Week 65 Bountiful

Bountiful week😊 We have been diving in the waters of Facebook finding and have become so busy in answering question and talking with people that we feel a little swamped at times! It is SO great!

I am extremly grateful for technology at this time. And I'm super grateful that we are here doing this work. One man we have been messaging now has the Book of Mormon app downloaded and is reading! This covid time has given people more time to read & really ponder the important things in life.

On Saturday we had a miracle lesson with a wonderful man and his son. This was one of the most spiritual lessons I have been blessed to be in. They have been English students for a long time and have been to church a few times over the years. With this quarantine time he has started to read the Book of Mormon! And he is halfway through! I wanted to quote something he said during this lesson:

"When I read the Book of Mormon, I feel better! My whole day goes better and I just feel happier"

He kept talking about the love and peace he feels from the book and that feelings of love came from it.

He watched General Conference and was quoting it better than we could!

THE SPIRIT WAS SO STRONG.

I know this book brings us closer to Christ which helps us have more power in our lives😊

Random Things:

-Dance parties are the best

-Laughter is the best

-We dance and laugh too much

-We love chocolate chip cookies

-Trio life is the best

-Long strolls for exercise time through Belgrade are fun

-Orthodox Easter was great

-We still sing every night @8 on our balcony

-Sometimes we laugh through our singing cause we aren't that great.. 

-the sunshine is so great to sit in on the balcony.

-We had a group zoom with all the members in Serbia and it was GREAT

-We walked to the Nikola Tesla Museum

-Life is GOOD

СВЕ НАЈБОЉЕ

Hurrah for Israel!

Love you all💕

Sister Gittins

Week 64 HE LIVES

Hey family and friends

Plot twist. They sent all the missionaries in the May group home this week. So at 4:30 on Wednesday Morning we drove Sister Canty to the Nikola Tesla Airport and waved goodbye as she caught the last rescue mission jet out of Serbia. Sad to see our quarantine quad change to a trio torpedo. Next group to leave IN AUGUST.. . Ours

Today we got to help with MTC training! The new missionaries training to come to our mission are all doing online mtc training from HOME! We got to join the zoom call and talk with them! They are so great and we can't wait for them to join us out here! They are so great and have great attitudes about it all. But can you imagine how hard that would be? Please if you know one of them-take them cookies and lots of love! 

Same old things are happening over here! We have had some great meetings over zoom and video chat.

We had a really sacred Easter meeting over video chat with our District. We talked about the days leading up to Easter Sunday on Christ's life. One of the elders had us take a pen, open our palm and place it gentle poking into our hands. He had us close our eyes and he told us about the crucifixion. It was such a special Easter! We couldn't meet to have the Sacrament(Serbia is on full time quarantine on the weekends) on Easter Sunday, but we got permission to do it on the Wednesday before. Yet again another special time to remember our Lord. And because we are in Serbia we get two easters! 

It was my first time having the Sacrament on a non Sunday. Also I think it was really special that on Thursday night we started our fast for Friday. It was like the literal Last Supper when Christ broke bread to His disciples. It was so cool to Fast on friday and know that people around the world were united in the same fast and Prayer! 

I know Christ lives️ Because He opened the door of death-that opens so many doors for us! Hope, love, joy, etc. 

Quote of the week:

Us watching the Book of Mormon Videos

Me: I want to be on the Book of Mormon videos! Who would I be?

Sister Hart: Isabel the Harlot

All:**die laughing**

All is well here in Serbia(: We are constantly laughing and doing the good work.

Find something to laugh at this week!

Learn about the Savior

Hurrah for Israel! 

Sister Gittins️

ps- we watched the other side of heaven this week and woahhhh. Good movie. So many cool miracles!

PPS-went on a great stroll today after 3 days of inside. 

Week 63 Choose to do Hard Things Well

What a radiant lovely week! My heart was overwhelmed with feelings of love and the Spirit. General Conference was AMAZING. My gratitude to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ filled my soul! I went to bed last night with so much joy and hope in my heart it was almost unbearable. It was a much needed spiritual boost! 

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS UNFORGETTABLE. 

I hope everyone watched it with open hearts and received a piece of God's love as well as something they could do better. As I was studying after conference I came across this scripture:

Alma 12

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

Do you have a hard heart? How can YOU open up your heart? 

I know we can KNOW the mysteries of God in full when we listen to conference with an open heart.

I think it was amazing that all of the speakers spoke about the Restoration, but none of them spoke about the same thing. Divine orchestration 

HIGHLIGHTS 

- The Austins, a senior missionary couple in Serbia, have been teaching us to dance! They were professors at BYU for traditional dance and so they've taught us! We have zoom calls as a mission and they've taught us a Sasa (samoan), Macedonian Dances, and more to come! Including a haka! 

- We had zone conference over zoom! We had everyone go buy an ice cream bar and we ate those together. Zone unity am I right? We connected it to our presentation, believe me, and it was great! We read the different accounts of the Restoration and learned more about Joseph Smith. It was a great treat! 

-Had some great phone calls with members. 

-We still sing ever night at 20:00 (:

-I made cinnamon rolls for conference! My kitchen skills are getting better 

I invite everyone to really study the accounts of the First Vision on this link:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng

It has blessed my life to read them and compare them to each other. Some people say--different accounts--WHAT? But have you ever told the same story to different people? I know I have and it changes a bit depending on who I tell it to, why I am telling it, and so many other factors! I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God! I know he Restored Christ's doctrine to the Earth. I know we are lead by a living prophet-President Russell M. Nelson.

I am happy and well! It's hard being cooped up like a chicken, but it's good. The whole world knows how it feels haha. We get to go out for exercise and grocery shopping. But other than that we stay inside.

We are starting to hear sweet birds singing and see radiant beams. Spring is beautiful here(:

Thank you for the prayers! 

Sister Gittins

Week 62 He fills Our Homes

Hello everyone (:

Life is good. We are staying happy and alive! I am so grateful to be out here! We are staying busy with member work, contacting friends, and just being missionaries (:

It snowed- we built a snowman in the park! Then parks got banned.. But it was really fun!

I got a picture with my jersey in front of Sveti Sava. A picture I've wanted to take for a long time 🤣️

We had a great Come Follow Me lesson with our branch through zoom! I love the members here! 

Yesterday the Elders blessed the Sacrament for us. As I was watching them break bread and bless the Sacrament, I was so humbly happy. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is so individual. He died for you, He died for me! And here I was partaking of the Sacrament in remembrance of my Savior Jesus Christ. And think of it! This is taking place in homes around the world. Families are gathering to bless the Sacrament in remembrance of our Savior-renewing Covenants, filling there homes with His Spirit! This is an incredible blessing. The blessing of Jesus Christ.

I know He lives! And we get to hear His prophet speak this week!!

EVERYONE WATCH GENERAL CONFERENCE!!

thank you for the love and prayers!

Hurrah for Israel!

Onward Christian Soldiers(:

Sister Gittins