August 4, 2014 - Stau în Moldova!

Buna zuia! Buna dimineață? What time is it there? Haha. I always forget there's a time change and I feel like you guys should be awake! 

As the title of this email states, I am staying in Moldova! Whooo! We have transfers this week and we found out Saturday where we're going. Sora Bird is leaving me to go back to Romania...stupid visa rules.... I'm really sad to see her leave because in the short month and a half we've spent together, we have become SO close. She is so rad and will without a doubt be one of my best friends from the mish. We get along so well, it's almost weird. At first I was really, really upset that we were getting split up.... because we work SO well together! But I soon realized that it was such a tender mercy that we DID get to serve with each other just long enough for us to become as close as we have. She is going to be a Sister Training Leader in Galați!She is just the girl for the job. She'll do great! Speaking of members of my district serving in leadership positions this coming transfer..... ELDER FEIL IS OUR NEW AP. Ah!!! Elder Feil is a Russian speaker and we only have seven in the entire mission, all of who serve in Moldova. There has never been a Russian speaker in the office, because everyone in Buch speaks Romanian! But he is going to do sooooo good. We became pretty close this transfer and I just want everyone to know that he told Sora Bird and I that we were his favorite sisters in the mission BEFORE HE BECAME ASSISTANT. (My claim to fame.) My new companion will be Sora Bynum. She was the STL who Sora Bird did her exchange with this last transfer! They were companions in the MTC and I've heard great things about her! (Fun fact: the three companions I've served with so far in Romania have all been from the same MTC group!) So I'm excited to see what this transfer will bring. We're going to tear Orhei up! Today we are in Chișinău where I will be on exchange with Sora Uhl for the rest of the week. Her new companion and Sora Bynum will travel here together, then Sora Bynum and I will head back to Orhei. 

There isn't a ton to report from this week. We just did lots of missionary work and tied up a bunch of loose ends before Sora Bird gets transferred. Except one.... our fridge has been broken all week and we still haven't been able to get it fixed. We've been living off of dry cereal and fresh fruit from the piața. Haha. So I'm assuming that will be the first thing on our to-do list when we return home. The only other email-worthy thing that happened this past week was that Ion, a member of the branch here in Orhei got his mission call this last week! He will be serving in the Australian, Melbourne mission, speaking English. He is so excited. I am so excited for him! He will be an awesome missionary. 

Okay, quick spiritual thought of the week: This week I was going through a bit of a dilema and stumbled upon this scripture in my studies and want to share it all with you! It's Ether 12:27--

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

That scripture literally says it all, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I love you all! I hope you all have a glorious week full of rainbows and smiles.

PROFITE DE ZILE.

-Sora Schwab

The liter of baby puppies we found this past week while hunting less-actives. Possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen. I whistled and they all ran up and started licking my feet Sora Bird caught my little school-girl excitement on camera. (And no, Dad.....we didn't take them home! Although I really wanted to....)

This incredible church we stumbled upon while trying to find a member's home. Churches in Moldova are NEVER this nice....and this one was in the middle of nowhere! It was so beautiful, I just had to take a couple shots! (The Mormon church is true, everybody. Just remember that.)

Sora Bird and I with Carolina, one of our investigators (right of me)
and her niece, Doina (right of Sora Bird) who is our almost investigator!

Sora Bird and I with Ion. He's going to be such a great missionary!

Sora Bird and I with Diana, a member in our branch.
She's a return missionary who served in Romania too!

Sora Bird and I with another investigator, Irina. (Can you tell how much we walk around?
The sole of my left shoe is destroyed! My toes totally poke out. Hahaha.)

The last photo we took of our district before Sora Bird and Elder Feil
got transfered. Missionary photos are so awkward.... Haha.

A giant chess set we found in Chisinau today... Haha. So fun!