Time for some tourist activities

Our roommates have returned to their own apartment.  The chimney sweep (they don't have a chimney but no one knew what else to call him) came, also the local gas company.  They corrected whatever was happening in the heating unit, helped the Elders relocate the alarms in a better place and said all was okay.  We worried a little the first night but they're still with us so all is well.  Dobro je, dobro je as we sing here!

We decided to get out and do a little sight seeing one day each week.  Winter returned this week so we didn't go far from home.  We walk past the Eternal Flame frequently.  It is in the center of the city, near the chapel and at the beginning of Old Town shopping area.

Sarajevo Eternal Flame

The Eternal Flame is a memorial to the military and civilian victims of WWII in Sarajevo.  It was dedicated April 6, 1946 on the first anniversary of the liberation of Sarajevo from the 4-year long occupation by Nazi Germany and the Fascist independent state of Croatia.  Here's what the inscription says:

With Courage and the Jointly Spilled

Blood of the Fighters of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian,

Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian Brigades

of the Glorious Yugoslav National Army; with

the Joint Efforts and Sacrifices of Sarajevan Patriots

Serbs, Muslims and Croats on the 6th of April 1945

Sarajevo, the Capital City of the People's Republic

of Bosnia and Herzegovina was liberated.

Eternal Glory and Gratitude to the Fallen Heroes

of the liberation of Sarajevo and our Homeland,

On the First Anniversary of its Liberation-

a Grateful Sarajevo

All those groups were united then and seemed to live peaceably for nearly 50 years after the liberation.  Too bad that didn't continue and they had to endure the terrible war in the 90's.

We took pictures of the Latin Bridge, named during Ottoman times since so many Catholics populated the area.  This is where the "shot heard round the world" occurred and started WWI with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  After WWI the bridge was renamed Principov Most after the assassin who had asserted Bosnian Serb nationalism by killing the Habsburg Archduke.  I read a book about the Habsburg empire before we came here and it was quite interesting.

Latin Bridge spans the Miljacka River in Sarajevo

After the 1992-1996 siege, Sarajevans couldn't stand calling the bridge after a Bosnian Serb and went back to the old name.  We had walked across the bridge several times but didn't realize it was "the" bridge until we pulled out the tourist books.

View of Latin Bridge from opposite side of the river

Love locks on the Latin Bridge

The Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum is across the street from the Latin Bridge.  The museum is only one room.  It outlines the brief four decades of the Habsburg rule here and how Gavrilo Princip's assassination of the Archduke took place and set off the chain of events that lead to WWI.

Sarajevo Museum 1878-1918

We walked back across the bridge and through a parking lot to a nondescript mosque to the Tomb of the Seven Brothers.  This is a favorite spot for Sarajevo superstition.  Along the outer wall of the mosque are a door and seven windows marking the tombs of (according to legend) innocent people who were unjustly sentenced to death.

The Tomb of the Seven Brothers

It's believed that if you put a coin of the same value in each of these eight slots, you can make a wish or request.  Then you are supposed to walk around the top of the mosque, turn left and walk down a little lane.  The first words you hear along this street will help you divine the answer you seek.  We did everything but place the coins so we were not enlightened.

We have had snow all week - a lot of snow!  We guesstimate about a foot, I say it was more but John says not.  Our front steps are marble or granite, of all the slippery things to put outdoors!  I fell up the stairs with my hands full of grocery bags.  My elbow took most of the brunt; fell on a hip and hit my head on the side of the stucco house.  I'm sure it was a pretty sight.  No real damage done, just a nice bruise on the elbow and some achy muscles.

First day of spring in Sarajevo - April 21, 2018

We were happy to learn that our friend Fadil died of natural causes.  The police made no effort to locate his family members.  The cemetery was calling for instructions so we went there on Friday morning with some legal paper work the Church attorney had done for him.  They agreed to turn it over to Social Services for them to find his family.  We feel strongly that his family should know, even if they don't care or choose not to take responsibility.  We are waiting to do anything until we know what the family will do.

On our walk Saturday we stopped at an apoteka (pharmacy) for rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.  The pharmacist keeps it locked up with the drugs.  We practically give the stuff away in the U.S.  I set them next to a 8.4 ounce lotion to compare the size.

Hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol from the apoteka

The peroxide is in the middle; about 3.3 ounces for $2.25.  The rubbing alcohol is slightly over 6 ounces for $3.79.  The pharmacist also told us in his broken English "not for drinking."  Okay.

We switched to Daylight Savings Time this morning.  We are predicting that no one other than the Americans will be at church this morning.  We are so looking forward to General Conference next weekend.  It will be different here than being at home on the couch in our PJ's.  We are excited to hear our new prophet and find out who the new apostles will be.  The gospel is true, all of it!

I guess we'll stay

This has been a week full of frustrations and disappointments.  If the mission president had called and said "Gee, we've overbooked the mission and we're asking for volunteers to leave... Here's $200 and a free plane ride home" we would have been first in line.  But of course he didn't and we had a long talk with ourselves Saturday morning.  We know all missionaries have these days or weeks, even the senior missionaries.  This too shall pass.  So I guess we'll stay.

Perhaps I spoke too soon.  I was just interrupted by a phone call with awful news.  One of our branch members has died.  We have been working with him, preparing him to receive the priesthood.  He is a sweet man who suffered from PTSD from his service during the war.  He lost his family because of the PTSD and dependence on medications for the symptoms.  He had stopped the drugs awhile ago, had started paying his tithing and committed to stop smoking by April 1.  John took him grocery shopping on Monday and he was in good spirits.  The Elders had an appointment with him Tuesday but he didn't answer the door.  One of us had been over or tried to contact him every day since.  We decided if he didn't come to church today we would go over and ask the landlord to open the door.  His home teacher, Brother Rhees took the Elders today and asked the landlord to check.  He looked through a back window and could see he was dead.  They didn't go in but called the police and the church attorney.  We don't know any family to call and not sure what happens next.  It is times like this that we dislike being the ones in charge.

Sorry for the downer.  Missionaries aren't supposed to tell their families the bad parts until after they return home.  But sometimes we just need to vent a little bit, too.

We did have a couple lovely spring days this week.  We took some long walks through neighborhoods we haven't yet explored.  Many folks have been out working in their gardens and cleaning up their yards.  They just burn the old twigs, leaves, branches and vines they cut back.  Our next door neighbor was burning in his yard; I looked up the hill and saw three more fires going.

Our neighbor burning his garden vines and branches

On Friday we met the Tuzla Elders halfway between Tuzla and Sarajevo.  They were out of Sacrament cups so we took them a supply.  We - mostly they - timed it so we met at lunch time and treated them to lunch.  They said they enjoyed the social aspect of meeting us so they could speak a little English and have a regular conversation with someone other than their companion.  They are good missionaries and doing a good job taking care of their responsibilities.

Our Elders called us last night around 9:00 pm to tell us their CO2 detectors have been beeping.  They have one by the front entry and one in their bedroom.  A few days ago only one was beeping so they covered it with pillows until it stopped (they're only 19 remember).  They went on exchanges to Banja Luka for three days and when they returned to the apartment yesterday, they both were going off.  We told them to open windows and pack an overnight bag.  We couldn't reach the landlady so we brought them to our house for a sleepover.  They can't have the gas checked until sometime next week so I guess we have roommates for awhile.

I'm having trouble getting this written today.  Our young Sisters and Elders are all so upset.  We went to get the Sisters and brought them home with us.  We talked for a long time and fed them dinner.  Then the Elders arrived, one too upset to eat anything.  I'm sure this is the first time in their young lives they have experienced or been involved with a death and with this one under suspicious circumstances, they are struggling.  We are all feeling guilty that we didn't do more or sooner or whatever it might have been.

Looking forward to a better week.  We are grateful to know what happens when we leave this world, grateful for our Savior and the Atonement, grateful to have known Fadil even for a short time.  We know he is being loved and taken care of now.

More food adventures

It's been a pretty quiet week for us.  We have been contacting various organizations via email to introduce ourselves and ask if they may have any work or projects for us to participate in.  We haven't received much response yet.  If any of you have ideas or know of anyone or an organization that does humanitarian work in Bosnia or Croatia please let us know.

Last Sunday evening our embassy friends invited us over for ice cream and cupcakes to reveal the baby gender.  They now have 2 boys and 3 girls so I was voting for another boy but it is a girl.  The chocolate cupcakes had a pink candy inside and the homemade ice cream was pink.

Rhett & Camie Rhees with 4 of their kids

All 5 of the Rhees children

We love the Rhees family.  They live a walkable distance from us.  He is the Branch Clerk, she is the Primary President.  Our primary is the Rhees children and the 2 boys of the other embassy family in the branch.  They welcomed us and have made us feel at home here.  We will miss them when they return to the states to have the new baby.  They will be gone all summer.

Tuesday afternoon we took the Sisters with us to visit one of our branch members in Srednje.  It takes about 40 minutes to drive to her house.  It is an old country farmhouse that has been somewhat modernized and is in a postcard setting.  The inside of the house is so cute and was very neat and tidy.  Mira is 76 and nearly blind and shouldn't drive (but does on occasion we hear) so her non-member husband brings her to church.  He is Catholic and doesn't think he needs to be baptized again but he brings her and stays for the meetings because he says he knows he will get blessings for it.

After district meeting on Wednesday we wandered around Old Town a bit.  We ate a late lunch at Željo, which is supposed to be the best Ćevapi in town.  Ćevapi is a grilled sausage sandwich.  The Serbian recipe includes ground pork, beef and lamb but the Bosnian recipe has no pork.  It is kind of like the national food here; like hamburgers think they are in the states.

Ćevapi at Željo in Old Town

This is a medium serving with 10 sausages and the huge pocket bread.  A small serving with 5 would have been plenty.  It was good and we'll know for next time.

Friday we took the car in for an oil change at the dealership.

Hyundai dealership, just like at home!

They said it would take about an hour and a half so we wandered around the small commercial area behind the dealership.  We stopped at a small restaurant for lunch.  I chose chicken cordon bleu, mostly because I was curious about how they would do the ham part.

Chicken cordon bleu with dried beef

They substituted dried beef for the ham.  Not good.  Dried beef seems to be a very popular thing here.  It's not good like the beef jerky we know.  It's just dried beef; you can chew the same piece for hours.  Or just pull it out of the chicken cordon bleu and not eat it.  The rest of it was pretty tasty.

Across the road from the dealership is a huge cemetery.  It is beautiful.  I tried to get a picture of it but it doesn't do it justice.

Part of a cemetery across from the car dealership

Saturday was a beautiful day.  We decided to go for a walk and returned home 3 hours later.  We walked past McDonalds and decided to stop for lunch.

Our first McDonalds experience in Bosnia - we have arrived!

It was pretty much the same as in America.  We didn't eat at McDonalds often at home so don't have a lot to compare it to.  I did get brave enough to ask for ketchup (well, I made John do it) and they have the packets but you pay for them.  Two little packets were 1 km or 63 cents.

McDonalds ketchup

On our long walk we passed some buildings destroyed in the war.  They have been standing there since the war and are now covered with graffiti and have had further destruction over the years.  We were told someone is planning to restore the first building.  They need to hurry, there's not too much left of it.

Dilapidated building

The second one looks like it was once a lovely home or apartment building.

Bombed building in ruins

We hope spring is on the way.  The trees in our yard are budding and we have crocus in our lawn.  We have quite a nice backyard.

Backyard, complete with doghouse-currently being used for tool storage

Blooms in the backyard grass

We think Sarajevo is a beautiful city and are excited to see it with flowers and trees in bloom and sun shining on us.  It was nice to get out and about for awhile.  We looking forward to exploring more things in better weather.

And the best for last.  We don't see much American candy here; usually just snickers and twix bars.  In our wanderings we went into a small store and look what we found.

Woohoo!  Peanut m&m's

It doesn't take much to excite us!

We are grateful for blessings every day.  We are happy and healthy and feel blessed to be serving in Bosnia.

Another week in Bosnia

Squid update, first.  Many of you wrote to tell us that squid is only calamari, that it's good and okay to eat.  Yes, we know that squid is calamari and calling by a prettier and more appetizing culinary name will not make us like it any better.  Some of you also suggested dipping sauces, including ranch dressing as a default.  We saw some pretty good dips that we will probably try.  However, we do live in a second world country and ranch dressing does not exist in our world.  The squid rings still remain in the freezer at this point.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes.  I celebrated with a chocolate croissant for breakfast.  We had planned to eat out with our embassy friends; her birthday is the day after mine.  But they were unexpectedly sent to London for her second trimester check up and ultrasound. They had an appointment scheduled at a different time but it was changed, so off they went.

Birthday breakfast - chocolate filled croissant.  Yum!

Zone Conference was in Banja Luka on Thursday.  We had been having lots of snow and cold weather so were a bit anxious about driving on bad roads.  We left Sarajevo at 6:00 am and were blessed with clear roads all the way.  They were wet but no snow or ice on them.

We followed the Vrbas River most of the way to Banja Luka

Mountain drive to Banja Luka.  Less snow and clear roads.

Hundreds of tunnels through all the mountains here

The drive took us nearly four hours.  Zone Conference theme was using the Book of Mormon more effectively, based on President Nelson's October 2017 conference talk.  We learned some interesting statistics about religions in Bosnia.  

In the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina the percentages:

Muslim 50.7

Orthodox 30.7

Catholic 15.2

Other 2.3

In Sarajevo:

Muslim 83.6

Orthodox 3.6

Catholic 5

Other 7.8

In Banja Luka:

Muslim 4.1

Orthodox 91.3

Catholic 2.7

Other 1.9

In Tuzla:

Muslim 75.4

Orthodox 3.3

Catholic 13.7

Other 7.5

Tuzla, Sarajevo and Banja Luka are the only three cities in Bosnia where missionaries are located.  You can see that the approach to finding and teaching will be different in each city.

It started to snow as soon as we reached Banja Luka and continued all day.  There was probably about 5 inches of new snow when we left the chapel for our hotel.  We checked in and didn't go out again that night.  It continued to snow through the night, making us nervous about driving home.  We had scheduled a meeting with the Red Cross at 10:30.  The meeting went well and we headed for home about 11:30.  The forecast was for freezing rain.  Heavenly Father answered our prayers and blessed us with clear roads again all the way home.  The only problem we encountered was in Doboj (dough boy) where protesters had blocked the main roads.  Police were stopping everyone to give them detour directions.  The police officer that stopped us spoke only Bosnian and German.  He attempted to direct us but we weren't understanding.  He motioned us to pull over and stay put.  Every car he stopped after that, he inquired if they spoke English.  Finally a car with Iowa plates (yes Iowa - we don't know that story but they looked and sounded Bosnian) pulled up beside us and said "follow us, we'll show you the way."  We followed them through back roads around the city for about 15 kilometers until we reached a road that headed to Sarajevo again.  Another tender mercy; we would still be in Doboj if not for the kindness of the officer and the Iowa strangers.

Saturday was another early travel day for us.  We are doing a project in northeast Bosnia, near the Serbian border.

The red arrow on the right shows where we were

We were in a community called Janja.  It is an agricultural area and very beautiful.  We saw Serbia across the river.

Our view of Serbia across the river

We hope to get to Serbia one day but it isn't one of our assigned countries so not sure that will happen.  LDS Charities has partnered with Muslim Aid to provide free medical exams, mostly for war widows in rural areas that don't have good access to medical care and can't afford it.  They did a previous project before we arrived, examining 110 women.  30% of those women had issues that were referred for more screening and care.  Two of the women had advanced stage cancers.  They must participate in a one-hour lecture about the importance of GYN and breast exams, then are examined by women doctors who volunteer their Saturdays to do this.  There are men on the team but women do the actual exams.

John and Mersiha posing by the photo permission sign we are required to post whenever we want to take group pictures

The doctor lecturing

Sign advertising the event.  LDS Charities logo is bottom right

We love the two ladies we work with at Muslim Aid, Edina and Mersiha.  We drove to Janja together.  They told us their personal war stories about how they escaped the country.  They were both still very emotional about it.  We asked a lot of questions and now understand the war and current situation in Bosnia a little better.  It is not good and there are still many unresolved feelings about the way the war ended and how the country was/is divided.  But that is a post all its own.

We see the Heavenly Father's hand in our lives every day and know he is involved in the details of our lives.  He is not only interested but cares what and how we are doing.  We see how he cares for all of his earthly children every day.