Buna Ziua! Wow. Has it only been a week? Hahaha. I feel like I've been in Romania long enough to call it home!
Well, where do I even start? Haha. On the 31st I began my journey with Elder Manning to Romania. We first flew to Atlanta Georgia, where we met up with the missionary going to the Netherlands (one of them being Sister Adams, my companion). We then flew to Amsterdam on a nine hour flight! We took off late and there was some pretty gnarly turbulence. I didn't sleep a wink because I was too excited to get to my mission. We traveled all night and in the morning we only had an hour between our flights in Amsterdam...so we were pretty pressed for time. When we finally landed, it was fifteen minutes until our flight to Bucharest left. So in other words, we missed our flight. But the Lord is so merciful! I had time to see Sister Adams off and we got a flight to Bucharest that afternoon. Long story short, we finally got to Romania! Whoo! I met President Hill and Sora Hill and I just love them! It was definitely hard getting used to everyone being called Sora out here, because in the MTC I was the only one! Eventually everyone stopped calling me Sora Schwab and just called me Sora. So the first day I turned every time a sister was addressed! The next day we did a bunch of technical stuff. I got a physical (in which I was required to be buck-naked. But it's okay because it's like I was bearing my testimony when she saw my garments...) and we went to go get visas. We stood in line for four hours and they turned us down. Hahaha. We were taken to the train station after that to meet our trainers.
My trainer's name is Sora Tanner AND SHE IS THE BEST. I am serious. We're already besties. We are so much alike, it kills me! We are both really determined to get work done and bring souls unto Christ....it's gonna be such a rad transfer! When I met some of the other missionaries being transferred, every single one of them asked me to speak Russian to them....not Romanian, but Russian. Apparently word got out that my parents are serving in Russia and somehow it got twisted that I was FROM Russia and spoke Russian fluently. Hahaha. From there we took an eleven hour train ride (we were in the crazy cool compartment-room-thing like in Harry Potter and I felt like I was really on my way to Hogwarts...) to Cluj-Napoca, which is the first city I'm serving in! I feel so at home here in Cluj. It reminds me a lot of Quito, but with a European twist. Everything is soooooooooo beautiful. Our apartment is incredible. I absolutely love this place. And the people are amazing! Even though I can't understand what they're saying... Hahaha. I thought the language was hard in the MTC and boy was I in for a treat... This language is ridiculous. Haha. I was in church yesterday, and literally the only thing I understood was the sacrament prayer for the water... #sob But I know with patience and faith I will learn it eventually!
We also got to watch general conference yesterday! Maybe I'm just in Sora-mode...but it seemed like every single talk was geared to missionary work! I challenge all of you to take M. Russell Ballard's challenge and invite someone you know that doesn't have the gospel in their lives to meet with the missionaries! Anyway, we're REALLY pressed for time because we want to go watch the rest of general conference. Love you all! The church is true!!
PROFITE DE ZILE!
-Sora Schwab
P.S. No photos today because we're in an internet cafe and it won't read my card reader... I'll try next week!
Oh! P.P.S. I want to explain the mailing situation. So I can't receive mail to my apartment here in Cluj. Instead it goes to the mission home. But we are over ten hours away from Bucharest. So...if you want to send me mail just know I might not get it for up to six weeks! BUT don't let that discourage you. I would still love to get some! ;)
The mission home address is--
Sos. Pipera Nr 41, Et. 7
Sector 2
014254 Bucharest
Romania
Pa!
No comments:
Post a Comment