Happy Birthday!

Elder Myers somewhere between Oradea and Arad, Romania
This boy is after his mother's heart with this photo.

That goes out to Eli and Heather!! Thanks for the pictures you sent. It was so wierd seeing Nathan and Orson (is that right? I totally can't remember their names now) and his brother. Everybody's so big!! I'm really sorry to hear about everyone getting sick....didn't Heather get sick the last time she was over there too? But I'm glad that it all had a good end result. Its amazing when you can see all the little things Heavenly Father does for us every day to help us out and teach us something new. I thought it was so awesome too the things you said about Heather helping Eli out. It's so awesome that she has gotten so close you all of you in the time that I've been gone. You probably all know her better than I do by now! Oh, and congratulations to Travis and his new bride, that is so exciting! 

So..............transfer information: the Arad district is staying exactly the same! I'm staying here with Elder Harrison and Sora Cook and Sora Remsberg are staying together. It surprised me when I found out that I'd be staying, since I only have two more transfers left and I've been here for 3 already. I thought for sure I'd be transfered out, but I guess I'm still needed here. I guess at this point its even possible for me to just stay here until I go home! I'm really excited and happy to be staying with Elder Harrison, he's definitely one of my favorite companions I've had so far. We've got a lot of good things going with investigators and the members we're working with; it would have been really sad if I had left. 

So here's the update. We're still teaching C---. Last week was pretty crazy for him. His boss told him they will probably move him to a management position at a casino in Oradea, and he got a job offer from someone else to go work construction in France for a few months which pays a lot better than what he's earning now. Then also, President Banatean told him of a job offer for a watchgaurd job in Arad that pays just as good as his current job. And he has to decide this week what he's going to do. We had a lesson with him on receiving revelation and how we can receive guidance and direction for specific things in our lives. We encouraged him to pray about the whole matter, to study the scriptures, fast, and do everything he can to keep all the commandments. So far things seem to be going well, and it looks like he'll end up taking the gaurd job here in Arad. That would be perfect because he would be out of the casino, in a much better environment, and he would also have time to come to church on Sundays!

Shane taking a break from teaching to catch a baby mole -- of course?

We also met up with M--- again and he is doing really well. He's already in the Isaiah chapters of 2 Nephi! He hasn't been able to come to church yet because he has polio and walking is really hard for him but tonight we have an appointment set up with him and we're having a member come who drives a car in the hopes that they can get to know each other and the member will be able to give him rides to church. M--- is such an amazing guy! He doesn't have much going for him financially or socially really, most of his family live in Italy and his wife left him years ago, but instead of his life's problems making him angry and unhappy, he has taken everything in stride and is trying to make the best of things. He also just gets the gospel. He understands it better than almost any other investigator I've taught before.

We're continuing to meet with F--- and bit by bit she's opening up more to us. At our last visit she said that she loves having is come because the time she spends talking to us is really relaxing for her and it fills her with peace and happiness. Its amazing to see the Holy Ghost's influence work on other people. 


Last of all, I don't know if I told you last week about the family we met a week from last Saturday. We were on our way to see if a member was home that we had been trying to visit when a man outside his house pulling weeds out of the sidewalk stopped us and asked what church we were from. He invited us inside and we ended up talking with him and his family for a good hour or so. It wasn't any type of official lesson or discussion, but it was a really good time to just get to know them. We left them with a restoration brochure and they said we were welcome back any time. This weekend we went back there and had an awesome lesson with them! They are very humble, kind and loving people. The father's name is G--- and the mom's is F---. They have two teenage sons as well, but I can't remember their names right now. They seem to be some of the few "middle class" Romanians I've met. They've got a nice house, but not huge or super extravagant, and they have an Audi SUV type car. The dad is a used car dealer and sells mostly German makes. The first thing I noticed about this family is how in their home was this wonderful feeling of peace, and love. As we talked, the Spirit was immediately invited in and this wonderful couple listened to us and shared with us their own beliefs and standards. G--- seems like a great father and husband, and his wife a loving mother, and the two teenage boys were really nice, friendly, clean cut guys. It was so refreshing to talk with them. I felt like I was at home. They are also people who know the Bible really  well, but are very humble about their knowledge. They've been to a lot of different churches, F--- had even studied with the Jehova's Witnesses for a couple years, but they don't really hold themselves to any church. We had a great discussion about the restoration of the gospel and how there was a great apostasy after Christ and the apostles' ministry. He had actually dog-eared that part of the brochure so he would remember to ask us about it. 

Basically I'm so happy to be serving here in Arad, it is an amazing city and I love the branch and the missionaries. Thanks for sharing everything from your week, especially everything you had been experiencing dad. I feel like I can relate to a certain extent the things you talked about. Well I have to go, but I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week free of sickness and stress!

Love,
Elder Myers
P.S.
Photos:
1. a baby mole I cought in the park during the branch sports night activity
2-4. On our way home from exchanges with the elders in Oradea we saw a huge field of sunflowers. They are all over this country! 

Happy Pioneer Day!!!

Elder Myers and Elder Harrison cruising the streets of Arad on P-day!
I think this was taken during a photo scavenger hunt the sister missionaries planned for last week.

I always forget how eventful the month of July is! Indepedence day, birthdays left and right, Pioneer day, and who knows what else. I'll have you know that I bought myself a nice brand new birthday suit (this one is grey) and some nice shoes that I plan on keeping in good condition so I can still wear them when I get home. I'll send you a picture next week. Also, thank you mom for the bio on the last guitar teacher. It sounds like David Elke or whatever his name was is still my best option as far as getting ready for the auditions goes.

And thank you for all the pictures!!!!!!! I loved them! That is so cool that Jodi and her kids and Heather were all able to be there together! I'm sorry to hear about things going south with Jodi's work. Pass on down to Heather that I haven't received her package yet, but I'll probably get it at transfers. That's so awesome that she can stay with you all for a week! Even if it's not as much as you were all hoping, it's still pretty awesome and I'm still pretty jealous. Give her my love and lots of hugs from me!

This week! Was a week of lots of lessons not getting set up or falling through for some reason or other. But that's ok! Because this coming week is going to be awesome! This is the last full week of my 14th transfer. (This is where my jaw drops mentally and my mind is blown because I only have two transfers left.) This has been such an awesome transfer! This is one the best districts I've served in (even though I probably say that for just about every district) and I'm going to miss it. I'm thinking there's about a 95% chance that I'll be transferred out of Arad since I've been here for 3 transfers and with only two left, leaving me here for 5 would be a lot, but it would be silly to keep me here for four and then send me to  a new city for just one transfer before I go home. I don't know, we'll see! Honestly, I'm ready for whatever comes. I wouldn't mind finishing off my mission here, but I have a feeling that I'll be moved.

We were only had one lesson the whole week, and it was with Florica (floor - ee - ca). It was a good chance to get to know her more and learn more about what her concerns and needs are spiritually. She told us that she doesn't belief in an after life and so we talked about the Plan of Salvation for a few minutes and assigned her Alma 40 to read which talks a lot about the resurrection. I love those chapters when Alma gives his last words of advice and councel to his sons. It gives you a lot of insight to the kind of person Alma was, seeing how he handles his relationships with his sons.

On saturday we had a miracle find! We were on our way to visit a recent convert, when a man pulling weeds out of the sidewalk in front of his house stopped us and asked us about our religion. After a few minutes he let us in his house and we met his wife and two of his teenage sons. They were all very nice and easy to talk to people, curious about life in America, and also in the things we believe. Before we left we gave them a Restoration brochure and took down their phone number. They said we were welcome to come back anytime and that they would also love to have us over for dinner!! That doesn't happen every day! That was just one more reminder that Heavenly Father is always watching us and always blesses us when we do our part.

Last Wednesday I had my exchange with Elder Green in Timisoara. It went really well in the sense that it was a really good oportunity to catch up and get to know him better and find out more about how things are going in the Timisoara district. He's got a lot on his plate. The branch president there is a missionary from the other companionship, but Elder Green is the district leader, the branch president's 1st counseler, the Elder's Quorum President, and the branch clerk. So, he's kinda stressed. On top of that the work is going really slow in his area. They don't have any investigators or members to work with and for the exchange we spent the majority of the day contacting through parks. Brings me back to the good ol' Brasov days.

That's it for this week. Thanks for all the photos and loving words. Every week they give me a little pick me up and help me get ready to face the rest of the week ahead of me. Have a wonderful week everyone, I love you all!

Love,
Elder Myers

Thanks Everyone!!!

Happy Birthday to Elder Myers and Timea!  Arad, RomaniaElder Harrison on left, sister missionaries with branch member, Timea,

Thanks for that cool email, mom! Your's was pretty cool too, Dad. I loved the detailed discription of your boating adventures! I got emails from Aunt Chrissy, Sara Bradley - she said that YSA missionaries got into contact with Lynzi!! I had tried sending her a letter several transfers ago, got it was sent back saying the address I had was invalid so I don't know how to get into contact with her. Is she back living in the Chico area?

I also got an email from Jenny Wilson, who is from Australia. She was in my district when I was in Brasov with Elder Simmons. Totally unexpected, but really cool! Yesterday at church President Banatean announced in sacrament meeting that it was my birthday. It's also a member's birthday, Timea. She's a YSA member here but doesn't come to church very much. She had invited us to her birthday party on Saturday evening that was with just her and all of her closest friends. I felt really grateful that she didn't think it was weird to invite us missionaries to her party - especially since it was with all of her closest friends! That meant a lot. We made her some delicious peanut-butter criss-cross cookies.

Today for p-day the Sora Remsberg and Sora Cook have apparently planned out the whole day. They planned some kind of photo scavenger hunt, and all the missionaries from Timisoara came up too! Oh, and just so you know, I should be getting the package you sent today or tomorrow. The Walquists were down in Bucuresti last week and picked up all our mail!

So, here's what happened to the six lessons. A lot of them fell through, and the ones that did happen haven't really gone anywhere, but, this week has been really awesome!

I don't know if I told you about M---, the Italian man, but we had a lesson with him and A--- and it went really really well! M--- seems like a really good hearted man, and someone who's seen his fair share of challenges and trials in his life. He said that he had already read the whole Restoration brochure, and was up to 1 Nephi 9 in the Book of Mormon! He had a lot of really good questions that, through the help of the Holy Ghost we were able to answer them in a way that he understood. He really thought about everything we said, and I don't know how to explain it, but he just gets it! He has a true desire to find out from God if everything we're telling him is true or not.

This Sunday was probably the highlight of the week. One of our investigators, C--- (the college professor) came to church! He stayed for sacrament meeting and sunday school, but had to leave after that to go to a presentation. He participated in Sunday School, which lesson was on priesthood, which was so perfect! He seemed to completely understand everything from the comments he made. R--- didn't make it, his work schedule changed this week because one of his co-workers is on vacation so he has to work this week from 7-5-ish. He usually works every other night or something like that. However, we're scheduled to meet up tonight and have a lesson.

After church Sister M--- invited us over to her house that evening to visit with her husband. Her husband has been inactive for about two years, and within those two years has not accepted visits from anyone in the church except the occasional senior couple, so the fact that he let us come over was a complete miracle! I have never seen Sister M---so happy and extatic! In the visit she told us the whole history of the branch practically and shared a photo album she had with all the members and missionaries all the way back to 1999, when they were baptized. I saw a picture of Sora Petrisor, one of my MTC teachers in a photo of a group of members who were going to the temple! She was very open and loving to her husband as she shared her testimony and asked him "what can we do to help you come back to church?" It was one of the most powerful and touching moments I've had on my mission. Through her, I saw the power and connection that comes through making covenants in the temple (Brother and sister M--- have 3 girls and they were all baptized in the same year and later were all sealed together in the temple). At the end of the visit, Brother M--- agreed to let us go over and visiting them weekly. That was probably one of the best birthday presents I've ever had; just having that miraculous experience.

Now we're heading into the last two full weeks in the transfer! This week we'll be doing exchanges with the district leader companionship in Timisoara, Elder Green and Elder James. They are both one transfer ahead of me, and Elder Green was my zone leader for a couple transfers when I was in Brasov! I'm really looking forward to this week, and continuing to work with the people we've come into contact with and have gotten to know.

Oh yeah, and before I forget, I haven't done my endorsement interview with President Hill yet...I kind of forgot when he came up for interviews, but I'll have other opportunites at transfers or zone conference. Thanks so much mom, for getting all the application stuff done!

I love you all and have an awesome week!

Elder Myers

P.S. I just attached the two cheesiest photos of the week. Enjoy!

Happy 21st Birthday Shane

Today is Shane's 21st Birthday.
Lacie, Ember, and Tristan made this banner and sent it to him. We're excited that next year when his birthday rolls around, we can all be together to celebrate. 

Hey All

Well, Happy 4th of July everyone! I can't remember if I said that last week or not. Here in Arad we went to the Walquist's apartment and had a hamburger BBQ with with potato salad, chips, veggies, ranch, and rootbeer made from extract, sugar and club soda. It was an all American lunch! Thankfully Elder Harrison and I were back to 100% by then. We got some type of flu bug. Fever, upset stomach, diarrea ( I have know idea how to spell that anymore) but it went away after a few days. It's been pretty hot all week long, averaging around 100 F, sometimes a little over, sometimes a little under. Our apartement has no air conditioning, just a stand up fan that we have blowing on us at night and during the day. I'm pretty sure I've been drinking an average of at least 3 liters of water every day! We're pretty much constantly swetting. All the time. Very few places in this country have good air conditioning. But, you get used to it. And besides that, I've been getting a killer missionary tan! 

This week we were able to meet up with C---, and Edi, the branch mission leader sat it on the lesson as well. It was our best lesson yet with C---. We're still working on helping him strengthen his faith and act on it. He's been reading from the Book of Mormon and praying every day, which is really good progress for him! We're also trying to encourage him to come to church and find a new job. Right now he works at a casino and it's not a very good environment for someone who's trying to change their life to live in accordance with the Gospel. We also had a really good restoration lesson with a man named Cociuba (co - choo - ba). He's a professor at one of the universities here in Arad and had been to English classes a couple years ago. He was very open and sincere and easy to talk to, and it was one of the best restoration lessons I've ever had. He understood everything really well. Most people get hung up on the concept of priesthood authority, but he seemed to understand it. He said he would read from the Book of Mormon and pray about it, and he also said that he would come to church. He couldn't make it yesterday, but hopefuly next week he'll make some time. 

Elder Harisson and I have been doing a lot of contacting this week, just trying to find people to teach, and it's starting to pay off. Yesterday he called up all the former investigators in our phone and set up 6 six different appointments for next week!!! That's pretty exciting! The sisters have also established a baptismal date with one of their investigators for the 21st, so we're all really excited about that as well. Also, Sunday evening we had a miracle happen on our way home. We were almost onto our street, when a young man across the street sitting next to an older man called us over, asking us to tell them about our religion. We talked to them for a good 10 or 15 minutes about the Book of Mormon, and about how the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed us and our families. They both felt like it was no coincidence they had seen us that evening. The young man, Alin (ah - leen), said that lately he'd been feeling the need to go to church. The older man is from Torino, Italy and has been living in Romania since '93. He said that he has a brother in Italy who has been recently meeting with Mormon missionaries as well! We set up an appointment to go over to his place tomorrow evening! 

So, things are starting to pick up! Elder Harrison and I have been working really hard, and I feel like this had been one of my best transfers so far! Interviews with President Hill went really well as well! He's such a loving, happy person, and his wife too. I always go out of my interviews with him feeling really good. It's weird to think that I'll only have one more before my final exit interview before I go home. Oh yeah, I got my travel itinerary as well. Weird. Looks like I'm going to be traveling alone for most of it! From what I've heard most of my group will be flying into Paris and then into SLC. I've been trying not to think about going home as much as possible. 


Thanks for the information about the guitar teachers! I realized reading the bios that the second one, Tobin Roye, was one of my music theory teachers at Chico State! But from the descriptions, it sounds like the first one, David Elke would be better for preparing me for the auditions. I didn't get my package at interviews, which probably means that I won't get it until next transfer, but it's all good. 

Hope you all have a great week, and happy sailing! I love you all!

Elder Myers

Happy July!

In two days it's Independence Day! We have plans of celebrating it with an all-American BBQ! Today for p-day the whole zone went out to Lipova. The zone has changed a ton and now only me and one other missionary have been there. It was a lot of fun, but really hot, I got a good amount of sun.

That's a bummer mom and dad, that you didn't get to go to trek, but it sounds like it was better that way for Eli. My mouth dropped open when you told me about the letter from me I had written to him when I was on trek, I had completely forgotten about that! I don't remember much of what I had written, but I do remember saying that I would probably be on my mission when he read it. Wow, that's really incredible. I'm glad he appreciated it and that it helped him. I remember trek being one of the most spiritually powerful experiences I had as a teenager.

Things are going pretty well with me and Elder Harrison. He's actually in his 9th or 10th transfer. When I had said he was in his 3rd I was referring to his 3rd as a zone leader. It's actually pretty average for someone his age in the mission to be a zone leader they are usually chosen anywhere from their 9th or 10th transfer up to their 14th or 15th.

We were able to meet with T--- once again over a juice and this time we were able to learn more about him and his religious views. He never has been a super religious person, and his family started going to this one church here in Arad because they were good friends with the pastor or priest there, but recently there's been a really big scandal where T--- found out that a man was steeling a lot of money from the church, so his whole view on churches and religion is kind of shaken up and its a subject he tries to avoid as much as possible. Which is really understandable. I was glad to be able to learn about that so that at least now I understand why he's not very interested in the church.

We weren't able to get as much done as we had hoped this week because Elder Harrison and I were both sick Wednesday and Thursday, and a little into Friday. No worries though, I'm feeling much better, just with a little left over digestive issues. Elder Harrison is doing well too, although he's on a strict potatoes, bananas and rice diet on doctors orders. He's been having degistive problems for a few weeks now, and he's pretty sure he got some intestinal worms from drinking unfiltered water. But he's a trooper about it, and you'll never hear him complain a bit. He just keeps on working hard! So, we haven't been able to meet up with very many people this week, but it's all good. I'd rather be healthy than have lessons.

This week President and Sister Hill are coming to Arad for our interviews with President! It feels like I just barely had interviews with him! I'm looking forward to it though, I always walk out of an interview with President Hill feeling really good. He is one of the most loving people I have ever met.

Happy fourth of July everyone, hope you all have a fun time celebrating! I'm looking forward to this week, and everything that will come with it! Thank you all for your love and support, and thanks for forwarding that letter to Heather! Until next week!

Love,
Elder Myers