Pictures from the home land!

I feel like I owe the blog itself an apology.  I am sorry blog.  I am sorry that A- Katy hasnt sent a TON of email home as of late that has been really appropriate for blog posting and B- Anything that has been sent home has been slipping through the cracks of this scatter brained mom of three.  Sorry.

Moving forward- I have a couple of awesome things to share!  We have an awesome email and then we have pictures.  Feel free to email Katy at kathryn.macdonald@myldsmail.net or snail mail is always appreciated.  She loves pictures so feel free to email her or mail her some pictures!  Keep in mind that they have to be small if you email them.  Her inbox is TINY.  Seriously- like 12 MB an email.  Nuff rambling- enjoy all the Sora Macdonald goodness!

"Buna ziua from Romania!

This week was the most amazing week! Flori got baptized this week and it was absolutely incredible. It was really stressful during the week trying to coordinate with the branch and the mission leader who was out of town but by Friday night everything was taken care of and when I woke up on Saturday I was just feeling so light and refreshed and so excited to be able to be there with Flori. I woke up earlier than usual to make brownies and iron the baptismal clothes and a couple other things and I just danced around the apartment the happiest I've ever been. I'm learning how grateful I really am for my trials because I don't really think I could feel this happy and recognize how great the blessings are that are being poured out on us without my struggles. And the best is when I feel like I'm really reaching my potential and really fulfilling the Lord's will. I feel like trying to describe a mission is just repeating a million cliches. But they are all true. It has changed who I am and who I want to be. 

This week we were preparing to meet with a couple of less actives and we were just talking about what the gospel brings into our lives and I really looked at my life before I was committed in the gospel and actually wanted to keep all the standards and actually progress toward the temple and eventually my mission. In my mind when I look at the time before I made my relationship with God the center of my life, I feel like I was just passing through days. Fun days, boring days, nothing days and in my mind a lot of things happened but I don't see the significance and I don't feel the purpose in that time of my life. Days were just days in my life. But now, after about 3 years that I've been wanting to make Christ the center of my life, I feel.. like I see where I fit into eternity. 

The gospel is always giving back, through scripture study, the power of prayer, general conference the blessings of keeping the commandments, and with all that all that I feel like I've learned, I see that everyday was helping me to become the person that I am today--every mistake and every prayer. I feel like I can see the way that God sees me and the way that He sees those around me. I just love you, my family so much! I hope that you can know that no matter what you do or whatever it is that makes us different, I love you so much. I promise that I will try so much harder to serve you better when I come home. 

With all that has changed me, even when it seems like no one wants to talk to us, it is so peaceful to remember that the Lord has changed ME--stubborn, wandering, rebellious ME, and it is enough to enrich my faith in the life changing nature of this church. I with that I could convey what a privilege it has been to be able to work with Flori leading up to her baptism. I don't even know where to begin with how it all went. The speakers gave wonderful talks and the spirit was thick in the air, after the mission leader told everyone to go to the font, Flori ran back there and I had to run to keep up to get her towel. I couldn't see into the font very well because she wanted to get in as fast as she could. 

It was all in a rush it felt like and you feel like there should be fireworks of the spirit or something go off when they go into the water but it wasn't until I saw her in the dressing room that I realized what it all meant. I don't know if I had ever seen anyone the way that she looked. There were tears in her eyes and her eyes were so bright. She just hugged me, told me thank you and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She just looks different, like there's this light around her. I don't think the change could have been so apparent if so much of her faith wasn't put into it... She really trusted and understood that she could be born again and be free of whatever she felt holding her back before then. I have realized how incredibly blessed I was to be witness to one of the 5 things we have to do to return back to our heavenly father (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End). The 'enduring to the end' part of the gospel of Jesus Christ really just consists of doing the first 2 principles: 'faith' and 'repentance' again and again but the difference after baptism is that you are really reborn again and are able to feel that every single week from the Sacrament for the rest of your life as you continue to repent and learn and strive to have faith and show faith in Jesus Christ. The being "reborn again" part sounds so insufficient. I am so grateful for the sacrament and for this really sacred experience. 
Ah, I just love Romania and my mission. Do good things. Remember to pray and I'll write next week :)
Love, Katy/Sora Macdonald/Kathryn etc. "

Companion love

11 year old investigator

Crazy elders

Baptism day!

Transfer time!!

Dear Friends and Family,

So I guess here's the gist about my life right now. I'm leaving the nest of Iasi, my home, and being thrust out into the cruel and cold world.... okay, I'm really just going to Ploiesti. But we have a chapel there! And everyone says that it is the strongest branch in Romania. That will be a good change but it is really hard to leave Iasi. I've learned so much here. I learned to actually speak Romanian and how to be a missionary here. And how to keep going even when... it is pretty discouraging. 

I haven't really talked about it in a while because the opposition is really great here. I didn't realize how great until I was in my 2nd transfer and one things after another happened with our investigators and with trying to have lessons with anyone at all really. I think I cried more in my second transfer than I probably ever have in a 6 week period of time. I loved our investigators so much and they just... weren't progressing. They just keep letting one thing get in the way because of the cultural around them and their family and one thing after another. To put this in perspective. Everyone in Romania is essentially Orthodox  And because of the blindness that Romanian was under for so long under communism and when they finally got to worship again, something happened where all the generations from about 45 years old up think that everyone in the world was born Orthodox and that it is a sin to change religions. 

It is a whole other world here that you didn't really know that people could be so closed off from the world. Most young people aren't that way because of the generation gap but as a result of the Orthodox belief here that are kind of.. zealous and.. some people might call backwards,  they only see religion in general, the bible and other scripture as backwards and zealous  But not everyone is like that. People who get out of Romania have the chance to see the world differently and they are more open. But... it's hard. And it's hard not to be resentful about the Orthodox church. It just doesn't have to be the way that people think it is. I meet so many wonderful Christ like people who are really actively Orthodox and they tell me that they trust what their priest says because they have to but they would never trust their priest because there is so much corruption in the church here and you see the priests riding home in their BMW's past the guy who digs through the garbage every day. It's just not right. 

And There is so much poverty here. I was in utter shock when I got her. And the kids on the streets begging... It's enough to get you down. Especially when they isn't really anything that we can do. But the other day, in the face of all this I feel like I really saw things clearly why there is so much against us building God's kingdom here. We were walking home from a meeting one night a couple weeks ago and we ran into one of our investigators who we had a lesson with earlier that day. She knows that they book of Mormon is true but is having a hard time committing because of her family situation. And then an investigator who I love the most in the world, who I taught from the second week I was in the country until about a month ago, comes by too (she had randomly stopped taking our calls and not calling us back. We basically just lost her.) I was so happy to see her, Sorina. She smiles at us and then starts off with, "I know what you do in your temples!" And... imagine the worst possible scenario, and that was it. She starts going off about some video of the temple that her friend had showed her with all this negative and really incorrect things. She starts describing all the things and I have no idea what to do. 

So meanwhile, our other investigator is so confused and my companion is trying to get Sorina to stop and I'm just standing there ready to cry, watching the investigator who I really just love more than anyone in Romanian, say the most terrible things about the most sacred things in my heart. She left quickly, and didn't say much else to either of us. Then our other investigator starts getting upset and we could do was tell her that we would explain what we could when we met next. She agreed but hesitantly. We walked away in shock of what had just happened. I'm really about to cry. Satan has his hold so strong here! I just kept thinking that again and again but then I realized something. I thought back to 2 Nephi 2, where God tells us that there must be opposition in all things and they would be for our good. I had intellectually understood that but as I walked away from Sorina, with a silent prayer in my heart, asking "Why??? Why?" I felt so strongly, and finally understand, this was all apart of the plan from beginning. Not that there would be wickedness to pull us down, but that there would always be advocates for God to fight against it. 

To fight against it with truth, with the simple love of God in our hearts. That's what our purpose is here and if I just give up and close my heart to my investigators again because I'm afraid I will get hurt, I'm not being the advocate for God that he wants me to be. I'm not fighting the opposition. There is darkness and lies so that the light and truth can burn even brighter and testify to every heart here in Romania that Jesus is the Christ and that His gospel will never leave us again. I'm so grateful for this truth that I received and for how much that I've learned here in Iasi and on my mission. It is the best decision that I ever made coming on a mission. Even if it has already been one of the hardest things that I have ever done. I'm so grateful for the privileged that I have to wear Christ's name and proclaim His gospel to anyone that will listen. Even if it's only in 3  or 4 lessons a week, I get to be an advocate for the literal Kingdom of God. How great is my calling!!
Well until next week, thank you so much for all your support, love and prayers. I feel them all.
Love, Sora Macdonald

It's picture time!

Make shift Christmas tree with pictures of all the family

on the street just a couple minutes from our apartment,
during the Christmas season. Amazing!

me and the comp on Christmas day at dinner at Sora Lidia's house

Elder Slembowski

the member who made your socks!! (Kristen and Josh got handmade socks for Christmas)

...because I am ridiculous and no, you shouldn't put this one on the blog--okay do what you want

Me with my Elders and a member, Andreea for New Years Eve. Yes, I absolutely love my Elders. They are ridiculous and Hilarious. Left- Elder Slembowski, Cox, Friel, me and Andreea

La Multi Ani!!!

La Multi Ani Familia si Prieteni!! (Happy New Year Family and Friends!!)

Well I'm sorry that it has taken so long to finally send a real letter. I would say that this transfer has not been the easiest for me. Surprisingly, a lot harder than the first. A part from missing my trainer/mother, Sora Atkins, like crazy and having my first Christmas away from home, I have to say that I've learned a lot and it hasn't come easy. It was really abrupt when Sora Atkins left because we were completely caught off guard and though that we would have 2 more weeks to have more lessons together with our investigators and to just be together. She has set a standard for me on missionary work and I will never forget the example of love patience that she had. Needless to say, I really miss her. 

The thing that I think has been the hardest thing for me is honestly, the agency that people choose and the faith that I have to admit, I feel like I had that wasn't fulfilled in relation to my investigators. We had this one, her name is Bianca and before Sora Atkins left we had a really good lesson with her about faith (when I say really good, I mean I actually cried in most of it) and I just know that she is just such a wonderful person--kind and loving. She is our friend and she had been an investigator some months earlier but because of school, she said that she hadn't had time to have lessons again. So we try and set up with her she sort of wants to just hang out. It feels really difficult to explain this in a way that you will understand, but if you've served a mission than I think you can understand what I mean when I say, that I wanted her to come unto Christ so badly! It ate me up inside. 

When I served with Sora Atkins I really learned that when you exercise faith, even if the outcome isn't what you want, you will always see fruit of your faith and it will always be the will of the Lord. And I still believe that. But the will of the Lord that I wanted was that Bianca would have a changed heart and that she would have the desire to progress. I wanted it so badly. I felt like my desire was righteous. I begged God for days to change her heart. Begged. And then... on a Saturday in which we were supposed to try and meet up but it wasn't really working out, and she suggested that we meet up after church the next day and I asked if we could have a lesson and she... basically said no. And I think I was in denial until the next day in church, when (as luck would have it, NONE of our investigators came to church) the sacrament was being passed  and I said a little prayer in my heart to ask why it wasn't working out and it became very clear that she didn't have the desire, that she WASN'T ready and that we wouldn't be meeting with her. 

I cried in sacrament meeting. None of it made sense to me. I was/am having the same situation with our other investigator, Lavinia, and it felt like nothing was happening the way that it was supposed to. This transfer has been full of moments like these. Our recent convert, Claudia, who is amazing and I KNOW has a testimony, won't come to church and has been ignoring all our calls for the last month (I'm so sorry Sora Atkins, I'm doing the best I can for her!). I honestly feeling like I'm trying as hard as I possibly can to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord, and then I feel like my efforts are being wasted and that I don't know how else to fulfill my purpose. 

My heart hurts right now, as I write about these people and I think about all the others that I haven't mentioned. I wish that I could relay how it feels to be a missionary. You know how people say that there is a different chamber of your heart that opens up when you have your first child, I think that it is the same as a missionary. I feel like I can honestly love the people of Romania in a deep, sincere way. And that these people I meet and teach, I love with more of a Christlike love than I thought was possible for people who aren't my family and who I haven't known for very long. I love them so much it breaks my heart! On Christmas Eve I was feeling all of these things, feeling all this sorrow and I read in Alma 29 when Alma is talking about his own experiance as a missionary:

 1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the atrump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

 2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and acome unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

"That there might be no more sorrow upon all the face of the earth!!!!!!!"--that is all that I want, I thought to myself. I really have a strong conviction in my heart and soul that the gospel will save lives, will bring light and hope where the is none. Because that is what it has done for me. 

And then Alma continues on, " 3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me."

and I just huffed and puffed and thought, NO! But then I continued on and he talks about Agency and the Glory of God and explains  

8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

 9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

I felt so bitter at first but then I prayed and read these words and felt peace... Just as we learned from President Eyring this last conference "The Lord NEVER hides from His faithful children." My pavilion between me and the comfort of the Lord was not my desire to bring these souls unto Him but to do so and to feel the measure of my calling in His own time and in His own ways. Every day this week I have thought of "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). 

I feel like I've begun to understand what the answer is to all this that I've felt, all this sorrow and stress. I don't think that it is to love the people less, I think that it is just to have more faith in the Lord. Amy Lofgreen told me something before I left that I hadn't actually remembered this week until I saw it in my journal: "Love is never in vain, only sin." I had no idea how much that would apply to my mission. I had no idea how I would come to understand it, but I am so grateful that she said it and that I have come to understand it and still am. Things are still hard but there is always hope and its true, there is ALWAYS a fruit of our faith. In the last two weeks we have received more refferals and had more first lessons than I have since I've been out. AND Fratele Stoica read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY LAST WEEK! And last night we committed him to have personal prayer every day as well, and we finally found out when his son is coming home so we can set a date 

(April 15-ish,  I know, Sora Atkins, I'm freaking out about it too. He is continuing to progress! I gave him smiley face stickers that Andreea could put on his reading calender every day that he read). AND our wonderful investigator, Sorina, (I don't think I've talked about her much but she came out of no where at church, already trying to live the Word of Wisdom and--things we never knew, Sora Atkins, was that the reason why she came to church was because she was having a really hard problem with her family and she prayed and randomly found the Book of Mormon and received an answer to her prayer somewhere in Alma :):)!), is also doing well. She was sick this week and couldn't come to church and have come to a little bit of stand still with her since she didn't come last week either but she actually brought up her baptism the other day, and she bought some fake coffee stuff and she really has the desire and... I think she loves me as much as I love her so she doesn't break my heart as often haha 

And then... last but certainly not least!! I can ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND PEOPLE! I don't know how, but something has clicked in my brain and I really feel like I understand people and it doesn't hurt my insides as much and doesn't stress me out so incredibly and I think that has really expedited my desire to keep learning and getting even better. And I don't mean to brag BUT, this guy just came up to me to ask me where the girl was who he could buy the time tickets (for time on the computers at the internet cafe) and I actually understood him! and answered back, in Romanian!! (Sora Atkins, I even MAKE PHONE CALLS NOW!! BY MYSELF!!)

As always, there is so much to be grateful for, not the least of which, is my wonderful, supportive family. You really made me Christmas Day one in a million and a really blessing for me. 

The Lord Loves us!! I think that if we can always remember this and have it written on our hearts than we will always have the courage to do whatever needs to be done or face any trial, in whatever form, because we know that nothing comes before us except to give us greater faith and learning--and thus greater happiness. Please make this your new years resolution. It's saved my life on my mission. Elder Slemboski in my mission has decided that it should be my pretend facebook status if I could have one. So make it yours!!

I love you all so incredibly much, and I feel your love!

Katy/Sora Macdonald

Honorable experiences

Dear Friends and family,

In my patriarchal blessing I was blessed that I would "have many honorable experiences in life," I've got to tell you that I have had some very choice experiences this week. I have thought over my blessing many times this week as I have seen miracles before my eyes and felt them in my heart. This last week was zone conference. We took a train down to Bucharest and had a day of hearing from Elder Kerr and his wife, Sister Kerr. Elder Kerr is an area 70 and they are both from Scotland. It was really great to hear them and when Elder Kerr called on me, he had to tell everyone, "Sora Macdonald, look there, that's a REAL Scottish name." I felt very proud, I'll admit. The conference was absolutely fantastic. The spirit was so strong and we got so many good ideas about finding people in the winter time, We had dinner and Sora Atkins and I got to sit by President and sister Hill and the visiting Elder and Sister Kerr. I got to talk to them, mostly Sister Kerr and Sister Hill and they are really great. We really have a great President and Sister Hill with us. I'm so excited to work with them here in Romania. 

So for the last several weeks, really since I've left on my mission, but mostly since I've been in Romania- I've felt lost and been confused and overwhelmed with the language, I've also been thinking about, missing, longing for my Mom. Every day. I think about what she was like on her mission, what kind of missionary she was, how frustrated I am and how much relief I would feel if I could just have her hold me one more time. It's a pain that never goes away, you just live with it, you just continue on and life is fun. But I've forgotten how deep the pain penetrates, how far the emptiness can echo in my chest without her. I mean, she is my mama. You only have one. It's making me emotional just writing about this here. 

Just last week I was lying in bed, holding my chest because of how much I missed her and so I prayed like I had everyday that her spirit could be with me, some relief I thought--a small favor from God. But mostly I prayed that I could do the work, be worthy of the spirit in all that we did and that I could continues to be as obedient as I could be. So I carried on...and then we went down to zone conference. After the day had concluded, and everyone was lingering around talking to President Hill and the other missionaries they hadn't seen in a while, I got in line behind an Elder to say thank you and goodbye to Sister Kerr. She told a wonderful story about her conversion and she was so pleasant to talk to, and I thought about just leaving because I felt awkward waiting behind this other person but then I felt like I should just wait, so I did. I can't really explain how this happened or all that we said but I hope that I can convey the spirit of my experience with her. 

We had some small talk and she gave me a hug and I told her where I was from and about how I wanted to go to Scotland one day to find my heritage there. Then a little abruptly she asked, "How are your parents?" something caught my attention off to the side and I looked away. There have been plenty of times when I'm sure I've just said, " Fine," and I might have said this to her, it wasn't like I would ever see her again, its not like she would ever know. But something told me to turn back to her and tell her the truth. I suddenly felt very nervous. But it wasn't because I had to explain that both of my parents had died, that's something that I've had to do many times before, but it was something that made me start to shake inside. I can't explain, but the second I said, "Actually both of my parents passed away a few years ago," some look came across her face. 

She was surprised but it wasn't because I had a parent that I had died, it was because they BOTH had died. "From when we talked at lunch, I felt that there was one of them on the other side," she said. I explained about my birth family too and how close I felt to my birth dad and how my dad had died when I was 7 years old. When I told her about my mom and how she passed just before I turned 13, she said, "Old enough to know and love her." "Yes, she was my best friend," I think I said. "That's who've I felt around me since we talked. You're mom loves you, she loves you so much." After she said that there were real tears running down my face  and she pulled me into a hug. "This hug is from her and she loves you," Sister Kerr said. As I bent down a little to hug her, I felt something that I can't explain quite right, that is impossible to express. This woman was a perfect stranger but when she held me, I really felt my mom's arms around. I felt like there was no skin holding me spirit inside, and nothing to keep my mom's from holding me. I've never felt that close to my mom before. Not ever, since she had passed. I was shaking because I was crying so hard as sister Kerr hugged me. My mom was there! I know it, I feel that moment in my heart right now as I write this! 

What more honorable experience could I ever have? When I prayed just a couple days before the only thing that made me keep praying and going was the scripture that came to my mind again and again, "Remember even the faithful have felt forsaken and not lost there faith." (Psalms) Not only does he bless those that are faithful but he hears ALL of our prayers and I know Christ has felt every one of our pains. He knows exactly how to succor us, and even when it feels like our prayers are just hitting the ceiling and coming right back to us, when we are faithful, our blessings overflow, and we can "sing the cry of redeeming love," as Nephi did in 2nd Nephi 5:26.
The only more honorable experiance that I can think of is bringing another soul unto Christ--inviting them to come unto Him, witnessing that conversion. 

I've told you about Fratele Stoica and how he said that he wants to be baptized but won't choose a date. The "eternal investigator" as so many have called him before us. But, this last week, his daughter, Andreea just got home from her mission and we had a lesson with Fratele and Sora Stoica and their daughter, Andreea. We had dinner and then pulled out the Book of Mormon for our lesson we prayed and went over the chapter that he had been assigned to read from last time, we went over a couple of things and then the spirit just took over the lesson. Sora Atkins gave the most powerful testimony of how she knows that he is ready, and then his daughter, Andreea testified, in the most quiet, dignified and powerful way. Then she said something that I will never forget, she said, "Noi trebui sa mergem la templul Tata. In curand."--we need to go to the temple, dad. Soon." It's so hard to explain things that feel so driven by the spirit but it was so strong, it felt like it was stretching across the space between each of us to touch our hearts. 

Fratele Stoica was very quiet and we all waited. He wiped away a tear from his eyes and looked up at the calender on the wall. I didn't dare speak, trusting the spirit so much more than my feeble words. Sora Stoica finally said, "When Rodu comes home."--Their son who is serving a mission in Scotland (of all places). Fratele Stoica without hesitation said, "Yes, when Rodu comes home and he can baptise me." He will be home in February. And when me and Sora Atkins left we just complete peace about it. We wanted it to be sooner but the spirit always knows better. We are still so excited and so overwhelmed with how powerful the spirit was and how humbling and magnificent to really witness how it converts hearts! How it can change the very natures of people and give peace, reassurance and guidance about where to go and what to do. I know that it is what guided to make the choice to come on a mission. I can never be grateful enough. This is the best decision that I ever made.
I love you all so much, I know the Lord is taking care of you for me,
Katy/Sora Macdonald

Week 3 in Romania!

Dear friends and family!

FINALLY I have a little time to tell you how life is in Romania! My first area is in Iasi. Its in the north eastern area of Romania. It is beautiful here. Romania has a lot more poverty than probably anyone (or maybe just me) ever thought about. So I mostly just gasped when we landed in Bucharesti. But Iasi is fantastic. As we were walking to this little internet cafe, I realized that I knew my way around, and that it really is starting to feel like home.


But I really want to talk about it the people, the branch, our investigators and the faith that I have to pray for everyday to have the desire to go out and talk to people even though I literally don't speak Romanian. I guess the thesis statement, if you will, of this letter home is about faith. The faith of the people and the faith you have to have as a missionary, especially when you are serving in a foreign country.


So the first few days all passed in a haze... I had my first lesson with Fratele Stoica and his member wife two days after I made it into the country. I'm ashamed to say, the only thing I remember was that the food that she gave us was delicious and that they seemed really nice. I think we talked about the plan of salvation and I said about two lines because I understood even less throughout the course of the hour we were there. I had such a desire to be obedient but I was soo afraid to open my mouth. I am still scared to death! But through the grace of God, my mouth HAS been filled to help his children. I felt miserable and afraid of everything and everyone my first week here. I still get scared everyday, but I have at least a better idea of how to conquer it.

At about day five, I was just feeling beyond belief inadequate, so scared, thinking crazy thoughts like I should be sent to serve in eastern U.S. or something like I thought I was going to but then one day, in my personal studies. I was reading in the last chapter of Ether and it talks about Coriantumr, the king, who had seen how a great number of people had died and he felt such great sorrow and he remembered the words of the prophets and began to repent of the evil which he had done. But the last you here about this before he goes to war with his people again and he dies last and alone, it says, "his soul mourned and refused to be comforted." and in the margin next to it, I had written sometime in the MTC, "to refuse the grace of the atonement, is to refuse Christ." To refuse the grace, the forgiveness and the help of the atonement is to refuse Christ. It is failure.

And it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I have been called to ROMANIA, speaking ROMANIAN. Obviously, God knows that I can do this. But I can't do it alone. How long was I going to refuse the aid of Christ? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me." And because I wasn't called stateside, this is what he wants me to do. Even if I still can't understand when people ask me where I'm from or how old I am, or many other simple things, I know that I can learn. When I was reading this story and thinking of all this, I still had such fear in my heart. And it wasn't just that day but everyday since then.

Every single morning, I pray to be lent the courage that I lack, to speak to these people. I get so scared so often, speaking to strangers, let alone members who know that I can't understand anything, But I know that I want to be obedient  I want to give what I have in me and then some on my mission. And the Lord has really blessed me, the mouth really has been filled. The first time I bore testimony, like my one experience I had in the MTC, my mouth was filled. I felt like I could speak fluently because the words were written on my heart and through my faith, they could be called to my remembrance.

Last week, we had a lesson with Fratele Stoica, and his wife is a member, he has two children on missions and has basically been the eternal investigator for the last ten years. But me and my companion prayed to have more faith for him and that he would start to feel ready for baptism  Sora Atkins decided that I--ME! should be the one to invite him to baptism  I was so scared and anxious about it the whole day but I said a prayer in my heart and when Sora Atkins gave me the go-ahead (I usually need one since i get lost when people talk too fast) and I bore my testimony. I said I knew these things were true, that Christ lived and that he was the head of this gospel on the earth. I looked down and took a deep breath. It was quiet and I said, "veti urmam exemplul lui Isus Hristos prin a fi botezat de catre o persoana care detine authortatea preotiei lui Dumnezeu?"
He said "Da"!!!


We didn't set up a date with him but he said yes and for the first time he is actually progressing! since then he has been reading in the Book of Mormon and praying everyday! Even it wasn't exactly what we wanted neither Sora atkins or I could complain at all! because for the first time eh is progressing! And we know that that is the lords will for him! Fratele Stoica's birthday was yesterday and he wants to take all the missionaries out for it tomorrow night. He is so wonderful. There are so much countless experiences here that I wish I could share but hopefully I will have time next week to get them all down. I love you all so much, you are always in my prayers.
love always,
katy/sora macdonald

Safe and sound in Romania!

Katy is officially in Romania!!  If you are sending dearelder.coms- you can now send them to the Romania/Muldova Mission rather than the MTC.  You can email her at kathryn.macdonald@myldsmail.net but Im not sure if she can reply to all email.  Give it a try and let me know!!  If you have a parcel or want to mail her a letter, her new address is:

Sister Kathryn Lynn Macdonald
romania/moldova Mission
Sos. Pipera Nr. 41, Et. 7
Sector 2
014254 Bucharest, Romania

Here are a couple of pictures from her first P-day (which is Monday in case you were wondering) in Bucharest!  This is her companion Sora Atkins.  She is her training companion and Katy really loves her.  She is having fun trying to understand the language- Romanians speak FAST!  She is actually serving in Lasi right now- its pronounced "yash" and its the second largest city in Romania after Bucharest.  Its really close to the Muldova border.

She is dying to hear from everyone and is excited to get pictures from all the holidays that are coming!  She asked that you not send anything large or substantial for Christmas as she has limited space and ability to transport things.  Pictures, letters and small cheap decorations are the best!  She wanted me to make sure to tell you all how appreciative she is for all of the love and support!