January 2021
On our way to:
~Arad ~
We made a wonderful stop at our dear, sweet, kind friend Sonia 💖. Sonia is one of those young women who felt the spirit so strong that she gained a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, instantly. She and her sister joined the church while they were living in Portugal.
Her parents are adorable and welcomed us into their family as if we were one of their own. It was so great to finally meet Sonia face to face and we hope to be back to her little town soon!
I wanted to share Sonia's testimony with you (with her permission):
SONIA's TESTIMONY
Hello everyone!!! I thought I'd tell you a little more about myself. How did I come to know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? I wanted to explain clearly I was with my family in Portugal when I was 5 years old. A few years later, one day I visited some people while walking towards the house we were just visiting on that road, it was a building! My father asked: What is this building? A house? I approached and read: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Then I answered: It is not a house, but a Church! That's right ... It was just that. After a short time my father was at work in another city, just there were missionaries from our branch the same missionaries who served in our city in that building. There my Father saw the Missionaries dressed in black and white and the Badge, when my Father saw them he knew he was from some Church! He approached and talked to them, I don't know what they said because we were at home 😅 Then my father called us at home saying that he would come with someone from a church. I knew it was a church, I didn't know exactly who they were, When they came to our house we lived in a block of flats I looked on the terrace and I could only see their blond hair. They went into the house and I asked them: Are you brothers? And they answered of course: We are not)); 😁 It was funny) Then they showed us the Book of Mormon opened the Book to us and kind of talked about it. They visited us many times, one day they visited us and told us to go with them to Family Evening it was such a fun game: (Portuguese: gosta do meu vizinho! (Romanian means: I like my neighbor; (in that game we had to change places and say the members' clothes: Their pants or their shirt so on ... Very fun is my favorite game 😅 !! Before I got to Church with Missionaries I asked one of the Elders said, "Is that the Church?" He said, "Yes," and I said, "I know that building we passed through. I finally came to the Church. It seemed like a hospital. "Our buildings. But I had a lot of fun! It was very nice with members and missionaries. The missionaries were named: Elder Magnusson and Elder McGhie." "They came home. They found us at the end of their mission. Other missionaries came: Elder Cordeiro from Brazil, and Elder Boyd from Holland! They were also Wonderful !! My sister, who is now married, was first baptized, and then Elder Boyd asked me, "Do you want to be baptized?" I replied: YES‼ ️ Since then I have become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I am trying to follow Jesus Christ and be better and more like him. 💗 We got used to them quickly. , we felt good, we always laughed when we were sometimes sad and lost in the problems of our family they brought us a Missionary named: Elder Lee, He was so loud he didn't get upset about anything and he always smiled! It amazed us. We ate with them, did missionary work with them, met people who simply did not like us and others who were ready to receive us. There are no words to explain how crazy my life is and how much is happening. I can even say that God works in the LIFE of the Berlan Family. we felt good. It's as if we've been waiting for them a lifetime, as if they were there for us ready to come to us. Since then we have been very happy with our lives. All this happened only in one year 2014 even I was amazed I met so many missionaries in only one Year !!!! 😮😆🤗 DAAA‼ ️ Unfortunately in 2015 in August we had to return to Romania 🇦🇩 to our country. 😭😭 I will never forget them. Even though now everything seems so crazy and hard and Different! I arrived in Romania 🇦🇩 I searched for the Church here I found it! I didn't know anyone! It was so different! Missionaries didn't really know us as they were in Portugal we weren't close! I felt on one side, I felt alone, and that I was set aside, we spoke Portuguese and the members looked at us. But nevertheless we used to be away from the Church not to be active, to go when I can't every Sunday! It's not a step next to me like in Portugal. I have to wake up at 05:00 the train at 06:00 I arrive in Arad at 07:00 From the train station to the church it is 2 hours to walk. We arrive at 09:00 and the church starts at 10:00 😖 Hard. Ehhh, I got used to it. Now it's different, I've learned a lot since I was 10 and now I'm 17 this year and next year I'll be an adult at 18 years old. I learned a lot and grew spiritually and physically. Now I have the opportunity to attend Church every Sunday through Zoom! I have the opportunity to get to know the Missionaries. And to have many friends. To be a Future Missionary in 2 Years. I'm very happy for who I am now. I try to be more like Christ to make my Facebook a spiritual page full of Bis posts
I want to share, how did I get testimony about the Book of Mormon !? So to be honest, I hadn't read the Book of Mormon or the Scriptures for quite some time! at the age of 14 I started to have the desire to read the scriptures every day and now I can't stay a day without reading them, if I don't read them I feel empty, but when I read them I feel spiritually nourished. So I began to want to read the Book of Mormon every day, and to pray about the Book of Mormon if it was true and if Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God? I prayed I did not have the immediate answer, but I learned that we must pray continuously to get the answer to a question and in time according to our faith we will have an answer! So one day I was watching a youtube movie with missionaries called The Best Two Years! I saw that movie many times, but it was a day when I watched in my room and missionaries teach a man about their purpose in the mission and Joseph Smith's first vision, then I felt in my heart a warmth was so deep I felt how my chest burned I knew then that it was the holy spirit. I can truly say that the Book of Mormon is indeed the word of God and that Jesus Christ restored the church to earth through Joseph Smith; ! Jesus Christ loves us and we are his children, he will never leave us alone. in the name of Jesus Christ Amen!
Hello everyone!!! I thought I'd tell you a little more about myself. How did I come to know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? I wanted to explain clearly I was with my family in Portugal when I was 5 years old. A few years later, one day I visited some people while walking towards the house we were just visiting on that road, it was a building! My father asked: What is this building? A house? I approached and read: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Then I answered: It is not a house, but a Church! That's right ... It was just that. After a short time my father was at work in another city, just there were missionaries from our branch the same missionaries who served in our city in that building. There my Father saw the Missionaries dressed in black and white and the Badge, when my Father saw them he knew he was from some Church! He approached and talked to them, I don't know what they said because we were at home 😅 Then my father called us at home saying that he would come with someone from a church. I knew it was a church, I didn't know exactly who they were, When they came to our house we lived in a block of flats I looked on the terrace and I could only see their blond hair. They went into the house and I asked them: Are you brothers? And they answered of course: We are not)); 😁 It was funny) Then they showed us the Book of Mormon opened the Book to us and kind of talked about it. They visited us many times, one day they visited us and told us to go with them to Family Evening it was such a fun game: (Portuguese: gosta do meu vizinho! (Romanian means: I like my neighbor; (in that game we had to change places and say the members' clothes: Their pants or their shirt so on ... Very fun is my favorite game 😅 !! Before I got to Church with Missionaries I asked one of the Elders said, "Is that the Church?" He said, "Yes," and I said, "I know that building we passed through. I finally came to the Church. It seemed like a hospital. "Our buildings. But I had a lot of fun! It was very nice with members and missionaries. The missionaries were named: Elder Magnusson and Elder McGhie." "They came home. They found us at the end of their mission. Other missionaries came: Elder Cordeiro from Brazil, and Elder Boyd from Holland! They were also Wonderful !! My sister, who is now married, was first baptized, and then Elder Boyd asked me, "Do you want to be baptized?" I replied: YES‼ ️ Since then I have become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I am trying to follow Jesus Christ and be better and more like him. 💗 We got used to them quickly. , we felt good, we always laughed when we were sometimes sad and lost in the problems of our family they brought us a Missionary named: Elder Lee, He was so loud he didn't get upset about anything and he always smiled! It amazed us. We ate with them, did missionary work with them, met people who simply did not like us and others who were ready to receive us. There are no words to explain how crazy my life is and how much is happening. I can even say that God works in the LIFE of the Berlan Family. we felt good. It's as if we've been waiting for them a lifetime, as if they were there for us ready to come to us. Since then we have been very happy with our lives. All this happened only in one year 2014 even I was amazed I met so many missionaries in only one Year !!!! 😮😆🤗 DAAA‼ ️ Unfortunately in 2015 in August we had to return to Romania 🇦🇩 to our country. 😭😭 I will never forget them. Even though now everything seems so crazy and hard and Different! I arrived in Romania 🇦🇩 I searched for the Church here I found it! I didn't know anyone! It was so different! Missionaries didn't really know us as they were in Portugal we weren't close! I felt on one side, I felt alone, and that I was set aside, we spoke Portuguese and the members looked at us. But nevertheless we used to be away from the Church not to be active, to go when I can't every Sunday! It's not a step next to me like in Portugal. I have to wake up at 05:00 the train at 06:00 I arrive in Arad at 07:00 From the train station to the church it is 2 hours to walk. We arrive at 09:00 and the church starts at 10:00 😖 Hard. Ehhh, I got used to it. Now it's different, I've learned a lot since I was 10 and now I'm 17 this year and next year I'll be an adult at 18 years old. I learned a lot and grew spiritually and physically. Now I have the opportunity to attend Church every Sunday through Zoom! I have the opportunity to get to know the Missionaries. And to have many friends. To be a Future Missionary in 2 Years. I'm very happy for who I am now. I try to be more like Christ to make my Facebook a spiritual page full of Bis posts
I want to share, how did I get testimony about the Book of Mormon !? So to be honest, I hadn't read the Book of Mormon or the Scriptures for quite some time! at the age of 14 I started to have the desire to read the scriptures every day and now I can't stay a day without reading them, if I don't read them I feel empty, but when I read them I feel spiritually nourished. So I began to want to read the Book of Mormon every day, and to pray about the Book of Mormon if it was true and if Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God? I prayed I did not have the immediate answer, but I learned that we must pray continuously to get the answer to a question and in time according to our faith we will have an answer! So one day I was watching a youtube movie with missionaries called The Best Two Years! I saw that movie many times, but it was a day when I watched in my room and missionaries teach a man about their purpose in the mission and Joseph Smith's first vision, then I felt in my heart a warmth was so deep I felt how my chest burned I knew then that it was the holy spirit. I can truly say that the Book of Mormon is indeed the word of God and that Jesus Christ restored the church to earth through Joseph Smith; ! Jesus Christ loves us and we are his children, he will never leave us alone. in the name of Jesus Christ Amen!
Also you can share this Too:( I am so grateful that I meet the True Church of Jesus Christ and that I am a member and a future Missionary!! I have so wonderful people in my life! and they love me so much. I am very lucky to Know Elder and Sister Matthews!! I love them so much also Sister Matthews!! Sincerally I love Them with all my heart. Te pup ❤❤
Isn't that the sweetest testimony you've ever read? She joined when she was 10 years old; just her and her sister. She came back to Romania and had no one to help and strengthen her testimony but she kept growing and doing what she needed to do in order to have the recurring joy of the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ in her life. She just continued to endure and study and prepare herself all by herself. I admire her so much. I had a great support group when I joined the church but when Sonia came back to Romania she didn't have anyone yet she would not waver in her knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel regardless of what anyone else said or did. She is such a great example of living a Christ centered life. She helped Elder Matthews on his Romanian Facebook page when people would make derogatory remarks; she would explain how their remarks were offensive and incorrect and she would do it in the nicest way and then bear her testimony of the principles of the Gospel. Now she has started a new Facebook page that is totally about Jesus Christ and her relationship with Him. You can check it out below. It was so sad to say goodbye to Sonia but thank goodness for technology as it can keep us connected in so many ways 💖😇💖!
https://www.facebook.com/Veni%C8%9Bi-la-Hristos-107598151202867/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100026561807234
https://www.facebook.com/sonia.berlan.31
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist
We arrived in Arad and met Elder Despain and Elder Young at a restaurant called "Noi"! All the boys had a delicious drink and our meal was scrumptious! The AP's called as transfer are coming up and these Elders get to stay together at least one more transfer. Elder Despain has been in Arad for most all of his mission and has been the Branch President almost as long. Elder Despain is the only missionary that we had not met until now ~ that is unique because we have come in contact with all of them at one point or another but this was the first time for us to meet him! He is training Elder Young who is the cutest, sweetest missionary ever!
Sweet good-byes! It was such a pleasure being with these 2 spiritual giants!
Just FYI about Arad:
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, historically situated in the region of Crișana, and having extended into the neighboring Banat region in the 20th century.[2] Arad is the third largest city in Western Romania, behind Timișoara and Oradea, and the 12th largest in Romania, with a population of 159,704.
A busy transportation hub on the Mureș River and an important cultural and industrial center, Arad has hosted one of the first music conservatories in Europe,[3][4] one of the earliest normal schools in Europe,[5] and the first car factory in Hungary and present-day Romania.[6] Today, it is the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary and two universities.
The city's multicultural heritage is owed to the fact that it has been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, the Ottoman Temeşvar Eyalet, Principality of Transylvania, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and since 1920 Romania, having had significant populations of Hungarians, Germans, Jews, Serbs, Bulgarians[7] and Roma[8] at various points in its history. During the second half of the 19th century and the beginning on the 20th century, the city has experienced rapid development. The most impressive displays of architecture that are still the popular sights of Arad today, such as the neoclassical Ioan Slavici Theater, the eclectic Administrative Palace and the neogothic Red Church, have been built in this period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arad,_Romania
