Dude. I stayed in the JW Marriot in Buch, and when I used that fluffy hotel towel...I WEPT

Hi Fam Bam :)

First of all, I'm sorry again, but no pictures :( my card is still virused. BUT NEXT WEEK JUST PICTURES, NOTHING ELSE :) 

I started the BOM over a bit ago. Here is a verse that I really liked + really needed. 1 Nephi 13:16. Humility gives us power. It's what gave the revolutionaries the power to beat those Britts. #MERICA :)

Also this week was just so amazing. I SAW SORA PURTSCHERT, my last companion and all time favorite person, ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LITERALLY RAN OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING AND JUMPED ON HER AND BASICALLY MADE HER FALL DOWN AND DIDN'T LET GO OF HER FOR LIKE 900 HOURS. Also I saw my cute cute cute mom (first companion), Sora Stanley, AND I saw Sora Schow, my second companion. MY LIFE WAS MADE. Sisters conference was amazing. The Ivory's are the best humans. So selfless and generous and hardworking. Really admire them! They're almost as good as my parents, but not quite ;)

I think the biggest thing I learned from conference was just to have faith and trust in God and His plan for us. I'm so terrible at doing this. Really. Just awful. But it's something I've wanted to work on for a long time. I received a lot of answers as to HOW I can start doing that. Trusting requires a lot of effort on our part, but as we work and plan and as our vision for who we want to become, aligns with the vision that our Heavenly Father has for us, EVERYTHING WORKS OUT. So I'm working on becoming a woman of vision. And someone who trusts my Heavenly Father :) 

Dudes. Our friend Igor got baptized on Saturday. And then he was given the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. It was awesome. He's easily one of the greatest guys I know. So kind. Really loves science AND religion. They click together in his brain. He has a sick beard. Like that one Giants' player, Brian Wilson! #fearthebeard

ALSO, Chisinau was on an emergency shut down almost all day Friday! There was a huge snow+wind storm. We had to stay in our apartment/near our block/not near trees (joke - all Chisinau is, is trees)/not near power lines for most of the morning.... Probably about 90% of the trees in Chisinau are destroyed.....and all the crops are dead. So keep these Moldovans in your prayers! They're gonna need them to survive the next year. But literally. Like 4 feet of snow. On April 21st. Who knew. 

Well. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. I am so grateful for Him. Jesus Christ is central to that plan. He is always here for us. I can't even begin to express my gratitude for that fact. HE IS MY HOMIE.

I love you all. Thank you for your prayers and love and support. You're prayed for on the daily :)

xoxxo

Sora Idiart 

ps: I only have one picture. Because it's from Sora Purtschert's email. But here you go. Reunited with my best friend. In the WHOLE FLIPPING UNIVERSE. Flip. It was so good to see her. Crying just thinking about it. #dramaqueen

HRISTOS A ÎNVIAT!!!!!! ADEVĂRAT A ÎNVIAT!!!!!!

(Note: Emma's title is a traditional Romanian Greeting people say to each other at Easter time.  HRISTOS A ÎNVIAT!!!!!! means "Christ is Risen!"  And the expected response that people answer with ADEVĂRAT A ÎNVIAT!!!!!! meaning "True, He IS Risen!")

HAPPY LATE EASTER EVERYONE!!!!

This week was wonderful. Full of contacting. Did an exchange. Celebrated a birthday. Drank some wine (on accident!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). And now here we are.

So before we get too in depth, I was studying in Hebrews this morning. So Hebrews 13:5&6. Good verses. He doesn't leave us. Let Him help you. 

Okay so this week we had an exhibition in the park, all week long. All of us missionaries here in Chis took some shifts. IT WAS REALLY FUN. So the exhibition consisted of 20 different pictures of Christ. THE PICTURES WERE REALLY AMAZING. People loved it. We got 40 contacts . . .  Who wanted our number. It was just really awesome to testify of Christ, all day long. Plus I got tan. Happy Sora Idiart :)

Here is a fun story from today. So on Saturday night we were on a bus. This woman wanted our card. We gave it to her. She invited us to Easter dinner. But gave us her daughter's number (???)....so when we called to verify where they lived, the daughter was way confused and said no. Hahaha (it's okay, all the missionaries were invited to one of the senior couple's houses for dinner. It was a party). BUT we did go over today. And I was served compot.....which is like juice. But I'm about 900% sure that it was fermented. So that was the wine story. Didn't feel too great today. Still feel preeeeeeeeetty light headed. Lost some muscle movement. So maybe I was poisoned? Who knows :) fun times here in Moldova. 

Also here is another funny story. On the daily people ask me and Sora Lang if we're twins/sisters. But today. In the grocery store. Sora Lang is talking to this guy from Malaysia. And he asks us, "So do they get both of you?" We were suuuuuper confused. Then he clarified. And said, "You know. Like when you get married, do you both come as a package deal?" #sisterwives. HAAHAHAHHA it was hilarious. And he really just would not accept that we don't practice polygamy. Oh the joys of being a missionary. 

Well I love you all. CHRIST WAS RESURRECTED. TRUE, HE WAS RESURRECTED. 

xoxoxo

Sora Idiart 

Also, sorry for no pictures....had some really good ones this week. But my stick is virused. And everything is temporarily gone.....hopefully not forever. Hahahh double next week :) 

I almost got hit by a car while pushing a man in a wheelchair....and then again while chasing after a man with DOPE tattoos and a big dog

HEY FAM

Great title, amiright? 

So instead of a scripture, I'm going to make you watch my FAVORITE Easter video (again bc you've probably watched it 900 times) CLICK HERE TO SEE IT!! :)

This week. Man. It flew. 

Miracle story (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

So Sora L and I get off this bus. We're on our way to meet with a church member. We walk across the street. We see this punkish looking dude with tattoos all up and down his arms/neck hitting the bus window, trying to get in. As we approach the scene, we realized that he's trying to stop the bus because a man in a wheelchair, a distance away, is trying to get on. BUT the bus driver wasn't stopping. So the scary punk man was really doing some good in the world. We get on that bus - basically decided to ditch the member (sorry Sora Gorgos) - because Sora L has a super strong impression to go talk to punk guy. But he's like really scary looking. So I decided to talk to the wheelchair man. We get to know him. His name was Johnny. Scary man gets off the bus, but by this time we had decided to help Johnny (Johnny doesn't have legs and he was trying to get to the bus stop that was real far away. He was in a hurry). So we don't talk to scary tattoo man. But we help Johnny. Pushed him through the entire market. Running. It was hot outside. Felt alive. Hahaha :) we got him to his bus, helped him get on, then bought him a hot dog and some other food for the road. 

OKAY SO WE STILL WANTED TO FIND SCARY PUNK GUY. So we stopped in the middle of the road - the center road - and said a prayer. We asked Heavenly Father to help us find scary punk tattoo guy. GUYS. WE FOUND HIM. Close to 45 minutes after he got off the bus. So we went and talked to him - and at his point his brother was also with him. Oh also, fact: they had this MASSIVE super scary looking, yet way gentle dog. They both took Books of Mormon. 

Lesson: Prayer. It is powerful. It works for our benefit, if our will and desires are aligned with Heavenly Father's. 

THIS WORK IS TRUE AND AWESOME AND I LOVE BEING IN MOLDOVA.

Also, this morning on the bus, an old man read my palm. For free! He actually took my hand and didn't give me an option :) but I will live to be 90 years old. I will get a life threatening illness at 60. I will have two boyfriends and one husband (at the same time or in order....? Not super sure on that one). And also, zero children. Documenting this for future reference. Hahah :)

Well everyone. Quick testimony for you all. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is our Savior. I am so grateful for the continual strength I receive and am able to rely on. I know that He knows me and loves me. I know that He knows you and loves you. HE LIVES. RELY ON HIM. 

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE IS RISEN!!!!!!!

xoxoxox

Sora Idiart 

ps sorry I sucked at taking pictures this week. But here are a couple of gems for ya :) 

"I choose Moldova" even if the elevators are REALLY scary

and I have panic attacks each time I get in one....

sort of like what was happening when I took this picture :)

Did a companion study with the sisters in Brasov this week. 

SEEING SORA PURTSCHERT LITERALLY MADE MY LIFE. 

Also her companion Sora Wright is just the cutest thing :) 

Best holiday other than Mother's day and Christmas, and Easter, and my birthday hahaha

Hey Fam Bam

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BENNY IN 3 DAYS. YOU WILL BE A TEENAGER. WOW. 

This week was PLIN de treaba. (a HUGE amount of work!) Very very fun. Here is a cool scripture I read and pondered this morning:  Alma 28:8-14

So after talking with my favorite human *Sora Purtschert* last night, I was doing some scripture study. And this puppy stuck out. Ya know, missions are really hard things. You feel lots of sorrow, you sort of suffer a lot, and you have a heck ton of afflictions....but also you JUST HAVE AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE AMOUNT OF JOY. And then you realize, as usual, that your joy comes from Christ. And His Atonement. And being able to completely rely on it. And seeing people come closer to Him. Just amazing.

So here are some of those experiences of REALLY FLIPPING HAPPY THINGS:

WE HAD A LESSON WITH TANIA AND A MEMBER IN BELTI NAMED ROMA AND HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND IT WORKED OUT SO WELL AND THE SPIRIT WAS LITERALLY SO STRONG. Tania is the flipping pioneer of the deaf community. AMAZING. I remember that at one specific point in the conversation, when they were talking back and forth with each other, and MAN THE SPIRIT IN THE ROOM. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wonderful. Love it. 

We got a call from a random number, asking about "Biserica Mormona" (Mormon Church) and also asking about English. So anyway, we set up a meeting with this girl. Turns out she's a less-active member who has been living in Italy for the last 5 years ......uhm so MIRACLE. She came to dinner with us at the Edward's with all the other Young Single Adults. Now she's tight with them. Her name is Ana. She is the cutest thing. Seriously SUPER beautiful and also just really kind and open. She'll be here for about a month, before she moves to Holland, but we're gonna start meeting up with her/help her jump back on the bandwagon of activity #nevertoolate

Also General Conference. Conference Weekend. The best holiday in existence. I love it so much. AND WOW CAN I BOAST IN MY GOD FOR ONE SEC? The gift of tongues. It is real. Last conference, after living in Romania for a month, safe to say I could understand just about nothing. NOW after only a few short 6 months later, I really was able to understand everything. Except for the statistical report bc I still mess up with numbers like on the daily #cinzecisaucincisprezece (cinzeci means fifty, sau means or and cincisprezece means fifteen) hahaha but seriously. Biggest miracle. I still may not be able to speak a lick, but how grateful I am that I was able to understand the words of the Prophet and the Apostles. 

Okay that is all I have time for today. The church is true! We have a living prophet on the earth today! Love you all and pray for you all the time!

xoxoox

Sora Idiart

TANIA. She surprised me at the church on my bday with a cute, handmade gift :') love her.

hugging Tania bc she is my fave. 

about to dive into this cloud of sugar....HEAVEN. 

also look how warm it is. no cardigan or jacket. #SKIRRRRRT

we toured the parlament building today. fascinating. 

Moldovan's love to talk. So much. 

But still, super fun and actually pretty interesting. #thumbsup

elder gerber-kai about to drop some "alam" 

*typo in the Romanian version of the Book of Mormon....lol says Alam instead of Alma*

bought a real rabbit fut hat today. Also Sora Dusenberry. 

She and I. Here together in Chisinau. Best thing. 

development on my burn :) jk this is old. it is scabbing now. will scar. dope.