Srećan Božić = happy Christmas

I'm gonna make this as fast as I can we have a lot of P day plans and I will talk to you on the 25th! Lots of pday plans meaning I took out some dollar from my account and Sister Konietz likes to shop and so do I so we are going to buy ourselves Christmas (THEY HAVE THE BEST DRESSES HERE)

Monday: We played basketball with the Elders (no contact basketball is just as awkward as you can imagine it) and Sister Konietz and I dyed our hair. Mine is not a huge difference but hers is very dark brown. I donno why we did this, but it is done! We taught a family home evening to an embassy family, I gave an object lesson with salt and pepper and how through Christ, even thought it seems impossible, we can be completely clean.

Tuesday: We have been visiting those who (whom?) we haven't seen at church in a while and inviting them back and visiting them. We ended up just finding a lot of cats and wrong addresses. I will share the Elder's short experience: they contacted someone on the street, obviously in Serbian, and the guy says back to them in perfect English, "Wait, so you guys are like real latter-day saints?" They say, "Yes...?" And the guy raises his fist to the air and yells, "Joseph Smith, yeahhh!!" Then walks away and says "Have a good day boys." You know Joseph Smith's history how it says:
 33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.

Well, that is so true. Even if people say John Smith, Joshua Smith, Joe Samuel, they know him. Joseph Smith restored the gospel of JESUS CHRIST to the earth, we can forever praise both of their names!

There were a lot of cops everywhere, I asked someone about it, apparently the Chinese President was here?

Wednesday: We had a really, really long day. After Sister K taught her German class (I just sit in the back and study Serbian!) we remembered we hadn't eaten since like 10am (it was 7pm) so we went to KFC- never been before- and it was like the cleanest building I have seen my whole mission! It was so delicious! So we're sitting there and hear these two girls our age speaking English behind us, I turned around and was like hey I'm a native speaker can I help you? And we talked for a long long time with them! Tender mercies. I will keep you updated.

Thurs: The most exciting thing I can really say is that we got in bed at 9:30, get a call at about 11 saying there was a very minor car accident picking up the Montenegro Elders from the airport and travel plans for the next morning had changed to get to the Christmas concert, well we could not sleep after that so we ordered a pizza and talked. Not the most obedient thing I've done on my mission, but I think we both needed it for sanity's sake! Sister Konietz was supposed to go home the end of January but she is extending until February and going to serve in Slovenia!

Friday STARTED AT 3:30AM, I got out of the shower (usually a shower wakes you up) and was still so so tired. The senior couples and so many missionaries in mission cars and rented vans drove to Zagreb. I slept most of the way, we had the CHRISTMAS MISSION CONFERENCE. It was great, a little stressful from so much travel but President and Sister Grant gave great remarks and we took some pictures and sang and it was a time of peace and reflection on the savior. Some of my old MTC companions got me gifts: including a potato and a Muslim prayer hat and a stress ball and much more. It was great though! 

President Grant announces that one of the traditions he heard in Croatia was to have 2 big roasts pigs, so he ordered two and had them arrive at the church in a taxi! Bahahaha. So they carved it and we had a huge feast.

Saturday: More Misionarski rad (missionary work) and lots of it. Contacting, tracting, finding. 

Sunday: We translated for sacrament meeting and taught primary again in two languages and that night Skyped a family we have been teaching who are from Serbia but live in France and were baptized there so we are reteaching them some of the lessons.

LOVE YOU ALL
MERRY CHRISTMAS. It's not super Christmas-y here because Orthodox Christmas is on January 7th.

Christ is our reason to rejoice! 

Sister Richardson

PS Family: make a list of things to ask me or you wanna talk about when we skype! I have no idea I will just talk for an hour straight!

pictures: pig heads, riding the bus sister k took this of me, and Sister Kropushek (to my right) trained me, I trained sister durfee, and now she is training!