4 Baptisms!

March 31, 2013

Hey guys,

    Okay, so I'll start with the best news first. Yes, 4 baptisms yesterday! The sisters have been really busy. There were 3 referrals from members and one walked in to the church and was interested. Wow, it was so crazy. The work really is growing here, so cool to be apart of it.

    This week we met with a progressing investigator. He wanted to meet somewhere near a park and we ended up having a really great lesson in the park that night. We met him a few days later at the church and he seems to be coming along great. He might come to watch General Conference with us on Sunday. I think that would be great for him and hope he comes. I will probably end up watching General Conference in Romanian and in English.

    Something interesting happened this week. My Nixon watch just stopped working and I was super bummed about it. We were heading back to our apartment at the time so I just switched it for my other watch and finished the day. That night I told my companion that it broke and this is what he said, "hit it on your leg or something I don't know" laughingly. I decided, well why not, right? So I gave it a little hit a couple times on my leg and IT WORKED AGAIN. I was freaked out that it actually worked! And it's been working ever since, haha super weird. Someone in this mission hit the piano with his elbow a couple times, once, to fix a broken key on a piano also. haha

    Today, we hiked to the Brasov sign. We hiked to the sign that is in the pictures that looks like the Hollywood sign. It was a beautiful day and got some great pictures.

view from Brasov sign- AWESOME!

    This week I traveled to Sibiu to go on exchanges with the zone leaders. We had a lesson with a super cool 20 year old guy. He is from Serbia and speaks Serbian, English, and Romanian. He didn't know who Jesus was or anything about Christian beliefs. We taught him about Jesus and what he did. We then invited him to be baptized if God testifies to him that these things are true. He was a little hesitant at first because he would have to leave everything he ever knew and all his traditions and things, but we clarified that we were only asking him if he would get baptized when God let him know that this was the right thing to do and he said that he would. That was a really cool experience. I'm a little sad that I won't be able to see him progress but I'm really glad I got to teach him.

    This week is transfer week also, so I will be getting a new companion and will be officially a regular missionary and not a new missionary or a boboc (it means like a little duckling who just follows close behind) as the Romanians say. I will be staying here in Brasov and my new companion will be Elder Bliss. Elder Speyer will be going to Timisara.

    Thank you to everyone who wrote me letters this week. That was such an AWESOME suprise. I love you guys and I will try to respond to you as soon as I can. If I don't respond to you this week, don't worry I saw your letter and will send you an email when I get the chance. Thank you again! Have a great week!

Elder Houk (misionar regulat pentru mai unu ani si opt luni) [regular missionary for one year and eight months]