Week 2 in Romania!

Salut from the land of Romania! I'm still working hard and making progress on both the language and the gospel.

The sisters in our district handed over to me and Elder Reid one of their investigators because they will be tied up with their responsibilities as coordinating sisters for a while. But he's got a baptism date! He's a really cool kid named Iancu. He's such a cool kid. He's 12 years old and exactly like my cousin Chase. We'll have lessons with him and afterwords we'll play around with ping pong or Foosball and just have fun! He's got such a strong desire to follow the lord. He had read the Book of Mormon even before he was originally contacted, read it to his parents, and is super excited to be baptized this week. As I said before, he reminds me so much of my cousin. He loves to play sports, and he loves rough-housing, but he's got such a sweet spirit inside him, and he's one of the kindest people I've met since being here. One time after a lesson, after we had been playing around for a few minutes, he walked in to the church kitchen to get a drink of water, and just started doing dishes! He just loves to help and be a good person, and I'm so excited to see him take the next step in following Jesus.

Yesterday our whole district went to a big park in our area and "chalk-contacted." We drew out the plan of salvation in chalk on the ground, and gave a presentation to people as they walked by. We got a lot of attention! We got the idea to do it in a presentation format from the fact that going on all around us in the park was the International Festival of Living Statues. Or something like that. We stood still on our spots, and someone would bring the people in to look at what was happening, and had them push a button that we drew on the ground. When they pushed the button we all shifted positions really fast and went in to our presentation of the plan of salvation. We got a lot of weird looks, but we also got several really interested people to come talk with us. It was really fun!

I'm adapting slowly but surely to mission life. The barrier of talking to random people on the street is coming down slowly but surely as well. I'm healthy and safe, and working hard! It certainly is the hardest thing I've done in my life up to this point, but it's worth it even now. See you next week!

-Elder DeGraw

 

Festival of the Living Statues
(aka Creative way to share the Plan of Salvation)

 

I'm in Romania!

A new missionary was born this week in Romania! Born in the Bucureşt, Panduri area, Elder DeGraw's "Naşi" (Godfathers) were Elder Hallist and Elder Whitehead. His ""father's" name is Elder Reid. His "mother" is Sora Ewell, and his "sister" is Sora Gerhartz. Although but a newborn, he is adapting to life in Romania rather well.

 

Okay anyway yeah I'm here! Haha, this first week has been a lifetime of experience already! The first night we stayed with a missionary companionship, Elders Hallist and Whitehead, who are awesome. We went out contacting in a park for a few hours, we walked around Bucharest, basically they prepared us for the mission and gave us a great night. Me and Elder Harper stayed with them, and all the other new missionaries spent the night with other Naşi. That first night in Romania was so surreal. I still can't believe I'm all the way across the world. All the signs and stuff are in Romanian (for the most part), people all around us are speaking Romanian, it's insane! What trips me out the most is seeing little kids speaking Romanian. Romanian babies are adorable, and the little toddlers or slightly older kids will be running around yelling Romanian things, haha it freaks me out!
 

 The other day we went out and "chalk-contacted" where we went to a park, drew the plan of salvation on the sidewalk in chalk, and tried to talk to strangers. It was cool! We talked with a really nice lady and her dad and daughter, who would hop on the spots we were talking about to be more interactive. Haha she stopped on the Terrestrial spot and said "I go here right?" then grabbed her like two year old daughter and put her on the Celestial and said "And she goes here!" And she joked around with us for a while and left. It was really cool.
 

Not all the people here are that cool though. We've been mocked several times, usually it's funny but not always. Also there are a lot of homeless people and people begging for money and it makes me so sad. Being here less than a week has helped me realize how good I had it back home. It makes me so much more grateful for what I have and what I had.
 

We've had a couple lessons with investigators, although we usually get bunged (set up for an appointment and they cancel). I'm in the big city of Bucureşti, in the Panduri branch. We are one of the few branches that actually has a dedicated building just for church use. The chapel is beautiful! The building is easily the nicest quality building I've been in up to this point. 

 

Something interesting about Romania, they don't really believe in AC. A lot of the older people believe that it makes you sick. They also don't put ice in their drinks. The real reason for this is because of lack of dental hygiene exposing nerves in the mouth which cause pain. But anyway. It's really hot here. We walk everywhere we go, but if it's further away we'll also take the Metrou or the Tramvai, which are like the subway and trax basically. And yep it's hot and sticky in there too. But all things considered, it's a cool place. It's definitely a downtown area, and is kinda ghetto, but the people for the most part are great! The members are amazing! I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure we have the largest branch in Romania, and there are some amazing members with incredibly strong testimonies here.

 

It's definitely one of the hardest things I could have chosen to do. We walk all day, set up appointments that fall through, and lots of other things. But you know what? I love it. Seeing members in these small branches here with so much faith in the gospel and in the church strengthens my testimony so much. I will adapt to this blessing not very well disguised as a trial. 

 

Although I haven't been here for very long, my testimony has grown so much. I'm going to do my best to bring these people the gospel. It won't always be easy, but it will always be worth it. If I can go out every day and put my smile on and all I do in this mission is set a good example to the people here by showing kindness and friendliness, doing good works and helping people, and don't see a single result of my work in my time here, I can still consider this a successful mission. I'm excited for what this work will bring, for me and for my future investigators. I love and miss all of you. You're all in my prayers. Talk to ya next week!

Dragoste,

Elder DeGraw

My first view of Bucharest

Trainers in Bucharest

My new office

LDS Chapel Plaque

LDS Chapel in Bucharest

Saying farewell to MTC companion

View from my apartment

Elder DeGraw arrives safely in Bucharest, Romania

We received this note from the Mission Office in Romania

********************************

"Dear Brother and Sister DeGraw,

President H and I were thrilled to meet Elder DeGraw as he arrived in the Bucuresti airport with his MTC group.  He seemed very happy to finally be in the mission field after his weeks in the MTC.  He was surprisingly awake after his long flights...

(They spent the first night in the MIssion Home)

The next day, we went in the pouring rain to Cismigiu Park where, in 1990, Elder Russel M. Nelson dedicated the land of Romania for teaching the gospel.  We took refuge in a little gazebo, where we sang hymns and snapped a picture of the group.  I'm attaching the picture for you to see.

Then, all the incoming missionaries came to lunch at the mission home, after which they worked hard to stay awake through our orientation meeting and then met their first companions.  ElderDeGraw is now with his initial companion, Elder R, in Bucharest, the capital city."

Elder DeGraw and his MTC district visit Cismigiu Park with Pres and Sister H

5 weeks Down 5 days Left!

Today marks the 5 week point in the mish, and we leave in 5 days!! Yesterday we said goodbye to the first teacher we had in class because he's getting married tomorrow, and he showed us a bunch of pictures of his mission, and it got all of us even more excited!! We leave SLC on Monday morning and get to Bucharest Tuesday afternoon.  Haha we'll be in transit for more than 24 hours. Yay. But I'm so excited to get to Romania!!!!!!!!

I'm at the point in the language where I could probably get along okay in Romania. I would sound like a complete moron, but I know enough of the grammar structure and vocab that even if I don't know how to say the exact words I want to, I can find a roundabout way to say it.

I am so in love with the atmosphere of the MTC. Never before in my life have I been able to feel this constant bombardment of the spirit that I feel here. Take that and multiply it by the awesomeness of all the Elders and Sisters in my district and zone, and you've got one super happy Elder DeGraw. If they weren't the nice and fun and awesome people they are, I can guarantee that my MTC experience would have been torture. But I have loved it here. Don't get me wrong, I am SO ready to get out and get in country. But it has been a great experience.

 

Thank you to every single person who's sent me a letter or package or email or anything. We're really busy here, and the days all blend together, so sometimes I'll forget when something came and forget if I sent you something back so I'm really sorry if I don't respond, but just know that it always makes my day whenever I get something, no matter what it is.

 

Our teacher gave us some advice before we said goodbye. It's advice that I've heard many times before, but never really took as much to heart as I did here. He said "No regrets." I need to work with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength, that I may stand blameless before God at the last day. If I work my absolute best to bring others unto Christ, I can be assured that I've done my part. In 6 days I will be in Romania, and within a week I will be preaching the Good News to her people. This is my last P day in the United States, and in the MTC. I am SO excited for the experience, the rejection, the rejoicing, and the reuniting of others with their Savior. Next time I write home, it will be from the other side of the world. The nerves and the doubts and the questions are definitely there, but they can't hold a candle to my love for this Gospel and for Jesus Christ.
 

Eu stiu ca Biserica este adevarata. Si Eu stiu ca Romanii pot stiu acea. Si Eu stiu Eu pot se folosesc. Va iubesc cu tot inima mea, si Eu stiu ca Isus Hristos va iubeste. Eu ma rog pentru voi fiecare zi. Eu voi va vedea mai tirziu!!

Dragoste,

Elder DeGraw