6/22 Letter

We reached our goal from president row 

502!!! This week was full of miracles. One of which was the achievement of our goal of 500 people in church with 502 people who attended church services in our mission yesterday! This truly is a perfect example of the Lord's hand in our work. 

Robbi love his family only he boys are members
we are working with the mom and her cousin!

What a wonderful accomplishment!  We know the great faith and effort that went in to inviting and helping so many come unto Christ by participating with us in our church worship. I know Our Heavenly Father is grateful and pleased, and that He made this wonderful miracle come about.  Three years ago at this time, about 300 people attended church in our mission. 

Birthday Time!

21 "FEELING OLDER AS DIRT!" 

(THAT WAS JUST FOR U MOM!)

 NOT GOING TO LIE I THINK I HAVE THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER IT WAS AMAZING! YOU KNOW WHEN YOU A MISSIONARY WHEN ALL U WANT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE TO COME TO CHURCH HA HA! 

And it happened!!! So lets just start with my birthday!!!

I'm like my mother and never go to bed. So my amazing companion woke up at 5:00am. (Well really like 3 times during the middle of the night cause she was so excited to decorate the place for me and so nervous she would not wake up to get everything ready!!!) She was amazing it was perfect as she made palićinke (it was really good cause the day before was her first time making and well lets just say she learned quick cause the ones on my birthday were edible ha ha)  Sh also made pink juice and decorated the house  with the stuff my mom gave me! Then I just talked about how my mom is the best mother ever and hides presents- so she hid the presents mom gave me!  

Then we sang in church with  a less active who we have been working with who is now active!!! and my birthday wish was to have 35 people come for sacrament (was our goal for the week!) We had 45 PEOPLE THERE! (we had 1 less actives as it was the first time she has come to church since i came here!) (One time we had 16 visitors and one who just got off this mission from France and know Caitlin B.) So we talked about here and  the France mission and how its like 150 people in a ward. (Everyone GAVE ME STUFF FOR MY BIRTHDAY!! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL THEY ALL GAVE ME CHOCOLATE!) 

The amazing thing was that antonija (who has been in the hospital and has to go back with her son) and her family the whole family came to church for a big surprise for me!!!!  I started to tear up cause it was the best thing in my life to see this family there. It just got better as Ivan gave antonija and her husband a blessing. Dragan, her husband, has never had a blessing- and we really felt that her need it so he was like scared at first but you could tell he was totally different after the blessing and he really felt something. it was filled with peace. to there though blessing and talking about there baptism was the best birthday gift to me. The spirit was so strong in the room. I'm know and Aunt (Teka Peterson) to her kids cause they are truly part of my  family now! then it only got better As Dolores, like my sister, here (she cant wait to meet our family when we come back to my mission) made me a cake which

  was perfect! We had a birthday party after church as we played games with everyone! i love small branches cause it's a party after church and everyone truly is all family. They don't want to leave the church and go out to the real world where things are so sad. The light of church on these apt church builds are so Strong in the places as everyone just feel the light of church. its truly amazing and a just so different then in America!  After the birthday party we had a lesson that well was OK. 

Then my little "brothers" Robi and Angelo made me dinner and then pushed me out the door after 20 min and said you have to go bye have a good day!

Then my AMAZING WONDERFUL DISTRICT PUT TOGETHER THE BEST BIRTHDAY SURPRISE PARTY FOR ME!!!  THE PLANNED IT FOR LIKE A WEEK AND I HAD NOW CLUE! 

So they called up our famous investigator (there pro soccer player for the city) 

(i went up to them and  told the guy i liked this pants cause they were orange he was looking fly!) They turned into our  investigators form Nigeria! They planed a surprise party for them at the senior couples and so the boys Robbi (you met him on Skye my little brother,) was life pushing me out the door saying you have to go leave the house we were going contacting at. We met them on the way and Ajayi  was like  um going to surprise u at your senior couples place ahhaa!

So it wasn't a surprise how they wanted but it still was a huge surprise for me! and i have been talking how i miss stake dinners with mash pataose and salad how we have every Sunday my great comp told the Senior to make that but they don't have stake but  they did the best they could and it was amazing!  then Ajayi says we have a gift for u and

Birthday fun!!!!21 baby!!! A signed jersey From rijeka soccer team,
The city team aka the best team in  the country!
The best gift ever from our pro soccer player/ investigator!

he pulls out his Jersey and give it to me and says all the players on the team singed it for u and wish you a happy birthday!!!  i have  just been saying to my companion and i just want Ajayi to give me his Jersey cause that the best souvenir ever for the mission! 

THE ELDERS AND MY COMP MADE IT COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  EVERYTHING I COULD WANT FOR MY BIRTHDAY I GOT! I FELT SO LOVED AND BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS A PERFECT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE ELDERS AND MY COMP PLANED SO MUCH FOR ME!  WOW I HAVE NO WORDS! WOW!!  so YESTERDAY WAS FULL OF BLESSINGS AND SURPRISES AND TODAY WAS ALSO FILED WITH MORE AS PRESIDENT CALLED US AGAIN! 

He said with in the last 24 hours we having a min transfer and that he has had this strong prompting that my companion need to go to osijek!!! what!!!! we were shocked!!!!

cause we heard he made calls yesterday and they were done with but then today surprise!  he basically told me i was leaving next transfer (probably going to train again cause we have a tone of new sisters coming in and I'm one of the oldest) It would be good for Sister Chauncey and her mtc comp (who is in osijek,) to switch so be the leaders next transfer for these places!!!! ahhh its so crazy!!  

Things are perfect everything has to change, but that's how we grow and learn form other people. I have loved training sis c cause i have learned so much form and and about myself. I feel like I did have a "baby" as she has turned into to a teen ager! Everyone is like "wow" you talk to her for 3 min and you know who her trainer is ha ha. We were watching some videos and i said " Would your parents know you if they saw this video?" and she was like yeah, but I"m different now, because you've been my trainer."  
I'm sad to see my "baby" go. #godsplanisgreaterthenours 

6/13/14 Letter

Showing the way things are on the city streets.

 FEEL SO OLD!!!!!!!21 WOW  I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!  on fathers day (dad i sent a package up its not there yet)   But we were watching on cd the spoken word for the last fathers day when i was in the MTC and i just remember feeling so young watching this and as i was watching it this time i felt so  just changed, different like a mature 21 year old. I feel like these last months has really mellowed me out and i just feel older. i mean i guess that's mission life.

Our English Booth

Well we had so great things happen this week as we found 3 new investigators!!  we have not found new investigators in a long time to it was such a blessing!  we were tracking and this lady just had the biggest smile on there face and just let us in!! we had a great first lesson and we wants us to come back!  

Then I was at the bus stop and just said hit to someone  as i was getting one the bus( its so funny cause people don't say hi like unless they know you so when i say hi to a lot of people they just stop and stare at me haha) but this lady said hi and then on the bus she said I'm sorry i though

we were my pastors daughter haha! so hello perfect opportunity to talk about the gospel!  She was atheist but just converted to Christianity  and we met with her yesterday and we gave her a book of Mormon and she was like yea ill read it ill make y'all dinner and we can talk more about it!  ahhh she is so prepared!  

Then on last Monday our  Investigator is moving back to Italy so we spent the day with her family last P day and it was so fun!  And We gave her son A book of Mormon!  he Is so excited!  we had 5 less actives at church  but no investigators and the branch presidence so like no one was at church it was the lowest i have ever seen at church here in rijeka.  Everyone was sick or out of town=(  but we had like 14 this week so that was a great improvement from out last weeks.  I gave a talk on forgiveness and we sang in church! We have this friend, investigator that we are talking it really slow with like we talk about prayer then faith and as we were talking she said " so what are the differences between  your church and Catholics!  ahhh we have been waiting for this moment and at last it was here!!!  so we totally had a first lesson and she was like " well i have to actually read this book now! she was way interested it was so amazing!  it went from practicing Croatians lessons to a really good spiritually conversion where she really wanted to know!  

Sestra Mortenson surprised me at zone conference ... i almost cried when i say here!!!! 

Then my favorite person Dolores who husband is a member  is so amazing and we an amazing lesson about  families can be together forever  and how her family can be through temples here on earth! I miss the temple so much!  For all those who have temple recommends GO AND GO OFTEN!

I have missed it so much where i have been dreaming about it! Its the hardest thing when you are worth and cant go cause there is not one near, so please we are so lucky America so have one is like every state  use it. So many blessing come from it! I have just loved learning so many spiritually things one my mission and the spiritual grow i have seen in me and how truly we are given challenges in our life to model us for the responsibility the lord wants us to fulfill later on in life.

Then the world cup started and will imagine it like when the playoff  ex for the world cup! outside of the coffee shops they had all these  TV set up in center of town!  And on one of the TV was the spurs game!!! My day was made!  I was writing in my journal outside while the world cup was going and there were fire works  every time we made a scored so one time.

Well that's all for today! I'm not sure how I'm going to write next week cause I'm going on a week long exchange in  Sarajevo Bosnia!!! I'm so excited to go and see how different Bosnia is with everyone being Muslim everyone in the mission says it the prettiest and the craziest  how you just hear Muslim chants all day long! so I'm sooo excited! so ill be there not this week but next week for a week! this week I'm so sad cause i have my last interview with President Rowe=(

6/2/14 Letter

 As always the week is crazy and there are always memorable times that stick out on the mission hahaha, So i just don’t know where to start well. The work has been slow but our investigator said she wants to get baptized!!!!.... but--- not for a couple years ha! but she said she knows the book of Mormon is true but will tell us when she will be ready. So we are just really trying how to help her act and make that decision to come to Christ! 

Then the next day our other investigator is in an abusive relationship and is scared of her husband, so she will not tell him that she is meeting with us and said "i can never let  my family know cause I'm scared what they think and everything." We tried everything saying how we need not to fear man more than God but she will not. So we will always be there for her cause she needs the light and support that she said "she finds at the church but that's all" =( My heart just breaks for her because her doesn't have the faith that the lord can change people’s hearts cause the world is so wicked here=(  I feel like that’s all i hear that, "the people are so bad here and Croatia has no future there is no future for these people" and that is why they need the Gospel so badly in their lives here.  

Then we surprised Antonija and visited her but then we saw her drinking coffee and smoking= (She had a break down cause her husband went to the doctor cause his leg was hurting and the next day she had to go to the hospital with Fillip and her oldest son had to have an operation on his arm and they had to give away their dog they got for their blind son cause the land lord said so. this Family has the most struggles i have ever seen in my life! Between losing one twin after she was born and the other having so many surgeries on his brain etc. She just keeps on saying i can’t do this anymore i have no strength. I just don’t know what to say cause i tell her it’s going to get better but for her it has only gone downhill. I just keep saying " have faith don't give up, hold on, if you need to lean on  my faith  that  it will all be ok then do that." The family was uplifted and doing much better when we left then when we came.  

Then she gave us a referral so we went to see this woman. She let us in but the first thing she asked was..." do you have money for cigarettes." From that moment on i knew we were going to get nowhere with this but i said," NO  we don’t but we can give you something much more... Eternal life!"  Well that didn't work out so well   as she said" if you have no money to buy food then how do u live?  Why would god do this? “And we just kept talking about how this is only a short time of our life and a greater one to come, life goes on after death. After a while she said ENOUGH!  OUT OF MY HOUSE. Then clapped her hands for us to get out and pushed us out the door. I turned around to shake her hand and she slammed the door on me and almost smashed my hand in between the door. My poor companion.  She was mad cause she thought she could do something about it, I just said "you have to not take it personal (i just laughed cause i was like wow well only on the mission ahah) it’s not you they are rejecting but the savior, the man who died for them... and they still reject him, how great and merciful is our GOD AND OUR BROTHER JESUS.  THEY GIVE US LIFE AND HAPPINESS AND YES THERE ARE MANY TRIALS BUT THEY DON'T LAST LONGER Then  THE JOY HE GIVES US AND THE LITTLE BLESSING THAT WE SEE THROUGH OUT OUR LIVES.    

But then we had district conference where all Croatian gets together to listen to a 70 member

and it was way great! I loved seeing people from Varaždin (My first area)  and going up to members from all over Croatia and meeting them. People i didnt even know, remembered me as the girl who sang at the last district conference and were like ‘we have missed you” haha! Not going to lie, it was kind of nice to know i made a little difference in their life, even when I'm not serving in their area and telling me they want me to come to their area.  It was also my companion’s birthday,

so of course I decorated the house with sticy notes and Made her mickey mouse pancakes!  Then the senior couple had us over for a birthday dinner which was sooooo good!  Thank you all for your support and prayers! I'm excited for this week as we are trying to hit our goal of having the mission church attendance reach 500 people!  so that about every country has to so bring in about 100 people to reach our goal! well there is a first for everything so i hope we can reach it! Love yall so much!  

 the one and only 

Sestra PETERSON =)

Sestra PETERSON =)

5/26/14 Letter

Family and Friends!!! 

Summer time is here and will I'm really tempted to jump in the sea right now…  haha! This week had has its ups and down  and i  thought that Monday would never come but like all things they come.  well not going to lie this week was the slowest week of my life as lesson fell through  cause everyone is at the beach  tanning and partying balking style. so this week was CAN WE SAY FAIL!  so with that we had for like the first time in rijeka for us no investigators at church, but a less active came, and like only 2 people show up at aktivnost. So many weird things happened this week but lets hope things get better. so on Saturday we helped up at the college to prepare things to send over things for the victim in the flood and that was way great. we gave the college students our card and they said they wanted to come.  

So last night we had one lesson and then our other lesson couldn't meet so we went tracking and then we were walking a car drove by us and we looked at our arms and well they had spit on them, so someone spit on us ha. we were going to have ex comp study (if your training you have to do it) but when we walked inside the house at 830 and we both felt really bad about it so we said ok lets go tract one more building. well i being a little dramatic  in a funny way was like "shoot I'm asking people if they believe in god and now I'm questioning that too! then i knocked on this door with lots of flowers and an old woman came out and i said" where did u get these flowers i have been looking for them for a long time" just to start a conversation and the lady gave them to me!!!! shoot people GOD DOES EXIST AND HEARS OUR PRAYERS! IT JUST BRIGHTEN MY DAY!  

Well, always we had ten min to 9 and i said shoot lets just start from the top and do the whole building just to get it done. turns out at the top this door was open and these two 6 twins pop out and become our new best friends ha.  then we talk to these parents and well they didn't let us in  (people here more  have 30 convo outside there door here, or better just they dont even open the door but talk through the door so you can have a convo without even knowing who your talking to)  but we had a really good conversation and we just gave them a plan of salvation  pamphlet so we will stop by and see them again and hope for the best!  it was just nice to talk to someone and they were so nice =)  you always get a good thing at 9 oo always its so crazy! 

But i gained so great insight on some scriptures i read with week and i even had a dream that i was explain it in church.

I'm reading in Matthew and these verses really hit me:

 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, 

Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

These verses hit me because we always hear of just really peter walking on water and fell because he got detracted but no one really talks about these verses. if it be thou   Be of good cheer;it is I; be not afraid.  these phrase hit me because if  you truly know someone you know what there voice sounds like  and here peter questions if it be thou. 

Christ has not been with them for a few hours  and now when he come its like they don't know him they question if he is the Christ.  I thought to myself this is why we it is so important to read to scriptures every day and treasure up the words of Christ, cause if he call to us will we recognize his voice? or will we ?  it. then i thought of  peter how he was not sure if it was the savior and still he jumped out of the boat with questioning faith. if we have a little faith we can get somewhere so don't give us but the waves are going to be bigger  to help build your faith and make it stronger!  so study the scriptures get to know Christ our brother and trust in him and he will lead you home. 

xoxox

sestra peterson 

5/20/14 Letter

FAMILY=)

Don't worry we are safe and all the missionaries are safe in our countries.  the lord does watch over his servants. I love how the church is always the first to help as we helping anyway possible to protect the people and make sure everyone is safe and that's what is going on.    people are saying the fool is a good thing cause its bring the two countries that hate each other together and well some people say that Serbia deserves it.  i have never seen so much hate in my life for countries, but i think over all the countries are coming closer because of it.

so much has happened this week and i have learned so much .  this week has been one of the craziest weeks in the mission. sorry i didn't write the other day we went to two island to visit these  well the only two members in the island. to get to rijeka its about an hour and a half  and for the other its like two ours.  one island is called mali lošinj who only one 4o man lives and the other island called cres is this amazing  family lives there with this twin sons, one is severely severely handicapped. it was such a testimony builder to me how strong thy are and yet they as knew members don't have anyone testimonies to lean on but have to be rock solid from the beginning.  the father of the family wanted to give a German book of Mormon to this person cause he was like this book is not just a book but truly the world of god and its the only thing that  can bring peace to a humans soul.  just put yourself in these people shoes  all by yourself on and island would you have a strong testimony  or would you waver like the waves of the sea.  they maybe go to church once a year or twice cause they have to take the farie over to the main land.  how much do we talk for granted how blessed are we to live where there are members where people know about mormon or have heard about the church cause here they have no clue.  

SO SUNDAY we had our Nigerians pro soccer players over for home made apple pie and then we gave them a first lesson after we sang and played fuzzball (aka i am a beast at that game now). We taught two of them and they left with 4 book of Mormons! Some for their friends! They love the Lord and have read the whole bible and just got it. They also do Bible study- so they say if this is another testament like the Bible of Christ we will read it!!  Its so cool that I'm meeting people from all over the world here and have so many investigators from all over the world.  

i have learned so much this week about missionary work i feel like everything just clicked and i know how the people work her now and know what there needs are.... i mean it has only taken me a year to really feel like i truly know how to be effective. like  first people here don't really believe in god  no one has a relationship with him cause no one reads the bible and that is the way we get to know him, i  don't know have to describe it but it has been such an eye opener and I'm really trying to get out of the way and let the spirit and the Scriptures do the talking and not me.

We had a 3 investigators at church 1 less active and one visitor that we ast to come and she loved it! i and how great thou art in church with elder gram (he was in the mtc with me,...I'm getting old!! 

I'm so happy i am here and love my comp she is so great - Rijeka is the place to be! 

xoxox love y'all lots 

sestra peterson 

5/5/14 Letter

kako vam je bilo tijedan???

well my week was good and so fast! we found out that they a bumping transfers up a week so i will tell u if im staying or leaving. everyone thinks im leaving cause i have been here 5 months.. can u believe that!!! 5 months but it only feels like 3  wow time is going so fast. i think if i get moved im going out of Croatia but then i still feel like a have a ton of work to do in rijeka so we will see.  So something way cool happened this week!  it was Saturday night and we had two hours left of the night and was like shoot im not really feeling like tracking but what else am i to do to  cause we are not going home early even though i was tired  and didn't feel like doing anything u have to endure and use the lords time wisely  " so when in doubt tracked it out"  it was so funny so as we were tracing  it was funny cause my comp is the opposite of me and like if she hears a lot of people she is like lets go and turns her back while i ring the door bell ahah but it was the 8:45 and i said ok lets go and do this one last door and and leave.  During those to house of tracking i just looked at my watch and kept on thinking of that Mormon message of the rugby player who stuck it out and found this awesome family so i was just hoping for the same miracle.  So i swear my mouth was just moving on its owns as i was speaking with this college student who answered the door. i asked him if he ever though of the purpous of life  and he was like yes come on in... but he had been drinking and was a tipsy so i was like i just dont know if its a good idea so i was like we will come back and of course my comp being opposite was like lets go ahah so i looked at the college student and thought to myself ok he is a skinny dude and i could take him if anything were to happen we could get away so i said ok but only for ten min and im not going to play and games im going to get straight to the point!  we walked in  and two of the boy were laughing at us  and really just having us over cause we were girls but  the asked about lots of questions  and the topic weed came up and i just talked in english cause everyone here know English   and was like i have seen people get killed from using that and alcohol and its not worth wasting your talent on  a moment of fun that could mess up your life for good. I was like  u start wonder the questions of life after you see people lives come to an end  and in this book it peace ans answers the questions of the soul.  they got really quite  and then we started talking about other questions and i took out the book of Mormon and talked about how its blessed my life and u will find all your answers. so then  two of them were like no no we dont want to but their more quiet friend was like no i want it and his friends we like no you don't and he was like no i do please leave it for me.  even though his friends were hating on him he didnt not give into temptation and took it so i showed him questions of the soul where he could look!  we are so excited!!  and i thought why is it always the last door that you find someone to teach and its because we have to endure to the end to receive blessing! if we give it our all  even when we dont want to with a smile on our face the lord will put on our face for us as he blessed us!  so no matter who you are what u are going through   endure all things and the lord will fulfill his promise!  i love u all and to all you mothers happy mothers day!!!!!!!!!!

 ps we have a cowboy aktivnost at the church on friday and it was way fun!