Praznik week!

Lepi Prazniki prijateli in družina! (Happy Holidays friends and family!)

This week has been a bit of a slower week what with the holidays,
Christmas on Monday and Tuesday, and now New Years tonight and
tomorrow. Today is called Sylvestrovo, or the day before New Year's, and
while everything is open, it's all closing early. And tomorrow is a
prav (real) holiday in Slovenia, so no one is going to work tomorrow.

Because of the holidays, it has been a slow week. A few good meetings
with some of the people we regularly meet with, but most everyone we
know wanted to wait until after the New Year's and the holidays are
over. So this next week is going to be super busy and awesome. We are
planning on going up to a town about an hour north of Ljulbjana, like
45 minutes north of Kranj called Jesenice.

Christmas was a great day as well. Christmas Eve, Monday, we went
around Kranj with all the missionaries in Ljubljana and caroled around
to different members and people we know. Then on Christmas day, we all
met in Ljubljana and the missionary couple's apartment, the Hansons',
and had cinnamon rolls for Christmas and told stories. We then went
around to different members and people the Ljubljana missionaries knew
in Ljubljana and caroled to them, eventually ending back at the
Hansons' to open presents and letters I received, play games, and eat a
great lunch and dinner, and begin calling our families on Skype! It
was a great day.

The most miraculous day of the week was yesterday. This week, starting
on Saturday and going until tomorrow, is a big youth conference for
all the youth in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Slovenia in Ljubljana.
There were about 40 youth (12-20) there in all, and everyone was at
church. There were well over 100 people there and the meeting was all
the youth giving the talks (or in other words, sermons) and their
testimonies of the truthfulness and blessings of the restored gospel
of Jesus Christ. It was so inspirational to see so many people at
church and to hear just how strong the youth are in our mission,
especially knowing that many of them and their families found the
gospel not too long ago.

Many times, life can be hard. The youth mentioned how at times it may
feel like they are all alone in who they are, what they believe, and
the morals they stand for. But being collected, we know we are not
alone. There is a light inside each of us which shines through the
darkness around us. And when we are gathered together this small light
builds and multiplies into a great fire which cannot go out. And as we
are here in Slovenia to share, we know this light which inside all of
us will build and grow individually with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Such were Jesus' words to His followers, that ˝you are the light of
the world. A city which is set on a hill cannot be hid, neither do men
light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and it
gives light to all in the house.˝ In this holiday season, we can be
the light to another person, and should seek to build and strengthen
our personal indivudual lights through a greater understanding of His
gospel, living that, and sharing it with those around us to build an
eternal flame in our areas which will not be put out.

Vesel Božič in Srečno novo leto!, (ja, vem da sem malo pozen, ampak
še!!!!) (Merry Christmas and Happy new year! (yes, I know that I'm a
little late, but still!!!!))

-Starešina Benson