Our blog entries are getting further and further apart. Too busy with other things I guess.  We'll be home on the 14th of April and invite any who want to hear our mission report April 23rd at the Country Gables building.  11 pm is the time. 

Arad branch building has two entries.  Neither have a bulletin board that is easy to see.  This easel was missing the board supports so Rand made new ones and we fixed a broken bulletin board and dressed it up similar to the one Sora Yost and Trebas designed in Sibiu.  The next activity will be an Easter party after we leave.

Weather is getting a little nicer so walking is the in thing.  The bus/train station is within walking distance and we like the train engine on display out front.  Time changed this morning and we almost missed getting Sora Roberts to the train station for her transfer to Bucharest.  We will miss her but she is being replace by Sora Anderson from Sibiu.  We told Sora Anderson not to keep following us or she'd end up back home sooner than expected.

Our view from the office window.  There is a flag that is hard to see in this sunrise but it keeps us posted on the wind.  Arad has a lot and when it's windy we dress much warmer than the temperature would lead you to believe

Translating equipment finally arrived.  Wouldn't you know since we are leaving soon.  The equipment doesn't actually do the translating.  There needs to be a translator behind the mike.  These are the receivers that we carry with a nifty ear piece.  The translator can whisper ever so softly and we can hear them.

 We have the Articles of Faith hanging on our dining room wall.  Rand had these made up as a gift to our two branch members.  We hope they will find a place in their homes to hang them and remember what Joseph Smith was inspired to write as our basic beliefs.  I  memorized them in Primary many years ago and can still remember most of them.

 The temperature last week was in the 70's.  Sora Mogos and Alexandra let us tag along with them on a walk at the park.  We sure loved being outdoors.

 Two days later Rand and I found our way back to the same park.  We just can't get enough of the great outdoors.

The foot/bike path also leads to a bridge that crosses the river to a water park and restaurant.  No swimming this time of year however.

 For our last day together as a district a week ago we went out to eat instead of us fixing waffles.  Sora Alger and Roberts standing by the lion stuck on the wall of this building.

 Elder Winder, Branch Pres. of Timisoara, Elder Fawcett our district leader who comes to Arad on Fri or skypes with us from Timi.  Elders Wilstead and Meek with Soras Roberts and Alger.

 We wanted the experience of riding the tram so found someone to show us how to buy a ticket then road down town to talk to folks and buy a papanos.  Romanians were very helpful and we ran into one of our investigators going the other way on the tram.

 We were looking for tram 3 or 6 which takes you down town.  This is a very nice tram.  Some are a little old and scary looking.

 As a senior couple we are assigned every 3 months to do apartment checks.  Oradea was our assignment and after doing the checking we went to a Hungarian restaurant with two of our previous soras, Djahanbani and Gubar plus made new friends of Elders Bird and Boud.  Hungarian food was so very delicious.  I need that recipe.

 The district had a Relief Society activity the following day in Oradea so stayed to attend.  Several of our Timi members and Sora Mogos were also there.  It was a fun Relief Society Birthday

 Sora Gleason sat by me and translated as the program went along.

 A group of the soras with Soras Negriu, Mogos, Jureschi, Nedelcu and a lady I don't know and the district Pres, Eva Costea. The last lady was funny in a skit.   She had to take cues from the others and we were all laughing.  I don't know her name either.

Our last Sunday in Timisoara was March 19th.  Sora Gyene gave me this lovely plate as a good-by gift.  She didn't know it was our last day but she was going to visit her daughter in Germany for the next couple weeks and wasn't going to be in town, so thoughtful.

 Rand's last day as Branch President of the Arad Branch.  

 Sora Cristina Marin translated our talks and was getting a little advice from Sora Mogos.  They both speak English well.

March 26th, last Sunday in the Branch
Front: Sora Ana Krancs and Cristina Marin, Alexandra and Ana Mogos, Sora Piper, Cristina and Adreana Dechi.     Back row: Elder Meek and Sora & Bro. Istrate, Sora Alger (Sora Roberts left this morning for Bucharest so Sora Alger is our companion for the next 24 hours), Elders Maldovan, Piper, Wilstead, Brown and Giti.

 After the block everyone met upstairs where we hosted a taco salad dinner with our famous healthy raspberry cherry jello for desert.  Of course they had no idea how to put a taco salad together so Sora Alger showed them how and they really liked it.  Pres. Brown told me to be sure to also have bread.   They always eat bread and is required when you have soup even if it is Mexican hamburger bean soup with lots of taco seasoning.

 It was so much fun that the Elders are hoping to do a dinner again soon.  Such loving people.  We will miss them a lot.

 There wasn't much food left.

 Elder Meek volunteered to take the extras home.  He is from Mesa and really misses this kind of food.

 We went with sour cream instead of cheese.  Everyone here eats a lot of sour cream but yellow cheddar cheese we seldom find.

Elders Wilstead and Meek will be staying here for the next 6 weeks.  Happy days.

Elder Browns Sacrament talk:  One thing he talked about was the Relief Society/Priesthood lesson manual, The Teachings of the Presidents.  Just like the letters from such as Paul in the New Testament, these lessons are the words/letters to us in our day.  How blessed we are to have and be able to read their words.  That was not the case in other dispensations.  Are we taking advantage of this great opportunity?