Hello everyone!



It has been a good week this week. Not too many lessons to brag about, but "asta e" sau "asta e viata" - that's how it is. All part of missionary work. Can't appreciate the success if you always have success, right? But okay good. I have already felt slow and down side. Now for the rest of my mission I can always have success. And I will always appreciate! Always. This past week we had really good lessons but just not a lot of them. Din pacate or unfortunately.

I love how I can't find the English words or adjectives for things. This whole Romanian thing is going alright. My companion Elder Bateman says I know more than him! Which some words I know of course and some words he knows. I am trying my best though. Taking advantage of learning all I can. Something or two somethings everyday. hehe quote - Elder T Schroe: "Learn something, or two somethings everyday. Never limit it to one." Yeah I don't know. I just made that up. Awesome I know.

So I know you love to hear about my studies, or maybe I just love to talk about them hoping you will learn something amazing from my point of view and opinions. "ast parerea mea" - this is my opinion. AH. Sorry for all the Romanian! But in the Book of Mormon still reading a chapter or two a day in English and then Romanian during language study. Finished up Enos today. Understanding better in the Romanian and it's going good. End of 2 Nephi is my favorite. 28, 29, 31, 32, 33. My favorites! Jacob 5....dificil. Jacob 2 and 7 make up for it. And Enos is just awesome. I love his story and words in just a single chapter. JESUS THE CHRIST. Tomorrow I will finish the book and I want to just start it over! But first...I am going to read through Preach My Gospel and then True to the Faith. Then we'll see....Last few chapters have been so good! Chapter I read today was about Joseph Smith and a lot was just from JSH from the Pearl of Great Price. But it was still good. I am very grateful for President Smith and his courage in the face of adversity. His example is one of the best! You know the best example. And also, I started a couple days ago, just a book that was in the apartment. "Believing Christ" short book but really good. Too many people believe IN Christ, but they don't believe Him when he says come unto me and I will make your burden light, we can be perfected in Christ. BELIEVE! FAITH! I am nearly done with Conference talks from last year, NOV. 2010. Really awesome. Really love the talk about being an Example of the Believers. Sora/Sister Cook. We all need to be better examples and so important in missionary work. Never know who is watching and what you will do whether they will be interested or lose interest in the church and the way you live.

In this time of the New Year I have re-commited myself to be a better example. To read more. To accomplish my reading goals I have set. Be better!


Favorite quote of the week: Be better than yesterday. (Gordon B. Hinckley?)

My week last week....

Monday. Nothing too interesting I guess. Went to good Pizza and Pasta place. Got salami pizza, lacking the pepperonis. But I live another day. Went shopping at big mall up north west end of Brasov. Then shopping. Home. Took a little break. Letter. Music and journal catching up time. Then we went and visited a less active to find out he moved to Italia?! That has happened a couple times! Importance of keeping up records! Then we visited another one, she is older and really sweet, fed us some croissants home made and sweet baked good, not really sure. But she is out of town and she wants to come to church but just hip problems and struggling with age. :( Sora Jakeab.

Tuesday: Morning, had lesson, not the best with Cristi, it was going really well, then we found out the reason he wanted to meet with us. Thinking we(the church) would pay for him to go to America? if he was baptized. Then we had some lunch, just sandwiches. Salami. Elder Bateman had some chicken. Then Tried another less active, lives in Italy...then a investigator who was leaving the next day, couldnt' meet. Had awesome lesson with younger 25 year old, Victor. Said he would come to church! (he didn't though. :( ) We'll meet him this week for sure! Stopped by former investigator. Doesn't really want to change religions, but just likes our chats. Really good family and I think they could get baptized. Sper ca da! - I hope so! (I hope that yes - literally) hehe, I love all the Romanian vorbe/sayings. We have so many in English we don't even realize! Tried to meet with Ioan at church but he couldn't.

Wednesday: Lunch, rice and chicken, good stuff. knocked villas (more like houses) and no luck there. Had couple people cancel on us and then we finished up in the blocs. and oh yeah, basically snowed very lightly all day and Tuesday and Monday!

Thursday: District Meeting went really well. I gave language tip using a grammar principle, nothing exciting. Good missionary tip by Sora Mudge about being Consecrated Missionary. Really great talk. Parable of the Spartan Soldiers and the two sticks. Really liked that. And how we as missionaries need to lay everything on the alter of sacrifice. Serve with all you heart, might, mind, and strength. SO IMPORTANT! Then awesome spiritual thought by Sora Walker about MOSIAH 3:19. Such a great scripture. Used a lot but ever so important. Submit our will to the Lord. Live in the world but not of the world. Cliche, cheesy but so important. What would Jesus DO? Then Elder Bateman talked about the Spirit and the importance of it in our work. People need to feel the Spirit, we can do all we can, but we have to do it through the spirit so they can feel it. Really good meeting overall and hope you aren't bored from reading it. For lunch we all went to my new favorite restaurant - PANINI. Such a good sandwich place. And I think it's pretty cheap too. I love it too much. And I have had it a lot! After lunch, we went and did villa knocking and met really awesome American from Illinois. Staying for the holidays and we will have to visit her again. Met investigator, Ioan (john) at the church and had an awesome lesson. He has read the whole Book of Mormon. Just stuggles with the idea that we have to be baptized by someone having the authority! Leaving out of town. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, but he has got potential. Tried to meet with a couple others but they were not home.

Friday: Handed out English flyers, just little cards saying we are offering english classes. sign-ups the 4th and 8th. class starts the 11th. Good finding activity and we have met some people while we hand them out in Centru and on the street. I wish it wasn't the holiday time so we could go to the university where a lot of college aged kids are. The people we want in our classes! then after handing those out, had lunch, sandwiches and did weekly planning, went well and we have our investigators and people we want to meet with, just gotta set it up, call them and have them follow through and meet with us! After planning we went and visited Nina Ciobanu. She has been out in La tara and she is the one with the baptism date, which I am thinking will be pushed back because she hasn't come to church the past two weeks and her baptism is in 8 days. We are visiting tomorrow and hopefully it will go well. I am still excited for her. And she just may be out of town and won't be able to meet! I pray for her she'll be able to meet! Come to church and follow through! We needed to be home early because NEW YEARS so we didn't really knock as we planned, went to couple of blocs and stuffed them with English cards. Then went home pretty early 7! not 9. Wrote letters and wrote in journal.

Saturday: SLEPT IN. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had ear plugs in for the night (Elder Bateman snores sometimes) and plus I knew it would be loud. Seemed like everyone opened their window and were making a racket. Elder Bateman said he woke up to it at midnight. hehe, I DID NOT. Slept like a rock. Ear plugs are awesome. So we got to sleep in. Yay till 8! Christmas and I think only New Years not sure another day....maybe. After studies had lunch rice and beef. Then went to Centru, not a lot of response to English, then we set up our English posters at various bus stops around the city on our half. Had 10 of them. And I put them at busy bus stops. Mall, train station, park, and centru. Think all were rightly placed. :\ hopefully a lot of students will come to sign ups! Then we visited Sora Coca, really nice member, older, Marius Corca is staying with her (btw did I say last e-mail, he got his call to London South right, MTC reportation February 4th) And Sora Coca always likes to "pup" us / kiss us on the cheek. Always see girls doing that on the street and sometims a girl to a guy. Not usually and always handshakes between guys to guys. "normal!" "bineinteles" After Sora Coca, put blocs with english and holiday cards, then came home and made some area book calls trying to set up more lessons!

Sunday: I didn't play the piano! Felt weird actually. Sora Mudge got there before us and she played the piano! I think I will next week probably, nu stiu. I'll see if she wants to. Fasted today. Church went really well. Good turnout, about 30. Seemed like a ton of people were late! Testimonies were really powerfully and I understood NEARLY every word people said. So wish I got up there and bore mine. Next month no matter what. COMMITMENT right here. I am going to go up! Sunday School went well. Taught with Elder Bateman about Obedience. Then Good Priesthood lesson...hehe about the Priesthood. Then had a little Correlation meeting with Marius. Home and had lunch pasta and beef and sauce. Then went and visited Vasile, less active and that went pretty well, has some problems with leadership. Then visited Nicu, potential and said we could meet this week. And also a less active Doamna Ciorba, who is very less active. Or more like now orthodox but she is way sweet and always cooks for us.

Hopefully our appointments will follow through/happen this week and we can meet with all our investigators. No one came to church for us. The sisters had 2 though and I find joy in thier success and it inspires me to do better. I am trying. Talking to people and learning everyday.

I am trying. I love you all and thank you for your support and prayers. Have a super fantastic awesome week! I love you family and friends so much.

Love,

Elder Schroedter