Some LOUD LOUD Pictures! April 4th, 2016

Bok family! 

Pictures speak louder than words right? So here are some pretty loud ones for you. Last Monday was AWESOME. We went with a great group of missionaries to Plitvičke lakes. The color of the water is unbelievable! Multiple levels of lakes and waterfalls that you get to walk and hike through. Needless to say, our camera batteries we were taking so many pictures! Here are a few of the many.

Elder Halling (Zagreb), Elder and Sister Johnson (just went home), Sis Allred, Sis Davenport (zagreb), Sis Pratt (zagreb).

Me, Sis Allred, and Sis. Halling (Zagreb). She is Pres. Grants sis. 

I love working with these senior couples! They are amazing people. Their dedication is admirable and they have life experience worthwhile to share with these people and us.  And they feed us some pretty fantastic food on fast sundays. :) 

As far as the rest of the week goes, we saw our Russian investigator again. She is going through a difficult time right now and trying to sort things out in her heart and mind which is part of the process. Far too soon to give up. We are meeting with her this Friday so she can see Sis. Allred again before she leaves, so hopefully that goes well. We are praying for her. She is in her 40s, does not have family here and really wants to be married. Pres. Grant told her she needs to marry a good mormon boy. That is what she is looking for. I agree full hardheartedly. She also told us a lot of her experiences growing up in Russia and then later working for the police department and told us how people had to act to get money and to live. It was very crazy and she is very very independent and strong and . . . well, Russian. She is really great though and in tune with the spirit. I actually think she was confused because she felt the spirit so strongly and it made her back off a little because it is pretty new to have it that strong. So here's to this week! 

We also made some great progress with out other ballroom dancer investigator. She is young and really likes to talk but lately our lessons have been much more balanced. She always prays to be ready for baptism and to understand so we taught her about repentance and baptism and it went really well. The only question is when. The commandments will be our next step with her and that will be the real test, but I am confident she will show her faith and get baptized. 

This week we also went to teach a follow up lesson about temples to Johanir and Tomislav. It went great. Then following the lesson Sis. Allred brought a bunch of pop rocks that she had from America and we gave them to the little kids and watched them try them for the first time and we all died laughing. The smallest little girl who is only three looked so confused but loved them! haha. 

One of the biggest highlights of the week : GENERAL CONFERENCE!  I love General Conference so much. I also have not been able to watch it a ton on my mission and here in Zagreb they played three sessions at the church! Ya! However two of them were in Croatian . . . An apostles vocab in Croatian . . . not the easiest to understand. But I got most of it and the spirit was strong. I loved Elder Uchtdorfs talk adn can't wait to hear it in English. It is really a miracle to here it in a different language though! Especially for these small countries. These people NEED desperately the council and guidance of a prophet and it was a blessing to see them receive that opportunity. We then had lunch as missionaries (everyone pitching in  . . . our part being the dessert. Half baked oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies (no chips over here) with ice cream and fudge. Nailed it.) and split into Elders and Sisters to watch the priesthood and relief society sessions. WOW. Those were some fantastic talks on service.  

The senior sisters Davenport and Pratt officially go by Sisters Davenpratt. It's got quite the ring to it. All four of these ladies around me are quite fantastic and a riot! We have a lot of fun doing missionary work together.  

Also I did this one year ago and this year. CONFERENCE SUNDAY OMELETS WILL NEVER DIE.

So that is the update for the week. Missionary week. Hit my year mark in the field. I arrived in zagreb on April first and that is where I was again this year. Look how that worked out. The church is true. I love being a missionary out here and I love talking to these people about my Savior. They desperately need the blessings of the gospel and I know that they will come to all that live the commandments. What a blessing they are to us. I am grateful for you all and love and pray for you! Hope you have a great spring week. 

Love,

Sestra Rhodes 

 Look what I made for my self for the 1 year mark!  Biscuits and gravy!

                             

                        

Obituary of Sister Mckenna Allred - April 4th, 2016

5 months. 24 hours. 7 days a week. And we are still alive. However not for long. Like all things, it has to come to an end. Sister Allred is going home one week from Tuesday and starting today we will be in a trio until then. We are phasing her out and back into the real world. 

A woman of small stature but big heart and big appetite. A woman dedicated to the Lord and wearing the banana suit at all appropriate times. She encourage contacting bald people and wearing fake mustaches. Though she moves on, the Balkan people and bakeries will surely miss her company and business. Though 80 percent of the time I could not hear what she was saying due to height issues, though we have seen some near mental breakdowns handled through candy treasure and prayer, though we threatened to take naps during lunch hour daily, we pressed on. This little ball of energy has left a legacy behind and though her shoes are literally tiny....they will be hard to fill. Though some may try. . . 

Let us all press on like this companion of mine. Rest in peace Sister Allred. Chipotle will be happy you have returned.   

You would never guess which ones are mine and which are hers....

      

            

              

RIP 

aka, see you at byu 

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!!