Nasha's Baptism ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

 March 27, 2021

❤️ Sweet Nasha, our friend and newest member of 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ❤️

Illawathura Kankanamge Nadeesha Chathurangani Liyanage 

We had such a beautiful baptism service today;  I will share Nasha's journey!

Nasha said that she saw a lot of churches in Romania and she went to many of them.  She would go in and light candles but she didn't meet anyone who spoke about God. She continued to pray to God to understand His desire for her.

Sister Natalie Gunn had posted that Nasha could have the opportunity to learn English and talk about Spiritual Life through Facebook.  Nasha sent her a message saying that she wanted to join it.  When the Pandemic started to affect the world she had problems being able to go back to Sri Lanka and she was unable to join the English class.  At this point Nasha did not realize that Sora Gunn was affiliated with any Church nor did she know what a Missionary was.

On Christmas day, Nasha was alone in her living room while everyone else was celebrating Christmas. She was sad that she couldn't celebrate her first Christmas here in Romania. As she looked on Facebook she saw that Sister Gunn sent a video to her; it was "The Christ Child: A Nativity Story"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXWoKi5x3lw

"It was about Jesus Christ and I later saw, in Sister Gunn's Facebook, that she belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She spoke English so it was easy for me to communicate with her.  She lovingly asked me about Christmas. When she told me she was going to church, I eagerly asked her to let me go there and talk and see them.  After chatting with them and hearing about God, I prayed with them that day and then went to a job interview. I wanted to learn more but I had to go back to work.

"I went to the church one day a week on my way to work and learned from Sister Gunn & Sister Saunder for about an hour. Then Sister Northrup attended. I came to believe in the word of God with the utmost respect and devotion.  I felt that Jesus Christ was the only Savior who would guide me on my journey.  

"I know that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. I'm happy about it. I always feel safe and secure, even in times of extreme hardship. I believe God brought me to this point where I can find the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love it.

"I had a work contract until March but I worked hard and somehow came to church one day a week and told Sister Gunn that I needed to be baptized. By then Sister Smith and Sister Evans were teaching me lessons. I learned a lot from them.

"In the meantime, I read and studied the Book of Mormon and learned about the principles of the Gospel. I'm very surprised and pleased; I agreed to live it.

"I decided to be baptized on March 27, 2021. I asked Elder Matthews if he would baptize me. I had already met Elder Matthews a couple of times.  I felt blessed by my father. I was so happy on my baptism day and I had the support of so many Sisters and Elders. Sister Matthews is a beloved older sister I will always remember.  And I'm so glad about the kindness of love. What I learned from all of you is love. I grew up in a different culture, but I learned a lot from you.  You show me love and give it to me. I thank God for that.

"I'm still learning from Sister Workman who came to Mihai Bravu church because I want to learn more after I'm baptized.  One day she taught me the Book of Mormon in Sinhala with another, Sister Senanayake, and Sisters in Sri Lanka were already teaching me.  I have a very happy testimony to God for all of this.  I pray to God to bless the lives of all these children of God who have supported me in their guidance. I want to one day be a missionary and bring others unto Christ and share the joy I have found with others.

Natalie Gunn, Audrey Saunders, Elder Matthews, Sister Matthews, Emily Northrup, Megan Smith, Alyson Evans, Jedrick Sellar (Sri Lankan), Nora Rytting, Amy Workman, Hailey Ellis, Emma Curtis,  Senanayake and Sister Mahathanthri, Elder Abishek (Sri Lankan)."

Nasha has a beautiful testimony and as you read her words I hope you can feel it, too!  It was truly such a beautiful meeting and you could feel the spirit throughout the whole program.  There were so many wonderful people participating: President Ion Dragoi presided, Brother Larsen conducted, Sora Gunn and Sora Evans gave talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost. Sora's Sabir and Wenstom said the prayers. Nasha received the gift of the Holy Ghost through Elder McAllister along with all the wonderful, worthy Priesthood brethren that attended the baptism and Elder Matthews had the honor of baptizing Nasha. Elder Perrigo and Sora Northrup did an amazing duet (which I cried through) as they sang "Peace in Christ", which is now my all time favorite song.  I've included the lyrics below; to get the full effect you can listen to it online as it just might become your favorite song, too 😇:

Because of the pandemic our missionaries mostly reach out to people through social media.  It is amazing how many people are searching for the truth and for peace in their lives. Nasha was one of these special people.

Peace in Christ

McKenna Hixson

There is peace in Christ

When we learn of Him

Feel the love He felt for us

When He bore our sins

Listen to His words

Let them come alive

If we know Him as He is

There is peace in Christ

He gives us hope

When hope is gone

He gives us strength

When we can't go on

He give us shelter

In the storms of life

When there's no peace on Earth

There is peace in Christ

When we walk with him

Through the streets of Galilee 

to Jerusalem

Mend the broken hearts

Dry the tear-filled eyes

When we live the way He lives

There is peace in Christ 

He gives us hope

When hope is gone

He give us strength

When we can't go on

He give us shelter

In the storms of life

When there's no peace on Earth

There is peace in Christ

There is peace in Christ

Sora Gunn painted the cover of a Book of Mormon for Nasha ~ what an artist; what a treasure!

It was a beautiful day and one we will remember forever!

 

Making Friends while Making Cozonac ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

Saturday, February 6, 2021 

~ Cozonac ~

Last Sunday as I was leaving the church the RS Pres, Sora Doru, handed me this piece of paper (on the left) and said to bring the ingredients next Saturday to our RS activity.  She also told me I would be in charge of the Spiritual thought/lesson and a short video would be nice.

Needless to say, the lesson would be the easy part but it was finding the ingredients and reading the recipe that would be a little tricky! I got her daughter to translate the recipe for me so the next part was finding everything at the grocery store 💛😜💛!

~ Our Beautiful Bakers ~

Top picture: Sora Doru [far left], Sora Bobeanu [back left] < the one with the magic dough hands that made all our dough look like masterpieces, Sora Dumitru [front left], her daughter, Loredona. On the right is Sora Wilcock, me, Sora Sabir and Sora Falslev! 

Bottom Picture: Sora Geta 😇, Sora Bobeana, Sora Doru, Sora Falslev, Sora Wilcock and Sora Sabir.

I wasn't sure how many people would show up and of those that did I wasn't sure if they would bring the ingredients; so as I bought mine I went ahead and bought enough for 5 more recipes.

For all you bakers out there you can see how perfect this dough is!  Sora Bobeanu helped every one of us so all of our dough looked amazing; she truly has the baker's gift! Above is Sora Falslev and me holding a bowl together ~ Sora Falslev did all the work and I ran around and, well, I'm not sure what I was doing but I know I never got my hands doughy!  The great news was that each batch of ingredients created 3 BIG loaves of bread so there was enough bread for everyone (and then some)!

We were supposed to bring any kind of filling that we wanted.  Many people like the "Turkey Delight" candies but I just love cinnamon and sugar so I brought many, many packages of cinnamon.  I also picked up a few chocolate bars but upon further investigation with Sora Wilcock (above) it was discovered that it had cherries or something mixed in it so no one wanted to add them in so they ended up on my countertop at home in a dish until finally, after many gatherings, they were gone!

At first there wasn't much room in the kitchen area so Sora Falslev and I set up some tables in the overflow of the chapel (we kind of felt like we had been banished to Outer Darkness); but since no one else showed up we were invited back into the kitchen (the Celestial Kingdom 😂😂😇)!

The Elders (and others) snuck in a few times to see the creations that were being baked.  There was a sweet aroma drifting out of the kitchen that was pretty irresistible to pass by.

We had such a wonderful, fun time and it was just so great to be with everyone and enjoying each other's company! There was a baptism later that day so we would be having Cozonac for dessert!

Oops 😝! There wasn't enough time to bake my bread at the church so I brought mine home to bake. Since we still haven't quite figured out how to get the correct setting in our oven I overcooked our bread just a bit.  I had to take it out on the balcony in order to get the stink out of the house and cool it down.  Surprisingly enough the inside was soooooo delicious ~ cinnamon and sugar throughout the inside so I scraped every ounce of bread out of its carcass and gobbled it all up! 

Deeeee-licious 💛😋💛!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozonac

The culture in Romania is much different than anywhere else we have lived.  I can't imagine living in a communist country for so long and being subjected to fear and being afraid to trust anyone because of the threat of being turned into the government for any little misdeed.  I think because of this it takes the people much longer to open up to new people but even to each other.  The younger generation is where the country will thrive as they are exposed to the world, other countries, other cultures and people. Each night as we review our day we hope that we have brightened even one person's life and made someone feel loved, wanted and appreciated; hopefully this was one of those days for our sora's in our little Branch 💙😇💙!

Blessings ~ România 🇷🇴 Mission ~

July 28, 2021

It's been over a year and a half since we've seen all these Cutie Patooties!  In no time at all we will be home and enjoying their company! I'm so thankful for technology that has made it possible to keep in contact with them while we are far away; it's not quite the same, but close. 

Here are a few things we’ve been missing:

~ Timmy, Sarah, Millie and new baby little Annie ~

Missing the newborns, the snuggles, baby blessings, tummy time, bath-time, first steps, museums, hanging at the Alpine house, 1st of everything, 

~ Kenny, Lindsay, Penny and new baby Daisy Dot ~

Missing the parks, the funny faces, game nights, tickle bugs, Alpine Days, halloween, carnivals, performances, hugs, 

~ Robbie, Kelli, Linc, Londy & new baby Scarlett ~

Missing the cousin gatherings, parties, playtime, shopping,  vacations, soccer matches, dances, dress-up, crafts,

~ Willie, Grace, Sadie, Isla and Emma ~

Missing feet massages, games, toddlers, discoverings, reading time, sisterly love, swimming, walks, lakes,

~ Marcie, Jamis, Char, Att, Haze, and Mare & Miles ~

Missing the reunions, birthdays, puzzles, legos, karate, holidays, report cards, popcorn & movie nights, squeezes, 

~ Mindy, Jakob, Kobes, Luke, Jude and Tate ~

Missing the graduations, ordinations, projects, celebrations, talks at church, frisbee golf, mission farewells, football, big backyards.

Has it been hard not seeing these little critters for the last bit? YES! Is serving a mission worth missing all of these family times and gatherings? YES! While in Romania we have learned the need for senior missionaries is high. Consequently, we are happy we could be of service.  Being away from these tooters, on occasion, feels like a big sacrifice, especially if there are problems back home, but the time really has gone by fast and we hopefully have done some good.

We are thrilled that we have been able to enjoy our children as adults and watch them grow and develop into the wonderful parents that they are! It is a blessing to be included in as many activities as we can with these adorable grandchildren when we are in the States!

They are living their lives and we are so blessed to be a part of their families but we are still young and healthy and are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to serve others in the capacity of a full time mission.

We love these kids to pieces and look forward to seeing them again and spending time with them! 

When looking at the Eternal Plan of Salvation  (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/plan-of-salvation?lang=eng), serving a mission is a small sacrifice for us and for our children. They still have many trials and tribulations and maybe we could have eased a few of them by being closer to them over the last 2 years but we truly believe that we are where we need to be at this time. Has it been a sacrifice, you bet. Has it been worth it, a thousand times over yes!  

Most couples go out for 1yr to 18 months.  That is probably the time frame we will go out on our next mission!  Because of Covid and the availability for senior couples to serve, it has been a blessing that we choose 2 years for this mission.  Our Mission President is living in Hungary and has only had the opportunity to come over to Romania 4 to 5 times; because of this the senior missionary couples have been able to help more during the pandemic. We were able to travel all over Romania when the AP's were restricted and also help with transfers when the missionaries couldn't use public transportation, we could still go and check on them (and their apartments 😉), etc.. 

Today, Bill and I celebrated our Wedding Anniversary 💑!  When we first met 42 years ago we talked that first week about serving missions together when our children were grown.  It seemed like a lifetime ago but what a fast roller coaster our life has been on.  We truly feel so blessed to have been able to have the opportunity to serve together here in Romanian and to grow as a couple and come closer to our Savior. It has been such a pleasure to work side-by-side with Billy and see his tenderness, wisdom and spirituality when working with the missionaries, members and investigators.  It is a treasure I will always keep close to my heart.

I know that the Savior knows us and is mindful of each and everyone of us.  We are grateful to have this opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people in Romania as we can!

Visiting Our Dear Friend Gabi ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

Friday 3/19/21

Each of the surrounding cities of Bucharest are so unique and special in their own way.  Urziceni is no different.  It is about an hour from Bucharest and reminds me of any little town that you go through the further you get away from the big cities.  The difference here in Romania is the gorgeous buildings and phenomenal architecture in every single city.  I can only imagine what it was like when all of the buildings were first erected and how magnificent they must have looked.  The picture in the lower right hand corner is the restaurant that we were going to go to but it was closed so we went back to the nice one that we had been to the last time we were here!

This is our beautiful Gabi on her Baptism Day! Gabi's Dad is a member and had asked the missionaries to get in contact with her. She was "Golden"! She reminds me so much of how I felt the spirit so strongly upon walking into the seminary building with Kenna and she was the same way.  She began being taught and she just knew everything she was being taught was correct and rang true. Since she lives so far away and it takes her close to 2 hours to get to church her Dad is a bit worried for her to travel to Bucharest.  He is out of the country working and there is no one to help her get to church.  The next time he is in town we'll try to talk to him and maybe work out an arrangement that, if it's ok, for her to take the bus to Bucharest and then we can pick her up at the train station so she won't have to take a bus, tram then the metro to the church.  We saw her grandfather so maybe he would like to come with her 😉!

Here is our cute group: Gabi, Sora Northrup, Bill, me, Sora Wenstrom and Sora Sabir.  Last time we came for a visit we celebrated Gabi's birthday. Each of the restaurants are very fancy and it feels like we are 'fine dining' even if it's just lunch! The best is the price; all six of us can eat these delicious foods for the same amount it would cost, in the States, to feed just Bill and me.  This will definately be a rude awakening when we return home to America 😕.

Each of us had our own idea of what we would like so it is so wonderful that the menu had such a variety of food! Three of the girls ordered Pizza, one ordered spaghetti, I ordered grilled vegetables and Billy had chicken strips with rice/mushrooms ~ truly delicious 💗😋💗!

Of course, dinner, lunch or breakfast wouldn't be complete without ending with the delicious and very famous dessert in Romania ~ PAPANAS! It's like a soft scrumptious donut deep fried with a hard outside crunch and cream and berries gushing out and over the top with a baby round donut on top.  Every restaurant has their own unique style in making them and we have had some that were not as good as others but for the most part all of the Papanas's are unbelievably succulent!

Bill and I get to have a lot more 'group' date nights (many more than when we are at home) which I love! It's fun to be around all the missionaries and our new members (old members and friends) because Billy's funny side comes out as he teases them all. Never a dull moment!

We had a wonderful time and even though Gabi won't be able to come to church quite as much she has a beautiful testimony and will remain strong through her scriptures studies, prayer and constant contact with all of her new friends (especially since we have so many online activities)!

Sora Northrup has been staying with us for a tiny bit but is now back out doing missionary work with Sora Sabir and Wenstrom! She is feeling 100% better and is back into full swing but I will miss her being my full time companion and hanging with her! Fortunately, she is in our Branch and the Sisters just traded apartments with the Elders (as the Elders had a lot bigger apartment) so they are just around the corner from us! La Revedere 💙😇💙!

Skin Cancer (again) ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

Thursday, 1/28/21

 ~Billy's 2nd Round of Skin Cancer ~

Billy had some spots on his head that we have gotten burned off a number of times in the past.  They just seem to grow back rapidly and the last time we had them checked there seemed to be a lot more concern. We scheduled an appointment and the doctor seemed like they all needed to be removed (three were cancerous and the 4th was a cist on the crown of his head). We scheduled surgery.  This picture is the Monday before surgery where he had to get a ton of blood work done, an EKG, a Covid test and a number of other tests.  Unfortunately, it is never a one shot deal here in Romania - we had to make 4 different appointments for each thing so it was quite the long process!  Warning: GRAPHIC PICTURES AHEAD 😜!

 
They told Billy that he would need to shave his head ~ completely 😮👴😦!  So he went to the local barber and off went his locks of hair! He still looks as handsome as ever but I must say it was a bit of a SHOCKER!

We woke up to a beautiful snowy day with a bit of an overcast ~ since this is Bill's favorite kind of day we knew all would be well!

Still my Cutie Patootie with just a new "short" look for him! They took him away from me and he waited about an hour before they took him from his cubicle for surgery.  In the States we would usually get to be together during that time (at least before covid) so I didn't like not being with him to comfort him before he went in.  I think he was more than ok, but that is just the way it has been so it was just not as comforting for me. 

Surgery took 2 and a half hours then they kept him in the recovery room for another 2 hours.  During his surgery he woke-up TWICE ~ yeah, hard to believe. It doesn't give me much faith in the whole hospital system here in Romania. They look and seem competent but . . . ???  

He was told to keep his bandages on for a full week until our next check up but the big one kept coming off.  It looked pretty gruesome and seemed like they might have used a butcher's knife.  I guess we should be glad that they went deep enough and wide enough to get any and all of the cancer but boy the incision does not look pretty.

We came back for his follow-up and waited for quite awhile. There was some kind of emergency in the dermatology offices that took a bunch of the nurses and a couple doctors to set things right. After a while the patient came out not looking so good but then we were called in. 

They took off all the bandages and cleaned up the area (which hurt quite a bit as they scrubbed on his head and it was still tender from surgery). 

Well, we didn't have any kind of an emergency but it still took 3 nurses to get Bill's head wrap back on his head 😂💙😂💙😂! It was hilarious! The doctor said all went well and he took out the stitches and then the nurse(s) proceeded to bandage his head and do the wrap!

After we were home for a couple days the strangest thing took place. As Bill was looking and then feeling his scars there were a few weird little bumps.  I got out all of my surgical/medical tools and investigated. There were these white dots sticking out of his scar site. I looked closer and sure enough there were about 4 stitches that the doctor missed.  The craziest was after I removed them we looked and they were pieces of string; as in string from a ball of rope string ~ CRAZY 😧! His skin was starting to grow over them (which was causing the bumps) but I was able to get them all out.

Two months later and he is doing great and his hair is slowly growing back. He is going to try to wear his hat a lot more as we know he is prone to skin cancer.  His dad had a hole the size of a silver dollar in his head after he had skin cancer removed on his head so we are hoping we can catch anymore sooner than later! 

A little side note ~ after his EKG results came back they wanted him to go in and have further testing.  He had a sonogram and found some blockage but they need to do an angiogram and possibly put in a stent.  I would much rather come back to the States to have all this done but Bill seems ok with doing it here.  So, if you could offer up some mighty prayers on his behalf I would so appreciate it!  We'll make sure and get him a priesthood blessing before he goes in on the 30th.  I just hope he doesn't wake up during this procedure 😳😳😏.