Brasov Re-Org

Hey folks! 

Good week . . . cooled down a bit, but still is pretty warm. 

Our Branch President has his niece staying with him and last Monday she decided to get baptized before she goes back to her parent’s house near Constanta!   She didn’t really give the sisters too much time to work with, but they taught her everything and talked with president to make sure it was cool to get baptized within one week’s time.  On Friday, I had to give her a baptismal interview (weird) and she was baptized by the Branch President on Saturday.  It was cool to see back to back baptisms the last two weeks and the first time I have seen that on my mission.  The branch is excited to have new people and to participate in baptisms.  Her name is Andreea Gorgiana.  I dont have any pictures unfortunately, but it was cool. 

We've been doing our thing and teaching who we can.  President called yesterday though and had some big news for us.  Brasov is a 6 missionary district (4 sisters & 2 elders) but he is going to split me and Elder Swafford as of this Friday.  We will both be receiving new comps and remain here in Brasov.  Elder Brown is coming to me (not a joke - we also have two Sister Armstrongs together in Constanta) and Elder Erickson is coming to be with Swafford.  Nothing big happened,  just a few changes in the mission and it made sense to make this change.  Kinda bummed I was only with Swafford for a month but we will live together at least for the next two weeks.  My new guy is fresh in the mission. He has been here four weeks so I will train him until I’m done in September. President is just making sure I stay obedient - haha! 

I’m doing good, having fun, learning new things and trying not to think about you guys too much.  Also, making great food! 

Happy Birthday to our girl Pippa!  Wish I could be there. 

Boring emails but I’ll get this figured out by next week.  

Love ‘ya
Keeg

Conferinta si Sapte Scari – Conference and Seven Stairs

Hey guys... It’s hot! 

This week was quick and eventful.  We had zone conference here in Brasov and it went well.  I didn’t have to do anything and it was nice to sit back and enjoy a meeting.  Elder Swafford and I were in charge of lunch though and fed 30 people.  We went lazy and just had sandwiches.  The conference topic was teaching the restoration better and other stuff. 

We've been doing good, but it’s slowing down.  Everyone in Brasov, this time of year, are tourists.  We have some people he were teaching but a lot are now gone. We're gonna start doing some street boarding here this week and it should be good as long as we don’t get in trouble with the cops.

Today we hiked Sapte Scari which is translated as seven ladders.  It’s a pretty sick hike through a slot canyon and has seven ladders that get you up to the top. We had a good time and took some good photos. 

I heard that dad’s birthday was good. Looks like I missed out on a good one!

 

Two Bros from Brasov - Swafford

Brasovul e frumos – Brasov is Hot!

Good day peeps . . . 

I’m here in Brasov for week two . . . It’s great!  The branch is pretty sick and there will be an 8 year old baptism next week.  Church attendance hit  62 Sunday which is the highest it’s been in years, but there were about 20 people there as visitors so we think 42 is a more realistic number.  President was there with a family friend of his and then there was another family from Switzerland and a ton of other people. 

It’s getting really hot around here. . . unusually hot for this area of the country and we don’t have AC. Today is 94 degrees and we were invited to do some service for a YSA girl.  She needed her refrigerator moved from one building to another, about 200 yards away.  She picked the two skinniest missionaries in the mission, but we got it done!  Of course she lived on the 3rd floor.

There’s nothing too big going on, just trying not to think about time too much.  Home is coming-up quick on us and I just wanna have fun and get stuff done here! 

I love and miss you guys - Have fun! 

Patru Julie - Happy Fourth of July Good People!

My week has been off the wall. 

Tuesday morning at 2:30 p.m., I’m awakened by the elder who sleeps above me (Elder Evans).  He got down from the bunk bed and went to the bathroom.  I knew something was up so I went to check on him and when he came out he was shaking like crazy; shivering to death!  I honestly thought he was going to die.  We sat him down and tried to take his temperature.  Our thermometer wasn’t working, but by my hand I could tell he was burning up.  After a blessing, I sat and tried to convince him to go to the hospital but he refused.  He stopped shaking, but then began to throw up. 

He stayed in bed the next day, but then my comp got kinda sick too!  We took Evans to the hospital Tuesday night at about 8:00 p.m. and remained there till about 10:00.  We then had the missionaries who finished their missions at our place and were up Wednesday morning at 3:30 a.m. to take them to the airport.  At 8:00 Wednesday morning, we knew that my comp had the same illness.  We didn’t take him to the hospital thinking it was the same thing as Evans (food poisoning). But when they both didn’t recover, I took my comp to the hospital. 

Wednesday at 7 p.m. we went to the hospital.  I sat four straight hours in the waiting room and he finally came out - Parasites!  My comp has a big ol' worm in him.

The two sicko’s chilled together sick for most of the weekend and I then went out with the other Elder Brown, as he is the only healthy one around me! 

We also had zone conference on Friday, office staff meeting, an open house on Saturday and two showings of Meet the Mormons. 

Today we celebrated the fourth of July.  My comp felt well enough to come out for a while.  We had soccer, volleyball frisbee, barbeque, watermelon eating contests and other games! I had a stellar time and got to run around. 

This next week we get ready for transfers and meet with President to figure all that crap out. I find out where I’m going to serve my last two transfers and hopefully have some input. 

Sounds like you guys are boring as freak back home, but I wish I could be with you all for the fourth!  Go do something fun and then send me some pics for next week! 

I love and miss you all! 
Keeg

4th of July - Eagle Socks!

Schimb de Experienta - Exchange of Experience

Solid week Ladies and Gents!

Coming down to the end, I wonder how annoying and repetitive these emails have become for you. 

I had the opportunity to be President’s companion for a day!  I was pretty nervous at first, but once we got through airport security and on the morning flight everything was a little bit smoother.  We had zone training in Cluj and he didn’t think it was necessary to take both me and my companion.  It was fun!   The flight back was incredible because we talked about his relationships with the Apostles and how he knows all of them so well.  Then we talked college football and his life at the U.  He told me about his time at Harvard Business School and he asked me . . . "what do you want to be when you grow up?"  We had some fun and then talked about some mission things.  He then asked me where I wanted to end my mission and I had no idea what to say - It was nuts!  He’s basically letting me decide (pressure)!  He had some nice things to say and I was appreciative of the hours we spent together. 

So back to the conference . . . I taught something that he’s been preaching for the last few weeks.  President was busy doing interviews so I covered for him.  It’s a cool little concept, kind of hard to put into an email, but when you boil it down it goes as follows . . . 

Your life progresses at a decent speed as long as you continue to learn, but the moment you try to teach and serve, your life begins to maximize itself.  Unselfish service and hard work will ultimately lead to you learning more, and at a quicker rate.  The smallest changes can make all the difference.  It only takes 2 degrees or 2 percent to make lasting differences. Example: 

In 1979 a large passenger jet with 257 people on board left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica and back. Unknown to the pilots, however, someone had modified the flight coordinates by a mere two degrees. This error placed the aircraft 28 miles (45 km)to the east of where the pilots assumed they were. As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to a lower altitude to give the passengers a better look at the landscape. Although both were experienced pilots, neither had made this particular flight before, and they had no way of knowing that the incorrect coordinates had placed them directly in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano that rises from the frozen land scape to a height of more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m).

As the pilots flew onward, the white of the snow and ice covering the volcano blended with the white of the clouds above, making it appear as though they were flying over flat ground. By the time the instruments sounded the warning that the ground was rising fast toward them, it was too late. The airplane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing everyone on board.

It was a terrible tragedy brought on by a minor error—a matter of only a few degrees.

Through years of serving the Lord and in countless interviews, I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees. - a matter of a few degrees (Uchtdorf - General Conference, April 2008)

President also shared a story about compound interest and a change of only 2 percent in interest rates . . .  Ultimately, the difference between 5 percent and 7 percent, compounded over 44 years, results in more than double the income ($10,000 = $90,000 @ 5% or $215,000 @ 7%).  Life isn’t about the big changes, but small incremental changes over time. 

As for homecomings, I’m hearing guys my age getting home from their missions and the girls my age are getting married!  I can’t keep up with all that’s going on, but its nuts.  A BIG WELCOME HOME and KILLER JOB to Doug Hintze!  I understand he comes home this week so let him know I miss him.  Let me know who else is getting home . . . Talon Hatch should be soon, then Blair next month and others. 

Remember me? Check out these pics! 

Love you all!
Keeg