PICTURES!!

I ran into two of my old English student on the street my last day in Bacau, it was quite serendipitous

I went from the east boarder of Romania and into Moldova, and this is the boarder of Hungary!! I have served in a pretty diverse mission! No I did not cross it...

Yep, we found a dead snake and tried to scare the Elders

 There goes our macho man!!

 Our district, The huge holiday for kids day! And us

 Our district, The huge holiday for kids day! And us

Our district, The huge holiday for kids day! And us

Saying Goodbye to BacauI

SAYING GOODBYE TO BACAU

Irina is one of the most dear people I have ever met!! She cried when she heard I was leaving and pulled me aside and told me, "Never has there ever been a missionary like you here in Bacau!! After church we helped her to the park and played with her kids and said goodbye.  That was a hard one.  She is wearing Sora Drapers Name tag in this photo because we were teaching the primary kids about missionary work.

More cute members and an invesitgator I will be leaving.  Sora Dragomir was the first member in Bacau

This week on the Mission!

Now I am in the wonderful city of Arad!! I have a new companion Sora Dupont, and I will tell you what she is pretty special. I am sorry for not writing for the last couple of weeks but I have had some technical problems with my e-mail and haven't been able to really send a letter.  

I will tell you what, every day I have served with Sora Dupont we have seen great miracles. One time I heard someone talking in English on the street and I was like, woah, that guy is saying some weird stuff!!! I turned to Sora Dupont to tell her that was weird and she said he had 100% been speaking in Romanian.  Gift of tongues man.

We were in a lesson with an investigator her, Mariana, she is really special. Sora Dupont and I were so in tune!! There were questions that I knew we needed to ask her and then Sora Dupont would ask her the same thing that had come into my head and vice versa.  At the end of our lesson we asked her to pray and we went and kneeled down together. Mariana wouldn't pray and she asked me to.  I'll tell you what, all those words that I said were not from me. The spirit lead me what to pray for. There was one point were I did as it asks in Ether and gave all my faith for a miracle.  In that small room the windows of heaven were opened and we knew that it was her time to be baptized,and she knew as well. I don't think I have ever experienced such spiritual strength my hands were shaking for an hour after that!! We will see what happens with her in the coming weeks.

My last view of the Bacau city building!! Goodbye!

 The small town of Lipova!! Just nestled beneath the ruins of the castle

About my companion and I!

Just as a side note to a few of you about my new companion and transfer. I got a message from the mission president that he wanted to send me somewhere else but the spirit was very strong in sending me to  Arad, and let me tell you here we have the dream team.  I was really struggling in bacau because I was the most obedient one there(sadly) which really was wearing me down but here the Elders are great and it has really made a difference.  As for my companion, well she is one of those people, actually the only person I have met (not counting family) that I feel I knew in the pre-existence. She is from Quebec Canada and speaks French as her native language. If you remember when I got my setting apart blessing I was told I would be a guidance to my companions from other countries.  I served with Sora Ruiz, I was a big guide for her.. and now serving with Sora Dupont was the last person to the fulfillment of that blessing.

About three years ago I had a dream that has come full circle. I dreamed that I was at my college apartment complex (Campus Plaza) and there is a raging fire behind it on the mountain. At the base of the mountain Dad is sitting there with a garden hose trying to stop the fire and he says to me "I can hold it off for a little while." I see the fire I run and I start knocking on apartment doors to warn them, most people don't believe me that this fire is coming and irritably shut there doors to me. Some look out their window and see it and try to gather their things instead of leaving. Those few who listen to me run out of the complex safe.  The rarest person of all was the person who would listen to me then help me warn others. Then there is a girl who comes up to me to my side and says, "it is easier if you have a companion." We turn and start knocking on doors together trying to get people out, When I told this dream to Sora Dupont one morning, I remembered the girl in the dream, and it was her. I have told all of my companions this dream, because I know why I am here but never had I have the spirit confirm to me that my companion was the girl in that dream. When I told Sora Dupont I felt this girl was her she teared up and she said, "I feel it to." How crazy is that, I dreamed about my companion 3 years ago before any of us knew we were going on a mission. 

I have seen all of these responses in the people I have met here in Romania. But this was just a little confirmation to me that I was in the right place at the right time with the right people. 

-Sora Long