Easter!

Hello everyone!

Okay I have a lot to write about this week. First of all the week started off with a bang last P-day right after I sent my last email. We went to play soccer and about 10 minutes into our game Elder J... took a shot and when he came down on his kicking foot he just collapsed and it turned out that he had double fractured his ankle. He had a fracture in both his tibia and fibula and I went with him to the hospital in an ambulance (they even gave us the siren! :D) and got it all casted up and he went back home Thursday so he can get better care for it. So that was super intense and it's too bad he couldn't stay longer.

Next, it was my birthday on Thursday and the district was super nice and threw me a "surprise" party which wasn't super surprising because it was like the 3rd or 4th surprise birthday party we've had in the last 2 months haha. But the sisters made pasta salad and cake and it was all really good.

On Friday Elder C... and I went with M... to a church in the city here to the Good Friday service. It was kinda weird because they walk under a table or something and M... took us to see the part when all the kids could go under too but it was cool because we just wore our normal proselyting clothes (against her will haha) and when we walked in we were standing in the back and just watching and one of the priests came out of the Holy of Holies at the other end of the church and walked all the way to the back of the church to talk to us and at first I was a little nervous like "this isn't going to turn out well" but he got to us and he was looking a little nervous too and he just said welcome and asked us what we were doing there and I said that we had our friend M... and she said we should come see what the Good Friday service is like and he was super nice and explained everything that was going on. Apparently the table represents Jesus in the tomb after his crucifixion and going under the table is a sign of respect and humility. The priest was super chill though and spoke English really well as well and had a masters from the Holy Cross in New York. He even invited us to come watch a little closer when he was done talking to us but he had to go back to continue doing the service haha. Then after he left M... said we should go under the table with her and I had to tell her we wouldn't do that as official representatives of the church haha. She took it really well and said she has a bad back anyway. It was really cool though and it was one of the first times that I've actually had a normal conversation with an Orthodox priest. So that was really good.

On Saturday we all made sarmale and mamaliga and we also had pumpkin pie because I found a can of pumpkin in my cupboards from America! It was a super pre-Easter meal and then we had the midnight mass including the lighting of candles, etc., etc. That part was pretty much the same as last year just a little warmer, no rain afterwards, and the service was shorter because it was a smaller church that we went to.

Sunday we had one hour of church followed by egg-breaking with the whole branch and then we went to the M... family's house to eat with them and the P... family. They made soup, roasted a turkey, and we also had some really good raw vegetable appetizers that go really well with their telemea cheese here and stuff. Also boiled quail eggs... it was a really good meal. It was a super fun week and I had a lot of fun. It was super eventful. Anyway, I hope all of you have a great week and I'd like to give an early shoutout to all the mom's out there. I hope you have a great mother's week!

With Love, Elder Michael Abbott

Cum te cheama?

Zori de zeama!

Cum te striga?

Mamaliga!