Happy Thanksgiving

Today we celebrate "Thanksgiving" and we wanted to take this time to express our gratitude and thankfulness for your great service in God's kingdom. Words cannot express the love and gratitude we have for your fine work. You touch so many lives, building their testimonies, and inviting them to come unto the Savior. There is no greater calling in the Church than to be of service to God's children. We know the Savior is pleased with your efforts.

It has been a great blessing for us to know and love each of you. What great talents you each possess. We thank you again for all you do. We assure you that our testimony of Jesus Christ continues to grow each day.

Love

Elder & Sister Lewis

Zadar Baptism, Senior Conference & Zone Conference

We are grateful to serving here in the Slovenia/Croatia Mission. We are lead and taught by President and Sister David Hill from Sacramento, CA area. They are the best. We learn so much from them. It's a wonderful time to be thankful for so many things but first on our list is our Savior Jesus Christ and His atonement. We share our testimony with you that He has restored His church again upon the earth. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have the authority and all the ordinances necessary for each of us to return to Him as a family. We feel so blessed to be able to share this message with His children.

These are some of our missionaries in Croatia. Elder Kempe, from Pocatello, new Elder and Sarah, my niece, works with his sister. Elder Giberson, going home in 3 weeks, Elder Matson, came out with us and is from Ogden, Elder Jones, new Elder from CA, Sister Carter and Sister Sammann.

Sister Carter, Sister Sammann, Sanja (mother) and Branka our new member. Her mother joined the church in August. They are a wonderful family and Branka's husband attended her baptism and confirmation on Sunday.

Branka and her husband Zeyko

The Elders taking down the font.

We had Sister Astle and Sister Peacock to lunch to celebrate Sister Peacock's birthday. They serve in Ljubljana and are in our District.

Last week we had a Senior Couples Conference in Ljubljana. There were eight couples counting President & Sister Hill. Elder & Sister Densley from Serbia were not able to make it and we missed them. Many of our group had never met them. We were taught by President & Sister Hill. Then we each shared one of our most spiritual experiences so far here in the mission. Then each couple presented what their stewardship was and how they were accomplishing it. We did a power point using our pictures to explain how we serve with the seminary and institute teachers and the YSA in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia. Thursday evening we went to an Italian dinner and had a wonderful meal. We had the privilege of housing the Thompsons from Zagreb and the Willfords from Varazdin. It was like a big slumber party but we had to get up early the next day to continue our conference.

For some reason, no one thought of it, we did not get a good group picture. Do not know what we were thinking. Friday afternoon before some of them headed home we went to the Chinese restaurant for lunch. This is one of our favorite places. Everyone orders and we all share. Delicious food.

This week we had Zone Conference on Tuesday. These two Elders are our Zone Leaders, Elder Millington and Elder Jones. You will not find many better than them. They are so grounded in the gospel and missionary work and had such great suggestions for the missionaries on teaching. We are so blessed to have them.

These are some of our missionaries as we are gathering together after lunch. Sisters Peacock & Astle sang a beautiful Christmas hymn for us.

These are two of our new missionaries in Zadar, Croatia. Again Elder Kempe is from Pocatello, ID

Sisters Ripley and Knudsen decided we needed pumpkin pie for dessert at zone conference so the senior sisters got to bake some pumpkin pie. Elder Millington likes a little whipping cream with his.

It has been a wonderful couple of weeks with so many spiritual experiences. We are so grateful to be here and to have this opportunity. We love and miss each of you. We encourage you to open your mouth and share the gospel with someone. What we have is too precious to keep just to ourselves. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we send our love.

Rijeka, Zagreb District Conference, & Novi Sad

What a great week this has been. The Lord continues to bless the wonderful missionaries of Slovenia/Croatia/Serbia mission. We feel it such a privilege to serve here with these wonderful people. We are lead by President & Sister Hill, awesome examples of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are at the Zagreb District Conference.

On P-day we went to the local Merkator Mall where they were advertising Milke chocolate. They had the purple cow and everything.

This week we visited Rijeka. Elder & Sister Manley are always so kind to let us stay with them. They took us to Center, which we had driven by many times but didn't have a clue it was there.

We had district lunch with the Elders and Sisters from Rijeka. We had a delicious Italian meal.

Sister Manley, Hillam, FitzSimmons, Elders Warren Rhodes, Robinson, Lewis, Manley.

We attended Institute Thursday evening. Friday we went to District Lunch, visited with Dragana and Ivan Haci, and presented a teacher training at activity that night at the Church. We taught "How to Study the Scriptures" and then we had the great dessert I learned from the Serbian sisters. Saturday morning we drove to Zagreb and brought the Haci family with us for Croatia District Conference.

It was fun to be with our YSA friends again. We went to the Czech conference with them. Here is Elder Lewis with Marko M and Marko B. Both new converts to the Church.

The YSA's from Croatia met early at 11 for some activities, lunch and a planning meeting. They had people from all the Branches. It was so fun to be together again.

Some were upstairs in the kitchen helping Sister Sambunyak prepare an evening meal and the meal for after Sunday conference for the whole district. Sister Sambunyak is an amazing woman who never stops serving. She is a great example to all of us. Today she has AnaMarija, and Sisters Whitaker and Woodbury helping her. You can see how happy they are.

We stayed and enjoyed the RS and Priesthood Leadership meetings at 3:30 and then the adult meeting at 6pm. Excellent meetings and it was wonderful to see many of our new converts give talks. Also Ivana who is leaving for the Burmingham, England mission this month and on Sunday KiKi, our recently returned missionary from England. There is great strength here.

We left after that meeting and drove to Sremska, Serbia where we spent the night. Got up in the morning and drove to Novi Sad, Serbia about an hour away. We some some beautiful scenery on the way. It is up through the mountains and then they have a beautiful river and a fortress on the banks of the river. Quite an impressive structure.

This is part of the moat around the fortress.

Elder Lewis having a snack of his favorite potato chips here.

We found the Novi Sad chapel and it is a beautiful place.

Another view of the city and fortress

Sister Lewis outside the front doors

This is the chapel. Elder Lewis and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. Elder Chamberlain translated for me and Elder Jasper translated for Elder Lewis and an investigator translated for both of us during Sunday School.

Elder Christiansen, Branko, Elder Jasper, Brother & Sister Sava and Marija Markovič, Elder Lewis, Brother Jovan and Brother Zoravko. Wonderful, faithful members with stories to tell. We had such a great Sabbath with them.

We leave you with a message we received from President Hill at District Conference, we as leaders as taught in the missionary handbook are to lift, encourage, inspire and bless others. Go and do likewise.

Osijek, Beograd, Sremska, Zone Conference, Varazdin, Zagreb

I hope you have all day. Seems like awhile since I last posted and it looks like we have been busy. Our first news of the day is that Kelly and Rob delivered a beautiful baby boy on November 5, (just missed his Aunt Kimberly's birthday by a day) at 3:15 pm mst. He weighed in at 7 lb 10 oz and 20 in long. Sorry this picture is from skype, we'll get better ones soon. He is healthy and strong and we are so happy he is here. Mom and Dad held up really well and are also doing great. The boys, Robbie and Riley, are still waiting to meet this new addition. No children allowed in the hospitals these days. She will go home on Saturday. Aunt Debbie gets of the honors of coming and helping out in place of Grandma Lewis. Some people have all the luck. Thanks Debbie, you are always there when we need you.

Dad and baby, no name yet.

Now on to missionary work. We started off the month by visiting the Elders in Osijek. We have Elder Babcock, Hadley, Lee, and Alsop. They are all new transfers to the city and are just getting acquainted with the people and city. We went to lunch at a chinese restaurant and then had to stop for some of the finest ice cream in Croatia. We attended the activity that night at the branch.

On our drives this month we have seen some beautiful fall colors and great landscape.

This is on the way to Celije

We left Osijek and drove into Serbia where we attended Institute. Brother Vaseca is our institute and seminary teacher there. Some of those present that night were Irina, Neneva and Emma. I learned how to make a great new dessert from Irina. It's delicious. Bisquits, layed out on the pan. Take the remainder and crunch them up, not too small, about the size of a quarter. Mix plain yogart, 1 c powered sugar and the crunched up bisquits. Soften the bottom layer of bisquits with milk or juice and spread the yogart mixture on top. Cover with fresh or frozen fruit and top with whipping cream. Thanks Irina, I have used it already. After Institute we had pizza from this great place that makes giant pizzas. I'll have to take a picture next time.

We spent the night in Sremska, Serbia where we attended Church on Sunday. Paul and I both spoke in sacrament meeting. A wonderful Branch here, we love these people. This is Paul at the Roman ruins in the middle of town.

It was Ram's birthday this week and we were invited to his party but we were leaving town so came a day early. We were learning to talk with him by using the book on his tray. The Vidra family are wonderful and great missionaries.

This week we had Zone Conference in Ljubljana. This is one of our new elders and President Hill. Elder Wondra of the Area Presidency was on a tour of the mission. President Hill taught us from the scriptures. Luke 19 Zacchaeus found a way and was anxious and willing. Num 13:27, see things thru the Lord's eyes as Caleb did. Acts 9 tell your conversion story.

I am going to share a conversion story of one of our new converts here in our mission as related by President Hill. John was living in Sarajebo when he was searching on the internet. He found the Church there and wanted to find the missionaries. He looked in Bosnia but no Church. The closest one was in Zadar, Croatia. He got on his motorcycle and drove to Zadar where the missionaries taught him for three days. He returned home and they continued to teach him thru skype. He wanted to be baptized. President Hill interviewed him by skype and then he and Sister Hill drove to Sarajebo to baptise him. He was baptised on Saturday. Sunday he was confirmed a member and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, then he received the Aaronic Priesthood and helped bless the sacrament. Choice and wonderful children of our Heavenly Father are waiting for us. "I was called here and I will do His work."

Elder & Sister Wondra. They were Mission President here in 1996-99. They inspired us with their conversion story. In a nutshell. There was an Elder who had 6 months left of his mission. The President asked him what he wanted to do with them. He said send me to Austria and I will commit to finding six people. He and his companion worked very hard and had found five who wanted baptism. The last week they were still searching for the sixth. They were determined. One evening when it was time to go in they said lets go to one more door. They knocked on the door and Elder Wondra answered the door. He was a student studying philosophy and not interested in religion but he invited them in. That was the beginning of his association with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sister Wondra told us when they were called as Mission President in their training at the MTC they came away with the desire that all their missionaries would come home with a greater love of Jesus Christ. By knowning Him better we will love Him more, and by loving Him more we will be more like Him. He is the center of our service.

Elder Wondra's advice to the missionaries: go to the Lord, learn to love the people, you have the power within you, you can do the work better than anyone else, purify your hearts. Realize who you are.

The next week we visited Varazdin. Here we have Elder & Sister Willford, the Senior Couple from Rexburg, Idaho, and Sister Lukacek, our Institute teacher and wife of the Branch President. They are doing a great job here. We had a wonderful class and then had soup and visited afterwards.

The Willfords used our car to go visiting with the Elders to some of their members who live way out and so we took advantage of the time to walk around Varazdin and see some of the sights. I am standing outside of the Lace shop where the Willfords met Tihana, a golden contact, who is now a member of the Church and studying in Zagreb. Tihana makes the most beautiful lace. She learned from her grandmother.

The Varazdin castle is right in the middle of town and is not built on a hill but is on low land. It was a fort to protect the people from Turk invasions in the 15th century and then was added on as the centuries went by. It now houses the museum. It has some artifacts from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Elder Lewis, Elder Davey, Elder Pasche, Elder Willford, Sister Willford, and Brother Bozidar Hebek, serving in Varazdin. We all went out to lunch at our favorite pizza place.

Tuesday we went downtown with Sister's Knudsen and Ripley to help with a service project preparing sandwiches for the homeless. On our way back to the bus we saw "the Spider" picking up a car that was parked in the wrong place.

They pick them up and carry them off and to get them back you pay.

Here are the sisters working diligently preparing the boxes.

Sunday we went to Zagreb to Church. This was November 1 and is a special holiday like our Memorial Day. Everyone goes to the cemetery to place candles and flowers on the graves. It is a huge affair. This is Zagreb Square. We went with the Elders and Kristijan from Zagreb. Kristijan gave us a great tour and explained the holiday to us.

This is Kresimer Cosic's grave site. He was the first member of the Church in Yugoslovia and played basketball for BYU where he found and joined the Church. He was really loved by his countrymen and did wonderful things for them.

This was a memorial site

This was really beautiful, a whole pathway of candles with a cross at the end of it. They had a mass here.

President Uchtdorf's CES Fireside last Sunday was great. We suggest you listen to it on lds.org.

"A knowledge of who you really are will help you through your life." "I must never forget I am a chld of God".

Gublers, Rowes, Celje Institute

Elder Lewis, Branch President and Branch members and new Elders in Karlovac

Ljubica Asler and Elder Lewis in Zagreb. She is our institute teacher here.

Elder Schmoe adjusting the wheelchair

Lewis', Schmoes, President Hill and Mirsad. We were able to be present at the closing of a humanitarian project for this organization in Karlovac. This organization does many wonderful projects for their community. Zolo is Mirsad's guide dog which is now being retired after ten years of faithful service.

The Schmoes, Mirsad, Zolo and President Hill

A child's wheelchair was also given to the Jasarevic Family. Belmin is 9 years old and has always needed to be carried wherever he goes. This will be a great help to the family who have two other children.

Greetings at the news conference

Presenting the wheelchair

Presenting the copy machine to Mirsad

Brother & Sister Gubler came to pick up their son at the end of his mission. We all went to see the Vintgar gorge about 6 km from Bled, Slovenia. It was very beautiful.

rushing waters

Elder, Brother and Sister Gubler as they are ready to leave Ljubljana

Brother & Sister Gubler when they arrived. They stayed with us a couple of days.

We had to opportunity to visit with the Vidra family again and meet one of their friends, Pulvina. Ram was not feeling good that day.

On October 17 we drove to Bosnia to meet the Rowe family. They took us to dinner at the old fort where we enjoyed some original Bosnian food. Very delicious and great company. Grandma Rowe was visiting from Provo for Colton's baptism.

Sunday Colton was baptized by his father in a portable pool. It was about 34 degrees out. What a great day. They had invited many of their friends and work associates to the baptism. We had a wonderful time. David, in the white shirt, is one of our seminary students. His Dad is our teacher.

We visited the Celje institute that week. Brother Peric is our teacher and they have a great group. We are blessed with wonderful, dedicated teachers.

Zadar, Rijeka, Pula, & Osijak

We made our first visit to do some training for our institute teachers. We stopped first in Zadar, about 4 1/2 hrs. from Ljubljana. We met Ranka Paunovič at the Church. Ranka is our institute teacher and just went to the temple with the District in August. She does a great job for us.

Ranka and I

Marko Butorac and his mother, Paul and I

Sanja and her children. She is a new member of a month and her son likes to plays soccer.

This is Ladislav's family. He is 1st Counselor in the Branch A great family. We had such fun with them.

Elder Giberson and Matson took us down to hear the sea organ. That's the Adriatic Sea behind them.

This is Krešimir Čosić basketball arena

The Elders with Krešimir

They took us to meet and visit with Darinka Čosič, mother of Krešimir Čosič. He played basketball at BYU, joined the church and brought it back to Yugoslavia. You might have seen his special on BYU channel .

Then we went to have the best ice cream in Croatia (according to the Elders).

Friday morning we drove up the coast to Rijeka. Beautiful country but different from what I expected. There is a mountain range on the east and the sea on the west. The mt. range is mostly rock with small scrubs growing.

In Rijeka we had a treat. For RS Enrichment one of the sisters taught us how to make ?. Sisters Hillam and FitzSimmons serve here.

She made the dough then we wrap it around a plum or any number of fruits. Cook it in boiling water and it floats to the top.

The finished product. Very tasty.

Emma and Sister Hillam enjoying a bite.

Some of the plain ones ready to be cooked.

RS at it's best.

We had an activity Friday night. One of the English students made pizza and we watched "How Rare a Possession".

Elder Rhodes, Julie and Emma

A Branch member and Sister Manley. He came and taught us how to make Burak. We learned all kinds of skills this weekend. This is a potato & onion burak and he also made an apple burak. Really delicious.

This is a view of Bakar a small town just outside of Rijeka.

Saturday morning early we drove by the coast over to Pula to visit the missionaries, Elder Dixon and Brown. This is the coliseum which was built by the Romans and is one of the best preserved in Europe.

Sunrise on the way to Pula

Here come our missionaries. Elder Dixon and Brown.

Driving back to Zagreb we saw some beautiful fall colors.

We went to Osijek to pick up Elder Larsen who is going home and needed a ride to Zagreb. We stopped to meet Zoran. We had heard so much about this wonderful man and were happy to finally meet him. His sister, Ivana, was baptized when we first arrived in Croatia.

Elder Larsen's last good byes to Osijek. Elder Pasche, Larsen, Champian, and Lewis

Monday morning when we woke up in Ljubljana there was snow on the mountain tops. It is definitely sweater and jacket weather now.

Emillie (Volleyball & Seminary) Tour of Lj & Visit to Varazdin

We took a walking tour of Ljubljana old town. Our guide was great and we walked around the old part of town for about 2 1/2 hrs. We had a couple of girls who were traveling Europe from Washington and a couple from Germany on the tour with us. This is the door of one of the oldest churches in Ljubljana. It tells the history of the city.

This is one of the many squares and is close to the City Hall.

There is a very large and beautiful cemetery in Ljubljana and we walked thru it. Very large monuments and so well kept.

President & Sister Hill had their granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law with them for a few weeks.

Emillie is our seminary teacher in Kranj. She is here playing professional volleyball with one of the Slovenian teams. We were in Zagreb when she was playing. We hope to see a few more games. She is from American Fork and played for U of U. A fabulous teacher.

Here's Paul studying while we wait for the game to begin.

That's Emillie making a great shot.

We went to Varazdin to visit their Branch on Sunday. Sister Willord gave the RS lesson and taught us some of the hymns of Zion. We have Marija Kolenko and Stefonija Posavic attending. We spent Saturday night with the Thompsons in Zagreb.

We had a great planning meeting with our YSA leaders in Ljubljana. They are Boris, Maja, Brother Lotric and Rebekah. We got many things planned and in place. After District Conference we had a lunch for the YSA's and had 22 attend. We have started Institute in Kranj and Ljubljana and have great teachers. Sunday between conference we had about 18 come over to our home for lunch between sessions.

We finally took time and went to see the Ljubljana castle which sits up on a hill right in the middle of Ljubljana. We took a tram up but you can walk around the back side. It is a beautiful view of the city. There is a tower which allows you to see all over the city.

Elder & Sister Lewis in Karlovac

Emillie and Lea her seminary student.

We were able to view all of conference. What a great boost for us. Saturday evening at 6 we watched the Saturday morning, then Sunday we had Priesthood at 8 then the two Saturday sessions. Sunday at 6 the Sunday morning session and at 10 that night in our apartment we watched the last session. We felt so blessed to be able to get them all.