Visit to Rijeka

We went to Rijeka, Croatia on Tuesday to follow up on the purchase of the washing machine for the homeless shelter.  The washer had been delivered, installed and is working great. We are working with another couple in Rijeka, Elder and Sister Babbel.

While we were visiting, there was another group at the shelter from Italy.  They are the group which painted the mural on the wall in this picture. 

 
We also visited the Caritas Home for Women and Children, who are victims of domestic violence.  We would like to be able to do a project to provide hygiene kits for the women and children who come to the shelter.

 

In the evening we visited the Trsat Castle in Rijeka. This is just one of the many fortresses that were built in the 13th century.  It had been over 100 degrees during the day so the breeze from the top of the castle was enjoyable.  The view was also unbelievable.

 

 

  

Since we just celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary and Gary's birthday we had a delightful evening in a hotel located right at the edge of the Adriatic Sea.  The hotel is elevated so it gives you a beautiful view of the sea.  Gary took a swim in the Adriatic.  Where is Susan you ask?  Anyone who knows Susan, knows that she does not like to get her hair wet.  Hence she is taking the picture.  We ate breakfast the next morning on a balcony which overlooks the sea.

 

 

 

 

We returned to Tuzla in time for the concluding celebration of Ramadan which is Bajram.  This is 3 days of celebration which marks the ending of the holy month of fasting.  For Bosnians it means family gatherings, exchanging gifts, and eating a lot of food.  They also visit the graves of their loved one and give to the poor.  They are not celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking God for giving them strength and helping them with self-control during the month of fasting.  Bajram is one of the biggest holidays in Bosnia so many stores were closed.  This meant that we did not have much to do, but we were able to catch up on paperwork in the office. 

 

Most vacations will end this next week.  We have three full weeks on current humanitarian projects including people visiting from the states to help us with clean-water and wheelchair  projects.  We look forward to these busy weeks.