beautiful weather, beautiful conference, it's all beautiful!

My dear family,

Strastvuite! That's Russian for "buna ziua"... or at least my attempt at Russian. 

General conference. Oh, how I love general conference. Is it really already over? Why does it go by so quickly? We were able to watch the Saturday morning and afternoon sesssions as well as the Sunday morning session. The rest I will download off of lds.org and listen to while getting ready in the morning. Maybe it's because I've been putting an emphasis on family and how the gospel blesses the family in my studies recently, whatever the reason, the "theme" of conference for me was family and how the gospel blesses the family. After each session I watched, I came away with a full heart and a stronger desire to raise my family based on the principles of the Gospel. My mission has made me more excited than ever to have a family of my own and to be a mom. Maybe that's strange, but I crave the day that I get to be a mother. It is one of the things I most look forward to in this life. 

I could go on and on about the things I loved from each of the speakers. It was all beautiful and exactly what I needed to hear. All the missionaries here in Chisinau were able to watch a session of conference at Brother Alto's home. Brother Alto is a member from the United States, working at the embassy here. As I sat in his living room watching conference, I felt an overwhelming conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's church and how blessed I am to be apart of it. It was neat to think as I sat watching the Saturday and Sunday morning sessions live, that my loved ones were watching and listening to the same words I was at the same time. How neat modern technology is that we can be miles and miles apart and hear  the words of our prophet and his apostles at the same time. I felt a strong connection to my family watching at home thanks to this modern technology. 

Our week was beautiful for more reasons than just being able to watch conference. I feel like so much more time has passed than just one week. I have so much to tell you and I don't even know where to begin. Have I shared about Angela? She has been one of our investigators since I got here in March, and we've been meeting with her about once a week, sometimes every other week. She's been meeting with the missionaries for months, but due to a few social anxieties, she has avoided coming to church. Two weeks ago, we went and visited her in her home (all of our lessons had been done at the church until this point) so we were very excited to visit her in her home. At the end of our lesson, we were both confused about whether or not we needed to keep meeting with her, but were open to doing whatever Heavenly Father told us was best for Angela. She had had all the lessons, hadn't yet come to church and had had several baptismal dates that came and went. Going off of all of this, we were unsure if we should continue to meet. I told her at the end of the lesson, that we would be there the next morning, being sunday, to pick her up for church and that she could come to church with us. Dropping an investigator is always so hard, and I wanted to make sure we did  everything we could on our part to give her the opportunity to progress. The next morning, we started on our journey to pick her up for church. We needed to leave about two hours before church started to get to her apartment, and then back to church on time. We got in the maxi taxi at 8am, however, by 9am, we were still no where near where I thought we should be. I asked the maxi taxi driver where we were and we were no where near where Angela lived. I called Angela and explained what had happened, apologized for the fact that we wouldn't have time to come to her apartment, and asked if she could meet us at the church. I think she appreciated our effort to come get her and saw that we really did want her at church and that it truly was important for her to be there. She left her apartment and met us at church. I spoke that day in sacrament meeting, so unfortunately, I didn't get to sit by her, but Sora Peterson sat by her as well as one of our members. She stayed for all three hours of church and even participated in Sunday School, which is quite a big deal considering her social anxiety. She loved church and asked that we come over during the week and asked if it was okay if she came and watched conference. We visited her throughout the week. It was a night and day difference from the lesson we had had the previous week. She had done her reading, she had a light and hope in her eyes and she expressed her desires to be baptized and felt, for the first time, that she was actually ready to make that step. We explained the covenant made at baptism and how important that step and that decision was and asked if she felt ready to make that commitment to God and to herself. She came to conference yesterday and will be baptized this Saturday, assuming we can get everything arranged in time. Please keep her in your prayers that she will continue to act upon the promptings of the spirit. From this experience, I've learned even more how important it is for investigators to come to church. I truly know that that was what made the difference for Angela. I'm so grateful she came and is now progressing toward baptism.

Veronica called us in the middle of the week and asked if we could meet up as soon as possible.We left our lunch and met her down the street and walked with her to the church to have a lesson. As we got to the church, we showed her around the building and explained our church services. She wasn't sure why she wanted to meet up and isn't sure why she likes meeting with us. I have no doubt in my mind that she feels the spirit when we meet with her and that is why she enjoys meeting with us. We talked to her about some of her questions and testified to her that what she feels is the Holy Ghost and that she should look inside, ask Heavenly Father, and figure out what it is that that feeling is telling her. She enjoys speaking in English with us, which I try to avoid at all costs. It is so much easier to teach in English, but at the same time, so much more difficult. I am a firm believer in our investigators learning the Gospel in their own language and that the spirit can speak to them in a much clearer way when they learn in a language they are familiar with. Plus, I'm selfish and I want to speak Romanian as much as possible :) (Sidenote: I just got a call from Veronica and she wants to meet up today with us and her 17 year old daughter who is in town from Bucuresti! I love getting those calls from our investigators.) 

Saturday, we were able to meet with "our girls" as well as a member, Sevghi (17yo), who I absolutely adore. Truly, of all the people I've meet in Moldova, she is on my list of favorites. We went to the park with our girls and had a lesson there. Sevghi talked to them about her baptism and how difficult it was because her parents weren't in agreeance with her meeting with the missionaries, but as she continued to pray for their hearts to open, they finally allowed her to be baptized. I think it was exactly what those girls needed. They were asking her all kinds of questions about how her baptism went, if she was nervous, if she thought when she was investigating whether her parents would ever let her get baptized. Still doing what we can to meet with their parents and still praying they will open their homes to us and the Gospel. 

The last few weeks, I've been studying from the hymn book. Each day, I study a different hymn; it's words and the scriptures it references. Why have I never done this before? Our hymns are so beautiful and full of so much meaning and power. For me personally, sometimes, I go through the hymns and forget to remember the meaning behind the words I'm singing. As I've done this and sought to understand the hymns, it's given a deeper meaning behind each of the words. As I listened to several of the hymns sung at conference that I had studied that week, my heart was filled with so much gratitude and the spirit that is always there when I hear music, was so much stronger. 

I sat thinking yesterday, and I realized that since being on my mission, my testimony hasn't grown, however, it has deepened. I haven't learned anything I didn't already know before my mission, but I understand all these principles that I have been taught my whole life on a much deeper level. Just as the roots of a tree dig down deeper to keep the tree rooted where it is. I feel like that is what my mission has done for me. It has strengthened the roots that were planted in me as a child. 

I know I say this every week, but I love being a missionary. I will miss the day when people all around me don't stare at my nametag and look at me like I'm crazy. I told Sora Peterson the other day that I know we are doing something right when the people are looking at us like we're crazy. We're supposed to stand out from the world. We are a pecular people. I'm not sure they understand fully why it is that we stand out to them. Maybe because we are two American girls trying to speak their language, attemtping to talk to everyone in our path; maybe it's because we're wearing skirts and tights and nametags, and although it is probably a combination all of these things, I am pretty sure the biggest reason we stand out to these people is because of the light that comes from those who are righteous members of Christ's church. The light of Christ is unfamiliarly pleasant to those who don't feel it on a consistant basis. I want so badly for these people to feel that light on a consistant basis. "I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know he will hear my cry." 2 Nephi 33:3. I've never understood this scripture more. 

I know I say every week how much I love being a missionary and how much I cherish my time here and that it hurts my heart that it will someday come to an end, but please don't take that to mean that I am not eccstatic to see all of your faces again. I cannot wait to be near you all again. I crave your presence and the love I feel when I am around you. Although leaving these countries will be harder than I would like it to be, I cannot complain when I am coming home to the people who mean the most to me. All that being said, I do love it here. I love it with all my heart. For now, this is my home and these are my people. 

I love you. 

Be good,
Sora Cook

This morning, we taught an english class at a high school and shared a message with them about the gospel. They asked us all kinds of questions about the gospel and what we believe and several came up afterwards and asked how they could learn more. It was a neat experience. I already love the entire class! 

"make the fountain pure and all will be pure"

Family,

Good morning, afternoon, evening! Whatever time of day it is on that side of the world. I hope you all had a wonderful, splendid Easter! It's such a beautiful time of the year. Rebirth. It's been on my mind a lot this week as I've watched the sun come out and give life to the trees and flowers. It's beautiful. Just like the Savior does for us. He gives us life and beauty in our lives, The Orthodox calander hasn't celebrated Easter yet and won't until May 5th, so the Easter traditions won't start happening here for another few weeks, but I've thought a lot this week about the resurrection of our Savior and the meaning that this event has given my life. It's been neat to sit and reflect on His resurrection and the days leading up to it. I appreciated all of your insights in your emails. You are all so humble. I love reading the words of your testimonies of Jesus Christ. It makes my heart so happy to know that my family has a testimony of Him and are living your lives in a such a way that would allow the light of Christ to shine through in your words and emails. Are you all getting sick of me expressing how grateful I am for each of you and your emails? Because that probably won't stop anytime soon :)

This week. It was beautiful. We were able to meet with all of our investigators and invite 8 of them to be baptized. We didn't get any "yes's" but we also didn't get any "no's". All of them said they wanted to know for themselves before taking a step that they knew was a big step in their lives. I am so grateful that none of them are taking it lightly and recognize the importance of taking that step toward baptism and want to be truly converted before taking that step. We are doing all we can to help them through that conversion process and praying that their hearts will receive and accept the spirit and it's promptings.

The other day we were on a maxi taxi.... wait, have I explained what maxi taxi's are yet? Oh goodness, I am going to take this time to explain a maxi taxi before going on with this story. So basically, a maxi taxi, which is the main mode of transportation here in Moldova, is a large van with about 12 seats in it that drives a route around the city and picks up and drops off passangers along that route. You stand at the side of the street, look for the route number that you need, wave your arm for them to stop, pay them 3 Moldovan Lei (about 30 cents) and tell them when to drop you off. You're lucky to get a seat, most of the time you're standing at the front of the maxi taxi.... face against the windshield and getting really close and comfortable with everyone around you, and holding on to any type of stable object so that you don't fall every time the maxi taxi stops and goes. Think of the Night Bus on Harry Potter. Remember in the third book? That is what a maxi taxi is like! It's so exciting! Don't worry, although crazy, the drivers here are very good and know what they're doing. I've never seen one accident, surprisingly.

Okay, on with the story.. We were on a maxi taxi and a lady asked me to sit down next to her (I usually just stand so that if someone comes in they can take the empty seat) so I sat down next to her and started talking to her. She asked what we were doing here and where we were from, the usual questions. She had her two beautiful children with her who were playing with Sora Peterson while I was talking to her. She was so excited to talk to us, it was almost shocking. Embarassing as it is to admit, it caught me off guard. Before I had the chance to ask for her number, she pulled out her phone and asks if we can exchange numbers. I told her probably not... Kidding. Of course, I said yes and received her number. As we exchanged numbers she explained that she felt like she needed to talk with us more. The light in her eyes as she said this made my heart happy. Unexplainably. Less than an hour later we got a call from Veronica, that is her name, and she wanted to meet up that day. Sadly, we had lessons that night and couldn't meet that soon, but set up for th next morning. We met her in the park with her children and walked and talked about families and the restoration. She loved our focus on families and admitted that she wasn't really active in the Orthodox religion as her mother was, because she felt there should be a bigger focus on the home and families. We extended a baptismal invitation and she told us she would like to learn more, but didn't say no. We hope to continue to meet with her. Whether it's planting a seed, harvesting, or both, good things will come from us talking to her that day on the maxi taxi.

A few weeks ago, I quoted the scripture Proverbs 23:7 "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" and Nathan suggested the most beautiful talk to read called "As a Man Thinketh". This essay is changing my life. The scripture itself is something I have strong testimony of. I know that the things we think on and focus on, expand. Our thoughts and the desires in our hearts truly do effect our outside world. Our outside world is a manifestation of our thoughts and desires.

"Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood so lang as they propogate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and corrupt body. Thought is the fountain of action, life, and manifestation; make the fountain pure and all will be pure."

So much truth and power in that. I decided to do a scripture study on "purity" and found some beautiful scriptures. It's been very enligtening. The first was in Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in spirit, for their's is the kingdom of Heaven." Philipians 4:8 "Whatsover things are pure... think on these things." Timothy 1:5 "Charity out of a pure heart." These all got my mind thinking about the purity of my heart. But the scripture that "hit me the hardest" for lack of a better term is Titus 1:15 "Unto the pure are all things pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled." Exactly what that essay had said. So, my goal is to figure out how I develope a pure heart, pure thoughts, pure intentions, pure desires as to create a pure life.

I am excited for what this transfer will bring. I am striving to be an example to those around me and hope that through that example they will see the joy that comes from obedience. It really does fill my heart with so much happiness at the end of each night reflecting on my day and knowing that I was who the Lord would have me be, even just that for one day. Not perfect, but always striving and resolving to be better tomorrow than I was today. It's a good feeling.

We're in the works of getting my visa here in Moldova so that I can stay longer than the 90 days, As far as I've heard, a Romanian sister has never gotten to stay in Moldova more than 2 transfers. I would be thrilled if I got to stay a little longer. I hope it all works out. However, all things according to God's will, of course. Whether I stay or go, I will be where He wants me to be. I can't lose!

Sora Peterson is an amazing missionary. I can already tell she will be such a force for good in missionary work. We have been busy this week with lessons and haven't had much time to contact, but I am excited to take her out contacting this week to meet the wonderful people of Moldova and to search for the people who are out there and ready to hear the gospel. I know they are there and I'm determined to do all I can to find them.

And this is one of the beautiful orthodox churches. So gorgeous. I love this country. 

Yes, another one of me and the girls, Mihaela, Katea, and Valeria.