Transfers and we're going forward!!

Hello all!!!

Hope life is well and warmer and sunnier where you all are. It actually wasn't too horrible of a week this week, it is just everything went south on Saturday. The dark clouds rolled in from the south and it began to rain. Ever since then it seems like it has been perpetually in almost some kind of rain, whether heavy pouring, or really light drizzle. And the clouds are here, only clouds, no sun. But it has at least kept the temperature higher instead of lower. If it was colder than freezing right now, it would probably be snowing. No worries. The snow will come before too long. Then winter will really begin.

So we have transfers today!! And the big changes for me are.... nothing! Elder Lyman and I are stying here in Celje. But as expected, Sister Legro went home, or rather is going home today, and so Sister Flanders who was down in Ljubljana is coming up to be with Sister Jones in Celje!! It is all just going to be one big party. Meanwhile, Sister Legro's replacement, Sister Brown, is taking Sister Flander's place in Ljubljana with Sister Burton, who is training, and who has only been in the country for 6 weeks. That will be fun. But they will both grow and learn. 

The Elders are all kinds of mixed up now too. Elder Simon is moving from Maribor to Ljubljana to be with Elder Dereanger, while Elder Wilson is going to be zone leader with Elder Burdette!!! Elders Hunt and Stott are going to be in Maribor.

This last week however, has largely been a week of meetings and chores. We had zone conference all day on Thursday, and had to go to Ljubljana on Wednesday to pick up Elder Lyman's visa (Yes!! He has his own real visa. So fast.) None the less we have had a good week. We had contact with all of our new friends we found last week and everything is going well. Any fears I had at first that they don't want to meet with us after the first time are eased now. We actually had a really great visit with the friends of our less active (8 year LA guy) and they said they were going to start reading the Book of Mormon and see if what we were sharing was right. But, then I forgot to ask them when would be a good time for us to come back, and so we were about to head out the door, not set up for next week when they asked, ˝Ali se bosta kdaj oglasila spet?˝, meaning ˝Will you two ever come around again?˝ I then realized my mistake, and we quickly set up for next week. none the less, it goes to show that they are sincerely interested to want to meet with us by them asking us to come back.

Another one of the people we meet with, who we wern't able to meet with last week had a great experience. She and her family couldn't meet with us last week with the holiday, and so we were trying to set up for this week, but we couldn't set a time, and so eventually I asked if we could come by around 5 on Sunday. But I wait a few days and still don't get a response. So Sunday comes around, and despite the fact that we still hadn't heard back from her, I felt like we should still go see her. So we go, and knock on her door. Her son answers and he says to us immediately, come in. We aren't sure what to do, having just been invited inside by a 8 year old, until she comes from around the corner and says to us also, ˝Naprej!˝, meaning ˝Come in!˝ And so, even though we didn't have a lot of time, we set up for our next visit, introduced what we'll talk about, and prayed together. She said in the visit that she had run out of credit to text with her phone, so she wasn't able to say yes! come!, but was hoping and expecting that we would come around. We actually came at just the perfect time as she had just finished baking some Slovene cake as we range her doorbell. Goes to show there is inspiration in the process of planning and we are truly guided as the Lord's servants.

Also, church yesterday was excellent. We actually were not able to meet with out LA friend (8 year) this week as he had something come up at the same time we had set up for on Saturday, but I organized and made sure everything was OK so that he could come on Sunday, and he did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first time he's come to church in Celje for about 8 years!! I was starting to get nervous with him, even though he had come to church in Ljubljana last month, he still hadn't come to church in Celje yet, missing a few weeks. But he finally came yesterday. It was so wonderful to see him standing at the doorstep of the chapel looking around. One of the really old families were already there who he knew from back in the day, the mother stood up and introduced herself to him, and then we said his name she said, ˝Ahh! Ne!! Dobrodošel!!!!!!!˝, meaning ˝Ahh! No!! Welcome!!!!!!!˝ and gave him a really big hug. This happened basically with every single one of the old time members. Everyone was so happy he came and warmly welcomed him back. Leaving, he said he had had a good experience, and said he was looking forward to coming next week with his girlfriend (she couldn't come today as she had to cook lunch, but they will prepare Sunday lunch in advance next week he said).

Well, here's to looking forward to another wonderful week which will not be burdened by too many meetings. I have my Visa renewal coming up before too long, but that should be a fairly simple process. I'm also so excited for Elder Burdette to be Zone leader. He's going to be wonderful.

Hope you all have a prijetno week.

-Starešina Benson

A picture of a Slovene graveyard (right after the day of the dead) These graveyards are a big deal.

And a picture of our former Maribor and Celje Sisters on a hill near Maribor last week.