Hello all family and friends!!!
Summer is officially come to an end weather wise here in Celje. The high today is expected to be 20°C (~70F) and a low of about 16°C (~60F) and rain. Rain for the next three days.
This week in Celje it has been insane. Slovenia has been hosting the Eurobasket, basically the national championship tournament for basketball for all of Europe. The four cities in Slovenia hosting are Ljubljana, Celje, Jesenica, and Koper. There have been so many people in Celje, it has been a little ridiculous and unnerving. And so many foreign people. Spain, Georgia (the country by Russia), Croatia, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovenia are the nations playing in Celje this week, and so (mostly because of Slovenia) it has been a mad house here. But it should be cooling down after today as the games in Celje and the other smaller towns end and everything moves to Ljubljana.
This week, we had the amazing opportunity to hear from a general authority, a 70, Elder Charles here in Slovenia last Saturday. The whole day was incredibly inspiring. We had a few members going with us, but we had to go by train because of the lack of space. About two weeks before, on Monday, as we were leaving the library from doing emails, we ran into these three young kids who could only talk in English, who were apparently European volunteers. We chatted with them, and found out they are from Turkey, Czech Republic, and Spain. they don't live in Celje, but rather are living all over Slovenia, the Turkish guy from Velenje, and town in our area about 30 minutes away. We chatted with them for a bit, but were late, and had to move on.
Then, as we arrived at the train station to go to Ljubljana, we hear someone trying to get our attention, and see the Turkish guy waving at us! We begin to talk again, and this time he has all three of the volunteers from Velenje with him and they are all going to Ljubljana also for the day! We spend the whole train ride with them and have a great chance to talk with them, leaving them with our number, and an invite to call us if they want to learn more or are in Celje. They are going to be here at least until next spring.
The other amazing experience (besides the whole fireside itself which was an incredibly spiritual experience) was that as we arrived, people began going upstairs. However, there was a woman there, by herself, who I felt like I recognized, but I didn't know from where. I began talking to her and realized I had met her two days before in English class when I had come down to Ljubljana on an exchange for a day. She seemed alone, and so we began talking and got to know each other quickly. We went up and I sat by her. I soon learned she is a new investigator of the Ljubljana elders, and had been to church a few times, and some members had invited her to the fireside. Unfortunately, all her member friends were late, as were all the Ljubljana missionaries, and so I sat with her, joked with her, and answered any questions she had throughout the fireside. At the end, we went up to meet Elder Charles, and he shared a shortened version of his conversion story with her and testified to her. It was so powerful. Even though I'm not in Ljubljana, I have a good feeling about her, and know, through all of my experiences that night, that the Lord had placed me exactly where I needed to be, meeting and friendshiping just the people I need to friendship. The Lord is in charge of this work and His missionaries, and I am constantly amazed each and every day by how he guides us. He is the master architect, not of buildings or structures, but of the lives and interactions of every of his beloved children - you and me!
I hope everyone at home is having a nice and inspirational week. We can see miracles each day if we just follow the guidance of the Lord in our lives instead of being resistant.
Many blessings and miracles this week!
-Starešina Benson
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