Exchange in Novi Sad

Hola,

This week we visited Čačak. The family of 6 there (not sure how they even got baptized, I wish I did) but they will not even let us sit down at their table until they have paid their tithing in full. They wanted to be sure that they were squared and settled in manners concerning the Lord. They own a lot of goats and chickens and a cat and a dog and he really wants to (the father) be self sufficient on his farm. They killed a chicken just for us to feed that day. They hold sacrament meeting on their own and are SO FAITHFUL. We went there with the Morgans, the senior couple. Man, I just took a step back and was like wow. THEY JUST GIVE SO MUCH. They scrimp and save and are saving to go to the temple and get sealed as a family in Frankfurt in April. There are just some amazing people on this earth, so good. The dad kept saying I look like his best friend's daughter and the mom and I made jokes about how we are so good at cooking because we both just using instant potatoes. (even the instant potatoes are better here) but I translated for them and the senior couple and I too spoke for 5 hours straight- our whole visit. Then we visited one more member in that city. So at some point the word "pattern" came up, I sat there for like 8 seconds, and the word just came to me (in Serbian) - uzorak. It was crazy. I do not in any way profess to be good at the language, but God gives us what we need! I always pray before I translate that I can convey to both parties what they are trying to say.

We returned to an appointment made from tracting and the lady opened her door and the dog ran out and then she said she was no longer interested and the dog just disappeared- it ran into her neighbor's apartment. Hahahahahhaa. He just opened the door and it ran in there. It was so weird. I hope you find these things funny that are so random that I tell you! 

The zone leaders here just decided they wanted to look more Serbian so on P day, the day before zone conference we dyed their hair dark brown/black. It was, interesting. Then they went and got it cut after. Hm..

So we had zone conference. Sister Konietz and I gave a presentation about how the restoration is the most important message we have to the world and so important! We have the church of Jesus Christ on the earth- the same on He Himself established. Somehow I am one of the older sisters now in the mission. It's so weird, I feel like I just got here! After that I went to Novi Sad on exchange, that night after we taught English class there we went to an investigator's house. We knock on her door, she lets us in and there are like 30 people all crammed into her house- she brings us fish soup, fish stuffed with rice, fried fish, grilled fish, fish with bread. Oh and some kind of fish you slurp off the bone. Did I mention I don't really enjoy fish? Haha. So then her whole family was there and we go in and just sit and everyone tries to speak English with us and tell us to marry their sons and (I laughed) and was like haha.. maybe after my mission! But we did talk to an aunt at the end of the table and share a Book of Mormon with her in the midst of them trying to give us rokija (some kind of alcohol, I dont even know the english word) and just laughing that all we wanted to drink was juice! They thought we were so sweet that we wouldnt touch the alcohol. You know in Peter it talks about: 1 Peter 2: 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. So yes, we might be a peculiar people! It may seem, but God is unchanging even when it might seem like we are strange to the world. 

We taught a few family history lessons to members this week, it's really cool to see the spirit of Elijah in the hearts of so many people!

We were in a taxi going to an unveiling art exhibit thing of one of our investigators and the driver  was talking about he had three sons and sister konietz went to say "that's great" in english really loud just as he said that he was divorced and I said "baš mi je žao" (im so sorry) the same time as she said that's great and just right after he said he was divorced. It was so so uncomfortable. Then he gave us a card for his massage parlor. The awkward moments of a missionary. 

LOVE YALL

pics: exchange in Novi Sad this week with Sister Powell, an orthodox temple in Beograd