The Mother's Day Phone Call!!!

Highlight of Mother's Day!!! We got to do a 4-way skype call with Brinanne in Croatia, our mom and brother in San Antonio, our sister in California, our dad in North Carolina, and me, our other brother and sister in the Dallas area! Technology is amazing!!! #lovemyfamily  

5/5 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 I'm staying or leaving. everyone thinks I'm 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 I'm 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 I'm 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 purpose 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 don't 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 I'm not going to play and games I'm 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 don't 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 didn't 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 don't 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! 

4/28 Letter

Well Hello Family and Friends!! 

Over here has been nothing but rain! we have had more rain then London this year!  so i have not felt like a missionary cause all last week we have just been moving and going crazy doing not missionry stuff so this week im excited to get a hold on things and move the work forward!  we just came from teaching english to the mentaly handicap which was so fun! i love being around these special child of god! But yep for the most part it was just packing and getting our lives together! we have not had the babptisims yet because of things that have happen but we will see how things turn out!

Please keep Antonija Barič and Filip Todorovic in your prayers. Fillip has been in the hospital for medical problems with his brain because of a cist that is causing him to go blind and could be fatal. This is preventing this couple from having enough time to take the steps toward being baptized, even though they want to. All they want right now is for their son to be healed and to be baptized. So please keep them in your thoughts, fasts and prayers this upcoming Sunday. Thank you so much. 

 i need to go but u love u all and wish u the best of luck!!

s ljubavlju
sestra peterson 

4/21 Letter

Sretan uskrs!!!! Happy Easter!

Well things are a lot different here for easter! its cool when they color there eggs thy color them with onions  crazy right! well lets get to the good stuff!!

For the most part they just have a lunch here and thats it!  this week started off with an exchange and while we where on the exchange the unthinkable happened..! well with my luck  anything is possible so two weeks ago i almost in jail then i got interviewed by the police and then this week i got.....EVICTED!!! TAKO JE ZIVOT!!! THAT IS MY LIFE!!!   I JUST COULD NOT HELP BUT LAUGH ONLY TO ME! i told everyone and they started dying because i just attract trouble!  Well i guess something will never change!   Because we are in the middle of moving no one ever paid for our apt but that night the mission paid up so we got let back in our house=)  Then we have been seeing anonija cause she is back in the hospital with her son and she was so happy to see us cause the nursed treated her so bad=( he we planed this big aktivnost  all about Christ and his last week  with the bible videos and set up all these pictures  and a slide show.

Then thank you mom we did the scavenger hunt with scriptures and Then we dyed eggs it was really fun! Then we made cookies to give to people and they loved it! Then me and my companion sang in church together for Easter! its was the best Easter gift as antonija and her husband came with the baby!!! they feel like family in the branch now!! So they brought there family and then there  was a less active who has not been to church in ten years come back or the first time!!! he members are really good about making people feel welcomed here!  so we had a branch dinner after and then we went home and planed and then the senior couple had us over for Easter dinner!  so w had 4 investigators and 2 less aktives!  they dont have any decorations here for easter but its cool. well i love yall and keep up the good work! 

love

 sestra peterson 

Visting Some Sites!

Exploring the city on P-day.

An old war tool from way back.

4/14 Letter

antonija kids aka my nephews here! they are studs best family ever!

This week was crazy cause a lot of our plans got changed because i had to go to the police like for 3 day and then i got interviewed but now i am fine... we all joked that we would be like Alma and amulek singing and breaking down the prison cell ahah but then my comp was like sorry your alone on this one haah!  But this week we went to our Jewish investigator house and gave her a book of mormon and talked about how the book of Mormon is a fulfillment of the Jew  and came from jew!! i just love the woman and love talking about the old testament!(maybe cause it reminds me of  my amazing old testament teacher i had=) so she was so excited! She just gets it!  we are going to have passover with her and im so excited! Then we had an amazing aktivnots  as we played a ton of min it to win it games! it is every hard to find people here to teach but when u do they are just golden and change your world. like Antonija and her family!they truly are part of my family and i love them so much,  we went to the grave with her and her for the anniversary of the death of one of her twins and as we were gathered around you could just feel the spirit so strong and how this child was so perfect that she just had to come to earth to get a body and that her parents are very special people. I am truly grateful for the plan of happiness and how after this life we can live with our families forever! the plan of happiness is the best thing in the world.then antonija got a blessing before she goes in the hospital with the other twin and i started crying during the blessing cause i was so bless to be teaching  to be given this blessed soul form god. she has the most faith i have ever seen in my life she is such a strong women and i learn so much from her! she will be a leader to these nations and  im so blessed she was placed in my life!  his is what this work is all about!   i love this work cause it true  and i dont have to see angles to know the feeling i get everyday about this work truly has blessed my life and gave me more happiness then i could have ever though in my life!   god is great  the savior is my best friend and brother and im so grateful for atonement and for this last week of his life this week.  Christ is not a person in the past or a legend... HE LIVES i have seen miracles work today i have felt this love and his truth!  And i am so great fun we have his restored gospel again on the earth!

love 

sestra peterson 

The Last Week of Christ's Life

The Last Week of Christ’s Life

*While each of the gospels contains accounts of most of the events, only certain references are used here.

Palm Sunday

This is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter. 

Christ rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. This was symbolic because kings rode donkeys into cities. The people praised Jesus by waiving palm leaves, throwing down their coats for him to walk on, and shouting Hosanna (Matt 21:1-11), 

(John 12:12-19).

Monday

Jesus presents the parable of the fig tree (Matt 21:18-19). He cleans the temple and casts out the Money Changers for the second time during his ministry (Matthew 21:12-16).

Tuesday

Jesus went into the temple to teach the final public sermons of his mortal ministry. The Pharisees asked, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” Jesus shows them, a gold coin and says “Render what is Caesar’s unto Caesar, and render what is God’s unto God” (Luke 20:19-26).

Jesus presents these parables: 

Wicked Husbandmen (Matt 21:33-46, (Mark 12:1-12), (Luke 20:9-18).

The Parable of the Royal Marriage Feast (Matt 22:1-14).

The Widow’s Mite ( Mark 12:41-44), Luke 21:1-4).

The Ten Virgins (Matt 25:1-13)

The Entrusted Talents (Matt 25:14-30)

On this day Christ declares the purpose of His mission. 

(John 12:37-50), and gives the Great Commandment

(Matt 22:34-40), and Laments over Jerusalem (Matt 23:37-39). 

Jesus also foretells of his own betrayal and crucifixion-but no one, not even the disciples understood. The pharisees plot against Jesus, and Judas arranges the betrayal (Matthew 26:1-5 and 14-16).

Wednesday

There is no scripture record of Christ’s activities on this day.

Thursday

Arrangements are made for the Last Supper. 

During the Last Supper, Jesus washes the apostles’ feet

(John 13:1-20). Jesus then indicates the Betrayer, (Matthew 26:21-25, (Mark 14:18-21), (Luke 22:21-23) and his apostles ask, “Is it I, Lord?” Christ acknowledges that it’s Judas, but all the apostles, except Judas don’t understand who it is, or what is to come. Judas then leaves the room and the others think nothing of his leaving (John 13:27-30). Jesus then foretells his own death, but the apostles don’t understand (John 13:31-35).

Christ and his disciples have the fulfilling meal where Jesus introduces the sacrament (Matt 26:26-29)

& (Luke 22: 15-20). After the sacrament Jesus gives the disciples a new commandment, “...that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” 

(John 13:34-35).

Jesus and the apostles sing a hymn and then proceed to the Mount of Olives.

Then comes the Atonement in the garden of Gethsemene (Matthew 26:36-46) & (Luke 22:40-46). After

the Atonement, in the garden, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. Then Peter cuts off an ear of a guard,

Jesus heals it back instantly. Jesus is then arrested (Matt 26:47-56), (Mark 14:43-52), (Luke 22:47-53),

(John 18:2-12).

Friday

Once Jesus is arrested he is taken to the House of Annas for questioning for a small amount of time, then He is taken and questioned by Caiaphas. Around this time Peter denies knowing Jesus, just as Jesus predicted (Luke 22:55-62) and Judas Iscariot commits suicide by hanging himself from a tree.

The 30 pieces of silver (about the price of a slave) that he received for betraying Christ are on the ground.

Jesus then goes before Pilate then Herod, and then Pilate again (Luke 23:2-23). Pilate finds no wrong in Jesus and does not want to put Jesus to death, but the people cry out, “Crucify him!” Jewish tradition enables the releasing of one prisoner during Passover. 

Instead of releasing the innocent Jesus, they decide to set Barabbas, a murder and insurgent (Matt: 27: 26-30). Pilate washes his hands and sentences Jesus to be scourged and crucified (Matt 27:11-30), (Mark 15:20-23), (John 19:1-18).

To complete the abuse, Pilate prepared a sign and had it nailed on the cross above Jesus’s head. It was written in three languages: Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, with these words, “Jesus of Nazareth The King of the Jews” (John 19:19-22).

Once on the cross, Jesus speaks his first utterance from the cross, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).The soldiers divide Jesus’s clothing while they mocked him. Then the second utterance (Luke 23: 39-43), and the third utterance (John 19:25-27). At this point darkness covers the earth.

Then Jesus speaks his fourth statement from the cross (Mark 15:34-35). Then the fifth (Matthew 27:48-49), and the sixth statement (John 19:30).Then around 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus says his final statement, “Father, into Thy Hands I commend my spirit...” and Jesus dies (Matthew 27:50).

A centurion then gives testimony by saying that Jesus was truly the Son of God (Matt :27:51-56).

After Jesus died his side was pierced with a sword to ensure that he was dead. Normally blood would

have come out, however, instead, water came out. This was fulfilling a prophecy (John 19:31-37). Jesus

was then taken to a tomb supplied by Joseph of Arimithia (John 19: 38-42).

Saturday

Guards were placed at the tomb. D&C 138 gives an account of what happened in the spirit world between His death and resurrection.

Easter Sunday

Early in the day Mary Magdalene and other devoted women brought spices and ointments for the body. They found the stone of the tomb was rolled away, and the guards gone. Jesus's body was also gone from inside the tomb. An angel appeared unto the women (Mark 16:1-18) and told them that he had risen, and to tell the disciples what had happened. 

Mary was the first to tell Simon Peter and John about the events. Peter and John then came to the tomb and saw the empty tomb (John 20:3-10).

After Peter and John went home, Mary wept outside the tomb. She saw two angels, and then Jesus.

Mary thought that Christ was the gardener and didn’t recognize him at first, but after recognizing him,

she called him “Rabboni”, which means master. Jesus told her to go and tell the apostles what she had seen (John 20:11-18). Christ then appeared to other women, while the chief priests were told of the resurrection by the guards guarding the tomb. (Matt 28:9-15).

Then comes the story of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). 

Shortly after Christ appeared to all the apostles except Thomas (Luke 24:33-49). Thomas saw Christ a week later. Forty days after his resurrection Jesus was taken up to heaven on a cloud accompanied by two angles dressed in white.

Not long after being in the middle Eastern part of the world. Christ goes and visits the Nephites in the Americas. A full account is given in 3rd Nephi in the Book of Mormon.