Week #7

Less than 2 weeks!!!

I get my travel plans by Thursday! AHH!!! It's so hard to explain my feelings right now. I've been here forever yet it doesn't seem real to leave so soon. I can only imagine what it will be like at the end of my mission. Thank goodness I still have 16 months until I write that letter.

The lessons are becoming better but harder at the same time. We're understanding more and preparing better lessons, but it's disheartening when the lesson or even before the lesson starts things don't go well. I guess it will just take time, and I have to learn how to do my part.

Funny: I can't think of anything super funny this week. It seems like the funny moments were super small so if you weren't here it wasn't funny to you. Like we got a humidifier for one of our elders because he has bloody noses a lot recently and we were acting like dementors. Also we had many moments taking each others cameras and making funny faces with them. See? It's not funny to you but HILARIOUS to me. So this week for the funny story, just think of a small instance that made you laugh and giggle or laugh right now. Or just look at the computer screen awkwardly and think, "Kristine's silly. She really should leave the MTC soon. I'll pray harder to make sure nothing happens to detain her." Thanks :)

Alma 7:20 is my scripture of the week. I just love how it describes how Christ doesn't walk in crooked paths. Sometimes it may seem he's leading us down a path and then he turns us 180 so we're heading down a different path. But it's not that way. He's just showing the different things we need to notice along the path (like trees or flowers or even people walking the wrong way) and we don't even realize we're on the same path before the tree or flower. Yes, sometimes we choose our own path and don't walk the right way. But that's why we need to stay close to God and Christ to make sure we're walking the same path their leading us, because they know the way and want us to be at the same destination as them. I love you all so much!!! Volim vas puno puno puno!!!

Week #6

So Many Changes!!!

This last Friday we had a complete switch in our district! Our two Slovene elders were called into the MTC President's office and were told that they are no longer learning Slovene. They are now called Serbian speaking. They don't know exactly where they are going (maybe Croatia or Serbia since the languages are similar they put them in Serbian speaking), but they know for sure they are not first arriving in Slovenia. It's been crazy the last few days for them and us. We were a class of 4 (3 sisters and 1 elder) now with 6 (1/2 elders and 1/2 sisters). The dynamics are completely different but their attitudes have been such a great example for me that it's ok to grieve, but you have got to get up and get going. They have less than thee weeks now to learn more than what took us 6 weeks. Please pray for them to learn the language quickly! They definitely need it more than me! (Yes, I'm still not perfect, but switching languages I can't even imagine what is going through their heads). Crazy how many changes are going on the past few weeks!

Funny story: So we were role playing, and Starjesina Radosavljevic was with Sestra Trumbo. S. Trumbo was reading a scripture and looks up at S. Radosavljevic. He has tears streaming down his eyes, but that's because he sprayed himself in the eyes with a water sprayer! It looked sooo real and was soo funny! The whole class was busting up laughing because in his Australian accent he kept saying like, "This is an emotional time" and "Be serious". Such a funny elder!

The scripture of this week is Jacob 4:13. I can truly testify that the Spirit has touched my heart and has testified everything I know. I love the feeling of the Holy Ghost testifying to me, so especially this week I've been seriously praying for the spirit to be with me, my investigators, and to know what I need to teach. A few lessons I said things I was guided to say and the lesson went a completely different way, but that was what they needed to hear. I love God and his wonderful plan of how to help us! I'm grateful for Jesus Christ for being there with me step by step throughout my life! Don't forget God and Christ loves you and you can know that by the Holy Ghost touching your heart! Volim ve! (Love ya'll!)


S vjecnim ljubavom, (With eternal love, in the correct case I think)
Sestra Kristine Jolley

Week #5

Name Change!!!

My mission name when I received my call was "Slovenia/Croatia" mission, then it was changed to "Adriatic", but as of February 15 it will be the "Adriatic North" Mission!!! They are opening Bosnia and Montenegro! Bosnia will be with Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia and the Adriatic South mission will be Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and another country I can't remember right now :/ But yeah! They're sending missionaries there soon! Also more exciting news it that missionaries from Bulgaria are going to Turkey! Therefore, every single country in Europe is now opened!!! The gospel is spreading everywhere and I'm blessed enough to be here during the pioneer experience! I can't believe how blessed I am!

Funny story: If you don't have a Bible nearby, get it because this will only be funny if you read this verse. We were teaching an investigator about prophets and my companion meant Amos 3:7, and Sestra Moody said to the investigator to read verse 7. Well in the Bible we had at the top of the page was Amos 2:7. Read this verse now. Yeah, can you imagine our investigators face?? We had a good laughing fit and got back on track! Oh my how the language and understanding how to be clear is a great experience :)

My scripture this week is Alma 32:13-14 because I've had many humbling experiences this week and this week I had a big blow to my pride. I don't have any more time so I can't explain, but I know this mission is really hitting my weaknesses and I'm amazed how much stronger I'm becoming through the Lord. I love you all! Thank you for keeping me in your prayers and thoughts! It's truly helping me :) This is the best gospel and changes lives! Even if it's only my life that will be changed on my mission, that will be enough because EVERY soul is great in the sight of God (D&C 18:10). Thank you again! Volim ve! (I love y'all!)

Week #4

This week I had prayed for patience (strplenje, a word that definitely needs patience), and I sure got it. I always knew to have patience with the language, but I learned more than to have patience with the language myself or the companions. I learned how to have patience. After a lesson yesterday with one of our "investigators", my companion and I learned what our investigator needed. We spent the entire time trying to explain why he needed to read the Book of Mormon, and why it's important in our lives so he could relate in his life. That didn't work. We tried to explain that the Bible is a good book, but the Book of Mormon has the fullness of the gospel. He got me when he asked if the Book of Mormon was better than the Bible. I didn't want to offend him so I said they support each other. And we kept going around and around in circles. Every lesson we have with him is like that. So after the lesson, my other companions went into and taught him (since there are 4 of us, we switch companionships so all of us work with each other {3 sestre/sisters and 1 starjesina/elder} for each of the 3 investigators. Hopefully that makes sense). My companion and I were struggling on how to explain why he needed the Book of Mormon and about 30 minutes later, we heard these screams of joy. I thought, "Shoot." And I was right. My sister companions came in and yelled, "Srđan's going to be baptized!" My first thought was Yay, but then it went into why? Why did my companion and I suffer so much while they were receiving the blessings? It's the same person! But then I learned my lesson. Everyone needs to hear the gospel from someone. That someone may not be me. That hit me hard, but then the comforting part came. "But someone needs to hear the gospel from me." So even though I won't help Srđan become baptized, I will help someone. It may not even be on my mission! I may not see one soul come unto Christ! But if I work my hardest and try to figure out how that person can come unto Christ, then God will do the rest. I need to be grateful of every single moment and then work harder the next moment. Malo po malo. Little by little. God will mold me and teach me the lessons I need to learn. I'm so grateful to be on this mission, because I know I would have never had this realization about patience without a mission. Thank you all for being my strength! And remember that God knows us so well, he won't give us any trial we can't win. For with God, all things are possible. My scripture this week is Alma 7:23; I think you can figure out why.

PS the 50th Anniversary of the Missionary Training Language Center was this past week and Elder Russel M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came and spoke! What a way to regain strength!!! Volim ste!!! (Love you all!!!)

Week #3

I totally thought that this last week was really only two days. Something is messed up... This last week I had a realization that I've been treating the mission like a basketball game. I like to see the countdown (6 more weeks until I head out to Croatia!) whether it's a good ending or bad. I just like to see the end. I like that we sprint down the court and it's not a marathon. There are breaks in between like timeouts and end of the quarters. Sometimes I like who I play against; sometimes it's more difficult because they know how to press my buttons (investigators). I have a coach that tells me what I should do but sometimes I forget when I get on the court or didn't understand what He wants and went out onto the court anyways. I have assistant coaches (teachers) that teach me fundamentals and more recently have experienced what I'm going through. I have teammates who are there to help me and work with me. Lift me up because we're all going through similar things. We are all lifting each other up with our strengths. The twist is that this is not a game. We are all on the same team helping each other (even when we press each other's buttons) get back to our Heavenly Father. This is not a sprint. There is no end. But it's good there's no end because it's not a competition. It's an eternity of love (which is what I'd rather have).

The funniest event of this week happened when we were having Daily Planning Session. Whenever they call missionaries to the front desk, we cross our fingers as a district hoping it's us because maybe we'll win the lottery or maybe get a free pass to Cafe Rio or something. Just fun hopes. Well, one of my companions, Sestra Trumbo's name was called. We jumped up and down and my companion kept yelling, "I won the lottery! I won the lottery!" So we got our coats and ran down wondering what is going to happen. Like maybe someone dropped off a huge box of cookies that the mailbox couldn't handle and my other companion, Sestra Moody and I joked that a certain boy decided he couldn't live without her and is coming to propose. We get to the desk and they handed her a journal. Her journal. Apparently she left it somewhere. We didn't want to come back with an uneventful story, so we said she had to spin a wheel and was one notch away from a double P-day, but instead she got a journal. Our Starjesine (Elders) didn't believe for a second. But at least we tried :)

The scriptures that have influenced me most this week were the articles of faith 1 and 4. I know my Heavenly Father is an eternal father who will eternally love me and everyone I see and don't see. I know Jesus Christ can comfort me through anything because he is my big brother who looks after me and suffered for ME. Also the way to return to eternal happiness is through the simple four steps outlined in Article of Faith 4: faith, repentance, baptism, and gift of the Holy Ghost. As long as I keep these principles in my daily life, every moment, I will become the person Heavenly Father has planned for me.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ljubav (love),
Sestra Jolley