Pitești/Ploiești/Panduri/Mihai Bravu Water 💦Filter Journey: The End ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

January 2021

~ Pitești ~

Look at these two adorable Elders! On the left is Elder Truscott  and next to me is Elder Dunford! Elder Dunford is fairly new and he is a hoot; after being with him for less than a minute it seemed like we had known him forever!  He does impersonations and had us all laughing! These young men are so amazing and are gifted and talented and are so great about sharing the Gospel and bringing others Unto Christ!

Elder Truscott arrived around the same time as us and he will be going home this November.  He seemed so shy when we first met him and I asked him if he was afraid of me (as I am a little bit of an extrovert and sometimes get in other people's "space"), he gently and kindly told me that I didn't and we've been good friends ever since 😇! It has been so much fun getting to know him and being around him - he's soft spoken but full of power! On one of our Christmas Zone Zoom meetings, we did a "Share Your Talents" night.  He had everyone shout out different shapes and as we did he created this awesome Christmas tree within minutes (above^^^^)!  He's the District Leader in Mihai Bravu now, so we get to see him a lot! He also is an amazing "banana-nut bread" maker and really looks out for and takes care of his district! We love these boys!

A little MOLD problem

There was some unexpected mold in their apartment ~ not just a little but 3 walls full! I told them to pack up because I am sure the office would send them to a hotel or somewhere right away. 

Unfortunately, they texted back with this photo and told me they were starting to clean it.  I immediately called them and they told me that they would clean a little then go on the balcony for some fresh air then back in and clean some more.  They said they were getting headaches.  I told them to STOP and pack.  I then made a few more calls and the AP's went and took them to an Airbnb until the Landlord could get someone else to clean and spray it.  We had mold issues in one of the apartments in Mihai Bravu last year and the mission office immediately closed down that apartment even though it was a new building. Lots of condensation in these apartments! They are safe and sound now!

It's always fun to see Bill's favorite horse-carts in the smaller towns.  They just journey along and nobody thinks a thing about it when they are traveling on the busy streets with the rest of us.  These horses must be trained so well so as not to continually get spooked.

💛Adorable little Village baby💛

~ Ploiești ~

Ploiești is only about 2 hours away from Pitesti but Billy wanted to get home and sleep in our own bed tonight so we just made a long day of travel and shorter visits. This is one of the many beautiful churches in Ploiesti.  The other 3 pics are outside of where the Sora's live.  It seems a bit sketchy but most all of Romania looks similar to this.  I must say though that Romania is a very safe place to live (and visit 😉)!

Since we were traveling on Sunday and didn't get to take these kids out to dinner we just brought these 2 cities of missionaries big goodie bags! We arrived just in time to watch our Sunday night Zone Devotional, which was so great! I know for the young kids it is awesome to serve a mission but for couples it is just a riot! We get to see all these kids and their cute personalities shine bright ~ Zoom allows us to see and communicate with them all the time whereas without the pandemic we would not have gotten to know all the missionaries so well! Blessings in spite of hard times 💙😇💙.

Sora Sorensen and Sora McAfee are our two Media Professionals! They help turn our pictures and videos into magnificent works of art that we then can post and share with the world. They are both so sweet and fun and do such a fantastic job! 

Elder Nielsen is one of our Zone Leaders and is a spiritual giant ~ everyone loves him and he is so compassionate and fun! Elder Olsen is fairly new and his mother is actually Romanian so it is a blessing that he has the opportunity to serve here in Romania! He seems to be quiet and reserved but I think once we get to know him we will find a fun-loving guy with lots to say! It's always fun to be with all the missionaries and we have been so lucky to have met them all!

~ Panduri and Mihai Bravu ~

We are back to our stomping ground with our adorable District! Up top we have Elder Bradbury and Perrigo, Sora's Sabir and Wilcock and to the far right Elder Firth and Mercer.  It's always the hardest when transfers come along because it is so easy to grow so close to our own district and area and we sure are sad when they leave.  We enjoy having them with us as long as we can!  All the missionaries keep us on our toes and yet there is plenty of laughter during our meetings! We love this group! The lower left hand corner is a picture of a basket full of Mega Image's delicious sandwiches.  After our District Meetings on Friday we either send the missionaries or Bill and I will run across the street and pick up sandwiches for our district.  We then spend lunch time visiting some more!

A little outing to one of our favorite places (the ribs are sooooo wonderful).  This little outdoor restaurant is right by our apartment and by the grocery store/mall.  These two girls, Sora Wilcock and Sora Sabir, are two peas in a pod.  They are both quiet, gentle and full of the Spirit.  They have so much goodness and everyone loves them. Sora Wilcock is a quiet worker and before you ask her to do something she has already taken care of it.  Sora Sabir ordered Mititei (Mici - meech). It is a famous recipe in Romania; it is a sausage without the casing.  It's usually made with ground lamb, pork and beef. I usually don't like any sort of sausage, mainly because of the spiciness, but these little mici's are yummy ~ I can only eat one because they are very filling and loaded with grease 😉! This May we plan on joining the 30 million people who will be enjoying Mici  for "International Workers Day" here in Romania; I'm hoping for a big BBQ with President Doru at the grill!

Elder Matthews frequents this spot regularly and he knows all the workers by name.  He had the Sora's pick up a Harry Potter book and give it to Sandra, one of the employees. Sandra has a little boy and little girl who she loves to read to. She was so touched by this little gesture that she wept and everytime we see her she has so much gratitude.  She is a beautiful woman and now a friend.

Sora Petercsak is from Hungary and is now serving in Mihai Bravu. Today she was on exchanges with Sora Sabir so we got to visit with her.  When she first arrived in Romania she got to stay at our house; it was to her relief because her first experience of Romania was being pulled over by a police officer right after leaving the airport (one of the Elders had the medal to the pedal a bit too much 😂😂😳).  After a good night's sleep we drove her to Sibui where she served 3 transfers.  She is a delight and is continually having to speak in 3 languages: English, Romania and her native language of Hungarian (since there are quite a few Hungarians here in Romania)! 

Here we are driving down the still decorated streets in Mihai Bravu and taking these two cuties out for a bite to eat.  They are going to move into a new apartment complex that actually has a washer and DRYER downstairs (and a nice gym area)! When we first rented it the Elders were living here but there won't be new Elders in this area for about a week so we did the ole' switcheroo today 😏!

Here is their cute, spotless, non-moldy, new apartment! It has one bedroom, bath, kitchen and a nice big armoire in the living room! Sora Smith was just a baby missionary when we arrived and she will be going back home in a couple months 💙😢💙. Sora Petercsak only has a few more months as well.  It is crazy that we have been with some of these young women their whole 18 months of their mission.  Such a fun time for us to see the growth and maturity take place in their lives.

These girls are rockin' the Mihai Bravu area! Between the 2 companionships they were teaching about 15 people and bringing many of them to game night and then to Church the next day.  I'm sure part of their attraction is that they are all so beautiful but it is the beauty within that shines bright and their radiant countances are what are bringing others Unto Christ! Sadly, Sora Smith will be heading home in a couple months ~ she has been instrumental in many baptisms and everyone loves her.  Sora Petercsak is dynomite and even though there is somewhat of a rivalry between the two countries, every Romanian loves her and she engages everyone in great conversations. Sora Northrup is from Colorado and we connected immediately! She has the sweetest smile and is so easy to talk to, she is great at going up to everyone and making them feel important ~ this is a real gift! Sora Gunn is great and full of energy! We love her so much and get to spend lots of time with her! She's staying in Mihai Bravu for a few more transfers training Sora Northrup! 

Sora Saunders (far left) was in Mihai Bravu for just one transfer and was a real delight. She is one of our media missionaries now so we don't see her as much. On the far right is our friend, Tamara.  She's from Norway and her and Oli (her fiance`) have become our close friends and she happened to be with me as we stopped at Sora Gunn's and Saunders to fix their leaking water filter 😯😅😏! The picture in the middle is Billy's favorite place to drive by.  In the winter it is decorated with a zillion Christmas lights and in the summer the fountains continue all the way down the boulevard, in the median and on both sides of the hug sidewalks! Spectacular!

P.S. In the next few months, Romania is getting a different kind of water-filter system; you know what that means . . . a summer road trip 💙🚙💙!

Sibiu Water 💦Filters/part VIII ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

January 2021

~SIBIU~

Sibiu is a cozy town and lies in Transylvania, a historical region of Romania. Whether you are traveling into Sibiu from the north, east, south or west, it is beautiful.  We've had the opportunity to visit Sibiu a number of times and have enjoyed the scenery and the sweetness of the people.

We met the 2 sister missionaries at Amber Caffe in the middle of town square.  Each city has a town square and even though they are similar they each have their own unique look and feel! The Romanian restaurants are so fun and we certainly take advantage of this country's cuisine each time we have the opportunity ~ deeeeee-licious 😋!

This is Sora Anderson and Sora Tobler!  We had Sora Tobler close to us in Mihai Bravu for a little bit so we got to enjoy getting to know her there and Sora Anderson is newer and she had a rocky start at the beginning; there were some outside influences that one would not normally encounter but she survived with flying colors and is a phenomenal missionary. Everyone loves Sibiu as it is a little university town and is so quaint and adorable (even with the large population of about 170,000 😉)! 

    "Since 2007, a traditional Christmas market has been held in Sibiu. The first of its kind in Romania, it is inspired by Viennese Christmas markets, being a project developed by the Social Attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Romania, dr.h.c. Barbara Schöfnagel" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibiu

At Christmastime in 2018 we went on the Danube River Tour with some friends and throughout the trip at every port there were these amazing Christmas markets.  The Christmas markets are so stunning and such fun.  There are a zillion booths, crafts, clothes, entertainment, food, Merry-go-rounds, ice rink, singing, etc., just plain fascinating!  

    When we were called to Romania I was so excited to have the opportunity to go to these markets at Christmastime; especially in Sibiu.  Unfortunately, Covid hit so only a few cities (Isai was one) still had the markets going (on a much smaller scale). This year there is a slim chance

that we might be able to see the market here in Sibiu ~ it usually opens at the end of November so we might have the chance to drive up there (or better yet take the train) before we come home; a lot of it depends on the condition of covid and how that is affecting the city! We do hope to have the opportunity to go but if not, perhaps another year we will make it back to Europe to experience the full immersion of these phenomenal works of art! 

Picture from: https://targuldecraciun.ro/en/sibiu-christmas-market/#group_1230-1

We stayed in the same hotel as we did before, The Continental Forum Hotel.  I can't remember if the price was this low before or if it is lower because of Covid?  Anyhoooo, it is the perfect hotel as it is centrally located and walking distance to Brukenthal Museum and Piata Mare along with many other sites.

Before heading to bed we took a stroll in the Piata Mare and just admired the beauty of the town; these places are truly breathtaking!

Romania has had a overwhelming history of ownership; wars, conquests, defeats and just plain arguments as to who owns what and when and if this part of the country should be theirs or someone elses or if another country still has part of Romania that should still be considered Romania ~ you get the drift.  This is the documented Historical affiliations of Sibiu from Wikipedia 😁

These houses are hilarious to me but so delightful and unusual! 

"The Eyes of Sibiu are the iconic eyebrow dormers on the roofs of Sibiu's houses. The eyes, which are a symbol and a tourist attraction of the city, have given Sibiu the nicknames of The City with Eyes, The City Where Houses Don't Sleep.

    There are legends, according to which the eyes were built to frighten the people, making them believe they are being watched. Their real purpose was to act as a ventilation system for the houses' attics. Nowadays, the eyes have become one of Sibiu's most famous symbols, making them a tourist attraction."

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

On our way out of Sibiu I took a few more snapshots of the gorgeous picturesque villages. The frozen ice on the rocks amaze me as they came from a little waterfall up above.  There was an accident (which honestly, I don't know why there are not a million more on these roads) but even in the mountains the police get to it fairly fast which is always a blessing. This is one of my favorite drives as we leave Sibiu and head towards Pitesti!

~La Revedere Sibiu~

Timisoara Water 💦Filters/part VII ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

January 2021

~TIMISOARA~

We got to visit one of our mission babies, Sora Teuscher (next to me).  She has been with us since day one and was in the Panduri District with us forever! We love her so much and it was so bittersweet (tears for Elder Matthews 😂😉😏) when she was transferred to Isai. Now she is in Timisoara but will soon be transferred to Sibiu! It was fun to see her and her new companion Sora Curtis.  Sora Curtis has 13 siblings, is the oldest, has a twin sister and is an incredible baker! Both of these girls are delightful and it was so great being with them! 

"Timișoara is a multicultural city, being the home of 21 different ethnicities and 18 religions. It is the main economic, social and cultural center in western Romania.

"Timișoara was the first city in the Habsburg Monarchy with street lighting (1760) and the first European city to be lit by electric street lamps in 1884. It opened the first public lending library in the Habsburg Monarchy and built a municipal hospital 24 years before Vienna. Also, it published the first German newspaper in Southeast Europe (Temeswarer Nachrichten). Timișoara was the starting point of the Romanian Revolution.

"Nicknamed the "Little Vienna" or the "City of Flowers", Timișoara is noted for its large number of historical monuments and its 36 parks and green spaces. Along with Oradea, Timișoara is part of the Art Nouveau European Route. It is also a member of Eurocities. Timișoara has a very active cultural scene thanks to the city's three state theaters, opera, philharmonic and many other cultural institutions. The city will be the next European Capital of Culture in 2023."**

We had a scrumptious lunch at a darling little restaurant in the town square; it was still a bit nippy outside but because of Covid there was still no eating inside the restaurant . Our waiter was very 'interesting' throughout the whole meal; he kept coming out and just standing around.  He seemed anxious to have us leave even though there were no other customers in sight.  Also, because we didn't mention that we would be paying with a credit card he made us pay with cash. Unfortunately, neither Bill nor I had cash so poor Sora Teuscher had to use her money to pay for it. I had money in my purse and told her I'd reimburse her when we got back to the car.  Of course I forgot, so after we went to their (large, 2 story) apartment we were visiting while Elder Matthews was fixing the water filters and Sora started whispering in Romania to Sora Curtis. I'm like, "Sora Teuscher, what are you saying?" then Sora Curtis said she needs the money for groceries ~ 😂😂😮! How sad is that? If  she hadn't brought it up they literally would not have been able to eat for the week. Sad, but funny!

I hope I never tire of or get used to seeing the beautiful buildings that I am so in awe of.  I've always loved old buildings and houses.  Billy could easily fix them up but it is not his love or passion and unlike my daughters (and daughter-in-laws) I am not a builder, remodeler or fixer upper, so I am happy to just observe and enjoy the sights of other places and peoples homes.

This looks like it could be a before and after shot  (the one on the right would be the "before" 😉) ~ most of the cities in Romania are absolutely gorgeous but there is no money to restore these amazing buildings. I don't think that they even have building regulations. In the States in order to restore them it would cost millions of dollars because they would have to meet our Building Codes and Standards, so instead those that can afford it will do facelifts and interior designing but no major overhaul on their buildings or houses. I am still amazed by the architecture ~ it is so impressive and I am also impressed that these buildings are still standing. 

This was our 5 Star ⭐ hotel and was only $52 a night ~ it was beautiful and included breakfast! We woke up to a dreary morning (which is Billy's favorite kind of weather) and set off for our next city ~ Sibiu!

Timisoara ~ Gorgeous picture from instagram account “Promovam Romania”

** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timi%C8%99oara 

Arad Water 💦Filters/part VI ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

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.

We have corresponded with Sonia from when we first arrived in Romania. I just can't explain well enough the joy she has and the spirit of her testimony that she shares with others daily.  She is now 17 and is preparing everyday for the mission she will serve when she turns 19! It is hard for her to go to the closest Branch on Sunday because it is an hour away but she studies the Gospel every single day and is a bright light for all those that she comes in contact with! She studies, practices and lives the Gospel and is one of the closest people I know that lives a true Christ-like life.

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!

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

Cluj Water 💦Filters/part V ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

January 2021

 ~ Cluj ~

We got up this morning and got to the restaurant just in time to get these hungry boys some food! It has been forever since we've seen Elder Chandler so it was a delight to squeeze him and make sure he is doing ok.  He is one of our missionaries that got a serious case of Covid a few months ago.  We are happy to announce he is doing great and thriving up here in Cluj and training a bunch of newbies!

    
Cluj is located in the northwestern part of the country and is unofficially the capital of the historic province of Transylvania. It has a rich history (just like all of Romania) but this part of Romania has always been in a battle between Hungary and Romania for its ownership. There is way too much information for me to write about (and it hurts my head to study so hard 😉) but if you are interested or are a history buff the information online is worth the read.

This was my delicious lunch: I just can't understand why I am gaining so much weight; it's a real puzzle 😂😂😋.  This dessert is called Papanasi; all you baker's back home should really try it!  It is crazy delicious and the missionaries love it! https://sodelicious.recipes/recipe/romanian-cheese-doughnuts-papanasi/!?! 

Elder Ryver is in the bottom left corner and he has lived all over the world; he wrote out Bill's and my name in Hebrew! Elder Patterson is from Ireland and has a waaaaaay cool accent, Elder Coleman is from Roseville, California and was here in Romania a little over 3 months and became a trainer and Elder Chandler has been with us from 'our' beginning (he's in other posts with us 😁)!  We love and adore all of them and it was good to see how well they are doing.  Once they leave our area in Bucharest, I can't help but worry about them!

We actually arrived the night before and since we didn't have a reservation we just drove around a bit. We saw the "Hotel Confort" and couldn't help but laugh ~ I showed my sister-in-law, Jan, and she told me to double check "yep" vs yelp reviews 😂😂😂 !  Fortunately, there was a nice hotel across the street so we were set! I liked how they did the toilet paper so I took a picture of it for future reference! There was also a cute little wooden play house out front that I was dying to go into it but it was locked for the winter! 

Each city in Romania has a patron saint, for Cluj it is the Archangel Michael.: “A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person)” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patron_saint 

There is a monastery, which during the 18th century, that is an important pilgrimage site in northern Transylvania. This monastery, Nicula Monastery, houses the renowned wonder-working Madonna of Nicula. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca

Aren't these boys just the cutest! They work together well and they have so many YSA's to gather since Cluj hosts the country’s largest university (and the largest Romanian-owned commercial bank). It also has a small ski resort 30 minutes away and some beautiful castles in the surrounding countryside so it is a perfect place to live. These boys are in Heaven 💙😇💙!

We had a lot of miles to cover if we were to make it to Timisoara tonight, so off to,

~ Oradea ~

We went through Oradea even though our missionaries were on an exchange today in another city. We got a snack and snapped a few pics and went on our way towards Arad. We passed this little girl riding on the bus; it must have been "take your child to work day"! Bill caught her attention once but then we had to turn. It might get boring over a few days but what a fun way to spend the day!

~ HaPPy BiRThDaY ELDER MATTHEWS ~  

I love you more than life itself; you have always been a blessing to me 💞😇💞😍💞😇💞!

Cluj 1 Water 💦Filters/part IV ~ România 🇷🇴Mission ~

 January 2021

I'm on a roll and it might be because I am procrastinating preparing my Relief Society lesson for Sunday, but who really knows 😏! 

We took a short break out of our schedule 

(while the Elders were having district meeting) to stop at the

 ~ Salina Turda Salt Mine ~

(Close to Cluj ~ but it gets to have its own page)

Before you reach the entrance of the Mine there are these little market huts that sell all kinds of wonderful items! While Billy was getting our tickets I ran to one of the little huts and was so excited to see that they had my cute little boots; I had bought the same pair a couple years ago but I had completely worn them out! After I paid for my purchase (from my secret stash) this huge dog bounded out of someone's car and almost knocked this guy over ~ I was just about to go over to help until I realized the pup and this guy were good friends. Cutest and one of the most enormous dogs ever!

 I'll share what we learned and the things that were on the information boards inside the Mine! If you want to learn more your best bet is to go to the websites.  I do know that the Mine shut down in 1932 😉.
As we walked through the long tunnels and then down the steep steps it took us to an underground cavern that was spectacular. I took way too many pictures (as usual) but each part was so fascinating that I wanted to capture it all! As I looked at the old pictures of these miners I can only imagine what it must have been like for the workers: excitement, eagerness, claustrophobia, fear, panic, dread, enthusiasm or just another day on the job?  It must have been somewhat thrilling to discover a Salt Mine and then to be chosen to have the opportunity to work in a salt mine.

The upper left hand photo is of the old entrance to the Mine and Billy is in the extraction room. 

The lower left hand corner is the trolley room.  They would take 1 or 2 horses and hitch them to each arm and they'd walked in circles to make the machine work (they worked in shifts). "Before electricity was introduced in the salt mine, the only light source in the octagonal room were torches. Due to the poor illumination of the room and due to the circular motion, the horses used to go blind in about 2 weeks 😢😧😳." One would think that after the next batch went blind they would have them wear blinders outside and introduce light to them slowly.  I obviously don't know the details but this just makes me so sad. 

Roll and Call

An interesting note about the top left corner picture: "Since access into and out of the mine was made though this relatively confined space, the room was the perfect place to keep track of people entering and leaving the Rudolf mine. This is why it was called the "roll and call" room. The altar was sculpted in salt for religious services and prayers before the miners started their shift.  Once a week a religious service conducted by a priest was held here, where leaders of the mine, but also the nobility from the area used to take part."

The stairs 😲!!! There are over 150 steps to get down to the bottom of this section of the Salt Mine.  Fortunately for us, there was also an elevator! Once you get down to the bottom (which is so spectacular as you are descending) there is a ferris wheel, a little bowling lane, ping pong tables, a little souvenir counter/shop and the lake with rowing boats.  It is the cutest ever!

Here are some aerial pics as we were coming down the elevator!

We skipped the boat ride. It kind of felt like the black lagoon where a creature could rise up and snatch you and no one would be the wiser 😳!  I think all the fun things are for field trips to make it fun for the kids or maybe it is a hangout for teens! Pretty neat though! 

The walls are so spectacular with so many different designs and unique characteristics. I just wanted to lick them to see if they all tasted like salt, but of course this was prohibited (they did 😂😂😏)!

It is just easier to insert the picture of information as it gives a much clearer explanation 😁.

This is a great overview of the Mine.  It was so fascinating and it is totally remarkable how far we have come with our extraction and mining abilities.  I admire these people and the inventiveness, creativity and foresight to do all that they did with what they had to work with. Amazing! 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca#/media/File:Salina_Turda_(panorama),_Cluj,_RO.jpg 

A little extra information below in case anyone is really interested!