Dear loves,
We just cut and ate a musk melon. I don't even know, but every food is here somehow so delicious. I love this place. Grocery shopping is a good time. The dairy is really different too, but in my opinion, better. Maybe Grandpa Gary can explain this further to me.
So, we did not find the nun again. We did however, go look for her at Trsat and around that area. I went in my first Catholic cathedral. For last week on P day we went to Opatija and ate ice cream and went on a semi submarine and walked around and saw some half dressed people on the shores.. I wanted to jump in the water. Nothing new there. It's so blue and beautiful!
We went to zone conference in Zagreb. Some great emphasis on finding through family history was talked about. I LOVE FAMILY HISTORY. I wish we had iPads already.. one really old and slow computer in the clerks office is not really enough to teach an English class. But life goes on. I loved the conference. Ses K and I rode in the car with the Maedas. They are the senior couple that is serving in Rijeka. Super nice. From Hawaii. I love them! So I slept the whole way there and the whole 2 hours back. You don't realize how tired you are until you get in a car and have the chance to sleep! Three members from our branch are going on the temple trip this week to Frankfurt. We are super excited for them.
WE GOT LET IN TRACTING. It was a Sunday miracle! We went to a really nice area and talked to a Filipino woman named Alma and another super nice woman who let us in! She and her mom did! We had the first lesson with her, told her how we are God's children, He is our Heavenly Father. She was so so so nice. We got a return appointment too and left a Book of Mormon! That was my first time ever getting let in. And Sister Kropušek's second time. She gave us water-- hallelujah because it was super hot yesterday. We left her with a Book of Mormon! She had lots of good questions- really interested in why we were sharing a message and if we were allowed to have husbands and if our dads had beards and if we believed in Mary Magdelene. We explained how we are only here for a year and a half then we go back home and we go to school and get married to one man and have families and such. I am really excited to talk with her more.
A letter came for me one day from the MUP- the police station. We spend soooooo much time there. We joke that it should be one of our key indicators. This week I got a letter and we started translating it and it said "to lock up" in part of it so we had to go pay a fee. We just try and be as legal as we can! We also got juice one morning with a former investigator because she had a referral for us and so that was good. Only 13 people at church yesterday. The summer is hit and miss, lots of people on vacation. If any of you are still reading this email reply with the word potato. I am curious. Lots of you also asked how my language skills are. Sometimes in the moment I can't respond when people talk to me.. like when you get off a bus and a woman yells at you because the way you have your bag around your shoulder someone could steal it and so in the heat of the moment I am scared and just understand nothing.. but usually, yes. When Croatians feel a strong emotion (happy, sad, angry) they talk louder and faster. This makes if difficult for me! But I feel like I can speak, yes. I can talk all day! I can testify! Haha it is just a matter of remembering all the grammar and such all in one. So I can say a lot, but it's not usually correct.
We were sitting on a bench and two bakas (grandmothers) came and were waiting for a bus too so I offered to let them sit and they said no no no we can all sit together! So the four of us squished on this bus and I said so we are new here what is a good place to eat! And they just laughed and laughed and were so amused! Just like please picture us all squished on a bench together and two inches apart from this woman and she asks me where we are from and I said oh well America! She laughed soooo hard. She put her arm around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and said beautiful American girl beautiful girl! I told them we were here as missionaries for our church. I asked if they believed in Jesus and they said no and I said well we believe that families will be together forever! They just laughed and laughed and were trying to figure out why we were there! I told her again that we were missionaries and we teach about Jesus. They were so sweet. They told us we were too young to be there but thank you so much for coming! They just laughed and laughed and told us we were beautiful and we were like well we teach an English class! So hopefully they come. This is usually how contacting goes. Also somehow we contacted an excommunicated member in the street this week..
I read Elder Holland's talk from last conference, about how people a disciple of Christ has never been, and will never be easy. I know this to be true, but I know that GOD IS ON OUR SIDE! Because this is His church, Jesus Christ is His son, and we can have the Holy Ghost with us ever day. I love and pray for you.
Love,
Sestra Richardson
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