Craciun Fericit!! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas. This week was crazy with seemingly little work. We had a lot of member visits which was good. It was definitely good to build those relations with the members and it was much needed. I also got food out of it which was wonderful. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we had wonderful meals for Zone Conference, the branch Christmas party and just for Christmas. I got to try a lot of Romanian food for the first time which was great. I ate Sarmale, Salata de Beouf, Cozonac, Ciorba and other stuff that I know was pickled, but didn't really know what it was. It was all so good and Sunday I ate way too much, but I just didn't want to pass up the experience and wish I had eaten more. I have no regrets :) I also got to go to an American families home again and eat an American Christmas meal. They got us all gifts that we fought over in a gift exchange game thing they had. What were the gifts, they were American food like Butterfingers, Mac and Cheese, Pop Tarts and so on. We were super excited to see them. You can't get anything like that here, so we were very happy and grateful to see and receive them. I ended up with the Pop Tarts :) That made me happy.

So Sunday we walked into Church and the Branch President told us we would all be speaking. This was terrifying for me. But I got through it. I definitely have a lot to learn and the other missionaries did a lot better, but I know that when I am out here as long as they are that I will know as much as they do. It just takes practice. Afterwards, all the members swarmed me and gave me hugs and said I did a great job. There was literally no way out haha. It was nice just overwhelming. They are really loving people though. I even got a hug from Sora Petrisor (not the MTC teacher, but her sister) It made me really happy. Then we went and ate way too much and then we had service! We got to go to an orphanage and sing with kids. It was an amazing experience! Finally, I got to Skype home. It was wonderful to see my family and the kitties :) It was too short, but I loved every minute :)

Shout outs:

Alicia: you are getting married like tomorrow!! I sent you a letter so be looking for it. I love you so much and you can email me pictures if that is easier ;) Love you!

John Woodruff: Thank you for the email. It was very exciting haha. I am now expecting a letter from you in the mail though haha. I am not looking forward for the adjustment, but I know you are doing a great job because you are John Woodruff and you are awesome.

Okay well I need to go. I love all of you. I hope that you have all had a great Christmas and that you will have a great New Year's. Remember to think about why we have this time of year in the first place. Remember the Savior and all that he has done for you. Take the time to make goals for the new year so that you become a better person.

Love,

Sora Krissy Hall

First I want to give some shout outs:

John Woodruff!! I can't believe you are home already. That is so crazy to me. Thank you so much for your email this week. I can get emails from others, just can't respond back. Bah it seems so weird that it has already been two years. Also tell your brothers that I am so excited for them to get their mission calls. I don't know which missions just that they are in Brazil so let me know! I can't wait.

Alicia Lewis: In the event that you will be crazy busy next week, I want you to know that I will have a party (like a mini one, probably during a meal or something) on the 27th to celebrate your wedding. I am so extremely excited for you and I want you to know that I love you. If there was any way I could share that experience with you I would. I got your letter last week so it takes about 2-3 weeks to get letters here. Thank you so much for you love and letters. They make me so happy. I also want to see pictures! It will drive me nuts haha. But whenever you have time I would love to see some. You are amazing and you will be absolutely stunning next week.

Tatiana: Girl I love you! I am writing you a letter today so just know that.

Next: Some of you may know that my grandpa passed away this week. I want everyone to know that I am doing fine. I have a tone of work here and I am keeping super busy. I feel very at peace with everything which is probably a first when compared to all the other people I have known that have died. I am grateful to have had him as a grandfather and even though he wasn't perfect I learned a lot from him, more so than any other grandparent. I am sad that I won't be at the funeral but my love and prayers go out to my family and loved ones that will be there. I hope that you can feel that peace that I feel.

Other than that, this week has gone very well. The Lord has blessed me with strength and love all week. We have been out working very hard and serving a lot of people. This last Sunday was also the first Sunday I didn't get a headache in church because of all the Romanian haha. So we are making ground. I am also understanding more and slowly developing my language. It is great.

This week we are sharing messages with members in order to strengthen our relationships with them. We have the zone conference/party on Friday and then Sunday we get to Skype home (yep that's right I get to see my family haha) and then we are going to an orphanage to do service. I can't wait. This is going to be an amazing week.

I am exhausted and yet I can't wait to do more. What a weird feeling. They Lord definitely watches out for us and knows all of our problems and concerns. Everyday I recognize why I have been called to Romanian and why I am here in Bucharest. It was definitely divinely inspired.

I hope you all have a great week and a very Merry Christmas (Craciun Fericit).

La Multi Ani!!

Love Sora Krissy Hall

Hello to all the people I love! This week has been crazy! But first a story from last week that I forgot. So Dec 1st is Romania Day. They have the day off and there is a military parade. We thought it would be a good chance to advertise for our English classes that started this week. So we went and passed out fliers. A man stopped me and spoke to me in almost perfect English and said "wait you're Mormons right" So we talked for a bit and I was able to talk to him about the Book of Mormon and how we got it, basically the Restoration. He had lived in Texas for a year and a half and that is where he heard about the church. I was dumb and gave him our number and said if you want to know more to call. It reminded me of the Best Two Years. Well I was bummed when I realized I did that but I felt like, just like in the movie that if I had hope it would all work out. Guess what! He signed up for English classes and was at church yesterday. He really wants to know more. The other Elders are teaching him (oh and he has a wife and 9 year old son), which kind of makes me a little bummed, but not really. So if he gets baptized I feel like it would be okay to take credit for seeing him first and running into him. So long story short, my life is like a movie and it is awesome :D

Fun Fact: The toilet paper here all has scents to it. I am not sure why but they do. Ours currently smells like peaches. It is pretty cool.

So the week started out like normal but out of the blue Sora Wilson was sent to another companionship so we have been on our own since Friday. As soon as she left we have been running everywhere. We don't leave late, just the metro and tramvai and various other things have caused us to run. So on Fri. we ran to the tramvai and there were some old fashion gypsy women in the front. They saw us, got up and crowded and then tried to trip us as we got on and then we felt them grab at our bags. So we kept going and we were just too fast for them. That was fun. Oh sidenote- I have also seen two gypsy carts which make me really happy :). Anyways we weren't mad but now we will just be cautious no matter who we are with.

Our lessons have gone well since Sora Wilson is gone, but now I actually have to talk haha. It is good. It is definitely pushing us to the limits but I know we will be great. It will just take time. It is cool to be in lessons and to get a point across and for others to understand in another language. That is amazing.

Oh I am also teaching English now. That is fun, except that I have no idea how this works. English was never my strong point so it makes me nervous but I know that it will all work out. I just have to get better at teaching in general. That is the key to it all. We have a class of about 8 people, oh and we teach the medium level. It is a really great experience.

Can I just say how much I love it here. My hair smells like smoke everyday when I get home, and I am completely exhausted but I love it. It is starting to feel like home. I love the members and the amazing testimonies they have. I also love the food. It just makes me so happy. This is the hardest thing I have ever done and there are times when I get frustrated and wonder what I am doing here because I can't understand or can't get a point across. But those days where you look into a persons eyes and know that they can feel your spirit and know that what is being said is true, that is what makes it worth it. That is the most amazing feeling ever.

I love you all. Be safe and share your light!

Sora Krissy Hall

This week was forever long. It just never seemed to end. That's how the MTC felt at first (not quite this long though), so hopefully that means it will speed up. We had more lessons this week which was good and we have a new investigator Cristi Popa (male). He is really smart and has studied a lot about Christ. His views seem to go really well with what the Church believes and so far he has come to church 2 weeks in a row. That is great! We work a lot with less active members. It is great to find these people and see them change and realize that they are cared about and that they haven't been forgotten.

So we ride the tramvai whenever we go over to the church building. They always have children on the them that beg. It reminds me of Slumdog Millionaire and how the bad people sent the kids to beg. I don't understand all that they say, but it is still very sad. It again makes me grateful for the blessings I have had in my life. It also kind of makes me grateful that there are rules that we can't give them money. I would be very tempted to do it, especially to the cute little ones. Being here has shown me what true poverty is and how poverty in different countries can be so different. I never experienced any poverty like I have here. That brings me gypsies. I have seen some that I know just by looking at them that they are gypsies. However, you can't always tell just by looks. Frankly, I don't want to know if a person is before I get to know them. I feel that puts unfair labels and some of the people that I have found to be gypsies are some of the most family oriented and nicest people I have met. I guess it really just depends. But they really haven't been an issue as far as teaching or bringing them to church, at least from what I have seen so far. I realize this could be because I am in a city where there is a large mixture of people and cultures.

Funny story: So I would like to thank a Stephen Wirthlin for teaching the Romanian districts useful words. I think every word he told us I have heard and now I am one of the only people that know what it means. That leads me to yesterday. We had a lesson with a members daughter in law. She wasn't there when we showed us so we just stayed and talked with the member. She had been stressed the week before and we wanted to make sure that she was doing better. Her husband isn't a member so he drinks a lot. He came and introduced himself to me. He told me his name and then proceeded to say that he was a barosan. Thanks to Brother Wirthlin I knew that this meant he said he was a stud/pimp. It was hilarious because my companions didn't know what this meant until after we left. The rest of the lesson he played the piano (hymns actually). When we asked how he knew them, Mihaela, his wife told us that he can play any song by ear and that he heard them because she sings them all day. She is an amazing woman. He was hilarious and we left wondering what he could do if he wasn't drunk every time we came over. What power and talents would he have. But I don't think I will ever forget how he introduced himself. He was just so proud of himself when he said it.

Anyways, it is definitely hard working here. But I am grateful to learn from the people everyday. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the Gospel and how it can help change people's lives for the better. I love you all.

Love Sora Krissy Hall