One Month Post MTC - The District!







MTC History: From Sister Bynum’s Blog - Funny line of the week . . .

Elder Brown and Elder Bonner have an investigator (Fratele V.) who just asked these ridiculous questions so this is what happened after one of their lessons . . .

Me: How did your lesson go?!?!

Elder Brown: He asked if we had plural marriage. When I said no, not anymore, he got really disappointed . . .
Me: *I just laugh*
Elder Brown: *While semi laughing* - Then he starts asking us this question and I'm in my dictionary trying to figure out what in world the word is . . . It was Dinosaur . . . then he went to the computer and pulls-up this picture of Hristos (Christ) holding a dinosaur . . . *the picture where Christ is holding a sheep, but it was replaced with a dinosaur*-  I didn't know how to react . . .  The plus side, I now know the word for dinosaur!

 

Barclay's English Breakfast!

Me with all my Root Beer!

Craciun Fericit!

Craciun Fericit (Merry Christmas)!

Hey guys! I hope everyone’s having a good Christmas week.

It’s been an interesting week.  Last Tuesday we were invited to sing and the US Embassy for the employees; only because one of our members works at the Embassy. There were about twenty missionaries and we sang and then were served a free lunch.  It was a sweet experience to hang-out with Americans and eat some good food again. 

Here in Romania they don’t have root beer, which everyone knows is a big problem for me.  At the embassy they import a ton of stuff for the employees, including root beer.  Elder Barclay and I bought a 24 pack from the embassy and spent about 72 lei ($22) on it; a little expensive for root beer but we don’t get it very often so we had to stock up!

The Embassy invited us back for Easter and I’m coming with a wallet full of money!

We were block knocking on our way to the mission office this week and we usually start from the top of the block and work our way down to the bottom floor.  After two floors we were talking to this lady, who is about 25’ish, and she argued with us about our beliefs while flirting at the same time.  After ten minutes her dad comes and starts freaking-out at us, telling us we didn’t have permission to be here or to be talking with his daughter!  We explained who we were and that we did have permission but the guy was going crazy.  We decided to leave, walking down the stairs and got to the bottom floor, but before we walked out we knocked the last door in the building.  Sylvester, a guy in his 50's, walked out and started talking to us.  He let us in, and I had the weirdest two hours of my life!  The guy started by telling us that material goods don’t matter and that it’s all about family and love.  He repairs shoes and I guess the missionaries went to him to get shoes fixed seven years ago.  They left a Book of Mormon with him but that was it.  He held up two books in front of us, one being the Bible and the other was the Book of Mormon, and told us "these are the only two books that matter!"  I guess he has read the BOM four times through.  So, after that he went around the house showing us all the personal belongings he has – The stuff that doesn’t matter!  He was so excited to show us his two TVs, his car and his sewing machine.  Sylvester even had Elder Barclay count his daily earnings, which was about 80 US dollars.  He got out his camera and took our pictures, then took video of us speaking Romanian.  The guy was so cool and funny, but nuts at the same time!  Well, he ended up asking us to come to dinner on the 26th to eat with him. I'm kinda nervous and excited to go there but it would be nice to have an investigator though! 

We also have Gypsy carolers in our block every day.  They come right to the door and start singing but we don’t open the door because they're begging for money.  Kind of sad but when we do open the door we just give them a Book of Mormon and candy if there are kids. 

This week has been really cold and really foggy.  Not much has gone on though other than I went to church this week at Panduri for a Christmas party.  It was my first sacrament meeting in Romanian and it was nuts!  I tried to translate everything in my head and understand what was going on, but really only caught about half of it.  I would say that about 20% of the congregation has some type of mental illness.  Sad, but at least someone is coming to church! 

Any way hope all is well and have a good Christmas!

Love, Elder Brown

P.S.  Barclay's English Breakfast Recipe: Toast, baked beans, big sausages, cheese, two eggs, mushrooms, half tomato and more cheese!  Haha - It's nuts but good!

A Block, but it's no Block Party!



Wall-to-Wall Carpeting?

Contacting, Singing and Gypsies?

Buna Dimeneata!

For everyone wanting to google search my exact address, I couldn’t find it but looked it up on google earth and the corner I live on is: Strada Boiangiu Radu and Bulevardul Ion Mihalache. When you get to that intersection, look at the block on the southeast side - that'll be mine!  There is a little park on the inside of the surrounding blocks (apartments) where people are always hanging out.

Elder Barclay set me up to play ping pong with some teenagers in the park and I have to be prideful and say I whooped these euros - Haha! There’s also a homeless guy who lives there too and is really nice and likes to talk to us!  So yes, this is home in the Buch!

This week has been quicker than quick!  I don’t even know what to write or tell you guys about because I feel like I just wrote yesterday.  It’s been a pretty quiet week for contacting and I wish we had done a little bit more, but it’s so easy to just get busy with other assignments. Since this is a new area, we have to get the area book filled-out and try to put together some kind of information for the next set of Elders to come in. 

We had an exchange with the office Elders early this week too.  Elder Collison, from Michigan, stayed with me at my apartment while Elder Barclay went over with Elder Phelps, who is from Farmington and went to Viewmont High School.  Elder Collison has been here six months and we decided to go contacting.  We walked outside and he said - "now don’t be afraid to talk to people” - NOT A PROBLEM!   We walked for about 45 minutes and 3-4 kilometers and in that tiny stretch I contacted about 15 people!  It isn’t much in a normal mission but after we finished I thought back to how many people I stopped and it’s clear I’m not afraid.  The cool thing is Collison was waiting for me to finish my visits.  I sure appreciate Elder Barclay!  Not only does he let me do a lot of the contacting, but he will stop people himself as well.  Plus, he also contributes to the conversations that I’m having and gives me a good example of how to explain and respond to certain things.

Occasionally it’s hard to contact (some) people; they almost always call me out right from the get-go and say "where are you from?"   Before I answer, the say "ya you’re from Utah."  Just one time I want to respond as say "no, I’m from Canada, England” or somewhere else just to see their reaction but before I can even spit out those words, Elder Barclay always responds "sunt roman" which means "I’m romanian!”  He’s a funny guy and is always doing crazy things. He can speak well enough for people not to question him, but they always look back at me and call me out again.

It’s a different world out here though.  I know that some people would go nuts if they saw some of these things.  For one, there is this weird idea that Gypsies came up with. They take their newborn child and break their legs so that they grow in backwards which helps them beg for money easier when they get older.  Just thinking about it gives me the chills.  So sad!  We see everything from crazy Gypsies to 10 year-olds smoking cigarettes.  I might just be sheltered but this stuff is crazy!

Christmas is awesome here!   Romanians are better at it than Amaricans.  Imagine, Temple Square lights at every piata or round-about. When we hit the contacting wall, we sing carols.  I know it sounds really lame but it works!  I’m not proficient at singing publicly but it’s a lot easier when people approach us when singing. We performed a Christmas program this week, singing about ten songs for members and non-members in the church at Mihai Bravu.  A lady came up to me and said that she paid $50 to attend a professional concert here in Buch and we sounded better than they did.  I guess people can’t sing in Romania and they think we are professionals!  Maybe I have a future career as the J.T. of Buch!

Speaking of J.T., check out google for Antonia Lacobescu; she’s a pop singer here – The Beyonce’ for Romanians!  Well I come to find out that her father is President Lacobescu - The man who conducts my church meetings!  He is the most humble down to earth guy.  I love talking to him and he speaks very good English.  He lived in Vegas for five years and that’s where his daughter was discovered.  Pretty cool story!  Antonia is/was a member of the church (not exactly sure).  I heard whenever people ask her about the religion, she always says good things and defends the church!  Pretty sweet considering Romanians avoid any religion other than Orthodox.

Anyway, I’m having fun and struggling too – But that’s good!  The language is hard and I knew it would be. I love being around a different culture and learning different things. Be sure to send me questions for next week and I will try to answer them so you have more interesting stuff to read.

I love and miss all you guys - Have a fun week!

Elder Brown

Christmas Market

Merry Christmas!