RomanianReport: August 18, 2014

Buuuuuuuuuna ziiiiiiiiiiiua, prietenii și familie! This week has been a good one! It started last Monday with the missionaries from Bălți coming to Orhei with a return missionary who had served in this mission. He wanted to visiti Orhei Vechi, a monastery that is a "must see" here in Moldova that he never visited because he never served in Orhei. So we went with them! The monastery is at the top of a huge hill over-looking a valley and very beautiful. We went on a hike that went below the monastery to a bunch of caves and lead back up to an underground monastery. After that we took him to the ONE restaurant in Orhei. (You know you're in a small town when there's only one place to eat.... Haha.) It was really cool because once we started talking I found out he is from Morristown, New Jersey....which is the mission Joe is serving in! (Shout out to Joe) What a small world! The highlight of the week was that we had Zone Training Meeting for the new transfer and got a surprise....President Ivory! It was awesome. We got even more training from our great mission president and really kicked off the transfer in a great way. We were all a bit confused....because the mission president never comes to Zone Training Meeting....that's what Zone Conferences are for! But he let us know there that he's got some big plans for Moldova and that we will see him often. It's so good to see someone have such an interest in Moldova, because it usually gets forgotten. He told us that he needs strong missionaries who can set the example for the whole mission in Moldova because he knows the work is about to explode here, and gave us an awesome pep talk. I had called President the night before to ask him if he wanted me to apply for a Moldovan visa and he had told me yes. So it got me really, really excited to be working here and pouring my heart into little Moldova. Iubesc Moldova! The week continued with multiple visits to the mission lawyer and the embassy to get my visa papers in order....which put a bit of a damper on our lesson count. But we've got an AWESOME week ahead of us, with lots of lessons with potentials and members already set up. Are you guys bored yet about hearing about missionary work? Haha. I feel like I talk about the same thing every week. But this week I had a powerful experience that I want to share. Yesterday at church the first counselor in the Branch Presidency, Fratele Urii, asked us to come to Sora Taku, a member's, house right after church with the elders because they needed to give her a blessing. We happily abliged! As we walked to Sora Taku's apartment block after church we were informed that she had been diagnosed with cancer and that she was going to have an operation the next day. I knew that she's been sick, because the elders have been taking her to doctor's visits about every week since I've been here....but I had no idea she had cancer. There are no such thing as coincidences, my friends. Last transfer Sora Bird and I visited her and gave her the message that everything happens for a reason. In that lesson I shared the experience how dad was diagnosed with cancer right before he was going to leave for Russia on his mission....and they had to come back to America for his treatments....but that everything worked out because he is totally healthy now AND I got to go through the temple with my parents while they were home. I now know why I felt prompted to share that experience with her.... When we got to her apartment we all sat in her sitting room and talked about the plan for the next day. Sora Taku is a native Russian speaker, so it's much easier for her to speak Russian, so Fratele Urii was nice enough to translate everything they were saying into Romanian. After all the details were worked out, it was time for her to receive the blessing. Elder Streletskii (the new native Russian elder in my district, remind me to tell you about him later!) was the one to give the blessing....and even though I couldn't understand what was said, it was so incredible how strong the Spirit was in that room. After the blessing, Sora Taku turned to me and asked me if I would offer a kneeling prayer. I froze. This woman had just received an incredible, comforting blessing in her native language and then I was expected to give a somewhat decent prayer, giving her comfort in her time of great need, in Romanian. Fratele Urii turned to me and asked me to give it in English, which is NOT common for him...he is constantly pushing us in the language and helping us to learn more. He nodded in encouragement and I gave the prayer. When it was done, he turned to me and said, I understood that prayer. I was a bit confused because I knew he doesn't know English. He then continued, saying that it doesn't matter what language we speak because the Spirit is the same in every language. The Spirit was felt by everyone that day, even though three different languages were being spoken. It was such a good reminder that it doesn't matter if I can speak perfect Romanian... or Russian, for that matter....as long as I have the Spirit with me, the people who are ready for the gospel will feel it. It was such a great experience!!

Anyway, that's all I really have time for today. I love you all and hope this coming week is just grand.

PROFITE DE ZILE.

-Sora Schwab