Happy New Year!

I was thinking since we just talked on Wednesday I can just write a quick hello and be done. :)

Just kidding...I know that wouldnt go over too well. This week ended up being a great week! I LOVE ZADAR! For reals! I love the area, I love the members, and I love the people that I get to work with.

 

Last Monday night we had a Branch Christmas Program. Some of the members acted out the nativity, we sang Christmas songs, watched the Nativity video and one of the members talked about Christmas. Then we had refreshments and just talked to the members. It ended up being a good evening. I made some of my famous Chocolate chip cookies (thanks for the Chocolate chips) and lets just say they were amazing...probably the best batch Ive ever made...not lying.

 

Tuesday...Tuesday morning we went contacting and then we had District Meeting. After District Meeting we had planned to go caroling in Centar with the members. But only one member showed up and the senior couple didnt even come. So the 5 of us went to Centar to carol and hand out Christmas oranges. One of the Elders investigators came to watch us but said he was too embarassed to sing with us. Im sure we didnt really sound that great since none of us are real great singers. But...we tried. We were told that we couldnt tract or anything Christmas Eve so we spent the night making more cookies to take to members the next day.

Christmas morning!

 

Wednesday...SRETAN BOŽIĆ! We woke up Wednesday morning and skipped exercise and opened presents instead. We did our normal studies after and then we went with the Elders and the Senior Couple to take cookies to members and to sing them a Christmas Song...which you were lucky enough to get a taste of. We then had lunch at the Matosiches and then went caroling to more members then we went to Z's house. Her husband was working and her kids were in Zagreb at her parents so she was going to be alone for Christmas so she invited us over. We did skype there and played games while everyone was skyping and then we taught her a Christmas lesson after and then she brought us home. It ended up being a great Christmas!

 Christmas stockings & socks from the senior couple

 

Thursday...we tried to go tracting but discovered that it was some Saints Day Holiday and people werent happy that we were knocking on their doors. So we decided that wasnt the best idea and found other ways to spend our time.  Then we had a member that had invited us and the Elders over for lunch....she is a character! She is older, and a bit stout and has red hair and dresses super fancy. But she is hilarious and is so nice and so giving! She made tortellini and chicken and some cabbage dish and then a cake. It was delicious and I was stuffed after. Her husband was there too...he isnt a member and he is an interesting fellow. Very nice. After we ate we went to teach them a lesson. A loved it and was making comments and adding to the lesson. But then Š started going off...and Im not kidding for over an hour he sat and talked non stop about pretty much nothing. He is very opinionated and any time any of us tried to cut him off and to add something or to tell him we had to go he would keep talking. It was quite the adventure. But we finally managed to get out the door.

 

Friday...we had a meeting with one of our investigators named Z. It was my first time meeting him. I introduced myself and we were talking for a minute and then I turned to my companion and said something in English.  He looked at me and said "How is your English so good?" My response was because Im from America. He didnt believe me. That was probably the best comment I got all week! Our lesson with him was...interesting. He is a very nice guy and very opinionated. He was an investigator and then missionaries stopped meeting with him and they just recently picked him up again. Im not sure how I feel about him because any time I tried to bring up anything about the church he told us he wasnt in the mood to talk about that today. He then proceeded to tell us how he would run things if he were in charge of our church and that he would make sure there were constantly 30 people in the church all day every day and that if we want to get people into the church we just need to bribe them...ya...dont think we will be meeting with him again.

 

We then had a lesson with a less active named J. She used to be a very active member but was recently diagnosed with cancer that is in her lymphnodes. So she is pretty sick. She is very nice though and we had a really good lesson with her. We talked to her about Christ and the Atonement. She has a strong testimony and has so much faith. She really is incredible and even though she isnt in the best situation right now she still sees the positive in things. She has a 5 year grandson named N that lives with her...he is a handful.  Anyway...He was a crazy child and the poor Matosiches were being used as a jungle gym by him. When we walked in the door he was eating out of an ice cream container...no wonder he is crazy. He was hyped up on sugar. So it was a little chaotic with him all over the place and I was translating as J spoke as well as talking back to her and then translating that. But even with all of the chaos in her house the Spirit was so strong and she was so glad that we had come to see her.

 

We then had a lesson with an investigator named S and his wife M who is a less active member. We talked to them about the importance of the Book of Mormon and the important role that it plays in our lives. We also talked about Christ and how we need to be ready for when he comes again. It ended up being a great lesson!

 

We then had planned to do family home evening with the P family. We had talked to the Dad about it and he said we could come. So we went. Apparently they dont have very good communiction between each other because as we got there D was walking out the door because the Elders called him for a lesson, V was with friends, and L must have forgot because he left for somewhere too! So we had a lesson with R. She is 20 and is actually going to school in Zagreb but is here for the holidays. So it was actually kind of nice to just talk to her and get to know her. We showed her a Mormon message about the new year and not looking back and talked to her about making goals and making next year an even better year than this one.

 

Saturday morning we had a lesson with A which went well. We are still waiting for him to tell us he is ready for baptism. I know it will come and I know he is ready its just his family situation. But we had a really good lesson with him. He is reading the Doctrine and Covenants and loves it! I cant wait for him to be baptized because he will be such an asset to the branch.

 

S is a member here in Zadar that we had been trying to get in contact with all week and couldnt (found out she changed her number) so we just decided to show up at her house. She is actually the Mom of the person from Croatia that is on a mission that I met in the MTC...Elder K. We went to her house and she was more than happy to see us and let us in. She has so much faith. We walked in and she showed us a picture of her Dad and said this is my dad. He passed away yesterday. But she had the biggest smile on her face and said but its ok because I know he is happier now and in a year I can go to the temple and do his work. She is one that was just ready when the missionaries found her. Her son joined first and then she did and since then her daughter and her daughters husband and his mom and their daughter have all joined the church. S is the sweetest and we were talking to her and she started listing off the other people in their family and said they are next. It is so great to see the Gospel spreading throughout families here.

 

We then had English class which went well. We had 4 students instead of 3 this week!  Then we went to visit a less active member named A. She lives clear on the edge of town so the Matosiches came with us. We had a good lesson with her...except for she talked a lot and wouldnt let us cut in very often but all Croatians seem to like to do that.

 

Sunday...what a day! First off, we were on the way to church and a swarm of birds flew over our heads and I felt something land on my head. I was positive that a bird had pooped on my head and dove under a covering and looked in the window...luckily one had just dropped its food so I had a nice twig with some berries decorating my hair.

 

Got to church and I had to speak...which normally isnt bad. But we had visitors at church today. A couple from St George was there with the wifes sister and their little girl. The husband is actually from Zadar and they were here visiting for Christmas.  His brother is actually a member here that we didnt have any information on so we were able to get that which was exciting. Anyway...they were here and then also Brat H (MTC teacher) and his wife (who is actually Camilles friend that is President Rowes niece) were there. Needless to say I was a bit terrified to speak. But I survived and it went fine. When church started we actually had 6 members, 6 visitors, 4 investigators, and 2 members at church. It was kind of funny. But the members gradually trickled in and we actually had 30 people at church! A taught Sunday school and it was a great lesson about putting on the full armor of God.  Then for the second hour we taught Primary to Z's kids who are adorable!  We read a Christmas story and talked about Christ and then we colored pictures.

 

I absolutely love church here! You walk in the door and you just feel welcome! The members are so nice and are so welcoming to anyone that walks through the door...members, less actives, investigators, visitors, missionaries. They have the light of Christ and are so happy and excited to share it. I love the feeling that I get as I walk through the door of church each week here.

 

After church we went out tracting for awhile and then we had an appointment with a couple named D and L. They have a two year old son named L who is adorable! D is actually from Canada and is learning Croatian and L is from here. We had a good lesson. They hadnt read the Book of Mormon so we read it with them and we talked about the Holy Ghost. L told us a story that had happened the past week where she feels like she felt the Holy Ghost for the first time. We also talked to them about prayer. They say they dont pray because it is awkward. So we are working on that with them. They are progressing but very slowly.

 

On Christmas you asked the difference between Osijek and Croatia. I will try to explain it a little more here. I guess the biggest difference is just...I dont know. The members here in Zadar just seem to be stronger in the Gospel...they have the firm foundation and the knowledge. Most of the members in Osijek are still babies in the Gospel and are still learning. The members here teach all the lessons every Sunday and they are excited to do it. They participate in the lessons. There are just more callings that members have here and they do it on their own without having to be reminded. I love both places they are just different. The church is just stronger here in Zadar than in Osijek. But the Spirit is felt both places! I hope that makes sense.

 

Anyway...It ended up being a great week! I had a good Christmas and it was good to talk to all of you! I love it here in Zadar and I know that this is exactly where I need to be right now! I love you all and hope that you have a great week!

 

Volim vas!

Sestra Clark

 

 

Shoutouts!

 

Thanks for the emails from Tyson Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Carrie

 

Happy New Year!

Pictures

Christmas lights in Osijek

 

 

 

 

 

Centar in Zadar

 

 

 

 

Exploring Zadar

 

 

 Sea organs

 

 

Sretan Božić‏

Well, I am officially in Zadar now! It is beautiful here and the best part is it is a lot warmer than Osijek. I havent needed my winter coat and have just been wearing a jacket and even sometimes that is too much. But it has been a great week. It was sad to leave Osijek but it is over with now and I am happy to be here in Zadar!

 

Monday...For Pday the Prestons took me and we went and bought a suitcase so I didnt have to deal with a broken one. We went to several stores and I got one that should be good. Monday night we went to see R to say goodbye. We had a really good lesson with him. We got him to sing for us and he played some hymns and it brought the Spirit so strong. We then talked to him about the Book of Mormon and are trying to encourage him to start reading it again. We then went to K's and did family home evening with her and her kids. We taught them a lesson about prioritizing and putting things such as scriptures, and church, and prayer first and everything else will fall into place. It was a really good lesson and they enjoyed it and it was fun to do family home evening with them one last time.

 

Tuesday...we read with B...that was interesting. He just finished writing a 1000 page family history book that he wanted to show us. So we looked at that and then he started showing us a video of when they unburied his brothers casket and moved it to another location. And they opened the Casket...Im dead serious. I dont know why he decided to show it to us but the second we realized what they were doing Sister Frampton and I quickly turned away and started doing something else so that we didnt have to watch it. We then had District Meeting. We had a good last district meeting and I am excited to not have to be in charge of them anymore. After we went and met with A to say goodbye and then had English. I was terrified to tell my students that I was leaving so I waited till the very end. M cried again but the rest of them just wished me luck. They will be ok. After we went and said goodbye to H...it was a lot of goodbyes.

 

Wednesday...we went to the MUP and to the health center so that I could deregister and that went smoothly and we got it all taken care of. We then went to V's and had a lesson with her. It was a good lesson and as usual she talked a lot and we had to keep bringing her back on subject. A had a Christmas concert at her school that she was singing at that she had been talking to us about for months and told us to come to. So we went to that to support her and I am so glad that we did. She was so happy that we came! The second she saw us she came and ran and gave us a big hug. The thing that interested me is in America in schools we dont talk about religion so all of the Christmas program songs are Santa. Here they were all obviously Catholic songs. It was good and I am glad that I was able to see A, L and K one more time. We then went and walked along the Drava and got an ice cream cone for old times sake even though it was freezing and then met M to say bye. We went and looked at the Christmas lights (that they had just put up earlier that day...yes it is a week before Christmas) and then we headed home to finish packing and getting ready.

 

Thursday morning the Prestons picked us up first thing and we headed to Zagreb. It was so fun to see all of the missionaries in our mission...some of them that I had never met before and ones that I havent seen for a long time. We took a mission photo but I dont have a copy of that...sorry! We ate lunch and then played some games and then had a Christmas devotional from President and Sister Rowe. They are amazing! After we all headed our separate ways and I was off to Zadar. We rode home with the senior couple the Matosiches so I got to know them a little bit. They are from Washington state. I like them a lot! The drive home was dark so I couldnt see much but we did go through several tunnels that were miles long which was pretty cool. We got back to Zadar just in time for me to unpack and go to bed.

 

Friday...We got up and went to the MUP to get registered and then we did a little walking around Zadar just to get acquainted. It is beautiful! We walked along the coast...I will send some pictures but the pictures dont do it justice. There are sea organs which are like pipes in the ground that play music as the waves hit them. Anyway...I love it here!

 

We went and saw the church. They just got a new church not that long ago so it is really nice and actually has a chapel and classrooms and stuff. We then went home and did weekly planning and Sister Maxwell kind of gave me a rundown on everyone and such. And then we spent the rest of the night tracting. It was a good first day in Zadar!

 

Saturday...Saturday morning we had a lesson with an investigator named A. He had a baptismal date over the summer but had some issues with his family not accepting and it fell through and he has gone through some rough patches. But he is meeting with the missionaries and he is perfect! He is in his early 20s and is a student here. The second I met him I could feel his Spirit and I know that when he commits to the church he will commit for good. We brought the Matosiches on the lesson and they are amazing. The things that they said were perfect. We spent the first little part kind of getting to know each other so that I could get a feel for where to go. He speaks fluent English so since the Matosiches were there and they dont speak Croatian they were speaking in English. But as we started the lesson I kept having the feeling that it needed to be in Croatian...which makes things more difficult since me and him were the only ones that spoke it. But...I went for it.  The second I started speaking Croatian the spirit in the room was ten times stronger. I could tell that he really appreciated and when he responded he was more open and able to speak freely because it was his native language. I could tell that he was very grateful to be able to speak in Croatian and actually have someone understand him. It was a great lesson! I dont know when he will be baptized but he kept saying that Christmas is a time of miracles. So we have hope!

 

After we went to check up on a potential that the Sisters had found a few weeks ago but couldnt communicate with because the other sister that was here before was new and didnt speak real well yet. So we went. She was home and let us in. Her son was there and 2 other men and we were able to give them the first lesson. They all stopped what they were doing and listened to us and I can tell they felt something...but they unfortunately werent interested.

 

Saturday night we had English. There were only 3 English students which were a little different than what I am used to but I just did what I usually do and it was a great class! We have one member named V who is 18. She was just recently baptized but has been coming to church for years her Mom just wouldnt let her get baptized until she was 18. She came and helped us with English and then after the Elders needed us to stay at the church because they had a lesson with woman so we stayed and talked to V and were able to teach her a short Christmas lesson. It was really good...she is an amazing member! She is the only one that is a member her age but she has come to church consistently for years. She loves missionary work and is constantly asking us about investigators and what we are doing and always wants to help...and you can tell that she is sincere about it! We then went to a less active members named J. She has been inactive for awhile and last time the sisters met with her she was adament that she couldnt come to church. But as we met with her today I could tell that she is getting closer to wanting to come back...consistency!

 

Sunday was a great day! It was my first time having 3 hour church in 9 months! It was kind of crazy but I loved it! I am officially branch pianist again so I got to do that and then they had me bear my testimony to introduce myself. Sister Matosich spoke and one of the members spoke and the spoke about Christmas and they both did a great job. We had about 20 people at church on Sunday and that is with 6 missionaries and 4 investigators. So there were about 10 members there...and Sister Maxwell said that is most of the regulars and that is about what they usually have at church. Sacrament Meeting was great and then we had Sunday school taught by a member named I who was actually just ordained an Elder recently and then we had Relief Society. The relief society president actually served a mission to temple sqaure awhile back. Her husband isnt a member but she has 3 kids...one of which a new born baby. The lesson was great! There were about the same number of people at church as Osijek but the members here are a lot more independent than in Osijek. Elder Matosich is the Branch President but all of the other callings members have and they take care of it on their own. After church we went to V's and worked on Personal Progress with her which went good and then we went tracting. I was a little dreading it because we had several hours to tract but it turned out to be a great night! We ended up in an apartment complex that almost looked like a motel. We werent having much luck and then we knocked on a door and a woman answered and she called her husband who invited us in. We taught them the first lesson and left them with a Book of Mormon. They are going out of town for the holidays but said we could come back after the new year. They have 2 kids and are a beautiful family! We then met two men who we talked to for awhile about the church. One of them had actaully recently returned from New York. They had a lot of questions for us about Mormons. So we answered them and shared some things with them. They wouldnt give us their information but we left them with ours and are hoping that they will contact us.  Then we were heading towards home and Sister Maxwell stopped a kid on the street. I started talking to him about the Book of Mormon and how it compared to the Bible. He was very interested and asked a lot of questions that I was able to answer. He gave us his number so that we can meet with him and we gave him a Book of Mormon to read! I am really excited to meet with him again!

 

Things are going great here in Zadar and I am so excited to be here! I love my companion and the people that we are working with! I love the members and I love the miracles that we have already seen in these few short days! I love being a missionary especially during the Christmas season when I get to spend it serving and helping others. I love this Gospel and I love you all! Have a great couple of days and I will talk to/see you soon!

 

 

Volim vas!

Sestra Clark

 

 

 

Shoutouts!

 

Thanks for the emails from Mom, Dad, Carrie, Lex, Grandpa, Jordan, Chris, B, Kaitlin, Brianne

 

And thanks to Mom and Dad for the letters I got from you at the Christmas Conference...love you both!

 

Sretan Božić

Christmas on the Coast

 

Cute Christmas Tree!

 



Well...I guess the big news around here this week is transfers.  After 7 months in Osijek it looks like they are finally ready to get rid of me. Yep, Im being transferred to Zadar. So Im staying in Croatia but Im going clear across the country to the coast. Im excited about it and I have heard great things about Zadar but I am a little sad to be leaving Osijek. I have been here for so long and will really miss the people and the area but I know that its time to go and that great things are in store in Zadar. Sister Frampton is staying in Osijek and Sister Peel is coming to be with her. And Elders are coming back to Osijek this transfer. Im sad to be leaving Sister Frampton because it has been just the 2 of us for 5 months. I am going to Zadar and will be with Sister Maxwell. She is actually a mini missionary from Vegas. I went on an exchange with her a few months ago in Banja Luka. She is great and I am excited to go serve with her!

Along with that we have had a crazy week! Monday night for Family Home Evening we went to E and J's. We watched the Joseph Smith movie with them and they loved it! E told us that she has heard the story many times but has never seen the film and she liked it. Even D put down the iPad and watched it with us. It ended up being really good! D is so funny! He told us that when we arent there he is constantly asking his mom when the missionaries are going to come over...and she said yes he does! He also said we are their best guests.  Then he said "Volim misionarke volim vjeru i volim crkvu"...I love the Sister Missionaries, I love faith, and I love the church! I think he would LOVE church. We just cant get his mom to commit to come to church so he doesnt come either. But we are getting closer. When we left he and J even rode the elevator down with us and walked us out of the building...which they never do!

 

Tuesday...we read with B and then had District Meeting. After District Meeting we didnt have a ton of time before our next thing but I had a feeling we needed to go out and try to find one of the members that we got her address from her dad last week. So we went and she was home! She was very surprised to see us and said she hasnt seen or heard from missionaries in years. She invited us inside and her dad was actually there too!  We found our primary! She has 6 kids...which you rarely see here! They are all under the age of 10 so it is kind of a mad house and we got there right as she was putting the kids down for a nap. So we just stayed for a few minutes and got to know her a little bit but we asked her if it was ok for us to come back. She said she would love to have us back and told us a better time to come. It was short and sweet but she was home and we found her!

 

Tuesday night we had English. We were learning family terms and the lesson said to play a game similar to do you love your neighbor but it is I love my family and you say I love everyone who is a sister and they stand up and trade places. Well...I decided to try it to see how it went. Needless to say they didnt really understand it. Sister Preston and I were cracking up the entire time. Someone would say I love everyone who is a sister and then a man would be left standing in the circle. Or we would say I love everyone who has parents and no one would move. It was hysterical. Dont worry...we reviewed family terms and they know them now!

 

Wednesday...we went out to M's parents and did Family History with them.  While we were there M actually called from Germany so we got to talk to him for a few minutes which was good! Last Monday (like 2 weeks ago from today) we were out contacting and met a boy named J. Well we had tried calling him and it wasnt working. We then realized that the phone number we had was missing a number. So we used process of elimination and figured out what the number was and called and talked to him. He was so nice and so excited to hear from us! He said that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and likes it a lot and wants to meet with us! It was a miracle that we were able to figure out what his number was!

 

Then Wednesday night we went to V's. The Prestons came with us for part of it to talk to her and it ended up being good. She is very opinionated and never stops talking. By the end of it we are both drained...but she is letting us into her house so it is good! This time we read some scriptures with her and one of the scriptures that we had decided we needed to share with her was the scripture that she read at her Baptism because she loves it!

 

Thursday...we did a lot of walking. We always do a lot of walking but for some reason Thursday seemed like a lot more than usual. We first went and checked on some potentials. We then had some time and werent sure what to do and Sister Frampton had a feeling we should go check on an inactive member named J. She is one that we found where she lives a few weeks ago and had gone out there and she told us she didnt have time. So we went back hoping that she would at least be home. We got there and right as we did she was pulling up on her bike. She didnt want to talk to us but now we know...before it was just an I dont have time but come back. But now we know that she isnt ready right now. but at least we have her information for in the future when she is ready.  The miracle is that she was home. We have been in Osijek for so long that even clear out on the outskirts of Osijek we see people that we know. We have people all over Osijek that recognize us anywhere we go...sometimes they will talk to us...sometimes they wont! We then went to R's which went good. His Mom is a chatter box and I ended up talking to her for most of the time but we were able to talk to R about his baptism and about his mission. Us going is helping him to bring back these memories. While we were there he played Nearer My God to Thee on the guitar and Sister Frampton sang. It was beautiful and brought the Spirit. If anything our meetings with him are helping him to feel the Spirit which is what is going to help him have the desire to come back to church. We then had English again Thursday night.

 

Friday morning we got the transfer calls. We spent the whole morning in nervous suspense waiting for it. I really thought that I would be in Osijek for another transfer so I was a little shocked to find out I am leaving but it will be good and I am excited for a change! We did weekly planning Friday because we decided to wait until after we knew what was going on for transfers so that we knew what to plan for.

 

We then went tracting. A cute older couple let us in. They had met with missionaries before. They are Catholic but like to hear about other religions. They were totally willing to let us talk to them about the church and the Book of Mormon but they let us know that they have no desire to change...maybe another day.

 

Friday night we had Aktivnost. We had our Branch Christmas Party and it turned out great! We did the Christmas story and the kids acted it out. We had everyone bring a treat to share and then we played Christmas Bingo. I actually ended up sitting at the piano most of the night with some of the members singing the 6 Croatian Christmas songs that we have over and over! But I loved it!

Kids doing the Nativity at the Christmas party

 

Saturday was a go go go day. The Prestons were actually gone on Saturday so we started out the morning cleaning the church. We then did YW with A. Since the Prestons were gone we cant be alone with her at the church so we took her to Petar Pan and got ice cream and did YW there which ended up being great!
 



We then went to V's house. They had invited us over for lunch. V's cousin was there and while I was talking to M, Sister Frampton gave her the first lesson. Poor M cried when we told her I was leaving...it broke my heart! But our time at their house ended up being good. Her family is so nice and so welcoming!

V's Dad in a traditional Croatian dance outfit

 

We then went to D's. We had a good lesson with them and they actually gave me the address of her sister who lives in Zadar.  Her sister isnt Atheist so maybe she will be easier to reach with the Gospel than D. D listens but has a hard time accepting it.

 

Then we went to N and V's. We had planned on reviewing baptismal interview questions with him but when we got there they were both in a bad mood so we decided that wasnt a good idea. So instead we read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with them and talked to N about the importance of attending church.

 

Sunday...church was good. I had another one man show. I played the piano, translated for Sister Frampton and spoke. My topic was based on Elder Kevin S. Hamiltons talk from this last conference about continually holding fast to the end. And...I was really impressed with myself because I decided that I wasnt going to write my talk out word for word and was just going to do a list of bullet points.  I did and made it through! I gave a 20 minute talk, in Croatian, with just a list of bullet points!

 

We then had Sunday School...the Sunday school teacher had forgot to prepare a lesson. We had prepared a lesson for Primary so told Elder Preston that we could give that and he said go for it. The lesson talked about Enos. So we talked about prayer and feeling the Holy Ghost and how we receive answers to our prayers. For being a Primary Lesson it actually turned out really good!

 

We went tracting and then the Prestons had invited us over for dinner so we went and ate there. After dinner we had an appointment scheduled with P's friend but when we got to P's house he said that she was sick and couldnt come so we could just have a lesson with him. So we quickly called the Prestons and had them come so that we could teach him. We practiced teaching about the Book of Mormon and Restoration with him and it went really well!

 

The Prestons took us to the Elders apartment so that we could turn the heat on for the Elders that are coming this week. They said they had been there earlier but couldnt figure out how to turn it on...so I went and pushed the power button and the heat turned on...MAGIC! We then went to R's with the Prestons and sang Christmas songs with her...I will miss doing that!

 

Its been a good week this week!  Its going to be another good but crazy week this week! This week we were talking to V and she was talking to us about how there are letters in Croatian that are hard for non Croatians to say. I said ya, I have a hard time rolling my Rs. And she said you do Ive never noticed it! HAPPY DAY! I have been speaking Croatian with her for months now and she couldnt notice I dont roll my rs. Dont get me wrong, I still cant roll them I can just cover it up now so that it sounds like I can do it! It made my day to hear that!

Packing - does this look familiar?

 

I have loved the last 7 months that I have been able to spend in Osijek. Although the results werent exactly what I thought they would be changes have been made here. I have seen people Come Unto Christ...maybe there havent been any baptisms but I have seen changes in members. We have gotten in contact with so many inactive members who havent been in contact with the church and we have been planting seeds all over the place with all the people that we come in contact with every day. I love Osijek and I love the people here! I will miss it here but I am excited for the things that I have ahead of me in Zadar! I love this gospel and I am so glad that I am able to share it with others and help them to realize the blessings that it brings! As hard as this Christmas season is away from home I am so glad that I have been able to spend it focusing only on the true meaning of Christmas. This month we have been encouraging the members to read the Christmas story in Luke 2. I have done this myself and the Spirit that is felt while reading that story is amazing! I am so grateful for the Birth of our Savior and for everything that he has done for me and for all of us.

 

I hope that you all have a great week! Volim vas do mjeseca i natrag!

Love you all lots and lots and lots!

Sestra Clark

 

Shoutouts!

 

Thanks for the emails...Lex, Grandpa, Carrie, Mom, Dad

Sretan Rođendan Amanda!

Thanks for the Christmas card Tyson...K maybe you didnt send it to me but Dad did but I could obviously tell it was from you...I hope you survive this next month at home without your college social life! Sretno!

 

Pictures

 Christmas made it, now to save it until Christmas!

 

 Christmas lights on the tram

 

 Eating dinner with investigators

 

 Singing hyms after dinner

 

 Eating a kebap (she says they are good!)

 

 Serbian Zone Conference

 

With MTC friends at District Conference



Happy Monday!

Holy cow! This week has been a crazy busy week! It has been a good week...but an exhausting week!

Last Monday we had Pday and finished off our Pday by going to dinner for Sister Prestons birthday. We then had planned to go out to one of the villages to visit some members. Short back story...we have 2 members who are sisters that we have no information on and havent for several years. We dont have their address, phone numbers, nothing. Well a little while ago I was walking down the street and their names kept coming into my head and I had a strong feeling that we needed to try to find them. So after we were done working at night I would use some of my time at night reading through our information trying to find anything that I could on them. Well...I found one paper that was dated 2007 and had an address for their Dad. It just happened to be that their Dad lived in the same village as these members that we were going to visit. So I talked to the Prestons and got them to stop at this place too. It turned out that it was an apartment building and we had no clue which door was his or if he even still lived in this building. So the Prestons dropped us off at the building, we got in and then looked at the mailboxes and his last name was on one and we were able to figure out which door was his. We got to his door, knocked, he answered and I asked if he was the man we were looking for and he said yes. I could tell he knew who we were and he was very nice. I didnt really know what to say to him so I just said we are looking for your daughters. Do you by chance have any information on them. He then gave us both of their addresses! We havent had a chance to go see them yet though...but we have them! We then went to visit the members that we had gone out there to see in the first place. Only one of them was home but she let us in and we talked to her for a few minutes and then we headed back to Osijek. We got back to Osijek at 8 which is the dreaded hour of the night...we cant knock on doors past 8 but it is freezing outside. But we decided to brave the cold and just contact anyway. Well...we had a few good conversations with people and then Sister Frampton stopped a boy that looked to be about 20ish. We stopped him and talked to him for a few minutes. We talked to him about the Book of Mormon and testified to him and then had him read the introduction to the Book of Mormon. As he was reading we could tell that he was feeling it. He finished and looked at us and said is this really true. We responded with absolutely. He asked us if he could take a picture of it to keep.  We told him even better we would give him a book. He was SO excited. He gave us his number so that we can meet with him to talk more about it!

 

Tuesday...we read with B and had District Meeting. We then went to visit a member who was in the hospital. She had gotten her wisdom teeth out. Every time I go to the hospital here it makes me so grateful for what we have (hopefully Obama doesnt ruin that) back home. The hospital is so sad here. We walked into her room and she was sharing a room with 3 other girls. None of them were dressed...they only had blankets on. Her mouth was covered in blood. Sister Frampton was very uncomfortable and you could tell that she was a little bit frightened from it. I luckily have worked in environments where I could handle it better but it was still such a sad situation. I would hate to have to be in that hospital. After visiting her we had English which went good. Our number of students grows every time! It is amazing!

 

Wednesday...was a crazy day but a good day! Our first appointment was with a less active member named R. Hes the one that Sister Frampton and Sister Menjivar accidentally tracted into last week. We had a really good meeting with him. Because it was my first time meeting him I talked to him a lot about his experiences with the church and his feelings towards the church. Its so sad to see how strong members can fall away. He served a mission, he used to be in the Branch Presidency and he helped the missionaries find people to teach. But now because of some things that have happened he has harsh feelings towards the church.  You can tell that he still believes the teaching and is living the commandments he just wont come to church. But he told us that we are welcome any time so we are going to keep going back to keep working with him.

 

After we went to V's house. She is an English student...her Grandma is M. She had invited us over to her house because she wanted us to meet her family so they invited us over for dinner. They made Croatian foods and it was really good! We talked to them a lot about what we do as missionaries and talked with them about the restoration. They have a piano so they wanted us to play it. We happened to have a hymnbook in our backpack so I played hymns while Sister Frampton sang. It ended up being a really good thing! Her parents were so nice, and so welcoming. Her Dad had actually come to English the night before for the first time and was practicing his English with us. He kept trying to say hi but would say he instead. It was pretty funny.

 

We then had a lesson with another less active member named V. She was on the do not contact list but we were able to talk to her and she decided to let us come visit to teach her English.  It ended up going so well. We were worried going in but she was so nice and talked to us as if we were old friends. We had taken our stuff with her to teach her English but she said she knew the grammar she just needed practice speaking so she wanted to talk about Gospel topics in English...perfect. It ended up being half English half Croatian but it was still good. We talked to her about her baptism and what first got her interested in the church. We also talked about the Book of Mormon. She told us that she finds the Book of Mormon boring and doesnt like to read it and has another "spiritual book" that she likes better. So we talked to her about the importance of the Book of Mormon and that we have to read it with the attitude that we can learn from it. We set up a time that we can go over every week and meet with her and are hoping that with consistency we can get her reading the Book of Mormon and help her to have the desire to come back to church.

 

Thursday...what a day! We had a crazy morning...we had planned on doing weekly planning but had other things come up so that didnt happen. We ended up having to do weekly planning in the car. Anyway...the Prestons told us that we could have the car so that we could go out and visit A (she is a referral from a member that lives in a village in the middle of nowhere). The Prestons usually go with us but this time told us to just take the car and go. I had no idea of where she actually lived but they told us it was in the GPS so just to follow the GPS and we would be fine. Bad mistake. Anyway...we followed the GPS and it started taking us down a road. We knew she lived in the middle of nowhere so didnt think much of it. Well...then the road ended and turned into a dirt road but the GPS told us to kept going. So we did. And then the road turned into a mud road that seemed like it was going to go on FOREVER. We decided that this couldnt be right so we went to turn around and got stuck in the mud. For reals. So here we were in the middle of nowhere stuck in the mud. We were seriously at the point of what on earth do we do. A cute little old man came riding by with a horse pulling a trailer. We didnt even have to say anything to him, he stopped, grabbed his ax and pitchfork and helped us get out of the mud. I had visions of him popping the tire...but we made it out safely. I dont know where this man came from but it helped us to see that Heavenly Father is aware of us wherever we are. Even in the middle of nowhere Croatia stuck in the mud and he sends "angels" to help us along the way. (We didnt actually tell the Prestons that we got stuck in the mud because they were kind of in a bad mood this day already...:)) But...we were able to find our way to A's finally. We had a good lesson with her and her family. Its hard because I know that she feels it and I know that she loves learning about the church but we are trying to decide if we keep going out to teach her because it is so far away and she has no way to come to church.

 

After A we went and visited V. She is an inactive member. She used to come every week and then she moved out to the village and doesnt come anymore...that and she loves Hare Krišna. She is kind of crazy but is really funny. We had a good visit with her and some good laughs. She told us that she is vegetarian and has been for 6 years and is so happy about it. She said I can understand people killing a chicken, or a pig but not a lamb because that is a baby from a cow. Im serious...that is what she said. She had a friend there too and told us that she loves him but he doesnt love her because she doesnt have any hair (she shaves her head) but that she loves her head shaved and it has to be because she wants to be a monk, she wants to be the dolly llama and be a spiritual master...Im dead serious. Anyway...we love V. We barely made it back to the church in time for English but we had a good English class!

 

Friday...was zone conference. So, we had to wake up at 5:30 to drive out to zone conference. We had a good drive and zone conference was really good. They have started (this time was the first time) doing zone conference in the language...so Croatian. Im glad that they didnt do it my first few times and waited until I could actually understand the language for that. I actually really liked it a lot and I liked being able to hear and talk to other missionaries in the language. I just feel bad for the senior couples who dont understand anything. We had a really good zone conference. We talked about the Book of Mormon and how we can better use it in our teaching and better help our investigators and members to understand what the Book of Mormon is and how they can know that it is true. President Rowe is amazing and Sister Rowe was able to come this time too...I havent seen her in probably 4 months. They are so full of the Spirit. And even their kids, their 2 8 year old girls, know so much about the Gospel and the Book of Mormon. It really is amazing. I learn so much from them every time we are around them. Our drive home from zone conference was good. We tried to visit some members along the way but they werent home so that didnt happen.

 

Saturday...we went and cleaned the church and then we did YW with A. Love her! We let her choose which value experience she wants to work on and then we read the scriptures, etc. that go along with it. We had a lesson with N and V on Saturday too. We talked to them about feeling the Spirit and used what we learned in Zone Conference and read scriptures about different ways that we can feel the Spirit and encouraged them to look for how the Spirit speaks to them individually because it will be different for everyone. N says he wants to be baptized but we are trying to help him to understand what baptism actually means and help him to understand the importance of it.

 

After N and V we had a lesson with a man named D. He had actually stopped us on the street and wanted to meet with us. Apparently he had met with missionaries before so we were really excited about it. It turns out that he had researched some of the things that missionaries in the past had told him and proven that they were wrong. He kind of wanted to Bible bash with us which we werent going to do. He didnt really like the answers that we were giving him...we think that he might be Jehovahs Witness.

 

We recently found a smoothie place here in Osijek...unfortunately we didnt know about it during the summer but they actually use fresh fruit and yogurt and it is good for when we dont have time to eat we can grab it and eat on the run. So we went and got that and then we headed back to the church. We had District Conference this week which is like Stake Conference. Saturday night they had an adult session that was broadcast to the different branches. It was a really good meeting! It was kind of an interactive meeting...so they had people give talks and then they let people make comments or share their testimonies on what people had talked about. It was kind of interesting but was good. They focused a lot on member missionary work and how this is a task that cant be done by the members alone or the missionaries alone...we need each other. They put an emphasis on going out and finding the lost sheep as well as finding new sheep and to work together to bring them back.

 

Sunday...we were up at 4:30 to head to Zagreb for District Conference. We went and picked up K and the kids and headed to the church to go. The Prestons had rented 2 vans to drive people to Zagreb. We were kind of thinking that everyone would sleep on the way and were kind of excited to sleep...but Sister Preston decided she needed me sitting up front by her to navigate. Not really sure why but it meant I didnt get to sleep. But it was ok and it was a good ride. We made it to Zagreb and District Conference was really good...it was kind of a long drive and a long day for a 2 hour meeting but I liked being able to see all of the members in Croatia and see that there are more than just the members that we have in Osijek...and I think it was good for them to see. We also got to see the other missionaries in Croatia which was fun. We had the meeting and then they had lunch and then they had a leadership meeting. While they had that we just hung out and talked to the members which ended up being fun.  Then we drove back to Osijek. We had a lot of fun on the drive back. Our car was us 2, Sister Preston, K and her 2 kids...A and L, N, and H. So we played games and sang songs and just had fun! They taught me if youre happy and you know it in Croatian and we sang Christmas songs. It was fun to just be able to relax and have fun with the members.

 

This week we had a lot going on, several early mornings, and a lot of craziness. But I wouldnt change any of it because it was all so great! I love being a missionary here in Croatia. And I am so grateful for all of the experiences that I am having and for the changes that are being made here. In his talk on Sunday President Rowe talked about how Croatia is a land of Promise but it isnt going to happen if we just sit around waiting for it to happen. We constantly need to be going, working, and building and trying to make it better. We cant become comfortable with how things are...we always need to be trying to be better and working to make things happen. Because they can and will.

 

Thanks for everything you do! Love you lots and lots and lots!

 

Sestra Clark

 

Shoutouts!

 

Thanks for the emails from Mom, Dad, Lex, Grandpa, Carrie and Allie

 

I got the Christmas package this week...no I didnt open any presents yet. I will wait until Christmas. We have a corner in our apartment dedicated as our Christmas corner. But thanks for the package...thanks for the treats and thanks Lex for your letter!

 

Good luck to Jordan, Amanda, and Tyson and anyone else with finals this week!

Pictures

 Woke up to snow Tuesday morning in Tuzla, Bosnia

 

 It's cold!

 

 Lots of snow

 

 Their Croatian grandma

 Thanksgiving Day nap

 

 English class party

 

 Aktivnost Christmas decorating

 

Reindeer & Santa at Aktivnost



Happy December!

Can you believe that it is December already? I about had a heart attack when I wrote December in my journal last night...I cant belive that it is here. This week was a good week! It was a busy week and it went by really fast but it was good!

 

Monday...we had a good, relaxing pday and then we met the Prestons and got the car and drove to meet the Tuzla sisters for an exchange. We met them half way and Sister Menjivar came back to Osijek with Sister Frampton and I went to Tuzla with Sister Matthews.

 

So Tuesday I spent the day in Tuzla, Bosnia and we had a great day! First off, we woke up to snow. Like a lot of snow. Every thing was covered in it. But it luckily wasnt too freezing cold and I survived the day. Bosnia is a Muslim country and so I heard their call to prayer multiple times throughout the day. It was kind of cool to hear...except for in the middle of the night...that one wasnt so cool. Sister Matthews is great and I loved spending the day with her. We started off the morning with a lesson with one of their investigators. She is older...in her 70s. She had come to church on Sunday for the first time. So we talked to her about church and how she felt. We then read 3 Nephi 11 with her and talked to her about Baptism. We had a really good lesson with her but she said that she cant get baptized because she is afraid of the water and she cant come to church again until May because there is snow on the ground and she might fall...gotta love Croatians or I guess in this case Bosnians and their fear or weird feelings about weather.

 

The church in Tuzla is even smaller than it is here in Osijek. They dont even have a branch...it is a group due to the fact that they dont have any Melchizedek Priesthood holders. And their church is one room, about the size of our family room at home (just family room not kitchen) and one bathroom. It is teeny tiny!

 

We had a few other lessons that fell through so we spent the remainder of the day tracting and contacting in Tuzla. It was great to be with Sister Matthews and get some ideas and get a point of view from someone else because Sister Frampton and I have been together for so long. We then got the car and drove back to Osijek. Sister Matthews hates driving so I got to drive. The Tuzla Sisters had to go to Zagreb on Wednesday so they spent the night at our apartment Tuesday night because it is closer to Zagreb. It was kind of interesting because our apartment is really small but it was fun!

 

Wednesday was another good day. Because I was in Tuzla on Wednesday we switched District Meeting to Wednesday so we started out the day with that.  It was a really good District Meeting. I had been looking through Preach My Gospel trying to find something that we could discuss and saw an idea that it gave to discuss and show gratitude for the ways that the Lords hand is in our work. I decided since it was Thanksgiving week that this was fitting for the week.  It turned out really good! It was good to be able to take turns sharing the positive things that are happening in the branch and in the area because sometimes we overlook those and focus on the negative things as we are talking to each other. There really are a lot of great things happening in Osijek right now and I know that His hand is in our work every day. We did some tracting and then went to Childs English...we had a new record this week and no one showed up...I dont know if we are going to continue with it because nothing seems to be coming from it. We didnt know what to do after and it was freezing cold so we decided to ride the tram. So we just picked a tram, rode it, and talked to the people that sat by us. It actually ended up being really good and we had some really good conversations with people.

 

Thursday...we got up in the morning and did our studies and then we went to the Prestons for Thanksgiving. It ended up being great...it was definitely different but it was still good. Turkeys are hard to find here so Sister Preston did roasted chicken. We had all of the normal foods...potatoes, bread, etc. Sister Preston even made stuffing and Elder Preston made a pie. So we ate and just hung out at their apartment and played games. After we went to the church for English. We did an activity for English so we had both classes together and played review games that turned out really great! The students are all learning and progressing and doing so good!

 

Friday...N called us and asked if we could come to the church to practice for the Christmas Program. We had a little bit of time and were able to work out a time in the morning that the Prestons could be at the church so that we could practice with him. His plan for the Christmas Program is he is going to sing all of the songs we have in Croatian (which are 6) and then the congregation will all stand and sing all of them...not sure if that will fly but we will see. N is a bit ridiculous and likes to get a rise our of people...he takes pride in offending people. He always says stuff to us to try to get us mad at him but we know what he is doing so it doesnt work. But...it made his day that we went to practice with him and so it was good that we were able to. We then did weekly planning at the church because we didnt have enough time to go home for it.  Then we went to N and V's! What a great lesson! We started off by asking N about church. He said that he really enjoyed it. We asked him if he would come again this week and he said of course, I have to. ( He didnt end up coming though). He then opened his Book of Mormon and had a paper in 3 Nephi 11 that we had given him awhile ago...thats what we were planning on reading with him anyway so it worked out perfectly. We read that and then after V said to him, when are you going to get baptized? He said I dont know, we need to figure that out. It kind of caught us of guard so I said N, Will you prepare for baptism? And he said yes! We were so excited! The only problem is for some reason V has put it in his mind that spring is a great time to get baptized so he says he cant get baptized until then and that until then he has more to learn. But we told him to pray about a date and are hoping that we can get him to see that he doesnt want to wait! But he committed to baptism!

 

We then went and visited M. We were actually able to talk to her son and her husband too.  We had a really good lesson with them then we went to the church for Aktivnost. Aktivnost was AMAZING! We had the biggest turnout that I have ever seen at an Aktivnost. Our plans were just to decorate the Christmas tree...we were a little worried that it would take 5 minutes and people would think it was dumb. But everyone was getting into it and loved it! We decorated the church and tree, made snowflakes and hung them up, played games, and did a puzzle! It was great!

 

Saturday...we went to clean the church which was good! We had a few other things that we did in the morning and then we went to D's. We havent been able to meet with her for a few weeks due to our schedules not matching up. We ended up having a good lesson with her and her boyfriend. Sometimes it is hard to teach them because they are strong Atheist and have their opinions on things but we had a good lesson with them on Saturday. After their lesson we spent the night tracting.

 

Sunday! What a great Sunday! Church was really good! It was fast and testimony meeting. Dad has asked a few times about how that goes in such a small branch. We manage to always fill up the time. Sacrament Meeting here is only an hour rather than an hour and ten minutes. We have our regulars that bear their testimonies each week and then usually get a few others as well.  If it comes to a point that we have a few minutes of silence then one of the missionaries will get up...yesterday none of us had to though! We take about a ten minute break before we start our next meeting (we switch off between Sunday School and Relief Society/Priesthood). This week was supposed to be Priesthood and Relief Society. Well...about 5 minutes before class was supposed to start Sister Preston came up to me and said that the Relief Society teacher never showed up and the Priesthood teacher forgot and didnt prepare a lesson. So we had no lesson. So Sister Frampton and I taught. It was a little rough getting started because we had no notice and hadnt even read the lesson but once we got going it ended up being really good! The lesson was focused on Christ, that He was once upon the earth and that He will return again to the earth. We know that He will come again, but we dont know when so we always need to be ready for when He does. Being that it was December 1 it was a perfect lesson to start off this month and the Christmas season talking about Christ.

 

We are lucky enough in our mission right now that one of the Senior Missionaries is a Patriarch and he got permission to be able to give Patriarchial Blessings while he is here. He was at our church yesterday and after church 3 members were able to get their Patriarchial Blessing. It made me so happy for them to be able to experience that! After they were all finished we had Branch Council to talk about how we can work together with the Branch members this month...weve got a lot going on this month with Christmas coming up! Its going to be a great month!

 

We then went to P's and met with his neighbor M again. We have had a hard time meeting up with her so we were excited to meet with her again. P always talks about how she wants to get baptized and talks to her about baptism and so we decided to give her the third lesson and talk about the steps before baptism as well as after baptism and that we dont just get baptized because it sounds cool. We have to have a testimony and have to have faith first and that baptism is not the end. We have to continue to live the gospel throughout our lives. We shared scriptures with her and she really liked the lesson and we could tell that she felt the Spirit. She said that she wants us to meet with her again when her husband can be here so that he can hear about it too. We were able to meet her daughter as well who is 5 and she is adorable!

 

And then Sunday night we went to J's...We had high hopes in him. The past few times we met with him went so well and even when we talked to him on the phone he was very enthusiastic and excited to meet with us. But we went to his house and it was just weird. We decided just to ask him up front what his intentions were and if he had any desire to learn more about the Gospel. He told us that he had learned enough and wasnt interested in learning anymore. He was still really nice about it but we left a bit disappointed because of what he is turning down. And it went so well the first couple lessons...we dont know where it changed. But...maybe he isnt prepared now but will be later.

 

This week we were able to get in contact with 2 inactive members...both of which told us that we can come back! One of them is an older woman who was on the dont contact list. We called her a few months ago and she was not very nice to us at all. A few weeks ago the Prestons went and visited her and had a good conversation with her. I called her this week and she was SO nice. She told us that she would like to set up a time that we can come and see her every week! She wants us to help her to learn English as well as to talk about the gospel with her! So we are very excited to be starting that! The other one is named R. Sister Frampton and Sister Menjivar actually found him while we were on the exchange. They were tracting a building and we had no idea that he lived in that building. They knocked on the door and gave a power statement and he said Im a Mormon come on in. They went in and had a really great discussion with him. He actually served a mission so they talked to him about that and about why he stopped going to church. They had a great meeting with him and he said that we are welcome back anytime so we have an appointment to go this week and I am really excited to meet him!

 

This week was a great week! For the past little while I have been reading one section a day in True to the Faith and I read the scriptures that go along with it. I finished it this week and the last section was Zion. One of the scriptures that it had was D&C 136:31 "My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion..." This scripture hit me hard because this is exactly what is happening here right now. Right now we are going through a transition stage where we are trying to help the church to grow and to strengthen and to help the members become independent. Right now we are preparing for when Zion is here. I know that it can be. I know that it will be. But I know that it will take a lot of work, a lot of struggle, and a lot of faith. But years from now when the church is strong here I will be able to look back and know that I was a part of helping the church to grow here. Right now, we are building Zion!

 

I love you all and hope that you have a great week! Thanks for the love, support and prayers!

 

Volim vas!

Sestra Clark

 

 

Shoutouts...

 

Thanks for the emails from Dad, Mom, Carrie, Grandpa, Lex

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving last week!