Week 51 - srečno novo letoooo

Happy new yearrrrrrr WOOOOOOOOOOO!!! That is literally so insane that it is now 2023. Whaaattttt !!!!

This week was so much fun! 

Here are a couple highlightssss 

- monday was considered a holiday so it was full of just relaxing and sending a bunch of emails wooo! We also went to the Ljubljana castle with the other sisters which was so much fun. My mom got me a bougie selfie stick for Christmas so we used that. 

Ljubljana castle again haha

Sestreeeee (credits to the selfie stick)

- We went and visited the Kralj family (my mtc teacher's parents) with the other sisters and two elders. It was so much fun. They always make a whole bunch of food for us. It is expected to eat at least 3 servings of food. And this includes the 4 different courses of soup, salad, main course, and dessert. I don't think I have eaten as much food as I have eaten at their house. It was also just a really good visit in general. They are both really strong members in the church so it is always awesome to have conversations with them. 

Gibanica from Sestra Kralj - yummy 

- The other sisters had an exchange with the Celje sisters and so Sestra Smith and I decided to get lunch with them because we haven't interacted with Sestra McConkie as much (she just got here a month or so ago). Well, while we were waiting for the other sisters to arrive, we bumped into the sister of a member in Maribor. I personally have never met her but have heard so many things about her. She was able to join us for lunch which was so amazing. God's timing is so good. 

Center + the Christmas tree

- Another day we went and visited another family. They are the coolest people ever. For real. They have a couple kids who are the funniest and sweetest ever. The youngest girl insisted that she sit in the middle of Sestra Smith and I. They made us homemade hamburgers and fries. It was so good. Then Sestra Smith made them her special homemade tea which was fire. We played a lot of games with them and just talked. For the spiritual message we talked a lot about goals and had them all make their own goals. They were all so fun. I love this family so much. 

- On New Year's Eve we spent a lot of time in the afternoon trying to go street contacting. Well, it turns out not a lot of people wanted to talk hahaha. Rip but hey we got outside and now have a bunch of pictures of us (we asked people to take a picture of us in order to try and get a convo going haha). It was a fire idea though cuz...

MIRACLE INCOMINGGGGGGG BELOWW

- Okay let me tell y'all about Tomaž. In Ljubljana center they have a bunch of booths set up for Christmas. They all sell a variety of things. Some booths sell candy or food while others sell clothing or little trinkets. It is all so so so cute. I love it. 

 Ljubljana center :)

Well weeks ago all of the sisters in Ljubljana and I went to this one guys booth because Sestra Chandler wanted one of the sweaters (it was actually so cute. I wanted it too). Well of course we start talking with the guy because it is pretty obvious that we are not slovene. We talked to him a little bit about how we are all from America and are living here in Ljubljana. It was pretty chill and everything. Later, Sestra Smith asked the guy how much a book she was eyeing was. And guess what. The man said it cost nothing and that she could have it. Tears. What a kind guy. So so so cool. Obviously, we wanted to do something to thank him for his kindness so Sestra Smith and I came back and brought him some cookies to say thank you. We talked to him a little bit more about why specifically we are here. He gave us his business card and was like you girls are awesome. If you need anything at all please let me know. Everytime we passed by we made sure to stop by and say hi/chat. We talked to him maybe two more times. All of these have been shorter interactions because of course he is still working and people are trying to buy things. Well on New Year's Eve after not talking to a bunch of people we decided to walk by and wish him a happy new year. As soon as he saw us he said "ah my missionaries! hello!" which was so cool and THEN he said "guess what I am reading right now?" Obviously intrigued, we were like whatcha reading? He turns his phone around and shows us the Book of Mormon. He was reading the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon. My mind literally exploded right at that moment. Neither of us have ever talked to him about the Book of Mormon but there he was reading it. He explained that he saw our tags and was curious about what we believe. He found the Book of Mormon online and has been reading it all day. He had read until 2 Nephi chapter 14. 2 Nephi chapter 14. That is almost 100 pages. What the heck. Is this not the coolest thing in the entire universe?!?!?!?!? I then asked him if he would like a physical copy because it can be hard to read it on the phone. He said of course! I would love that so much!! Come back tomorrow because it will be the last day that I am here. So the next day pulls up, we go and meet with him and give him the physical copy of the Book of Mormon. He is just so thankful. He says that he is going to read the entire Book of Mormon and that we will stay in contact. And then he gave us both a giant bag of stuff from his booth. The same exact sweater I wanted, a tshirt, a handmade mug, a cashmere scarf, and chocolate. Are you kidding me?!?! This man is the coolest and nicest guy ever. He is so amazing and I can't wait to keep seeing where this goes. 

The gifts from Tomaž :,)

- For New Year's Eve, we got it approved to stay over at the other sister's apartment. We all posted up and it was so fun to be with Sestra Chandler and Sestra Williams again. When the countdown started, we all went out onto their balcony overlooking the city with our poppers and sparkling cider. As soon as it turned midnight, sooooo many fireworks went off and there were echoes of "Srečno novo leto!!!" across the entire city. It was just such a beautiful moment to experience being in a different country and area during the new year. I think I will treasure that time for my entire life. What an incredible opportunity. 

The castle with Mayte

Selfiiieee

The castle again but at night

- We also got to meet up with our friend Mayte and walk up to the castle yesterday. It was fun to meet with her and see all of the beautiful sights. We were able to talk about how we have seen God in our lives this past year and what we want to do this year to get even closer to him. 

Beautiful view of the city from the castle

As a new year starts, it is the perfect time to start creating new goals and plans for this year. For some it is to eat healthier or workout more. For others it is to have more patience and treat others nicely. For others it is all of the above. As you think about your goals, write down how you will get closer to God this year. For me, I really want to get better at reading in the scriptures. I have seen such a big difference in my life when I study the scriptures with real intent. If you want to send me a message of what your goal is, I wouldn't be mad!

Cups of tea had this week: 11 letss goooo

Times going to the Ljubljana castle this week: 2 

Photos of the Ljubljana castle: 6