Super cool!
The traveling went well, Amesterdam was a great stop I didnțt get to see anything but on the plane there I met a really cool guy who was on his way to germany and I just got so excited to share the gospel with people!! Unbelievably excited! When we landed in the airport and passed customs the Mission president was there with a couple of the office Elders who hearded us into little tired groups towards the cars. Mom! Elder Montoya was there!! He was the Elder who sent his testimony to you for me to use it and I felt so bad because I didnțt ever get a package of things to give him.... He was super nice. Then I got in a car with an Elder from Austria who drives like a mad man. Seriously thought I was going to die, but did not let that thought cross my face. Sora Seare was in the car with me and let out a huge gasp at one point (when we almost died) and I touched her arm and said, Honey, we are in Europe! Nothing should be shocking anymore. HAHAHA To funny! Then we went to the office in Bucharest which was on the 7th floor of some crazy old building so we push the button for the elevator and it opens up and the space is smaller that our closet in the entrance, so 5 of us shuffle in and I said, Oh! It is so cute and mini!! And the Elders laughed and told us, Welcome to the biggest elevator in Romania! And it was true, all the other elevators I went in would only fit like 2 people at a time. I felt a little claustrophobic, but at the same time. I still think it is cool!
The first day we had interviews, and we went to a hospital to get a clean bill of heath paper for visas. The doctor there was super nice to me and spoke ennglish so it was not scary at all. I was honestly to tired and excited to be freaked out by anything. After that we tried super hard to stay awake and when one of the new missionaries (me) would fall asleep some one would take our picture. Elder Montoya has a great one of me that I told him to send you mom. After this crazy day ended (and I hardly remember it) we were split up to stay the night at missionary apartments in Bucharest. I was with Sister Stewart and Sister Bichoff. The walk to the apartment was not bad and we went on two different metros to get there, but just google pictures of Bucharest and maybe you will understand a little bit of what I felt. It was different. Every single building is covered in graffiti. The nicer parts still beat the worst parts of Philly or L.A.
We stayed the night I slept like a rock and the next day we were to find out who our companions were and where in Romania I was going. It is so weird that you have no idea where I am at!! On the way over I again saw the streets of Romania and wasn't exactly shocked, just horrified with some of the things that I saw. Like a beggar with bloody feet, stray dogs like crazy, and in the Metro the guards on the trains. They looked super scary but I soon realized that I was really grateful that they were there on the trains with us.
That morning President Hill took us to the place where Romania was dedicated to be preached the gospel in 1990 just a couple months after the dictator was killed. Then he read us the dedication which was amazing. He then announced who and where we were going to serve. Sora Quist went to Iașov and I was to go to Constanța with Sora Ruiz. Constanța! I was so excited! It was seriously the only city I knew of and it borders the black sea. I was told that Soar Ruiz was from Mexico and didn't speak English which I was even more excited about because I love Spanish!! Then the next 5-6 or maybe 7 hours were spent at the visa office in Bucharest getting our visa paperwork done. Oh! It was so hot! and we were all so tired!! All I can say is that I am so grateful for the Office Elders, they were so amazing with how it was done and how nice they were. The day was actually a ton of fun!
We went to the train station to get our new companions, and it was the first time that a 6 year old child came up to me and asked me for food. Now I just want to stress how sad this is. I have been approached by many gypsy children now, all of them are cute, and all of them are in extreme poverty. It is actually against the law for me to give them anything at all. But this little girl had a pink shirt on that was shredded and pant that didn't fit. And she was literally begging for food. They beg for money too, but I have never seen a beggar as desolate as the ones I have seen here in Romania. There is nothing to compare to it in the US.
After waiting for about an hour and meeting what seemed like countless missionaries going on transfer or picking up their fresh out of the MTC companions, Sora Ruiz came. And holy Cow she is AWESOME!! She is from Mexico and she can speak perfect English. She had told several people in the mission that she would pretend to only speak Spanish, and the mission president was totally for it! But she didnțt have the heart to do it to me. HAha:) We picked up my stuff and got on a bus to Constanța which is about 3 hours a way. The bus was packed so we didn't sit by one another but I sat by a woman and got to know her very well on the bus ride over because she knew English. She gave me her number and I am so excited to meet up with her some time this week. Everyone here thinks we are Jehovah's Witnesses, so they will yellthat name at us in Romanian as we walk down the street.
Constanța is absolutely beautiful! Our apartment has the greatest view of the sea, absolutely gorgeous!!The side walks often end in a huge hole, and by the sea there is this great coblestone path that has stairs headed into the sea that just break off into a 20 foot drop. Everything is graffitied here as well but I have come to think of it as the wall paper of Romania and I love it! Google the Casino in Constanța. It is a super old building built way back when but we English contacted all the way from our apartment to that building the other day and back. My Romanian is terrible!! We have been handing out cards for our english classes and I say Noi predam limba engleza pe gratis, and Sora Ruiz pops in to answer all the questions they have. We have actually started several conversations about the gospel just doing that. It is more fruitful than the door to door aproach. Every one has a super tall fence around their property here, so we knock on the fence and someone will say, Cine este? and we will say, Noi suntem misionar/voluntar din biserica lui Isus Hristos. Avem un messaj despre____. And they will respond in several different rejections 1. The simple no, Nu! 2. The simple, I am already ortodox with arm movements, Sunt orthodox 3. Pretend we are not home it is the Jehovah's Witnesses 4. some sweet old lady gets excited thinking we are missionaries from her church then realizes we are not, but is still super nice. 5. Let the dog scare them a way. Seriously! I have never seen such huge dogs before!This place might convert me to be a cat person. There are a million strays here, but all of the are incredibly nice, they just follow you around and beg for food.
Bad thing that have happend, I already got spit on, that was fun. Never had that happen before so I actually wasn't upset, just absorbing in everything that is Romania. Good thingsȘ Everything else!! The bread here is awesome! The people here are beautiful in a very fascinating way. The food is great. Love Romanian food. And I am so greatful for my district. We are having a get together today because it is P-day and my birthday, I am so happy that my district is awesome enough to care about that!! The office elders sent me a happy birthday message, my companion wrote a cute note and gave me a necklace.
Thank you co-workers for sending that package in the MTC. There was a packet of pre-open moist towlets included in the super random package, that were no longer moist once they got to me, but I have had occasion to use these more than once here. So thank you for saving my life. Literally! The other day after we missed our bus I had to go so bad! So we went to the library which happened to be closed. There was a portapotty out front that I was about to go investigate when a cute old man who gards the library opened the door and called for us. He said we could go ahead and use it because he sees us walking around the city every day and sees us come to the library every week. Tender mercy from the Lord!! Think of the worst bathroom you have ever had to use, then know that is what the bathrooms are like in Romania. No toilet paper most of the time and it has take me a week to learn how to flush them:) But I was still so grateful to use this one in the Library. Dad you would be proud of me because I fixed the plumbing on our shower the first night here and it drains like a saint.
When I do use what I learned from the MTC no one understands me, but I just smile and give stickers to little kids. I am seriously loving every minute of it. I try really hard to talk to everyone I am refusing to be silent like a lot of missionaries apparently are their first couple of weeks. But everyone who I have talked to so far I love! I am seeing more and more clearly why I was called to Romania in many different ways. I think the number one reason is the people here. They are amazing hard working people who need the gospel in their lives more than anyone else I have met. We just met a Lady this morning English contacting who told us a little bit about her life and started crying because she is in such a hard place and she wants to meet with us tomorrow and I am so excited because I know we have a message that can heal her soul.
Finally yesterday I gave my testimony over the pulpit to our branch of 10 people including the presidency, Here it is,
Ieri o doamna i-a spus Surorii Ruiz și mie. Ea spus ca noi suntem misionare foarte tinere.
Ca Ea știa mai mult despre biblia și dumnezeu decât noi. Mai târziu Sora Ruiz mi-a spus ce doamna a spus. Pentru ca nu am ințeles. M-am gândit despre Ea a spus. Atunci am ințeles că eu am fost pregătită pentru lucrarea Sa. Eu știu ca sunt aici în Româniă pentru a preda. Marturisesc ca Isus Hristos și Dumnezeu sunt real. Eu stiu ca aceata biserica este adevarat. Eu sunt un martoră a lui dumnezeu și Isus Hristos. Asta este tot ce Eu trebuie să știu.
Yep!! Pretty lame, but awesome at the same time. It was as simple as I could keep it! The branch is full of the most amazing strong members I have ever met. I love them. We actually have the only primary in all of Romania! Our branch is big in comparison with the others. But this first week, no lessons taught, no new investigators, but an increase of love for the people around me and an increase of understanding of God and the Savior and the purpose of my mission. Pray for the people here, they need it so much! I love you all! Pa! Sanatate! La Revedere! Ciao! Bafta!
Love
Sora Long
This has a picture of the view from my apartment and a couple other things. Not much of the city.
