Romania, Bucharest Mission: Sept. 2010 - Sept. 2012

Monday, May 7, 2012

Back to Bucharest! I'll Miss you Bacau.

Dear loved ones:

   Hey, it's Elder Lee! Yes....just Elder Lee. I have some news. I'm not a branch president anymore! I am leaving Bacau. Elder Rosenvall, my awesome companion, will be the new branch president! I am happy for him. So, we found out transfers on Friday. Pres. Hill called us. He told Elder Rosenvall that he was to be the next branch president of Bacau! He will be getting a second transfer missionary coming from Cluj named Elder Ealy. And as for me? Well, let's just say dreams do come true because I will be going back to Mihai Bravu in Buc! I will actually be serving with Elder Durand from my MTC group! And guess who else is down there? Elder Fonnesbeck! And who is he training? Elder Knapp!!! I'll be serving in the same district as Elder Miles Knapp! I am excited. I never thought I'd get to see him the whole rest of my mission....Now I get to see him many times a week! I know he is excited too! He called me and we rejoiced together! President Hill decided to put me back in a nice, big, functioning branch with lots of misisonaries. I'm ok with that! I won't be a district leader or a zone leader. Just a normal, former branch president missionary! Also, Elder Durand is a former branch president! He was recently BP in Deva before he got to Buc with Elder Cooper (who is going home this week). Exciting!

   Those who are going home include Elder Bateman, Elder Newton, Elder Cooper, and Sora Henriksen. I'll miss them, especially Elders Bateman and Newton. There will be two new elders and one new sora. One of my favorite companions, Elder Abbott, will be training one of those new elders in Pitesti! Hooray for him. Time flies. Next transfer, I don't think any elders leave, and maybe only one sister will leave. Then, after that, Elder Farr and Elder Kebker go bye-bye, then, ME! I have onyl 3 months left! I am excited to go to Buc again. In my interview with Pres. Hill, he wished me well in Buc and wished that it could be an "exclamation point" on my mission experience. So, I assume I will stay there until I'm done. I assume the same for Elder Fonnesbeck. Transfers are exciting. A number of missionaries are going back to cities they've served in before. For example, Elder Schroedter (from my group) is going back to Timisoara (where he served for his 3rd, 4th, and 5th transfers) to be the branch president there. Pres. Hill always seems to do transfers in a way that makes you say, "well, that makes sense."

   It has been a good week here in Bacau with Elder Rosenvall. We didn't do much, mostly because we had to do a lot of apartment treaba--new air conditioner being installed, our water heater getting fixed, a leak getting fixed in the bathroom, etc. All the problems are fixed now. Our apartment is back to being in good order. We had a fun last couple of days. On Saturday, the Heningers came up (a senior couple in Brasov) to do an apartment inspection and also to take us out to lunch. They started their mission in Iasi, but moved to Brasov recently. He has given me help and advice for branch president stuff (every Sunday, we'd talk on the phone for a little bit). They are very nice people! We had a good time chatting and eating some good food (a romanian/turkishy place with really good sandwich kebab things). They were a bit surprised to find out that Elder Rosenvall would be the new BP here. Yesterday, we had the Hill's and the APs at church here in Bacau. It was a great fast and testimony meeting. We had a good turnout (a couple less-actives came). President and Sora Hill made some remarks, and Pres. Hill released me as branch president and sustained Elder Rosenvall as the new one. He also shared a very cool experience he had right after he got his mission call from President David O. McKay to go to Germany. He was working in Salt Lake at a hotel, and one day, he saw Pres. McKay walking by with the help of his son or somebody (he was very old and needed help walking). He decided to help and grabbed his other arm. They walked him into the hotel and went up to the 8th floor, where Pres. McKay actually lived. Pres. Hill said he finally found the courage to tell Pres. McKay that he had given him a mission call to serve in Germany. Pres. McKay told him congratulations and gave him a big hug. He said "success to you". Pres. Hill said he'll always remember how Pres. McKay never said "good luck", but "success to you". He helped him into his room and watched him hunch way down to give his very short wife (I guess he was pretty tall) a big kiss. Pres. Hill and Pres. McKay talked for a little while, then Pres. Hill left and continued on working. After a Sunday school lesson about sacrifice, we took a branch picture and then headed home. There, we cooked up some tasty pasta and all ate together. It was fun hosting Pres. Hill, his wife, and the APs in our apt. They said they liked the food! After that, we had interviews, then they were on their way back to Buc. We were the last missionaries to get interviewed on their tour of the mission.

   Anyways, there's all the big news!  I hope everything is going well back home. It sounds like everyone is doing well. I'm excited for Tyler and Chelsey! As for Skype, I should be able to do it Sunday night or even Saturday night. We can plan on Sunday night 6 or 7 pm (my time). If I have to, I can email you again in the next few days. Stay tuned...Well, I think that's about it. I hope to have a blast back in Buc with some of my favorite people! Have a good week and read your scriptures! Love you.

Cu drag, Elder (not President anymore...) Lee

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