November 27, 2014 - Recolta.

First things first.... Happy Thanksgiving! I know it's cheeseball....but I really am so grateful for all of you lovely people who pretend to read my weekly ramblings! It's so odd to think all of you are gathering around a table eating turkey and mashed potatoes and yams (Dad's favorite). I thought it was going to be really hard not being there this year....but I am SO grateful for the opportunity to serve the people here in Romania right here, right now. As I was pondering what I could write all of you on this Thanksgiving Day.... I was thinking about the word harvest, or recolta. (Prepare yourself for a rockin' comparison to missionary work...) To harvest, you have to work ridiculously hard for a very long time with little to no reward.....and then.....BOOM! You get this awesome, lovely, incredible, tasteful harvest at the end named Mari.  :) Sora Black contacted Mari on the metro and we set up with her soon after. In the very first lesson she opened up and told us that she felt like she needed a change in her life and be a better person. As she told us her story, I was reminded SO MUCH of myself. She was saying and doing the exact same things I was doing and saying when I needed to change my life around about two years ago. I was able to connect with her on a level that I had not yet felt on my mission. I was able to bear strong testimony that this is the path that God wanted her to take and promised her that her life will be better as she follows this path. The lesson was very emotional and spiritually charged. At the end of our lesson, she told us that she felt like meeting us was a sign from God and that it felt right. We had another lesson with her later on in the week where she accepted a soft baptismal commitment AND she came to church. We met with her again on Wednesday and had one of the most spiritual lessons I've ever been a part of. I was able to tell her that we would help her with the changes she wants to make and that it would not be easy....but that she can do it through Christ. I feel so strongly that both Sora Black and I connected with her in ways that a different missionary couldn't have....and it feels so good to know that after months and months and months of working my missionary butt off and having nothing to show for it..... "...when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." (Mark 4:29) The harvest has come, my friends. It's beginning to happen here, it's happening in Russia and it's been happening all over the world. Are you putting in your sickle to harvest?

PROFITE DE ZILE.
Sora Schwab

Sora Pauni and I. Sora Pauni is my "mission sister" because we were both trained by Sora Tanner. She went home this past week for medical reasons.

 Just some graffiti we found in Buc this week. Get it? I'm the urban party....

This is of my FAVORITE member here in Mihai Bravu. Her name is Margareta and she's a sassy 80 year old woman who has an incredible testimony and has truly taken me under her wing here. This week we visited her and she tried on my glasses and couldn't stop laughing.  :)

This is just a doormat we found will tracting. I almost always take photos when things are in English and this one was funny because we were hoping they might just be members of the church! They obviously weren't....

These two photos are from my half mission mark! Can you believe it's already half way?!?!?!?!!!!!! I know you all miss me so much and it's dragging on for you....but there's only 9 months left!  ;)

Anyway so this is of my "mid-mission crisis." Suprise! After 22 years of not dying my hair, I dyed the tips of my hair blonde! Photos to come next week....

The second photograph is just of me celebrating in my new tribal print leggings and the Nirvana ice cream my companion bought me. Whoo!

Just kidding, here's a sneak peek. My hair is in a bun so you can't really see it... This photo is of Sora Ralls and I, a missionary who just finished her mission and went home. She was a senior at Bountiful High when I was a sophomore and we had to come all the way to Romania to meet!

November 17, 2014 - "Tău cel mai bun este suficient...."

I never know how to start these emails so I'm just going to jump right in! This week we had Zone Conference! Elder Kearon from the General Quorum of the Seventy came and spoke to us and it was such a great experience! I learned a TON of stuff....but some of the highlights were when he talked about how we need to be happy with our work, but never satisfied. This concept really hit me hard. We've been working our missionary butts off here in București and we're not seeing ANY results. So this was a really good reminder. I can be happy about the work we're doing because I know we're working hard.....but also never to become satisfied with what we've done because we can always do more! Also, he reminded us that we were called to a specific place at a specific time with specific people because of our specific stories and experiences and testimonies that can so specifically help a specific person. So we need to be ourselves! Sometimes I feel like I need to fit the perfect cookie-cutter guidelines of a missionary....but that's not me! I love rock & roll and sometimes I meow at people....and I've gone through some very different things than other missionaries haven't and I need to use that to my advantage! I love that. The coolest part about the whole thing is that before the conference actually started, Elder Kearon had all the missionaries come up and shake his hand. As I got to him, Sora Ivory leaned over and told him that my parents were serving as mission president and wife in Samara. He lit up and told me he wanted to talk to me after the conference. I ended up getting like a ten minute one-on-one interview with a general authority! It was the coolest experience ever. There is so much he said to me that was so inspired and that I ABSOLUTELY needed to hear. The first thing he said to me when I walked into the classroom where we had our interview was (remember he has a British accent which makes it way better...), "Well aren't you just lovely? We need to just take you and put you right on the cover of the church news." It really has nothing to do with anything, it was just cute and nice. Haha. What followed was a true heart to heart about how much I've been struggling since I got back to Romania. He listened to everything I said and gave me some great advice. He told me that my best is enough....and right now that I am doing my best and that the Lord is pleased.....which was such a powerful thing to hear from a general authority. At another point we were talking about how we get called to such a specific place to help specific people. I expressed to him that I felt as if I hadn't found anyone that I've helped in that specific way yet..... He looked me square in the eyes and told me that he KNEW that it would come and that he's sure it's already happened and I'm just not aware of it. It was good to hear that too. It was all over one of the coolest experiences and we ended my interview with a very personal and specific prayer given by Elder Kearon. Ah! It was incredible. God knows me so perfectly and knows exactly what I need....and that was something I needed. It was a great boost and even though things are still going downhill in the aspect of our "success" in our work, it gave me motivation to keep going and get through it. On a totally different note, the missionaries in București are doing a big Christmas performance at the American Embassy and I've been asked to direct the whole thing. So that's like....only the coolest once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ever. Haha. I've never, ever directed a choir.... But I am the branch chorister here in Mihai Bravu just because no one else can lead....and somehow that got me to the position of choir director? Anyway, it's a huge job and I'm so stoked to do it! So I'll keep you posted on that! But I better wrap this bad boy up. Love you all! 

PROFITE DE ZILE.

Sora Schwab

OH! P.S. I will not be having P-day next Monday! We're switching it to Thursday so we can have a big ol' Thanksgiving feast. So you'll hear from me then.

Sora Bird and I when we went chalking in Parcul Titan this week and plastered the Romanian church website everywhere.

Sora Bird, Elder Feil and I at Zone Conference. These are two of my very best friends that I've made out here on my mission. It's funny because we all became really close in Moldova where we served together a few months ago. Elder Feil is a Russian speaker, so he was called to Moldova....but out of nowhere he was called to be the Assistant to President here in București. Then I was transferred to Buc... and then Sora Bird got transferred to Buc. Anyway, it was so fun to serve all together again. He just left for Moldova again and this was when we said goodbye to him. Candid!

Gotta love the awkward missionary photos!

Me, Sora Bird and Sora Tanner at Zone Conference. Two of my past companions and easily two of my besties.

My missionary family at Zone Conference this week! To the left of me is Sora Tanner, my trainer and therefore my mission "mom," to the left of her is Sora Pauni, the second missionary she trained...making her my sister. To the right of me and the one kneeling in front are my brothers. They were trained in the district where Sora Tanner was the oldest sister, therefore making her their mom and therefore making them my brothers. Hahahaha. I know, it's confusing. But this is my mission family! My mission dad has already gone home. The missionary on the far right has no relation to me. He's just one of my brother's dad. Anyway, I know you really care about this....

 

Sora Black, my current companion, and me with some of the elders in our district. We love them!

Last but not least, we were supposed to go paintballing today with the missionaries in București but it got cancelled because of the rain. Anyway, Sora Bird and I wore matching camo shirts to get in the spirit of things and here's a candid of us in those.

November 10, 2014 - Știu ca tot vă fi bine

Hey hi hello! What the heck. Where do I even start? Okay, well life is crazy. I don't even know. Sometimes I just have to step back and laugh and really ask myself, "Is this real life?" The last three-ish weeks since I have returned to the field since my medical release have easily been the most ridiculously hard, challenging, difficult, rough and all over lousy time of my entire mission....and that's saying something! Mom and Dad have been so good and supportive and give me some killer advice to get my chin up. (Shout out to the best parents ever!) There were multiple times I've broken down in tears and just cried while on my knees, begging Heavenly Father not to take these challenges away from me, but to give me the strength to bear them. I knew that Satan was just getting at me because I just got back to Romania and doesn't want me in the field.... But things were at an all time low...and getting worse. We had every, single investigator lesson that we had scheduled and planned fall through, our most promising investigator, Ana, dropped us and Sora Black and I have both had easily the worst verbal attacks by people on the street than any other time on our missions....and multiple of them! It was after one of these attacks where it came to a point this past week where I felt like I simply could not handle it anymore....I just couldn't stand how hard everything was and how many things were going wrong. It was then that I gave up. I gave it all to the Lord and told Him that I needed to know that this was all going to be worth it. Immediately I got a very strong impression that very hard things happen before very big things happen. Like Dad said in one of his emails to me a couple weeks ago... "Satan is working VERY hard right now. Why? Because he always does so when something spiritually important is about to occur." I just KNOW something big is about to happen in București....and I'm so glad that Heavenly Father trusts me enough and loves me enough to let me go through challenges to prepare me for what's about to happen! I love this work....the highs and lows and everything in between! This is the Lord's work and everything that's supposed to happen will happen if I'm working my hardest and relying on Him! :) Anyway, I love you all and I hope you have a lovely week. Pa pa!

PROFITE DE ZILE.

Sora Schwab

These photos are from a graveyard we had to walk through on our way to a member visit this past week. The cemeteries are beautiful here...complete with crows and crosses everywhere.

Beautiful graveyard.

This is the city map of București right outside of the metro stop by our church building. The chapel is in a suuuuuuuper ghetto part of town. Anyway, I just liked this because someone tagged English words across the whole thing. It makes it a little more home-y, ya know?  ;) P.S. You all probably know I don't like pink a lot....but Sora Bastidas gave me this dress for my birthday and I had to wear it. Hahaha.

The outside cabbage market. They just stack the cabbage on the street and sell it right then and there.

My district at church on Sunday! From left to right it's Sora Black(my companion), me, Sora Trebas, Sora Lee, Elder Bonner, Elder Kennedy, Elder Jarman, Elder Whitehead and Elder Laititi and Elder Chatterton are up front. My district is so fun and I love them all!

Sora Black and I are doing a picture directory for the missionaries of our branch because there are so many members that we don't know. One of the members wanted to try some and here's one that turned out decent. Haha.

Casa Poporului, the "People's House," which is the Palace of Parliament here in Romania. It's the heaviest building in the entire world and second biggest building aside from the Pentagon. We went on a tour of it today for P-day and it was so rad!

Some bomb.com chicken pot pie that Sora Black and I made for a member this week who just got out of the hospital. We had to improvise with the crust.... Haha.

Me with a piece of art in the Museum of Contemporary Art inside of Casa Poporului. It's a cat chair. So great....

One of my favorite pieces from the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's called "Sacrificiu" or "sacrifice" and it's this artist's depiction of Christ on the cross.

 

Sora Bird and I in front of Casa Poporului today.

Sora Bird and I on top of Casa Poporului, selfie style.

Just the lovely architecture of Casa Poporului.

The view from the bathroom inside of Casa Poporului. Only the best view ever... Haha. There aren't cameras allowed inside unless you pay a giant chunk of change.... so the bathroom and roof are the only photos I got!

My favorite piece from the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's called "Ochii care nu văd" or "eyes which don't see." You can't really see it in the photograph, but there are hidden faces that had ribbons wrapped around their eyes... very cool.

November 3, 2014 - Este aceasta un vis?

This is weird. Here I am, sending you all my weird weekly updates on my life again! Haha. Where do I even start?! Going back to America feels like it was such a dream.... and being back in Romania is so great! It's like it's all one lovely, mashed-up dream. I know I haven't emailed for a bit, so this update is probably going to be kind of all over the place... When I arrived back in the field, I went back to my companion, Sora Bastidas and back to the same area, the Mihai Bravu branch in București. We only had about a week and a half left of the transfer and tried to make it count as much as we could. Transfer boards came out on my birthday and we found out that Sora Bastidas would be leaving to Oradea and I would be getting a new companion! Sora Black, who was coming from Oradea, right out of training! Now Sora Black is here and we're doing great! She's ridiculously good at the language, and a really hard worker. I'm excited to see what we can get done this transfer! We have a goal to help someone come unto baptism and we know it'll happen.  :) Let's see.... That's basically it. What else? This mission is so hard. SO so so so sooo hard. Haha. But nothing that was ever worth it was easy, and nothing that was easy was ever really worth it.  :) Anyway, here are a bunch of photographs...which I feel are way better at explaining my life than I am. Love you all! Have a great week.  

PROFITE DE ZILE.

Sora Schwab

Sora Bastidas and I, the companion that I had for a total of two and a half weeks, before and after my return home.

Me with a giant flower.

The view from our apartment window. I love being in the middle of the city! 

The Mihai Bravu chapel we have here in București....A REAL LIFE CHAPEL!

Beautiful Buc.

The beautiful city.

One of my two graffiti photos of the week. I was pretty happy about the shout-out to Pink Floyd in English on our way to the internet cafe.

My other graffiti photo of the week.

Me with my birthday cake. Meow. 

Me in front of a public toliet.....THE FIRST ONE I'VE EVER SEEN IN ROMANIA!

Me with two of the elders in my district, Elder Laititti and Elder Bonner. We went district contacting for our English classes on Halloween. I dressed up as a cat and they dressed up as hipsters. Hahaha.

Sora Black, my new companion and I, on the underground on Halloween. It was actually a pretty good contracting tool, because Halloween is an American holiday. So we got to explain to a lot of people that we were from America and it led perfectly into talking about our English classes!

These are from the lunch we had with both districts from București today as a kind of belated birthday lunch because we didn't really celebrate mine (it was around transfers and things were crazy). We went to this Indian restaurant I've been dying to try and so many missionaries showed up! It was super fun.  :) This one is

 with Sora Bird, one of my companions in Moldova and probably my best friend from the mission. She just got transferred to București and even though she's in the other branch, I'm way happy I get to see her so often!

Sora Bird, Elder Feil and I. We all served together in Moldova and now we ALL happen to be in București. Feil is serving as the Assistant to President, Bird is serving in the Panduri branch and I'm serving in the Mihai Bravu branch. We all got REALLY close so it's so good to all be in the same city again!

 

 This is the huge group photo. The five companionships from the Mihai Bravu branch were there, two companionships from the Panduri branch (the other branch in București), the office elders and the APs. It was such a good time!