We passed the four month mark

We realized on May 16 that we have been in Bosnia for four months now.  Some days we wonder if we will last 18 months and other days we panic because we know we won't be here long enough to accomplish everything we want to do.

Ramadan started on May 15.  We weren't sure what to expect but haven't noticed anything different yet.  It seems to be business as usual except for individuals who mention that they are observing Ramadan.  Every evening about 8:15 we hear a loud boom prior to the call to prayer.  We guess that signals it is sunset and okay to break your fast of that day.

A member of our branch lives in Mostar, which is about a 2-hour drive from Sarajevo.  We have never met the sister and felt like we needed to make a contact.  We had a humanitarian assignment in Mostar so got permission to take the Elders out of the city to try to find this sister.  The phone number we had was not working and we don't know if she speaks any English so we knew we needed the Elder's language skills.  We found the address and neighbors confirmed that she still lives there but she was not home.  Neighbors thought she had taken a bus to visit her daughter somewhere.  We left a note with all our numbers and asked her to call.  We're praying she will respond so that she will have some contact with the church.

It is a beautiful drive to Mostar and the Elders were good company.  We visited a school/center for the disabled to follow up on previous LDS Charities projects there.  We provided a new kitchen for the center so they can feed the residents; also provide training and cooking skills to disabled adults so that they can prepare meals or obtain employment.  We also did training for the teachers and therapists and provided tablets for the classrooms.  When I say we, I mean LDS Charities, not us personally.

Elder Shaw and Elder Hanks at Los Rosales

One of the most famous sites in Mostar is the Old Bridge or Stari Most.  The iconic bridge has spanned the Neretva River for more than four centuries.  Mostarians of all faiths love the bridge and speak of "him" as an old friend.  Traditionally considered the point where east meets west, the Old Bridge is as symbolic as it is beautiful.

Old Bridge in Mostar

Stari Most has a long history I won't share here but it was destroyed during the war in 1993 and crumbled into the river.  After the war city leaders decided to restore the bridge.  Chunks of the original bridge were dredged up from the river but the limestone had been compromised by soaking in the water for so long.  Having pledged to rebuild the bridge authentically, restorers cut new stone from the original quarry and each block was hand carved.  They assembled the stones with the same technology used by the Ottomans 450 years ago.  The project was overseen by UNESCO and cost over $13 million, funded mostly by international donors.  It took longer to rebuild the bridge in the 21st century than it did in the 16th century.

View from the top of Stari Most

View of opposite side of Stari Most

Elder Hanks and Elder Shaw on the Old Bridge

We had lunch in a restaurant situated on a woody terrace overlooking a rushing stream and small falls.

Beautiful stream by our restaurant in Mostar

Standing on the bridge by the restaurant in Mostar

Saturday afternoon we had a branch activity - Pizza in the Park.  The Elders brought several investigators and we invited some of our partners to come.  We had a pretty good turnout, just wish more of the local branch members were there.  President and Sister Melonakos and Elder and Sister Swendsen also came.  Swendsens live in Belgrade, Serbia and are also humanitarian missionaries.  He is a counselor in the mission presidency.  They were all in Sarajevo for Branch Conference on Sunday.

Today was our Branch Conference.  The Tuzla group joined us via Skype  We had a good meeting; again, we wish more of our local members would come out.  After our meetings all the missionaries, including Melonakos and Swendsens came to our house for dinner.

Missionary meal after Branch Conference

It's not a great picture but we had 10 people for dinner.  Too many to sit around our broken table!  We had a nice afternoon but President made the Elders stick to their 60-minutes for dinner rule so they weren't with us long.  The entire Bosnia area is in Sarajevo tonight, plus the AP's.  We have Zone Conference on Tuesday and will have a "Super P-Day" with everyone tomorrow.  The three Sisters from Banja Luka are bunking with us for three nights.

It's past bedtime here - I usually have this written before now but it has been a long busy day for us.  President talked about the mission goals in Branch Conference:  1. Every day read from the Book of Mormon , 2. Every week attend Sacrament Meeting, 3. Every year prepare a name for the temple (and do the work if possible).  Seems pretty simple just reading it but we know it is difficult for many of the members here.  We know we will receive (and have received) blessings from following these goals.