Welcome to Our Blog!
We’ve just wrapped up our first week in Bosnia! The couple we are replacing, Sherry and Warren Stafford, spent the week training us and introducing us to some of the humanitarian projects we will be working on. There was so much to take in, it truly felt like we were being fire-hosed with information, just as they described. The Stafford’s were incredible, and we definitely have some big shoes to fill!
Sister Stafford kept a blog during her time here, and I absolutely loved reading it and seeing all the photos. It inspired me to do the same! With her permission, I’m even keeping the same clever name just adding The and the years we will be here: The Chronicles of Bosnia 2025/2026.
In addition to this blog, we will be sending out a weekly email with more detailed updates. If you’d like to receive those, just let us know, and we will include you. This blog will serve more as a photo journal of our experience.
Looking forward to sharing this journey with you!
We were set apart as Humanitarian Missionaries on Thursday March 20
And we’re off! We left for Bosnia Friday Feb 21 with a layover in Turkey arriving Sat March 22
Our regional manager, Davide, flew in from Italy and the Stafford’s spent 2 full days visiting projects
First stop, MFS Emmaus. Our new friend, Mersiha and Adissa led our tour. They over
see a facility that houses almost 500 elderly, disabled, homeless or disadvantage people
in Doboj-Istok Bosnia
We gave them a new gas heating system to replace the old coal burning system they had before
Last year we helped upgrade their kitchen. Looks great!
We also donated several wheel chairs for some the residents
One of the residents was waiting for our visit. She has lived there for 15 years. She told us how the people living there are her family now.
They grow their own vegetables in green houses.
They also have a dairy to supply milk products.
They also sell milk to the local stores to raise funds
Getting a tour of the milk processing plant
We donated this large container that stores the milk
We ended the day with an amazing lunch.
We are looking forward to continue working with them to help them improve their amazing institution.
The next day we met with Muslim aid. We have a few amazing projects with them.
Out first stop was a visit the with the mayor. He was very grateful for all the humanitarian efforts the church has given help to in his city.
We went and visited a few of the families who we helped becomes self reliant by helping them start their own businesses.
One of the projects we do with Muslim Aid is give a pregnant cow to families. They are able to sell milk products to local dairies and to people in the community.
This lady sells the milk and she also makes and sell cheeses. This is her smoked cheese set up. She smokes the cheese for 24 hours . It smelled wonderful !
Another stop was to see some of the green houses. We helped donate 200 greenhouses last year. We’ve been doing this project for 10 years with 3000 greenhouses given to families. They’re able to grow vegetables for themselves and then also sell them to their neighbors and at markets.
They are able to grow vegetables in the middle winter. He is growing lettuce and spinach in February
They insisted we join them for some
dessert in their home. The people love to
feed you here.
Sister Stafford and I in the rain. You can see from our smiles that we love our job as humanitarian missionaries. We get to bless so many people’s lives. It’s so wonderful
After a nice lunch, our last stop was to visit a home with some beehives. We donate five beehives per family and give them training on how to run beehives. If everything‘s going well after a year, we give them three more.
We also donated this machine to make wax beehive honeycombs to help the bees to start producing honey
Saturday was Bosnia Independence Day
A few memorials around the city
This was a memorial to all the children who lost
their lives during the homeland war. The wheel list their names and the date they were born and died. 😢
On Sunday our Branch in Sarajevo called 2 new counselors Charles as 1st counselor. Elder McConkie as the 2nd counselor. In case you were wondering he is 7 feet tall! President Casbeer remained as Branch President. He works at the American Embasy here in Bosnia
Our Branch also had a baptism for Micheal James His friend travel 6 hours by bus over night to be here to baptize him.
All together it was a wonderful week!
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