Maribor, Celje, and Ljubljana

Monday for P-day we decided to go to the zoo at the bottom of our street. It is part of Maximar Park which was set aside as a park in the 1600's. We had to have a picture of the bear since everyone was looking for one in Island Park at the Ray & Verletta Anderson Reunion. We found one for you in case you missed it.

It was a nice little park, not too big and very pleasant. We had taken the car in to have it checked and were on foot. It has been pretty hot the last week so it was nice to be the shade. We hopped a tram after the zoo and went to the Church for FHE. It took us a good hour to get there. We stopped for dinner at a little place the Elders had shown Paul last week after he took them to Osijek.

Sunday on our way back home for visiting Slovania we stopped in Novo Mesta to visit the Elders there. It is a small beautiful town of about 15,000 people.

Sunday at Church they had 1 investigator and 4 Elders. On Sunday evenings they go to the city square and sing hymns and engage passerbys in conversation about the Book of Mormon. I was so proud of them. They gave a family a Book of Mormon and got a name and address of someone else. Elder Dixon, who came out with us, is on the keyboard, Elder Godfrey, Elder Jones, Elder & Sister Lewis. Elder Mathis was out on the sidewalk with the Book of Mormon.

Saturday in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovania and the mission home, we attended the baptism of Dragica Sabic. Elder Cluff baptized her. She was introduced to the church by a less active member and now they are both in church.

Tomislav, Ward Mission Leader, Sister Justus, Sister Ripley, Elder Lindorf, Elder Lewis and Sestra Lidija Vidic, also a new member of 3 months. This was the ward mission leader's first baptism Saturday and confirmation on Sunday.

We met the Vidra family at the baptism. They invited us over on Sunday for a visit. A great family. Radmila, the mother, joined the church first, then her son, Ram and then in 2005 her husband, Robert joined. In 2006 they went to the Freiberg temple to be sealed. We can't wait to go back for another visit. All the pictures you see are of the missionaries who have been in their home.

This is Radmila and me.



Elder Cluff and Sestra Sabic

Before going to Ljubljana we stopped in Maribor where we met Elders Smith and Cox. I was proud of them. As they came down the hill they stopped and engaged everyone on the path. Talk to everyone is our rule. In the bottom of the picture is an entrance into a bunker used during WW II. We are standing on a bridge waiting for them.

In Maribor we met President Tilan Fidler. He is 26, a return missionary from Santa Rosa, CA and a YSA. He will be going to the conference with us. He also teaches the Institute class. Elder Smith and Cox are with Paul.

We left Maribor and went to Celje about an hour away. Here we met the Sister Missionaries Okoren and Shorten who were teaching Juri a lesson on the temple. Juri is 21 and a counselor in the Branch Presidency. He is also going to the conference with us.

Sister Shorten, Okoren and MJ. Before leaving Celje we stopped for a kabab which is a sandwich with lots of vegetables, a hot sauce and shaved chicken in a great bread.

Thursday and Friday of last week we met Vladimir and his wife Marija. They are friends of Greg Amsden in Palmyra NY. What great people. He drove us to the top of the mountain behind our house so we could see the city of Zagreb and then had us over to his home to meet his wife Marija. We hope to get together a few more times.

A view of the back side of Zagreb. There are about 700,000 people in this capital city.

We suggest that you start teaching your FHE lessons from "Preach My Gospel" chapter 3. We need to each be able to teach others about the Restoration of the gospel and build firm testimonies within ourselves. Our calling is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.