SCM - Lovely Country

Hello Friends and Family, Sister Lindorf got to do the last update, so it's my turn.  You will get this from her email address because she maintains the lists. I wish I could capture in a picture how beautiful the countryside here is.   The evergreens have now been filled in by all the deciduous trees and the panorama of the rolling countryside of dense forest, punctuated by small farms and villages.  It's just too quaint to take it all in.  I can see why the Slovenes love living here.  Who would have thought?  They have successfully retained a rural feeling even in the larger towns.  The houses aren't 'wall to wall'.  There are many greenbelts and parks in the cities and the countryside is just breathtaking. You can't see it too well in this picture, but those are the Alps in the background, still covered in snow. Today we drove to Novo Mesto, about an hour from Ljubljana, to attend church in a branch with NO members - just missionaries and investigators.  It must have been what it was really like in the early church to open an area for the first time to proselyting.  What a great experience.  Our young missionaries are undaunted. We also went to Trieste, Italy a couple weeks ago to get our visas.  Here we are standing by the Adriatic Sea.  It was a cold day, but we enjoyed some real Italian pizza while we were there. We also received our first group of new missionaries.  President Hill took the group for a short walk from the mission home to a nearby grove for a spiritual retreat. Some of these missionaries are now in Serbia and Croatia, but we got to keep two of the Sisters  in Slovenia.  I love working with these young people who are so full of enthusiasm and testimony. We also had to say goodbye to 4 missionaries who have finished their missions and have now returned home to resume their studies.  How quickly we grow to love them! One of the local attractions in our neighborhood is a river that is very popular for kayaking.   This river is about 100 yards from our house, so we walk by it everyday.  The water has an unusual bright color from the mineral content. They have even created what I would call a 'terrain park' if it were snowboarding.  They have obstacles and stunts they have to complete in the water.  Here's a look at a few practicing. They actually have organized kayaking events here that are very well attended.  The Slovenes love being outdoors.  And now that the weather has warmed, there are bikers in greater numbers and hundreds that climb the mountain behind our house every day.  We're looking forward to a Saturday very soon when we can join them.  Then we'll show you some pictures from the top. I can't tell you how much we're enjoying being on a mission and serving in this lovely country.   We count every day a joy and a blessing.   Of course we miss our family and friends, but fortunately it's easy to keep in touch with technology.  We now have the internet installed at home so we're able to use our CA number for phone calls.  If you want to say hello, give us a call at 949-698-7476 most mornings (which is evening here).  We are nine hours ahead of PDT.  If we're not available, just leave a message and we'll get back to you.  Of course, we also love your email notes. We feel your love and support and appreciate all you do that allows us to be able to serve and to "lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." (D & C 25:10) Elder Lindorf