KOKICE! July 11th, 2016

Bok family. 

I got a lot of fantastic emails and updates and pictures from you all this week! I love hearing and seeing you guys. It is always a treat to get online mondays and to see how positive you all are and encouraging and how many miracles that are going on in your lives. 

Here is how he has blessed my week. We will work backwards. The whole week, members from our entire mission filled a giant bus and went to the temple in Switzerland. A family from our branch got sealed, one received her endowment, another family from Serbia got sealed and their son opened his mission call in front of all the other members. It was amazing to see how changed they were after one week at the temple. On Sunday all those that went got to bear their testimonies after their trip (it happens once a year.) It was the. best. sacrament. meeting. ever. The spirit was so strong in that chapel and it was visible how the temple changes people. They were completely lifted spiritually and physically. They bore testimony on doing genealogy work, eternal families,  the priesthood, etc. and in 8 months in Zagreb it was my favorite Sunday. I cannot believe how close we have temples and what a wonderful blessing that is. 

We had great lessons with Baka this week and she said (I quote) "I already know all of this! You can just baptize me!" Haha, I agree. She is the one that picked her date for so far away! We are going to try to change that this week. Her granddaughter (the new convert) also NEVER comes to relief society and rarely to sunday school.  But the best part is that when they were all leaving after sacrament meeting their grandma tells them 'we have to stay you guys!' Although they didn't, she is already a great example for them. Soooo awesome. 

We taught two new investigators and will continue meeting with them. Two young men who are displeased with their previous church. (Take a guess which one.) 

We also had another interview this week, similar to the one I did in Slovenia. There will be a video but the majority of it will be a written article. Now I have one in Croatian! Sweet! It is pretty to get interviews when you are a mormon missionary from America in a small country. But hey, I'll take it. I'll let you all know when it goes up! 

So it was a fantastic week and we are going to go on a hike today! I love you all a lot and hope you have a great week! 

xoxoxo

Sestra Rhodes  

Surprise Church and Concert Appearance - July 4th, 2016

Cao family! 

We had another fantastic week here in Zagreb. I had my very last zone conference :( Usually we would have one more, but this one was special and all the countries are taking a turn coming to the mission home in Zagreb and staying the night. Ours was first this week and it was a wonderful conference! I learned a ton and we did a lot of practicing teaching. We are really focused right now on becoming master teachers and I only wish we would have done this at the beginning of my mission!!!! We also played basketball and volleyball, I got to play some piano and we had an American bbq! (Happy 4th of July ps) I also had to give my 'farewell testimony' that all departing missionaries give at their last zone conference. Only I had to give mine premature. However I always love a chance the testify! 

Baka is doing really great. She could be baptized this week. We are going start with the commandments this week, so that should be fun. She also made us MORE burek...Sister Davis and I just looked at each other and our faces started to turn green. We had already had SO much the previous week and decided we could handle no more, and then she puts a big plate of it in front of us that she made JUST for us. Haha. Too kind of her. 

She came to church this week and stayed for all three meeting as did TWO of our other investigators! They are the single neighbors that have the lessons together. Three investigators at church! It was so fantastic!! We had to help in primary for second hour, so we did not get to go with them to Sunday school but the other missionaries went with them and showed them the way and apparently they were all really active and giving great answers to questions and what not!

Also random part of the week... I had heard some music from 2CELLOS from missionaries before but did not know much about them. Well on our way home on Saturday there were THOUSANDS of people smashed in the center of Zagreb and they were having a free concert in the main square! We heard a couple pieces and it was so cool! I thought they were from the states but then one of them started off by saying 'good evening zagreb!' in Croatian. I just thought, 'how cute he learned a phrase so he could say that to these people.' THEN he continued in Croatian and the second cellist. One is from Slovenia and the other is from Croatia. I have never seen Zagreb so packed and needless to say I was just a bit more excited than my Rugby companion. haha. I may or may not have freaked out a little. Here is the best picture I could get!

Well that is that for this week! I love and pray for you all!!!! 

Pozz,

Sestra Rhodes