Romania

Buna ziua.



Everyday we learn something more about Romania and how we will be serving there.  We have talked to several returned missionaries and exchanged emails with the couple we will be replacing.  The young missionaries have a different experience than the senior missionaries.  For one thing we will be staying in the same apartment for the entire 18 months.  Once again, our pile of things to bring has changed.  Everyone we have talked to said to bring taco seasoning, brown sugar, chocolate chips and Hidden Valley Ranch mix. As I will be cooking several meals a week for the young adults I was glad to hear that they have wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables there.  Romania is a country of about 23 million people, with only 2800 of them members of the Church. It has no stakes.  There are 2 districts with 17 branches. There are two chapels in Bucharest.  We hear we will be speaking in Church often.  We have been trying to learn the language but so far we only know how to greet people, ask where the bathroom is and how to ask them to speak more slowly.  Bucharest has a population of 2 million and is located in the southeast portion of the country close to where the Danube empties into the Black Sea.  Of course, I'm sure all of you have heard of Vlad, The Empaler, better known as Dracula who lived in Transylvania which is in the northwest part of the country. One thing everyone agrees on is that the people are wonderful and that we will love them.