Week #63

I Tako Dalje (itd.)-Eccetra (etc.)

 

It's that time of season again for transfers!!! Every time is a bittersweet feeling, but this time I'm blessed to stay in Osijek for at least one more transfer. Sestra B is going to Beograd to be with Sestra C! It's so exciting for them and they'll be able to talk about all the weird habits I have ;) And I will be training again this transfer. There are 5 sisters coming to our mission and then there are 11 coming the next transfer! Therefore all the older missionaries now will most likely be training. It's super cool because I came to this mission with only 4 sister missionaries in Croatia and none in Bosnia or Serbia, then leaving with 20 sisters in at least 2 cities in Serbia, 2 cities in Bosnia, and maybe all 6 cities in Croatia! This is soo exciting!

 

This week was another week of growing and miracles happening. One huge miracle was with the Jehovah Witnesses. They keep asking questions which is good, but the questions are so specific that we can't answer them all. So I asked them if they asked God to answer their questions. The look in their eyes is the look I search for in every investigators' eyes--sincerity. They are sincerely trying to understand why we believe in the Book of Mormon. They aren't searching for themselves quite yet, but they are making progress. We have come to an understanding of each other and now they want to understand why we believe what we believe. Once they see that, I know they will want to find the truth for themselves.

 

Another fun thing that happened this week was English class. English classes are hit and miss for me. Sometimes I'm super excited and they're really fun, or it's the finding activity that I dread. But this week for the final class, we set up the church as a town. Each one of us missionaries had a different part of town to be in charge. We had the movies (Mormon messages/I'm a Mormon), post office, travel agency, Wal-Mart, and jail. Every station had something they had to do in English. It was super fun. I was the police woman, so I went around and if I heard any speaking in Croatian, I put them in jail then they had to answer an English question to get out. It was super fun.

 

Well, again, V didn't get baptized :( But the reason this time was because her husband had work, so we scheduled for it this week. But there's another complication that has come up, then next week we have General Conference. V is sooo ready now! I'm just wondering when she's going to be baptized now. But it will happen. The more we meet with her, the more I see her grow. It's so amazing to see now that she has stopped smoking, the change that has become in her. It reminds me of a member who went on a lesson with us with L and R (the woman who has been meeting with Jehovah Witnesses). The member said that she didn't receive an answer about the Church until she stopped smoking. Therefore, it wasn't until she was keeping the commandments when the Spirit could really teach her. Hopefully, V can get baptized this weekend...again..but we'll see. I'm still praying :)

 

This week's title is "itd." because I'm getting to the point where this is my life. It's hard still because I'm now figuring out how to improve myself. When I first got here, I saw everything and that I needed to improve in everything. Now I'm getting the gist of things and this will be my second round of training, and I'm just ready to keep going. etc. etc. Yes, I need to improve everything still, but it's not such of a shock. But I know I need to keep moving forward and not just forward but push upward. I need to bump myself up. I think I shared this scripture before, but I feel like it's the scripture that describes what I'm feeling. Alma 32:27. "Arouse your faculties" Change something. If you have that desire, do something about it! I have a desire to be the best missionary that I can be for these last 4 months (I'm still not used to that 4 month thing, but I'm getting a grip on it). There's so much that I still see for Osijek and that I see for me. Now I just need to do something about it. So will you join me and do something different? Get out of the day to day life, and find something that you desire. Then do something about it and become better! Reach that potential that God sees in you. Don't look back with regrets and move forward with faith! Forward and upward! Volim vas!

 

 

S vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće

Week #62

Sad je vremena-Now is the time

So after last week's stressful time with V, it ended up being really good for her. She really showed how much she really wants to get baptized. First off, she was a bit confused and distraught why she wasn't getting baptized, but we had a good lesson surrounding Mormon 9:28-29 and D&C 82:3. We taught her that this time before her baptism was a probation time, that she needs to prepare so she knows how to deal with the temptations. She was so disappointed finding out that temptations are still going to happen even after baptism. Haha, good thing that she knows now, so she can know how she needs to endure. She was understanding that. We met with her a few more times throughout the week and by the end of the week, we can see her countenance change completely! She was so ready and was understanding so well! She even told us of a few experiences with her friends telling her she shouldn't get baptized or that they don't want to be her friend anymore because she's joining "the Mormons." But she told them that she decided it and there's nothing that can stop her now. This whole last week, we haven't smelled any smoke on her, and we even popped in unexpectedly during the morning where she has the hardest times. I really feel like this is it. She's ready to receive that strength from the Holy Ghost. It's that time to step up.

Another investigator, L, feels like Joseph Smith. She is the one that has been meeting with the Jehovah Witnesses and she feels good with all of us, but doesn't know which one is best for her. She even had a dream telling her that the Jehovah Witnesses are not the path for her, and she still doesn't know what to do! I think she's just afraid to get an answer right now, because that will mean she has to change. But we'll see how this week goes.

We had many less-actives we have been working with come to church this last week! It was so great! I can't wait to have them come on their own and help those they live with at home and at church to enjoy what they feel.

We had a concert on Friday. It was so nerve wracking! I'm a planner, and we didn't plan this at all. But it worked out great. I played Cherished Moments by Jon Schmidt and a duet with Sestra B My Heavenly Father Loves Me arr. Sally Deford. We also sang a duet called The Prayer of the Children it's a song written by a missionary who served in Serbia. This song can be found on Youtube probably and I heard that the pictures are African children, but if you listen closely to the song, it's about children during a war, the war between Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia. It's a really touching song and I didn't realize that until I sang to these Croatians who were the children in this song. When I sang and looked into their eyes, it was too hard not to cry. There's so much pain in this world, but thank goodness for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I filled some time during Sacrament meeting yesterday and I talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I quoted how we can feel like Alma in Alma 36:20. We feel so much pain, but we can also feel so much joy! Find the joy in life! Find the hope and comfort we can receive from our Savior everyday. If you're not feeling it, then I can guarantee there's something you need to change. Everyday we need to change so we can feel this peace. Find it. It's worth it. I know this and try to live it every day. Volim vas!

S vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće

Week #61

Najteži Čas-The Hardest Moment

This week was full of goodness and heartache. I'll just start off with why I put the hardest moment as the title of this e-mail. This week V had quit smoking! I was so excited. She had a new energy about her and her husband was super excited for her. Supporting her through and through. We were so excited and I was feeling like this was it. That she's going to make it. Sunday came around and I sat by her at church. She smelled like smoke. You could smell it on her clothes and on her breath. I denied it at first. She has smoker friends and I thought maybe she just had really bad breath. Then she opened her bag to get her Book of Mormon out and I saw a pack of cigarettes. My heart sunk. I prayed for guidance of what I should do, so I asked her after church how stop smoking has been going. She said that she hadn't smoked at all. :( After a few more minutes, I took her to the side and told her that she smelled like smoke, she denied. I then said I saw a pack of cigarettes in her purse. She said that it was empty and that it was old. She took it out and showed that it indeed was empty, but the pack looked too nice to have been in a purse for a week. It broke my heart. I prayed for what needed to be done because she needed to stop smoking a week before getting baptized. I prayed again and I was told I needed to tell her she's not ready to be baptized. I had no idea how to tell this woman that she couldn't get baptized. How can I break her heart for something that she's been looking forward to? So we went to her place and I had no idea where to go. She was surprised we were there, and we small chitchatted and said a prayer. Then we were prompted to one thing and then to another. Then the moment came that I had to tell her. I knew how to say it and that it was the right time to say it, but a part of me didn't want to. This woman has been one of my focuses since coming to Osijek and what we've been working so hard for, I was telling her she couldn't have. I looked at Sestra G (because we were on an exchange) because a part of me was hoping that she would do it, but then once I looked at her, I knew I had to do it. No one else could say this but me. Of all the hardships and trials I have faced on my mission, this was the hardest I think I have experienced. I have so much love for this woman and I want her to be blessed, but because of her actions of disobedience, she can't. Brings a bit more perspective about how God feels for us huh? I didn't call her out and told her we knew she was smoking despite her denials. I just told her with love that the Holy Ghost told me that she needed to wait. She asked why and I asked her if she knew why. She said no, so we kept talking about that she needs to be the strongest she can be before baptism, so when she is baptized, she can tell people that for a surety she knows. That was so hard. But it is what she needs. I've seen so many members here and I'm sure they're in America too that their missionaries thought they were ready but they weren't strong enough. It's so sad. So I'm going on with faith that it will all work out. Because it will, we just need to keep doing the things we need to do. And that's the goodness part of this week. Sestra G came and did an exchange here. We have been together before in Ljubljana and she came here and polished me up. It's been great. Now when Sestra B comes back, we'll press forward with momentum, urgency and effectiveness! This week's scripture is Luke 1:37. Have the faith and keep moving forward! Volim vas!

S vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće

Week #60

Prvi Zadnji-The First Last

Yesterday was the first last that I could count on for sure. As I have left areas, there is always the chance for me to come back to serve there, but this time I knew it was the last one. We had a district conference in Zagreb with all of Croatia. These only happen twice a year, and the next one will probably be in November or December. So this is the last. It felt weird to think about. There's an elder in my district who is going home the end of April and it was weird to both of us that this might be the last time we see some of these people. I tried not to cry when the Zadar people left and then I couldn't hold it any more when the Rijeka people left. I love these people so much and it was hard to watch them leave. I hope I'll be able to see them again, but if not in this life time, in the next.

The conference was intense! V, our investigator who was going to be baptized on Saturday, smoked on Monday, so she couldn't be baptized. They need to be off at least a week. So we sent a text our to everyone involved to say a prayer for her to help her have the strength to stop. On Tuesday, we met with her, and she had an amazing story of being at her friend's place smoking a cigarette and then all of a sudden she felt super sick. She threw up all over the place and knew that smoking was bad for her! She told herself that she had to stop smoking. So she was good until Saturday. When we picked her up to go to the conference in Zagreb, she smelled like smoke. She said it was because of her smoking before and the smell was still on her. Then when we were in Zagreb, she disappeared for about 10 minutes and then I saw her again and she strongly smelled of smoke. I was devastated!!! So during the night meeting, she left almost to the end and I told Sis. B we needed to go after her. So we followed her and she said she was waiting for a call from her husband. Which was true and I think this is the first time she's slept a night without her husband for a long time. So she talked to her husband and then she said she needed to step outside for some air. We said we would like to do that too, and then she said she was going to light a cigarette. We asked her why and it just got really intense and by this point the conference was over and people were coming out. We went in a room to talk more and she was super stressed saying all these things like that she wasn't strong enough to quit and that she wasn't ready to be baptized or anything. I asked her if she wouldn't mind getting a blessing. She was being really stubborn (and I pointed that out to her) and said no. We explained more about blessings and how they are a blessing directly from God. Pretty much instantly after that, Elder I our senior elder, came in and I asked Veronika if it's ok that I ask him to give her a blessing. She said yes. He went and grabbed the branch president in Zagreb and another priesthood holder. He gave a beautiful blessing about strength and enduring. Afterwards, she felt a lot better. She went with another member and the next day I asked her about if she had smoked and she said no and she feels like she won't. She looked in her bag later that night and couldn't find her cigarettes! She doesn't know where they went! This morning she called and she was so happy and said that she's done with not enduring and when can we come over and talk about her baptism! I couldn't believe. After that intense night with the blessing, Sestra B and I were sooo exhausted! I decided I could never become emergency help or a doctor because I couldn't handle that intensity all the time! But I'm so grateful that we were able to help save V's life.

Today we went to Đakovo and we stayed longer than we planned, so we're running super late! But I know that miracles come after the trial of our faith! Ether 12:12!!! I'm experiencing that every day! Volim vas!!!

S vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće