First off. Awesome week. Went to my 6th city - Arad! Small but really awesome city in the west or Romania. Awesome Zone Conference where I was able to see Elder Betteridge again (he is coming down for a two-day exchange while Elder Durand heads up to Arad) Training and Zone Conference was so so awesome and inspiring and made me want to do everything so much more! I saw the Elders from our Arad Zone-Arad, Timisoara, Oradea, and Deva. I love all the Elders and Soras in my zone. We have great missionaries in our mission. I love President Lundberg and Sora Lundberg. I'll miss them a lot when comes July 1st. :( Marissa! For the first time for a lot of peeps, they heard the story, I'll Find you my Friend. I love that story so much. And I am sure it's somewhere on the net you could look it up and find it. But it wasn't my first time I heard it. We still have 53 more friends to find to finish our goal of 200 to baptize. Just because you don't do something on time means you need to give up. You need to endure. Integrity and the will to finish the task. Going along with this we saw a sweet movie, I think "Go getter" or something. About aWilliam Peck, kinda older times, he never gave up. And didn't get the "blue vase" on time but he did get it and deliver it. Old video, but quality acting and one of my favorites. ;) "Be a Bill Peck!" I know one of my friends is waiting for me in Romania. I'll find him.
I love the Book of Mormon. So many awesome missionaries and example I have to look up. One of them was Shiblon, the son of Alma.
And he was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God; and also did his brother.
As a missionary, everyday I try to do good continually! And keep the rules and the commandments. Something that Elder Durand said I really like as we were weekly planning and reviewing what we learned at the conference was about what we can do. He said three words. "Obedience. Diligence. Faith." I know as we do all WE CAN do, the Lord will make up the difference and we will find those who are ready for this gospel.
I love my District so much. Everyone is different and the District Leader, Elder Zavala in two weeks and a day he will be on his way home. i am going to miss him so much. He is such a great missionary. And at zone conference he gave a great testimony. Elder Kopsa is a great Elder. He struggles with the language but doesn't give up and has great jokes, and an awesome attitude. And my companion beats them all! Sorry. Elder Durand is sweet. I try to make him be senior and lead lessons and discussions. Making him talk more and I say nothing. It hasn't worked yet dang it. He has to get ready for next transfer when he becomes senior! haha but things are going great. we are having success. Lessons and new investigators. 3rd transfer so far has been my favorite. And I still love and will never forget Elder Betteridge and Bateman. I have truly been so so lucky with the companions I have gotten. I hope it continues. And what the heck?! Elder Zavala and Durand keep saying I am going to be cross-citied moved to the other Elder's apartment to be DISTRICT LEADER. NO! I need to go back to be junior. hehe but, I'll Go where you want to me Go. We shall see.
Past week was awesome:
Monday: good P-day. always goes by way fast! went to church, had pizza - dopo poco. really good. then watched the District 2. Wrote letters and caught up in my journal. Still a week behind...oh well. Then shopping at Kaufland. Then home. Then out and about hitting up those BLOCS! That's what I'm talking about. Got sweet lesson with nice younger guy Razvan, going back tonight. And a Jehovah's Witness family invited us in. Kinda sorta a Plan of Salvation lesson. We'll go back there tonight too, same area, eh....nu stiu. How do people get so so convinced they have the true church? Why does God let Satan have control over them to convince them that they are in the right and have the truth? Satan is a smecher. Father of Lies.
Tuesday: Good lesson with recent convert, Sora Ungureanu. Husband works in Italy and she is a really sweet member in our branch and active and strong, baptized last year. Then home for lunch. Then got bunged/cancelled a couple lessons. :( then went and visited a less active - Sora Ana. Back hurts and hasn't been to church for quite a while. Trying to get her to come back! Then went to church for a first lesson with guy we met on street. Feel really good about him, name is Leo. Doesn't really have a relationship with God and we're meeting tomorrow or Wednesday. Then we switched for exchanges. I went to the other area with Elder Kopsa while Elder Durand stayed up north with Elder Zavala coming to him.
Wednesday: Picked up dry cleaning. back home. lunch. then pretty good lesson with long term eternal investigator, Irina. Would only come to church cause she said yes and after first hour just go to orthodox. Her daughter is a member living in Utah right now. I see potential in her for sure. Then we went to a recent convert. So awesome-Fratele Popescu. Good lesson about the BOM and learned some ROMANIAN! Everyday I learn so much! Then back to the church. Then went home.
Thursday: Such a sweet experience. Remember those "Cards" we have with tasks to do and thigns to do for studies and contacting and what not. One of them was "give a lady/baba/OLDER LADY a flower" baba = old grandma. So we went and bought one. We spot out a couple potentials. eh, too late, went in that store over there. dang it. too late. then this one lady. goes up to a atm, then into a store and we are going to give it to her. Then she comes out....we walk after her in a non-stalker way. We come up to her. And she says hey, you are the two boys that gave me a flower last month! WHAT THE FREAK?! (So Elder Durand and Wirthlin (on exchange) give a baba a flower) and a month later we find the same ONE! The same lady in a city of a LOT of people! So I was like....uh should I give it to her. We ended up not giving it to her. Then we went to another lady. Asked her if she knew God loved her. I said. God wanted me to give this to you. Then said Know that God loves you and have a good day. Felt really good. and She seemed happy to receive it. After that contacted some. Home lunch. then potential visits. no one home or they couldn't meet. then lesson with Ciprian. Ciprian Ciprian. This guy knows EVERYTHING. He is just caught up on the deep deep doctrine stuff. (If you could hie to kolob) "...where gods began to be." what the heck does that mean? He talks about how the trinity makes sense and asks us how can God have a God. And how a couple scriptues contradict each other in the Bible. Deep doctrine was not meant for us right now. We are meeting with him this week hopefully twice and getting him to pray and receive an answer is what he needs. Just hasn't done the SIMPLE and SMALL things...yet
Friday: Woke up a little early. Train at 820 to Arad. arrived at 1000. Went to the mall, book store and read for language study. Lunch at mall, then went to the villa. Chatted. Set up. Then had special training meeting. Breaks. Dinner. Good lessons. Two main points- REVELATION THROUGH PRAYER and HOW TO BEGIN TEACHING taken from Preach my Gospel. After a long day we went to the hotel. Pretty nice. Went down to lobby had some sarmale, mamaliga, and carnati, I love Romanian food so much! Then bed.
Saturday: Woke up and went back to the villa/church after breakfast. Good zone conference. oh....uh three people were called to give a talk. I was ONE of them. On 2 Nephi 2:27. Talked about POS we chose to come to Earth. And sometimes we are blinded and forget why we came. And agency. Then coming on a mission. Remember why we came on a mission and never forget it. Work hard everyday. Make decisions everyday. It was good. Then other stories and talks from President and Sora Lundberg. It was a good day. Then back to TIMI . Home made some phone calls. Then weekly planning. Bedtime.
Sunday: Good church today. good talks. one by a new member. I played the piano. Tough when I make a mistake and everyone just staring at me! Plus the branch needs some help with choir lessons and singing. But it's going well. Then home. Walked home with Sora Gabi as usual. Then lunch. After that had good lesson with a 7th day adventist retired man. Really nice and funny. Then another lady, struggling in life and good restoration lesson with her. Then visited potentials and then back home.
We are getting lessons and having success. We can do more and need to invite people to follow Christ and take the next step. And be baptized. People are ready! We just have to ask. I love this church so much and love this opportunity and blessing I have to share something I hold so dear with others. I love this Gospel. I love you Dad, Mom, Shelby, Josh, Aubrey, Garrett, Kristi, Brodie, Elsie, Millie, Marissa, Chase, Grant, Caleb, and Taryn. I love you all.
Love,
Elder Schroedter
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