Miracles
Wow!! Hello everyone! This week has flown by but it also feels like forever since I updated you all because so much has happened this week!!
Monday I took everyone to the very first hike I did here in Cluj called Cheile Turzii. That first time we hiked Chele Turzii I was with Sora Saunders, Elder Rouse, and Elder Wilkenson and they have now all left Cluj so I was the one in charge of showing the rest of the missionaries here around! It was actually so much fun! This time around it was a little muddy, and the first part of the hike is pretty steep because you climb to the top of this mountain/hill, up one side down the other, and then walk through the canyon down the middle of these two mountain/hills. haha (living at the base of the Cascade Mountains my whole life makes it hard for me to name small mountains actual mountains). The way up the mountain and down the mountain are a little steep so it does make it a little harder for those who are not used to hiking. One of the Elders is from Texas and so I did get a little complaining from him during the first part of the hike. . . "Sora Acton, I thought you said this hike would be fun" and "Sora Acton, thanks for taking us on this hike. . .now my butt is caked with mud because I fell" were just a few of the comments I got from him at the beginning of the hike, haha. The second part of the hike through the canyon is really pretty and he got some super cool pictures of the mountains and the river that ran through the canyon so in the end we were all happy, haha! It was a ton of fun!
Monday night, Sora Wenstrom and I were going through the people that have liked our church facebook page. I messaged this one lady named Maria. She responded right away and after a couple texts back and forth I asked her if there was sometime this next week we could call her and tell her more about our church. She then responded asking if we could call her that night! We had the time so we called her right away!! What a miracle this whole interaction was for the both of us. She is going through some really hard times in her life right now caused by her family so she felt like she had no one to talk to. I am so glad that we were able to be that someone in that moment to be a listening ear and a voice of comfort! After talking Monday night she agreed to meet us in person on Tuesday for us to tell her more about our church and the comfort you can find through Christ!
On Tuesday, as we were teaching about how our church came to be she shared with us that she reads the bible but sometimes it is hard to understand everything that it teaches, and that many people interpret its words in different ways. We then made a drawing for her to explain how to understand God's teachings better. We drew a dot in the middle of the page with a bunch of different lines intercepting the dot. We explained that the lines are different people and churches of how they approach the bible. We then drew two dots on the paper, explaining that one dot is the bible and that the other dot is the Book of Mormon. With two dots, there is now only one line you can draw through both dots. That is how it is with the Book of Mormon! It is another testament of Jesus Christ that helps us better understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
As we shared this picture with her she stopped us and told us a story of her own. She explained that several years ago, while on the bus, she found a copy of the Book of Mormon on the seat. She asked everyone on the bus but no one claimed the book so she brought it home. She read some of it, but had questions about it no one could answer so she has just kept it with her all these years. She told us that today she had a feeling of bringing it but ignored that feeling and wished she would have!! WHAT A COOL CONNECTION!!! She is so sweet and asked us at the end of the lesson if she could come to church with us on Sunday!! When she came to church she was so happy. During the second hour of church we went upstairs to teach the Lepure boys and she stayed downstairs for Sunday School with all the adults. When we came back together at the end of church she was so excited to tell us that she participated in Sunday School and even gave the closing prayer for the class!! Her excitement made me so happy for her! I am so happy that she is already seeing and feeling the joy that comes from the Gospel and the family atmosphere that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has!! I know that this church is the true restored church of Jesus Christ on the earth today! And Maria's story confirmed that even more to me this week! :)
Wow, sorry that was such a long story! I hope that those who have read this far into my week's journey enjoyed it. . . for the others, I am sorry. . . . hahaha
The rest of the week was just as exciting!! We had Mission Conference with all the missionaries of Romania and Hungary over Zoom on Wednesday and Thursday morning. I am so grateful for my mission and my Mission President and his family! I know for a fact that they are led by the spirit when giving us council and direction! The things that were shared in Mission Conference this week were so inspiring and just what I needed to hear! There was a short film that they showed us at the beginning of one of our meetings called "The Man Who Planted Trees", it is an older film and the story is SOOO GOOD! I loved the message it gave and I also loved the art and older type of movie it was, the narration gave me old Disney Movie vibes, it was the best!
We made some great progress with several of our friends, we have several friends who we teach English to that are now wanting to take more gospel related lessons! I love them all so much! It is so much fun making friendships with them and then being able to share with them the gospel-the source of all my joy in this life! Our lessons are so much fun! They are full of learning, laughter and love!
This Sunday was SUCH A GOOD SUNDAY!!! Last Sunday, while teaching the Lepure boys, they both were on their phones playing games almost the whole class. It made me sad because we were making really good progress in that class with paying attention and participating but then they were gone for almost a month because they were sick. At the end of class I shared with them that the fact that they were on their phones so much during class made me really sad. I told them that I may only have a few more weeks with them before I leave and so I would really like if they would pay attention for the short time that we do have together. Later that Sunday one of the boys asked for some popcorn that we had in the kitchen as our snack throughout the week so I told him yes on one condition, that next week he stays off his phone for all of class. This week he came up to me and said, "Sora Acton, guess what?! I left my phone at home today!!" He was so excited to tell me and my heart just burst with joy (that sounds like such a mom thing to say . . .but it is true!) During class both boys payed attention, participated and were not on their phones once!! That has never happened before and was such an accomplishment this week! It made me so happy! 😊 I love those boys with my whole heart and I love seeing them learn and grow!
All in all it was a great week full of love, learning, and growth! Everyday I feel closer to my Savior, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I have to serve as He did by having my full focus each day be on how I can help others! I love you all so much!! Take care and I'll talk to you all next week 😊
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