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!