Week 54

Well, this has been a crazy week. I found out on Friday that I will be leaving Buc and heading up to Iasi (Yash) for the Christmas season. Not only will I be heading up to Iasi, I will be taking a brand new missionary with me. Yup, Im training. Remember Sora K? We were trained in the same city at the same time. Well, we are keeping the tradition and training at the same time, in the same city! I'm pretty nervous to train, but I am so stoked to go to Iasi. I have heard nothing bad about the city and everything good, AND I get to teach English classes again!

We will be staying in Buc until Thursday night, which is great because we will be having Thanksgiving dinner with the Bs. They are a really cool couple that work for the embassy. I will be sure to take at least one picture of my new comp and maybe one of the Bs. 

Tell the family hello for me. I will be sending out a few letters soon. Today at least two will go out. I just need to remember N and L's new address...maybe I will just send it to the Ls or something.

Love you all,

Elder Ormsby

 Celebrating the 1 year mark with a trip to Hard Rock Cafe for real American burgers.

 Wild dogs are all over Romania.  Elder Ormsby was excited to find puppies.

 Learning how to juggle

 It hasn't been going very well.

 Singing hymns in the park.

 Cockroaches living in the microwave timer.

Langos Isle on a P-day

Eating at Langos Island (its actually called Mogosoaia

Week 53

Dear Family,

I am pretty sure I covered all that needed to be said for the year mark celebration. For us, we will be going to the Hard Rock Cafe for some good burgers. Its been a while.  

Mom, called to work in the Nursery huh? That will be fun! Snacks and nap time every Sunday? I'm in! What do you mean that one kiddo has his language in the wrong place?

Haha, when you said that you had clients without filters, I immediately thought about working for AS. I miss that job sometimes, there was a lot of good memories there. You just have to inwardly laugh when someone says something inappropriate, otherwise you will go insane. Now that I think about it, I am going to have to write a few letters to some of my old friends.

Update on the apartment. So we found a new place. Rented it out and then were waiting for the landlord (is this right?) to renovate it. Then we are told that the sisters are taking it (again, stolen twice in two transfers). The whole thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but fighting it only makes everyone upset. 

So we have heard about this "revolutionary idea" that the New York missionaries came up with. I am glad that they are having so much success with it! I wish it would work as well out here. We have been doing it for many years. The problem is not having the guards kick you out of the park. They don't have the power to do that, but unless we want a scene (and the unlikely chance that they really do have the power) we just leave. It works really well though. Maybe next summer we will be able to do a really big one. 

It is still so warm here. There are still leaves on most of the trees. In fact, I saw Presidents tree budding again! Its been getting a little bit colder each week, but nothing like it should be. So much for it being the coldest winter in history. 

I will be sure to look in the toe of my stocking before I put it on. What! Did you send me MY stocking?

President has decided that you can only go over to Sora G's house 2 times each transfer. That is ok for us, because we don't live in her area and were only going to visit her once a month of so. She is such a nice person. She loves the missionaries and usually just wants someone to talk to. 

Being a DL is great. I haven't forgotten to call the sisters for nightly check up in a good 2 weeks! We have talked about the talk by Bruce R. McConkie (my favorite), Prayer and God is Our Loving Heavenly Father. I love to teach them, they are so much fun and they bring us all together as missionaries. Kind of a booster for the week. 

I cant believe that it has been a year either! I agree with every thing that you said Dad. It is a very strange thing to think that I am "over the hill". It is both a great feeling and a slightly sad one. Oh well, just keep on working!

I know that I need to send more pictures. The problem is getting pictures from other people. It is such a hassle to take a picture of myself. Usually I get it from someone else. I will try and take a lot today at soccer and Hard Rock and then get a bunch from the sisters and other elders. 

Love you all!

Elder Ormsby

Week 52 - ONE YEAR MARK!

Dear Family,

I cant believe that it has already been a year! The time seems to have gone by so quickly. I keep thinking that this time last year I was about to enter the MTC, to start something that I had never done before. It has been such an enlightening year. I have no idea how the time will go in this next year, but it will be so strange (and difficult) when my sisters start to leave. That's when the missionaries in the mission will be foreign and new and by 6 months will count down. 

We don't really have a mission tradition for the year mark. We used to burn a tie or pants or something, but now we don't. 

1. Our apartment is being renovated as we speak. Hopefully it will be done before the end of the month.

2. We haven't been able to get any new investigators. We have a few potentials, but so far we haven't been able to contact with them or establish a time and place. 

3. I talked to Sora B about maybe doing Thanksgiving at her house for our district. She seems to think it is a good idea. Maybe we will have a nice feast or something. 

4. What holiday are we talking about? Easter has that thing were every goes and gets their candle lit by the priest. I am not sure about Christmas. They do have Black Friday though!

I will try and send pictures. I am a little nervous. I cant scan this computer for viruses and I don't want to get one on my hard drive, but I love you enough to try haha.

Love you all,

Elder Ormsby

Week 51

Dear Family,

MOM I AM SO STINKIN' PROUD OF YOU!!!

It is so awesome to think about the fact that you have finished with your Masters, you have finished your thesis AND passed the darn thing. Good job!

I was going to send you pictures, but we are at a sketchy cafe, and I dont feel safe plugging in my hard drive (ps I purchased a hard drive. The new mall opened and they had a great deal. 1TB for 300 lei! Hey Dad, do you remember when the GB was "big". Hahah that wasnt too long ago, imagine what the next 5-10 years brings). 

I was able to go to the US Embassy. My companion needed something notarized the American way. Sora B (a member who works at the embassy) gave us a tour after he had his paper notarized. The embassy sounds like a really cool place to work. I will admit that it has been on my watch list since coming to the mission. While we were there I found Franks Hot Sauce. You better believe that I bought it. We had wings that night...So good!

My new companion's name is M, he is from Iasi and he is super cool! I can already tell that it is going to be an interesting transfer. I dont understand Romanian too well, so this will be a great chance for me to improve! He barely speaks any English  so we only speak in Romanian. Yesterday at church was my first time translating from English to Romanian. That is SO much easier. Everyone says it is the opposite, but since when have I been on the norm of things.

Being a district leader is super fun. I love teaching District Meetings. We have gone over the talk by Bruce R. McConkie "the Purifying Power of Gethsemane" and also about prayer. The first few nights were a bit difficult cause I forgot to call my sisters until a little later than normal. I think I have the hang of it now though. 

We havent found anything that can match a world qualifying match. Hopefully we can find something fun though.

Dad, I am the same way. It is super hard for me to connect with people on the streets. If I can have a lesson or two with them, or if I meet them a few times, then it isnt so hard. I much prefer talking to people in blocs (huge cement/communistic apartment buildings). I dont know why, but it is easier for me to approach someone at their door, than to talk to them on the street. Mihai has the desire to talk to people on the streets though, so it will be good practice for me.

Well, mie foame and we still have an hour til the sisters get done with their emailing (I am pretty sure they are trying to write a novel or two )and we can go to pizza hut. Love you all!

Elder Ormsby

"The Purifying Power of Gethsemane", Bruce R. McConkie

April 1985 General Conference