Well...here we go again! It seems like I was just here writing home and now it is time again.
Last Monday...pday wasnt too exciting but Monday night we went over to the Prestons and had Family Home Evening with the Young Single Adults. Sister Preston taught the lesson and talked about putting the priorities in life first and then letting everything else fall into place. We then played Mexican train dominoes and Elder Preston had made Apple Crisp.
Tuesday...We read with B and had District Meeting. Sister Preston is kind of spearheading the English classes for the mission and had to put some binders together that she had to have finished by Wednesday and she wasnt even close to being done. So she asked us to help her finish those. So we did. It took a good part of the afternoon but there is no way that she would have finished if we wouldnt have helped her so it was good. After we had English...We finished our final English lesson for this session before we start over this week. Tuesday night was a really good English class and I love the growth that I can see in each of the students. They have definitely improved since the beginning of the classes.
Wednesday...We had some potentials to check up on. We were walking over and were on a street that I had remembered from a few weeks ago and remembered a lady that we had met. She was one that told us no but you could tell she was fighting it. So I decided that we should go check up on her. She is married and has 6 kids...which doesnt happen often here. We got there and she was just getting ready to put her baby down for a nap but told us if we come back earlier in the day on a different day that we could come in and talk with her. We then went and checked up on one of the potentials. She was an older lady who had met with the missionaries before a couple of times but it hadnt gone anywhere. She let us in and we talked to her a little bit and she just couldnt accept the message that we were trying to share with her. Her situation made me so sad...she has obviously been a heavy smoker for most of her life...her fingers are dyed from the cigarettes, her house was not in the greatest shape, and she lived alone. It just made me sad because of the great message we have for her but she just couldnt see the need for it or how it applied to her.
After meeting with her we went to Family History and then we went out tracting. Twice we had people that answered the door and told us they werent interested but pointed us to their neighbors house and said they would be...neither of them were home.
Thursday...we finished the 12 week training program! For the first 12 weeks they have you do an extra hour of companion study and they have a program that you are supposed to use. Sometimes it was good and helpful...sometimes it wasnt. But...we did it and we finished it so now we dont have to do it anymore...at least not while we are together. We also did weekly planning on Thursday morning and then we went out to some appointments. We had a potential that lives right around the corner from us so we decided to stop by there real quick to see if she was home...and she was. She let us in and we talked to her for awhile. She had her Doctrine and Covenants right on the table and said she reads it often but she doesnt know where her Book of Mormon is. We talked to her for quite awhile but again she isnt ready for the Gospel right now. We are hoping that one of these days as we get in contact with these former investigators one of them will be ready now. We then had an appointment with a less active member that went well and we actually got him out of the house to come meet with us which was good...normally that is kind of a challenge.
Thursday night we had an English activity to celebrate that we had completed the program before starting over. We decided to try and play family fued.....not a good idea. They had absolutely no idea what it was and even after explaining it multiple times they could not figure out how to play and it did not go well...but Elder Preston had made treats for after so they all liked that and said they will be coming back...so thats good. We tried to talk to D after both English classes this week but she seemed really weird and wouldnt set up a time to meet with us again...but she is coming to English again this week she said so we are hoping that maybe this week we can meet with her.
Friday...we had gotten a referral for a man that lived in a town about 15 minutes out of Osijek, Josipovac. We also found a former investigator that lives out there so we caught a bus and headed out. The former investigator wasnt home but we talked to the referral. He had been referred by his relative who lives in Australia...he had no idea who she was. He was an 80 year old man that had absolutely no desire to talk to us. But it was nice to kind of get a change of scenery and we talked to a really nice girl on the bus ride home. When we got back we did some checking up on other former investigators and did some tracting and then we went to the church and did Personal Progress with A. It has been a few weeks since we have been able to meet with her because her school schedule is so bizarre but it was really good. We finished the last value experience that goes with Faith and so now she just has to do her project for it and she has one of them done. I love how much she loves coming...she loves reading the scriptures and she loves it when we all recite the theme together. After her we had Aktivnost. The Prestons had put together a historical scavenger hunt around Centar so we split up into two teams and went around Osijek finding clues and going to other places. It turned out to be a lot of fun and the members really enjoyed it!
Saturday...we went to the church to clean it and had an appointment after that got cancelled. The Prestons were going out to one of the villages to visit a member because there was supposedly something going on out in the village that day so they invited us to go with them. So we did...but we got out there and the thing they thought was going on was really a week ago. When we got home we ran home to eat lunch and were making something that we needed to open a jar...neither of us could do it. So we went outside and found some random man on the street and he opened it for us.
We then went to Sarvaš which is a village about half an hour from Osijek because we had an appointment with a lady who was referred awhile ago and we had met with her before and she told us we could come back. She had lived in Switzerland for 20+ years and had met with the missionaries there for about 2 years before she moved here. We went to see her and we had a really good lesson with her. I felt the Spirit stronger than I have than any lesson so far. It really was amazing. We talked to her about the Book of Mormon and I asked her if she knew it was true. She said she knew that it was. She said she knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that everything we were telling her was true. I asked her if she would be baptized and she said that she could never be baptized because of her family. They are strong Catholics. I told her that if she prayed and really felt that this was the right path with her then her family would understand. She said that they wouldnt. I asked her if we could come back again and keep teaching her and she thought about it for a minute and then said no. Her daughter was there with us and she looked at her and said do you realize what she just asked...and she said yes. She said that maybe someday she will have a change of heart but for now she just cant see herself ever being baptized and she doesnt see any reason for us to come back. It made me so sad! I could feel the Spirit so strong and she even told me that she could feel it. But she told us that we couldnt come back. I told her that we werent going to forget about her and that we would keep calling her and she said that is fine she just doesnt want to meet with us again. She also asked us about the Word of Wisdom. She said that she had learned about it she just didnt understand it and why we dont use alcohol or tobacco. I talked to her about how the Word of Wisdom was given as revelation and that is exactly what it is...a word of wisdom. It tells us exactly what we should do to take care of our bodies to keep healthy and what we shouldnt take into our bodies. She didnt seem to like my answer. The word of wisdom is something that people struggle with so much here because everyone smokes...and they start at such a young age.
Saturday night we had a lesson with N and V. Their lessons are so frustrating. They say they will read, they say they will come to church, and then they dont do them. N really isnt progressing and part of me wonders if he ever will because he just doesnt see the need to change. Right now we go to their house more to strengthen V as a member rather than to help N....I dont know how many times I have asked him about baptism and he just doesnt see why he needs it.
Sunday...what a day! Sunday was our Branch conference so the District President and the District Relief Society President came. It was a really good meeting. Since our Branch President found a job in Zagreb and isnt coming back to Osijek Elder Preston will be acting as Branch President and they put one of the other members in as first counselor. Church was really good. Both President and the Relief society president spoke in Sacrament meeting. I got to translate for Sister Preston...translating is hard. Especially since they dont stop for me to say what they have said. So they say something and I have to say it in English to Sister Preston while at the same time listening to what they are saying in Croatian to know what to say next...in short periods of time it is ok but Sunday I did it for 3 hours straight (both Sacrament and Sunday School went over half an hour). President taught Sunday school and he did an amazing job. He taught exactly what the Branch needed right now about paying tithing and becoming self reliant.
After Church we taught a lesson to M. We read from Preach My Gospel and talked to him about missionary work because he is hoping to get his papers started and such at the first of the year.
We then had a list of former investigators to go check up on. We had a street that we had never heard of before and when we got there it was kind of in the middle of nowhere and was more of a country type feel...it was kind of cool. Anyway...one of the formers let us in but only wanted to talk politics...so we left. Another one was super nice but told us she wasnt interested...another one was a completely butthead (pardon my language) and told us she wasnt interested...I think her exact words were "I know who you are and there is nothing else we can discuss. Im not going to read your book so you can leave and never come back." We have decided that it is a good thing that Sister Frampton cant understand what people say to us because when we leave and I tell her what they said she tells me what she would have said to them if she had known...and I say that is why you didnt know. :) Anyway...the other people either werent home or not interested. We also knocked on a few doors but didnt find anyone interested. We thought we were done with the street and started heading to another one when I suddently saw a name on the paper that I swear was not there before...so we turned around and started heading back to it. There were some people on the street that we said hi to and they stopped us. So we stopped and talked to them for quite awhile. We talked to them a little bit about why we are here and talked to them about the Book of Mormon. They asked us about our beliefs so we told them and we cleared up some misconceptions...like that we only have one wife. They were so nice and they invited us to come look at their yard. They had 4 huge greenhouses full of flowers...it was beautiful. They sent us both off with a pot of flowers. We were right by the Prestons and decided they needed them more than us so we stopped by the Prestons and delivered flowers to them. They definitely werent expecting them so it was pretty funny.
This week has been a good week. I cannot believe how fast it has flown by. For part of my personal study I have been reading from True to the Faith and I read the scriptures that go with it. I call it my gospel dictionary because it explains all of the gospel principles in such a simple way. Anyway...this week as I was reading I read about Joseph Smith and one of the scriptures that was with it said to read all of Joseph Smith History. So I read it. I cannot tell you how many times I have read his story but each time I read it it is just as powerful. He went through so many things so that we can have the peace and happiness that we are so blessed to have in our lives right now. And it all started when he was such a young age. It really was a miracle how everything worked out exactly how it was supposed to. What we have really is amazing and there are so many people that just dont know about it.
I hope that you all have a great week this week! I love you all lots and lots and lots!
Sestra Clark
Shoutouts!
Emails from Jordan, Dad, Lex, Mom, Carrie, Ryan, Allie, Tyler, Grandpa
The Prestons took a surprise trip to Zagreb this week and brought back the mail so I got 2 letters from Dad this week too!
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