Slovenija~20 Year Celebration

I woke up this morning and didn’t have to be anywhere, so I went and had a leisurely breakfast and then decided to walk down to the market since I knew it would be hustling & bustling w/ people b/c it’s Saturday morning.  Sure enough, there were lots of people milling around.  It was great to see all of the farm fresh veggies.  A lady was selling some adorable skirts and I was going to buy one for Autumn, but she wanted $20 Euros for one and I only had $15 and she wouldn’t budge on the price.  Skoda! :(

I found these neat water fountains near the market.  I wasn’t brave enough to try and drink the water, but liked how they look, especially the one on the right.

Another old door I found.

This was one of the things I had on my list that I really really really wanted to make sure and do.  I wanted to get a hot chocolate at the little outside cafe right in center for a few reasons.  One reason is that I remember as a missionary standing in center for hours on end trying to contact and being so jealous that people got to sit chat w/ friends while sipping drinks.  Also, their hot chocolate at this cafe is so thick and good it’s like drinking chocolate pudding.  So, I went and sat at a table that was facing center and ordered my hot chocolate and wrote in my journal a little bit while enjoying not feeling guilty for not contacting anyone!  It was heavenly and just as great as I pictured it being.

While I was sitting and enjoying my hot chocolate, the bells at the church were ringing and I saw a lot of people going into the church.  There was a cute little grandpa guy walking up the steps very slowly and it made me realize that I have never been in that church even though I passed it almost everyday.  So, I finished my hot chocolate and attended the 10:00 mass.  They were having a special program b/c a bunch of parents walked with their kids behind the priest that swings the incense.  Also, every seat was full and I had to sit on a little bench in the very back of the church.  They also had a choir of teenagers singing and it was absolutely soul stirring.  I didn’t stay for the whole mass b/c I needed to go back to my room and get showered and cleaned up for the day, but I’m glad I went in.  It was so ornate and beautiful inside the church.

After I went back to the room and got cleaned up, I went and waited on a bench in center around noon to meet up w/ Maja.  They had these cute bicycles that you could rent for $8 Euros for 1/2 hour to ride around the city.  They were big enough for 2-4 people.  How fun!

Maja found me and we walked to her Dad’s car that he had let her borrow and decided to go to lunch.  I had to snap a picture of this house when we were stopped at a light.  Aren’t the colors just spectacular?

We went to a nice gostilna out by the airport called Ancka.  I had some traditional Slovene struckl and she got some sausage with sauerkraut.  My food was really good but too sweet, so I was only able to eat 1/2 of each one.  The cheese one was good and had ricotta type cheese inside, but the nut one was my favorite.

We sat and talked and talked and talked, which was so nice.  I am glad she was able to meet up with me.  She said she wanted to take me to the mall to show me something.  We walked in, and right before you go into the main part of the mall, they have this machine out in the lobby.  On the right hand side of the machine, they have sterilized glass bottles that you buy from a vending machine type thing.

Then, you select what size you want and you put your glass jar up to the spout and out comes fresh-from-the-farm non-pasteurized milk!  I thought it was so crazy to get fresh milk from a machine in the lobby of a mall, but that milk was super cold and super tasty!  We should get some of these in America, b/c I would for sure get my milk from it.

Maja dropped me off at 3:30 b/c she had to be back home by 4:00.  I took my last chance to walk around the city and get some pictures.  I like this one w/ the castle on the hill and the little cafe to the right and the tiered plants on the steps on the left.

This gazebo & building are right near Kongresni Trg, but it’s got major construction going on so you have to walk all the way around the trg.  I remember that we went ice skating there once as missionaries in the winter.  I also remember standing and waiting all the time for the bus at Kongresni Trg.

Some more old doors that I thought were neat.  I told you I was obsessed w/ taking pictures of old doors on this trip!

I went back to my hotel room and rested for a while and got most of my packing done.  Then at 5:00, I decided to try and find a taxi to take me to the church.  I would have just taken the bus, but they don’t have it where you can buy tokens anymore.  You have to buy a card and put money on it and since I only needed to ride the bus once, I decided I’d just pay for a taxi.  Well, I went to the usual place where the taxis are, but there were NONE to be found so I started walking.  I got almost all the way to Tivoli park when I saw a taxi waiting at a bus stop and asked him if he could give a ride, which he did.  It was worth every bit of the $3 Euros it cost!

I got to the church early and am glad I did so I could go around and say hi to members that I hadn’t seen yet and to hand out some gifts that Dad has sent with me like t-shirts from his business for the kids and temple necklaces for the young primary girls and temple tie pins for the young men.

Barbara Majc & Uros Stampe were the MC’s for the program and did a great job.  At one point, Uros even did this cool rap!  I think my favorite part was when the primary kids sang the Slovene version of, “I Know That My Savior Loves Me” and then when Pres. & Sis. Lotric spoke since they were the first members in Slovenija.  How many people get a chance to hear the first members of the church in a country speak?  Talk about strong, true, and faithful pioneers!

A group of members sang a few songs and did a great job.  I love that I captured this girl’s red hair in the photo.  So many people in Slovenija have this bright red hair (like Sharon Osborne), which is something most people in the States would never be daring enough to pull off.  The blonde next to her is Oksana and she played a few musical numbers on her violin that made me fell like I was in a symphony hall, which is where Oksana plays.  It was moving and beautiful…so talented.

Majtaz Juhart, who is like the stake president, got up and gave a short history of the church in Slovenija which was really good.  He also had all the former missionaries stand up so they could recognize us and it was only Erik, myself, and a senior couple that had served in the 1990’s.  I am SO GLAD I got to be here for this wonderful event.  I am so sad that they didn’t have the 20 year celebration book ready, b/c I wanted to buy about 10 copies for myself and former missionaries.  Hopefully it will be available to buy in the near future.  Uros had asked me to give the closing prayer and I said yes, but kept it super simple and sweet b/c my language skills are not very good at all.

I know Sis. Lotric’s eyes are closed, but this is the only picture I got of the two of them together.  I look up to and admire and respect them so much for all they have done to help the Church to grow in Slovenija.  How neat that we got to meet in a real church building w/ so many members b/c of the faith and strength of these 2 people.  I am blessed beyond compare to know them!

This is Anja and her Peruvian husband.  She is so incredible and is the Primary President in the Ljubljana branch.  She’s such a sweetheart and I love her so much.

Pika hasn’t changed at all and is still so artistic and creative and fabulous.  She put in a LOT of work to make the program a huge success.  I think she is so beautiful both inside and out!
(Sorry my hair was in your face, Pika!)

This is another stalwart family in the branch that have been members for a long time.  I remember when the girl in the middle was just a tiny little thing and now look at how grown up she is!  Such a great family!

This isn’t all of the Majc family, and I know the girls’ eyes are closed but this was the best we could do b/c everyone was busy running around.  The Majc family is such a solid and stable family in the branch.  Bro. Majc loved the Alaska license plates by the way, Brenner!

Tina & Gasper are so adorable together and I am glad they have each other.  Gasper cracks me up and took my camera from me and went around taking pictures so I could dance, which I greatly appreciated.

After the program was over and most of the adults had left, the single adults had a dance.  I wasn’t going to dance, but Tilen asked me to and I couldn’t say no to him.  He was a blast to dance w/ and kept spinning me around and doing fun dance moves.  Barbara was an excellent DJ.

It was so good to see Mark!  He was busy putting the stage and podium for church back together and didn’t dance.  Gasper was so priden and helped Mark move stuff around w/ some of the other church guys even though he’s not a member…yet!

Urso & Oksana (the violinist)

Davor & Stanka are just too cute together.  I am so happy that they dated and got married even though it was hard for a little while for them.

I had a good time dancing w/ France, especially b/c he’s taller than me.  He was so sweet and brought me a bag with sandwiches, chips, and Multi Sola (my favorite drink) for me to enjoy on the trip home.  I had to pack the Multi Sola in my big suitcase since I couldn’t carry it on the plane (thanks to all the rules and regulations) but I will be so happy when I get to drink my Multi Sola in America and plan on saving it for a few months.  That way in a few months when I’m really missing Slovenija I can open my drink and bring back all the memories of this great trip.

It was getting late, and I needed to get back to the hotel so I could finish packing.  Tina & Gasper gave me a ride (one last time), and I am so thankful for them.  I walked straight to Kebapci’s and had a kebap for my last supper in Slovenija (sniff, sniff)!  I tried to savor every single morsel and bit and taste and flavor since who knows when I’ll be back in Slovenija to visit the members and get to eat another one.  Hopefully it’s sooner than 7 years from now!  I went back to the hotel and packed and sent one last email to Mom and then headed off to bed b/c I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

If I was forced to pick just one picture from this trip that was my all time ultimate favorite, this would definitely be the one without even having to think twice about it.  The reason is b/c of what it represents.  This is the future of the church in Slovenija.  These are the 3 branch presidents, they are all RM’s (returned missionaries), and they are all in their 20’s.

Ljubljana ~ Davor Majc (22)
Celje ~ Uros Stampe (26)
Maribor ~ Tilen Fidler (27)

I love and respect these 3 guys so much and know that the church is in incredible hands with them in charge.  They are very literally pioneers and I feel so blessed to know them and call them friends.  They are marvelous men who hold and honor their priesthood.  I can’t wait to see what the next 20 years will bring for the Saints in Slovenija!

When I find the dedicatory prayer the Elder (he wasn’t prophet yet) Thomas S. Monson gave over Yugoslavia back on October 31, 1985, I will post it here.  I tried googling it but couldn’t find it posted online anywhere.

You can click HERE for a small history of the church in Slovenija.  You can also click HERE to read about when Elder Nelson, an apostle from the Quorum of the 12 visited Slovenija and rededicated the land.