Hello hello! Well, another week has come and gone. And today we actually have access to a computer luckily! The weeks seem to be flying by especially since we have seemed to be doing a lot of traveling lately. My poor companion is brand new and we are going all over the place and are super busy. But she is doing well and adjusting well. This week was a good week!
Monday night after Pday we went out contacting for the night in the pouring rain. There were actually 5 days this week that it started raining unexpectedly and we were caught in the pouring rain without an umbrella...you think we would have learned but we didnt. We had an appointment scheduled that canceled on us at the last minute and because of the holiday we felt that tracting wasnt the best idea. So we contacted. It actually ended up going well. We had several good conversations with people and one man that said he would meet with the Elders. So we gave them his information so that they can work on that,
Tuesday...we had an exchange with the Banja Luka sisters. Due to us not having access to a car and a few other things it ended up that both my companion and I went to Banja Luka and we went on splits in Banja Luka for a few days. It was a little weird but ended up being really good. So we were up Tuesday morning and took a bus to Banja Luka. We got there right as they were having District Meeting so we joined them for part of their district meeting. We then emailed and the Banja Luka Sisters went out for a little bit and then we split up. My companion went with Sister Rankin and I went out with Sister Peterson. We did some contacting and visiting potential investigators. We talked to some really nice people and had some really good conversations. We scared a poor little girl who was probably 3 years old and we could hear her crying for a good five minutes after the door was shut...oops! We then had English class which was good and then I went out contacting with Sister Rankin for the night.
Wednesday morning we had a lesson with a woman named L. Her family lived in Salt Lake for a time and she visited them there and heard about the church. Im not sure exactly the whole story or how long ago that was but she was a recent referal from church headquarters that we went and had a lesson with. It was a really good lesson and she is so prepared for the Gospel! When we got there she asked us questions about the Book of Mormon and where it came from which lead perfectly to us teaching the first lesson. She talked about how she doesnt have anything to belong to and doesnt really know what to call herself so she is really searching. The lesson with her was really good and was really powerful. She asked some really good questions and told the Sisters they could come back because she is interested in learning more!
After I went out with Sister Peterson again and we went contacting and tracting. For some reason we were both super exhausted but we had a lot of fun and were laughing like crazy. We also had some really good conversations with people. One door we knocked on a woman opened the door and was so happy to see us and gave us big hugs...I have definitely never had anyone open the door and hug we before so that was an interesting experience. I loved contacting with Sister Peterson. She is full of energy...it is almost ridiculous how much energy she has 24/7 and she is a people person. It was just good.
Later that day we had a lesson with some members in Banja Luka. It was a mom and dad and their son. They were very nice and we talked to them about baptism and the covenant that it is and what it means to keep that covenant. Right as we were finishing the lesson there was a knock at the door and the Elders showed up. We definitely werent expecting that and it was really funny. We left shortly after they got there. That night I went with Sister Rankin and we did some contacting and passing out flyers for English.
It was fun being in Banja Luka for a few days and I really liked being able to switch off between 2 different missionaries and learn from both of them. We had a lot of fun together and got a lot accomplished in the two days that we were there.
Thursday morning we got up and caught a bus...sort of...back to Tuzla. We went to the bus station but when the bus pulled up it was not a bus but a 15 passenger van...good times! But it got us safely back to Tuzla...sort of...it dropped us off on the outskirts of Tuzla and we got to walk the rest of the way but either way we made it home. Driving through Bosnia is my favorite! It is so green and beautiful everywhere! We got home and went out and did some contacting just to get out and about for a little bit and then went home and did weekly planning and then went back out and did more contacting!
Friday...we started off with District Meeting. The Senior couple was out of town so we got to have district meeting in a cafe which is always interesting but it was still really good. We then had planned to go visit the two woman that we met last week but on the way there it started pouring rain and we had no umbrella. We realized we were still a good 10 minute walk from their apartment and didnt want to show up on their doorstep soaking wet so we jumped into the nearest apartment building that we could and decided to tract it. And it was great! We actually had a lot of great tracting this week and had really good conversations with people and found like legit potentials that I think will actually lead to somewhere. As our door approach we have started asking people what the 3 most important things to them are. Something they say can always be turned into something about the Gospel. It is a good starter that lets us lead into Gospel discussion rather than just jumping straight to it and we have had a lot more people actually talk to us since we have started doing that. Interesting fact, number one on every persons list no matter how old they are is health. Anyway...we talked to several really nice people in the building who we are hoping to go back to and they will let us talk to them more. But one of them imparticular was a woman named E. She had a baby that was no older than 6 months who was adorable. We had a really good conversation with her at the door and then she said I would really like to invite you in but my baby just woke up and I need to take care of her and my husband will be home in just a minute and I just finished making lunch so when can you come back. We set up an appointment to go back the first of this week so I am really excited for that!
Friday night we went and had a lesson with J. Our lesson with her went about as they usually do. Right now we are really trying to help her see the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and to get her started reading it everyday. But so far she still isnt doing it. We are trying to have spiritual experiences with her to help her have a greater desire to do it.
Saturday we went and cleaned the church and then we met with A. She told us that she will start doing personal progress with us which I am really excited about and I really think that it will help her a lot. And then we spent the rest of the night out tracting. And it was another really good night of tracting. No new investigators but I think this week we found a total of 7 legit potential investigators who I think will let us in and actually talk with us more! So I am really excited to go back and see them this week!
Sunday... Sunday. It was another Sunday. We had 7 people at church again...the missionaries and S who is a friend of the church. And it was fast Sunday so we all got to bear our testimonies and then the senior couple taught the Sunday School lesson with the help of the missionaries for translating. It was a really good meeting we just need to help people want to come to church! At this point there are only 6 members that still live in Tuzla. The others live in cities around Tuzla but most of them are more than an hour a way which makes it difficult for them to come but we are still struggling to get the members who do live here to come to church. We luckily have contact and are working with them but just like reading the Book of Mormon we are helping them to have spiritual experiences so that they have a desire to come to church. It just makes me so sad when no one comes. But we will get there...
After church we did some contacting and then we went to the Shepherds house to have coorelation meeting to plan Sacrament meetings for the next couple of weeks and then my companion and I needed to use their computer to do something for the training program. And then we did some more contacting.
Anyway...things are still moving slowly here in Tuzla but I feel as if we are finally starting to see some things start to happen. The members are still struggling and we are still working with them but we are starting to find people that we can start teaching. It might be slow but change is coming...I can feel it! I love the people here and I love the members! Things are going well with my companion and we are working really well together! We have zone conference tomorrow and then hopefully we will have a few weeks where we dont have to travel anywhere so that we can just hit the pavement here in Tuzla and start to make these changes happen faster!
I hope that you all have a great week! Love you lots!
Volim vas!
Sestra Clark
Shoutouts...
Emails...Dad, Mom, Carrie, Lex, Justin, Grandpa
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