Week #24

Uživim Život! I Enjoy Life!

So we've been working with this one girl since we've been in Rijeka and she called us up on Saturday and asked if we could meet. She needed to tell us something. So we met up at the church and small talked for a little bit. Then she said, "I have a question about this baptizing?" We talk about baptism every time, so I just responded baptism and...? She said, "I'm ready now. What do I need to do?" AHHH!!!! I couldn't believe it! She's been saying that she's been needing to take it slow since Day 1, and now she's ready! Through the Lord's time. I got a ring from Jerusalem that says in Hebrew "The Lord's Time" to help me remember that in the Lord's time things will happen. We just have to do our best and keep it moving. I don't remember if I mentioned this, but in the District Conference a few months ago, the District President of Croatia said that it's the Lord's will to have a stake by 2020. That means 5 wards with at least 150 people in each ward. And we figured it out yesterday that it would mean about 1 baptism a month. That's totally possible! But we have to do our part and help the work move along so we can have this stake. In the Lord's time.

Funny story: So I've been on an exchange this week (since there are only a few of us sisters in Croatia, so our exchanges for a weekish but doesn't happen as often), and we're in Zagreb right now using the computers at the mission office. I haven't used an English keyboard since March, so I'm struggling as we write because only a few letters are different. I keep wanting to put a y and instead I get a z or the other way around and I try to find the apostrophe and hit the dash mark. At least it's a good sign that I'm immersing and learning in the language! But I'm getting kind of frustrated with the keyboard right now, so I'll end shortly.

I realized this week what it means to do all we can do and God will provide. With our girl with a baptismal date, we didn't know what else we could do. We tried everything we could think of to do. So when we weren't with her we tried everything else we could do to keep the work going. Tracting all the time, finding people by the way, teaching wherever we go. Even when she wasn't around, we were doing all we could do. Then God took care of the rest where we couldn't do anything. It's amazing everything I'm learning. I think I'm good and God shows me something else to think and ponder about. The mysteries are just opening up. I'm so grateful that I am here right now seeing the miracles in this country and the beginnings of the growth of the Church in Croatia. Thanks for your faithful reading and prayers. I think of you often (not too much) but enough to remember how great you all are and how many miracles you are probably doing back home. Volim vas puno!!!

Week #23

Rastem Još, I'm Still Growing

Wow, this week was a hit on the heart. We found out that our investigator with a baptismal date is getting a divorce with her husband (mostly on his end), so she has to find a new place and she can only take her clothes. Her husband gets everything else. Her son almost flunked out of school. She can't come to church on Sundays because she works 12 hours a day and all day Saturday and Sunday and her boss won't let her off work for a couple of hours for church. And when we visited her, her dog hadn't eaten for three days. And then pretty much everyone else we knew had either lost their job or wasn't having any success getting a job. Then a member got mad at me because we had miscommunication of where the branch activity was. Then we had a bunch of cancelled lessons to top that. Boy, did my heart ache for the sun to shine again. It's hard seeing all these people suffer and me being blessed so much with the gospel and knowing what happiness they could have. But I read Alma 17:11. This part of Alma is like the missionary section because it talks about the sons of Mosiah and their missionary experiences. I had read this scripture before but this week I realized something. It says, "Go forth...and establish my word yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions." I usually stopped my thinking there but this is only the What of this verse. It continues on and says Why we, I, need to suffer afflictions, "that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me." These people are going through a very economical hard time right now. There are no jobs. And even worse, the people feel like their are no jobs so they won't go and try to find something. But I'm having these hard times as a missionary so I can show them right now to have faith in God and Jesus Christ. They need to have hope for a better future. I need to have hope for a better week. By my example, those who I come in contact with will follow and then the Lord gives a promise that He "will make an instrument of in hands unto the salvation of many souls." The sun is going to shine again. Last night we already found someone who's interested in more and some others who said that we could come back but they didn't have time right then. The sun is coming up and this time of trial is coming to an end. Yes, I know there's more that will come. But because of what I learned this time, I'm ready for whatever will come next. For I know God is just adding on to my knowledge and won't give me more than I can handle. I know that's what it is for you too. If you doubt me, pray and see the blessings. Like in Malachi 3:10, "Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts". Prove God to give you blessings because I know He will. Thanks so much for all your prayers and the help those prayers give me! Keep working hard! Keep up the smiles! Vidimo se! Volim vas!!!

PS I'm not sure if you know, but the World Cup is going on right now and so it's kind of hard tracting on nights during the games. Because they just open the door barely listen, hear the cheering in the back ground and say not now Ćiao. But we know when Croatia wins because from our balcony you can hear the cheering like you're in the stadium itself. It's very cool. Oh and the fireworks go off. There are no restrictions when you can shoot off fireworks or what kind. Quite exciting.

Week #22

Tužan Tjedan- Sad Week

This week was so exciting and then super hard. For instance in two days we had a total of 10 lessons planned and then only 3 followed through (and one person wasn't even there mentally the whole time because she was super tired from work). It has been a little frustrating lately, but when it all comes down to it I feel like Alma 32:6. We, missionaries, have to feel some afflictions to be prepared to "give" the word to those who are ready to hear the word. Because if we don't know the simple things ourselves then we can't teach what we don't know. For instance, I tried to stop a little bad habit just to understand what one of my investigators is going through with quitting smoking. I've failed every single day. I can't even imagine what it must be like to quit smoking for good, but what I have learned so far is that it's harder on your own. When Sestra L helps me and reminds me of my goal, it's easier to not do it. So I know that when we ask for God to be on our side and help us out, we can do anything. God knows us so well. He knows exactly how we can overcome a habit, a trial, anything. I know this isn't a lot, but let's just say this week is a...growing week :) Keep smiling! Keep working hard! Keep climbing over those brick walls that come in the way because afterwards, you'll be stronger than you thought you were. Volim vas puno!

Week #21

Dobro je. It is good.

This week was filled with just love for me. Love for my companion, my investigators, and everyone I come in contact with everyday. This week, we dropped in on one of our investigators who wants to be baptized but said she was going to Switzerland for 2 months. She was home and told us that she was not going to Switzerland because her mom was not doing well health wise. She was coughing up a lot of blood, and so our investigator didn't want to leave. But through this experience, she is still trying to read and have her faith grow. We haven't been able to meet with her lately because she hasn't answered her phone and isn't home when we stop by. But we'll keep trying to meet with her and hopefully she'll gain strength throughout this trial. But at the end we asked her if she would be baptized then on June 23. She just answered like of course. AH! My first baptismal commitment! Her steps of showing faith. AH!!! It's so great so see people wanting to be better and change their lives towards God. I can't believe how blessed I am to see these changes.

Another investigator we had planned to teach him about scripture study and prayer even though that's not the typical order. We would have taught him the Gospel of Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end), but for some reason I felt that we should talk about scripture study and prayer. We get there and we ended up talking about the Gospel of Christ anyways. Which is totally fine because I don't think the lesson would have been so Spirit guided if we had planned it. Sometimes we stick to the lesson which is not good, but this lesson just flowed. He was accepting everything and then I talked a little bit about authority and that's why Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. I then asked if he would follow Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone with the proper authority of God. There was so much heat! And not because it's summer but the Holy Ghost you could just feel throughout the room! At first he didn't understand (because I kind of butchered the invitation) but then Sestra L re-explained authority a little bit and then he said ok and turned to me and said, "Now what did Jolley just ask? What was your questions?" I repeated the baptismal commitment (better this time), and he said maybe. Sestra L asked him if he found out our message was true if he would be baptized. He gave a very strong, "DA!" It wasn't a sure or yeah because that makes sense, it was a yes with a desire to do better. We then asked him how he could find this answer, and he said he didn't know. So we read Moroni 10:4-5, and talked about the Holy Ghost. We asked him when he had felt the Holy Ghost in his life. He wasn't sure, so I asked him what he was feeling right then. He said he felt good whenever we taught him and some other times, but wasn't sure if that was the Holy Ghost. And he thought that we had the Holy Ghost after we were baptized. Sestra L explained though an object lesson that we feel the Holy Ghost when we do good things or when we hear truth, but we can receive the Holy Ghost and its guidance after we are baptized and confirmed. He seemed to understand and gave some more thought to what we said. It was soo great!!! I can't wait to see what will happen this week :)

Yesterday we had a district conference with all of Croatia, and this year is the 40th anniversary of the first baptism in Croatia, so there was a great celebration in Zadar and a lot of people from all around came to Croatia to celebrate with us (old missionaries, friends of Krešmir Ćošić, and many more). But I want to talk about two very important statements that were said. The President presiding over the Church in Croatia said that he sees in 2020 a stake in Zagreb. That was a shocker to hear because that's like taking all the members in Croatia right now and putting them in Zagreb. That's quite a bit, but I know it can be done. Our mission president said that the people here had built the foundation. Sometimes it felt really slow because it's hard to make a foundation, but now the foundation is finished and it's time to build. Hearing that gave me goosebumps too. I'm here at this wonderful time to see the church in Croatia build.

The scripture of the week is something I talk about weekly, if not, daily. Moroni 10:5. Through the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things. I was on the bus talking to a man who kept saying there was no scripture after the Bible. I tried to ask him other questions and testify, but he would just continue to say, no, no, no. Then got off the bus. I know that what he said is not true. I know through the power of the Holy Ghost that there is more scripture today to guide us and help us understand what we need to do in this life. I also know that there can be a stake in Zagreb before the year 2020 and that I am here at a very special time in Croatia's history because I have felt the Holy Ghost testify that to me. The last song we sang at the district conference was Come, Come Ye Saints and I just kept looking around at all the saints in Croatia. They are the pioneers. They have gone through so much, but they are receiving so many blessings too. The last phrase in English says All is Well but I like the Croatian translation. Dobro je. It is good. Life is good. The gospel is good. God is good. He loves us and will not leave us. He's hear to push us and cheer us on until the end. Dobro je.

Week #20

Čuda!!! Miracles!!!
This week was a fantastic week. It started with 6 lessons in two days! One of the lessons was with one investigator who was taught the Word of Wisdom last week and before the lesson, she invited us to a lecture. For some reason she couldn't explain it on the phone, so we went and it was for salespeople who sold coffee and hot chocolate. Yes, they tried to sell us coffee but our investigator said, "We don't drink coffee because we're Mormon, but I know you're hot chocolate is really good." It was cool to see her stand up for her new religion and what she believes in now. Then later on in the week we taught another investigator the Word of Wisdom, and she was hesitant, but she wants to change her life. She knows smoking is bad and wants to change her life to how God wants it to be. It was so great! Oh and by the way, I really think that in Croatia the kids start smoking in their early teens and the TV is never turned off. It's really funny actually. Sometimes we ask them to turn off the TV and then they just mute it. Maybe it's a language barrier, a culture difference or maybe the controllers just come with no on/off button. ;) We also had my first member lesson! It was sooo great! We had to change plans right off the bat and I didn't speak as much (that's obvious since there are three instead of two), but the investigators understood so much more and we learned more details later about our investigators that are good to know like the Jehovah Witnesses are teaching them too. Good fact to know. Also when the member taught some of the parts of the plan of salvation she was able to connect with them better than we could because she understands them. There are just some things that a foreign missionary can never understand. But it still was great! And to end our wonderful week, we had a baptism! One woman and her husband have been taking the missionary lessons for about 3 months now. They've been going through some trials and the husband is still smoking, but she decided to keep going and be baptized so she can enjoy the blessings that comes when we promise God to do more. I was blessed to sit next to her during the program. Her excitement and readiness to enter this covenant was better than I can explain. It was amazing! Sestra L and I loved it so much we decided that we'll get Rijeka to the point where they will never put the baptismal font down because we will have a baptism every week :) And then we'll get our own chapel :)


Funny story: So in Croatia, people get weird dreams. When I first got here, my dreams were just...weird. But sometimes they can be really funny. This last week, Sestra L and I needed to go to the ATM to get some money. She said she already got some money. I was really confused. We both had only about 10 kuna (about 2 dollars) and I'm with her 24/7. I just had to ask her when she got the money because there's no way she could have gotten that money without me being around. She looks at me and starts laughing and replies, "In my dream." We couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes :)

Scripture of the week: I couldn't find a scripture that fit what I was feeling this week, so if you have any ideas please let me know :) But I found Mosiah 2:41 this morning and really liked it. The word desire is such a strong word. Even though it might only directly influence a small action, that small action will influence many. I realized this week that everything I do as a missionary influences people: my companion, investigators, members, the random people I talk to, the missionaries that will be in my area after me. Everything I do has a desire behind it. What's my desire? What do I truly want the end to look like? Because if I want to be in a "blessed and happy state...both temporal and spiritual..." I will be faithful to the end. Every choice I make every second of the day with be a faithful choice. Yes my natural man desires come around and I don't make the best choices, but I have that burning desire to be better. So that's why we have the plan of happiness and salvation. God knows us. He wants us to return back to Him. He loves us.  Don't let Satan get into the cracks and tear down that knowledge! Choose the right! Stand strong! For there's a way. God wouldn't have asked us to return if He knew we couldn't make it. Have the desire for that will make all the difference. Volim vas puno! Vidimo se!