Week #49 of our 78-week humanitarian mission to Slovakia and Poland is in the books.

“Love cannot remain by itself - it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service." - Mother Teresa.

Slovakia fact of the week . . . The 'Fujara' is a large folk shepherd's flute from central Slovakia. It is typically played standing up and is especially popular during folk festivals and celebrations in Detva and Vychodna. The instrument is so unique that it was included in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

We traveled to the Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, this week for a mission zone conference. A zone conference is held each month when all missionaries assigned to Slovakia get together. The conference is led by our zone leaders with President and Sister Skousen presiding. In addition to training and instruction it provides an opportunity for the missionaries to get together. It is heartwarming to see how much they love each other. Missionary work in Slovakia is very challenging and these young missionaries exhaust themselves each and every day. We have so much respect for these dedicated young men and women.

One of the highlights of our mission is the time we get to spend with the elder and sister missionaries.

Project update: Center for Social Services "Johanka" is a specialized social services facility whose residents require 24 x 7 care and can no longer live or function independently. Their residents suffer from Alzheimer's disease, dementia of various types of etiology, and Parkinson’s disease. In addition to assisting their residents with daily hygiene, dietary, and medication needs, Johanka provides counseling to the resident and their family. Johanka also provides rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and creative activities specifically designed for seniors with cognitive challenges.

Spending time outdoors is important for all of us but especially for seniors with mobility issues. Johanka had a large patio but it did not have a cover to keep their residents out of the sun and protected from bad weather. They were also in need of patio furniture.

The cost to install a permanent roof was too costly so we suggested and funded an alternative - large tents and furniture. It is now party time at Johanka . . . . .

We submitted a new project that we are really excited about as it will provide multiple benefits to Ukraine refugees in Poland. It is estimated that more than 500 people will benefit from this project. We will partner with Faros Elpidas and Fundacja Kocham Debniki. Debniki is a refugee cultural center located within the Krakow neighborhood of Dębniki. The neighborhood welcomed refugees with open arms and the center, initially created to support refugees, has been focused on integrating refugees into the local community with great success. Their mission is to create a friendly environment and conditions for integrating and developing the local community, in accordance with the values of cooperation, cultural sensitivity, and diversity.

Dębniki provides a variety of services including Polish and English classes, educational and skills activities for 150 people each month, a food pantry that provides food for 700 people each month, cultural events attended by 200 people each month designed to bring the Polish and Ukrainian communities together, daycare for 40 children, some of who have special needs, of refugees who have found work but cannot afford traditional daycare, and psychosocial support for 50 people.

We will fund certain Debniki activities and will partner with Faros in the remodel of a commercial kitchen. The kitchen will be used to prepare more than 100 meals per day for refugees, to teach refugee women how to operate a catering and food business to become self-reliant, and to hold cooking classes so the Polish and UKraine communities can come together.

View of our home base of Presov from the local hills while we were on a mountain bike ride with our friends Joseph and Ludmilla.

We pray you are well and that you will have a wonderful week.