Hank Smith, Green houses and Bobsleds

Every Sunday evening our mission holds a Sunday devotional on Zoom. Our mission president, President Cordray, works for the Church in the media department. He seems to know everyone and has incredible connections, which has blessed us with devotionals from so many amazing people—including John Hilton III, a BYU professor and author of Considering the Cross; Jennie Oaks Baker, President Oaks’s daughter and a gifted violinist; Eva Timothy, a very talented artist, Blair Treu, writer and director of ,Meet the Mormons' and so many others, too many to mention.

One of those special privileges was hearing from Hank Smith. After each devotional we have a Q&A session, and it was especially fun to hear insights directly from one of my favorite podcasters. John Bytheway and Hank Smith host one of the very best Come, Follow Me podcasts each week, and getting to hear from Hank in person (even over Zoom!) made the experience even more meaningful.

There is only one branch in the entire country of Bosnia. Our branch also includes a small group from the city of Banja Luka that joins us each week via Zoom. Once a month we make the seven-hour round-trip drive to Banja Luka to meet with them in person. Last time we were there, Charles was the speaker for our sacrament meeting and gave his talk over Zoom from Banja Luka. We love these faithful members and dear friends. 

In 1984, the Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and the city is still very proud of its Olympic history. Sarajevo is known as an Olympic City, and last year they even celebrated the 40-year anniversary of hosting the Games. Olympic rings can be found all over the city, reminding everyone of that special moment in history.

High on the mountain above the city is the bobsled track that was built for the Olympics. Although it was damaged during the war, it has since become a canvas for graffiti artists. Today, it’s a popular tourist attraction, where visitors come to see the artwork and hike down the mountain.

We took our new group of missionaries there for our PDAY for a nice 2 hour hike. It was a beautiful crisp day. We even had blue skies break through! 

My son Nathan told me about some bombed-out buildings near the bobsled run that he used to explore when he served his mission in Sarajevo 12 years ago. When I found them, we couldn’t resist doing the same. We made sure to stay on the path, though, because Bosnia still has over 75,000 landmines scattered throughout the country. Since this area is a major tourist destination, I’m sure it’s been cleared, but better safe than sorry!

One of the most striking buildings in Sarajevo is the Old City Hall, easily recognized by its bold striped exterior and beautiful Austro-Hungarian architecture. Once a grand library, it was tragically burned during the Balkan War. Today, the building has been fully restored and serves as the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, standing as a powerful symbol of the city’s resilience and cultural heritage.

In 2025, the Church, together with Muslim Aid, donated 200 greenhouses to families in need across Bosnia. We had a wonderful day helping to install one of them, and I think Charles couldn’t have been happier getting his hands dirty. 

The family we helped included a husband, wife, and their daughter, who live on a beautiful little farm that raises sheep. Earlier in the year, the husband had been laid off from his job as a logger, and work opportunities in their small village are limited. With this greenhouse, he will be able to supplement his income by selling the produce it grows. They can harvest two crops a year, and during the winter months, they grow onions, lettuce, and spinach.

The mayor came out to personally meet us and thank us for helping families in his municipality, Kladanj. His city received a total of 20 greenhouses, which were distributed across the villages in the area.

The Church doesn’t just provide a large greenhouse; they also supply seeds for the first year, an irrigation system, and training to help families make the most of it.

  

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! If you know me, you know I love Christmas. Being away from home during the holidays can be tough, but these young missionaries make it so much easier. 

             

For most of these young missionaries, this will be their first Christmas away from home, and I try to help them feel a little less homesick too. We decorated our church foyer with some Christmas decorations we found tucked away in the storage closet, it brought a little extra holiday cheer to our mission home.

 

Last Sunday we were blessed with a visit from our district. Brother Sambunjak, a member of our district high council, drove all the way from Slovenia to be with us. We held a linger longer so he and our members could stay and get to know one another better. I made my favorite butternut squash soup, and Sister Smith prepared a hearty beef stew.

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We had a few members and quite a few friends attend. We had a great afternoon.

                               

 We are so lucky to have a professional baker in our branch. She makes the most delicious cakes, cookies, and chocolates. Iris is one of the pioneers of the Church, being one of our first members of the Church to be baptized in Bosnia back in 2011. I love her so much. She does a lot of the baking for our ward parties. 

We were sad to say goodbye to Maddie and Jonny Parkinson, who have been living and working remotely from Sarajevo. They have been a great blessing to us and to the entire branch, helping with missionary discussions and humanitarian work. We also had the privilege of serving with Maddie on our first mission, she was a joy then and has been again, especially as she has helped me so much with her fluency in the language.

While we will miss them dearly, this is not goodbye for long. They will return in the fall for another three months. For now, they are off traveling and living in Austria, Switzerland, and Italy due to visa requirements, pet sitting and teaching English along the way. Best of all, they will remain part of our branch by joining us on Zoom each week.