WEEK NINE, TEN and ELEVEN!

Sunday dinner is always a highlight of our week.  Transfers were this past week and we had to say goodbye to two of “our” missionaries; Sister Kemp and Elder Waisath.    It's always hard to see these missionaries move on to a new areas however, we will be excited to hear about their new experiences in their new areas of service.   Two new missionaries have  arrived  and we are happy to be reunited with  Sister Robertson and Elder Jones whom we met while we were all at the MTC together--which seems like ages ago. Elder Cundick was transferred here from Czechia and we are so happy to see he and Elder Grandon regularly. 

Our second zone conference in Trenčin was as inspiring as the first. We did have a little hiccup though.  We were in charge of breakfast on the morning of the conference.  Marilyn had made 10 loaves of sweet bread and we had picked up a ton of fruit from the store. We were suppose to be at the Trenčin church at 8a.m. to cut the bread and get everything laid out before the missionaries arrived.  We put the address of the church into GPS and started driving.  When we reached our destination, at least according  to the GPS, we were in some neighborhood with no church in sight!  It was already 8a.m. and we had no idea where we were! We redid the GPS and found out we were 20 minutes from the church. Not exactly sure  how that happened but we arrived at the church where 20 hungry missionaries were waiting for food.  The rest of the day was terrific and we were so glad we were there.  

We had another appointment at Luník 9.  If you recall, Lunik 9 is one of the largest Roma settlements in Europe.  About 5 thousand people live there under terrible conditions.  We met with Veronica and Anton, government employees who work to at the settlement providing programs and aid to the Roma.  We are working on a project to provide supplies for a summer program for the children who live at Lunik. Veronica and Anton will do games, crafts and other activities with the kids during the summer months. 

We got to spend a glorious 4 days in Frankfurt, Germany during the second week of April.  We went for training pertaining to our call as Welfare/Self Reliance Missionaries. We were excited to see several couples we met at the  MTC at the training and got to compare notes after 2 months of service in our respective countries.  We were so impressed with the Welfare Department in Frankfurt.  They gave excellent presentations and we learned so much. It was not all work and no play though, we had some great evening experiences as well. We went German bowling one evening (something you have to experience to understand). We will say that it is nothing like bowling in America but really, really fun.  The next evening we were able to attend the Frankfurt Temple and that was a beautiful, serene experience. We came away from Frankfurt better prepared to serve and inspired as well.

While in Frankfurt we received word that two of our projects were approved for funding.  The big 120 hospital beds in Eastern Slovakia (started by the Kozaks), which will have a powerful impact on many vulnerable people in hospitals and nursing facilities.  We are grateful for all the help and support from Frankfurt and the Area Presidency.  The other project is the Prešov Autistic School, which we participated in helping to fund their library and afterschool program.

We made a quick trip to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, for a few medical tests.  These tests are required by the Slovakian government in order for us to get our residency cards.  I will say this about Slovakian hospitals...they are not a place to go if you are seriously ill.  The more modern hospitals are in Hungary or Poland.  Slovakian hospitals are like something out of the Twilight Zone…very old, very dark and very Russian. We got the tests done though and have our Residency Cards!

We are excited to add to our all ready busy lives, the Self Reliance Program.  We begin on May 4th introducing this inspired program to the small branches in Slovakia.  We feel grateful to be able to assist those who are seeking an opportunity to improve their lives.  This is a wonderful program and we feel fortunate to be a part of getting it implemented here in Slovakia.

Have a wonderful week!  We love and miss you all!

Dobrý deň