Week #50

Sretan Božić!-Merry Christmas!

Wow all this switching around of companions has been messing with my mind a bit. More with Sestra Trumbo, but we're getting refocused and on track to start these holidays with some great contacting on the street with "Living the Christ" tonight and then going around to the members caroling before we call families!!! This last week we were blessed with a senior couple: Matosich's! Their name is Croatian which has already been great for the members here. Elder Matosich's grandpa was born in Split (which I visited about a month or so ago) and his grandmother was born on Hvar which is an island that's pretty popular to go see. It's great! Our branch president asked him to give his testimony at our branch Christmas party/dinner, and Elder Matosich did it all in Croatian! It was very simple, but powerful. And everyone there loved it because he tried so hard. We had a lesson with a member that was having a hard time and Sestra Matosich was able to say the perfect thing and made the member feel so much better. They are going to be a great contribution here in Zadar. I'm excited for their work here. They will be great. So the branch Christmas party was hectic, but such a success! We've been trying to plan something for weeks, but we never got together to plan. Then Friday night our branch president met with us and we planned it all pretty much right there. So in less than 48 hours we had a fantastic party with about 25-30 people and half members and and half nonmembers. What a success! It wasn't like the ward party back at home, but our little church was filled! So great! The best part was a former investigator we invited said she wanted us to come over again and we'll talk more. She's been reading from the Book of Mormon and she really felt the Spirit during the Christmas program we had. Yay!!! So I'll let you know how that goes.

Our woman with a baptismal date didn't come to church...so her date has to be pushed back. She still doesn't understand what baptism means completely still, but we're working through it and I'll get back to you with her. But a baptism that did go through is a woman I taught in Rijeka. We taught her when we first got to Rijeka and her first baptismal date was at the end of June but then she continued to not come to church so her date was pushed back and back then I left. Then I heard that she left Rijeka to go to school in Germany. I thought that was the end for her. But she came back in November and she is now baptized! I talked to her on the phone for a little bit and it was so good to hear her voice and how excited she was to be baptized! She even mentioned some things that she learned from Sestra Lethco and I and how much we helped in her conversion. I wasn't able to make it to her baptism because it was 3 1/2 hours away at least and I'm needed here in Zadar. But it was good to see pictures and know that I was an influence in her life. There are so many people we talk to on the street and people we teach, but I will never know how much of an impact I really gave to everyone. But I'm grateful to know that I did help with this one girl who is so strong now and such an energizer bunny to the branch. It's great!

This last week we had a Christmas devotional/party with the whole mission, it was so great and too short. There were so many people I wanted to talk to and I talked to everyone, but it was like 5 minutes. But then I thought that we'll have more time after the mission so it's all good. But it was very fun to see everyone, play some games, then end with a wonderful devotional with Pres. and Sis. Rowe as the speakers and missionaries doing musical numbers in between. It was a nice ending to a very fun day.

For the branch Christmas party, it was really cool because we had different testimonies from the apostles and prophets that went along with the Christmas story. It may sound confusing but it worked really well. And we started the Christmas story talking about the ancient prophets prophesying of Christ in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. So in the Book of Mormon we quoted Alma 7:10-12. I loved the part that says that Mary is a precious and chosen vessel. I was thinking more about that and how we are all precious and chosen vessels. We all have the potential to fill our vessel, our purpose in life. We need to do everything we can everyday to follow Christ. He's right there along the way. He knows the way. He's already been on the same path. I'm so grateful for this opportunity this Christmas season to teach these people what Christ can do for them. Have a happy Christmas and enjoy this time with your family and friends! Volimo vas!

S vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće