SRETAN USKRS! Mar. 28th, 2016

Bok family. 

SRETAN USKRS! HAPPY EASTER! What an amazing time to be a missionary. Partly because of the weather, partly because there was no school, and it was Easter....people were so happy yesterday! As we street contacted we had two lessons right on the street and are meeting with one of them this week and got a lot of friendly responses. What a great ending to Easter Sunday.

We started it off with a really great sacrament meeting with multiple songs and two awesome talks on the plan of salvation and the saviors atonement and resurrection. We also had two investigators come to church. One is Johanir's neighbor who is an older woman and soooooo funny and great. She already acts like a member, commenting to us about members and their haircuts and saying hello to literally EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. So fantastic. We then went to the senior sisters (Sister Pratt and Davenport) with the whole Zagreb district for easter dinner. We provided a subpar salad, but Sister Halling provided a strawberry cream pie. I will say that again. Strawberry. Cream. Pie. So it all balanced out and we had a good time, good spiritual thought and some good laughs. 

One of the blessings of being on a mission is being surrounded by amazing missionaries. In all their different tasks, they teach me so much. 

Sister Allred hit her 18 month mark this week. Hard to believe that when I came to Zagreb, she was in the same place I am now. Time will not slow down. 

We only were able to meet with one of our investigators this week and turns out she could only stay for 15 min. and then forgot about the follow up lesson. But our other friends are back from holiday vacation and this week should be filled with some great lessons and praying for some hearts to be softened as we meet with them this week. 

We also nailed an easter activity for the branch. Aka we did not know we were in charge and rolled boiled eggs on the floor in a relay race until the only 2 year old in the branch stepped on mine. Haha. Very successful. 

I also was very humbled this week. We are not extremely close to Brussels, but for some reason being in Europe while those four missionaries were injured in the bombing made it feel really close. I have thought about them, their families, all those who have died. It made me ponder on all the unfair things that happen in life and have happened to people around me. How can Heavenly Father bear to watch these things happen to HIS CHILDREN? As I studied and pondered on all the last week of the Savior's life it made me appreciate the Atonement of Jesus Christ in a way I have never felt before, more from the perspective of our Heavenly Father. He KNEW all these unfair things would happen and more importantly He KNOWS what is necessary for us and for all those around us that we can return to Him. And He KNEW that in the last moments of our Saviors life, He would have to withdraw Himself and His presence. Our Father in Heaven knew exactly what would be required of us here and He allowed His son to suffer and feel every possible sin, pain, sorrow . . . that we might return to Him. 

 I receive the following forwarded quote and read it about 10 times: 

"Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

It hit me very strongly Saturday night in prayer that Sunday has come. All our trials and problem and all the unfair things in life are covered. Sunday came, The Atonement was fulfilled and the path is prepared for us. I know Jesus Christ rose on the third day. I know we will see our loved ones again. I know Heavenly Father has blessed our family in the past 14 months and I have loved seeing it. 

I love you all immensely and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. Stay strong and have a great week. 

Lots of love,

Sestra Rhodes 

A Message to Parents:

Mom, Dad. I seriously cannot describe to you, but I have seen our family spiritually uplifted and changed in the past 14 months. It has been amazing to see from this side of the world and I am so grateful. The times I have cried the hardest on my mission (aside from when I am a baby on skype) are when I am in prayer. Such sweet moments that have been the definer of my mission and I know that my prayers and our prayers are being answered. So thank you for sharing everything with me. I sure love you two. I also think most the times I have cried myself to sleep (good tears) have been here in Zagreb. So Sister Allred may think I am emotionally unstable. Haha. 

Thank you for your emails and updates this week. I think Easter is officially my favorite time of the year. 

Love you both so much. xoxo

Sestra Rhodes 

здраво свима! Mar. 21st, 2016

Cao porodica! 

That is the word for family in Serbian! Because that is where I got to go this week! There is a member there who is new on the Mission Public Affairs council and they had a district relief society activity. So we rode with Pres and Sis Grant all the way to Sister Allred's home town Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia where we trained her, got to see all the sisters there and then stopped at a baptism in Osijek on the way back. Quite an eventful day. I got to meet some people that I have talked to on the phone and guess what? They talked to me in Serbian! Ya! Croatian and Serbian are practically the same language but there definitely is a difference. It was a really great experience and there are some fantastic members over there. 

They also had a homemade, serbian, dessert bar... so. Enough said. 

Other highlights of the week. English class. I have been teaching English class twice a week for about the past year and sometimes people stay for the spiritual thoughts sometimes not. But frequently it is only the older people that have been coming for years. However this transfer we had a fair amount of new people and this one girl who came is really awesome! She is young and happy and we became friends really quick. Well this week after english class she did not have to leave and we talked about the gospel and she asked how we are so confident and happy all the time and if we are ever scared. I then told her about my freakout i had on the phone with Mom in the airport right before I left the country and about how tracting is not the easiest. But we talked about what gives us motivation and how the gospel will always provide us the happiness and confidence we need. I told her a little bit about what we do, how we meet and teach people and she immediately said, "I would like that." So we are meeting her this week and I am really excited! The spirit was SO strong as we were talking and I KNOW that she felt it too. The Lord is truly preparing people over here! 

We have a couple lessons set up already for this week with more to come hopefully. There are a lot of really great people to teach right now and they all deserve the best. This gospel can give them the best. So these next few weeks before Sister Allred leaves will be pretty defining as far as our investigators go. And 3/5 people we are teaching have wanted to learn more because of MEMBERS. These members are seriously so great. They are so few in numbers but so strong and I love being around them, hearing their stories and learning the gospel with them. 

The church is true everybody. Have a WONDERFUL EASTER! It is probably my favorite time of year! The weather is starting to warm up (so people are happy), contacting is great (because people are happy) and people are thinking about Easter and Jesus Christ. What an amazing time to teach people about His resurrection and what it means. I love it. Also fun fact. People go to church twice a year here. (Generally) Christmas and Easter. Well they have special Easter masses going all week and yesterday because it was the day of the triumphal entry, everyone carried or had in their pockets, little palm leaves. I like that the focus goes throughout the week not just Easter Sunday. They do not have school all week either. Even if it is just tradition for a lot of these people, it is a good time for us to actually study the last week of the Saviors life. It will bless all of us if we do.  

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love,

Sestra Rhodes

SRETAN USKRS SVIMA! pusa

Serbia

Serbian goodies goodness!

Serbia with Sister Allred

Osijek, Croatia. Pretty pretty bridge. 

Back to the dance days - Mar. 14th, 2016

Bok family! 

We just had a great great p day. The weather today is BEAUTIFUL. We all played ultimate frisbee and got lunch at Ikea. The place to go for lunch apparently. Who knew a place that sells light bulbs and furniture could produce such high quality meatballs and wings? Not I.

The Zagreb District

As for the rest of our week... one of the best highlights is when President Grant was talking to our investigator who teacher Zumba and told her we could go to one of her classes. Real great bonding time. One minute you are talking about baptism by immersion, the next you are dancing together! It was one of the funniest experiences finding the place (she just does it as a volunteer, so it was the a very small place and we thought we got lucky when we found this place . . .

Apparently NOT where she works. Haha, but close by. This was post work out. She really is such an awesome person and really in tune with the spirit and willing to do what we ask her. We had a member on the law of chastity lesson this week and it went really well! She read something out of the pamphlet we gave her and then just said, "I agree with everything I just read." So that going so well, we made a baptismal calendar for this weekend and showed her how many lessons we still need to teach etc. Then the following day we had another lesson. In less than 48 hours we talked about chastity, tithing and fast, and keeping the Sabbath day holy. What can we say...she moves quick. However she has a very wobbly income and has very very little money. (Like 98 percent of the people I teach.) So Sunday morning we got a text from her saying she was not ready for baptism and needs a week without lessons to think and pray. Sad sad news. The good news? We still have contact with her and the awesome member who clicked with her wants to chat with her so they switched phone numbers and will talk this week via phone. That member in particular has been in the exact same position, so I have faith that if it is supposed to happen she will get an answer from our Heavenly Father. 

However right when we were slightly discouraged Heavenly Father sent us a little blessing. Our older gentleman friend who cam to church once after talking to him on the street for 4 minutes came AGAIN to church. Only this week was district conference, so lots of members from Croatia came to Zagreb. So he was there for the priesthood session and then had to leave. But we talked to him briefly after and he wants to get together this week to learn more about the history of the church. Can do. :) 

Sister Allred and I are on a cottage cheese craze. Which is unfortunate, because they do not sell a lot of it over here and it is a little more pricey. 

Weather wasn't always the best. But I got this scarf on sale and I will never be cold again.

Oddly enough, neither of us knew that the other took this picture this week. Companions for 4 months? I think yes. 

District conference was also amazing! It is always a blessing to see all the members come together and to feel of their spirits and hear their testimonies. Pres. Grant loves to call people up at random and it always leads to some really great moments. I LOVE hearing their testimonies of the gospel, it strengthens mine. 

Thanks for all you updates. I hope you all have a fantastic week. We will never be happier in this life than when we are keeping the commandments and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Lots of love,

Sestra Rhodes 

Our local grocery store really knows how to get in the Easter spirit. I am expecting an appearance of the bunny himself. But that is just a prediction. I will keep you updated though.

Our Investigator / belly dancer. 

Just for jokes. :) 

Guess which ones are the mormon missionaries? Tough one. 

Us with the teacher. We taught her the law of chastity the next day and gave her a "for the strength of youth" pamphlet. 

Interesting week! 

A little rum for taste Mar. 7th, 2016

Hello family! 

We had another fantastic week! As my companion so wisely stated, "There are no bad weeks on a mission. Only some that are less excited than others." AMEN. 

This week the brother of the girl we are teaching got baptized! It was great! That was on Saturday, the same day that they were finishing a mission wide singles adult conference at the church. The church building had so many people in it for a straight 3 days and it was SUCH  beautiful sight! At the conference they did some rotation workshops and we were in charge of one of them, teaching them about facebook, the internet and what not. I even got to see some of my Slovene members! (Luckily for me they understand Croatian:) ) Then at the closing devotional I played a little rendition of 'Come thou Fount' and 'I need the every hour.' Always a crowd pleaser. We then prepared for a baptism about an hour after the conference was over! What a busy day. The baptism was wonderful!!!!!!!!! We had THREE investigators come. The Russian girl we are teaching came and stayed a long time and told everyone that asked that she was next and getting baptised in 2 weeks! She really loved bonding with some members and she loves coming to lessons. THAT is when you know someone is sincere, when they enjoy learning and asking questions about the gospel and talking with others about it! She is so awesome. 

    The third investigator that came is the worlds funniest 66 year old. We have been doing follow up lessons with Tomislav (the young boy that just got baptised and is receiving the aaronic priesthood this next week!) and remember how I told you about their neighbor that moved in? She was a miracle for them! Well this week we went for our lesson and then they took us to their neighbors house to introduce us to her. She is chaaaatty. She lived in America for a little bit too. We gave her a book of Mormon and listened to her stories of living in a war torn country. Then we invited her to the baptism with her neighbors and she came! She said hello to every. single. member. She loves people and she is excited for us to come over again. I have never had this many people to teach my whole mission, it is really miraculous, and I don't exactly know why it is happening now...but I will take it!

   Also while we were over there (before we went to meet the neighbor) we were fed something....When people who have hardly any money, if they feed you something...you eat it. Well this adorable spanish but Croatian speaking lady puts some jam on a plate and hands it to us with a spoon. She then told us the ingredients... marmalade (jam) then mixed with coco powder and rum extract. Possibly the grossest thing I have ever tasted. Sister Allred downed hers SO fast and then just looked and me and in Croatian quietly says "you HAVE to." Haha... Nothing like a little straight cocoa powder and rum extract for taste.   

    Also random fact..Croatia finally got their own mormon.org page! Check me out on it. :) https://www.mormon.org/hrv/me/GTQ4/SestraErinRhodes 

    Well I love you all. I wish you an amazing week. Bring on Spring!! 

Love,

Sestra Rhodes

What Saturday looked like. All day. Except for meal breaks. (Notice the new blazer). We talked about everything from getting more country pages to how to combat negativity to writing good articles to member work to the coming of Archuleta and Cardal to open houses to . . . really just about everything. This is the Mission Public Affairs Council. Pretty rare to have two sister missionaries in this. (Actually the only case I believe.) I feel extremely blessed to have been able to touch paths with these people and be a part of such a paving work. The Lord truly knows what and when his people need in order to help his church grow in his time! 

Just me casually sitting next to a German aka head of all european public affairs. She meets with Pres. Kearon and those people... there we are. Enjoying a šopska solata together. Yeah! She was telling us her conversion story and it was so cool! 

Sister Rhodes, "Hehehehe." 

Out on the deck at the mission home. A little fresh air! 

      

Sister Rhodes creepin' again. Šopska solata for the win! (I may or may not have had that three nights in a row.) 

Uuuunforgetabllee....da da di dum - Feb. 29th, 2016

Bok Family!!!!! 

This week was .... that's right....uuuunforetableeee...that's what it was. Just to summarize (as if I ever do anything else) this week in three awesome highlights. The new place, the dancer, and the weekend. 

We have a place that we call the 'new place' though it is not new at all. We went contacting there earlier this week and went down a street that was actually new...aka we saw a woman and went down the street to talk to her and turns out she was on her phone. No one else in sight...buuut we kept walking. Then I thought to myself, "self, when do you ever see streets like this in America. Rarely. That's when." So I went to take a picture when a girl came from behind us as we stopped. We started talking to her and told her what we do and she took a book of mormon right away. She just lost her job and is young and has been thinking a lot about God and trials and I am so excited to meet with her this next week. 

I also took the picture after we talked to her...so that is actually her in the pic. Haha. Not creepy. 

Highlight number two. The  dancer. We had a great gospel of Jesus Christ lesson and she agreed to a date for baptism in March!! That was on Friday and we originally were not going to be able to have a lesson. Ya! She is so very cool and she has come to church EVERY WEEK SINCE THE FIRST TIME WE INVITED HER. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF ...EVER! So that is great. She stayed at sunday school this week for the first time as well, so really everything is on the Lords time and it is great to see her taking these steps of faith. 

Highlight number 3. Germany. That rhymed. Fact. 

So this weekend I have been looking forward to for quite some time. The direct of European public affairs for the church from Germany, assistant-director from Portugal, director over the european country websites and publishing from Hungary, as well as two amazing service missionaries from Germany all came for three days to our mission. A lot of time for meetings, questions, planning, and let me tell you, I have never been so excited about the work on the internet. I also never imagined in my life that I would be having such an amazing opportunity to get to know these people and over the hours and hours of meetings and meals, etc. I got to see some behind the scenes of the church and be a big part in it all! I am very grateful for my calling right now and wish I could tell you all the details of the whole weekend...believe me, if we could pick a skype session, I would pick this week and tell you all about it because I simply cannot type how amazing it was. This weekend was one of the most rewarding, fun, spiritual weekends of my whole mission and truly unforgettable. The people I met, the things I learned, the spirit I felt, the excitement I felt.....will be with me forever. 

  

Me, Denis, Gabrielle, Germany mission couple, Allred, and Rita Somfai! 

Such amazing people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Better pictures to come. 

I love you all and hope you had an amazing week as well. It is not dependent on the events that happened that week to make it a good or memorable one. We are the deciders. 

Sestra Rhodes

ps. we went with the senior sisters to Ikea today for some good food, look around, and watch them get the stuff they needed. It was great.

pps. I had the first steak this week that I have had since .... last time we ate it at home, whenever that was. Crazy!!

A tip of the hat ma' lady - Feb. 22nd, 2016

Bok svima! 

Nailed the 'make your companion an awesome American Valentine's day breakfast' award. :) Those pancakes are pink if you can't tell. 

Right to the details. This week was a great one! We had two more lessons with our two dance investigators. The one who is from Russia is very in tune with the spirit and loves coming to lessons and has come to church the past to weeks! We are just trying to introduce her to more members now. The other girl who is a daughter of members...her ideas are actually a little more, well, Balkan. God is love. God is one and faiths are many. God is the energy inside all of us. Faith is not super important but everyone has there own path. Really people just cant put a definition of what it means to feel the spirit. So we are working with her and are excited to meet with her again. Cool fact, she is going to go the the Blackpool ballroom competition in London this summer. 

However, she did not come to church...and that is more important. 

Another great part of the week, while contacting a few days ago, we talked to two great old, classy classy men. One of them at the end of the conversation held one arm down to the side and tipped his newsies looking hat to us. That just builds the spirits. Then the other man (who came to church the following day) at the end of our conversation instead of wagging a finger or a hand to the face or a giant wave....he played it real classy and just pulled both feet together and gave us a half bow. He knows how to treat a sestra. 

We had some tracting time and oh yes, zone conference! I cannot believe how fast they come. We focused all on the restoration and the first vision and Joseph Smith story. It was absolutely wonderful and I feel really blessed because we have had multiple opportunities to share it with people the past few weeks! It also really built my testimony to listen the Joseph Smith story in english, serbian, croatian, and slovenian. Truly, the gospel is being spread in every tongue! What a miracle to be able to witness that! 

We also had some very very dirty shoes considering it has been raining all week and were warned that there would be a 'shoe check' at zone conference, so without shoe polish we cleaned our shoes using...banana peels and olive oil. Worked like a charm. So if you are ever in a bind and need shiny shoes....there you have it. 

WE have some really important people coming from Frankfurt this week for some public affairs training and I am beyond excited. So looks like this next one is going to be a great one! Still supposed to be rainy but we have a day of sunshine today so we are going to the park!!! 

I love and pray for you all! Hope it is an amazing week! 

Lijep pozdrav,

Sestra Rhodes

Week of Weeks - Feb. 15th, 2016

Hello all!

Wow! Missions are the greatest! We had a post baptism lesson with Tomislav and his mom and siblings. They are some of the most humble, sincere people I have ever met. We enjoying some popcorn and the 15 min. Joseph Smith movie then talked about the restoration. 

Here is the pic from the baptism. Johanir, Sebastian, Evalina, Tomislav, Sister Allred, me.

We have had some good times together and more to come. The blessing he got when he received the gift of the holy ghost was so awesome!!! He is going to be an awesome member and example for all the members in this country. He did not have a white shirt and tie though and they cannot afford it so someone funded him to go get one and this Sunday he showed up in a new shirt and tie and I just about cried. 

It is miraculous to me that a boy in the situation that he is (mine could never compare to), agains all the bad in the world at his school, all the people his age who already smoke...really against all odds Heavenly Father sent him here to strengthen his family and members. He is truly a special spirit of our Heavenly Fathers and came to earth strong as a rock. HE knows three languages and is so smart yet in the humblest of situations and knows the gospel is true. After every lesson Sister Allred and I just talk about him and his mom for about 15 min at least. Two amazing examples to me!

Tomislav's special day! 

Johanir, Evalina, Tomislav, and us

                                       

Our road trip to Slovenia last week! No one was outsied, but we got to go to the castle and museum for free and I had one decent Slovene conversation at the restaurant....so thumbs up self. That was my goal. :) 

All alone in the land of Ptuj. Trying take a pic with the camera on the ground....good work team. 

WE ALSO HAD TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH THIS WEEK! YA! I girl from Russia (of course I brought up Steph) who has lived here for 5 years who we met on the street and had a lesson and she came to church! She is so cool! I also was trying to motion to Sister Allred from the piano that she came and was sitting behind her .... so obviously slightly distracted played the intro to the wrong song and everyone was very confused...I made quick switch and moved on. Haha. Round 265 for awkward moments in the Zagreb branch. Also a family in the branch who is just coming back to church after about 10 years their two kids are not baptized. So we talked to the daughter who is about our age and one of the best ballroom dancers in Croatia, and we are going to teach her and she came to church too. So....a rockin week we had! 

Also, Paul Cardall and David Archuleta are coming to the mission for a charity concert in Slovenia and then Archuleta will have some fireside/concert things in Zagreb and Serbia so that is great for the mission! We will be working hard to get some baptisms from it. :) 

Anywho, love you all! Hope you have an amazing week. The church is so true and Heavenly Father has great great things available to us now and most importantly in the future! 

Pres. Boyd K. Packer said it nicely: 

If you expect to find only ease and peace and bliss during Act II, you surely will be frustrated. You will understand little of what is going on and why it is permitted to be as they are.

Remember this! The line “And they all lived happily ever after” is never written into the second act. That Line belongs in the third act when the mysteries are solved and everything is put right. The Apostle was right when he said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”  (1 Corinthians15:19.)

 ...

As I said in the beginning, you are young and I am not. And yet in the eternal scheme of things, I am just as young as you are. Maybe a little closer to the final curtain on Act II, but I know, for I have seen a little behind the curtain into Act III and bear personal witness that the gospel is true, and bear witness of Jesus Christ.

I also bear witness of Jesus Christ. I know He lives. 

Love you all and wish you a great week!  

Sister Rhodes