Happy October!!!  This is my favorite time of the year.  The weather starts to cool down, football season is in full force, I love Halloween and dressing up, and my birthday.  Everything about this season/month makes me so happy.  I even took a long walk with my daughters this evening.  Anything I get to do with my kids makes me happy.  To make this day even better, it was General Conference.  Tears streamed down my cheeks for most of it.  My family may have thought I was crazy, but the Spirit was so strong, and the messages so powerful.  I’m incredibly grateful for the priesthood on the earth today, and for the righteous men and women who lead our church.

Being October, I figured I should try and finish my September entries.  There’s still 3 more after these, but I’ll add those in tomorrow.

16 Sept 1995

Well, well, well, what can I say?  My mission is interesting.  Today we really didn’t do much, but it’s the first time in a long time.  I mean, we were pretty much doing stuff all day.  It’s just that we didn’t have appointments, and we didn’t tract.  It’s crazy the way we’ve been running though.  I do love it when we are busy.  It’s ok that we didn’t have much planned, because then I could go on splits with Sister Groberg.  Sister Basker fell yesterday and majorly sprained her ankle, so I went with S. G. and S. M. stayed with S. Basket.  They both deserved the rest.

Last night this lady, Dragica, game me this sweater that she had knitted for her son, but he grew out of it.  Well, she tried to give it to both of us, but Sister Mix refused.  I just kept giving it to us.  i felt bad, but I also didn’t want to offend her.  We also bought some clogs on Thursday.  They were only 2000 tolars too.  I am so tired.  I’m going to sleep now.

 

17 Sept 1995

Quick!  Funniest thing ever!  I accidentally left my jacket at the sisters’ so when we got to the bottom of the blok (apartment building), we called them up and had them drop it from their window.  I was following it, walking around in circles, and looking up.  Of course, I don’t see this huge sidewalk and I totally ate the cement.  After Sister Baskers experience, for sure we don’t need two sisters out of commission.  All I got was a couple of scratches and bruises.  We’re just way too busy for me to get hurt (knock on wood).  But hey, it would make for easy splits.  I did realize how clutzy I was before my mission, but I think being away from home just amplified that wonderful trait.

Church was awesome today.  Matjaz Juhart came home from his mission and gave his report.  He was the first missionary from Slovenia. His mom came, and she is awesome.  I think we’re going to try and teach her.  Then Joseph gave his conversion story.  He’s been gone all summer, since his baptism, and hadn’t had a chance before he left.  It was so cool, all except for a little swearing problem, but Elder Reynolds will help him out with that.  I’m going to get a copy of Sister Mix’s notes from it today.

I saw on facebook that it happens to be Matjaž’s birthday today.  How appropriate that I would be posting this blog today.  Vse najboljše, Matjaž!

 

18 Sept 1995

It’s so hard to come home at the end of the day and try to write all that happened.  I promise, I could write a novel about 1 day in the life of a missionary (Maybe I will.).  But hey, I’m going to do it on just a few pages, if even that.  I’m tired and really just want to sleep.

This morning we had an appointment with Maja.  We switched service and every thing to do it.  Then, she wasn’t there.  So lame.  I don’t really know what’s up with that.  We we left her a note.  Then we went to mail presidents letters and a Book of Mormon.  After that we went to get street boards.  On the way to the center, with the street boards, we saw Matjaz.  He was so funny.  He was just aching to be a missionary again.  He carried the boards over for us, and bought us something to drink, and just wanted a tag so badly.  He was hating it because he already has a test on Thursday, and he’s really freaking out because it’s on Slovene.  It was so funny.  He asked us how to say repent in Slovene (pokesati se).  He was also a little bit in culture shock.  He’s just been so Americanized.  He doesn’t even have a Slovenian accent.  Oh yeah!  He knows my friend Heidi Terry, and he’d heard of my friend Sylvia Coria.  They were both in his same mission.  That was cool!

So, anyway, we did street boards for a while, then the elders came and we took about ½ hour lunch break.  Then we went to meet Jure.  He was so cool.  It seemed like he was hanging on every word we were saying and couldn’t wait to get his hands on the Book of Mormon.  He said he would read and pray, but he wouldn’t commit to meet again, or to come to church.  Everything else just clicked perfectly, though.  He already believes it, pretty much.  I just have to have faith that he will come on his own.  It’s just that he doesn’t have time.  That’s why it’s been almost a month since we met him.  He will be baptized someday.  I really believe that.  

Then, we went to visit the Bratic family, and well, they’re still redoing the place, so we’ll go back on Friday.

Ok, I’m falling asleep right here.  I think I might and then just wait for Sister Mix to wake me up

-bus contacting

-met Americans

-Nate Newberry- artist painted Mormon Trail

-Sara- cool hair clips- looks like Tina Lara

 

19 Sept 1995

Hello again!  It’s P-day eve.  I don’t know whether to be excited about that or not.  I mean, it’ll be a cool day tomorrow, because we’re going to play volleyball and some other fun games (yippee!), but I don’t really know what to say in my letter home.  I haven’t heard from anybody for almost 2 weeks.  I’m so sick of having to say that, and I don’t want to anymore.  I just, I don’t know, it’s lame.  I’m just getting stupid and emotional.  Boy, do I love being a girl.

Anyway, I’ve written everything I can think of to try and get them to write more.  I already sound like a big whiner.  I mean, some people get tons less mail than me.  Well, anyway, I just want to know what’s going on with my family, and even more, that they’re even thinking about me.  That’s ridiculous, I know they are.  It just doesn’t feel like it sometimes.  Anyway, today, let’s see.  What did we do?  Service!  We finished our street board we were working on, pretty much.  We wrote some notes to some well deserving people.  We had a concert.  Poor Sister Basker.  We were late, so everyone was kind of tense and so much it seemed like they were blaming her, just because of her hurt foot, and she couldn’t walk fast.  How rude!  I think she deserves a yellow rose.  Then we went with Nika Klobčič, and her sons, Peter and Rok, to the Lotrič’s house.  President wasn’t there, but it was fun visiting with Boža and her daughters, Lea and Flora.

Well, I have 15 minutes to be ready for bed.  I want a good night’s rest.

 

20 Sept 1995

P-day!  I love p-days.  I slept ‘til 8:30 this morning (kind of).  I kept waking up almost every hour, on the hour.  Awful!  

Today was fun.  We went and played volleyball again.  My arms are now bruised, but what’s a game without war wounds, eh?  It was really fun.  Then we came home to write letters.  No mail for me again today.  Oh well.  I wrote a couple of cool letters to Janice, Sheri, and Kim though.  Of course I wrote home too.  Then we had to go to Relief Society and of course, we were late getting out.  It was so funny.  We got out the door and saw a bus coming, so we took off running and were about ¾ of the way there when I feel something around my ankles.  I looked down, and there is my slip.  It had totally fallen down.  It was too funny to be embarrassing.  I bent down, picked it up, and wadded it up and kept running for the bus.  Then I got on the bus and put my slip in my backpack, and totally dropped my bus pass.  Sister Mix saw it, luckily, and gave it to me as we got off the bus to run to the next one.

Then, as we were getting off the next bus, I totally lost my balance and went flying across the back end.  Boy, was I ever a mess.  I’m ok now, though, and I’m really excited because I made jello for DDM tomorrow.  Yum!  I can’t wait.

 

21 Sept 1995

We found out that Slovene translations are going on full force, starting now.  There was a big translators meeting tonight.  Oh yes!  This is just what Slovenia needs, the Book of Mormon in their own language.  I’m LOVING it!

Yep! You read that right.  We did not have a Slovene Book of Mormon, but there are so many other languages to choose from.  Actually, this was such exciting news!  I wasn’t able to hold a Slovene Book of Mormon until I got home from my mission, was married, and had children.  I cried the day I finally did.

 

22 Sept 1995

We gave away about 50+ pamphlets!  Maja’s appointment was good.  We just had to clear up a couple things, like we’re not Catholic, and yes, the Book of Mormon really is that important.  But, it was still cool.  Finally, today I got letters!!! I got one from Merilee (weird, she’s married now), one from Sister Plowgian (cool postcard), and one from Mom.  It was so fun!!

I hope this isn’t karmic, and I end up being the person who is not good about writing while my son is serving his mission.  My family was actually pretty good about it.  I mean, post takes a long time to get to Europe.  I was such a whiner!