Week 27 – Galaţi, Romania

Hey family! How are things going at home? I know we just barely talked but I was just wondering how things were? How is Oliver? How is Abby? How is Lilly? How are you two Mom and Dad? I love you guys so much. Did you know that? Maybe I don’t say it enough. I love my family, and I am eternally grateful that because of the Gospel I can be with you forever! How great is that! Oh man…so…awesome.

Things here have been good. We had a slow week. My companion got sick, so we spent a few days just taking things nice and slow. It has been really nice actually. But I am really anxious to get out there and keep trying to find people who are searching for the truth! What a wonderful thing that is to be doing right now!

I have kind of a funny story to tell you. SO…there are many second hand stores here in Galaţi (basically the Goodwill here) and they sell all sorts of weird things, but they actually have really good tie collections here. So occasionally we will go in and peek at what they have to offer. So this time I went in I was actually looking for a red tie. I needed one for my new suit (which I will show you in a moment). We went in to this one store and each tie was only one Leu! That was cool already to begin with, so I grabbed five that I liked and went to the cashier lady. I handed her the ties and said five lei? She smiled and said yes. So I reached into my wallet to find no money…I had forgotten it at home! I asked my companion if he could spot me five lei, so he pulled out a 100, which was all he had, the lady looked at us, and frowned. I was confused, but then she said to just take them, she didn’t want to bother with the change. So I got five free ties!! It was super sweet! second Hand shopping is really fun, because we think that all the clothes they get, are actually donations from other countries, and then because Romanians are just silly like that, they in turn sell it. I think this is the case because I saw an Arsenal jersey in one of them! However, It didn’t fit me, and one of the other elders snagged it before me. It was just silly little things like that make me go…hmmm…where did you get this? We like it though.

Okay, now to some more fun business! We have been teaching this man for some time now, and it has been a struggle with him, and we have considered dropping him for some time now, but I have always felt constrained to do it. He now has a baptismal date!!!!!!!!!AH!!!!!!! That is so crazy! He has really been changing his life and I am just super happy for him! I hope everything goes well for him, and that we can get him to that date! Things are going good here. Although, if he does get baptized, then there will be so much drama on the missionaries part that I really don’t want to deal with. One of the other Elders was the BP here, and he told us “as the BP I am telling you to drop him”. I couldn’t do that though. I felt constrained to do it. So now that he has a baptismal date, I am going to not hear a lot of Barfa (gossip) from the BP. Almost all the missionaries last transfer were so against us teaching him, but I love this man, how could I let him go? Especially when he was changing? I told myself that I will take this from them, because I know that I am helping this man come closer to Christ. It was really tough for me to be ridiculed by the others. Nothing serious, but clearly they were displeased. I am just surprised at how clearly it was that we couldn’t drop him.

There was one specific day I had gone through it with my companion in one fluent motion, hitting all the points that would clearly bring his “dropation”. When we walked to the lesson though, I literally couldn’t remember what it was I was going to tell him, I couldn’t remember it in English! Except for one thing, which actually, when brought up, caused us to figure out some of the issues we hadn’t seen before. I believe the Lord was guiding us through this time without us even really knowing it. He still needs to come to church, but he is super close to taking that first step through the gate of baptism onto the straight and narrow. it has been a neat experience to be apart of.

That is really all that has happened this week. It has been really hot, and humid. However, we smile and keep on going. I have also been amazingly cheery this last week. I think it is because I am truly starting to apply the Gospel to my character, not just me, but to my whole self. Soul, and body! It has really been changing me and I am happy. There is a peace that comes with the Gospel and I want everyone to share this same peace of conscience and soul that comes with it. I love you guys so much and I can promise you that we do have a Heavenly Father who loves us. He loves us so much that he has provided the way for us to make it back to Him, AND be happy while doing it! Isn’t that great! Something I have really come to love is a specific title of Christ; The Prince of Peace. This title has really touched my heart lately, because in the past I haven’t felt that peace, I was all busy busy busy with all sorts of things, and worrying about so much. However, when we turn to Him, and take His yoke upon us, and lay our problems at His feet, then He washes us, and gives us this peace of mind and soul that can only come from Him. And He wants to give it to us.

Love, Varstnicul Nick Oldham