We all returned to Tuzla for a good night's rest and made plans to visit two potential projects the next day. We had to rent a larger car to be able to fit the Petersen's, our translator and ourselves into the vehicle. Tuesday morning we met early and traveled to the town of Kalesija. We also took our young elders who helped with the planting of tomatoes and peppers in a greenhouse which the Church donated a few years ago to the Agricultural School in Kalesija.
We left our elders at the greenhouse and went to the mayor's office to meet with the city engineer. We are helping the village of Hrasno with phase 1 of a clean water project. We met to discuss helping with phase 2 of the same project. After our meeting at the Kalesija mayor's office we drove south to the town of Zavidovići (2 hours). We again visited the mayor's office to talk about a possible project in the nearby town of Vocuza.
Then it was back to Tuzla. Wednesday morning we drove about 1 1/2 hours northeast to town of Brćko. Here we met with engineers and town officials to discuss the needs of a village called Brezovo Polje.
After driving around, looking into wells, taking pictures of the insides of wells and discussing possibilities for clean water we returned again to Tuzla.
Thursday morning we again drove north 1 1/2 hours to the town of Orasje. Both Orasje and Brćko are close to the Croatian border. The problem in Orasje is that they have 40 year old asbestos pipe lines which can cause serious health problems when they begin to break down. We again met at the mayor's office and then visited a kindergarten which needs clean water for the children. While in Orasje, someone asked how the LDS Church was different from the Catholic or other churches. We had a nice discussion centered around the Articles of Faith. After visiting the kindergarten we went back to Tuzla.
Nap time at the kindergarten
Friday morning began bright and early as we drove to Vinkovci, Croatia. We went to the local Red Cross in Vinkovci were we discussed renewing a well-cleaning project which the Church has been helping with the past three years. We drove out to an area where the crew was waiting for us to clean out a well. Some wells have not been used since the war as many of the people had to leave their homes during the war. After returning they found their wells were contaminated. The project involves cleaning and sanitizing wells to make them usable for families again.
After several trips up and down the well, debris was removed and chlorine was added. The well was finally declared clean and we departed for Zagreb (3 hours) where we spent the night. We took the Petersen's to the airport Saturday morning where they caught a flight to Frankfurt. After reporting to the area office they will return home to Arizona.
We enjoyed having the Petersen's visit. They brought us "hugs" from our granddaughter, Coco. They also brought us a few other things from our daughter, Reachel. There are not many adult members of the Church in Bosnia so having someone to visit with is great. The Petersen's lived in Maryland years ago and know many of the people we know from our days in Calvert County. While we have been working on water projects the elders have also been busy helping with the vision screening in the Tuzla schools. This week we will need to catch up on what we missed last week.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the many people affected by the events in Boston. Till next week.
busy, busy, busy little missionaries :)
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