The Joyous Journey of Elder şi Sora Bryson: Our First Baptisms

Friday, May 16, 2008

Our First Baptisms

20 April 2008 - Iulia Griu - Tatiana Cojocaru's mom - from Orhei Moldova

Suzanne has another "New Best Friend" Iulia!!

Our Galaţi Baptism - 27 April 2008
Angela Trăistaru and Elder Letham
in the portable font set up in the "Outreach" room.
The water is "almost" warm.

Angela and the Branch at the "Linger-Longer".
Suc (juice) and cookies for all.

(L-R) Elder Sorenson, Elder Letham, Ecatarina, Elder Miles
Ionela, Tanţa, Pres Prada, Elder Brian, Rodica, Angela,
Elder si Sora Bryson, two investigators

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Galaţi Branch Conference 25 May 2008

Today was the annual branch conference. President and Sora Ashby were here along with their assistants. It was a wonderful meeting as we had a record attendance with 35 people in attendance. We had 5 visitors and 4 investigators and the rest were regular members. We got to sustain the living Prophet along with all the other general, mission and local authorities. We had speakers and a priesthood chorus, then Sora Ashby and President Ashby spoke to us. We took a few minutes after conference to take some pictures, then we had a "new member meeting" to honor our two newest members and allow them the opportunity to bear their testimonies. It was hard to say "goodbye" to President and Sora Ashby. This is their last trip to Galaţi as they go home the end of June. So it was very sad for all. But we will see them again . . . at future Mission Reunions.

Senior Couples Conference - Braşov 5-8 May 2008

On 5-8 May we got to go to Braşov for a Senior Couples and Sisters Conference with our Mission President and his wife. We stayed in the Bella Musica hotel, that was in a building that is 400 years old (upgraded of course) right in the “old town square”. Amazingly it wasn’t expensive at all. They have a “real” LDS chapel there in Braşov and that is where we had out conference meetings. Each couple got the opportunity to give presentation to all on what their specific assignments are for the mission and we all gave a little bio on ourselves so the others could know a little bit about us. We learned so much for those amazing “spiritual giants”. We had the opportunity to be instructed by President and Sora Ashby on Thursday before we left town. They are so wonderful and we are so sad that they leave on 30 June when the new mission president arrives. We were supposed to have been rained on for the week but we only had a few light sprinkles ever. After the sessions we got the opportunity to do some sightseeing. We went to a beautiful resort village up in the Transylvanian Alps called Poiana Braşov for supper one evening. And we went to the “Bran Castle” (Dracula’s Castle) another evening (I even got to drive one of the vehicles that day). Then on the way home after the conference was over we got to ride in the Presidents vehicle and stop at “Peleş Castle” in Sinaia. This was the most beautiful structure in the country and every detail was impeccable. The setting was so serene and beautiful. We caught a train in Ploieşti that evening and came back to Galaţi.

Our Extended Stay in Moldova

We got to stay in Chişinău for 4 more days so we got to go to church with them the next day where the service is conducted in Romanian and Russian with all participating in their native language and it just seems normal to them. We also had the opportunity after church to attend the baptism of the mother of one of our YSA young ladies from Orhei. WOW!!!

We did a little touring with Iuliana on Monday up to Orhei and Orhei Vechi (an old part of the county) where there is a monastery and a church built into a cave. The monks all used to live in caves in the cliffs around the monastery. And that evening she and her husband invited us to attend their Family Home Evening. Tuesday we had the opportunity to have a fireside with them there. Elder Todd Christofferson, the brand new Apostle, had come to tour our mission and do conferences and firesides so he was there for them and then he presided at our missionary Zone Conference the next day. What an experience for us and all of them. He left us all with an Apostolic blessing.

We met so many wonderful people there and hope to see them many more times before we leave our mission here.

YSA Conference in Chişinău Moldova

In April we had our first experience of “crossing the border” into Moldova in a “maxi taxi” (which is a van). Oleg our driver goes back and forth from Chişinău Moldova to Iaşi Romania at least once and some times twice a day carrying anyone who needs to go. Our missionaries always call him because he picks them up at the villa (church) and takes them to the other one. He is a good guy.

We went up with our Young Single Adults (YSA) from Romania, 6 of them, to the District YSA Conference that we were holding in Chişinău. It was incredible. They have a beautiful new 3 story villa there in a fenced property with a playground/patio area. We went up on Friday evening, 18 April so we could have a District Council meeting first. They YSA are amazing there. We only have 2 to 4 in our branches down in Romania and they have 25 in the Chişinău branch alone. It is interesting because half of them are Romanian and half are Russian. Some speak both languages plus English and some only speak one or the other with some English, but they all make it. We started our Conference at 8:30 Saturday morning with registration and then an Institute class taught by their Institute teacher, an amazing lady named Iuliana Blakely. We had 30 attend that day as we went to a nearby park (down embassy row) and picked up trash for about two hours and made it fun. Then we had lunch back at the villa and began the “games” part (actually, they made everything a fun game). The excitement and enthusiasm for each other was just electric all day. We ended the day with a DVD presentation that the YSA had put together with pictures that they had gathered from everyone so they were all featured. They had set it to music and it was totally classy and fun. Then everyone pitched in and helped clean the villa for church the next day. They did not want to leave each other. All the Romania kids had to leave with Oleg at about 7 pm. They all just hung out till the bitter end.

What we've been up to . . . .

Well, first off, we love it here in Galaţi Romania. We are responsible for watching over three little branches in our zone . . . Galaţi, Bacău, and Iaşi. We are supposed to travel to each of them once a transfer (every 6 weeks). So far we have been to Iaşi 4 times and Bacău twice. But we have also been to Bucureşti 4 times and Piteşti twice. We have logged almost 5500 km on the trains and maxitaxi's (big vans) between cities and we have only been here three months.
We have been very involved with the Young Single Adults (YSA) (ages 18-30) and we are also responsible for putting together a program for the Single Adults (SA) (ages 31-45) for the mission. We attended a YSA Conference last January in Pitesti, and been involved as a senior advisory couple in the reorganization of that program and beginning new "District" councils. Our district is the largest and is our three cities in northeast Romania plus two cities in Moldova, Chisinau and Orhei. The kids are just wonderful to work with.
On 15 March we took 6 of our Sora's to Iasi for the Relief Society Birthday Conference, hosted by the sisters there. One of the sisters that came with us is a long time investigator who is getting closer to baptism herself. It touched her deeply. It was amazing and faith building as the sisters talked about their conversions and baptisms. Sora Bryson was one of the speakers and talked, not about her conversion, but talked about how she had always been a missionary because sometime way back, someone had been a missionary to her ancestors and it brought her into the gospel.
We just had our first meeting with the new male and female mission representatives on 21 March in Pitesti to go over the plan to get their program up and running.
We began our Outreach program in Galati on 29 January and even though we only have two YSA in our branch we have had as many as 5 investigators there participating with us so far. We believe that there will be conversions and baptisms from this effort. We love these kids!!
We, like many other branches in the mission field, have several "less actives" and that is a focus we have in working through the members and with the missionaries. We have had some really incredible young men serving as missionaries in this beautiful city. They care so much for the members and investigators. They are on a quest to find the "elect" that God has prepared to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so glad to be playing a part. We got to sit in a "progressing investigator" lesson on Wednesday evening just before branch FHE. What a joy it is for us to be able to bear testimony to this wonderful young woman .
WOW!!! We Love This Work!!!

The Joyous Journey of Elder şi Sora Bryson

Friday, May 16, 2008

Our First Baptisms

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About Us

Blog Archive

Galaţi Orphanage Visit 21 Dec

Galaţi Orphanage Visit 27 Oct

Galaţi Branch Conference

Galaţi Branch Conference 25 May 2008

The "Relief Society" Room

Senior Couples Conference - Braşov 5-8 May 2008

Our Baptisms

Our Extended Stay in Moldova

Elder Christofferson at our Zone Conference in Chişinău, Moldova

Elder Christofferson and Tanţa Iacomi from our Galaţi Branch

YSA Conference in Chişinău Moldova

Our Picture Website is fun to check out too

A little touch of Texas

YSA Conference Jan 08

What we've been up to . . . .

Romania East-Moldova District YSA Council