12/16/13 Letter

Hello,

Winter weather is coming... so i guess they knew the Texan can’t handle the cold so i am getting transferred to the sea. I am moving to Rijeka on Thursday.
It is about 2 hours away but has 20 members and the missionaries are really quiet so i think i am going lighten up the party!  i am excited to be going to the sea, but my heart will always stay in varaždin. Thought my companion, sister Mortensen, was leaving 100% so before the transfer call we planned in our  weekly planning schedule all the things she wanted to do before she left... well my mouth dropped when i found out i was leaving! #shocked #neželim

#volimvaraždin#somanygoodthingsareabouttohappenhere!!! I even asked the AP (Assistants to our mission President) if they were joking with me.. #realtalk!  So now i have to pack all my stuff and i think i have like 80 pounds in each of my bags cause i bought a lot here...YIKES! So for Christmas i will be in a new place, with a new companion, and new members! So im really happy that i get to skype and talk to someone i know at Christmas!  

It was so hard my last Sunday and the branch president was not going to let me speak!!! We always have extra time in church but this Sunday the Branch President just keeps on talking and talking to fill time, but i said OH, NOT TODAY!  right before we sang the closing song i just got up from my seat and went to the stand and said sorry about it... and then said my goodbye!  Then tears started flowing ...oh boy, because i just love the people in this branch so much!  I read Matt 19:26 (mom your fave) saying with God all things are possible! I said we must never never forget that! Then we took pictures and this week i have a ton of people to see and before u know it, it will be Christmas!  I just don’t want to go cause, I opened this area and now we have like 8 progressing investigators and i could really see them getting baptized! I thought i was going to be here for that and now i am not!  With these people i have seen many miracles happen! 

One awesome story is about a woman who has two kids we are teaching English to!  She was very anti about even coming to English class because she knew nothing about us and then her friend just said come, it is free! So as we started teaching her she said "no i will NOT join your church, just to let u know “but now she is starting to ask us questions about our church and a week ago i gave her a first lesson and she was like wow you’re not that crazy of a religion! #surprise! Then on Saturday she just invited us to her house for her son’s birthday party where we had cake and sang together!!!!! (It was amazing.  the boy just turned 8!!! =)  and after that  I was bold and gave her the "come and join us talk." I was a little nervous, but yolo! So she said she would read it and we can talk about it on Tuesday Then i am going to give her a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and write her a note on the back of it!  We have found everyone through our English class! Then one of our new students who is the best said," ok well if u give me free English then u can teach me about your church.. i don’t believe in God, but maybe you can change that!!! You know that right! He is an awesome 30 year old!  Then The English teacher who we had a lesson with in the car said she wants to meet and talk more about the book of Mormon!!!! I can’t leave! I have too much stuff going on for me here!!!! 

Well, Then on Tuesday i went on my first exchange in Croatia to karlovac! We sang Christmas songs and then we taught at the high school about America.. Good thing i have my power point presentation from the last one i did!  cause the church is so new here we want to do anything to get our name out!   So that was way fun!

Well we have just had a blessed week with lots of lessons to teach as we don’t get home till 9:30 like everynight#webeworkingwomen!

Well hope all is well and everyone is having a great Christmas!

xoxox sestra Peterson