Croatia District Youth Conference

Swimming in the Dobra River

Take twelve youth, and add water.  Give them plenty of food,  provide a service project, play lots of games, talk about The Strength of Youth, and end it with a spiritual testimony meeting at sunset on the west balcony of a 14th century castle.  The castle once belonged to the Croatian noble family Frankopan.  It was a spectacular sight.  The conference took place on the Dobra River near Karlovac on riverfront property that Goran owns and generously offered to us to use.  He was happy to share it with us and stopped by to watch the kids play in the water and paddle around in the rubber rafts. After assigning four teams, the kids embarked on a selfie scavenger hunt. One group was lucky enough to

Dobra River and castle

have President Grant join their team. All six Croatian church units  were represented and everyone had a great time.  The senior couples were instrumental in the success of the event because they were needed for transportation of the youth. We had burek for lunch, which is a local dish made with meat or cheese. and is wrapped in a very flaky pastry dough.  We had a BBQ with shish kabobs, hot dogs, salad, cookies, and brownies.  The conference ended with a beautiful sunset and everyone said their goodbyes.  It was very clear that they cherished this opportunity to be together. They are a great group of young people!

Elder & Sister Grahovac

On Sunday, we visited Rijeka for their Church meetings.  It was good to see President and Sister Grahovac again.  They drove Ivan to Karlovac for the conference on Saturday.  President and Sister Grahovac come from Germany but were born in Croatia and are fluent in the language.  It is a blessing to the members that all of their meetings are in Hrvatski.  There were about twenty people in attendance and there were five of us in Relief Society.  Sister Koller was kind enough to translate the lesson for me.  As we headed out of town, we took a drive down by the water and ate the lunch that I had packed in a cooler.  It was a sweet view, but any water view is sweet, don't you think?

A quick hug with Sister Rusick

Last week was transfer week and EK and I helped transport missionaries to their new area.  We drove to Beograd to drop off some elders and I was able to meet Sister Rusick for a quick hug. We treated them to a King bar (scrumptious local ice cream), said our goodbyes and drove off into the sunset. I also got a group shot of the elders.  Aren't they an impressive group of young men?  We love spending time with them and helping them in whatever way we can.  They are always willing to help us with our attempt to learn the language and are patient when we ask them the same question... more than once.

Lunch with Snjezana and Štefica

I was happy to hear that Snježana was back in Karlovac, after spending time on vacation with her daughter and son-in-law.  She called and we went over to visit Štefica.  We all went to lunch at a restaurant close to Štefica's apartment.  For a mere 30 kuna ($4.30), I ordered a three course meal with soup, salad, and main dish.  I will have to tell EK about this new restaurant find.

Word of the week:  tjedan (tee ay dan) which means week.
Have a dobro tjedan!

Life in Zadar

Sphinx in Split

We are spending some time in Zadar until the new senior couple arrive on Thursday.  We will  drive to Zagreb on Friday to meet them for lunch at the mission home, and escort them partway to their new home in Zadar.  We know Elder and Sister Rothey will be amazing missionaries.  They had a cruise planned, but decided they were needed here in Croatia, so they canceled it and came out earlier than scheduled.   They, along with the members in Croatia will be blessed for their decision.  After being on our mission for 10 months  EK said that if we would have known what a senior mission was like, he would have retired 5 years earlier and put in our papers.  I don't think we ever realized how needed seniors are in the mission field.  We are rewarded with the love we feel from the young missionaries that we support, the members of branches throughout the mission,  our tireless mission president and his wife, and the people that are recipients of the humanitarian work and service done here.  We have much to be thankful for when the day ends and we kneel together in prayer.  It is an experience that we will always treasure.  I tell the young missionaries that when they go home and start dating, they should have one question to ask if things start to get serious.  They need to ask them if they are willing to go on a senior mission with them someday.   If it's an affirmative, then it's a go.

We have enjoyed spending time with the missionaries in Zadar and getting to know the members better.  We visited Jadranka and her grandson Nicola.  Nicola is learning English and loves to practice on us.  We had some exciting news while in Zadar.  A young man has decided to go on a mission and EK is working with him to get his papers submitted.  President Rothey will continue to help him when he arrives.  His faithful mother is excited to see him serve. This is her second son to serve a mission.

We were able to meet Mišo Ostarčević and his wife Ankica at church last Sunday.  Mišo is a Olympic Gold Medalist who played for the former Yugoslavia basketball team and was also a NBA scout for the Boston Celtics. He was a close friend of Krešimir Čosič who was the first member of the LDS church in Croatia. The Ostarčević's were baptized by Krešimir in 1974.  They live in St. George, Utah, but also have a home in Zadar where they come back to stay every summer.  They have a grandson in Utah who is preparing to serve a mission.  Ankica told me that he would love to serve in his grandparent's homeland of Croatia.  With Krešimir's influence and example, church members of the ANM (Adriatic North Mission) will grow to multiple generations who will serve the Lord by going on missions.  This ripple effect will continue because of one man's decision to become  a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Remarkable, isn't it?  We think so.

Beware of wild boars

We spent p-day (preparation day) with the missionaries and decided to go to Split.  Current missionaries in Zadar are Elders Bowles, Bolan, Winfield, and Palmer.  We met Božo (pronounced Bosho) who lives nearby and he showed us the sights. There is a palace in Split with a sphinx from 3500 years ago that came from Egypt.  I can't forget Froggyland (no, we didn't go in) but I had to take a picture of the advertisement.  It was hilarious.  We also hiked up to the highest point where we were able to view the entire city and the beautiful sea.  We had lunch and drove home, where we viewed an interesting sign.  I have seen them numerous times and decided it was "blog worthy".  For those of you who know EK, you know that he has two fears.  One is alligators, and the other is wild boars.  When we were thinking of buying a place in Florida, he realized that both were there, thus putting the kibosh on that option.  Here we are in Croatia and he was quite surprised to come across this sign.  No hiking in the bush for this missionary...

Word of the Week:  ljubav (lee oo bov) which means love, the noun, not the verb.

Attending Joey's Baptism

We are experiencing a hot summer in the mission.  We have had temperatures as high as 35 degrees celsius which is about 95 degrees fahrenheit. Our klima (air conditioner) in our apartment in Karlovac has not been working well.  We turn it on and after a short time, it will shut itself off.  We are on schedule to have it looked at.  We will be gone for two weeks and it should be fixed when we get back.  I'm keeping my fingers  crossed...

EK with his crop

 EK has tried his hand at gardening on the balcony.  He planted onions and tomatoes.  He waited and waited and ended up with two of the sorriest looking tomatoes I have ever seen.  He didn't have much success with his vegetables. I also planted flowers for the patio and they are looking beautiful. They are pink trailing geraniums and all the neighbors are enjoying them as they drive into the parking lot.  We have a temporary assignment away from Karlovac for two weeks and we didn't know what to do with the flowers so we asked the people below us if they would like them.  We found out that they do not have a balcony, but they said her mother would love to have them at her apartment.  They picked them up, thanked us, and we made plans to get together with them when we get back.

We went to Maribor, Slovenia with the Varaždin Elders on Monday for p-day.  We saw the beautiful Maribor Cathedral,  walked around the town's main square which dates from 1515, had some  pizza at a local restaurant, and walked down to the Drava River to see the swans. We also came upon Sister VanWagoner and her companion who are currently serving there.  She served in Karlovac with us and it was a treat to see her.  We all had ice cream together, said our goodbyes, and headed for Varaždin to drop off the elders.

When Kate & Gavin came to visit, I had them bring back a princess dress for Natalie. She is a huge fan of Frozen and Elsa.  We went over to their house and surprised her with it.  The look on her face was

Princess Natalie

priceless.  She immediately put it on and had her mom braid her hair like Elsa.  She kept going in the house and would come out twirling.  Finally, her mother explained that she was going in to look at herself in the mirror.  She would come out and smile and say, "I am beautiful".  Little girls are the same everywhere.

Zadar Branch

We went to Branch Conference in Zadar. on Sunday.  It was the Devers last Sunday on their mission and  headed for home on Tuesday. We moved into their apartment until the new senior couple arrive on August 10th.

There are four missionaries in Zadar.  We are enjoying attending district meetings with them and helping with English class. They are quite a mix and come from Australia, Canada, Alaska, and the USA. The missionaries serving in the Adriatic North Mission never fail to impress us.  They are young men and women who have put their lives on hold to serve the Lord.  Many times we are in awe of them.  Which reminds me that we miss our Karlovac missionaries.  We called them yesterday to tell them we are still around and will be back.

An interesting change serving here in Zadar is that it is a tourist area.  Every Sunday we have new visitors attend from all over the world.  This last Sunday we had 50 in attendance.  Most people are just passing through to their next adventure, but there is one family who have been here for an extended period of time.

The Butler family

Daniel and Deborah Butler have four children and are here to do family history work for Daniel’s side of the family.  His ancestors are Serbians who lived in Croatia and left in the early 1900’s. He is a professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis and is on sabbatical.  Deborah’s parents served a mission in Croatia from 2013 - 2015

Zadar District

(we actually replaced them in Karlovac).  She  decided to visit them and while here, found some records regarding his family.  When she returned home with valuable information, they decided to make a trip back as a family for more searching.  We went over to their apartment on Saturday so I could interview them for an article I’m writing to put on the Croatia country page (much like a Facebook page).  President Grant assigned me to be a member of the Public Affairs team so I’m always looking for stories and this turned out to be a fascinating one. They are leaving for home on Tuesday, after having much success and invaluable experiences for their children. They are the sweetest family and Mark, Lizzy, Rose, and Josh made us miss our grandkids (unici) very much!  When we were leaving, Lizzy and Rose sang us I am a Child of God in Hrvatski.  They were excited to perform for us and we loved it.

We had a BIG day on Saturday! We were able to FaceTime with Adam and attend our grandson Joey's baptism.  We ended up going to the church because the internet was spotty at the apartment. We were able to visit with him beforehand.  He looked so grownup and happy.  We had front row seats so we could see everything including Lily and Joey on the piano, with Layla singing a solo.  It felt like we were there with everyone.  We love that young man and are proud of him.  It is a major step in his spiritual journey.  Unfortunately, we did miss out on the root beer floats at the end.

Word of the week: klima (klee-ma) which means air conditioner.  Much needed this time of year...

Fun with family

Zadar missionaries

We spent a few days in Zadar because the senior couple (the Devers) went on the temple trip to Switzerland.  Elder Dever is the Branch President and  asked EK if he could take over on Sunday while he was gone. So we stayed in their apartment and attended Sacrament Meeting.  We were able to spend p-day with the elders and to say hi to Elder Pantelakis who served with us in Karlovac.  Zadar is a beautiful city, one of our favorites.  We took a walk in Old Town and as we neared the sea organ, we noticed a cruise ship docked nearby.  Two women from Norway saw the elders and thought (with their white shirts and ties) that they worked on board.  We visited with them for a little while and they laughed when they realized their mistake.  We also saw a strange sight on the water passing us by.  It looked like a submarine, and all I could think of was Ringo singing Yellow Submarine.  Of course it stayed in my head all day long.  My brain works that way.  We had some lunch and headed back to the apartment.  We were able to attend district meeting with the elders.  District Meeting is a weekly meeting for missionaries that usually include the senior couple.  It includes planning for the week, instruction and lessons, language review, and goal setting.  We ended up attending three district meetings during the week - Karlovac, Zadar, and Varadžin.  That could be a record, it is for us.

Sailing on the Adriatic Sea

Kate & Gav

We came back to Karlovac and got ready for Kate & Gavin's visit.  They started their trip in Venice, and after a few days headed to Slovenia where we picked them up. We were able to take them to church in Karlovac on Sunday.  It was fun to introduce them to all of our friends.  We spent the next week taking them to Slunj, Plitvicka Park, Dubrovnik, Zadar where we sailed the Adriatic, Pula with the ancient Roman ruins, Split, a castle in Slovenia, and many other sweet little towns along the way. The first three days were brutally hot, and then it cooled off toward the end of the week. The hotel choices were a big hit and I would recommend them highly.  Zadar- Hotel Bastion, Dubrovnik- Hotel Lero, and in Pula- Hotel Oasi.  I have to say the schedule was prettyi ntense, we saw a lot of amazing sites in just a few days, and we did a pretty good job keeping up with those youngsters!  EK and I were tired by the end of the day and had no trouble falling asleep.  It was fun spending time with family and it was hard saying goodbye.  We dropped them off in  Slovenia where they flew out the next day.  It was nice having a little vacation, but now it's time to get back to work.

Pula

Karlovac District

We met the missionaries for district meeting and headed out to Varadžin for a Self Reliance Workshop on Saturday night.  We stayed the night and attended church on Sunday.  A new member of only 5 months gave a talk on pure love. It was a beautiful talk with a powerful message.  He said, "What is the most liked from the first moment I entered our church?  The pure love of Jesus Christ, the most sacred and only love of our Savior warmed my tired heart and that will remain forever."  end quote The message Z gave was simple, yet profound.  The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple enough to understand, for all who will listen.  We are grateful that we listened to those young missionaries who knocked on our door over forty years ago.  Our lives and the lives of our children have been richly blessed.  Another young man in his 20's who was baptized in January blessed the bread.  Although you don't hear D speak many words, he sat at the sacrament table and recited the prayer flawlessly.  The Varadžin Branch is very special, and we are blessed to be able to spend time with them.


The word of the week: obitelj (o bee tel) which means family

Bunny In a Bag

Bunny and family

We took Sisters Rusick and Bushong to Plitvika jezera Lakes National Park a couple of weeks ago.  As we walked the trail we ended up behind a cute little curly headed girl with her daddy. (can you tell I'm missing my unuci?)  As I looked closer I noticed something sticking out of his backpack.  I can imagine hearing this little darling tell her daddy not to forget Bunny.  Notice he didn't stuff him in and zip up the pack.  He made sure he could breathe and positioned him so he could see the beautiful view, as well.  How sweet is that!  I thought this was a cute story to share in honor of all the fathers who have loved like this daddy obviously  loves his little girl.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day!

Mangeris, Pantelakis, Rusick, Bushong

We had to say goodbye to Elders Mangeris and Pantelakis, and Sisters Rusick and Bushong last week.  They were transferred to different areas of the mission.  The good news is when transfers occur and missionaries move,  others will come to replace them.  We now have Elders Lewis and Graham, and Sisters Barnes and Elmore and we are excited to work with them.  I will include their picture in the next posting.  The sister missionaries and I did our service for the Jak kao Jakov Foundation at their workshop. We are regulars on Wednesday nights and look forward to meeting with the other workers. This time we painted boxes which they (experienced workers) will decoupage designs on. We do a lot of painting because it's not too technical and it's difficult to mess up!  We get the easy jobs but have been reminded more than once by Jakov's mother that all jobs are important and necessary for success. Jakov is a young man who died of cancer a few years ago and his mother started this organization.  The crafts are sold and the proceeds benefit families who have children with cancer.  It is a well organized operation and run by a very capable and dedicated young mother who by helping other families, is also providing a lasting tribute to her young son.  

Karlovac Relief Society

We had a District Women's Conference which included all the women church members in Croatia.  To avoid having to travel the distance to Zagreb, the Church provides us with state-of-the-art equipment so that we are able to broadcast such meetings over the internet.  The congregations are wide spread so this is a blessing for the members to be able to view the meetings in their home units.  EK had to attend in Zagreb and I opted to stay in Karlovac and have the women over for dinner before the broadcast for a women's night.  Milena Sarapa brought her two children and I found it especially entertaining that Mihael insisted on holding his trusty pistol for the picture.  It appears that he is protecting his women folk.  After dinner we all walked over to the church and watched the broadcast.  

The Raić's

President Raić's son Luka was blessed last Sunday during our worship service.  The naming and blessing of a baby is the church's method of creating a record for the child.  It also provides an opportunity for a father to publicly pronounce a blessing upon his child.  President Raić was overcome with emotion and it was a beautiful experience to witness.  I was once again reminded of the many opportunities that the Lord provides us to be actively involved in our children's spiritual growth and development.  We took pictures afterwards and baby Luka was the center of attention.  Bless his sweet little heart!                      

Word of the week:  blagoslov (blog oh slove) which means blessing
                                blagoslovi means blessings

Spring in the Mission

Spring has sprung in the Mission, and it is beautiful!  We traveled to Celje so EK could train a new Branch President.  It was our first time in this quaint little Slovenian town.  We especially loved the drive as the road wound along a beautiful river for miles.  We stopped a few times for pictures, but that in itself was tricky as the road was narrow with limited places to pull off.  When a truck came along, you held your breath for a moment in hopes you didn't lose your rearview mirror.   Every time we get on a road like this, we think of Gavin & Kate and how much fun they would have in their little yellow Miata.

After we were done with training we took a drive through the mountains with the Porters, the senior couple in Celje.  If you ever come to eastern Europe, you really need to put Slovenia on your list.  It is a beautiful country with much to see.  We took our time and got out to breathe in the fresh mountain air, and see the flowers covering the mountainside.

When we got back from senior conference in Sarajevo,  we continued to prepare for the  concert with Paul Cardall and David Archuleta which was held on May 13th at the Ljubljana Opera House.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teamed up with the Slovenian Heart Foundation to put on this amazing event.  It was the Foundation's 25th Anniversary Charity Concert with the proceeds going to the families of children who suffer from heart illnesses.  The missionaries were able to meet with Paul and David the morning of the concert at the church building where they spoke to us and performed a few songs.

 We then had a Fireside with David at the Zagreb Chapel on Sunday evening with a lovely reception afterwards.  Chefs Without Borders catered delicious and eye-pleasing  h'ordeurves to all who attended.

Chefs Without Borders Team

 They are also affiliated with the Heart Foundation and we are proud to team up with them whenever we have the opportunity.  On Tuesday, when we thought this whirlwind week was winding down, we got a call from President Grant.  The Grants had taken David and his manager Kari to Pula for some sightseeing.   David asked if there was anywhere along the way where they could stop and meet more members of the Church.  Since Karlovac was on their way back, they decided to stop in our town.  We were getting ready for our English Conversation Group, and decided he should come and talk to our class.  It was an intimate gathering of about 20 people. He spoke with each person individually, answered a few questions, and then sang a few songs for us.  He is such a down to earth, nice young man and has a amazing way of remembering people's names.  He was able to recall the names of the missionaries he had met the previous week.  

We had a baptism in Karlovac.  Rajko Aidinović was baptized on May 7th with many Branch members in attendance.  We have a portable font which was set up in the hallway.  It was a beautiful baptism with refreshments afterwards.

Snejžana made an amazing cake for Rajko and there were other goodies to enjoy.  It has been a blessing to witness Rajko's progress as he embraces the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There have been many members of the Branch who have participated in assisting the missionaries in teaching him each week.  He is a wonderful addition to our small Branch and we love him.

EK's jump shot

The 2nd Annual Krešimir Ćosić Adriatic North Mission Basketball Tournament took place on May 21st.  Krešimir played basketball for BYU in the '70's and was the first member of the Church in Croatia.  He was a remarkable man and his story is worth reading about here:
http://ldsmag.com/article-1-12138/  There were four teams from three different countries: Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia.  The fourth team was made up of senior missionaries and guess who made the cut?  Yep,  EK was on the  "Dream Team" and he was excited to play!  They did a great job, even winning one of the games, but I'm sure there was a lot of Advil taken that evening.

The final event of the month was a Singles Conference we attended in Beograd, Serbia.  We had a dozen people attend and being a one day conference, was a smaller version of the one we had in March in Zagreb. Many of these people did not go to the  Zagreb Conference because they need a passport to enter Croatia and it's quite expensive.  Many cannot afford the extra expense,  so the committee along with President Grant's approval,  decided to take the conference to them!  We had two workshops taught by President Lotric and Br. Mhailevic.  We participated in a service project where we went to a park to pick up trash, and also to serve food to refugees.  When we returned to the Church, we watched the movie 17 Miracles with Br. Vasica speaking to us afterwards.  We ended the conference with a dance which included President and Sister Lotric heading up fun activities including the limbo and chicken dance. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast Inn in Sremska Mitrovica which is about an hour from Beograd,  and headed home after attending church there on Sunday morning. The Branch members provided a wonderful lunch after church and we felt their love as we said our goodbyes.  What a sweet, sweet Branch.  Then off we went to Karlovac, our home away from home.

The word of the week is:  torta which means cake.

Sarajevo

Old Town Bazaar

In the Adriatic North Mission we attend two senior conferences a year.  Our first one was last October when we went to Dubrovnik. We were new to the mission and still getting adjusted to our new home.  Senior Conferences are a time when we are instructed by our Mission President, are able to reconnect with other senior couples that we don't often see, to report on our various responsibilities, and to take a break from our busy schedules. The conference in May was planned to take place in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia.  We decided to go a little early so we would have time to do some sightseeing.

The road from Sarajevo to our hotel snaked its way up a mountain high above lush valleys until we arrived at the Hotel Pino which was nestled amid majestic pines.  The 1984 Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, and the hotel was located at the top part of the bobsled run.

Dinner at a Bosnian restaurant

We put on our walking shoes, and headed to Old Town.  The Old Town District is made up of narrow winding streets and medieval type bazaars. There is always time for a little shopping... The weather was rainy but we were prepared with our kišobrans. The corner where Gavrilo Principe shot the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in 1914 is marked by plaques and a small museum.  It is a fascinating story and you can read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria
In the center of Old Town, there is a square where hundreds of pigeons gather waiting for a handout.  Sister Ostergaard and I stood amid the frenzy of our feathered friends as they competed for the corn we had.  It didn't bother me too much except when one landed on my head.  I was worried about what he was doing up there.  Luckily, we came away unscathed from the experience.

The bird lady

A group went to see the Sarajevo Tunnel, or Tunnel of Hope.  During the war in the 1990's, the people dug a secret tunnel below the airport which enabled them to bring in supplies from outside the city.  The far end of the tunnel was concealed in the house of the Kolar family.  It took six months to complete, using pick axes and shovels.  From July 1993 until the end of the siege in late February 1996, the Sarajevo Tunnel was the only connection Sarajevo had with the outside world.  I'm glad we were able to come early so we could see and learn about this resilient city's history.

At the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque

We also were able to tour the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, the largest historical mosque in Bosnia and the oldest mosque in the Balkins, originally built in 1531.  As we entered the courtyard, there was a sign that said the women should cover their heads. With a guide, we were able to go inside and see the beautiful decorative paintings and prayer rugs covering the floor.  It is an amazing experience to hear the call to prayer which is heard several times a day throughout the city. You can listen to it here:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mssgHBsQMd4 

We all got on a bus to travel to the site where the country of Bosnia was dedicated to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  After we had climbed a few hundred steps (I may be exaggerating a bit) we came upon a beautiful view, overlooking  the city of Sarajevo. President Grant read the dedicatory

Dedication site

prayer to us and we listened to the blessings offered by a modern day Apostle, Russell M. Nelson.  

On Thursday evening, we had a guest speaker from Sarajevo share with us the history of Sarajevo, and the local customs and traditions. The hour long discussion held everyone's attention and we came away with better understanding of the country and it's culture.

We had a spiritual feast as our Mission Presidency taught us on Friday morning.   We ended our conference with a testimony meeting.  We heard the heartfelt testimonies of many of our fellow senior missionaries.  Once again we were reminded of the great priviledge it is to serve with such exceptional people. Then off we went to Karlovac, our home away from home.  We are refreshed, renewed, and ready to get back to work!

Word of the week:  zahvalan (zah val lan) which means grateful
EK and I are grateful for this opportunity to be able to visit these countries while we are on our mission, as they are rich in history and culture.

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