This week seemed to fly by. It was a week full of highs and lows...as most weeks seem to be.

Monday night after Pday we had 2 lessons. Our first one was with a potential investigator named A. She is an older woman that we had tried going to see before and she hasnt let us in. But she called us on Monday and said she was ready for us to come over. So we went over Monday night and had a lesson with her. It was pretty interesting. We taught her the first lesson. When we told her about Joseph Smith and the Restoration she told us that her church has the same thing...we explained to her that it doesnt. When we explained the Apostasy to her she looked at us and said so the church I go to isnt true. We told her no, there is only one true church on the earth. She looked at us and said I dont care if my church is true or not, I wont change because I was born this religion and will die this religion...unfortunately everyone in Croatia has that attitude. She talked a lot about her family and how they arent religious at all and how hard it is for her. We told her that we would love to go meet them and talk to them but she wouldnt give us their information...she said it would be like sending us to hell and she would be punished for it. She had some weird points of view and we think she just wanted us to come over because she is a lonely old lady...unfortunately.

 

After A we went to see J who is an inactive member. She had supposedly moved to Rijeka a few weeks ago but is now back in Zadar (I dont think she ever honestly left). We had a good but interesting lesson with her. She has some mixups on some of the doctrine and beliefs of the church so we have been talking to her about that and clearing up some of the things that she says.

 

Tuesday morning we went out tracting...or maybe it was contacting...I dont remember. I just know that we were out and about talking to people. We then went to the church and had branch council which was good. After branch council we went out tracting (that one I know for sure). We kind of just started walking and ended up in some random area with houses. So we started knocking on doors. We found a lot of people at home and had some good conversations with people but no one was interested. We walked down some random pathway and knocked on a door. A younger girl (college aged) came running down the stairs, opened the door, and said come on in before we even had time to say hello. So we went in. Her name was R and she had a friend named T there as well. They are both students here in Zadar and were very interested in what we believe. We talked to them about the Book of Mormon and what it is and where it comes from. They were both really interested in it and took a copy of it. They arent from Zadar and were just leaving to go home because it is in between semesters but they gave us their phone number and told us that when they come back to Zadar in a few weeks that we could come back and teach them more!

 

We then went back to the church because we had a fireside. Elder Charles was here doing a mission tour. He is the area seventy over our mission. So Tuesday night we had a fireside broadcast from Zagreb for all of the members in Croatia. He and his wife spoke...they are from England. They are amazing. The fireside was really good. He talked about letting our light shine for others to see and letting go of things that are holding us back...I dont have my notes from the fireside and honestly right now cant remember what else he talked about.

 

Wednesday we had zone conference.  We woke up early Wednesday morning and headed to Zagreb. The zone conference was with Elder and Sister Charles and the spirit was so strong. Throughout the meeting Elder Charles kept reminding us to be listening to the promptings of the Spirit and to write them down...even if they have nothing to do with what was being said. They are converts to the church and they told their conversion story and talked about how they were being prepared before the missionaries even knocked on their door...just as there are people being prepared here in Croatia. They talked about how we need to preach the Gospel 3x3 and not 2x2 with the Holy Ghost being our third companion. They talked a lot about the Holy Ghost throughout the conference. I think the thing that stuck out to me the most was that they talked about silence. The Holy Ghost is a still, still voice. So we need to have situations throughout the day where we can feel it. We need to have silence in our lessons for the Holy Ghost to be able to speak to the investigator, we need to have silence in our own lives, during our studies, as we are walking, as we are doing everything so that we know what we need to be doing. They also talked about how after we pray we need to stay on our knees in silence in order for the Holy Ghost to speak to us. He did an example where he walked up to someone and asked them a question and then turned and walked away before they had a chance to answer. He told us how this is what it is like when we pray and then get up and go on with our day. This is something that I have heard before, and I always try to pause and listen after praying but it made it more clear to me why when he gave us the example. So I guess thats my challenge for you for the week...fill your lives with more silence so that you can hear the Holy Ghost more clearly. After Zone Conference we got to take the bus home so we barely made it home in time to get ready for bed. It was a good day, but a long day.

 

Thursday was a crazy, crazy day! We started off the morning with a lesson with L. She was sick all of last week so we were unable to meet with her. We had a really good lesson with her. We are trying to help her allow Heavenly Father to play more of a role in her life, to see his presence in her life, and to submit his will to hers to know what she needs to do. I have loved seeing L change over the past few weeks that we have been working with her as she is taking in the Gospel more each time and being more willing to accept it.

 

After L we had Weekly Planning and then we went to S's. We read 3 Nephi 18 with her and talked about the Sacrament. We have a problem in that most of our members show up late to Sacrament Meeting...and sometimes it is after the sacrament. So we are trying to help them realize the importance of the Sacrament and are encouraging them to make the effort to be early to church so that they can be prepared for the Sacrament.

 

Thursday night we met with E and her friend M was there. Since M was there we taught the first lesson again. So it was a bit of a review for E but it was good for her and it is what we felt like we needed to teach them. We had a really good lesson and the Spirit was very strong. M was focusing intently and asking questions. She doesnt know what she believes at this point in her life and is really searching for truth but is struggling with the idea of going against what her parents believe. We are trying really hard to help them see how prayer can help them in their lives but we havent been successful at having them to pray yet...they are both really hesitant. But we have really good lessons with them. M has been reading the Book of Mormon and said she will continue to read it.

 

Thursday for some reason turned into a crazy day. I have started showering at night since I have been here and I was literally getting out of the shower at 10:25 Thursday night and jumping into bed with wet hair to be in bed by 10:30. It was crazy.

 

Friday morning we had a lesson with A. He is still frustrating but he is still getting closer. He has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and he knows that the church is true. He told us that he will for sure be baptized in March but he wont commit to a for sure date yet. March is coming soon so that is good but it would be nice to be able to commit him to an actual date so that we can make sure he is ready and everything is ready for it. I am so excited for him to get baptized because I know how great of a member he will be and all the great things he is going to do for his branch. For a few days before his lesson I had a strong feeling that I needed to write down my testimony and give it to him to take home and read. So Sister Burton and I both did that and are hoping it will help him come to a decision.

 

We then had a lesson with J. We had a good lesson with her and read Mosiah 24. As we have been meeting with members lately we have been reading chapters in the Book of Mormon that we felt like they needed and our lessons with them have turned out to be amazing. They love it and it brings the Spirit so strongly to our lessons. After J we spent the rest of Friday out tracting. It was a bit of a rough night of tracting with not much success but we survived it.

 

Saturday...everything seemed to fall through. We had scheduled to do a service project for someone Saturday morning but they cancelled on us the last minute and no one would schedule with us to meet on Saturday. We did have piano signups on Saturday...no one came...so it looks like we probably wont be teaching piano after all, which I think is good because it was starting to turn into a pain and be more stressful than it would have been worth. We had English Saturday night which was a good class and then we cleaned the church. On the way home we felt like we needed to stop at D and L's to see how they were doing so we did. They were home and they were so happy to see us and let us in. We didnt stay long and we had a really good talk with them but they still arent ready to start having missionary lessons again.

 

Sunday...church was a bit of a nightmare due to the fact that N was there again. That child is crazy and there is no way to control him. I dont think he knows the meaning of the word no. J spoke in sacrament meeting so we had to try to keep him entertained without being too loud in the chapel. Then we taught primary so we had to deal with him then too. Elder Matosich had asked us to teach Sunday School so we went prepared to teach but he had prepared the lesson and he taught so we didnt end up having to. After church we went out contacting potential investigators and tracting. We got 2 new potential investigators...they were both men so we couldnt go in but gave us a time to come back when their wives would be home.  Then Sunday night we had a lesson with V and worked on personal progress. I love meeting with her and seeing the faith she has and her love of the Gospel. It is great to see young members who are going to be the future of the church here.

 

This week was a lot of tracting/contacting and trying to find new investigators. We had a hard time scheduling appointments this week...it seemed that everyone was sick or had some other reason that they couldnt meet with us this week. But we still managed to have a successful week here in Zadar. I love being a missionary. I love learning more about the Gospel every day and I love teaching others about it. There really is no greater work! I hope that you all have a great week!

 

Love you lots and lots!

Sestra Clark

 

 

Shoutouts!

 

Emails...Mom, Dad, Carrie, Grandpa, Lex, Tyson

At zone conference we got mail...I had a couple letters from Dad and I got the letter that had the letter from Tyson in it.

Sretan Rođendan Allie

Happy Valentines Day (a few days late)

Hello hello! Well, another week has come and gone. We had an exchange this week (more on that later) which always seems to make the week fly by even faster than usual. But it was a great week and we are continuing to see great things happen and I know they will just continue.

Monday we had a relaxed not too exciting Pday and then we spent the night out tracting. I dont honestly remember exactly where or what happened and thats all I have written down. :)

In the Centar with laundry hanging all over the place

 

Tuesday...we woke up and got ready and got the car from the Matosiches and headed to exchange with the Karlovac Sisters. We met half way and Sister Erbe headed back to Zadar with Sister Burton and I went to Karlovac with Sister Crump. We got to Karlovac and went to the senior couples to give them the car back. They actually just got to Croatia last week so they are brand new and it was quite comical at times. They still arent completely sure what is going on and had a lot of questions. But they are great! They are so enthusiastic about missionary work and she told us that the night before she stood out on their driveway and talked to people who walked by about the church. She is also really good with the language...most senior couples dont do so well with learning the language but she already knows a lot which will be very beneficial to have a senior couple that can speak the language. Anyway...we had district meeting which was good. We did some role plays and practiced teaching the why of the Book of Mormon and how we read it. After District Meeting we ran by the Sisters apartment to drop of all of my stuff...they just got a brand new apartment and it is ridiculous. It is nicer than a 5 star hotel...it definitely does not look like a missionary apartment. We then went and met with Š. She is a member in Karlovac and I actually met with her last time I was on an exchange there so it was fun to be able to meet with her again. She is working on reading the Book of Mormon from start to finish so we discussed her reading with her and read the next chapter with her. She also told us about her conversion story and how she came in contact with the missionaries...I love hearing this. And she is the cutest thing ever and told us every single detail about it. Tuesday night we had English which went well.

On splits with Sister Crump

 

Wednesday morning we woke up and did studies and then went out contacting. We got a phone call and found out that President Rowe was going to be in Karlovac to do interviews. I didnt actually have an interview with him because he will be in Zadar soon but I got to talk to Sister Rowe while President was interviewing Sister Crump. I love Sister Rowe and I loved being able to talk to her one on one for awhile. She is just encouraging and always knows exactly what to say to make you feel confident. We then went to an investigator named K. The sisters have actually been teaching her English so they do half English and half Gospel. Things went well there except I kind of think she is more interested in the English than the church...she didnt like it so much when we switched gears.  Then we had a lesson with another English student named I. President Rowe actually met her first and introduced her to the missionaries.

 

Thursday morning we woke up and drove to exchange back. We made it back to Zadar in time to drop off my stuff and head out for the day. We had an appointment with a woman named M who we had found through the area book. We went to her house and had a good lesson with her. She has known the missionaries for quite a while. She has a Book of Mormon and not only does she read it but she studies it and takes notes about what she learns. So we read Moroni 10:3-5 with her and talked about reading the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart, pondering it, and then praying to find out if it is true. Her problem is she thinks that every church is good. She likes learning about all churches and thinks that they should all work together as one and that it doesnt matter what church you belong to as long as you go to church...

 

Thursday night we had a lesson with E which was good. We taught her the plan of Salvation which was interesting to hear her opinion of that. Part of me thinks that she is still trying to convince herself that she doesnt believe in a God.  Anytime we ask her a question she says...well Im agnostik so I guess I believe this. She really liked the lesson and understood it really well. After we finished her roommate came home and came and sat in with us and E retaught her the entire lesson. We helped her with some parts but for the most part she really listened and understood what we had taught her. At the end of the lesson we tried to get her to pray but she wouldnt.

 

Friday...we went to see J at work to invite her to activity. We had to go get some flyers made. Sister Burton is a really good piano player and since we both play piano we got permission to start beginner piano basics as a class as a way to get people into the church. So we spent a good part of the day handing out flyers and talking to people about that. We also had to do weekly planning on Friday because Thursday turned out to be a crazy day. Friday evening we had a lesson with S. The time before he had asked us some questions about the Plan of Salvation so we retaught that to him focusing on the afterlife because that is what he seemed to be the most confused on. After we were finished his questions were answered and he understood it...he just wont act. He knows what he needs to do and we remind him of it every time, he just wont make the commitment of baptism and he wont stop smoking...gotta love the fact that everyone and their dog does that here.

 

After S we had Aktivnost. We did a Valentines day activity. We watched the Bible Video that talks about loving those around you and then we decorated sugar cookies and played do you love your neighbor...some people couldnt really catch on how to play that but we had a lot of fun!

Decorating cookies at Aktivnost

 Sister Burton & Sister Clark

 

Saturday we spent the morning tracting/contacting/handing out flyers. We had English Saturday night which was a good class and then we cleaned the church then we went to B's...I love the weeks that we get to meet with her. We read 2 Nephi 2 with her and then had a discussion about it. B is the greatest! She has so much faith...she has been through a lot in her family especially recently and has stayed strong through all of it!

 

Sunday...church was...interesting. J came which we were so happy about...but she brought N. The poor kid cant sit still for more than 30 seconds. He managed to do ok during Sacrament meeting but primary was another story...he was drawing on himself, spitting water, throwing things...so we spent Primary making sure he didnt hurt anyone or break anything. After church we went out tracting and then the Matosiches had invited us and the elders over for dinner. So we went there and then we went to V's to do personal progress with her. We finished one of the values so we helped her pick a project for that which is exciting! She is so close to being all of the way done with Personal Progress!

 

This week while I was in Karlovac the Sisters met with A...he is still progressing slowly but surely. He still doesnt have a baptismal date (at least that he will tell us) but we are hoping to be able to commit him to one this week.

 

I also got to meet the O's this week. They are a couple who were baptized clear back when Krešimir Ćosić first brought the church here. They have been active since (as far as I know). Anyway...they lived in Utah (Kaysville actually) for a time and all of their kids live in America so they had been there since the first of December visiting their kids (they actually have one that just moved from Syracuse so they were there for a time). Anyway...they live here in Zadar but he has actually been called as a counselor to President Rowe so they are going to be traveling all over but they were here in Zadar for a time so I got to meet them which was fun because I have heard a lot about them. They are great!

 

Well...thats about all of my week here in Croatia. It was another good, crazy week! I love the work that I am doing and being able to help people...even though sometimes they dont want the help or dont realize they need it. Sometimes it gets frustrating/devastating when door after door is closed and people dont realize what they are closing the door on. But there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and the church is growing...slowly but surely. I love you all and am grateful for all of you! I love this Gospel and know that it is true. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, he is aware of me always and knows exactly what I need just as he does all of you.

 

I hope that you all have a great week!

 

Volim vas!

Sestra Clark

 

 

Shoutouts!

 

Emails...Dad, Mom, Carrie, Grandpa, Tyson, Allie, Al

Thank you thank you!

Pictures

 Friends at the Christmas party

 

 MTC Group at Christmas party

 

 A palm tree

 

 A mini palm tree

 

 Someone's doormat

 



 Beautiful Zadar

 

Zadar



Happy Monday‏

Happy Monday! I know I start all of my letters like this but I cant believe that Monday is here again. This week seemed to fly by super fast. It was a super crazy week but we are seeing so many great things happen and I love it!

 

Monday...We went to Plitvička for Pday...sent pictures last week and then we had a super crazy Monday night. We started off by going to J's. She had invited us and the Matosiches over for dinner. She is either from Italy or lived in Italy for a time so she made us lasagna and it was delicious! So we ate and then we had a lesson with her. N was crazy as usual. He was dancing and it was the craziest dancing I have ever seen and he was going non stop for at least 10 minutes. I finally pulled out the puzzles that the YW sent me awhile back and I did those with him...he loved it! We had competitions to see who could do them the fastest...he beat me every time...and he was so proud of himself. But...it kept his attention and kept his energy down long enough to be able to talk to J without being interupted.

 

We then met A at the church so that Sister Maxwell could say goodbye and then we went to the P's and did a family home evening with them which went well.

 

Tuesday was a long day. We woke up and caught a bus to Zagreb that left here at 8:30. We got to Zagreb at 12:15...dropped off Sister Maxwell and picked up Sister Burton and were on a bus back to Zadar at 12:30 which arrived at 4. So I pretty much spent most of the day on a bus. I was dreading it. I wont say that it was awesome but it wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be. When we got back we dropped Sister Burtons stuff off at our apartment, grabbed something to eat and were out and about for the night tracting.

 

Wednesday morning we met the Matosiches and went with them to a meeting that they had at a school because they needed someone to translate. The humanitarian couple was there as well because they are helping the school out with something. It is a school that takes in kids from dysfunctional homes. After the meeting we went out visiting former investigators and then we had English. English class was good and then we went to A's. It was probably the best lesson that we have had with her. Usually she gets super distracted and we have a hard time keeping her focused on the lesson. But we were able to read a chapter with her in the Book of Mormon and talk to her about what it means to endure to the end and the importance of coming to church...and she came to church on Sunday!

 

Thursday...we started off the morning meeting with L. We had a really good lesson with her. She doesnt see the need for baptism or the need to go to church. Our plan was to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ but the second we said something about baptism she kind of freaked out. She has some interesting opinions on life, etc. We talked about faith with her and what it means to have faith. We also talked about the Atonement and how we can find peace and purpose in life through the Atonement. We then talked about how Heavenly Father has a plan for her and that she can find out what that plan is. She was very excited about that and told us that she would go home and pray to find out what her next step in life needs to be. We know that she will see the need for baptism and the need to come to church she just is having a hard time realizing it.

 

After L we went to visit S. We had planned on reading 1 Nephi 8 with her and talking about the tree of life and about how important it is to share the Gospel with those around us, especially our families. We got to her house and before we were even able to start talking she started talking about her family and how she wishes those in her family who arent members would realize how important the gospel is. It was exactly what we wanted to talk to her about. So we read the chapter and discussed how she can better get her family to "taste of the fruit". We went out and did some checking up on former investigators and we also had weekly planning on Thursday.

 

Friday...in the morning we went out checking on former investigators and then we had a lesson with S. It was a great lesson! We felt like we needed to teach him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We drew a diagram on the board that was a path leading to Heaven and the gate of baptism. We showed how there are steps that we need to take in life and we can only make it so far before we can get baptized. We discussed the importance of each step and talked about how they have to come in order. We also talked about how his wife and son have opened the gate and are waiting for him to do the same. He told us that he was really pleased with the lesson and liked that we had drawn it out for him and really helped him to understand it. It was probably the best, most powerful lesson that we have had with him. He still wouldnt commit to baptism but he is getting closer!

 

After we had a plan to stay at the church and make some phone calls and go through our potentials and such. But...the Elders were at the church. And we cant be at the church with the Elders so we ended up going out and checking up on some of these people instead. We went straight to a formers house named L. Sister Maxwell and I had tried to get in contact with her several times but she was never home. Right when we got to her house she was walking out the door leaving. We were able to talk to her and set up an appointment with her. If we wouldnt have left the church right when we did we would have missed her.

 

Friday night we also had a lesson with V which turned into a P family lesson.

 

Saturday...we started out the day meeting with L. She had just read the tree of life in the Book of Mormon and was really confused by it so we explained that to her. It was good except for the fact that she brought her daughter who was complaining of boredom the whole time.

 

We then went back to L's. She was home and let us in! She had met with missionaries before but it was just one time and then something happened and they lost contact. She was very happy to see us and we taught her a first lesson which went really well and she invited us to come back next week to teach her more!

 

We had English on Saturday night which was another good English class. We have more than double the amount of students that we had when I first got here to Zadar! Its exciting! After we cleaned the church and then we went out tracting.

 

Sunday...We had a good church. We actually had more than 2 people when we started Sacrament Meeting. It was probably the most people that have been at church since I have been here in Zadar. Sacrament meeting was good and so was Sunday School and then we had primary with L. We talked about the creation and then we drew pictures of what things would look like if we created a world.

 

After church there was a downpour of rain that we werent expecting...luckily the Matosiches were nice enough to give us a ride home. We got home and ate and it was still pouring rain so we decided to make phone calls from the area book. We had so much success with it that we did it for longer than we were planning on. We got 2 for sure appointments for this week and 5 or 6 temporary appointments...that was all in 2 hours of phone calling! So we are really excited for that!

 

We then went over to V's to do Personal Progress with her. It went really well and she got quite a few finished. And then we went to visit D. We had called her earlier to tell her we missed her at church and that we were thinking about her and she told us to come see her...so we did. Sister Burton was in heaven because she loves cats. And luckily for me that kept them all away from me! We had a good lesson with her and her daughter D actually sat in with us for part of the time.

 

Anyway...it was another good week here in Zadar and I am excited for this upcoming week and for all the new people that we are going to be meeting with. We have so many investigators right now that we are working with and that the Elders are working with and one of these days there is just going to be a flood of baptisms here in Zadar...I can feel it!

 

The past couple weeks the mission has been putting a huge emphasis on being 100% obedient. Of course, that is always a goal but they have been putting extra emphasis on it lately. And not only on the big things...we dont have a problem with those...but the little things...such as exercising for a full 30 minutes, crossing only at crosswalks, and following every little detail in the white handbook even the little things that sometimes get looked over. So we have been trying really hard to be 100% obedient in everything...even if it means walking extra to get to a crosswalk only to cross the street and come back down on one lane roads. It has caused us to kind of map out our walking paths and decide which way we need to go and the most efficient way to get to a place using crosswalks. Sometimes it is difficult because the roads are so narrow that you can cross the street in 2 steps. But as we have focused on being obedient in even the little things we have already seen miracles and they will continue to come!

 

I hope that you all have a great week. Remember that I love you all!

 

Volim vas!

Sestra Clark

 

Shoutouts!

 

Thanks for the emails from Dad, Mom, Carrie, Grandpa, Jordan, Tyson, Alexa, Justin (This might be the first week that I got an email from all of my siblings in the same week...good job!)

 

Also...on my quick trip to Zagreb I managed to get ahold of the mail. So I got a couple letters from Dad as well as one from Mom. So thanks for those! It also had the ones from the ward...and due to the fact that I dont have all of their addresses and I dont have time I wont be able to write them all back...so put a shoutout thanks for those in the next ward newsletter. Thanks!

Love you all!

Lots of Pictures Today!

Some of the people Sister Clark loves!

Playing minute to win it and visiting with them

 

Visited Pitvicka Waterfalls on Pday - it was all frozen!

Kresimir Cosic Mural

Wet feet get blisters



Happy Groundhog day...

Apparently it is ground hog day...I didnt know that but several people emailed me about it. :) Anyway...it sounds like you have all had a great week. And I cant believe that you got a dog...that was definitely a shock to me but apparently the big news around there. This week was good here as well.

Monday...Monday night we went over and saw Doris and Debora. We had a good lesson with them...cats and all. We decided to in a way reteach all of the missionary lessons with them so we started from the beginning and taught the Restoration. After we went to Viktorijas and did Personal Progress with her. We worked on one from Virtue that had us read Alma 5 and talked about preparing for the temple.

 

Tuesday...we spent the morning out trying to contact former investigators. One of them, Ana, was home and let us in. She is an older woman that it looks like was taught about 3 years ago. She was very excited to see us. We kind of got a feel for what she knew about the church and what she remembered from past missionaries. She told us that we could come back...we are still unsure if it is because she really wants to learn about the church or because she is old and lonely. So we will see how that goes. We had district meeting after and then went and found more formers.

 

Tuesday night we had a lesson with Eva. She is the referral from one of my investigators in Osijek. We had a really good lesson with her! She let us pray but wouldnt participate in it. We taught her the first lesson and focused on how God is our Loving Heavenly Father. We asked her what she thought about it and she told us I still dont belive in God but if He really is how you described Him it would be nice. We talked to her about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon and committed her to read it!

 

Wednesday...we started off the day with a lesson with Antonijo. We had Sister Matosich on the lesson with us which turned out to be great. We talked to Antonijo more about what it means to have a testimony and how we can gain a testimony. Sister Matosich shared her experience with gaining a testimony for herself for the first time. We talked to Antonijo about how he can gain a spiritual witness and that he knows how to do it...through prayer. We challenged him to pray about a date for baptism and then for this week when we start meeting with him to have that date to start working for it.

 

We then went to Ankas. Our intention was to go and teach her a lesson but we got there and she had made us lunch. So we ate lunch (apparently she does this every time we had just never had it happened before because every time we have eaten there before she invited us over for lunch) and then we taught her a lesson. We found a talk in the Liahona that is called Enduring Well. Sister Maxwell and I both read it and loved it and decided it was what Anka needed. It talks about how we get all sorts of "bad bounces" in life and that we cant choose them but we need to keep swimming through them. It doesnt matter what we have to deal with in life it is how we deal with it and what we become of it that matters.

 

We had branch council which was good and then we had English. We had a good English class and for our spiritual thought we decided to have a discussion about our role models. So we asked everyone who their role model was and then we ended with talking about how Christ should be the role model for all of us. We talked about the atonement and all that he has done and suffered for us. The spirit that was in the room was undeniable. We had one English student that was crying...it was pretty amazing!

 

Thursday morning we had to do a super good clean of our apartment because we had cleaning checks the next day. We then did weekly planning which was good...sometimes I have a hard time staying focused during weekly planning...3 hours is a long time sitting in the same spot...but Im getting better! We went out tracting after and then we had a lesson with Branka. We actually shared the same lesson that we had with Anka. Branka is a rock. She has been through so much in her life especially recently and has stayed strong and faithful through it all!

 

Friday morning the Matosiches came over for our cleaning check. Elder Matosiches comment was "Your apartment is the cleanest I have ever seen it but I would never live here". Thanks. I didnt think it was that bad. We then met with Liz. We talked to her about the Apostasy and why there was a need for the Restoration and we went into greater detail on the Plan of Salvation. She notices a difference when she is around us and has told us that she has been noticing feeling the Spirit more recently. At the end she prayed and it was the first time that she would pray in front of us. It was amazing! It was straight from her heart. We are seeing changes in her everytime we meet with her!

 

Friday we also got transfer calls...usually we get them Friday morning but we didnt get them until after 5...so it was kind of a stressful day. But...I will be staying here in Zadar another transfer. My companion is heading off to Tuzla for her last transfer and Sister Burton will be coming here to be with me which I am so excited about. This will be her last transfer and she has been in the office for the past 6 months so she is ready to work! I dont know her super well but I have heard she is a powerful missionary! Elder Uhlig will be staying here and training and Elder Proud is actually heading to Osijek. I am really excited for this next transfer!

 

Friday night we had Aktivnost which was a hit. We had a huge turnout and everyone had a blast. We played minute to win it games and other random games and then had banana splits. Anyway...it was great!

 

Saturday...we started off with a lesson with Liz...but she brought her daughter Zoe...which we decided we need to make sure doesnt happen again.  Zoe is 11 and doesnt want to sit and talk about the Gospel. She wants to play games and color pictures and interrupts us every 2 minutes. But we still had a fairly good discussion with Liz.

 

Saturday night we had English and it was another good English class and then we cleaned the church. All the missionaries and members are supposed to come help but for the past 3 weeks it has just been the 2 of us.

 

Sunday...was church which was good. We were a little worried about testimony meeting because when we started church we had 2 members and 3 investigators there. But they gradually filled in and we managed to make it last the entire time. We had a good testimony meeting and sunday school was good. Liz and Zoe showed up for the last hour for primary...they always seem to come for Primary and wont come for Sacrament Meeting...but we had a good primary lesson with them and will work on getting them to come to the rest.

 

We went home so that Sister Maxwell could get started on packing and then we went to have a lesson with Viktorija...but she wasnt home. But her Dad Ladislav was. He tried to get us to stay but because we cant be alone with men Sister Maxwell just said goodbye and read her favorite scripture to him. Sister Maxwell had some more people that she wanted to say bye to but we didnt have time to go visit all of them so she decided to just call them...problem...she cant speak Croatian. So...I called them all and pretended to be her and said goodbye to all of them for her. None of them noticed...at least they didnt say anything...they probably knew. We finished off the night with Desa and Lidija which was a bit disappointing...each week we have seen them deteriorate and lose more and more hope. They have a lot of hard things going on right now that all seem to be hitting them at the same time. We had a really good lesson with them but at the end they asked us not to come back. They said that now is not a good time and it is too hard for them with so many of us coming and going. They said they have the Book of Mormon and will continue to read it and when life gets a little less crazy they will let us come again. It just breaks my heart because right now is when they need the Gospel in their life more than ever but they dont realize it.

 

This week was a good week...we had a few disappointments but we also had some good things happen. The weather here has been super rainy but also super windy.  Umbrellas seem to hate me...I have seriously broken 3 this week...Im not joking. They were just cheap o ones because it always starting raining throughout the day and I didnt have my umbrella I brought so I would just grab one from the church.

 

Life is great here in Zadar! I love being a missionary and I love teaching and helping people. It is so rewarding when you see people start to get it and start to make changes in their life. I love this Gospel and I love you all. I hope that you have a great week!

 

Volim vas!

Sestra Clark

 

Shoutouts!

 

Emails form Mom, Dad, Carrie, Grandpa, Lex, Tys

Sretan Rođendan Justin!