Slovene Sunday - Vse Najboljši

My 29th birthday is this week and I got to remembering past ones.

In Slovenija I celebrated two birthdays, my 20th and my 21st. On my 20th birthday I was in Ljubljana with Elder Hudson. We probably had some appointments or other, but I seem to have misplaced my records, so I couldn't say for sure who they were with. I do remember being at the Ljubljana church in the afternoon though. It was one of those days where the church was a thoroughfare, and the entryway was Grand Central Station. At one point I'd been in the "lobby" (ha!) and heard Sister Hubbard arrive. I loved Sister Hubbard and so I went to greet her. She'd come with Sister Bangerter, the senior sister missionary over Ljub. As I said hello Sister Bangerter, who always remembered these things, put her hand on my shoulder and said, "It's your birthday today Elder Young!" and Sister Hubbard pulled a package of Ferrero Rocher chocolates out of her bad. Sister Hubbard was a trained opera singer back in England, and she began singing the traditional Happy Birthday song. Sister Bangerter joined in with with her funny scratchy voice, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy BIRTHDAY Elder You-oung!" They held the note.

And suddenly, from the other hallway, burst Sister Strong, wife of the mission president. I'd known she was about, but I didn't know she'd been paying attention! She always brought a whole lot of energy to any place she was at! And right now - KA-BAM! - here she was leaping into the tiny foyer from the other room to belt out the last line with arms flung wide! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUU!" I couldn't stop grinning. It was the best birthday song I'd ever had.

That night was also the wedding reception-thing for Robi and Breda Posl, two members who had gotten married the month before. That's why there had been so many people around that day, I think. There was lots of food, and a little bit of it was dedicated to me, though I was happy - as a missionary - to fade into the background. However, one of the members, Anton Rafolt, dedicated his fruit soup specifically for me, and I was expected to eat some and take the rest home. He was forever making food for people, made out of twigs, and sugar water, and cloth fibers. No denying he was a peculiar one, but this fruit soup topped anything I'd ever seen from him before - looked like he'd taken fruit flavored cookies, and Jaffa Cakes, and mixed them all together in a bowl with a lot of water. Yummy.

My 21st birthday was worlds and worlds away from the other one. A lot had happened to me in the last year. I'd had lots of companions by then, and sent most of them home. I'd moved all over the country north to south etc. For this September I was back in Maribor, my true home. My birthday was on a Sunday that year, so I didn't expect anything too big. In fact, if I remember right, I didn't make a big deal out of it myself. I was companions with Elder Pierce at the time, and there was also Sisters Durham and Edwards in the city with us. Also, the senior couple The Andruses. Elder Pierce and I had done our usual for Sunday mornings, and then afternoon church. I don't remember it seeming any different than any other Sunday. It was still nice weather out, just a bit cooler than in the summer.

Church had ended, and the Andruses took off like a shot for home. Elder Pierce said he had some things to talk about with one of the members, so I hung around in our church building. The sisters stayed after, too, and we probably spent the time straightening up the place. Elder Pierce's meeting ran long, and so it was about an hour after church ended that we all left. I asked wht the plan was then, and he said that he had one more thing he needed to talk to Elder Andrus about, and the sisters did too, so we began walking about the mile and a half to the Andruses apartment.

And about halfway there was when it hit me. I should have picked up on it faster - we had no after-church appointments with investigators. The Andruses had run away home right after the church meetings. Sister Edwards was trying not to laugh.
They were having a surprise birthday party for me. I smiled to myself, but I didn't want to spoil anything, so I just kept going. We arrived at the Andruses beautiful, quaint building, walked up the two flights of stairs, and knocked at the door. Sister Andrus let us in, and Sister Edwards and Sister Durham took off for the kitchen. Elder Pierce steered me into the living room, and Elder Andrus asked me to help him set up the extra table that they set out when we were all over to eat.

After maybe another half an hour things were finally ready, and the table was set, and everyone was sitting down, and kind of looking at each other, because at this point, really, how do you pop out from behind furniture and yell "SURPRISE!"? I'd not said anything yet, which was making me laugh and the rest of them awkward. Sister Edwards, in her wonderful sardonic way said, "If you couldn't guess Elder Young, this is a party for you." Then I yelled Surprise! and everyone laughed. Sister Andrus had made me meatloaf, which I hadn't had in YEARS and had missed very much (because my mom makes a mean one), and all in all it was a very very nice meal. And a very nice time with my Maribor family.

Later that night I used my camera's time delay to take a picture of me and Elder Pierce sitting together on our couch, in our pajamas. I was flashing my previous companion's finger-sign - Elder Wettstein's Wettsign. The only picture of me on the day I turned 21. It seems so long ago, and yet so close. Happy times.