This was a big big big big big big week! The biggest part of it was spent in Croatia!! We had a mission conference where for the first time the WHOLE mission got together for a conference. Everyone from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro were all gathered together in the Zagreb church. It was so cool because we had a general authority and his wife come talk to us but you will hear about that later.
The WHOLE mission!!
Monday 8/22:
A FIRE day. We went to Maribor and met up with one of our members there for ice cream and a nice chat. That was super fun. Then we hiked the infamous Maribor stairs with 454 steps. Straight up. Wooooooo!! The view from the top was really cool though.
The 454 stairs
Afterwards we met up with a past missionary that came home before I came out. Sestra Voigt and I actually taught her once in the MTC. We said some quick hellos and then Sestra Chandler and I grabbed dinner before our big event. Essentially if you speak all day in Slovene for 21 days, you are allowed to watch one movie. So every single day for these past couple of weeks, Sestra Chandler and I have been working and speaking only in Slovene to be able to watch... MINIONS. Hahaha. So funny. We got the whole setup of drinks, popcorn, and candy and then sat for the funniest/most confusing hour and a half of my mission. The movie was all in Slovene (as planned) but they used a mix of german/spanish/english for whenever the minions would speak so that was funny. I didn't understand much haha but I get the general gist of it. It was still so fun. Overall a really great day.
Tuesday 8/23:
Today we went to another english camp. It was with the very company we went to first and it was so fun. The kids were older and understood more english. They were also super nice and funny. We had then played games like down by the banks, duck duck goose, and more. Then they FED US!! So nice. While eating Sestra Chandler and I were able to have really good conversations with the counselors. We talked about why we are here, what makes our church different from others, how we aren't the Jehova Witness' haha, and more. And THEN we sat in a circle and sang Country Road in english and then in Slovene. So fun. Sadly we had to leave but the kids all came up to us and asked us for our AUTOGRAPHS!!! Are you kidding me?!?!?! Tears :,) These kids were really awesome.
English camp with all of the precious kids (photo used with permission)
Afterwards we went and visited Mirko with the Barrus'. Mirko's cat was there and I swear I have never met a more sweet or needy cat. She was just constantly purring and I couldn't resist. I picked her up and just pet her on my lap. It wasn't long before my allergies kicked in and I was sneezing, sniffling, and crying all over the place. But hey. It was SO worth it.
Mirko's cat Nedeljka
Oh I forgot, in the morning our land lord came in with his crew and started completely replacing it. They still hadn't finished installing it when we came back from Mirko's so we went outside and did the rest of our studies and then ate at Wok N' Roll aka the best Vietnamese place ever. We also had a really good conversation with the owner. She is the sweetest person ever. We talked with her about what we do here, why we decided to come, and then she shared some really cool beliefs from the Buddist religion. It is always super cool to learn about the beliefs from other religions.
Wednesday 8/24:
We had district council in the morning here in Celje. And for lunch we went to Wok N Roll again hahaha. We just can't get enough of it. Then shortly after we drove to Ljubljana to switch into the car that Sestra Williams and Sestra Voigt were driving in. That was super fun. We drove to Zagreb with them and to the hotel. Sestra Chandler and I had a bit of trouble checking into the hotel hahaha. First we got checked in but we couldn't find our room. We asked the staff and it turns out we are on the wrong floor haha. We went into the room and other peoples' stuff was already there. So we went down again and got a different room. Go to the other room, unload and then go back downstairs to chat with the other missionaries who were there. But then we get a call from the Assistants to the President (they never call us) and they tell us that we need to check out because we are being moved to a different hotel. Yes you read that right. H o t e l. What the heck. We checked the list to see which other missionaries are being moved and it is us two and then a whole bunch of elder companionships hahaha. We were the only sisters that were going to be in the other hotel. Rip. It was alright though because I got to be reunited with Sestra Wendt and Sestra King from my mtc group and then have dinner with everyone. But hey the hotel that we were moved to was much nicer and had a beautiful view.
View from our hotel at night
View from our hotel during the day
We woke up, got ready and then went downstairs for breakfast and it was insane. There were super fancy pastries everywhere. It was like rich people breakfast. They had caviar. Did I try some? Yes. Did I hate it? Yes. But hey now I can say I tried caviar. To get to the church we went on the tram where I reunited with Sestra Mefford!!! Wooooooo!!!
Traditional pic with Sestra Wendt <3
The conference lasted a pretty good amount of time but it was packed with advice and it was super spiritual. Really cool. The thing that I took away the most from it is the importance of prayer and asking/telling Heavenly Father what you want. He knows your heart and desires but wants to hear it from you. We can do that through prayer!! It was also really nice to interact with and meet all of the other missionaries. After the conference we went to the American Store but sadly they did not have root beer :( I did get peach fanta, a watermelon arizona, and cheetos. They don't taste the same but it is better than nothing :D
Friday 8/26:
Today was another really cool day. We did our studies like normal and then went to the municipality to check on my visa and IT WAS THERE WOOOOO!!!! I am no longer illegal in the country!!!!!!! And then we met with Milka and she made us food :,) so sweet. It was actually really good. I stole the recipe of the salad that she made us. She also helped teach me how to finish my crochet bag. Then we were late for a meet up with a sweet sweet girl that I met in my first week of being here so we ran alllll the way to the park where she was sitting on a blanket with a whole tea pot set with flowers set up. So so so sweet. She had us sit down and then said she was going to make some fresh tea for us and we would drink it in silence and just share a moment together. I have never done this my entire life. It was such a surreal and precious experience for me to just be sitting in a park in Slovenia, drinking tea that was just made right in front of me, not saying a single word. 10/10 would recommend. We then had the most beautiful conversation about how Heavenly Father truly sees us specifically and personally. He loves us each so much more than we ever could have comprehended. She really is the purest soul I have ever met. Ever. We are hoping to meet up with her this week again. I can't even describe how amazing this experience was.
Saturday 8/27:
We went and visited Sestra Chandler's family again in Ljubno and it was just as cool as last time. They were all so nice and welcomed us with open arms. The weather was kind of gloomy so we just explored around the house instead of going somewhere else but we went to the river right next to the river and it was so pretty. Fish were jumping out every couple of seconds or so which was super fun. We went back for lunch and wow it was so good. We had mashed potatoes with a stuffed pepper soup, dumplings, and a salad. 
The yummy yummy meal at Sestra Chandler's family's house
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am a little on the picky side but man this was good. I am eating food here that I never would have thought to eat and I am LOVING it. It also started raining crazy hard while we were there and it took everything in me to not run out there and play in it hahaha. Overall another really really great day
Sunday 8/28:
Today was a really good day too. It was a simple relaxing day. I would say the highlight was going to church. I love it so much.
Ice cream count: 1 :,(
Highlights:
- I ate some grapes straight from the vineyard - so super super fresh
- I had a reunion with the whole mtc gang (Sestra Voigt, Sestra Wendt, Sestra Mefford, Sestra King, and Elder Walters)
- Got to see the whole mission
- Ate caviar (not yummy)
-I finally got my visa card so I am now legal
- We went to the American Store and got a bunch of fun snacks
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