I'VE HIT THE WALL.....

We have a wonderful apartment here in Croatia, it's cozy, warm, and comfortable and apparently I think I know my way around it in the dark. WRONG!!! Last night I'm not sure I was awake, I headed down the hallway to the bathroom and WACK! I was rudely awakened by my nose cracking into a cement wall! I hate to be a baby, but it really hurt! I found my way to the bathroom a little dazed, checked to see if there was blood. Nope, I was fine, except for feeling a little foolish, so I carefully found my way back to bed. Only to wake up a few hours later with a terrible headache!! Wonder Why? The nose is a little "out of joint" tender, but otherwise fine and I now have a better understanding when someone says that they have, "hit the wall" or it's like "hitting a cement wall". We use those idioms, (here we go with idioms again) all the time, but until last night I have never really had personal experience with a cement wall and my nose slamming into it!


We signed a contract today with the Croatian Red Cross to help clean another 1,000 wells. The project will start in June and will go until June of 2012. Right before we come home. So it will be an ongoing well project for the rest of our mission. We are excited to get it going and look forward to being in the field and seeing the process first hand.

Yesterday we went toy shopping! It was such a fun thing to do! We bought wood toys, puzzles, educational things, blocks and just all sorts of developmental toys for our children’s home. On the 19th of May we will go visit them one last time and close our project with them. We purchased 90 sets of bedding for one of the children’s wards. We purchased them from our local high school.
We are not going to Bosnia this week until the weekend because we are supposed to be in Zagreb to pick up our new car on Friday! Yeah for us! We have so appreciated having a car...we haven't really minded that it's old and looks kind-of terrible. When you turn the key..It starts and that's all that matters. But the powers that be thought we needed a new one. So Friday is the day. At least for this car. Our leaders in Germany also feel like they would like us to have ANOTHER new car in about 3 months. Long story short, this one we are getting on Friday was ordered and purchased in Zagreb, Croatia. Germany wants us to have one that is purchased in Slovenia so that it will have Slovenia license plates on it. They feel it would be better/safer for us to not drive with Croatian license plates in Bosnia. It takes about 3 months for a new car to be ordered. So how spoiled is that? Two new cars in one mission? We are grateful for good people who watch out for our safety and care about what we drive.

We will go to Banja Luka for Church this week-end, but will hurry home so that our elders can call their mothers for Mother's Day. We have been trying to get a few dry runs going so that there won't be any problems with Skype. The Elders are really excited for their calls!

We visited another hospital last week in Bosnia and on the way home found this beautiful little spot. It was like something off a post card. But then all of this area is just stunningly beautiful! It is especially gorgeous in the spring when the country side has all turned to green.

He was milling corn.

These little buildings all have mills in them that are powered by the little waterfalls.

As we were walking down the path, we were talking about how great it would be if we could buy some of the milled flour. Then we came upon this guy, selling corn, wheat, and flax flour.

Well, except for a tender nose and wounded pride, our week has been pretty uneventful. We have visitors coming from Salt Lake to talk to and train our partners that bring in wheelchairs. So next week will be a busy one.

How could I forget!!!! We got a package! And WOW! What fun we had opening it! Just like Christmas! But it was Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and let's spoil our parent's day! It was so heavy; Jim could hardly get it up the stairs to the elevator! I really was pampered with all sorts of new clothes for summer and Jim got matching ties. Everything fits perfect and it's so fun to go to my closet and pick out something new. What a pick me up! Thanks Kids for everything! We have the most wonderful children ever!

Some of the Country side in Bosnia, there is a fortress on the right side of this picture. Just Beautiful!
 

 Another beautiful view along the way... We take forever getting somewhere because we feel compelled to get out and take pictures.

The Tadic Family brought us these beautiful works of art. They are brown eggs to begin with, boiled with onion skins, So pretty.

This little piggie went to market...This is the same grocery store that usually has a horses head in the case. I just never have my camera with me, but one of these days I'll get lucky!

Do you love the tail?

This little piggie stayed home....for Easter Dinner. We saw these guys taking turns turning the spit and  stoking the fire. It's traditionally the mens job to do this.

Easter Sunday with the Tadic Family and our friends, Elder and Sister Robinson, who are the office couple that serve in Slovenia.

The Robinsons came and stayed the weekend of Easter with us in Banja Luka. The Tadic family loved them, especially Elder Robinson's "high 4 1/2  instead of high 5's"  he cut half of one of his fingers off right before they left on their mission. The Tadic family thought it was halarious! We had a wonderful week end with them in Banja Luka.