6 months down 12 months to go

I can’t believe a third of our mission is already completed. Some days it feels like I just got here, and other days it feels like I’ve always been here. 

Time really does fly when you’re having fun, it’s going by so fast!

Maybe time’s flying because I have the best companion ever. I’m so grateful he’s kept his language skills sharp and loves the people here as much as I do. 

Time’s probably flying because of the amazing support from my family! FaceTime with our kids, Marco Polo with my extended family , and all the texts and emails from friends and family make home feel just a little closer. ❤️ 

Every three months, some missionaries complete their service and return home while new ones arrive to take their place. Last month, we said goodbye to three amazing missionaries, the three in the front of this photo: Sister Thomas, who spent the last 6 months in Sarajevo with us, Elder Keyes and Elder Hall. Elder Hall also served in the Branch Presidency alongside Charles as his second counselor. Honestly, saying goodbye to people we serve with and come to love like family is one of the hardest parts of this mission.

But saying goodbye means we have three new missionaries join us! Two new elders, Elder Bishop and Elder Ault, who just arrived in the mission field, and Sister Robinson, who is finishing her mission in the next three months. She’s been such a huge blessing to our area because she speaks the language so well.

On our first P-day together with our new group, we gave them the grand tour of downtown Sarajevo. There’s nothing I love more than showing this city to people who’ve never been

One of my favorite things is serving in the community. We had the opportunity to help at the Jewish Community Center, running a bingo game with prizes of bags of groceries. We also spent a few days delivering meals on wheels to some amazing people. So fun to do it with our sister missionaries!

Part of our missionary work in humanitarian service is visiting places where the Church has made donations to make sure they were delivered and how they’re being used.

    

Recently, we stopped by a few Red Cross facilities where we donated new kitchen equipment. It’s amazing to see how much of a difference these small contributions make!

We visited our sweet friend Mira again. She’s a recent widow who lives outside the city, so we try to stop by at least once a week. This time, we discovered her family has grown with eight new kittens! My new project is helping find them new homes and getting all her cats spayed or neutered.

 

On Friday, I went on an adventure with my friends. We hopped on a four-hour bus ride to visit the little stretch of Bosnian coast called Neum. Fun fact: most of the sea coast line belongs to Croatia, but this tiny spot is all Bosnia!

The sea here is full of rocks, not sand like I’m used to in California. On the bus, we met a new friend, so our party of three became a party of four! We’re already planning our next trip before the weather turns cold.

While we were on our adventure, the boys had theirs! They delivered 16 pregnant cows to needy families with Muslim Aid. They had quite the adventure, this time, only one cow managed to escape, actually jumping out of its pen!

                                                 

In our small branch here in Bosnia, we have no children, so I was so happy to welcome these two little ones back. Their dad has been a friend of the Church for a few months. heir voices brought so much joy, it reminded me how much children’s sounds are missed at church!

We’ve decided that every 5th Sunday we are going to have a linger longer… A potluck lunch after church. I made a traditional American dish of a chicken pot pie. Another member brought a traditional Bosnian dish called Moussaka, A deliciouscasserole with layers of Eeggplant, seasoned meat, and creamy sauce, baked until golden and perfect for sharing!

Add those two dishes with what everyone else brought, and we had quite the feast

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