Week #29

Dom Bolestan-The Home is Sick

The literal translation of Dom Bolestan is "the home is sick" and I thought that would be more funny than whatever the actual word for homesick is :) And I'm not homesick for America, but I was home sick for Rijeka. I was comfortable there and knew my way around and what to do. Now I feel like my role as a missionary has changed quite a bit because this area needs more of a focus on the enduring to the end part than baptizing. Don't get me wrong there are still people we are teaching and bringing into the gospel, but I just feel the role has changed to a different focus. And I can just feel the sense of community wanting to come out of these members and investigators, but they don't know how. So I'm excited to help these people feel the love for each other and to grow and become one unit. It's great :)

This last week for the youth we had a pioneer trek to help them feel more of a sense of what the pioneers in America went through and also the pioneers in Croatia. Then we wanted it to all come together and help them realize that they are pioneers making their own footsteps. It was a good experience for them and I think they made some connections. The coolest part for me was to see one of the girls bring a friend and help the friend see this way of living. She turned to me at one point and asked if we smoked. I told her, no and she asked why. But then we got distracted so I didn't answer her question. But we saw her and a group of her friends later that day, and she waved at us! To me this was very surprising because Mormon missionaries aren't the most highly looked at people in Zadar, and she is a teenager who we just forced to walk 7-8 miles, so I was expecting her totally ignore us. But she didn't so we'll see what happens at the next youth activity.

I gained a testimony this week of bringing members on lessons. We brought one of our recent converts on a lesson with us and we encouraged her to teach the lesson. She was wonderful! Then when the investigator had concerns, the convert would look at us, ask if she could answer, and then say, "I had the exact same concern..." then share her experience. It was so good for our investigator to see that she's not the only one. It's been great to see both of these women grow in just 2 weeks. I love missionary work!

I'm starting the Book of Mormon over again, but this time summarizing the chapter and then a lesson summary of what I could do with a recent convert or less active in that chapter. It's been so great! So the scripture for this week is 1 Nephi 9:5. Sometimes we don't know why the Lord asks us to do certain things. For instance, why sisters left Rijeka and now serve in Zadar. But the Lord commanded it for a wise purpose in him. So just do it and have faith! For the Lord knows better than any man or woman (Mosiah 4:9), so believe and do it! I have no idea what future I have because I chose to go on a mission, but I know for sure that it's for the better. The purpose? I don't know if there is a specific purpose, but I know there are many purposes. Now for you? I have no idea why God has asked you to do certain things, but I do know for sure that there's at least one purpose for it and through time we can see the many purposes from it. Keep going! Be strong! Follow the Lord and it will all come out right. Volim vas puno! Do sljeduća vrijema! Until next time!

Sa vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće