Week 51- THANKS

This week was super fun and filled with lots of conferences, lots of food, and of course tons of miracles. We had Zone Conference this week and our mission presidents's amazing wife made us Thanksgiving lunch. It was amazing and we all went around the table and said what we are thankful for. We also learned a ton there and have been super pumped about this transfer. We have been seeing God guide us in so many ways and we have been meeting with the coolest people ever. I love you all so much! Thank you for your support and love!! 

Thanksgiving with my family of missionaries and also a cute girl we are meeting with named Elena

Week 49- Prayers are answered!!!!

This week has been really awesome and we have seen a lot of answers to prayers. Specifically in those who came to church on Sunday. This week Sora Peterson has prayed in every prayer that we will have many people come to church. It was amazing to see her prayer directly answered as God blessed us with members and nonmembers that came to church. The nonmembers that came were also miracles! One of them is a young man named Gabriel. He was received as a referral and we went to his house and gave him a Book of Mormon and then asked him to come to church. At church we started talking a little more and he let us know that he really wants to know if this is the truth and if this is God's path. He said "I'm assuming that I'll need to read the Book and then ask God if it is true."  He has a lot of faith and has been searching a lot in his life. We are super excited to start working with him! Another is named Horia. We met him on the street a few days ago and although he seemed interested he didn't want to change numbers or to meet up. But to our surprise just after the opening prayer he came in to sacrament meeting. He had a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon and wants to meet up to discuss more. The members showed so much love and fellow-shipped them both. As Gabriel was leaving Darius bore powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon and what it means in his own life. It was amazing! The members have all been working hard to do missionary work and to support us. We had an amazing member present this week with the one and only Sora Handabuti and I think it made a big difference for Malina. She is doing really great and is still praying to know if the Church is true and if this is her path. She said that she has to make more time to study and to pray and says that she will come to church next week. She says that she wants what we have and that although the doctrines are important that she wants to feel it. We then had the opportunity to testify of the Gift of the Holy Ghost and that she could have what we have.  She is overall doing very well and progressing great. We also had the chance this week to go back to Bogdana's house. We responded to a prompting and we went and visited them this week. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was amazing to see all that they had remembered from what we had taught. Especially little Raluca was testifying and making comparisons with acting before knowing and tasting of the fruit. It was beautiful. She also said that she knows God talks to us because she feels a warmth when she prays. (Which she does every day by herself) She really understands the Gospel. She has turned eight now and said she wants to be baptized but we want to keep working with her parents first. We have been continuing to work hard and having been seeing miracles. Including meeting someone in the park who said they want to be baptized, seeing one of our old people we worked with who said she wants to meet again, and meeting amazing people every day who are prepared for this message. Sora Peterson is an amazing missionary and a great companion. Thanks for your prayers and love!

Sora James

no pictures sooorry (We got a picture from a couple missionary in Hungary!) 

Week 48- Transfer 8!!!!

This week was transfers and I get to stay here and finish training Sora Peterson! We have been doing great here in Cluj! I was really sad to find out though that Sora Broadbear is leaving us. She has made such an impact on this city and on me as person. We went on an exchange this week and she taught me so much even though we already served together. I know that she will do miracles in Ploiesti. One of the people we met with was Bogi. She was one of our friends that I worked with with Sora Christiansen. We worked with her a lot and she came back for school now. We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation and I was so happy to hear that she is still praying now. She said that she would come back to church and wants to keep meeting with us. It is an amazing blessing to be able to start working with her again! We have also been contacting new people and working with our members. We are really excited because Vasile was called as the Branch Mission Leader. He has such a fire for the work! In his free time he goes to the park and starts conversations with people about our church. (there is actually 5 missionaries here because although he works full time he also is basically a full time missionary too) He was baptized when I first got here in May and has progressed and is one of our really strong members here now. All of the members are really excited about the work. We had an activity yesterday that we all went to the park and contacted with the members. Among the members that came were all three of our recent converts Ramona, Darius, and Vasile. We all gathered together and prayed for the Spirit to be with us. Sora Peterson played the violin and would stop mid-song when she felt a prompting to talk to someone. The rest of us took turns singing and talking and testifying. A special spirit filled that park as we combined our faith and searched for God's elect. It was amazing to hear them testifying and sharing their experiences. We felt their faith grow as they met those who were interested and wanted to know more. After we finished everyone was so excited about the Gospel and sharing the message of the Restoration. The best way to strengthen members is to give them opportunities to share the Gospel. I am so excited to be here for another transfer. I can't wait to see the miracles that God has in store for this branch.

Love, Sora James

a picture from our branch halloween party 

CLUUUUJ

the fab four plus this fab sora from bucharest 

love you all!!

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

Week 42- TRANSFERS Bibi and Jane: The Legacy

Ahh so this week has been insane! I found out that we are getting more sisters in Cluj!! I am so happy and I think it will be great for the city! But I am bummed a little to have to split up with Sora Broadbear. She is the best ever and has taught me so much. But the good thing is that she will stay with me in Cluj and we will both get new companions. The other thing is that my new companion that I am getting is coming straight from America! I am super excited for her to join me in the best city EVA! This morning I woke up and flew to Bucharest and in a few hours I will be heading to Budapest to go get her! I'm excited to get to travel and see another country and to spend some time getting to know my new pal. I can't wait to learn so much from her and to work together in faith and unity! 

I am super excited about these next few tranfers! We have really been seeing how God has been preparing the area to receive more sisters. We honestly were not able to keep up with the work toward the end of this last transfer. Heavenly Father has big plans for Cluj! I feel grateful because me and Sora Broadbear will be able to stay together in Cluj and I can't wait to start working in unity as us four! We have plans this next week to do a "missionary month" we want to pray and fast together with all the members for those who need the message of the gospel. I feel very excited to see what ideas and inspiration we can start to implement.

This week was amazing! It was filled with lesson after lesson and pray-fully deciding on the future of our people and who will continue to teach them. We have felt very inspired and guided and I know that those we are teaching need these new sisters that are coming. We are planning Darius's baptism and we have continued to work with Malina, Rosalia, Ana, and Ana Maria as well as several others. We also have met some really great people lately that we are excited to meet with more regularly. Heavenly Father has been blessing us to see Him work in these people's lives and I am so grateful. We have been praying longer and more fervently than ever before and we have been talking to ever person that crosses our path. I know that as we make these small efforts that God takes them and makes them great! Thank you for your support and prayers!

no pictures this week because I am not with Sora Broadbear today haha but here are some oldies to enjoy (also feel free to laugh at the awkward picture of us and the elders...)

Love Sora James

Week 41- yay love you all

We had a great week this week. We have been busy in the greatest way and have been working hard to improve the work and further God's plan for His children here in Cluj-Napoca. Something that I have been thinking about lately is the worth of each and every soul. We are all children of God and He loves us more than we can understand. I am so grateful that I get to see up close this love working in the lives of people who have become so dear to me. 

We have been working hard lately to meet the spouse of a recent convert to the Church. We have been asking him and trying to get him to set up. For one reason or another he has pushed it off. So the other day we were contacting people on the street and we met a woman who ended up being his wife! In a city as big as Cluj coincidences like that just don't happen! We were able to meet with both of this week and teach about the Restored Gospel! It was amazing to see how God worked in His own time and own way to accomplish His work. 

We also had an amazing Restoration lesson this week with a sweet lady named Rosalia. We talked about the Church being established on the earth at the beginning with Adam and how the same church is still on earth today. The Spirit bore powerful witness as we focused on the priesthood power and that it is here on the earth today. The most amazing part was when we talked about the fact that we can all receive a personal witness that this message is true. Personal revelation from God is one of the most important aspects of the Gospel!

One other thing that happened this week was that we had exchanges with the sisters in Bucharest. We got to go there and learn and grow in how we do the work! It was amazing and I learned so much about how to improve and to find those who have been prepared by God! And it was even that much better because I got to spend the entire day with my very first comp Sora Ebert. It was so cool to be able to work with her again! 

We had about 100000 other miracles and amazing stories this week and my testimony that God truly does guide this work has continued to grow. I love you all and hope that you are doing well! 

Pic 1 SORA EBERT 

pic 2 and 3 Us being us lol

Pic 4 and 5 CLUUUUUJ

LOOOOVE YOU

Week 40- HALFWAY WHAT

 This week I hit my halfway mark and I am kind of in shock because I got here like three days ago. Time moves by so fast and it is crazy because we just have to make the most of it. This week especially just flew by! We have been seeing God's hand working in our lives to bring those who are prepared for the gospel. We went to a members house this week and he wasn't home but we were able to meet with his sweet wife, Any, who is not a member. She talked about her experiences with God and other churches and told us that she doesn't actually know a lot about our religion. She said that she will read the Book of Mormon with her husband and that we could continue to meet up. We also saw God's hand working in the life of one of our English students, Dorina. We haven't talked about the church much with her besides our spiritual thoughts at the class but I guess she is prepared because she invited herself to church this week. It was an amazing experience and she ended up getting pretty emotional during a talk about the Restoration. We have also seen miracles in the lives of our sweet members here. This week the brother of Sora Constantin passed away and we were able to go to his funeral. She was very sad but there was a hope and a joy that she had knowing that although his life here is over God's plan for Him is eternal and that there is more work to do in the next life. The knowledge of Plan of Salvation is a beautiful blessing. I have also been thinking a lot recently of the power of personal revelation. Go read President Nelson's talk from this last confrence. I love you all! Have a great week and remember that God has a plan for you! 

me eating subway for my 9 month mark 

​BE HONEST

us (((:

​throw back to the beginning in honor of halfway 

​LOVE YOU

Week 39- yayayaya

Dear President,

This week was so busy! We had miracle after miracle as we were running from appointment to appointment. We met a girl named Virgi this week and were able to teach her the Restoration. She is 18 years old and has moved here from Moldova. She has leukemia and has been getting treatment here. She is amazing! She has been looking for the truth and is very open. She is so strong and has relied on God a lot throughout her life. We have also worked with our other people this week including Bogdana. We see her progress and also her girls'. They are going to start coming to church once school starts in a couple weeks and they have been reading together from the Book of Mormon for kids. We haven't been able to meet with Malina because she is busy in this time but we have been keeping contact and she has been telling us about her Book of Mormon reading. We have also met again with the friend of the member in Oradea, Adora. She doesn't believe in God and is having a hard time accepting our message but we see the Spirit working in her and softening her heart. We have been working on teaching more in equality and working on getting on studies to be more productive. I realize more and more every day the importance of this work and the impact it has on this country. Sora Broadbear has taught me so much about love and hard work and helping these people and giving our lives up. This branch is growing in faith and love and unity! They all came back from the temple this last week and the Spirit that they brought back was amazing. Salvatore and Aurelia were finally sealed! It is amazing to be here and to witness the miracles that the Lord is working in these lives! I am so grateful for your prayers and support and I know that these miracles are happening because of your prayers and faith. Thank you so so much! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love Sora James