October 30th, 2013
On Monday, we planned our schedule around the lesson we were supposed to have at 4:00, and the fact that prime time for English contacting is before the sun goes down. The other Elders wanted to have a district P-day at the beach as well, so we put Internet time in the evening. We did do that, and it was a lot of fun. We went to a nice little Greek place for lunch again, and went down to the beach after and had a good time finding crabs in the rocks, and just playing Frisbee on the sand. I have a few pictures:
Anyway, back to the story. We went to the library next, since we were close by, but there we no spots available and the Sisters were already waiting, so we decided to just wait and do it at the church when we were done contacting. We started internet at the church that evening, but a few minutes in, the internet went down and we couldn't fix it, no matter what we tried. Tuesday we just went crazy English contacting and planned to try again at the church after English, but it still wouldn't work. So today, we are back at the library, finally getting to do internet. It's hard since the library is a ways away from our apartment. There is another internet cafe we know of, but it is just as hard to get to. I have a card here now, so I don't have to pay for internet as long as I am in Constanta, as long as I am willing to wait sometimes.
I have had a couple more Romanian foods recently, from Sora G. The Sunday before last she brought us Sarmale, which is fantastic! Its rice and meat wrapped up in a cabbage leaf, and I really like it. Also, yesterday, there was a relief society meeting at the same time as English, and when everything was over we got to have some of the leftover food. Salate de vinete, which is a Romanian eggplant salad spread, is really good as well. Everything that Sora G gives us is delicious. I have also had Gutuie, a fruit called Quince in English that I had never heard of before. It is very interesting in texture, but kind of tasty.
To answer your question, the weather here has been pretty good. The highs are around 18-20 most days, but today there was a fog over the city all day. Apparently that is what November and December are always like here, with lots of fog.
Nov 4, 2013
It's been a really busy week. Pretty intense. But I have some good experiences to share.
Wednesday
was quite the day, and I'll start from there. I didn't get to it last
time, even though this happened before I emailed. We spent a lot of our
contacting time that day actually talking to
people, which was great. However, in the afternoon at the park, we met a
theology student, and the conversation did not go well for us. We ended
up trying to explain things way too complicated for a first contact,
and it felt more like an intellectual battle than a spiritual teaching
opportunity, even though it was all polite and respectful. When people
claim that the truth was never lost and that the Orthodox church is
entirely correct, it's hard to try and explain the restoration without
going into a debate. We ended the conversation feeling like we had lost
the battle, and lost the spirit. We were feeling so down we had to go
into the mall and sit down, have some covrigi (Romanian pretzels). We
only had a few minutes
left of contacting time left on our schedule, and we didn't think we
could do any more, but the thought of Alma and the city of Ammonihah
came to my mind. He left the city feeling rejected and unsuccessful, but
an angel came and told him to go back anyway. When he did, that's when
he found Amulek. So we went back into the park, our Ammonihah, to try
and contact for five more minutes, trusting in the Lord. We didn't get
quite what we expected, but it was what we needed right then. We found 6
guys playing ultimate frisbee, and went and talked with them. We set up
a time to meet them again and play with them on Saturday, and made some
new friends. It was what we needed to get through the rest of the day.
The little miracles come, but usually only when we really need them.Church this Sunday was fantastic! My best so far in Romania for sure. In fact, I think Sunday school was my favourite of all time. It helps that I understand a lot more now, but there is more to the story. A man we met contacting Wednesday morning, came to church, for all three hours! He was interested and curious, and even participated in Sunday School! We had a lesson on prayer and the Holy Ghost which went really well and had participation from everyone. That includes both me, and our investigator! He had been praying to find a church, and then met us on the street! He is so cool! What an amazing and spiritual class it was. The spirit was really strong in the testimony meeting as well.
Nov 11, 2013
We had another busy week, though the work takes patience.
The work seems to be going well across the mission.
The list of investigators with baptismal dates in our weekly newsletter
has grown, in cities all across both countries.
Also, Elder B had a birthday this week! He's
20 now! Yay! I made him a strawberry banana pie, and it turned out
really well. We also cooked up some frozen strudels for breakfast, Sora
N brought some amazing German cake to district meeting, and we all
went to a very nice American themed restaurant afterward. It was kind of
expensive, but the food was good. And where else could I get
Quesadillas around here?
We also helped an American member move in as a
service project on Friday. He has a company that is starting a new
project here, and will be living in Constanta for a while. Having a rich
American in the branch will be a lot of fun.
So for the most part, it's been a good week. Elder
B got sick on Wednesday, and we had to take a day off. And now, I
have caught the cold. I could barely talk on Sunday. I feel a little
better now though. I'm very glad that I can talk again, since missionary
work involves a lot of talking; that's just how it works.
Sorry about the weather; it's still great here!
Sunny and not too cold, by my standards. I usually don't even wear a
sweater. I am really trying to enjoy it while it lasts, since winter
will come eventually.
Thanks so much for all all the love and support! Numai bine! Vă iubesc!
Elder Lybbert
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