Moldova is a happening place!

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Sooo... it has been a while but I am alive and doing well!

Some updates from the past couple of weeks include...

1) Going to Ludmila's (our recent convert) house and picking and eating lots and lots of apricots and cherries in her amazing garden.

2) RAINSTORMS! so many rainstorms its crazy. Every day is super hot and humid and then the clouds roll in and all at once just start thundering and lightning and pouring rain. They are crazy and we end up wet every day (sometimes from sweat and sometimes from the rain).

3) Not only the skies showering us with water but they are pouring out blessings on us in the form of new friends! We got to start teaching four new people this week. We are really excited about them and are very grateful for all of their sincere desires to hear the restored gospel. 

4) Another blessing was getting to go on exchange with my dear Sister Gunderson (mtc comp)! We have been separated in different zones our entire missions until she got exiled to Moldova with me! We got to go on exchange and teach together (a very interesting new investigator - a story for another day), and speak in Russian ALL DAY. Man we have come a long way since the MTC. 

5) On Sunday, Mihaiella (another recent convert) was called as a Relief society teacher in our branch. And on her first day, she gave a beautiful lesson about President Monson's talk "Love --  the Essence of the Gospel." I wanted to share this poem from the talk that I loved: 

"I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind."

This is definitely something we have to learn to do. On the mission we deal with rude people not wanting to hear our message or difficult companions or really anything, but over time I have learned that patience and charity are vital. We will never have regrets if we love others as much as we love God. 

Anyway, that is all for this week. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love, 
Cectpa Daines

Pictures:
1. Getting ice cream with Paulina and hiding from the floods! 
2. Evening walks with our favorite members, sister Bordeu and sister Natasha
3. Painting benches for service! 
4. Ludmila's house. 
5. Chisinau marathon t-shirts! (jk we didnt actually run the marathon)
6. Relief society picnic











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