Take My Yoke Upon You

...and learn of Me.

The Savior said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light".  There is much to learn here.  Being equally yoked with the Savior makes this road of mortality much easier to trod.  As we saw this beautiful pair of oxen patiently waiting for the driver we couldn't help but admire and consider what it means to take His yoke upon us.

Sister Folkman and Sister Mckinnon joined our Sister Later and Sister Turcsanski for exchanges and invited us to go to dinner with them.  We may have found a new favorite.  "Vivo".  The best burger we've had in the past 16 months, including In and Out, Five Guys and Red Robin.  Crazy you may say but I'm here to tell you it was amazing.  OK for all the naysayers, I might have to agree that a starving man is no connoisseur of fine foods but I'm sticking to my story.

Remnants of the holiday season.

Storage is always key to an organized and well-kept apartment.  You will notice that there are instructions being used.  Diagrams are the universal language.

Took a walk up to the bank and found a few things we'd not seen or at least from a different angle.  Not sure when the last time this phone may have been used but it still appears to be functionable.  It's just hanging on the side of a building.  The apartment on the left is our home away from home.  We always take pictures FROM there but have never taken one from this angle on the walk back.  We are on the 11th floor (top).

Road trip.  We were able to take the sisters to zone conference with us this time.  We traveled to Brasov, which is 5 1/2 hours from Iasi.  We didn't know before, but when they take the train at night and get a sleeper car, the mission has to pay for six beds, so the sisters have their own accommodations. There are a couple of mountain passes to go over, and it's been snowing the past few days.  Sister Later mentioned that it would be fun to make a snowman, so when we hit the top, we tried.  The snow was way to dry and cold, but it did make for a good snow angel, and angels they are.

Just a few sights on the drive to zone conference.

Zone Conference was awesome once again.  It's amazing how these young Elders and Sisters are so inspired to teach the things that everyone needs to hear.  The Spirit was great and the fun and food was equal.  President and Sister Fowler really taught with power and conviction, and they truly lead by example.  It was an honor to work with Elder and Sister Rigby, from Moscow, Idaho.  We helped them prepare a light breakfast, lunch and snack bags for the train ride home.  They are a blessing to this mission and every senior couple we've ever had the fortune to meet has touched our life in significant ways.  You cannot put a value on the senior couples and what they bring to these wonderful saints.

Headed home!  We love our district and are blessed to be able to work alongside of them.

A few sights from the trip home.  The roadside sales continue, mostly potatoes this time of year. 

1.5 Ron per Kg, which make it about $1.50 for 10 lbs.  There were some still cooking their bread and Kurtoskalacs (Hungarian chimney bread).  Many of the villages are in the extreme east of the Transylvania region just before entering the Moldova region where Iasi (home) is.  As you may notice the signs entering each village are in Romanian and Hungarian.  The architecture is a bit different, and they have arches over their gates.  Many still draw water from a community well or springs and we can't resist clicking photos of the little "boba's".

Onești, Romania home of the great Nadia Comăneci.  The artwork just down the road from her picture is incredible.  It's just metal sculpted trees, right?

Probably the highlight of the trip home was a stop at the Mănăstirea Sfântul Sava (Saint Sava Monastery) near Buda, Romania.  It is a remarkable place in a beautiful mountain setting.  We had a wonderful conversation with the priest Benedict, mostly google translate.  He spoke some English and we conversed about God and praying for people.  We embraced as we departed.  It was his first interaction with missionaries.  He has been at the monastery for 25 years, since he was 16 years old.  Wonderful man.  

This entire experience of being on a mission is hard to put into words.  The life changing events, the people you meet, the things you see, the feelings you feel not to mention the hugs and tears.  It is an opportunity for you to grow closer to your Savior than ever before and something everyone needs to experience.  To our friends who are in a position in life please consider serving.  The opportunities are vast and you will never regret it.  Romania needs you and you need Romania.