September Kristy Letters

Sep 6th

Bok!

So I hope you were not all wondering where I ran off to since I didn't write a big letter last week, because I know you hang on all my letters every Monday. Don't worry, I know you didn't notice, I wouldn't either if I didn't have a designated time every week to just write emails.

So as I have told you, there are four of us ladies all stacked into one apartment in one big city. For us that is big since there are only six sisters in Croatia. Sister Whitaker and Fitzsimmons are on this last final stretch and I am literally half way through my mission, okay not for another week, I will report when I am half way.

I can't believe that I am almost half ways done, I mean when am I going to change for the better, become this amazing missionary and proficient at the language? Wait, I still am the same person just with a name tag and a big responsibility to fill. But you know I am happy to do it. Comparing this to a marathon I do see the mile marks and I will see a big difference once the race is over. But right now I am at a Gatorade stand checking out the flavors and have to catch up to the other three sisters - Ah!

I remember when Becky came down to San Francisco for her marathon and it was such a sight to see. I made her signs the night before and we got all my running stuff ready to do the end with her. When we went to Union Square in the morning before day break, I could barley recognize the place because of all the people. When I went to stand on the side line to watch the beginning I kept choking up, how lame. A half an hour later the last person went over the start line and I rode the bus back to Grandma's with all the bums. Mom and I planned out where she would be in a half an hour, an hour etc. The first stop we came and saw all these people running. We got out walked over and watched people grab water, Gatorade, there were cheer leaders and other people with signs. I couldn't see Becky, but I grabbed my sign anyway and jumped and cheered....and felt like an idiot... until I saw BECKY! I gave her a big hug and I was so proud of her. It was just when every one was splitting off for the half marathon and the full. I finally got to meet her at the end and run with her until my legs felt like they would fall off. It was such a sight to see! But I say all of that because that is how I feel here. I think of my family that was there to see me off and I think of the people far and close by running with me on the way. But the best part is to think of the people that are going to be there at the finish line!

I have been meeting a lot of friends on the way and one of them is my Chinese friend....uh I can't spell his name but it sounds like, okay here goes just sounding it out, chee-pie (like chia pet and pie). This is obviously way too difficult for me to say and spell so I have Americanized his name and he is now T-pain. I think he will be very happy with this name and I am too because it is way easier to say. I asked him how to say a lot of things in Chinese and he taught me some things. The conversation goes like this, (english translation because I can't spell it)

T-pain: Hello
Sister Dillender: Hello, How are you?
T-pain: Good and you?
Sister Dillender: Good thank you.....good bye!

And then he tells me I speak Chinese and I say, "T-pain no I don't, I don't even speak Croatian." He is a very humble and amazing person. He plays the bassoon for the Croatian symphony here and is 6'4'' and the son of a professional Chinese basketball player...I think he was professional, oh you know how missionaries like to exaggerate. He is so humble that he says he doesn't play the bassoon well. So I don't ask him if he can do things I just assume he is amazing at everything, because he is, I mean he is T-pain!

Thank you for all your emails I love them. You all are so good to me and I am grateful for all your prayers and support.

Puno Hvala,

Sestra Dillender

Sep 13th

Dear loved ones,

I am a big jerk! I thought I would get that settled really fast, just because I thought you might be wondering. So many people tell me," oh you have such a great attitude and you are so positive." Well, all I have to say to that is, ha ha ha, just ask my companions if that one is true. I really am a jerk, but I am working on it and working on it by having a better attitude.

Oh, if you were here with me right now and could see the person I am. I mean I don't do everything wrong but sometimes I do think of pizza when people talk to me, or I do role my eyes when people make fun of me, and sometimes I just don't care what's going on. But you know what, the Lord loves broken things and so the Lord loves me. Fortunately there is the Atonement to fix and repair me. I had a very humbling week last week, so I am very down. But you know when you are on the bottom there is nothing else but up.

But there were highlights last week, like when we helped an old drunk guy home. We watched him walked all crazy pushing his bike. We asked if he needed help after we watched him almost fall over on the side walk. He held my arm and Sister Whitaker pushed his bike. As he slurred a bunch of Croatian words at me I thought of, not pizza, but about Christ. He told the Pharisees, what need do the whole have of a physician? He came to heal physically and spiritually. He spent his life with the mean, meek and lowly and I can spend a little of my time with people that need help too. I was happy to be his servant and do something that is out of my comfort zone. Plus we were rewarded by watching him go, "Čekaj malo, Čekaj!" (Wait a second) and then he would hold on to the bike with two hands explain that his hip hurts and then do some squats and say, "ovako" (like this) AHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Like squats are going to help a hurting hip. The Lord sends blessings in so many ways, that night in a funny story. So sometimes when we are walking we do a few lady like squats and keep going, just kidding. But we walked him safely to his gate and then home where I promptly washed my arm and hands.

Hopefully when you see me next I will be a better person. I know that our Savior makes broken things new again and He can do that for me too. I know you are seeing this as a positive attitude, but really it's just hope and faith in our Redeemer. Don't forget the eternal perspective and remember your blessings... and to do a few squats when the going gets tough.


love,

Sister D, D as in Dirtbag.


Sister Dillender



Sep 27th

Hello my friends,

I am a much happier person and I want you to know that when you pray for me I really feel it. I hope you know that you help me more than you know. Honestly even when you think good thoughts of me I am sure that it helps me in some way, so thank you for all you do for me.

I thought I would share just a few things with you this week, one of them being that I received a coconut. We have a "district meeting" every week where all the missionaries get together in the district and plan for the week and go over other things. So one of the things we go over is player of the week. Player of the week is something that someone did well that week. The person who had player of the week the week before looks to see something that someone did well and then gives them a candy or something and says why they choose them for player of the week. But lately it has been, who hasn't had it in a while and what can we make up to say that they deserve it? So Elder Hadley presented me with a coconut and said because he heard I played Frisbee well the day before for p-day. It was nice of him to think of me. Anyway he and Elder Pasche said that they couldn't get it open and they had been banging it on the cement trying to get it open. So I said okay we will have to try after district meeting. So we take my little coconut friend and I go out to the cement, put my arms and the coconut far above my head....Jump.....and put my whole body into throwing it on the cement. You know what that devil of a coconut did? It shattered into pieces. Sister Whitaker and I laughed and laughed that on the first try I managed to shatter the coconut and Elder Pashce and Hadley just stood there. I told them they just need some pent up estrogen to get the job done. Then we all enjoyed the coconut...not really it was kind of gross.

So I am officially half way done with my mission! I can't believe how fast that time is going though. It is all going so fast that I feel like I have to sprint to keep up with it. I saw pictures of my family and I was blown away by what my nieces and nephews look like. They are so stinking cute and so stinking big! But I have been working on my last half of the mission goals so that I can better the Lord's time. Here are some of those goals:

1) Have the whole New Testament memorized by heart. In Croatian too.
2) Get proposed to.
3) Get through with only using one umbrella
4) Watch a chicken fight. (we have chickens in the back of our house.)
5) Loose 50 pounds……
and lastly
6) be the most popular girl in Croatia

I hope that you can help me with them like talking me up to Croatians on the Internet, or sending me weight loss pills or pretty much a parasite in a pill. No, but I really did make more goals to maximize my time out here. I am so grateful for this experience to be here and I can see so many things that I have been learning.

I hope you are well and happy!

Sister Dillender