September 8, 2014 - Atingere de mână de master.

привет! Această săptămână a fost o aventură. Some of our adventurous actions included having a picnic for Labor Day with most of the Moldovan missionaries (we made sloppy joes and they were so American and delicious), watching the Joseph Smith movie with our branch for Family Night, going to Cișmea, a village outside of Orhei, baking a brownie cake for our district leader's year mark, getting an awesome new investigator from the depths of our Area Book, celebrating National Grandparent's Day yesterday (Shout out to Grandma Ila and Grandpa Jack!) and lots and lots of missionary work! As you can tell, we go pretty hard out here in Orhei. And also as you can probably tell... not a ton to report. Haha. But I do want to share a lovely poem that our district leader shared in our district meeting this past week---

The Touch of the Master's Hand.

'Twas battered and scarred,

And the auctioneer thought it

hardly worth his while

To waste his time on the old violin,

but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,

"Who starts the bidding for me?"

"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"

"Two dollars, who makes it three?"

"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,

From the room far back a gray bearded man

Came forward and picked up the bow,

Then wiping the dust from the old violin

And tightening up the strings,

He played a melody, pure and sweet

As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"

As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"

"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"

"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,

Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,

But some of them cried,

"We just don't understand."

"What changed its' worth?"

Swift came the reply.

"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

"And many a man with life out of tune

All battered and bruised with hardship

Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd

Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,

A game and he travels on.

He is going once, he is going twice,

He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,

And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,

The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought

By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

I've been studying the Christlike Attributes in Preach My Gospel and just finished this past week. (It only took me six months, it's fine.) But I've learned so much while studying more about the very characteristics that make up our Lord and Savior. He is the most perfect being to have ever set foot on Earth. It almost seems overwhelming to try and "become like Him" because....how could we? There is so much to do... I learned quickly that I can't do it by myself and that I need to be constantly seeking my Heavenly Father's help if I want to be more like Christ. I need the touch of the Master's hand. This world can leave us battered and scarred...but the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the touch of the Master's hand, can help us make music that we never thought possible. What a beautiful concept.  :) Until we meet again (via the internet).

PROFITE DE ZILE.

-Sora Schwab

Now photographs!

A silly photo of the Orhei missionaries with two members here, Diana and Ion, who had us over for dinner last Sunday. It's blurry....but it just makes it that much better. Haha.

Sora Bynum and I pretending to be cats.... 

The food we ate....plăcintă and sarmale. Delicious Moldovan dishes!

A bike in front of an abandoned building in Cișmea.

The inside of another abandoned building.

Bynum and I (yes! wedo have legs!) with an INCREDIBLE member in Chișinău named Nina. We went to dinner with her when we were in Chișinău for Labor Day.

The litter of puppies we found behind our apartment block this week. There's four of them and we named them after the members of The Beatles. From left to right, it's Paul, George, Ringo and John is the white one of top....he's my favorite.  :)

Slavic and Cristina, two members of the branch here, on their wedding day! Slavic is the Elder's Quorum President and Cristina is the Relief Society President! They're awesome!

Last but not least, the view from our apartment. This little run-down town gets more beautiful every day.