SCM Christmas 2009

Make a scrapbooking design

SCM - Sisters in Europe

Dearest friends, This update is all about family.  Let me begin by announcing the birth of our newest grandbaby, Anndra Eve Shumard. She lives in Gainesville FL, belongs to Jen and Todd, and was welcomed home by two big brothers, Parker and Lincoln.  We feel so blessed to have another girl in our family, so fresh from our Heavenly Father.  I even got to hear her first cries. Recently my two sisters and their husbands came to visit us on the tail end of their whirlwind European trip. So we took a couple of days to see the sights in Slovenia.  Check out that medieval castle in the background.  That's the real thing...  and it is built into a cliff of caves.  Incredible! Do you remember how every picture we sent out from Thailand was "AMAZING?"  Well, in Slovenia, it is all "CHARMING!"  Charm, charm, and more charm... You can't find more quintessential European charm than this! The sun hardly came out during their 3 day stay, but every vista we crested was still stunningly beautiful. And what do three sisters do when they get together?  Chit-chat, chit-chat, and chit-chat! And who's that guy behind the camera???  It's Elder Lindorf, of course! What a privilege it is to be a part of the Lord's Work, here in the Balkins!  The Lord savors every corner of His Kingdom as precious and worthy of the day's toil.  As we labor in the service of these children of God, the Lord makes our everyday efforts sweet and infuses us with His joy!  I am humbly grateful for your prayers of faith.  I stand in awe at the miracle of a new life in our family circle.  And I thank the Lord for a giant, sweeping connection with this new little girl, even though we live oceans away! God bless each of you! Sestra Lindorf

SCM - Bohinj & Bled

Hello Family & Friends, Sister Lindorf has sent out the past few updates, so it's my turn this time.  Hope you enjoy the photos. Recently we were privileged to have Elder Christofferson visit our mission to dedicate the new chapel in Zagreb, Croatia.  Here he is with some of our Sister Missionaries. Just in case you think missions are all work and no play, I have included a few pictures of our district P-day trip to a lake and waterfall at Bohinj, Slovenia. This is Elder Hunter, my trainer, getting a drink from one of the natural springs. He didn't train me to do that.  I prefer water from a bottle! This is Sister Knudsen.  She helped us in the office for a few weeks between assignments.  How we have grown to love her! Here's the waterfall at Bohinj.  Just one of the natural wonders that are so abundant in this beautiful country.  The water is crystal clear coming off the mountain. At the end of the day, we stopped for dinner at our favorite restaurant.  The Elders all had teaching appointments, so I ended up with a table full of sister missionaries.  I've never complained about being 'on the girls team'! We had to say 'goodbye' last week to some of our beloved missionaries including Sister Lindorf's trainer, Elder Godfrey.  But fortunately, we got to say 'hello' to a brand new group of missionaries fresh from the MTC.  Here are a few getting on the train on the way to their first assignment. Now for a personal note.  Today, August 24th, is Sister Lindorf's Birthday so I'm sending her a rose We celebrated early by taking a trip to Bled, Slovenia - another natural wonder. It's hard to capture in photographs how beautiful Slovenia is.  We're really enjoying the green.  It reminds us a lot of our home in Oregon. Here's the birthday girl with her favorite companion. We are very grateful for the opportunity we have to serve here.  We love the missionaries and the members.  Today a group from our District is leaving for the Temple in Frankfurt, including one member we taught the temple prep lessons to over the past few weeks.  We are also teaching The Marriage and Family Relations class to two recently married couples, and today Sister Lindorf was asked to teach Seminary.  The blessings just keep coming.  It's a wonderful life. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Elder Lindorf

SCM - Pula, Croatia

Dearest Loved Ones! What a joy it is to sit down and contemplate your receiving this update!  As I think of you and ponder the miracles we behold from day to day, it is hard to narrow them down to just one or two.  Most of those miracles are quiet and quite unadorned.  They are sacred and often very difficult to put into words.  Nevertheless, they are a powerful force in our lives, and combined with all of God's Work in this corner of His Kingdom, they become a powerful force for good in our beloved mission countries. We had the chance recently to visit Croatia, our neighbor country to the south.  We had some business in Pula and Rijeka and were delighted to see these cities for the first time.  Pula is a beautiful coastal city and busy port.  With Italy just across the the Adriatic Sea, we saw a lot of Italian influence.  In fact, right in the middle of this bustling, modern city, is an amazingly preserved Roman Coliseum.  Knowing much of what originally transpired in this edifice, made the beauty of it both great and terrible.  It took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes, all in one.   The grandeur of that experience still lingered with me as we attended our little "Twig" (we have a "Group" in Pula, not big enough to be a Branch yet) the next day.  Between the handful of missionaries and members that attended, we basked in the Spirit and partook of our Lord's Sacrament, in lands where the Lord's Twelve Apostles likely traveled and administered the Lord's emblems of Salvation.  We spoke and bore our testimonies of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, brought back anew just for them! After such a rich outpouring, we broke into our separate meetings, only to participate in a most historic moment in Pula...  No, it was not heralded by kings or parades, but was sanctioned all the same by the King of Kings.  I was privileged to participate in Pula's first ever Relief Society Meeting and Elder Lindorf in Pula's first Priesthood Meeting.   As we four sisters made the very first footprints on the pathway called by God "Relief Society," as we studied in faith the first Relief Society meeting held in Nauvoo, I felt a sweet thrill to know that God's daughters were once again organizing in the perfect pattern He has given us.   I rejoiced with the angels above that these humble sisters were joining hands with millions of women across the world.  Having raised my voice in songs of praise with thousands of Relief Society Sisters in the Conference Center and felt the magnificence and power of that sisterhood, I shared my testimony that they belonged to the largest women's organization in all the world!   This little field of grain is green and tender, it is true.  Missionary work in Pula began a year ago and has been lovingly nurtured by full time missionaries; two Elders and a Senior Couple.  However, gradually, one by one, our Senior Couples are going home and there is no one to replace them.  Our Senior Couple from Pula went home yesterday.  They were the ones to open Pula, to nourish those first converts, to laugh with them, cry with them..., to encourage, strengthen and lead them with their every waking breath and thought.  They leave behind a baton that needs, yet, to picked up and carried, again and again, until our little Pula becomes a beautiful, golden field with full and drooping heads of grain!  We send our dearest and fondest love to you, knowing the Lord and His tremendous love for each of His children. Yours always,  Sestra Lindorf

SCM - Happy Father's Day

Dear family and friends, I want to begin this Father's Day update by thanking each one of our children for being independent enough to make it possible for their parents to serve this mission in Slovenia.  There is no greater joy than knowing that your children are walking in light and truth.  Challenges abound, but they are met by capable hands and hearts.  Thanks for making this Father's Day a happy one for me. I've heard from some of you, after seeing the pictures of our ONE hike, that we've been vacationing in Europe.  So that you'll know that we actually do work in between P-days, I've selected a different set of pictures this time. We recently went to Zagreb Croatia with President & Sister Hill for a Zone Conference.  The fountain in this picture was designed by a church member. We are fortunate to have such a spiritual and talented mission president.  Zone conferences with President Hill are a highlight.  Elder Lindorf with Elder Estigarribia from Spain during a break The new chapel in Zagreb was scheduled for dedication in two weeks, so we did and 'advance fly-by' to be sure it would be ready on schedule. Well, it looks pretty good from the outside.  There was still a lot of interior work to complete in the final hours. After the conference we took a walking tour of downtown Zagreb.  Quite a contrast between the old and the new. Two Dads We had a baptism recently in Ljubljana.  Elder Hunter (the beaming one) was our trainer. Sister Lindorf, always cheerful. Earlier I showed you a picture of our apartment from the inside.  This shot shows the back of our home from the street.  We have the whole upstairs of the house in the center.  We were trying to capture these magnificent sunbeams, but the picture doesn't do it justice. I thought this rose 'tree' would look prettier with Sister Lindorf in front of it. We appreciate your spending a few minutes with us.  We would enjoy hearing from you as well.  You don't have to send us pictures, but just a quick note to let us know what you're up to would be great! We LOVE being on a mission.  We LOVE the missionaries.  We LOVE the work.  We LOVE Slovenia. And we LOVE YOU! All our best, Elder and Sister Lindorf

SCM - Smarna Gora

Hello Family & Friends, Ever since we moved into our apartment, we've been watching Slovenes going to and coming from Smarna Gora.  Here's a picture of the 'hill' rising steeply above our village of 'Ljubljana-Smartno'   Hiking this mountain is a little bit of a local obsession.  There is a parking lot near our house which they fill to capacity almost every day... And they always take their walking sticks.   So for 'P-day' we decided to try it. Because there are so many and because they are all ages and fitness ranges, I have mistakenly supposed that it was a fairly simple hike. I was so wrong!  I'm not sure how they do it so casually, but this hill/mountain that is in our backyard and that we look at every day, is a bear to climb!  I should qualify that it wasn't that hard for Elder Lindorf.  He really enjoyed it.  The view from the top was spectacular! You can see plainly how rural Ljubljiana is...  And this is Slovenia's biggest city.  They purposely work toward maintaining a rural feeling in their communities.   Here you see the beautiful river that winds past our house.  Up on top there is a very beautiful and very old, stone church.  I can't help but wonder how many people, for centuries, have climbed that hill every Sunday to go to church?  There is a steep road that goes up the back side of the mountain.  There are also shops, picnic tables, lounging chairs to look at the view, and a restaurant.  It's a real party, once you reach the top!    They also have this amazing launch ramp for hang gliders.  It made me dizzy just to look at it!  All and all it was a wonderful adventure.  But we promise, if you come and visit us we won't make you climb it...  Unless you want to, of course!  Elder Lindorf will be happy to accompany you!  We are excited to report that we have four baptisms scheduled in our branch in the next few weeks.  Our missionaries have been very busy teaching lately.  We are also excited to have Elder Christofferson coming this weekend to dedicate a chapel in Zagreb, Croatia.  He will meet with the members in Slovenia for a fireside on Sunday evening and have a special meeting with all the missionaries on Monday.  We're looking forward to that. Love to each of you, Sestra Lindorf