Working on Vision Screening Projects

We traveled to Sarajevo on Monday morning to meet with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and Project Hope regarding a potential vision screening project in Sarajevo.  We are hopeful to be able to do a vision screening project similar to the one we are doing in Tuzla.  We will probably start work in a small district and expand from there.  We plan to work with a representative from Project Hope (a small non-profit organization) who will act as a project coordinator.  We felt our meeting in Sarajevo was very successful.

Tuesday we had a press conference with most of our vision screening partners in Tuzla.  The vision screening project in Tuzla has been so successful.  We feel that it is due to the wonderful partners we have been working with.  The press conference was shown on Tuzla Cantonal (county) TV. 

 

Dom Zdralje, the public health clinic was not at the conference, but we have felt that they do a terrific work with the young children. 

 

 



Wednesday we drove to Banja Luka to meet with the Ministry of Public Health to see about the option of doing a vision screening project in Banja Luka.  While there we saw Elder Fausnaught and Elder Graham.  They are doing a super job.

 

The drive to and from Banja Luka is beautiful.  Lots of communities with churches on the hilltops.  Many homes are also set back off the road on a hill, with a charming farms in front.  This is a picture of a corn crib.  Everyone is preparing their farms for the winter. 

 

Thursday was spent putting together information so that our vision specialists can begin to organize a project proposal for Sarajevo.  The Ferguson's wanted to take the Tuzla missionaries out to lunch.  We had a great time at a local restaurant.  After lunch we walked back through center and stopped for one last ice cream before they close for winter.  We have been enjoying unseasonably pleasant weather.

 

 

Friday we drove to Zagreb.  Ike and Gloria Ferguson know one our young missionaries.  Elder Bennett is from Kaysville, Utah.  His parents took advantage of the Ferguson trip to send some of his Christmas presents. 

We also saw Elder Quinn working hard.  An office couple has been called and will arrive the end of this month.  We think Elder Quinn has done a fantastic job.  We have told him this will look great on his resume.

 

While in Zagreb we took some of the young elders out to lunch at Rocket Burger.  Rocket Burger is owned by a couple from Vancouver, Canada.  They make "huge" burgers and is a favorite of all the missionaries.  

 



 Saturday morning we dropped the Ferguson's off at the airport so they could return home.  We then returned to Tuzla.

 

Today at church the Tuzla Group Leader was changed.  Elder Shepherd will now be the group leader as we will be going home.  After church we took the usual pictures as transfers also came out on Friday.  Elder Sheridan will be going to Zagreb to be an Assistant to the President.  We will miss him as he has been here since he first arrived in the country back in April of 2013.  He will do a great job working with Elder Stuart and Elder Scirkovich.  Four elders, two sisters and two couples will go home on Tuesday, November 12, 2013.  Elder and Sister Westergard went home on last Thursday.  We will receive two sisters and four elders on Tuesday.  There are two more couples coming later this month on the 16th and the 23rd.  Of course there is one more couple who will go home on the 26th.  This is a very difficult time for us as we have very mixed feelings. 

 

We also had lunch after church at the Shepherd's apartment and took a few more pictures. 

 

 

 

       

This next week will be spent getting ready for the Davison's arrival (the couple coming to replace us) and we might attempt to start packing.  We will drive to Zagreb on Saturday, attend church there, return with the Davison's and begin their training.  

 

Mother's Day 2013

Last week we had a fantastic Fast and Testimony Meeting.  We had 28 in attendance.  Of course we had ourselves, the two sets of elders, the Smartts, and Ike and Gloria Ferguson.  But 18 non-missionaries is still a good number.  There was a wonderful spirit.  After the meeting we went to our translator, Mersiha's parents weekend house for lunch.  That was unbelievably good.  They cooked the meal in a peka cooker that works like a dutch oven.  Mersiha's mother used no oil.  She cooked some turkey, veal, lamb and beef along with vegetables.  It was simply delicious.  Ike and Gloria liked the cooker so much that they bought one and took it home.  It actually made it home via the airlines.  The box was opened at all the securities, but they got it home and look forward to cooking with it. 

Monday we started early.  Our first meeting was with the Minister of Public Health.  We learned that they had not received any forms from the schools to input the information regarding the vision screening.  Next we went to visit some of the schools to see how the screening was going.  Each school does the screening just a little different, but more than half of the screening in the schools is complete.  We also stopped by the Tuzla Red Cross Cantonal office.  The Red Cross has been so helpful in making this project happen. We could not of done it without their help.  In the afternoon we visited with the UKC Hospital.  The Ferguson's brought several things for the optical clinic at the hospital.  Everyone was so excited as we opened this up.  It was like Christmas morning.

 

Tuesday we met with the Ministry of Education where we discussed how we will go about doing the screening for the rest of the municipality.  We also were able to discuss how the information from the screening will be given to Public Health for recording the data.  After our meeting we went to visit some more schools.  While we were at one school the principal came in to talk with us.  She told us about a friend of hers whose son had been screened and they discovered that he had amblyopia. She called the father and he came over to the school so we could talk with him.  He told us that his son was going to be meeting at the UKC the next day and gave us permission to come meet him. In the afternoon we went to the outpatient where the UKC doctors trained the outpatient clinic staff to do the preschool vision screening.

 

 

 

Wednesday morning we met again at the Public Health Department along with the doctors from the outpatient clinic and UKC Hospital.  We were able to decide on the direction we needed to go to finish out the screening here in Tuzla and the plan for the rest of the Canton (county) in the fall. 

   

 

 

At noon we went to the UKC where we meet the Kalfic family.  We do not feel that this was just a chance meeting.  Armin is 8 years old.  Because of Taylor having the amblyopia in the same eye we were able to offer hope to Armin and his parents.  We showed him a picture of our grandson, Taylor.  We told them what his vision was when he was first diagnosed and what it is now.  We were able to let them know that doing the exercises to strengthen his eye and getting glasses will help him.  At least he will not go blind as he would have if had not gone unchecked.  The fact that the screening was able to help even one child has made it worth the effort, but while we were there others came as well.  The doctors at the UKC ophthalmology clinic have seen over 100 children that have been identified by the initial vision screening in the schools.  

Today is Mother's Day and all the elders are are calling their mothers.  We don't know who is more excited the elders or their families.  .

 

 

The elders are in the apartment downstairs making Susan a special dinner for Mother's Day.  It smells wonderful.  We have some of the finest young men in our mission and know that the Lord is mindful of the work that is happening here.  It is an honor and privilege to be a part of the beginnings of the church in Tuzla, Bosnia.

 

 

   

 

 

 

May Day

With the arrival of pleasant weather we have taken to walking in the mornings.  We live close to the local football (soccer) stadium so we usually go there for our walk.  Even at 6:30 am in the morning it is warm (60's to 70's).  Lately if we wait till later in the day it has been in the 80's to 90's with 70% to 80% humidity.  We love how everything has turned green and the trees and bushes have come alive after the long dormant winter. 

 

 

This was a pretty slow week due to May 1st being in the middle of the week.  May 1st is a big holiday here.  As we went out for our walk early Wednesday morning. we decided that it felt like the 4th of July in our little community of Granite, Utah.  Even early in the morning people were making preparations for their May Day celebration with their family.  Government offices were closed and most stores closed as well.  Tradition seems to be that it is a day you spend with family and friends having a BBQ and enjoying each other's company.  There were a few Pekaras (bakeries) open early in the day so that people could buy fresh bread but by noon everything was closed down.  We went to the weekend house of Emir (our attorney) .  He invited several of his friends, the Smartts from Sarajevo, and ourselves.  We met and followed Emir out of town about 8:45 am for a 30 minute drive to the weekend house where we cooked meat and had salads.  We actually cooked meat 3 times - maybe more after we left at 6pm.  Bosnians are wonderful hosts.  They feel their job is to make sure everyone relaxes and has enough to eat and they do a excellent job of it.   The typical fare is Cevapi.  Cevapi is little sausages.  They also have grilled chicken.  The cevapi is served in a flat bread called lepinje.  Lepinje reminds us of pita bread.  The cevapi is grilled and then you put the meat in the lepinje along with onions, kajmak, peppers and ajvar (minced red bell peppers and eggplant). 

Ema, Emir, and Dijana

 

Ajvar, Cevapi, and Onions

 

Susan, Melina, Elder and Sister Smart

 

Needless to say we had plenty to eat and totally enjoyed ourselves.  We left early to come home for a interview with a couple in Salt Lake.  They are writing the history of the Humanitarian Department of the church and wanted to talk to Gary about the beginning of the wheelchair program. As we drove up the street to our apartment there were no cars in the parking lots of all the apartment buildings as everyone was spending May Day with someone.  May Day celebration continued into Thursday and Friday.  On Thursday some of the businesses were open .  Friday was the same.  But many people had a 5 day weekend.  Hence why we had a slower work week.

 

On Monday we were able to purchase an electronic keyboard for a primary school.  All children learn music in school.  They have a "music competition" which takes place next week.  We were also able to obtain some t-shirts for the orchestra that has their school logo as well as the Latter Day Saints Charities logo.  Pictures will follow as the keyboard and the shirts will be delivered after the holidays. 

 

Friday we drove 5 hours to Karlovac, Croatia as the local Church branch has a project there.  They have rented some land and have a community garden.  We visited the garden last June when we first arrived.  This has been a 3 year project.  They are in the third year.  Hopefully they will have an abundant harvest and be able to provide for themselves.      

 

Karlovac garden June 2012

 

Karlovac is close to Zagreb so we spent the night in Zagreb.  The town has come alive with the pleasant weather.  There are many vendors along the sides of the roads and on the street corners.   There is also an abundance of outdoor seating for their restaurants. 

 

Saturday we picked up the Ferguson's at the Zagreb airport and returned to Tuzla where we will have a week of meetings and work with the various partners in our vision screening project. 

 

Today we had 28 people at church.  It was a wonderful Fast and Testimony meeting.  Our little group is growing.  It looks as if there are some baptisms on the horizon.