Carbon Monoxide, Colors, and Cartea Lui Mormon

Another incredible week full of miracles, opportunities, and roller coasters!

To start it off we had quite the adventure on Wednesday afternoon......get ready for this..haha(:

When Sora B Armstrong and I walked into our apartment building at the end of the day, we were immediately hit with the smell of gas and exhaust fumes....it literally smelled like someone had moped the floor with gas, and then revved their car in there a few times just for fun haha. We were SO confused and were immediately concerned as to what was going on - and if our apartment was going to smell the same way. We ran into the apartment, and Sora B Armstrong went to go and find the Carbon Monoxide Monitor from a back bedroom. She tested the monitor and then set it in our kitchen which is somewhat closer to the door. Our apartment didn't smell like gas or exhaust so we felt we were fine because Carbon Monoxide is a gas that doesn't smell - but about 5 minutes later the alarm went off again......twice. 

We both grabbed our bags, opened the windows, and headed out - but started to notice that we were both getting some serious headaches that we didn't have 30 minutes earlier....NOT A GOOD SIGN. Anyways...we had the District Leader bring another monitor to see what the problem was, we called Sora Ivory, the senior couples, the landlords, the branch president, some other people - and after 2 nights of staying at the other Soras and after a lot of tests and prayers - our apartment and Sora B Armstrong and I are doing great! It just goes to show that you can never be too prepared and that everything will workout if we are obedient! #beprepared #beobedient 

On a lighter note....We also this week had the chance to meet with a guy named Liviu twice. HE IS SO TIGHT! He is a history and geology professor - and is a referral from a lady in our branch named Sora Ghimon. She invited him to our Pioneer Day activity last Saturday - but then she left before he even got there.....so it was Liviu and 6 missionaries because the rest of the branch was watching Ephriams Rescue upstairs. He immediately opened up to us - and told us about his life and how he had really been struggling. His wife left him for a guy on Facebook who is in America, and she took their four kids with her. 

It was SO hard to watch him share this story - but it was incredible to see how he was handling it and how optimistic he was about the future. He is really lonely, and because there is no school in the summer - he literally has NOTHING to do haha. We ended up giving him a Cartea Lui Mormon and invited him to church the next day, and HE CAME!! #rockstar He has already read all the way through 3rd Nephi in the Cartea Lui Mormon! #rockstarX2

We had a quick lesson with him after that, and then two others later on in the week, and I am amazed because he is SO PREPARED! He LOVES the Book of Mormon! The gospel just makes sense to him! He understands the priesthood, the Restoration, the Apostasy, prophets - it is just incredible! We ended up giving him the baptismal challenge - and set a date with him for AUGUST 15th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #toocool #prepared Be sure to keep him in your prayers because these next few weeks will be quite a roller coaster for him I am sure(: - but he is ready! The Spirt really and truly prepared his heart - and Liviu will have incredible experiences I am certain! 

Overall - it was a week full of experiences of all different kinds - as well as miracles of all sorts. One of the most incredible things that I have seen since coming out on a mission is how it really is the Spirit who is the teacher - and how recognizing that Spirit both as an investigator and as a teacher can change lives. There was once a missionary that said, "Ask yourself every single time after you leave a lesson if the Holy Ghost was the senior companion in the situation or the junior companion ." There is such an INCREDIBLE difference whenever the Spirit is the primary teacher! This is one of the reasons why I think they teach missionaries how to bear there testimonies in Romanian very first! Because the simple power and Spirit that comes from bearing a testimony is miraculous and changes not only the people who are hearing it, but also changes the person who is sharing it! 

There have been several lessons especially this last week where it was difficult for me to participate because I didn't understand everything or because they were asking questions about topics that I didn't know how to explain correctly in Romanian - but I would try my best to say what the Spirit helped and guided me to say - whether that was backing up my companion, reading a scripture, or bearing my testimony. It is such truth that instead of us needing to focus on what we have to say next, or what is said, we need to focus on how we feel - and THAT is when the real change occurs because that in-and-of itself is a testimony - a confirmation that this gospel is TRUE!! (Alma 17:3) (D&C 50:14)

I love you all! and I hope you have an incredible week! Also - one of my favorite scriptures this week - Alma 26:37 - I challenge you to read it and share it with whoever you'd like(: 

Te iubesc!!!!!

Sora Armstrong

We had the chance to go and hand out cards and flyers about our English class and about “Meet the Mormons” (movie) when the Color Run was here in Constanta! People kept throwin chalk at us and it just turned into a hilarious, fun, effective way to contact!(: It was great!

The girl who is standing by me is Grace!!! We had the chance to meet with her and with some of her friends and teach about The Restoration. We are workin on getting Books of Mormon in Tagolog for them to read(: