Russell and Eileen's Church Missions: TRAINING IN SARAJEVO

Last Monday we had a special speaker for our weekly devotional in the Frankfurt Area Office. Bishop Gerald Causse of our church’s Presiding Bishopric spoke to us. He is originally from France. He shared many memories of his experiences in the Europe Area and gave advice on how we can be more united as employees of the church and missionaries. He had a marvelous sense of humor and it was a privilege to be able to listen to him.

Bishop Gérald Caussé

Earlier this week one of our senior missionaries, Elder Olson in Montenegro, fell and fractured his arm in two places and also broke his nose. In addition to experiencing a crazy ambulance ride to the hospital, he then had his arm set/put back into place without anesthetic. They have been real troopers during this challenge. Sister Olson also broke her arm in the MTC just a few months ago. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Olsons. We are hoping for a speedy and complete recovery.

Monday afternoon we traveled to Bosnia to train some newly arrived humanitarian missionaries. Elder and Sister Newton from Kansas are fairly young (by senior missionary standards) and full of energy and enthusiasm. They will be covering Bosnia and Croatia, although most of their work will be in Bosnia. They have been in the country less than two weeks and have visited all of the four largest cities in Bosnia and met with a few of the NGOs LDS Charities has partnered with over the last several years.

On Tuesday we attended district meeting with the four young missionaries. Two sister missionaries and two Elders serve in Sarajevo. One of the sisters was from Eileen’s aunt’s ward in Bountiful. It was enjoyable to attend the meeting, something we haven’t done since Indonesia. We even had a small language lesson while we were there in Bosnian, taught by one of the Elders.

District meeting in Sarajevo

We spent the required time to work though the technical issues of our training, which is not always the most exciting of experiences. The Newtons are very tech savvy and caught on quickly. Our last day in Bosnia we took a guided tour of the area. We all felt like having a better understanding of the history of Sarajevo would help us understand the local people and their needs better.

Elder and Sister Newton with Russell doing computer work

Bosnia has a complex history. In 1914 the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was shot dead on Latin bridge just a block from the hotel where we stayed. The assassination led directly to the First World War.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is recovering from a devastating three-year war, which accompanied the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

The 1992-1995 conflict centered on whether Bosnia should stay in the Yugoslav Federation, or whether it should become independent. It is now an independent state, but under international administration. Its three main ethnic groups are Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Croats and Serbs. The war left Bosnia's infrastructure and economy in tatters. Around two million people - about half the population - were displaced. (BBC News)

A long tunnel was built under the Sarajevo Airport for use during the war

Mines are still active, stay on the marked trails

Evidence of the war is still apparent today. In many buildings you can see bullet holes and in a few cases, evidence of where mortars hit. There are a few burnt-out crumbling buildings next to new ones. Our tour guide was one of the many people displaced during this war. He told us that the buildings are not repaired because it is difficult to find owners with both the money and the desire to repair them.

Map showing the beseiged city

This was a luxury hotel near the ski jump area-now bombed out and rubble

Inside the "hotel"

It had a beautiful view at one point

The outdoor swimming pool

Bullet holes are rampant throughout the hotel

Those aren't sunkisses on the wall of this building

Today the people seem to live in relative peace. New malls with upscale stores are being built, many with foreign investment from the Middle East. In the “old town” there are many small shops and a bazaar where you can buy jewelry, clothing, souvenirs, and food. Many mosques and Christian churches are located throughout the city. The call to prayer is relatively quiet compared to Indonesia. There were numerous women wearing burqas in Sarajevo. This is the full black clothing and veil that women in the Middle East wear. We were told that families from the Middle East visit Bosnia because of the lush green mountains and cool weather.

Women in burqas

Mosque in Old Town

As part of our tour we visited some venues from the 1984 Olympics. Sadly, the sites of the bobsled races and ski jumping area appear to have seen better days. The bobsled run is still used occasionally today. Athletes in several neighboring countries use the bobsled run for practice in the summer.