July 11 2010

I hope that you have all enjoyed the fourth of july weekend and associated festivities. The paramount of festivities here was that one guy on the bus asked us about it and Elder Johnson and I went on our apartment buildings roof and waived a mini american flag around. But interestingly enough we also had a holiday here a week ago for the statehood of Slovenija. Interesting how they fall close together. Which reminds me of a fun fact I heard: The Croatian city-state Dubrovnik was the first country to officially recognize the U.S. as a country. I heard that from a Slovene, and I am banking on its validity, but it seems like one of those that you never can verify. Anyways, maybe truth, maybe myth, but not really that important in the end.
This week was an interesting one for us. We had our once-per-transfer zone leader council on Wednesday and Thursday with all six of our zone leaders and the assistants and Pres. and Sis. Hill. It was a pretty good meeting and it was about the best I have been fed for a while. But I came away feeling a lot of the ways that I can improve as a missionary, and how I can be a better example. We had an experience Saturday night as well that was good for that. We were tracting all afternoon and we needed to receive two other taught lessons to meet our weekly goal. Things didn't get off to a great start because two upset people started making a big deal about us tracting and bothering people in their building, especially "at that hour" (4:30 in the afternoon). but after that experience we ran into some nicer, but also uninterested people. However, I made a push to become better at tracting because I am not very good at it and I really learned how holding on and sticking with it gives you a much better time of things. Instead of having mushy and lukewarm contacts we had people in front of us who for one reason or other didn't fully understand why they needed our message. IT was a pretty good experience and especially a better one than I had had in the past.
But we are getting ready to start an english class here in Ljubljana as well, and from what we have heard from the Croatian missionaries, it seems like it will be pretty successful. I am excited, because I really enjoy teaching english class.
I was excited to see peaches in the store today, and I hope that they are good, because I bought some.
One other quick story. This week we went up to one of our members who lives outside of ljubljana in the mountains. I will have to admit that the drive there was gorgeous. I am sorry that I didn't have my camera with me, but as we came down as the sun was setting, it was honestly one of the most beatiful places I have ever seen. Not to mention our dinner appointment. We had some really excellent food, and a great lesson. I am pretty glad that we get to have such great people to teach.
Love,
John