Fri 7/28/06 10:51 PM

Dear Laney, Andy, Pat, Mitch, Jay, and Aaron,
I thought that you might enjoy this. It is written by one of our senior couple sisters. She did a excellent job of verbalizing a discription of the countries and life as a missionary. Hope you enjoy this. We will be on the road until next friday and starting on sunday. Love all of you Dad

Note: forwarded message attached.


--Forwarded Message Attachment--
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:44:34 -0700
From: jeriannehanks@yahoo.com
Subject: 07-27-06
To: jeriannehanks@yahoo.com


07-27-06

Visit to Slovenia Report…
This week my letter is written from our little apartment, 9 stories up overlooking the beautiful Adriatic Sea and Kvarnar Bay. Opatia, Icici and Lovran are in the distance jutting out on the Istrian Peninsula, It’s hot and humid here in the tiny office but just 10 steps away from a cool refreshing living room and kitchen. Too bad the computer is situated in this hot little cubby. I decided to write this afternoon while our experience of going on a very brief outing to Ljubljana is still fresh in my mind.
If I am fortunate, it will help me to keep it sharper for myself also, as setting things down on paper often does. This is my way of keeping a journal, not so much of daily events in the external world, which I must admit I might never go back and read, but more of inner events, the thoughts and experiences of the mind and of the spirit, which have enriched me, and for which I hope I have learned much.
Tuesday we went to Ljubljana in Slovenia for my quarterly Dr. visit to have a wonderful young Dr. Zgavac do his magic with hormones I brought with me to keep Me sane and Eugene safe This was my sixth and last time before I return home. All the nurses and office staff speak only Slovene (or at least, not English).so I had great difficulty getting an appointment. Finally I got ahold of the Dr. on his cell phone (they publish EVERYBODY’S cell phone #) and he scurried around, made the arrangements with the office staff and we went the next day on our little adventure. Each time we become more familiar with the drive, looking forward to seeing familiar things, and enjoying the same road and countryside in each season of the year. . Last time was good in the late spring, but this time was spectacular, too I

Driving together with Eugene was pleasant as he is usually eager to please and is a good companion. Also it was nice to have his company He is the driver and drove us through the tiny villages to Ljubljana on the Lubljanica River. There are a few things not to be missed in Ljubljana. The castle, which is about a thousand years old, has been under reconstruction for quite a few years now, so that apart from seeing its renovated chapel of St. George, with its coats-of-arms, the pentagonal tower and wedding Hall, we most strongly recommend a visit to its high tower. The point is, there is a fantastic view from there (as you can see below), not only of the city (the rooftops of Old Ljubljana) and its surroundings (like the moody marsh Barje, the green park Tivoli) but also to the Kamnik Alps in the north and the Julian Alps with Triglav and the Karavanke Alps to the north-west. Remember me telling you about our visit there when we first came to this area and we went to the castle with our Mission President and wife, the Aardemas who would be leaving then in July a year ago? See an ariel view of the city http://www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/ and the beautiful river running through it. http://www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/images/slo-lj-bridge.jpg

A Great Memory: It was fabulous seeing all the trees along the river in the snow at Christmastime with tiny lights twinkling all along the river’s edge reflecting in the water making twice the wonderfulness of Ljubljana. http://flickr.com/photos/clagnut/sets/1728881/show/
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What’s It Like?
I know Slovenia is beautiful, but I was still overwhelmed by the glory of it in full summer. Great sweeping, rolling land verdant green, the fields deep in ripening grain and tiny crops of corn being tended already chest-high. The rolled bales of hay were laying in every field ripening for future use. We whizzed by thousands of trees of every kind, birches, conifers, cedars, pines all barely stirring in the hot sun — and it was hot! It was between 90 degrees and 100 degrees in the shade! And we don’t have air conditioning in our car. We started out at 9:30 AM so we wouldn’t be in the worst heat of the day and so we could make a “dry run” to find the Dr’s office as we always manage to get lost, somehow.

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We did not see any sheep, pigs, or goats, but everywhere there were gorgeous cows, standing peacefully dozing and casually grazing. I love cows. They seem to be the embodiment of sanity, usefulness and quiet beauty. These ones looked so sleek and well cared for. Everywhere was lush; it was a good spring. The blue cloudless skies were magnificent against the miles and miles of planted green farms. The Lord sure knew what He was doing when he juxtapositioned the greens and browns meeting the blue of the sky at the horizons. A sweet breeze carried the perfume of dry grass in the sun, warm earth and ripening crops.
The architecture is lovely, most of it very old, elegant, typical European – white or red brick with red clay tiled roofs and flowers of every kind in every yard and at every window sill, spilling out and down the walls, on fences and on stand-alone trellises. There is plenty of sense of space, deep windows, curious and interesting roofs. There were mostly single family 3 story homes where whole families dwell in small villages. None of the ugly highrise skyscrapers built in the larger cities after their war in the 1990’s.





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There was very little traffic. I don’t know where everyone was – probably to Rijeka at the Sea…
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Doing My Favorite Thing…
We reached Ljubljana about 11:30 am. We were met at a great little Mexican Food restaurant by the President and wife and the Hansens, the President’s secretaries. As one might expect in Slovenia, the Mexican food was great considering they probably have never seen a Mexican nor tasted real Mexican food. From somewhere they had all the right ambiance – Mexican hats, bright Mexican colors, chunky chairs, Mexican-type menus (in English and Croatian/Slovene, no less) and Mexican music. They served corn chips like you can buy in bags, and sort of salsa and sour cream with chives. We split a huge dinner of chicken enchiladas as usual — and to drink, Sprite and Schwepps Bitter Lemon. Eugene always asks for “a glass filled all the way to the top with ice”, but the guy brought a little ice bucket for us “silly Americans”. They think if you have ice with your drink, you will get a sore throat.

Weekly Report on the President…
People like President and Sister Weight dedicating and sacrificing 3 years of their life, not seeing family and friends, not attending births, deaths, important events and more than that, repeatedly traveling to 3 countries, being responsible for 100 young and old missionaries and getting inspiration for what the needs are in the mission is overwhelming to us. It’s a good thing he is a spiritual giant and as Sonja says, “…he has direct channelling with the Pentagon.” Being the epitome of dignity, honesty and laughter and the joy of work, these tireless leaders love and do their selfless job never complaining and only wanting to hear of miracles and good things. . If their “pupils” learn these things, then their lives also will be blessed.

What Does The Future Hold?...
Having lived a goodly portion of my life as an adult hearing leaders’counsel before many times, a catch-up course is never out of place and we always get great counsel at our Zone Conferences which our next to the last will be next week in Zagreb. . Goodness cannot be taught, but seeing it in others can inspire one to wish to learn, and that is the beginning of wisdom. Once the hunger is there, once the beauty and the excitement has been tasted, the journey has begun. Our young missionaries have been taught by the best while here and good modeling is priceless.

On The Road Again…
After our Dr. visit, we spent the afternoon and evening driving to Rijeka via Koper on the Sea and Slovenia/Italy border to try to take a photo of a sign: FERRY TO ALBANIA AND GREECE which we regretted not photographing earlier when we got lost. After driving around on all the streets trying to spot the sign, we finally went to the Port and asked the Port Attendant. “Oh, there is not a Ferry to Albania and Greece any longer.” Grrrrrrr What? No Ferry and No Sign??? Lovely ride and we picked up some domestic honey at a roadside stand for Sonja, but no photo!

Home Sweet Doma…
Arriving home about 9:30 PM, I drank in the beauty of our balcony flowers and the finally cooler, darkness and beauty of the twinkling lights of the coast. Thinking over the beauties of the day in the cooling breeze, I thought again, what utterly delightful people, gentle, intelligent, funny and kind, generous and hospitable, all leaders, never too busy to make us feel special, or to work hard for what they believe in. What a blessing to know these gentle, obedient wonderful people. And finding a good Dr. in a foreign country
Reflecting on my life, I am so grateful for the opportunities to travel and to meet people, see so much beauty of sight, sound, taste and experience.” I would be guilty of the ugliest ingratitude if I did not thank God for it, and try to share some of its riches with you. I am very fortunate for having been able to travel to other countries and partake in the abundant charm and richness of their culture. I hope to be able to do this for many years to come.

My Teaching Report and Journaling One’s Life
Last night was my Institute Class and tonight was my English Class lesson. It is such a blessing to teach, because it makes me think far more deeply about whatever the subject may be. Teaching the Gospel to these people who most have never even read the bible is like teaching little 3 year olds- simple words and simple concepts. Especially because I have to teach in English and their basic English is…well, basic. I have almost gotten used to the droning of another voice simultaneously translating what I am saying into Croatian for the non-English speakers. Sometimes I have to correct the translaters as they mis-interpret what I am saying. Pretty good, huh? Because of summer and everyone being on holiday in July and August, we have very small classes. Tonight I had 2 students show up. One sweet, young woman destined to be a member of the singles’ scene because she is so shy stayed to watch “The Restoration” video and commented how she loved looking at our 2’x6’ Book of Mormon Chronology poster. It has taken me 16 months to get her even remotely interested in hearing our message. Timing is everything!
May I encourage you to journal your life, beginning right now. Beautiful things seen or heard enrich us; compliments help us through hard times; happy escapes from misfortune; questions raised, perhaps to be answered later are things to include. If you have a problem or a question, why not write it down? Sometimes simply putting puzzlements into words where no one else will see or judge, can clarify them to the point you will have an “Aha” moment when the answer appears.- which will be another journal entry.
All honest writing is a journey of self-discovery, and that cannot be bad. Share it if you wish, but not if you prefer it remain private. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or punctuation, just be honest. There is nothing wrong in admitting that you hurt, that you feel ashamed of something, or that you are lonely. There is no “should” or “should not” in a journal. The only rule is, “omit what you wish, but don’t lie to yourself.”
Everyone’s experiences are uniquely valuable. There are no other kinds of persons on the earth except sons and daughters of God, so whoever you are, you cannot be worthless or unimportant.

The Ultimate Family Resemblance
Which brings me to another point. Anne Perry from Meridian wrote about a letter received from a young man regarding the genetic heritage we have from our parents; height, build, features, colouring and so on, and talents, abilities, strengths — the way we grow throughout our lives. Often family resemblances are easy to see.
Then surely it follows that God who created the whole universe is simply using the same pattern in us? Think that we too “resemble” the Father whose genes we carry — and be of good courage, and full of hope.

Christ-like Behavior
I hope I am a person one could respect, and who could look the Lord in the face, I would admire all good play, all courage and skill. I would applaud all excellence, not just root for my own team.
Losing generously, without excuses or bitterness, or trying to make it somehow someone else’s fault is a valuable Christ-like attribute that I hope I am acquiring. I would generously say if the other team/person played better — no twist in the tone of my words. Being petty, making excuses, or wishing things had turned out differently just makes me someone grubby and pathetic and not likeable.
Why are we so uncertain of our own value that we have to be building it up by saying unkind things? If only we could see, it actually lessens it. Being kind within or out of ear shot makes everyone feel better. People who say too often “I love you,” and those who really do care, show it in their acts, and to say it at all is pleasant, but quite unnecessary. We do not rush up to people and tell them, over and over, that the sun rose today, or even that it will rise tomorrow. Both our heads and our hearts already know it.

Generosity of Spirit
I like to be able to listen to someone else’s achievement and praise it, without feeling the need to laud my own, to laugh at someone else’s joke without topping it with another. I would like to be generous enough of spirit that I did not need to add myself in at all. If I act with more grace, I will be a better person. It is high time we realized that perfection is not being without fault We must grow, eternally. Whatever we can do, achieve, learn, create, we can always dream of more, and achieve that too, with time and faith.
Perfection is doing our very best today, with what we have now. Double what you are given - that is always possible in God’s eyes, and to do that is perfect. Can it really matter, in the long run, what anyone else thinks? If we see what is good in others, and help them to see it, believe in it and magnify it, then surely we have magnified our own gifts also, possibly without even thinking of ourselves?

Spiritual Guidance
We should praise what is good, wherever it comes from; and deplore what is evil, and fight against it wholeheartedly, but without hatred or anger. The whole earth is God’s, and every human being His child. That is an awfully big thing to grasp, and at times we pay it lip service, but forget it the moment after the words are said.
While on our Mission, being separated from family and close friends, it has been interesting to try to do a little more of seeing people, and the world itself, more as God sees it and rather less as my busy human-ness sees it. Clouded by the busyness of familiar everyday life at home, it is hard to have perspective. Looking at the same moon or stars that you in America see, only 9 hours ahead and by myself gives me personally an immeasurably more beautiful and thought-provoking perspective about many things. Does that make sense?
Anyway, may the Lord be with you in the beauty of kindness and truth until next time (and of course, forever).

Love, Jerianne/Sister Hanks/J