Craciun Fericit!!
I talked a little about it already in my last email but we had our Christmas Mission Conference at the beginning of this week and that was so much fun!! I am so grateful for the mission! We really are like one big family and it is always so much fun when we get to all get together for conferences! I really do feel so spoiled with how amazing every single missionary that serves here in Romania is!! While at conference, I felt like I could go up to any person and/or table and be able to have a great conversation with them; talk about the mission and how the work is going, talk about home and family traditions or just talk about something random and laugh together.
On Monday we arrived in Brasov around 11, got some lunch with our district, went to the center of town, talked with people on the streets, and got to explore the town and little shops for about 3 hours and then we went back to the church for dinner with everyone and a nativity program with scriptures and music. After the Nativity Program, we went back out to the center of the city to carol together as a whole mission! It was so much fun!!! We even caroled on the bus while we were traveling to the center of town! We walked around and sang probably for over an hour! It was so much fun singing Christmas songs all together and sharing Christmas cheer with all the people on the street of Brasov! After caroling outside in the cold we went back to the church for hot chocolate and dessert! It honestly was such a fun, happy, and spirit-filled night! It made my heart very happy!
Tuesday was our second day of conference. It started out with a message/training from President Rucker and he did such a good job!! Ahhhh I loved what he had to say so much! He gave everyone a sheet of paper with 43 lines on it and gave us a little pop quiz. He had 43 different sound segments to listen to; some were just sounds, others were small clips from popular movies, and others were talks given by general authorities. He would play the sound and then we had to write down where that sound was from or who made it. Throughout, and after, the activity he explained to us the importance of truly listening and being in tune with spiritual promptings. He also spoke of the importance of listening and better understanding how the Lord speaks to us. I loved the scriptures he shared with us in 3 Nephi 11: 1-7. Here it talks about how sometimes it takes a lot of work to get the clutter out of the way to hear the Lord's voice! In these verses, the people had to hear the Lord's voice 3 different times to actually recognize who was talking!
Are we in a place/are we preparing ourselves correctly so that we would be able to recognize the Lord's voice the first time, or is there so much clutter in our lives right now that it would take us a while to recognize Him?
President Rucker also pointed out that our prophet has used the words "plead" and "urge" a lot in his addresses to us and how we should listen more intently to those pleadings and urges! I want to get the list of all the times he found where President Nelson says he pleads with us to do something or urges us to do something because it was a lot!1 And it comes with a lot of invitations to do and become better versions of ourselves!
After President Rucker's thoughts, we broke into three groups for trainings and role plays; one with the AP's, one with us, the SML sisters, and one with the senior couples. It was a lot of fun leading our breakout session and doing role-plays with everyone! And then at the end of each group I was prompted to share something from my personal studies that morning with everyone. I read in Alma 38:2-5.
I love in verse 4 where it says, "I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word's sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee."
I shared how luckily we are not having to deal with the trial of being hurt physically but there are things that can hurt us mentally and spiritually but as we choose to be steadfast, faithful, diligent, and have patience through those harder times in our lives we can truly be able to experience joy we can not even comprehend at this time in our lives!
I also love in verse 5 how it says, ". . .ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
I know that to be true and am so grateful for the knowledge of that truth!
The end of our conference ended with trainings within our zones and we talked about the importance of urgency and how to effectively use urgency to our benefit and what we can do to not let urgency overwhelm us! As we talked about this, I took away the teaching that it is important to have big goals but from those goals we can break them down into smaller things that we can do each day. I think it was a quote from President Thomas S. Monson that was shared that said, "If you want to change the shape of your life, change the shape of your day!" I know that as we choose each day to change, to listen a little closer to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and strive each day to be a little better, we will make our way closer to our Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ! We will be able to feel more everlasting joy and happiness! And we will be able to have a clearer perspective of this life!
Conference was so amazing and I loved all that I learned and am excited to see my growth these next few months as I choose each day to become just a little bit better!
The rest of my week flew by! Sunday service was beautiful and I was able to feel the spirit so strongly a I sat there and just absorbed all that was being said! Afterwards, we had a traditional Romanian meal with our branch which was really good and it was fun to talk and spend time with our members. After everyone left we went to the cemetery where Sora Gorzo was buried and sang some Christmas songs and a couple of her favorite hymns she liked to sing with us! That was so special and I also felt the spirit so strongly there as we sang together! And then the rest of the day we got some media work done, called our families, and I made a turkey Christmas dinner for everyone! It was a great day! I love the Christmas's I have been able to have on the mission!
ALSO!!! I got transfer news and I am gong to IASI!!!!! That is the city I went to in 2018 to work in the Orphanage! I am so excited to be able to go back! Honestly, I just feel so much gratitude for all the many people and blessings in my life! I really am so spoiled! haha
I hope you all had a great weekend! Love you all and take care!
Sora Acton
Comments
Post a Comment