Transferred to Bucharest
Hello everyone! I hope you all have had a great week!
This week has been a roller coaster of emotions! Tuesday and Wednesday were full of lessons, saying goodbye to members and packing up all my stuff to leave Cluj. I have been in Cluj since the beginning of my mission, so I have been with all these people for 5 months! It was definitely hard having to say goodbye to people that I love with my whole heart! As I have been gone, I have also realized it has been pretty hard for me to know I can't help the people of Cluj in person anymore. I know there is still a lot I can do virtually and through prayer but it is still hard being separated from those that you care so much about.
Also, not only did I leave my first area, I left my first district and my first Zone! In a way it feels like I am having to start over! It has been a big adjustment and it has definitely not been comfortable. But you know what they say. . . "There is no growth in the comfort zone and there is no comfort in the growth zone! haha
Last transfer was still hard in certain ways but I was surrounded by so many amazing friends, members, and missionaries that taught me so much! I was non stop laughing the majority of the time, it was a blast and felt like home in many ways. Now that I am in a new city, district and zone there is a lot of unknown I get to figure out again. I am also a first time Sister Training Leader over a Zone I am not familiar with. All of these changes have been a little hard and stressful for me but on the bright side, just these last 3 days, I have seen growth in my mindset, my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior, and in my missionary work! I know that Heavenly Father is so aware of me and loves me beyond compare! I also know that as I strive to come closer to Him, I will be able to feel more comfort, love, and guidance in my life for my own missionary work and for those that I am called to teach and lead.
Even with this mindset, it is still hard sometimes to not get sad or down on myself. So, if any of you have any advice or wisdom to share I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter :) I am so grateful for you all and can feel the effect of your prayers in my life every day! Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement to me and all the missionaries serving at this time!
Bucharest is a lot different than Cluj and it has been a lot of fun getting to know everyone here. We actually have a chapel here in Bucharest and a big branch! On Friday we went to a member's house and made Sarmale with her which was so much fun! And then on Sunday we went with the Elders to bring her the Sacrament and she fed us snacks, soup, Sarmale, and two desserts! (there are 4 sets of Elders in our branch and 3 of them came with us to her house so there were 8 of us there in total. . . .so much fun!) It was so much fun to get to know her and her love for all the missionaries! She has so many pictures of all the missionaries that have served here since she was baptized in 2005. She also loves singing which was such a little tender mercy to me because when we went to visit her on Friday and I was feeling a little sad, we sang several hymns together! It was so beautiful, invited the spirit so strongly, and calmed my heart! :)
Saturday night was also so much fun as we have a city wide games night! There are 7 sets of Elders in the city as well as many young adults and youth that come to games night! We played 9 square, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball! And we had enough people to have full teams, it was such a fun time and was also another little tender mercy/blessing as I was able to play sports and interact with so many different people!
The language is still pretty hard for me but I am understanding a lot more of what is being said and the words that I can say I feel like I pronounce pretty well but when it comes to speaking in full grammatically correct sentences I still really struggle with that! And I do still struggle having a back and forth conversation with someone and knowing what all has been said. I have a goal this transfer to really work on memorizing more words and working on the grammar side of the language! I hope that by doing that I will be able to progress a lot this transfer! I hope that by June I can hold conversations with members, missionaries, and our friends!
Thank you again for all your love and support! I am so grateful for you all! Hope you had a great Easter weekend! Orthadox religion celebrates Easter next weekend so I will have more Easter stories to share with you all next week!
With lots and lots of love Sora Acton
Dear Sora Acton, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings regarding your transfer. It is evident that the Savior has blessed you with His love in abundances and as you share it with those around you, the impacts of the gospel is felt deeply. You will be in our prayers that you may reach your goal of speaking the language freely by June. There is no doubt in my heart that as you apply your self to your studies you will reach that goal.
ReplyDeleteReading about your love for the work you are doing warms my heart.
Some of our greatest blessings are on the other side of fear. Keep up the great attitude and work.
I love you so much. You are doing an amazing job. I can't wait to hear of your adventures next week.