Bite My Tongue

What is the most important thing to remember as a missionary? I haven't figured it out yet. Though I think remembering Christ and His atonement are huge things - Remembering we aren't perfect and everyone needs to improve somewhere is vital to keeping yourself focused and happy. Sometimes stuff happens. We just need to move forward, learning from our experiences, so we can be better people, better missionaries, better representatives of Jesus Christ. Most of the time I don't feel like a I'm a very good missionary or person. I try not to dwell on all I do wrong, or I'll just become those things I regret. If we recognize those faults and use the help of our savior Jesus Christ, we can overcome all things. I'm not nearly as good a missionary as I would like to be, but I'm learning and trying. I think that's all Heavenly Father and Christ wants from any of us.

Parcul Central Timisoara

I did have some personal success with this during the week. I'm learning to bite my tongue a little more, something I've been working on for a very long time. I'm glad I started when I did, because I might not have been able to when it was necessary. We were talking with families in a park and I went up to a mother and started talking to her. She asked if I spoke better in English, because she couldn't understand me. Ok... I'm suppose to be speaking Romanian but if you want me to... I started talking to her in English. Yet, even in English, I had to say everything like five times! Why? Because she doesn't understand English. My broken Romania or her broken English, both of us trying to communicate in a second language. Do I tell her that I can't understand her though?... no. "Well, we are not interested. We are Orthodox." That's alright because I wasn't talking about religion, I was talking about teaching your family. Anyway, I probably shouldn't keep writing about this. It was not very Christlike what I wished I could say to this lady. I didn't say what I was thinking, even though I really really wanted to. Yay for me.

Canalul Bega
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonius_plaian/

Look at me, learning all sorts of stuff on my mission. Then, this father came over and tried to quickly get his family to leave while we were talking to his wife. He tried very hard not to look at us. Avoid eye contact with us because you will turn to stone! Apparently, he knows all about "the Mormons," and no doubt, it's all true. It hit me deep. He wouldn't even listen. It's because we said Jesus, isn't it? It happens all the time, but I was in a bad mood from the lady before. I held my tongue though! Yay me! again.

Fires, Football, and Birthdays

We are coming closer and closer to the Christmas season! We are listening to more and more Christmas music, and of course we hear all these people talking about making sarmale. It's what they do here. As Americans, we talk about preparing foods for Thanksgiving and Christmas: Turkey, ham, cookies, and such. Here in Romania, it's sarmale (cabbage rolls,) salata de boeuf and cozonac (sweet breads). We made some sarmale, well, I just ate it like in the story of the little red hen. The Elders and a family made it. Sora Hosking and I had to do our shopping since we had a lesson during our Pday and could not help. I'm horrible, I know. But, it was delicious all the same.

The mother also made Sora Hosking and I earrings. How nice is that? They are so great. I love the earrings, too.

I've witnessed some interesting fires while I've been here. One was a car in flames. Literally, the entire car, not just a wimpy flame, but the entire thing!  We saw it in passing on the bus. I totally would have got off to take a picture but we were going to the gara to catch a train. The most recent, I suspect arson, was a bar or something located in a boat on the Bega. (river in Romania) We were going to the church and we saw the smoke. I had to check it out. The tiny little firetruck went right by us. It was funny because all these people were pulling over and getting out of their cars to watch. They were standing right next to the fire. I know that wouldn't happen in the US. Ah, the differences between cultures. Seriously though, the firetruck was so small.

We went to Arad to play football for Thanksgiving. I know I look like I'm having a great time in the photo, but don't be fooled. I would have rather played soccer or stayed in Timisoara. Traveling all the way to Arad for just a football game is just a little silly in my mind. I tried to be a good sport and have a good time. I could have done better. I can't help it... I just kept getting bored. There was too much stopping.  I was in my Vibram's. There were broken bricks and huge rocks on the field, so I was afraid when I was running backward and guarding someone.  Maybe I wasn't in the mood. There might be a time when I will be in the mood, but really...... I just wanted to play soccer the entire time.

Wednesday was Sora Hosking's birthday and I made her chocolate chip pancakes. That's what she asked for. I would have done more but it's hard to make a surprise for someone who is with you 24/7. So, that's what you get, boring chocolate chip pancakes, but they were pretty good and I had a fun time trying to get the eggs open, the package not the shell. There was egg everywhere because I stabbed one of them with the knife and the other was crushed when I tried to get the top carton off. They were shrink wrapped together and I couldn't get it off to save my life.  Friday was Elder Speth's birthday, he's also our Branch President. We made him a cake. The frosting wasn't the best though. I don't know if it's possible to make nice fluffy frosting but it would have made the cake so much better. Elder Lund and Elder Farrow made a cake for Sister Hosking. We sang Happy Birthday to them at Institute and they blew out their candles.

Jelly Fish and Pig Appendix

I've been collecting photos the food we get at people's houses. I expect we will get more interesting traditional Romanian food as we approach Christmas and December.

Sweets. Both of these had fig fillings, I think. I like the rolled pastry.

The food is pretty much normal in my opinion. I have had some weird things though. I had to eat raw egg white only because the lady didn't finish frying the egg. I tried so hard not to eat it, too, by scraping it off onto the plate and pretending like I ate all I could  (There was just a little bit of food left on the plate. It looked like a dead jelly fish you would see on the beach.) I scraped it as thin as I could over a piece of bread when she told me to eat it. Ew.

 Also, there was this cold goulash-looking kind of stuff.  I'm not sure if the meat was meat, though. I could see it being some internal organ. It was cut in strips and was kind of cylindrical. I'm just going to say it was pig appendix. That way, I feel cooler.



Schwarma

But, for the most part, I like all the food people give me and everyone is so hospitable. They always feed you or give you something to drink. It's so nice. They even make sure you look healthy by giving you large portion sizes. So nice. I love it!

But, I got yelled at once for eating my bread alone, nothing with it. I don't know if that was just the lady, or if it's a custom. No one else has gotten mad at me yet. I'm sorry, I have an inexplicable need to eat each part of my food separate. I can't help it. It's just who I am!

This is the hot chocolate we get sometimes. It's thick, almost like a melted chocolate bar. That's probably how they make it.

Ghosts and Goblins

So aside from getting my wallet stolen, and having to be a little creative on how we spend Sora Hosking's money, this week went really well. Well, parties always get investigators to come to the church. Even in Romania we can get people to enjoy Halloween. Best holiday ever, but I'm not very good at dressing up while being a missionary. No one knew what I was. My hippie costume did look a little like a pirate, but it's the best I could do. It was really fun.

We carved pumpkins, decorated sugar cookies (which Romanians do not really do, so it was neat,) made masks out of paper plates (those were hard to find, they don't really have those here either. I also wanted to make paper bag lanterns, but they don't have brown lunch sacks. Oh well, I'm happy we found some paper plates for the masks anyway,) and of course bobbing for apples (which worked out so much better than I have ever seen in the states. No one was afraid to get wet, and I put them in a huge deep pot. Then they actually did it, usually people just leave it, or maybe one or two try.) By the way, I an still a bomb bobber. I got that apple in 2 seconds, no cheating and using the sides either, and only my chin was wet. Most people missed it because it was so fast. I told them not to blink.

 We had our Halloween party, started English again, I finished a poster to advertise Institute, and we got to do more contacting! The poster turned out pretty well, but I wish I could have had a computer with some design software. I wasn't even trying to make it look perfect and it still took forever. It turned out pretty well though, so hopefully it will get some people coming. Come on people, the Bible is cool!

The families we talked with this week were also really nice and we are looking forward to teaching them. I'm sure I sound like a rambling idiot when I talk, but I think I make some sense because they follow alright.

Love you like Jesus!
Sora Kendra Heim

Thieves and Robbers

I was robbed! Welcome to Romania! I am still expecting to open my bag and see my wallet or find my it in my pocket. I had scarcely left from checking my email Monday when it happened.
We got on the bus, and let me tell you, it was packed. Not as packed as I have witnessed previously, but there wasn't much room. I have no idea why I even took my wallet out to scan my abonament (bus pass), I usually don't when it is that packed. Since I did, I couldn't get into my bag, with no where to move. Well, I moved from the middle of the aisle to over by the back door. I should have had my hand on it, I know. I thought it was still there, in my meager defense. When I finally got off I touched my pocket and immediately said "my wallet was stolen." How lame is that? I don't even have a story of someone holding me up with a gun or forcefully taking it on some dark Romanian street. Sneaky little thieves! Really they aren't. It wasn't very protected, just sitting in my jacket pocket wide open. Good thing I forgot my debit card at the apartment. So, I was still able to finally buy a coat for winter (which I've only needed once because it is hot again. Seriously? It's November. Pullman has worse weather than this,) some gloves, and a bag.

Oh, irony! I was going to buy a bag, finally, so I wouldn't have to keep getting out my wallet and other things before the bus incident. I knew it was stupid. Point being, I have no ID now. The thief has that, along with about 100 lei we were going to use for groceries and traveling Tuesday. Also some other stuff: a Pokemon card I was given in the MTC (which was suppose to be the Pokemon which best represents me); my first aid cards saying I can give CPR, help birth a baby, and use an electrocardiogram; my blood type card; my patriarchal blessing (hopefully they don't read English;) and some stamps. That's pretty much it.

In all, I'm sad my Pokemon card was taken, and my blessing. Everything else doesn't really matter, except my ID which is probably being sold on the black market as I type this, as well as my butterfly wallet, my friend since I was in Elementary School.