Hello all family and friends!!!
So this week a ton of wonderful things happened. It is so wonderful it will be hard to write it all, especially since I don't have a ton of time to write. But this week... the library worker just told us we will have more time to write actually. So no worries!
Autumn is truly here in Slovenija right now. The weather has been absolutely miraculous. A bit cold and foggy in the mornings, but then it all cleared up and nearly every day has been warm and sunny. Well, warm so that I'm perfectly comfortable in a sweater. All the trees are all in full color now. It is absolutely beautiful.
But the work this week has been amazing. One of the less actives we've been working with, who we reestablished contact with a week or two ago has restarted praying and reading his scriptures, and told us this week that he plans to come back to church in a month or so.
A nice mom we found last week is doing very well and prayed for the first time in her own words last night with us.
We established contact with a referral we received from another less active member and he said he would invite us in at that moment, but he had guests over, and we set up a time this week to teach him.
The less active sister who came to general conference last week in Ljubljana came with us again to Ljubljana a second time to district conference (like stake conference for all of Slovenia). She is doing very well.
BUT!!! The greatest success of all with the less active who has been inactive for 8 years. (this gets really confusing since I don't include names for privacy sake, doesn't it?) We had a lesson set up with him for last Thursday, and I had prepared a small gift for him from some service we had done that day, but when we arrived, we rang his ringer at the bottom of the apartment tower... and no no one answered. We try again, nothing. We wait a few more minutes, and try again, nothing. We call him, no answer. Well, he's definitely not home is what flashes through my mind, and we decide to try going to visit other people we've met with nearby who said we could come back.
We go through all of the people we had, and then the question was what to do. We still had a little time before having to head home, and then as we thought, I had the feeling that we should go try visiting the less active one more time. We went, not expecting much, and we ring the phone, and his girlfriend (who isn't a member) answers!! She says they're home, and that we can come up briefly.
We go up, and talk to him at the doorstep. At this point it is too late in the night for a visit, but I give him the gift (a few kilos of fresh chestnuts), he apologizes for not being home, and we reset for Saturday!
But then... Saturday morning comes around and as Elder Lyman and I are finishing studies, our phone begins ringing. It's our less active friend. It's never a good sign when someone you have a visit with that day calls you the morning or day of the visit. I answer, we talk for a moment, and he tells me the expected bad news, he can't meet that day. He apologizes, but then he tells me something I couldn't have even imagined...
He has for the last few weeks been thinking about when he wants to return to church, and had decided and felt, that he should, and promised, to come to church the next day! Despite the fact we had district conference in Ljubljana, we found seats for him, and he AND his non member girlfriend came with us. It was a great conference, his favorite talks being from the district president and from President Rowe. Afterwards he met many members, and reconnected with a few. His first Sunday meeting in 8 years.
We have a lot set up for this week as well. It should be a wonderful week. We're in Kranj right now, spending the P-day there. The Lamberts, the senior couple arrived safely (despite some interesting experiences with cars breaking down in the middle of the road in Celje as they are moving in). They are wonderful and from Arizona.
Life is well and wonderful. Hope all of your lives are wonderful and miraculous this week as well.
Lep Pozdrav!
-Starešina Benson
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