Grateful

Hello friends and family!

This week was zone training meeting. Sora Bird and I were asked to lead an activity where we broke everyone up into groups, assigned them scriptures, and then have them tell us what they learned from those stories about faith. As I was listening to their responses, a single phrase popped into my head:

                

                          You were born with all that the great have had.

I couldn't remember where I had even heard that phrase, but as the final group was finishing up their comments, I felt that I should express some of my thoughts. We were talking about people like Nephi and Jacob from the Book of Mormon and then Joseph Smith. I told them that we can have the same qualities that these great men had. We can develop that same faith. We may not see those attributes in ourselves, but we do have great qualities, and Heavenly Father will help us to develop those qualities.

The other day, I was randomly flipping through my study journal and saw that phrase, “You were born with all that the great have had.” It turns out I heard it in a zone training meeting back in my third transfer. It's from a poem titled “Equipment,” and I would highly recommend it. It was amazing to me to once again see how the spirit will bring things to our remembrance.

We were able to meet with a less active that we've never met with before. She was recommended to us by another member, so we got a hold of her. She's an older woman who is amazing. She's sweet, funny, and very intelligent. She has great faith, but she's unable to leave her home because of health problems. You wouldn't guess that she had health issues. She looks great! But the truth is, she can't leave her home without becoming very sick and disoriented. Even with that trial, she was a very happy woman. She had a candle burning in the room and at one point she directed my attention to it. It was in memory of her husband who died some years ago. His birthday is this month. She told us that since his death people have asked her why she doesn't try and find someone and get remarried. Many people reminded her of the line “til death do us part.” She said she would never consider remarrying. She said that she made the commitment to be her husband's wife. She knows that this life is not the end, so she will forever remain his wife. It was the sweetest thing. I can't even adequately describe it to you. It's very clear that this woman loves her husband and has strength from her faith that she will see him again.

We had a fireside on Sunday that the elders put together. It ended up being really nice. A handful of members were able to come, and it was great to see how much they appreciated it. They talked on trials and how they really are a blessing and how we will always receive help through our trials, but we need to remember to turn to Heavenly Father in prayer and ask for his help.

I was reminded this week of how a positive attitude is a choice. I would also venture to say that it is a habit to be cultivated. It is definitely easier said then done sometimes, but I am ever the firm believer that there is something to be grateful for in every single day. When your mind starts to wander to the negative, force it to dwell in the positive. Take a moment and write down some things you are thankful for, or say a prayer to our Heavenly Father and start to tell Him all the things you're thankful for, even the smallest of things. In those moments when you are having a harder time, ask Him to help you to see the blessings in your life.

 I'm so grateful for little tender mercies in my life. They really are many times the simplest of things. A gentle answering to prayers of the heart that sometimes I haven't even remembered were spoken in my mind until I received a response. Sharing a hilarious moment with a friend (a moment that's probably only funny because you are being ridiculous in a good sort of way). Making delicious American treats received in packages and sharing them with your companion and district. Today's tender mercy was sunshine, fresh air, time to clean, and general conference playing in the background. I was filled with peace and a feeling of home. It was the perfect way to start out the day. I hope you will all take time to see the tender mercies in your lives and record them! I am a believer in journal keeping. If nothing else, strive to write one way you have been blessed that day. I promise you that it will brighten your life and help you realize just how much of a hand Heavenly Father has in your life.

Thank you for all of your support. I'm excited to start English classes back up this week. We've had lessons fall through this week, but we're going to keep trying and making all those connections! I know this is the Lord's work, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Cu mare drag,

Sora Adams

                                       EQUIPMENT

Figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You've all that the greatest of men have had,
Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes
And a brain to use if you would be wise.
With this equipment they all began,
So start for the top and say, "I can."

Look them over, the wise and great
They take their food from a common plate,
And similar knives and forks they use,
With similar laces they tie their shoes.
The world considers them brave and smart,
But you've all they had when they made their start.

You can triumph and come to skill,
You can be great if you only will.
You're well equipped for what fight you choose,
You have legs and arms and a brain to use,
And the man who has risen great deeds to do
Began his life with no more than you.

You are the handicap you must face,
You are the one who must choose your place,
You must say where you want to go,
How much you will study the truth to know.
God has equipped you for life, but He
Lets you decide what you want to be.

Courage must come from the soul within,
The man must furnish the will to win.
So figure it out for yourself, my lad.
You were born with all that the great have had,
With your equipment they all began,
Get hold of yourself and say: "I can."

--Edgar A. Guest

Gratitude for People in Our Lives

Last week started off with another adventure. We were able to go see some more castle ruins in a place called Siria. We had to get up really early to take the maxi taxi that would get us there. It was still dark as we began our climb up the hill to the ruins. It was super windy, but it was really cool. Running around some castle ruins just has adventure written all over it. ( We got to watch the sun come up and it had a wonderful view)

  

We had a great member visit this week with Sora Birau. That woman is amazing. I am so impressed with her testimony and her desire to share the gospel. Even with her trails, she finds hope and peace through the gospel. She knows that she is a daughter of God and that our savior has made all things possible. She truly is an amazing woman, and it was great to be able to visit with her. She has to miss church sometimes because of her job. She hadn't come last week, so she was especially grateful for our visit as she said she felt she was in need of that spiritual boost that she missed from not attending church that week. She was so happy and could feel the spirit with us there. I could feel it too, and it just filled me with joy to see how happy she was.

Sora Bird and I have a lot of goals this transfer to help us be of the best use for the people here. To do that, we've been trying to make sure we divide our time between all these good things. The branch here wants to get more involved in missionary work and re-activation which I think is amazing. We want to help them do that. We want to get them more involved as well so that we can create great connections for people who are coming in or struggling. We have so many good things we want to do this transfer, and I think that we can make the steps to accomplish them. We spent a good deal of time contacting for our English classes that we'll be starting up again soon. We've also set up time every evening to look at former investigators and recontacting some of them. We have goals for visiting members, active and less active, and we really want to start getting members to lessons with us. I feel really good about what were trying to do. If nothing else, I hope that the members will feel our love and support and that we will be able to get them more involved in missionary work. The desire is there. We just have to turn it into action.

Oh we had a tender mercy this week. We finally have a phone with complete functionality! My goodness, it is so nice! So that issue has finally been resolved.

I felt very blessed this week. It was transfer week and so we got all our mail that's been waiting for us in the office in Bucharest. I had some unexpected letters, and I got a phone call from my trainer, Sora Heim, who has now concluded her mission. It was awesome to talk to her one last time before she headed out on her next big adventure. She also left a final letter for me which I received with all my other mail. As I was going through all my mail, I was just touched by all these wonderful people in my life and the things they had to say to me. I feel that one of the greatest blessings in my life are the the people that are in it. How grateful I am for these many meetings and for the things I've learned from these people. I am just filled with such love and appreciation for all of them. We have more power than we realize to influence those around us for good. Believe me, you have all been great sources of good. I want to encourage you to take some time to recognize all those people who have been a strength to you in your life. Realize how blessed you are! And never hesitate to do little things for others. Even if you think it's silly or that you don't have time, if you feel the urge to make that phone call or send a message, I hope that you do. You can be the answers to a prayer. You can be that reminder that they are loved and not alone.

I hope you all have a great week and that you are keeping up with those resolutions. Thank you all for being a strength to me.

Cu mare drag,

Sora Adams

PS:  I have found great strength in the words of our Prophet and Apostles.  They help me to keep going and to remember I am not alone, and that I too, and an instrument in the hands of the Lord.  I found this conference talk this week and found it very comforting and inspiring.  I hope you enjoy it too. 

 http://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/11/the-ministry-of-angels

Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it.

New Year and Transfers

It's that time again: TRANSFERS!

That doesn't mean too much for me. Sora Bird and I will be staying here in Arad for another transfer. I'm really looking forward to this transfer. Our district is pretty much the same too with the exception of one elder who is being switched out. It should be fun, and we have some good things planned for this transfer. Sora Bird and I want to continue to strengthen relationships with branch members and to reach out to less actives. I'm also really looking forward to starting English classes back up again.

Our phone is still having issues, but our elders will be picking up a new one for us at transfers. Hopefully that one will work better. Keep your fingers crossed!

We've had a fun week. Once again, I must say happy new year! I hope that 2014 has started off well for all of you. On New Year's Eve we were able to spend some time with the elders. Our mission president gave us permission to watch another movie. Someone also made sarmale for us. I can't remember if I've talked about Gabi, but he's the one who made food for us. Gabi is awesome by the way. He's not a member but he still takes an active part with the church and with the missionaries. He's been a big help on numerous occasions. As for sarmale, it's like pickled cabbage filled with a rice and meat mixture (sometimes other things will be added). It has to boil forever. You usually top it with sour cream, and it's pretty darn good. We were also able to go see an awesome firework display in the middle of town. It was a really good way to welcome in the new year.

We actually had a lot of sarmale this week come to think of it. A member invited our entire district over for lunch, and that's what he fed us. Then Sora Bird and I visited with a less active member who fed us sarmale as well. I'm really glad we had that visit. The last time we visited this member in particular she was in very low spirits. I wasn't sure what to say to her, but I did my best to follow the promptings of the spirit. She was so much better this time. She seemed back to her normal self and full of life. I'm glad we were able to visit with her. She's only less active because of health and work reasons, but she has a really strong testimony and loves when we can visit her. We then had leftover sarmale a couple of days later. Basically it as just the week of sarmale.

We were also able to visit the less active family I mentioned before, the one we took Christmas bags too so the kids could have some Christmas treats. We took one set of elders with us and we talked about the story of Nephi and the brass plates. The elders made little props and everything. It was great. We then sang “Nephi's Courage” altogether. Those kids really are so great! They're really friendly and seem to enjoy our visits. I hope we'll continue to work with them.

I had a cool experience yesterday. Since we have been having troubles with the phone and we have a new number, no one knows how to contact us now. There was one member in particular who I knew should have our number. I approached her after Relief Society on Sunday and explained that we had a new number. Rather than having her write it down, I just handed her a random pass along card that I had in my coat pocket that had our number on it. She thanked me and left. A little while later we received a phone call from this woman. She thanked me again for giving her our number and then went on to thank me for giving her the card. On the back with our number was a quote from President Uchtdorf. The quote is from his talk “You Matter to Him.” (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him?lang=eng) If I remember correctly, this is the quote.

No matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.

I just love this talk and you should definitely take some time to read it when you can. Anyway, this sweet member told me that it was exactly what she needed. She said that she felt that it was specifically written for her. I was touched by this experience. I had thought nothing of it except to give her our phone number. I had no idea that that is what she needed in that moment. How blessed and happy I felt realizing that the Lord can use me in such a simple way to bless the lives of His children. Even though I wasn't aware of this sister's needs in that moment, Heavenly Father did. So I guess the thought I want to leave you for this week is this:one way that the Lord answers prayers is through other people. We can become personal ministering/comforting angels. As we strive to live the gospel and act in accordance with God's will, we will be guided and directed and sometime we won't even realize in the moment that we've been prompted. It may seem so simple that we don't even realize the great importance it may have to someone. The Lord will use you to help His work to progress, and what is His work? To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. To bring us back home to His presence where we can enjoy never ending happiness.

I'm so grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows and understands my needs and for a Savior that gives me the light of hope even when life seems dark.

I hope you all of a great week!

Cu mare drag,

Sora Adams

One of my favorite gifts was an "album" my mom put together with my sister in laws graphic art and some photos of my niece.  I loved the encouraging quotes and the family photos.  It really made my day.  Mom also sent dehydrated maple syrup.  Syrup is hard to get here and you don't realize how much you miss it until you don't have it.  =)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

December 23

Merry Christmas!

Need I say more? I guess I can add a few things.

This week started out with a grand adventure. We went to see some castle ruins called Lipova. We had to climb to the top of a big hill to get there. We hadn't anticipated that the ground would be so frozen over that it would make it difficult to walk. Elder Middlebrook could hardly stand! We finally all made it to the top though. We had the entire ruins to ourselves, so naturally we played a few rounds of hide and seek. The elders started having very skilled sword fights with choice sticks to use as swords. They were all thrown for a loop when Sora Bird joined and defeated them all. She's got skills (mostly in the form of war cries and swinging her stick repeatedly). That was our adventure. (This happened last Monday so Mom already posted some of the pictures)

The day ended on an interesting note. I lost the phone. I abandoned the poor thing, and now it is lost forever. I didn't realize how much we use the phone or had planned to use it until it was gone. It makes things a little harder, but we got a hold of the mission office and a new one is on the way!

We kept busy this week. We had our last two English classes. We ended early this transfer because of the holidays. We were able to do more service on Wednesday. This time we were going through gift boxes that had been put together and donated (like giving trees or toys for tots) and making sure everything was in order before they were handed out to children. I felt so full of love and peace as we worked. I was so grateful to all this people who so graciously donated even those simple things so that needy children here can have a Christmas. I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to help sort those and get them ready to go. I'm gaining a stronger testimony of service, I really am. I love it, and I love that I'm beginning to see how that even the littlest bits of service matter. We truly are blessed as we strive to help one another even with small tasks. Our lives will be filled with more joy and peace as we seek for opportunities to serve.

On Saturday we had a branch Christmas party. One of the members of the branch presidency shared a few thoughts, the children put on a little play of the nativity, and then we as missionaries sang some carols. We had a good turn out, although no investigators came. It was still good for the branch. There were many delicious treats afterwards, and I think everyone had a good time. The primary president put together a bunch of Christmas bags for the children. She's a sweetheart and gave same to the missionaries as well. We were able to talk a few and take them to a less active family who has three children. We just reconnected with this family a few days ago and we hope to continue meeting with them. Sora Bird and I have fallen in love with their kids! They are so sweet!

Once again, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope you all take some time to think about some of the greatest gifts we've been given. Heavenly Father has a plan for us, and as part of that great plan, He provided a Savior. Jesus Christ willingly atoned for each of us. I hope we will keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts and strive to be more like our Savior. I am so grateful to both of them and for this great season of joy and love. Seek for opportunities to serve. Seek for the good in people. Remember that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. And finally, remember that you don't have to walk this path of life alone. Heavenly Father knows our hearts, our hopes, and our desires. Turn to Him and you will feel His strength and love in your life. He is very aware of you, and He didn't send you to earth to fail, but to succeed.

Cu mare drag,

Sora Adams

Christmas Spirit

December 16th

It's been a fun week, and we're definitely getting into the Christmas spirit.

We started the week off by having second Thanksgiving as a district on Monday. It was pretty much a district Potluck. I tried pickled watermelon for the first time. It was pretty much just like eating a pickle.

I think I mentioned last week how we've been working on a little project to get Christmas cards to some less actives. We got the cards all made up and then went on a grand adventure to find these members homes. That turned out to be easier said then done! Sometimes the way the blocs (apartment buildings) are setup, they are really hard to find. Plus it didn't help that part of the time we were out there it was starting to get dark. We made the effort though. We've decided that since we have a Christmas activity coming up this weekend that we are going to make a bunch of phone calls instead and invite less actives to come. I hope we will have some success that way.

We were able to do some service this week at the same place we normally go to. I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but it's this small organization that helps homeless people and offers little programs for kids to help keep them off the street, give them a good meal, and help them with homework and such. This week, we helped them organize a bunch of books that had been donated. We then helped some of the kids make these really cool snowflakes. That was a lot of fun. It was really simple, but as I've said before, sometimes those simple things really do make all the difference.

Friday was our zone conference/Christmas shin dig. I always love having those conferences. It's so fun just to see everyone and to be uplifted all together. We played some games, had a mission slideshow, and heard some great messages. With some of the things that were discussed, I found myself thinking about the beginning of the mission and some of the trials I went through. I was really hard on myself. I was going through the days beating myself up because I didn't match this perfect image that I had created in my mind that I needed to be. I still had great experiences, and I'm grateful for that trial, because even though I sometimes saw myself as a failure, I continually felt God's love for me. There were seriously times where I wondered why I could feel His love and comfort so strongly when I wasn't even do a good job in my service. I'm okay bringing up these things because I no longer feel those discouraging feelings. I haven't for some time. Not that I never have discouraging moments, but I don't beat myself up anymore. It's something I overcame with the Lord's help. Also, I think there's something that can be gained from this experience. One of those things is that God sees people, including ourselves, in a different way than we see them. Where we may see failure, He may see success. Where we may have a tendency to judge others, He only has love. My view of success has definitely changed since my mission started. Heavenly Father takes joy in our little improvements. He loves us because we are His children. I'm reminded of a devotional by Brad Wilcox (His Grace is Sufficient) in which he compares the gift of the Atonement with a mother paying for piano lessons for her child (this was actually something brought up at the conference as well). One thing he says is:

In all of these cases there should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13).

Heavenly Father has patience with us because He knows what we are capable of becoming. He sees us in terms of eternity while many times we just see ourselves in the here and now. I guess my point is, don't be too hard on yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. Heavenly Father and the enabling grace and power of the Atonement will help shape and mold you to become even as He is. My second point: Read the devotional by Brad Wilcox. It is amazing and can be found here: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966

Saturday night we had a musical program with the branch. It was fun singing with the members and we had one of our English student come. She's starting to show some interest in the church. I'm hoping we will be able to start giving her the discussions. We also had a new English student this week who also showed some interest in learning more. Hopefully things will progress in that regard.

I can't believe Christmas is next week! I'm so excited. I'm pretty sure we're going to do something as a district to celebrate. I am so grateful for this time of year. I love everything about it. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father and his Only Begotten Son. I'm grateful for the willingness of Christ to atone for us. Because of that great sacrifice, we can attain all that the Father has.

I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season.

Cu mare drag,

Sora Adams


These pictures are of a castle that we got to go and see this week.  The ground was frozen and slippery and we had trouble walking up the hill to see everything.  It was well worth it.