Dober Dan!

Dober dan!

Or as people tend to say here "dan." No "dober" and no exclamation point. And people give me the strangest looks when I say it with enthusiasm. They're either thinking, "Do I know that girl? Oh yeah, I think I know her...take a closer look at her face...glance down at the nametag..Oh no, I definitely don't know her. Look away so she doesn't try to talk to me. Oh shoot! Too late. She's talking. And what is she trying to say? That is definitely not Slovene." :) Or they're thinking "Why is she smiling?  No reason to smile like that right now." People are great here! They just think we're a little funny when we go around saying hello to everyone with enthusiasm in our voices. Why not be happy? Thank you to my family for some great advice yesterday about choosing to be happy! It's a choice we have every day and God definitely wants us to be happy. Satan doesn't, but God does. Follow the voice that has your best interest at heart.

Happy Mother's Day to all the women out there! One thing that I am so grateful for is to know that we are all a part of God's eternal family, that we are his children and he loves us. Whether we have children of our own or not, we can each turn outward and strive to love and serve God's children around us. We make the world a much better place as we try to lift one another rather than drag each other down.

Well, I survived my first exchange! And it was a blast. An exchange is where we switch companions for a few days. Sister Higley came here to Celje to work with me and we had a great time despite the fact that we have less than two months in Slovenia between the two of us. We definitely had to trust in the Lord that He would guide us, trust in and pray for the Gift of Tongues that we could understand and help people, and just laugh at ourselves when we didn't know what was going on. Sister Higley is a stellar missionary! We saw miracles together here in Celje. 

Racing With Snails in Celje

I went to Ljubljana twice this week. On Wednesday, we had zone conference and on Sunday, we had district conference with all the members of the church here in Slovenia. The theme of both meetings was The Book of Mormon and the blessings that it brings into our lives. I love The Book of Mormon! The Book of Mormon teaches us how we can gain peace through our lives and I have definitely seen that in my life. When I read and study The Book of Mormon, I feel my Heavenly Father's love for me. I am reminded that I am his daughter and that I am important to him. I'm reminded of my purpose here on Earth. God has a purpose for each of us - He wants us to return to live with him and with our families after life on Earth. God wants us to come home to him and The Book of Mormon teaches us how. 

The Book of Mormon is evidence of God's love for his children and his love for you. If you don't have one, ask my mom! She'll help you find one! 

Love 

Sestra Stephanie Brown