I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR ETERNAL FAMILIES

HELLO FAMILY! 

WOW. This week was a long one! Lots happened! BUT FIRST . . . 

. . . scripture hehe okay. So Mormon 9:21 & 27. DANG FAM. I love these verses. Especially verse 27 when it says "...come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation". YO. IT TAKES WORK. And it can be really hard. It can be hard to start. But you can do it. Whatever you are on the path. You can do it. It's easier when you have a real love for the Savior. PLEASE KNOW. HE LOVES YOU!!!!!!!!!!! x3984758495 more (!!!!!!'s). I promise. I know. I have felt His love for myself, for the people of Romania, and for you. Just do it. You've got it :) 

Alright so! More about my week! It was hard! But I can do hard things . . . all through Christ and His sacrifice and love for me :)

One DOPE thing that happened: our cute mom friend who we help with English, Irina, gave us some DANG GOOD homemade zacusca. Spelling? Not sure. But it's this way good Romanian vegetable spread thing. Flip. I think me and Sora P. ate like half of the can in one sitting. So yum. Way yum. We had a great spiritual thought with her after our English lesson. She asked if we could pray together at the end (she's very Baptist), and MAN. Her words were sincere - so heartfelt. Inspired me to do better. Am I really making my prayers with my Heavenly Father a conversation? I am from now on! 

You guys. I am SO GRATEFUL for the Plan of Salvation/Redemption/Happiness. This weekend less-active member who I've spent a lot of time with the past 3.5 months passed away Friday morning. Hard! Her name was Elisabeta Sabou - 70 years old! Sora P. and I spent probably a total of 15 hours with her over the past two weeks in the hospital, when her daughters/granddaughters couldn't be at the hospital. One of the funniest, most witty old woman. Sora P. and I had to talk with the family - in the best Romanian funeral terms we could muster - for a good chunk of the morning. My heart literally broke seeing the sorrow in their eyes. 

DEATH IS NOT THE END MY FRIENDS. I KNOW THIS. Which reminds me of another verse that I really loved this week in Mormon 7:5. Because of Christ, we WILL see our family members who have passed on. The sting of death is swallowed in Christ. Yes the sting is still there, but we can turn to the Lord. We can turn to Jesus Christ. We can find strength in Him. I find strength in Him everyday. 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I love Arad. I love my companion. I love my Heavenly Father. I love Jesus Christ. I love their teachings. I love being in Romania. FLIP it's hard. So hard. BUT I LOVE IT! I am praying for you all! Thank you for your prayers and love and support!

Cu drag xoxoxo

Sora Idiart 

love this companion of mine

still rly love her

sometimes (all the time) i imitate "Miranda Sings" . . . 

and also we got Kürtőskalács everyday last week, hahahhaha whoops 

?????? Romania doesn't know how to speak English very well hahahaha

Christmas Concert in Oradea
(From Ana Mogos, a woman in Emma's Branch)

Flyer for the Christmas Concert in Oradea.  
Can you believe Emma can speak this language?

NOTE FROM SARAH:  These things remind me of Robert Stebbins Camping Treats:

Kürtőskalács are cakes baked on a metal tube/spit specific to Hungarian-speaking regions in Romania.  In past years, they were considered a festive treat but they are now part of everyday consumption. (oh good, Emma is doing something normal by eating these daily, even if her "Miranda" impersonations are anything but normal.)

Kürtőskalács are made from a strip of sweet, yeast dough, which is spun and then wrapped around a truncated cone–shaped baking spit, and rolled in granulated sugar. It is roasted over charcoal while basted with melted butter, until its surface cooks to a golden-brown color. During the baking process the sugar sticks on the kürtőskalács and caramelizes, forming a shiny, crispy crust. The surface of the cake can then be topped with additional ingredients such as ground walnuts or cinnamon. (I guess I will be visiting Romania to try these bad boys next year!)