good too. He really likes to get off on tangents and has so many questions about different things so we really tried to focus on staying on topic. Anyways the lesson went so good and the spirit was so strong. We talked mostly about the book of Mormon and Faith. After the lesson he basically said that he likes us but that everyone believes in the Same God so what’s the point. It was really frustrating because I know he had to have felt the spirit and he just doesn't want to do anything about it. 

Another experience we had was on Friday we were English contacting and we started to talk to this black man from Kenya. He is a refugee and there are not too many black people in Romania so we had to talk to him. He actually only spoke English but was the happiest, funniest guy I have met. We got his number and set up an appointment with him for the next day. So to make it short, he’s what people call a weefy. Which is basically some who says they are coming to an appointment but then never shows up. ha-ha So on the Teaching record we put down that Abram (his name) is a very nice guy, very weefy but apologetic. Haha he always says in so sorry I didn’t make it I was eating. Ha-ha He has wasted a little bit of our time so I called him yesterday and told him that whenever he wants to meet with us, just call us. He said he would definitely do so. Ha-ha 

That’s about it. Today I got my nice European hair cut. I had way too much hair on my head so I just took a few pounds off. It’s so hot here and the tailor shop is never open so I am still wearing long sleeve shirts. Where’s Pete the Greek when you need him. Ha-ha anyways the mission life is great. I love it here in Galati. Its so beautiful and being a missionary is so fun. People just stare at me but if I catch them staring then ill just walk up to them and start talking about the Church of Jesus Christ. Ha-ha I love you all and thanks for the birthday wishes. I expect everyone to send me presents. Ha-ha no doesn’t do that. Love you all and the Church is true. Share it with the people you know, even if it’s only for a minute. Even if they are not interested they will respect you more for doing it. Miss you all and have a good week. 

Elder Mayans

question and answers

Nad yes I will. My apartment looks really crappy because the blocks are really ugly but the apartment is not too bad. Church was decent. It’s been really hard because the branch has had some drama. There have been some rumors that have been going around so we had to fix a few things. Other than that it’s going good.

Sorry I didn’t answer a lot of your questions. So the mission home is in Bucharest and that is about a 4-hour train ride so no we are not close. And no I have not received tias package. I forgot to tell you that at the moment it is pouring rain and there is a lightening storm. So it will be interesting walking home ha-ha 

One more thing, last week we had to go to iaşi which is a 5 hour train ride for zone meeting. Iasi is an amazing city and has a lot of history. I got an awesome picture but I don’t have it right now so you will get that next week. We also went to a mall there and it was the BIGGEST and nicest mall I have ever been it. It was so weird and I didn’t feel like I was in Romania

 Yesterday we went to the river and it was crazy because there were so many people there. Now we know where everyone goes on Sunday nights. 

Love you pops!!! Have a good week and good luck with work. Dude there is a huge storm right now it is crazy.

1st week in Romania

1st week in Romania Email!!!                                    6-16-2013

Hello family and whoever else reads these e-mails! As you know this is my first week writing from the beautiful country of Romania. Holly cow I thought this would never happen. Where to start. First off the flight here was fun but at the same time it was awful. I thought it would never end but it did. Actually the flight to Amsterdam was really good and Elder Harper and I got some work done on the plane. It was awesome. It was our first time actually getting to talk to real people. We passed out a few books of Mormon and some pass along cards. It went really well. Actually there was a point on the plane where some of the elders including me were standing in the back of the plane because we were so sick of sitting down. When we were standing, some of the stewardess’ (mostly from Holland) started talking to us. They asked us so many questions about the church and it was really cool to see them learn more about the Church because they didn’t know much. We ended up teaching 3 of them on the plane for a good 45 minutes. So ya that’s about the flight. The plane was awesome and HUGE! It’s pretty much a house on wings. Ha-ha

So yeah, our last flight to Bucharest was a really scary and dirty plane. Ha-ha it just didn’t feel safe. And at that point no one spoke English. That’s when it got a little scary. So we landed and met President and Sister Hill and the A.P. They all took us back to the mission home where we sat there and had more instruction on things. Even though we were in Romania, the time we got there was like 2 in the morning (Provo Time) so everyone was so tired. It was really funny because everyone is trying to make a good first impression but started to fall asleep. Then after that we got to have personal interviews with President and Sister Hill. They are so nice. I heard a lot of really good things about they but now after meeting them I know I am going to love them. So yeah in the interview I got to get to know them more and tell them about my life and stuff like that. 

After that we all got matched up with our Naş. That is the Elder you are matched up with for the first day and first night before you get you trainer. My naş was Elder Slimbosky from California. He is a really funny guy and is known for being a fashion freak. The next morning I caught him blow-drying his hair and I was like dude what are you doing? Ha-ha but no he’s a really cool guy and has about 6 months left. So the first night you usually go with you naş and maybe walk around, get some cool food, and do some street contacting just to get a feel for the country. But it turned out that Elder Slimbosky had an unexpected call for a lesson that night so he was like actually your coming with me to a lesson. I was the only Elder out of all the Elders and Sisters that came in to go to a lesson on the first night. I was excited but kind of freaked out at the same time. Anyways this is probably one of the funniest things that have happened to me so far. So we take the metro (which is sweet) to get to their house. (A little back ground on this lesson. So their names are Dan and Maris. They are non-progressing investigators who called to have us come over because their grandma or something like that is in town for the next few days and wanted to meet us. The family is Protestant and they actually worship the Grandma because they believe she is the closest person to God. I know its pretty weird. So we get there, it’s in a tiny purple room with the lights very dim. Elder Slimbosky starts speaking some language that I guess was Romanian. (I thought of the Best Two Years when he says, Elder that’s not what they taught me in the MTC) So to make it short the lesson was a lot of talking about religion but not too much teaching. Every once in a while they would start screaming things out loud and chanting rituals it was crazy! Then the grandma and a friend that she brought from Church started to sing to us. The songs were like 7 minutes long and I felt so out of place. Then one time they asked us to sing a song. Elder Slimbosky and I looked at each other and then proceeded to sing I Am A Child Of God in English. It was the funniest, most awkward moment I have ever been in my life. Oh and also while we were doing this the whole family was snapping pictures of us on their phones. The lesson finally ended with a 15-minute prayer by Grandma. It was an intense prayer. From what I understood, she blessed that we would find the people who are searching for God and she also blessed me that I would learn the lesson quickly. After we walked out Elder Slimbosky was laughing - was that was the most perfect way to start you mission. 

So the Next day I got My Trainer!!! His name is Elder Rasmussen. He’s a really cool guy from Fresno, California. He actually only has 6 weeks left so I’m going to get a new trainer next transfer. He has a really strong testimony and is excited for me and is happy to be my trainer. He’s a really good cook and loves to do it so we eat very well. My first area is called Galaţi. If you want to look it up its on the eastern side of the country right at the tip of Moldova. Its a very small city and very poor. Galaţi is one of the poorest areas that missionaries go to. We have looked in our area book and there is not one investigator at the moment so we are starting off fresh. There are plenty of people out there waiting for us to find them. We live in a 10 story block (they are the ugliest concrete buildings in the world and they are everywhere.) ha-ha It’s awesome though. I love it so much and I am having a really good time. Because I was only in the MTC for 6 weeks there’s this thing that I do called the 12-week plan. It’s for the first 12 weeks out in the field. Its pretty much just study material and my trainer and I do together. It requires a lot more time inside just studying so we only get a few hours out of the day to go talk to people. We have talked to a few people and have gotten their numbers, and this week we are planning on doing a lot more. So yeah, it’s really hard to write on the first week because so much has happened. I love you all so much and I hope everyone is happy and doing ok. I love you all and thanks for all the support. 

Before I end, I’ll talk a little bit more about the Country. La ţara (which is the Country side) is beautiful. It is very green. It’s hard to explain because at the same time Europe is very different. I still have to remind myself that I'm in Europe because it still doesn’t feel like it. Buchureşt is a huge city and has so many people. When you are in the heart of the city you can’t really see around you because there are blocks everywhere. The Metro stations are also really cool. They are all underground and pretty much go to any part of the city. Buchureşt is poor but kinda just feels like L.A. ha-ha if that makes sense. And every once in a while you will see someone with a super nice car drive by it’s pretty ridiculous. But Galaţi is very poor like I've never seen before. A lot of the roads are dirt or very poorly paved. Oh also you not suppose to drink the water in Romania but especially in Galaţi. It comes out of the tap brown sometimes. It makes me appreciate water more. Every time we need water we walk a mile to the Church building and get it up there. 

I forgot to tell you about Church. We actually have a building here which is nice. It’s pretty much just looks like a house but it works. There are about 10 active members in our branch so as you can imagine it gets a little quiet. The members are very nice people and are very strong in the Gospel. It amazes me to see how much faith they have in the Savior even when they have so little. Only a few of them have been able to make it out of the country to through the Temple. 

This e-mail is not very well organized but I also forgot to say that there are 2 other Elders serving in Galaţi. Their names are Elder Ward and Elder Cunningham. They are super funny guys and have welcomed me in very well. 

Ok, I’ll finish off with one more thing. That is that yesterday after church Elder Rasmussen and I went to go visit Sister Prada, a member who is in the Hospital because of diabetes. We went to the Hospital and I felt like I was in a horror movie. The hallways were all dark and inside each room were 10 beds per room filled with people. It was really hard to see because hospitals are really bad here. We ended up talking to Sister Prada for a while. She is a really nice lady and loves the church. The doctors say she will probably die soon and she is already starting to lose her sight. I’m sorry that this sounds like a really sad or negative story. Its just reminds me of the importance of our work as members of this church. These people need the gospel. I love the Romanian people. They are such nice and humble people. There are also a lot of crazy people but the good people have very soft hearts. I love this Church and I am honored for the Lord to send me here. Thank you for all you prayers and support. Love you guys. 

-Elder Mayans

P.S. 

Funny things or things I thought were interesting

-Yesterday a gypsy walked up to me for money. I told him no and as I proceeded to pass him, he slapped me as hard as he could on my back/neck.

-There are dogs everywhere!!! I miss Chester but I don’t miss dogs. Some are really sweet and others like trash.

-Today I say a security guard tazering a bird for fun.

-There is a cat with 3 kittens that live in front of our block (Sarah would like that)

-I am getting eaten alive by mosquito (so glad mom packed itching cream)

Family-

I know this is horrible news but I got my camera stolen in Chicago. The cameras here aren’t too expensive but I tried buying one today and the debit card doesn’t work. Can you work and fix that and then write me back. Love you

Jacobs last letter at the MTC

6-5-2013

Heeeeeeelllllllooooooooo family and friends!!!!!

So this is it!!! This is the last email I will be sending you guys in the MTC!!! I have loved the MTC so much!!! I have made a lot of really good friends here and because I have been with them every hour of the day I am able to get to know them very well and feel their spirit. So this week has been soo good! I am continuing to grow every day with the language of the spirit and Romanian.

So first off I got my travel plans so I will start off with that!!! Wooooohooo

Ok, so we are leaving next Monday morning. We have to be at Salt Lake City airport at 5 in the morning. Our flight takes off at 8:42 AM. Then we are going to Chicago and have a lay over there for a few hours and then we fly to Amsterdam, Netherlands at 4:10 PM. We arrive at 6:55 AM. Then finally we fly to Bucharest at 9:20 AM and arrive at 1:05 PM

Hopefully that makes sense. So back to this week. This week has been a little bit different. I am continuing to learn so much gospel Doctrine and how to teach. Also, we are still teaching our investigators in Romanian everyday which I look forward to so much. I am continuing to learn and grow every single day.

So after we all good out travel plans, it really made us realize that we will be in Romania before we know it. With that in mind, it is really easy so stress out about the language and stuff but I know that stressing out isn’t going to help me at all. All I can do is try my best and the Lord will do the rest. I know this is true and I have to trust in the Lord so much. Last week I had an answer to my prayers when I was feeling a little down about not being prepared enough. So I got the impression that I should write down a bunch of verbs on flash cards. I looked in my grammar book and chose about 200 verbs that are really useful and important. I know it doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but for some reason, I have been able to memorize so much more and it has really helped me. Also, when my district saw that I did this, all of them ended up doing the exact same thing. Ha-ha! So it hasn’t just helped me. I ended up laminating the cards and they are always in my front pocket everywhere I go so I can study whenever I have time.

Zone leader is still going great. It hasn’t been too hard and it’s just been really nice to meet my entire zone more. We have such a good zone I cant stop saying that. Like I already said, I go to a few meetings a week and they teach us how to lead. I always get so much out of those meetings and it teaches me how to be a better leader. The main thing we learn is to have Christ like attributes. When Christ was on the earth, he always taught with love. It’s very important to love everyone no matter what, even if you don’t get along with them very well.

Lastly, something funny happened this week that I though I would share. So after devotional every Tuesday night we have a district testimony meeting. I’m always so tired after a long day and after devotional but the testimony meetings are filled with the spirit that I always walk out of them very awake and with the spirit. Anyway, this week we decided to have the meeting outside in the very back of the MTC campus. So while someone was baring their testimony, we heard these two little boys on the other side of the fence screaming at each other at the top of their lungs because they didn’t want to take out the trash. I don’t remember exactly what they said but the spirit was so strong and then all of the sudden they started yelling. It was very funny.

Again, thank you so much! I love you guys so much. I’m so blessed to have such a good family and very close friends. I hope all of you guys are doing well and are happy. I am so happy to me a missionary and serve the Lord. Bye!

Family---

Thank you for the packages mom!!! I love them and my favorite part was Sarah’s letter! Ha-ha it was so cute.

-So I will call you at the airport1 it will probably be when I am in Chicago but I’ll let you know. Make sure you guys have your phone on you so you don’t miss my call!!

-And the phone is so nice! Ha-ha I thought pre paid phones were really cheap. It wasn’t too much money was is? And is it ok that I just throw it away after I'm done?

-Love you!

Jacobs Missionary letter- week 4

5-29-2013

Hello Family and friends again!!!!! This is week 4 e-mail which is crazy! I have been here for a month…. ahhhhh!

So this week has been a crazy one. So much has happened but at the same time it hasn't because weeks go by so fast here. I still love the MTC and you really can feel the spirit so strong here. I’m trying to think of something that really stood out this week. So, as all you guys know the MTC is basically sitting in a classroom all day and they just cram so much information into your brain. Surprisingly though, the longer I’m here the more I’m not as overwhelmed. It’s not because we are doing less work, I think I have just been able to use my time better. You really don’t have much time though. Everyday is so busythat sometimes you don't know what time it is. So this week actually has been a little harder for me. I feel like I learned so much in the first few weeks with the language and I haven’t learned as much as I have wanted to this week. I am still learning so much and my testimony has grown so much. Just the thought of leaving to Romania in 12 days freaks me out a little bit. I am so excited to go and I have spent a lot of time on my knees asking Heavenly Father to prepare me more because I know for a fact I am not ready to go to Romania by myself. I know that through and only through the Lord can I be a successful missionary.

Another big thing that happened this week was I became Zone Leader! My zone is so awesome and it’s a really good group of missionaries. I don’t know if I have told you guys but my zone has about 65 missionaries in it. It includes all the missionaries going to Italy and Romania. My leadership position caught me by surprise but I am so excited to serve them. I’m convinced we have the best zone in the MTC. Actually tonight we are getting a few more Italian missionaries so I have to welcome them which I am looking forward to doing! I thought I was busy enough with everything else that I have been doing but I guess the Lord doesn't think so.  I am excited and my goal is to get to know everyone and bring us closer together. I also know that as I continue from other peoples examples, that I will become a better leader. I am looking forward to growing a lot from this because I honestly don’t know that much.

Yeah, that’s about it. I am lovin' life here. At times I do get a little home sick but I know there is no experience like serving a mission and I love serving the Lord. I hope everyone is safe and happy! On the days that are really hard for me and I can’t focus very well, I think of all of you guys and know that you believe in me. It helps me to think that everyone back at home supports me and loves me. Thank you for everything and for all the prayers. I can feel them and they comfort me. Anyway, the church is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. If we show our trust and faith in Him, he will help us become the people he wants us to be.

P.S. Keep those letters coming!! There is no such thing as sending too many letters.

Elder Mayans

Friends and Family,

  If you want to write Jacob at the MTC  it is really easy.  Go to dearelder.com   It will have a place to click write a missionary. When selecting a mission select  PROVO MTC.  His box number is 164 and his departure date is 06/11.  That is all you need .  Then type your letter and they will print it off and deliver it to him by the next evening for no charge.  It is a pretty awesome service.  Here is another great letter.  It made his mamma cry (ya thats me)!!!

week 3!!!!!!!!!

Woooohoooo!!! Hello again family and friends!!! I cannot believe this is week three for me!! From today I am exactly half way done with the MTC!! It has gone by so quickly. It's little a scary to think that I'm going to be in Romania in just a few weeks.

So this week has been absolutely amazing! The Spirit is teaching me new things every single day. The main focus we had this week was the docterine of Christ and faith. I love learning more everyday and I feel like even though I know it I learn more every time. Also, I'm beginning to love the scriptures so much more now. It's so useful to use scriptures in lessons. It's really cool because if someone asks us a question about something we know right where to go in the scriptures to answer the question. It's so much fun.

Dang its really hard to think about what to write because this week has gone by soo fast. So basically the average day is filled with teaching us about 60 percent gospel teachings and 40 percent language. We learn a few things about different grammar principles for the language and if feels like it never ends! haha I love learning though and each day is so productive. So for example if we learn how to say certain things in Romanian we have to include it in baring our testimony or teaching a lesson. It really forces you to master it.

   

Another thing that has been on my mind and is something we have talked about this week is the people out there who are looking for this Gospel. We have talked about how this life is a test and everyone is at different points all trying to get back to our Heavenly Father. To me that reminds me that we are just trying to get them back on the path. The path that they want to be on but just dont know why. I'm so thankful for this opportunity I have to do that and serve the Lord.

I love everyone so much. You guys have been so good to me and have given me so much support. Thank you for all the letters you have sent me, they really help each day to be even better. Well, again I love you all and I love this gospel so much and there is no where that I would rather be. The Church is true!

Oh so by the way, I have learned a little bit more about Romania this week by my teachers and I thought I should share because its really funny. So everyone I guess calls Romania the Mexico of Europe. haha. I know you guys know that there is a lot of poverty there but also there are no opportunities for jobs. So they said that basically everyone that you will meet is either moving out of the country or wants to. Also, during the summer just to get away, many families go one a 3 month vacation and just leave the country. Also, on every single street corner there is a shoe shiner and a tailor! haha so that's good for me. My shoes will always be polished with a nice Romainian spit shine haha. Thats about it! By everyone

Jacobs 2nd letter

Week 2

Hello Family and friends!!! How is everyone doing?? I’m trying to think of what to write but there has been so much and I don’t want to repeat myself. So sorry if I say the same thing twice.

So I officially feel official now. It was a big transition coming into the MTC but now it feels like normal life. Ha ha it’s been probably the longest two weeks of my life. Just looking back to when I got dropped off feels like forever ago because so much has happened. The first week was soooo slow and the days felt like weeks but now that I’m getting the groove of things its starting to speed up. It’s great and I love everyday I’m here. During the day I sometimes think about what I would be doing right now if I wasn’t on a mission and nothing seems as important anymore. I know this is where the Lord wants me to be at this point of my life.

So some stuff I didn’t mention is my first letter. In the MTC we do practice lessons with our teachers and fake investigators. My first lesson I did was the second day I got here! And it had to be in Romanian! It went well but it was interesting. I’m pretty sure they just did that to us so that we would understand that there is no way of learning this language without the Lord. I have taught I think about 10 lessons now and each one is getting better and better. I take notes to look at during my lessons to help me say certain things but every lesson I feel more and more comfortable. I take a lot less notes with me now and I can express what I want to say a lot better on my own. It’s still hard, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a goal for me in the next week to be able to teach without any help. I get nervous for every single lesson but I kind of like it. haha. It makes it more of a challenge and I look forward to it everyday. I know the Lord has blessed me with the Gift of Tongues and I can already see it working. It’s pretty amazing. The only thing that makes me mad is that one of the girls in my district is a straight up GENIUS! It amazes me how much she knows but its ok, everyone learns at different speeds.

Last night we had our Tuesday night devotional and guess who came and spoke to us!!! Russel M. Nelson!!!! It was soooooooo good!!! It was a really neat experience. Right when he entered the building, the entire room went completely silent and we all stood up. It was so cool and his talk was very inspired. He talked about missionary work and all the people that are cheering for us, even the ancestors of the investigators on the other side of the veil. The way he put it made me very excited to serve and love all the people I meet in Romania.

Lastly, today is P-day so we went to the temple! I love the temple so much I feel the spirit every time I go. I’m going to miss going to the temple in Romania but hopefully we can teach and convert so many people that they have to build a temple. haha I guess that is a positive way to look at it. Well, I love you all!!!! Please, please please write me. I enjoy reading every single one of your letters and I’m sorry if I don’t respond soon. I try my best but its hard to get any extra time. I love and miss you guys. You’re in my prayers. The church is true. I know it with all my heart. I’m so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the Gospel and I want to share it with others because it will bless their lives just like it has blessed mine. 

PaPa ( means bye bye in Romanian)

Family

-Mom and dad hope you guys had fun in Hawaii... ha ha you guys would go to Hawaii right after I leave :)

-Mom, happy late mothers day! I love you

-and I sent a little hand written letter to Ben today but I don’t know his address so I just sent it to the house.

- and of course do some spell check, I try to type fast.

Personal funny fact!!! Ha ha so the first time I gave a lesson I was super nervous but it went well so I shouldn’t have been nervous. But afterwards my companion and I went in the hall and all the sudden I ran and threw up in the trash can!!! Ha ha it’s the start of the funny mission experiences- just thought the family would enjoy that!




Jacobs First Week at The Missionary Training Center

Elder Grochmal meeting us at the MTC

Romania District

Jacobs companion Elder CLoward

Every Missionary has to ahve this shot

Hello family and friends!

How is everyone doing!!! I don't even really know where to start because everything has been so amazing!!! I love being a missionary and I feel old! It's weird. This week as you can imagine has been a huge change in my life and it takes getting use too. But I feel now that I have been at the MTC for exactly a week now I'm starting to get the hang of things. I love it here. Everyday has been filled with the spirit and it really does make your day so much better. And now that I'm waking up at 6:05 every morning (because our district is the first district to have gym :/ ) each day is so long. So lets see going back on this week, so much has happened. As you guys know, Ryan was my host and met me at the curb, which was so cool.  I registered and he showed me around and then he took me to my classroom to meet my teacher. I walked in the room and my teacher just started speaking Romanian to me super fast -it was crazy! I had no idea what he was saying. ha-ha Then later that day we had our first orientation meeting which was so cool because it was all the missionaries that entered that day all in the same room. The spirit was so strong as the MTC president and councilors bore their testimony and testified how important missionary work is and how happy the Lord is for us to go on a mission. It got me really pumped for the work but you guys know me I've always been excited to serve a mission.

So actually right before that meeting I met my companion! His name is Elder Cloward from Salt Lake City. Ha-ha. I would have to say we have completely different personalities but somehow we work very hard and got along together. He is always either super funny or super spiritual. He has a really good heart and a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

So my room has four people in it. The others are Elder McArthor and Elder Reed. I like them a lot too. We as a district work very well together and get a lot of things accomplished. Oh yes, so districts. As you guys already know there are not very many missionaries that serve in Romania so there is a total of I believe 11 Elders and 2 sisters that are here right now which I guess is a lot more than normal!!! My district has 4 elders and the 2 sisters and the other district has the other 7 elders. Our two small but strong districts are so awesome! We have a lot of really good people and we need it because our zone is the Romanians and the Italians. And the Italians out number us 50 to 13! ha-ha

So the Romanian is very hard but it’s coming along pretty well!! The teachers are very good and their way of teaching us is by never speaking English!!! At times it is very frustrating but every day I can understand more and more!! I can now bare my testimony, say a prayer, and make little small talk!!! I know that this wouldn’t be possible without the Lord because there would be no way I would be able to learn it in ^ weeks!! Yes, I know only 6 weeks. I leave to Romania June 11. As I think back I remember that I have only been here for a week. Its crazy!!

I don't have much more time so lastly I wanted to talk about Sunday. Sunday was such a good day. It was fast Sunday but before Church started it was MTC conference. The speakers were amazing and I was really comforted that this is where the Lord wants me to be. I know this is where I am suppose to be but is was really nice just to have the spirit comfort me. I know this church is true with all of my heart! I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my Savior Jesus Christ. This week, my teachers have touched a lot on how none of this is for me. I am to loose myself and bring souls unto Christ. It’s a huge task but I know with the Lord, anything is possible.

I love all of you so much and I hope everyone is well. I miss you guys but I can feel the love that you guys have for me. If anyone gets a chance send me letters!!! What makes missionaries happy are letters!!! ha-ha but really after a really long day its nice to read letters from you guys!!!  My Mailbox number is #164!!! The Church is true!

P.S.

- Tia thank you for the huge box of food!!! It’s amazing and everyone in my district is so jealous! I told them I have the most amazing Aunt

-Elder Reed in My district has the same exact mole on his chest. We bonded right at that moment!