The Long and Winding Road to Sarajevo

On Tuesday Elder and Sister Maughan from Serbia, along with Nermin (our translator) and Elder and Sister Petersen from Gilbert, AZ (water specialists) picked us up for our adventure to begin.  Our first stop was the town of Kalesija.  We met with the Mayor, Red Cross official, and a lot water people.  After visiting with the mayor and talking about a potential water project we all piled into the van and off we went to see the water project.  One thing we need to explain about when you visit a water project; it is usually out in the middle of nowhere.  This particular one was not too far out, however it did have some hiking up a creek bed to get there.

Viewing the project on paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After our hike we got back in the van and began the 2 1/2 hour ride (if you don't get behind any logging trucks) to Sarajevo.  The drive is a long winding road with lots of switchbacks.  We needed to be in Sarajevo by 5:30 - 6:00pm because there was a meeting at the church with Elder Rasband and Elder Richards.  About half way there Gary turned to Susan and said "where is my suit coat"?  Well the suit coat was in Tuzla hanging in the closet.  We felt an impression to call the young elders in Sarajevo to see if anyone had an extra jacket that Gary could wear.  As it turned out Elder Mecham from Huntington, Utah, had an extra suit which he brought to the hotel when we got there at 6:15pm.  We had just enough time to change and go to the meeting at 7:00pm.  The suit worked great and Gary did not have to feel out of place without a suit coat.
 

        
The meeting we attended was a fireside for missionaries, members, and non-members.  It was very well attended.  A building has recently been rented and converted into a wonderful place to hold church.  The press was there as well.  There was an article in a weekly paper called Slobodna Bosna with a very nice article on Mormon Church in Bosnia and some pictures (the back of our heads are in the picture).  The following morning was another meeting, this time just for missionaries.  There was a special feeling in the meeting that day and it was wonderful to be taught by both Elder Rasband and Elder Richards and their wives as well as President and Sister Rowe. 

After the meeting ended we got back in the van and went to visit another water project.  This one took nearly 3 hours to get there. 

     
Both these projects consist of building a v shaped cement wall to capture water that comes from a spring up in the mountains.  From there it is piped to a holding tank. From the holding tank it is piped to the villages which can be over 3,000 meters.  This has been a particularly dry year (no rain for 3 months) so some of these villages are really in need,  After much discussion about the project, we got back in the van and drove the 3 hours back to Sarajevo.  The next morning we drove back to Tuzla.  When we got home we booted up the computer and started putting together the projects.  We feel that we will be ready to submit the projects by the end of next week for approval.

As you drive along the road to and from Sarajevo there are lots of signs like this.  A reminder of the terrible war which took place here.

We received word that Elder Chandler, one of our missionaries in Tuzla is going to be transferred on Tuesday and we will be getting a new missionary, Elder DeFreitas from Virginia.  It will be hard to see Elder Chandler go.  He has an excellent command of the language .  He will be going to Zagreb, Croatia, so we hope to see him again before he leaves for home in December.

Gary got a haircut before the meetings in Sarajevo.  A Bosnian haircut is not just a little trim.  He didn't have much hair to begin with.  Now he has less.  At least it will grow back.