Week #33

Vrijedi Duše-Worth of a soul

The baptism this week was wonderful. She needed to be baptized on Saturday and she was so excited the whole week. It was so cute on Thursday before and after the interview. She was just so jiggly with excitement and I loved seeing that happiness. Then when she was baptized by the branch president, her son, it was so great to see the ordinance done in the family. We talked to her yesterday, and she still had chills from the whole weekend. She knows what she did was right. It was such a blessing.


This week's scripture is D&C 18:10. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." Seeing the first woman become baptized and seeing that joy was just a relief from all the frustration and hard things I've gone through thus far on my mission. But everyone I come in contact with (even those who slam the doors in our faces) I feel a love for them. Seeing these glimpses of what God sees is an amazing feeling. I'm so happy that God has blessed me with the ability to see these moments. Look for the worth in every soul, because every soul is precious to God. He needs us to be physical tools to show that love. Thank you all for showing your love to me and influencing me my entire life! Volim vas!!!

Sa vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće

Week #32

Da je bilo najbolje vrijema i najgorji vrijema-It was the best of times and the worst of times.
That is a synopsis of what the rest of this transfer is going to be like missionary style. We are going to have the best few weeks because of everything that's going to happen, but it's going to be stinking rough.

There is a family here that is quite famous throughout Croatia (church wise). The dad was baptized about 4 years ago and all three kids have been involved with the church. The mom was involved too until about 2 years ago. We have no idea what happened but a lot of misunderstanding and hurt has happened in her life.

The next blessing of this week is our baptism on Saturday!!! She is the one I wrote about last week, and she is getting baptized on Saturday! What a blessing for me to be at her last steps towards baptism and her first steps as a member and partaker of the blessings. It's been rough even last week after her amazing experience with knowing that baptism is the way for her, but it's been worth it seeing the joy on her face. I'm excited to send pictures next week :)

This week I've been doing a lot of reconciling to what the Lord wants despite what my human flesh wants to do. In 2 Nephi 10:24 it reminds me to reconcile to God and of course not to the devil, but it was interesting that it says not to reconcile to the flesh too. Every one gets tired sometimes, but don't submit to the flesh! Go do what Heavenly Father wants you to do!!! It's been great to see what Heavenly Father makes of us and helps us to overcome. I'm amazed everyday seeing the change in myself from the checkpoint of entering the MTC, entering Croatia, even coming here to Zadar. I can't express anymore love for these people. There is so much hate towards others, religions, and even God. I'm needed here to make a difference. And you're needed there to make a difference. There are no coincidences. Volim vas puno!

Week #31

Dokaz Vjere-Evidence of Faith

The end part of the week Sestra C was sick, so I had plenty of opportunities to study and work on an activity book for a less active who was worried her four-year-old had too much energy. But she came and the activity book was a success and kept him quiet (enough) during sacrament meeting plus the candy a member brought kept his mouth occupied :) But it's the day before Sestra C got sick is the "Evidence of Faith" part. So with an investigator that has been seeing the missionaries for about 5 months was at the point of just not being sure if baptism was the right path for her. Then after some talking her concern came out. She was afraid of losing her faith, the love of God, everything to do with religion, after she was baptized. She was just scared of what the future would bring. That's when the Spirit just took over. Things were said, and it ended up with all of us kneeling on the ground. Sestra C suggested for each of us to say a prayer out loud starting with her, then me, then our investigator. Sestra C and I prayed for different concerns and blessings that she needed to get through those concerns. Then the investigator ended with a prayer that you could just feel her plea to her Father that she didn't want him to leave. She was so scared. After we finished, funny moment was that right then her daughter walked in. You could see she felt so awkward and I wonder if she also felt the Spirit was so strong and felt uncomfortable being there. It was interesting. But when we got up she just kept putting her hand to her chest and saying, "My heart...my heart feels...I don't know how to explain it." We confirmed to her that it was the Holy Ghost. Then Sestra Creager asked her, "Do you know what you need to do now?" She said, "Yes, I need to get baptized." BAH! She's been saying the entire time I've been here that she has so many questions and that she doesn't know enough. Sestra Creager then asked, "Do you have any questions?" She replied, "No. I know enough." AH!!! It was such an amazing night. I can't even describe the power it has. Every time we talk about it with someone or even as I'm writing right now, I feel the strength of what happened that night, and this woman is ready. She is ready to have the gospel and the full blessings from it in her life. Here's an evidence of the faith and my joy is described like Lehi (1 Nephi 8:12) just great joy. Now feeling that joy again; it gives me strength to keep going and share that joy with some one else. Now I'm asking everyone who is reading this: Have you felt this joy? If so, who are you willing to share it with? Because I can promise you that they need to feel that joy. Everyone needs to feel this joy whether it's someone who is super strong in the gospel or the neighbor down the street that barely knows what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is about. Share. Uplift. Love. Those are my words to you. Ide i podijeli dobru rijeć! Go and share the good word! Volim vas puno! Ćao!

Week #30

Oko Vjere-Eye of Faith

This week was a great week! It included many lessons and great encounters with the Holy Ghost! It started off with us going tracting, but we didn't have too much time, so we were like Nephi in 1 Nephi 4:6 being led by the Spirit and not knowing before hand what we were doing. We just walked and said this street, this street, ok let's start. Then the first house we came to the gate was locked but the next house their were these ladies sitting outside. Had a little conversation and then they invited us in. We started talking about the plan of salvation and then she said there was no way we could become like God. We tried to get through her concern, but it felt like hitting wall after wall after wall. Then at the end of the conversation we asked if we could meet again and she said, "Zašto ne?" "Why not?" That took us off by surprised and then I don't remember how this came up, but we talked about the Book of Mormon and she said she had one even though she hasn't read any of it yet. We talked that we would talk about it more next time. Haven't met again yet, but it was pretty cool that we prayed to find someone that night who would listen to us and it happened. Expect miracles from your prayers!

The next super awesome experience was when we had our "What Desirest Thou?" experience. Where we were like Nephi (again) in 1 Nephi 11 and prayed and pondered about our area. Then when we heard "What desirest thou?" (verse 2) we expressed what we desired for our area (vs 3) and showed our faith. Then we received revelation for our area of what the Lord sees for the area and what we need to do. It was such an amazing experience! The Lord desires great things for the people of Zadar the next few months. I just hope I can do my part to see that these things get done! Because we see this area now with an "eye of faith" (Ether 12:19). Sestra C and I see so much for this area and our desires are lined up with the Lord's desires. That's what seeing with an eye of faith means. We line up our will with the Lord's, even if we don't know how we're going to get there. We'll do it! AHH!!! I'm excited :D

So we started our part with a family that the kids have been waiting to be baptized for so long, but the mom is having a hard time seeing the blessings of the gospel because of some bad experiences. One kid is baptized because she is old enough, but the other two are still under 18. We had a lesson with all of them and it turned out a lot differently then what we expected. Let's just say by the end we had 7 referrals!!! (The last 5 months, I've only had 2 referrals: someone who was selling us coffee and the other on the bus just passing the buck onto someone else aka not very likely). But these referrals we went through them with the girls of every single girl what they can do to help them receive the gospel and what us missionaries will do. It was so great!!! I'm excited to see how our plans work out this week!

Our other miracle was a woman we have been working with and has a baptismal date. She has been going through a rough time and still isn't for sure about baptism. We had a great lesson with lots of testifying and reaching concerns, and coming out of the lesson both of us just felt like she will be ready and will know a week before her baptismal date. Exciting times! I'm ready to see the trials that will come the next few weeks, but seeing with an eye of faith will help us overcome those trials, so it's like just stepping over a small boulder. We will have to climb a bit over it, but it won't be bad. BAH!!! Nemogu čekati!!! I can't wait! But I know it will come and go before I know it. So I'm just loving the moments as they come :) Love the moments that come to you! Because before you know it the season you are in will come and go. Uživajte! Enjoy! I love you so much! Until next time! Volim vas puno! Do druge put!

Sa vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće