Signing Contracts and Closing Ceremony

We had a fairly productive week.  On Wednesday we left early in the morning for a town called Uskoplje (U-scope-ya) which was a 4 hour drive.  We signed contracts for a water project.  We had visited this project back in September but have not been able to get the contracts written, translated, and signed until now. 

 

We spent the night in a town called Vitez (Vee-tiz) and in the morning went to the town of Nova Bila.  Here we meet with several public officials to have a closing ceremony for a water project that Latter Day Charities had completed earlier in the Fall.  This particrular project provided water to people who had not water in the village for 100 years.  The area we visited reminded us of Summit Valley in Utah. 

 

        



We hiked around in the snow and climbed up and down ladders and looked at the water holding tanks.  The Mayor and the Prime Minister of the Central Bosnia Kanton (this is like a county) came as well as contractors and many people from the Red Cross.  Remarks were made and then we went to lunch with them.

It is considered polite to offer people who comes to visit you something to drink.  Tea, coffee, juice or water.  Luckily they have several herbal teas.  It is also being hospitable to offer you food.  When we got to lunch they ordered us some bread, cheese and cold cuts along with drinks.  Just when we thought we were done, they ordered more food.  This time several types of cooked meat.  Needless to say, we left there very full. 

Before leaving for home we went to the town of Travnik which is famous for their cheese. The shop we visited gave us lots of samples and we bought some to take home.  Then we made the 3+ hour drive back to Tuzla just in time to help the young elders with their last English class of the day.. 

Friday we had a meeting at the Tuzla University Klinical Center with the head of Pediatrics to inform her that the request for a C-Pap respirator had been approved and we made arrangements for that to be purchased after the first of the year.   We also discussed the Early Childhood Vision Screening project which has also been approved for next year.  The doctor mentioned that they have programs to help every aspect of newborns except vision.  She felt we were an answer to their needs and desires.  We told her their willingness to work with us was an answer to our prayers as well.

   
Have you read this article in the December Ensign?  http://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/12/church-leaders-visit-heads-of-state-members-in-croatia-and-bosnia?lang=eng&query=bosnia
We were in attendance in the meetings in September and are most delighted to see reports of the work in Bosnia in the Ensign.

So there you have it.  No Christmas lights yet, but we are enjoying listening to Christmas Music on the Mormon Channel.  Today the Elders discussed with us when they can tell their families they can Skype with them for Christmas.  Christmas in Tuzla will be the same as any other day so they will call home after their English classes which will still be early in the day for their families.