OHHHH hey family!! Remember me?! Another week has come and gone and it feels like it's been a month... Crazy.
We got to go to the Provo Temple last thursday and today (1:00 on p-days cannot come fast enough). It is such a nice break. That and the temple walk on sundays are just so relaxing for me. Today I did endownments for a lady named Sarah Coek. Sounds a lot like Sora Cook. Kind of funny.
Sora Ewell and I are still getting along. She will be an amazing missionary. It would be awesome if we could be companions at some point in Romania but I'm not counting on it. Sora Modzelewska and the 2 Elders going to Romania leave on monday so it will just be Sora Ewell and I... crazy. We get more elders at the end of May. It will be weird just being sora ewell and I. Luckily, we have gotten to know some of the Elders a few classrooms down. They are making us move classrooms and apartments this week. And we moved branches last week. No consistancy whatsoever here. Which I guess is an awesome opportunity to get to know more people. We'll see how that goes.
Every saturday we have workshops where a few different zones get together and a teacher at the MTC talks about a certain topic and in last week's workshop, the topic was 'the conversion process' and when I told the teacher that I loved this topic and that I was excited because I had just written my "farewell" talk on this topic, the teacher sat down and let me teach the class. So... I got up and taught the class about the conversion process. It was a pretty cool experience for me.
Guys, Romanian is HARD! I feel like when I'm sitting in class learning the grammar principles and different concepts, I pick it up really well and the teachers keep saying they are shocked at how fast Sora Ewell and I are getting it, but then when it comes to applying it (which apparently is pretty important) it is so frustrating and difficult and I feel like I know nothing. Sitting in a lesson with an investigator and understanding everything they are saying and knowing exactly what you want to say back, but having a limited vocabulary and no idea how to say what you want is by far the most frustrating thing I've ever experienced. And no, I'm not being dramatic. It really is THAT frustrating. This week, I have been wishing I was english speaking so badly. I would be out of here in a week and I would be able to express all the words I want to say. Not that it would be easy... I know ever mission has it's challenges... I am just admiring the english speaking mission's challenges from afar.
I am getting attached to Sora Modzelewska. It will be very hard seeing her leave on monday. She and I are so opposite, but I love being around her. She has such a childlike spirit and I loveand admire her strength. Being so far away from family, having no support from home, english being her second language, and then learning a new language. She is such an inspiration. Even if she does like to break the rules quite a lot. I still love her and hope and pray we get to be companions in romania. We've gotten to be really close. It will be hard to say goodbye.
I can't believe it's May. It kind of feels like time stopped when I came into the MTC and I have no concept for time or dates. Speaking of, happy birthday daddy and Joseph!!! I am sending you a million happy birthdays!!! (well, maybe not a million... I'm not going to try and count how many, but it's definitely a lot.)
I am learning a LOT! Like really, it's crazy how much my brain is soaking in. I know that it is all because of the spirit. How else could 19 year old boys and 21 year old girls come out and learn a crazy new language and be taught so much in the gospel in such a short amout of time if not by the power of the Spirit? It's insane. Being here puts to light how blessed I am and how much God has given me, including such a supportive and strong family. I am so fortunate and feel so honored to show my gratitude by dedicating 18 months of my life to my Heavenly Father. My faith is growing every day and I am learning to rely on my Heavenly Father more than ever.
Well, we finished our lessons with Traian and he is now our teacher. His name is Fratele Sandburg. (Fratele is 'the brother' in Romanian.) He's a great teacher but very different from our other teachers which is nice because we get all different kinds of personalities. One of our teachers is from Romania. Her name is Sora Petrisor. She is a great teacher. We started with 3 new investigators this week -all of them our teachers playing as a real person that they taught in Romania. One of them, Bogdan, is a skeptic and doesn't believe in organized religion and just thinks his relationship with God is between him and God and he doesn't need a "sect" to feel spiritual... (at least that's what I think he said... it was all in Romanian so I could be wrong. For all I know he wants to be baptized next week.) Our other investigator is Gheorghe, George in romanian, (pronounced gee-or-gay) and he is a spiritualist and came to the missionaries at church with the question about psalms 82:6. He has been going to a lot of different religions and asking what that scripture means and no one could answer. And then our last investigator is Maria and she is atheist and doesnt believe in God.This one and the skeptic are difficult. We've only had one lesson with each of them and it was just a "get to know you". Maria and Bogdan are tracting investigators and both took me off guard. I didn't even know how to respond when Maria said she didn't believe in God. Where do you go from there?? I guess I'll find out as I study and pray more for her. Hopefully it goes well.
Questions I have been pondering on that I would love feedback on... (through dearelder though because I would like to read them before next thursday)
--Why is it important that we know that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three seperate beings? Why do we stress that in our religion? What's the significance in knowing that?
--Why is it important to have 'organized religion'? Why can't we just have a spiritual relationship with God and why can't that be enough?
These questions were actually brought up during scripture study a few days ago and then it was funny that we got the investigators we did, because it was exactly what I've been studying. I feel like I have some answers to both of them but would love your insights. I have asked A LOT of people the first question and not a lot of them have been able to answer it. Most of them just say "Because God wants us to know that." But they obviously didn't really get the question. The question is 'WHY is it IMPORTANT that we know that?' Thoughts? Insights?
Devotional on Tuesday was amazing. Keith R. Edwards of the seventy spoke and although he didn't say this in his talk, this is what I got out of it. In Alma 8:13-18 when Alma was cast out of Ammonihah and spat upon and reviled against and he leaves with great sorrow and the angel appears to him and says "blessed art thou Alma, therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him." and then the angel tells him to return to Ammonihah and preach repentance to the people. Now if I were Alma, I probably would have said to the angel, "Did you not just see what happened back there?" But that isn't how Alma responded. It says in verse 18 that "he returned speedily". After reading that during the devotional, I just sat there and was almost numb. That is exactly how we should respond to the Spirit when the Spirit speaks to us. No matter how afraid we are or how little sense it makes. I love his example of obedience and faith. How cool. And how blessed we are to have the examples of these prophets in the scriptures and the prophets of today. Seriously, what did we do to deserve this? God must love us a LOT!
Jerrica, you're GRADUATED!! HOLLA!! I'm so proud of you! I bet that is such a good feeling!!! congratulations:) James, Have fun in Michigan this week. Be safe. Chris.... TAHITI?! That is very cool! (did I spell that right? Probably not...) Have fun!!! Marissa, good luck with the knee. Let me know what the doc says. Everyone else, I don't know what going on in your lives... but whatever it is, I hope it's great!
If you get a chance, I would love to hear from you. Even if it's 1 sentance on dearelder.com... it would be amazing to hear how you are. Thank you SO much to those who have written. Your letters make the work sweeter.
I love you ALLLLL!!! so much. You are in my prayers. Thank you for your love and support. It's incredible how much and how strong I can feel it. I'm so blessed. Thank you for being apart of my life.
Miss you all,
Sora Cook
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