Zdravo,
This week was all kinds of new. For pday we went and visited one of my favorite members, Djuli, in the hospital. She is on bed rest, she is 5 months pregnant, and wanted us to teach her friend that she was in the same room as. She was so bold with teaching her! We loved sitting there talking to all of them. We were talking about the fall of Adam and her friend was like oh but when my child is born and that is his first sin and the member was like no! Nope, lie. Do you think that he is really sinning by being born? And lots of other things we talked about. Random meeting with them, but we loved it. The Zagreb sisters are now teaching her friend (during hospital visiting hours).
Momcilo and prayer this week- praying in the name of Christ, praying from the heart, all of it! He really got it in our lesson Monday night. He gave such a good one. Cried.
On Wednesday I got out of the shower (I feel like all important calls on my mission come while I am in the shower) and President had called, we called back and he told me to pack alll everything up! So I packed and we went to the office, I got Sister Bradley and we did some more switching and running people places. That night we stayed at the mission home and then the next morning I was up at 5 to register for classes and we drove to BEOGRAD! Surprise there. Stayed one night there with Sister Barrett, the next morning Sister Lee and I drove a good 6? hours to Sarajevo. They just got a new apartment and it is nice, but more importantly I love the people here.
I feel like I just got transferred to another mission again. Go from teaching Catholics to teaching Orthodoxs (sp) to teaching Catholics, to teaching Muslims! They are such, such kind people. Really I feel like I am in a different mission. Talking about holy books, covenants, messengers from God. There are mosques, catholic churchs, and call to prayer in Arabic every morning, throughout the day, and night! You can hear it pretty well almost anywhere you are. The people here are SO NICE though. I have never, never had so many people actually talk to me!!!!!!
Other things from this week:
ate canned meat sauce (pashteta)
was in the car for a total of 18 hours
no one says amen at the end of prayers.. because we say them in the name of Christ
had a dinner with one of the leaders of the Muslim community here and he showed us his mosque in his house
sister lee told me world war one started here, interesting city
gave a talk in english in church on the spot? because only one embassy family and one other american family were at church, and all six missionaries and one member who insisted I do it in English. very very strange. So one local was at church this week. But, it is a branch here! not a twig!
Got to skype teach an investigator in kosovo, while in beograd
THE INTERNET is the driving force in my mission right now! we are seeing miracles!!!
Copied and pasted:
We also got to see the impact of technology in missionary work this week. The missionaries in Kranj received a media referral about a woman in their area. They contact and meet this woman and find she has already read the Book of Mormon and is praying. Several weeks prior she had started playing a computer game with a man from Australia. His game name (striplingwarrior) and several other things raised questions for this woman that led to gospel discussion. This member sends her a Slovene Book of Mormon and tells her to read and pray about it. She reads it cover to cover in 3 weeks and then started offering kneeling prayers. The missionaries are now in contact with her and are helping her progress towards baptism. She also is married and has two children that will be coming with her to church this next Sunday.
Also, one really really cool story involving me. I was asked to make a document of all the internet success stories.
In August 2014, a woman named K messaged a sister in the ANM, “Jill, I am not sure if your mission allows the use of social media or not but I see you are serving in a mission that covers Serbia. I have a friend who lives in Čačak, Serbia. I met her when she was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Does your mission cover her area?”
Čačak was opened as a group on October 11, 2015. On November 6, 2015 this same sister had been called to help manage Facebook and websites for the mission. She saw the message and replied, “Hi Kayla! Good news, we just opened up a group in Cacak and we have two full-time Elders newly assigned there. Are you still in contact with your friend?” It was the Lordćs plan that she saw the message when she did, more than a year later, when there was a newly opened group there and Elders assigned to teach!
After more discussion, Kayla replied, “I have been messaging her (Jelena). This was her reply when I asked if the missionaries could come by.: ‘that is so nice...i am so proud and happy that they are here....i will go to our church and ask for them, i would like to meet them and talk...... really great’ “
She explained to Jelena what Church the missionaries were from. She asked for her number and said she seemed open for a visit. Jelena’s number was given to the Elders in Čačak, and they had a first lesson with her on November 18. When Elders Ewell and Matthews called her she said she wanted to meet the next day. An hour before the appointment, she called and wanted to be sure they would come! She knew nothing about the Church, except that her friend she had met on the cruise was a Mormon. The Elders had a first lesson with her, she accepted a Book of Mormon. She asked about what the Church is like in Čačak and the worship service, she said she would like to come.
More interesting things I can tell you when I get home.
I love being a missionary. I love serving with Sister Lee! She came out the group after me, she is super sweet. From Idaho.
I was studying this week about Jerusalem, when Jeremiah and Lehi prophesied that it would be destroyed. I was thinking about the modern-day warnings we received from prophets. Do we listen to all the counsel we are given? Or do we shrug it off and say it is not for us.. R-rated movies, modesty, internet usage, video gaming, word of wisdom, DAILY scripture study, prayer. We are all guilty in one way or another of not heeding to some counsel, but the best question to ask is how I can I change so I can do better tomorrow?
Sarajevo- apparently nicknamed the city of stars because that's what all the houses on the hills look like
walls across from our apartment..
