Messy hair day in the Branch gladiola garden. I propped this red one up so it's beauty would show.

Sora Djahanbani waiting for her train at the Sibiu train station Monday morning.  The ticket has us there a full hour before we needed to be.  We were early and cold at 7am.  Hard to believe it's July and not February in Phoenix.

 The Sisters always have a lot more luggage than the Elders.  Sister DJ will again be companions with Sister Yost in Bucharest.  In fact, they will have another companion and work as a three-some till the new missionaries arrive in the middle of the transfer.

Elder Solberg (younger) needed a ride down from Cluj so his parents, Elder and Sora Solberg brought him here to Sibiu.  He will serve only 4 more weeks before he returns home.  Normally the elders don't need special attention but Elder Solberg (younger) broke his collar bone and couldn't lift his luggage.  Lucky for him his parents were there to give him a hand.  That also meant we had them for another night before they headed back to their last couple weeks serving in Arad.  We will really miss them when they go home.  We don't have much interaction with other senior couples, we're too few and far between.

Now the Elders are complete.  Elder Jerome, from Canada will be Elder Solberg's companion.  Sora Savoie was our companion Monday till her new companion that evening.

Sora Savoie with Sora Chandler on the right teaching a 30/30.  This means that the person wants a personal English experience so will then experience 30 minutes of English and 30 minutes of a missionary lesson.  Many members of the church here in Romania come from those whose first goal was to learn English better and found something more.

We have a lot of hope for our friend Florine.  He was baptized several years ago and seemed to have gotten lost in the system.  He is gaining confidence now in the gospel as he works on building his testimony.  We were able to go with him to make sure he got medication that would not affect him adversely.  He gave a really good talk this past Sunday.  We predict that he will be a pillar in the church one of these days.

Zinnies make such a pretty garden flower.  The roses are now taking a back seat to these lovelies.

I was the other speaker this past Sunday in Sacrament meeting.  My talk was on the commandments.  Several years ago Elder Richard L Evans (well maybe many years ago) gave a talk in which he asked "Do you think the commandments should be rewritten?"  His answer was, "no, they need to be reread".  He said Essentially the gospel is " counsel from a loving Father who says to his children, "you have limitless, everlasting possibilities.  You also have your freedom.  It's up to you how you use it.  This is what you can become if you take my advice -- and this is what will happen if you don't.  The choice is yours." The commandments really do mean what they say.  Just because many people no longer live by them doesn't change their importance.  

Every talk is translated so if I have a 7 minute talk it takes up 15 minutes.             Our next blog will feature our wonderful visit from Jacob and Leslie Findlay.  They were here for 5 days and we really packed in a lot.  We're in recovery mode.

Commercial has one of the best tended gardens around.  No weeds and a variety of flowers among the rocks.  Their gladiolas are staked so they show nicely.  Guess that is what we need to do at the church.  Our gladiola garden looks like a messy hair day.

Every few days it's another celebration or activity in Sibiu.  First it was a bike race in Centru

Racing between Piazza mara and Piazza mica.

 Never did find the beginning or the ending of the race as our pathways were limited by the racing barricades.  

Next came the motorcycle obstacle course.  By the time we got there with our camera they had moved on and now it's the gypsies celebration.  The celebration says international culture festival but the locals said it was the gypsy celebration.

This was the place to be if you wanted a gypsy skirt.  One gypsy wrapped one around me and I wasn't sure I was going to get away without buying it.  Most of the performances were dances and they went for two days.

 Rain hampered the audience but not the performers.  This is a tiny view of the audience stuffed under a tent awning.  Hoping the rain would go away.  It did but left the chairs too wet to sit on.

 One of the branch members told me that this is the gypsy king.  Then he said he really isn't the king but his father was and he died.  I guess his death didn't automatically make him the king.

Gypsy giving a reading.

 Turns out this is Luminita Cioaba, a writer and poet from Bucharest.  The next evening I visited with her at Piazza Mara and bought her poetry book.  She said she was also a Christian and gave me her email and phone number so we can be in touch.  I don't think she was a gypsy,  just took the opportunity to feature her writings.

Branch member Florine went with us to visit the Jewish Synagogue.  It was just down the street from where he lives and not far from Centru.

 Since I was the picture taker I didn't get in on all the discussion but the women who gave us the tour was a convert to the Jewish religion. She married a Jew.  When the synagogue was built in the late 1800's there were many Jews in Sibiu.  Now there are 30.  They can't have a meeting unless there are at least 10 in attendance.

 The men sit on the main floor and the women and children sit in the balcony of the church.  They often have advertised concerts here for the public

 Florine told us he was studying to be a priest when he joined our church instead.  He knows the bible well.

Full view of the synagogue from across the street.

While parked in traffic this week we noticed the fancy chimney tops. 

 This looked like a dog house perched on top of the roof.

 Not all are fancy.

 Another view of the fancy chimney tops with a modern hotel in the background.

Queen of the night opening up in the later afternoon at our trip to Cernat's home.

 Johnny Cernat's father asking Sora Savoie to read Johnny's email.  His parents are orthodox but one of their bedrooms (Johnny's)  is full of LDS pictures of the restoration

 Some days Rand's eyes hurt.  I told him about the slices of cucumbers that takes away the burn so he decided it to try it out.  He told me not to put this picture on face book so I won't

 We have tried many times to find an inactive member at home.  We have driven the Sister's here many times.  Not successful again but left a message and a treat hoping she would come to the Branch Conference this Sunday.

Weekends we see a lot of photographers in Sibiu taking photos of citizens special occasions.

Discovered a new favorite strada across the street from the cultural center.  Here are remnants of centuries long past with a couple watch towers and walk way between.

 Ran into Diana, Marius's daughter that has attended the branch. I taught a Primary for her the last couple weeks.  I was going to teach her English but instead she taught me Romanian words.

 Marius plays the piano by ear when he attends sacrament meeting.  He often works out of town so we never know if he'll be at church.

Friday night we had our first guests, the Sobergs from Arad.  Elder Soberg is the mission auditor and he came to check out the finances and make sure the books were done correctly.  While the men did the audit Sora Soberg and I checked out the sights in downtown Sibiu.  Sora Soberg is a Romanian immigrant to America during the Communist era.  She was a dentist by trade and it took her over 6 years to finally get permission to leave Romania.  She says it is a special privilege to come back here as a missionary.  Their son is also serving at this time in Romania and has been transferred to Sibiu for the next transfer.

 The audit was successfully completed with Pres. Brown and Elder Soberg.

 A member's home that Pres. Brown tried all week to find at home.  He wasn't successful but Mihai was at church on Sunday.

 Sora Djahanbani will be leaving us this coming Monday.  She has been transferred to Bucharest.  To celebrate our time together we took the Soberg's and all went for lunch.

We will miss Djahanbani and wish her well serving in Pondori branch.

 Stopped on our way to buy doughnuts for a "Pose" in Piazza Mara

Ammon is Pres Geambasu's son, the Romania West District President.  We hosted a dinner for them, the Soberg's and the sister missionaries Sat. night.  Ammon helped me make a relish plate.  Then he and the sisters played soccer outside.

Can you tell it's suppose to be an owl?

We had a wonderful turnout at Sacrament meeting for our Branch Conference.  Rand gave the first talk translated by Sora Soberg and I accompanied Sora Geambasu singing the intermediate song.  Pres. Geambasu gave the main talk then sora Djahanbani and I taught Primary for Ammon.

 Sora Geambasu had already changed clothes for her 5 hour trip home to Aradia but we convinced her that we needed her in our picture.  Sora, Savoie, me, Sora Geambasu, Sora Soberg, Alexandra Craciun and Sora Dj.

If it doesn't challenge you,  it doesn't change you                  

by  Fred DeVito

Elder Brown has some new initiatives that he hopes will make a difference in the lives of branch members.  This saying is a book mark we hope to help members internalize so that they will have the desire to step up to the challenge.

Family Home Evening celebrating the American Independence Day on the 4th.  Our lesson focused on the importance of Self Reliance to a free people.  Refreshments was an all American apple pie.

Aster Village - with tours of the dwellings that were closed last winter when we visited.

 This home was known for making reed type horns.  The sound was amazing.

Corn crib - one in the back of each families home

Romanians seen praying in the old church at the cultural village museum

Loved the log over the creek with a fancy edging.

 I thought it would feel safer to cross.  When I tried it I was mostly worried about getting hung up on the edge and tripping.

 Tree stands for hunting have not changed.

Trying to imagine how the ice stays frozen in this ice house when summer hits.

Cute little old lady

Famous Romanian sculpture, Diaconu Nicolae.  If you want something from Romania check out his work being sold at the Astra Culture museum.

Culture costumes by a different artist.

 

Typical Gypsy costumes seen today.

 Skirts have yards and yards of tiny pleats.

My gardenia that I bought in Iasi.  It is finally blooming.  Hard to believe I didn't kill it like the others I've babied at home.  I love the smell.

I just love this new survey we are using in the mission.  We've found two English speakers that we were able to discuss it with this past week.   One lady from Holland really opened up to us.  She was interested in the church's web sites and wants to read the Book of Mormon. The other was a Young single adult at games night.  We hope he sometime takes the discussions as the gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers that brings happiness.

1. Is a close, strong family important to you?

2. Should churches provide better programs for families and youth? 

3. Do you have a belief in God? 

4. Do you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God? 

5. Have you ever asked yourself questions like, “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here on earth?” and “Where will I go after I die?” Do you think that there are answers to these questions

6. Do you believe the Bible to be the word of God or just a history book? If you knew there was another book of scripture written by prophets that testifies of Christ, would you read it? 

7. Do you pray? 

8. If so, do you feel that God hears and answers prayers? 

9. How do you cope with a crisis in your life? 

10. Would you like to be happier than you are now? What would make you happier?