Week #70

Iznenađenje!-Surprise!

 

So this week there were some surprises! First off, we headed to Beograd for the conference with Elder Patrick Kearon. We thought we would have enough time for internet...but we didn't. I borrowed one of the senior couple's laptop after the fireside to write a quick e-mail to you all, but...surprise! The e-mail didn't go through. At the member fireside there were so many members that about 20 missionaries had to be kicked out so there was enough room. Surprise! A funny story at the amazing missionary conference the next day was that Elder Kearon asked for a missionary who was good at role plays and my whole district plus some other missionaries pointed at me and said, "Sister Jolley!" Well, this role play he told me that I had to contact him on the street with the most miserable face I can make and introduce the Book of Mormon and how the message makes you happy. I could not do it! They said that I kept a straight face, but it was sooo hard! After the role play, he asked what the missionaries thought. One elder said, "I don't think I've ever seen Sestra Jolley without a smile." Haha. Well, I'm glad I keep up with my name :) Role playing with a General Authority..surprise! When we arrived back home to Osijek, the next day we had some down time, so we looked for some former investigators. I knocked on the door that I thought was right, the woman opened up and said that there was no Kristina in the area. So we went in talking about our message and she offered us to come in for some water. We went in and talked for a few minutes, and she said she let us in because we looked like nice girls and there was this good feeling from us. She just felt like she was supposed to offer us something to drink and let us in. I told her that was the Holy Ghost and that she needed to hear what we had to say. Surprise! That caught her off guard, but she agreed to let us come back this upcoming week. Later that day, the Elders couldn't make it to one of their lessons and asked us if we could cover for them. Well, we had a lesson already scheduled. So you know what that means? Sestra Mortensen's first time going on splits. Surprise! And from what I can tell, she did a wonderful job! M is doing fantastic! This last time when we met with him, our branch president is becoming friends with M and said maybe we should make this visit more like a social call. But after 10 or 15 minutes of just chitchatting, M asked us what we were learning today. Surprise! He wants to learn more. He feels the goodness from the gospel. He has been reading the Book of Mormon at least 30 minutes a day and is slowly giving up coffee and smoking. We're getting there! He came to church yesterday with his niece. I gave a talk about obedience and I feel like he felt the importance of being 100% obedient. I wouldn't be surprised if next time he says, "I'm done smoking and drinking. I want to be baptized!" But we'll see how it goes :) A sad surprise is that D doesn't want to be baptized this Saturday. She wants to wait for the man who referred her. He lives near Rijeka and he works for a hotel and with tourist season he can't have a weekend free until October. :( We're still praying and hoping that she is ok with someone else baptizing her. We'll see...But we had a busy week! Another thing that happened at the end of the week was we had an exchange with Sestra Moody and Sestra Matthews. They are our Training Sisters, and Sestra Matthews was just super cute and humble. This is her first transfer and she is already an awesome missionary like Sestra Mortensen. She asked me two questions at the end or our exchange: 1. What do you wish you knew when you first came out? 2.What do you want to continue that you have learned from your mission when you return home? I answered her with one answer. Use of members. I wish I understood how to use members better when I was a greenie and I want to be the best member missionary I can be for the missionaries I work with later. For there is no better work other than what's done in the family, but I want missionary work to be a part of my family. I want to continually be finding those missionary moments throughout my life, throughout each day. For nothing has given me greater happiness thus far. Especially now. I'm feeling what Alma felt in Alma 36:25. I am in the fruit of my labors and have this "exceedingly great joy". I feel the love Heavenly Father has for these people. I feel the love for these people. I can't wait to see the miracles and joy Heavenly Father has in store for my investigators and members this week. Find this joy. Work for this joy. It's worth it. Then you'll see surprises God has for you every day. Volim vas!

 

 

S vjećnom ljubavlju,
Vaša kćer,

Sestra Kristine Jolley
Uvijek Sljedići Braće