week ?

This week was really amazing and most of all I was really grateful for our chance to go to Hungary. We had an amazing experience with a member named Marian who is living there from Romania. When me and Sora Getts went on our exchange that day we were able to meet with him. We went over and he explained to us (or to me because he doesn't speak Hungarian or English) how he met the church and talked about his experiences. He started showing us pictures and books and things that he has gotten since being baptized. He emotionally told how his family had all passed away leaving him basically alone and how he met the missionaries and been baptized. Since then he has gone to church every week without being able to understand or participate and has been faithful to Jesus Christ for these seven years since his baptism. He then showed us letters that he had received at his baptism and notes that were attached. He asked us to translate them for him. We were then in the most amazing and unique situation in which Sora Getts was able to translate from Hungarian to English and then I translated from English to Romanian. He listened to the letters and just nodded quietly. He then said that he didn't want to take to much time but asked us if we would please read one more. He said it was from his best friend. We read the letter and it said how proud he was of Marian for being baptized and how proud he knew that God was. He also said that he hoped that someday someone would translate this letter for him. Me and Sora Getts looked at each other and I asked Marian if he had ever heard these letters before. He told us that it was the first time. The letters were written at his baptism seven years ago! I know that God made it possible for us to be there with Marian even after seven years and to listen to him and to strengthen him. God loves him. It sometimes seems weird to me that in this mission we are two countries that are so different but I while we were talking to Marian I knew that it was right and that through this uniting of missions that he was able to hear those letters for the first time. Heavenly Father knows what He is doing and He works through great means to bless individual people. We have also seen a lot of miracles here in Romania. Malina is progressing and is fervently praying to know that the Book of Mormon is true. We have also been working with Cosmin and Florin and Nadia. As well as some new investigators like Maria, Lorena, and Denis. I have been thinking a lot about the early days of the Church and when Elder Cook spoke to us he inspired me to really study about the beginnings. We are making church history now in Romania and we can learn so much from the example of the start of the Church in America. Traveling to Hungary I read "Our Heritage" and made notes in it and applied it to today in Romania. It was amazing to see the similarities! One thing that was really powerful to me was Joseph Smiths's and all the saints's belief that the earth would one day fill the earth. It started out as 56 people and now it really has filled the earth! I know that if we have the faith that it will fill this country. Satan is working hard against us but that is proof that God has big plans! I know that it is soon. This nation will embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love Sora James

me my trainer and my trainee lol

Week 46- a meeting with an Apostle of the Lord

This week we had a lot going on. It was really great! We have continued to work with Florin and he is progressing really well! He really likes the doctrine of the church and loves church service as well. He has a problem with alcohol and we are planning on addressing that the next time that we meet up but he is truly seeking the truth and he wont give up! We are also still working with Malina. We talked to her this week about baptism and although she feels like it is too early she realized that this is the path that she is on. I love her so much and am so proud of all her progress and her faith. I know that God will continue to bless her. 

We have also had some great finding miracles as we have made it a priority to speak to everyone we see. On miracle this week came while we were studying. We were studying together and a girl approached us and told me that we had met on a bus a while ago. I vaguely recognized her but couldn't remember ever meeting but I assumed I would have given her a business card and I asked her if she was able to look at the website. She said yes and that she had some questions. We exchanged numbers and then before she left she stopped and asked each of us how we had come to know that we had chosen the right path. Only after she left did I realize the significance of that conversation. We have since met up and she has committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and continue to meet up. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father allowed us to be there where we needed to be and blessed her with the courage to come talk to us again. 

We have continued to work with Ramona and we want to work even more with her. She is the cutest member and comes to church every week!. We also have continued to work with Sora Aurelia Pacurar and we were all very excited this week that she came to church and partook of the sacrament! We will continue to help her to come and to be a strength to the branch. We need her! We also have been talking with the Nistor Family and Fratele Nistor came to church as well! We are excited to meet with him and his wife when she gets back from England next week. Finally we are started to work with Linda. She is the member that we happened to meet on the street while contacting. She is very religious still and reads from the Book of Mormon but she hasn't been fellow shipped or really been asked to come to church. She is very busy (she is a single mom) but we are excited to help her to start coming as well! This city is being blessed by God. We have been blessed and helped in this work this week. 

And now finally to the title of the email.... This week we were blessed to meet with Elder Quentin L. Cook. It was a really special experience. There was 50 of us there with an Apostle. As he spoke it was clear that Jesus Christ was speaking through him. The message that I got from that meeting is that God loves His people here in Romania and that He is aware of them and us and that we are enough through Jesus Christ. I also felt the importance of urgency and excitement for the work! I am excited to apply the principles that we learned about teaching, especially that we should focus mainly on the First Vision and the Plan of Salvation as we are teaching. I love this work and I know that it is the work of the Lord. I feel a hastening of the work and I feel so blessed to be a part of it! I hope that you have a wonderful week! 

Love, Sora James 

pic 1: we also got to see all of our friends because of the meeting and it was awesome 

pic 2: cluj sistas

pic 3: its dark outside now but missionary is just as good at night

to make up for my lack of pictures lately 

pic 1: me dancing because loook aaaat cluuuj

pic 2: teaching a lesson to this old lady whose daughter locked her in her house...

pic 3: oh yeah remember i went to budapest oh yeaah

All but four of the Romanian Missionaries there to hear Elder Cook speaking!

Week 45-

We have had a very good week here in Cluj. The blessings are just getting started! I really feel the prayers of the members blessing us! We have been working really closely this week with Vasile as well as others to further the work. It has been an amazing opportunity for me to see Vasile progress through the power of the Holy Ghost. I have been able to see him from baptism to where he is now. He is a strong member giving support to others and seeking every opportunity to do missionary work. We have been working with him and a man named Florin. We had a powerful lesson about the Plan of Salvation and Florin told us he really didn't care what God thought of him or what was the truth. I was thinking to respond by asking what he meant or why he would say that but Vasile just told him that if that was true he wouldn't be here learning more. Vasile's genuine love and boldness made such a difference in that lesson and in the overall progress of Florin. I am learning over and over again the importance of members in this work. We are also starting to have a more concentrated effort on working to bring less active members back to church. Other than that we are really just trying to tighten up and be the best missionaries we can be. I know that there are a lot of things that we can do better but I am so blessed that God is blessing us with the Spirit and the power to do this work even with all of our weaknesses. I am so grateful to be here and to be a missionary. This is a very critical time for these people and I am so humbled to be here now serving the Lord. Love you and have a great week!

Love Sora James 

Week 44- Sorry i didnt email last week .... lol

So I know that I have a ton to say but I have to make it quick! Budapest was AMAZING! I learned a little Hungarian and then got to practice my skills contacting people on the street while we were there! I love my new comp. She is the greatest! We had a crazy first week but have gotten back into the groove of missionary life and now we're just going! We had Zone Conference this last week as well as General Conference so we are filled with inspiration and pumped up for the work! Since we have gotten back the blessings have just been pouring. I think that the prayers of the members here are being heard because we have had people ready for baptism just lead right to us. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's great plan for His children here. One of these is Florin. We met on a bus about a week ago and he is just so ready for this message. We met with him and he stayed for General Conference. He has been searching for the truth but hasn't found it in any church. He has let us know that he has started the Book of Mormon and really likes it and then beat us to the punch and invited himself to church on Sunday! We have also been having a lot of success with both a games night that we do every Friday and our English class. We have been blessed to find those who have been prepared by God using these resources! We met a cool guy who between Tuesday and Saturday has already read 40 pages of the Book of Mormon. It is true that there is a power in The Book!!

We have been working hard as well to have meaningful studies and to always be focused and tight with our schedule. All four of us have been able to keep each other in check and to keep the urgency alive. I am so grateful to serve with these 3 amazing missionaries. They are all such good examples to me! Sora Peterson is doing very well with the work and with the language. She is an excellent missionary and has already been so awesome to work with.  

We have been able to start working closely with Ramona again. I am so glad that she is back in Cluj for school! She needs our support and the branch needs her. She is still learning so much but she has a lot of faith and is actively coming to church and participating. 

We are continuing to work with Rosalia, Malina, and Andre closely and we are hoping to set baptismal dates with them. We have also been working with Sora Aurelia Pacurar and have been trying to help her get to church. She is having a hard time just coming. We also had another great miracle this week with one of our other members. While we were contacting one day in an area that we have never contacted before we ran into a less active member that I have never met before and whose number had apparently changed. She was so excited to see us and said that we could come see her sometime next week! 

Basically in conclusion the work is booming and God is sending us MIRACLES! Thank you so much for your prayers. We feel your support and love personally and we know that your prayers and the prayers of the members here  are making such a difference in the lives of these amazing people. Thank you! Love you lots!!

Love Sora James

our pics arent working but i have this one

love ya all