May 24, 2014

Let me tell you a story.  In the quaint little Slovenian town of Ljubljana, there lies this mountain.  It is nicknamed the elephant mountain because it looks like the back of an elephant.  Legend has it that on the peak of this mountain lies a mysterious doughnut shop that serves the best doughnuts and tea in all the land.  Only those who can conquer the mountain can receive the blessing of these marvelous gifts.

Well.  That was no legend.  And today, I, Rebekah Swartzwelder, climbed a mountain so I could get those doughnuts and tea.

It started with a long bus ride across the city in which we transferred only once.  Our spirits were high as we arrived at the base of the mountain.  We had to take a couple of pretty grown over trails in order to get to the base of the mountain, but it was pretty cool and there were so many flowers everywhere.  After a couple of pictures taken by yours truly, we started to ascend.

 Right off the bat, the group started going full ahead and I soon realized that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with them.  Within the first 10 minutes, I was already completely out of breath and needing to sit down.  Luckily, one of the staff ladies and my discipler for the next few weeks stayed with me till I could catch my breath.  And very, very slowly, we started making our way up the mountain.  We met up with the group twice as they were pausing to rest and to make sure we were making it and then were off again.  But after much controlled breathing, frequent stops, lots of water, many words of encouragement, and beautiful scenery, I made it to the top with the rest of the group.

And what a sight to see.  This mountain is a lone mountain on the outskirts of the capital city of Ljubljana and once at the top, you could see for miles and miles around (or kilometers as I should say since I'm in Europe.)  It was absolutely beautiful.  On one side of the mountain, you could see the gorgeous city of Ljubljana, and on the other stood the majestic Alps.  Just being able to see the beauty that God has created in this land just utterly stunned me and made me stand in awe.

Speaking of beauty, one of the most beautiful things I found on that mountain...the doughnuts!  They were hand made pieces of artwork that were just absolutely delicious.  My only regret is that I didn't have anything to be able to take more of them back down the mountain with me so I could continue to enjoy them for days to come.  And not only that, the delicious herbal tea with a touch of peppermint and honey...I could of drunk that every day for the rest of my life and have been satisfied.  It was so good!

Not only was the view and the food good, I just got to hang out with so many fun people on project.  There were lots of laughs and we all just had so much fun being in everyone's company.

After all the food, scenery, and merriment, we headed back down the mountain.  This was much easier on my breathing side of things, but going down that path was just about as hard as hiking up it.  With so many loose rocks, large smooth rocks that you had to walk on, roots, and giant stairs, it was super easy to trip or slide and fall.  (After one fall I ended up bruising the palm of my hand pretty bad.  At least that was the worse injury for the whole trip.)  Fortunately, we emerged from the woods with our shaky legs and deliberated on what to do next.  And we all decided that instead of going back and letting our tired bodies rest, that we wanted to go play in the river that was at the base of the mountain.

So we all went and played in the freezing cold water of the river.  The water was so clear.  I couldn't believe it.  All the rocks were so smooth and rounded and there were so many colors of them.  The guys all jumped all the way in and we all had such a good time just being with each other.

And after that, what better way to end your afternoon that with.....McDonald's...yes...McDonald's.  (Not me, I had something called a Kebab that was absolutely delicious.)  Then, a nice cold shower and a fun conversations with the roommates and it was time for dinner.  Delicious pizza with a group of people I hadn't gotten to really get to know a whole lot yet, mainly because most of them were from OU, a fun time making fools of  ourselves on bikes in the Center (which is their town square), and some delicious coffee and crepes ended the night with a great mood and lots of new friends.

Although this is not everyone who came on project,
this is everyone who hiked the mountain today!

Me and my roommates!!!

All in all, today was pretty sweet.  I got to hike a mountain, experience the best doughnuts I've ever had, play in crystal blue water, eat so much good food, and be in constant fellowship with God.  It's so hard to think that one week ago I was getting ready to meet 30 new people that I would be spending the next six weeks with and that God would be able to move so quickly in our community.  Even though we have only started in our evangelistic mission here in Slovenia, it has already felt like a lifetime of fun, fellowship, and a focus on God so intense that it just radiates from the group.  I can't wait to see what God will do in the next 5 weeks of this project!