He's in the details

Woo nelly!!! Another fast-paced week here in the capital of Romania. 

The streets of Buc

Well, turned 19 this week which is crazy to me! I am really grateful that I chose to go on my mission at 18- this year has been full of adventures, opportunities, triumphs, heart-aches- all for my good. I am truly grateful that I can be a missionary for the Lord, and see His children of Romania a little more like he does. 

George... a true friend.

La Multi Ani!

PUMPED about the ultra star!

Flower from Mirela and cake from George 

Birthday party!

Dream come true.. Bucharest Open!

Fun birthday night

The longer I am out, the more I realize how simple my mission should be. I have used a lot of different contacting, teaching, and studying methods in the pass year and I think I am finally starting to understand what really works for me, and what the Lord wants and expects from me. 

There is this book. It is called the Book of Mormon! Most of the world doesn't really have a clue about what is really contained in the book. Those who read it understand that it is a book claimed to be written by ancient prophets that lived in America before and after Jesus Christ, that contains the record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continent. Those who truly study out the words, with a desire to know if the Book of Mormon is the word of God, will come to the realization that it is so much more than just a history book, but holy scripture that is written for these latter days! It contains the word of God- the Gospel of Jesus Christ in it's purest state! It contains stories of the triumphs and heart-aches of fathers, brothers, kings, and servants, and if carefully read and applied, it will change your life and you will feel the love of God for you more fully.

This is what I shared this week with a whole heap of people. We decided to do "Book of Mormon" contacting with a lot of the elders in our zone... the most success I have had on my mission regarding teaching people about the Book of Mormon! We stood near the entrance of a park and just started conversations with anyone who was willing to talk. It is incredible to see how so many people have the desire to strengthen their relationship with God in this world... it is a universal craving because GOD IS OUR FATHER. What a miracle it is that God gave us another book of scripture to help remind us of this and help us come closer to him. I know that this is true because I see it in the details of my life everyday.

Back to the part where I said that God is our father. He is more than just a father, he is our LOVING Heavenly Father. This is something that I have truly come to more fully understand not just this week, but every day of my mission. 

Here is a little witness-

It was blistering hot on my birthday, and there we were, at the entrance of Cismigiu park doing what we do best. After a solid two hours of talking and testifying, we decided to head out. As we were walking down the street we heard a loud "pop" noise and saw an old car pull over on the side of the road. We noticed the tire was flat and so we ran over there. 

Team Les Schwab

Thirty minutes later, the old lady's spare wheel was all snug on the axle and ready to be driven away (there might have been some minor issues along the way like having one of the lug nuts supporting the weight of the car as we had to readjust the jack...). The kind old lady was so thankful and was in a rush trying to get to a ceremony of some sort. She was able to leave quickly and not be too late to her event. 

I love two things about this experience.

1. All of the Romanians who passed by us just stared and many told us that we were not going to be able to fix the tire. I think they forgot that they were talking to four Eagle Scouts who are from the land of Les Schwab...

2. And most importantly... I realized that the hand of God was in this. God knew that we would be walking down the street right when the lady's tire would pop. We were able to answer the call of duty and help her out, just as Christ would have done. Truly, God cares about that woman and wants her to be happy, because he IS her loving Heavenly Father. He cares about each one of us and wants us to have success and happiness. What a blessing that I got to witness this!

Well, I am currently out of time, but just in some other news, my birthday was great; I was really treated like a king by many people. I had an incredible birthday dinner form the amazing Sora Gorzo with homemade tiramisu cake... YUM! I also got to go to the Bucharest Open tennis tournament... wow that was incredible. Yup, just living the life!

I love you all,

Elder Ditto

Cruisin in the maxi _taxi

Scrumptious.

The Brinarus!

Exchanges with Elder Cowser