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.