Good Routines

 This is the flyer that I picked up at BYU Education Week.  

It explains what Humanitarian Missionaries do on a routine daily basis.  

It also lists the minimum skills you will need to be successful.  

I should have studied this closely before we turned in our mission papers.

I believe every word was chosen carefully.  

Back then I was still envisioning what I saw in Africa just ten years earlier. 

 

We were both ready to jump in and save the world, by alleviating suffering on an individual or grand world changing scale.  The optimism of youth still has a place in us.

I still sing "Have I Done Any Good In The World Today".  

However, reality has set in. 

 

We have now experienced the corporate side of giving.  

Slowly, I have come to realize the critical needs of individuals through the eyes of a large organization. The corporate side of the Church can make a real difference by lifting groups of people and ensuring they can maintain their new level of comfort.

  

We are now helping and relieving suffering by distributing your donated funds.

We work with other organizations, churches, and governments.

Above you see a first look committee deciding about the best use of funds.  It is not easy and can be heart wrenching.  Every country in the world has missionaries like us trying to get their projects approved.

There is a lot of scrutiny and vetting before funds are spent, and followup afterwards, sometimes for years, to ensure that the gift was wisely used and self-sustaining.

I can see now that the Church tries hard to "have a rising tide that lifts all the boats".

Of course, we are also in place in case of disaster or immediate need.

I now have a good routine because I understand my critical place here.

This advice found on a wall is the basis of my good focus and helps to minimize my frustrations.

We meet a lot of people.  

They all have needs.  

It is not easy turning them down or explaining the criteria that they have not met to qualify for money or goods.  I would love to take photos of everyone and every place we go.  It is just not appropriate in most of the places we go.  We are not tourists, but representatives of you, your money, and the Church.

Tourists, we are not, and as much as I would like to grab the National Geographic photos that I see daily - I just can't.  

These people are just too good and kind and focused on relieving suffering, and remind me daily of what it is to be "Magnanimous."

I need to rise to their level of service.

After meeting with Avdullah and his son Fatlum (above), I got the biggest hug I have ever received from another man.  Like most Kosovar, they love Americans because "we saved them in the war of 1998-99."  I loved seeing his war photos and hearing his stories.  We connected because I showed him a photo of me in a flight suit and an F-4.

Speaking of patriotism, this was our 4th of July in our yard in Skopje.  Five missionaries, a neighbor, and a new embassy family, the Bodells.  We sang the national anthem before we had our bar-b-que of sausage that almost tasted like American hot dogs.

This is a statue of Bill Clinton in Pristine, Kosovo.  He was the president at the time the USA and NATO stepped in and saved this section of Serbia from being annihilated,

 and the new country of Kosovo was created.

This a Roman aquaduct from around 100 AD but who knows how many times it has been repaired.  Like many extremely old monuments around here, it is just sitting out in a field a few miles from where we live in N. Macedonia.

We see sheep between towns.

I did buy me a new wool vest,  but can't wear it until winter.

We love the markets and all the fresh vegetables.

Finally got all the greenhouses accounted for.  They are working well.  This is the local minister of agriculture talking shop with the local farmer.

This is an outdoor basketball court that is wheelchair friendly that the Church donated.

These are some of the pre-school beds that were donated.

However, the reality of humanitarian missionary work looks more like this:

Looking at endless possibilities and dreams of people with good routines.

Endless meetings with good dreamers.

Sharing the progress that has been made in good peoples lives.

Wondering what will improve the lives of good people and the people they serve.

But at the end of the day, missionary work comes down to what you see below.

It is the "work" of missionary work for us.

We survive, and I mean survive, because of the good people we meet and then because of a good routine of managing computers and software programs and schedules and deadlines to get the good projects approved.

We have been in country four months and are just starting to feel like we understand enough to make a difference.  Half of our working time is spent at the computer.

This is not what I expected.

Good People Everywhere

Today was a great day for N. Macedonia

These are Elders Jeffrey, McNiven, Adamson and Lindsay.  They are the only missionaries in the country of North Macedonia.  They are the only missionaries who speak Macedonian.  They are in the Albania mission but never transfer to the 23 other companionships in the mission because no one else speaks Macedonian.  This day they are full of smiles.  For the first time the Book of Mormon has been published in Macedonian!

They are so excited to hold a Book of Mormon in the language of the people they teach.

These good missionaries are on a mission to spread the good book.

(Sadly, every one of them will be going home in July 

after two years and no replacements are in sight!)

Let me share some of the other good people we have crossed paths with lately.

This is a new consultation room for the Skopje Hospital intensive care unit.  They honored us with much appreciation.  

Your donations made this possible.

These are three remodeled rooms at the Mother Teresa Senior Home in Skopje.

Your donations made this possible.

This is a new elevator at a public school with 30 handicapped children.

The parents had to carry the children and their wheelchairs up and down the stairs each day.

Your donations made this possible.

The whole school turned out to show much appreciation.  There was a terrific program put on by the students.  The mayor and television crews were on hand.

Kristi and the mayor cut the ribbon.

Your donations made this possible.

The school provided a feast of local food for the invited "dignitaries".

We were impressed by what kind and good people were associated with the school.

These Muslim girls were excited to practice their english with Kristi.

Below are all the missionaries in Kosovo.

They unloaded all and assembled some of 380 new wheelchairs for Kosovo.

Yes, Kosovo has only one senior couple, David & Colleen Long (MLS) and only six younger missionaries, Sisters Liddicott, Lindsay and Elders Leblow, Vasas, Secrest, Bredikhin.

The folks at Handicos in Prishtina distribute the chairs all over Kosovo.

They are good people as are these missionaries.

Your donations made this possible.

This is the Muhaxhiri family.  

Sharii is the new Branch President in Gjakova, Kosovo where we live half the time.  

The young missionary, Elder Pimentel, was released as Branch President and transferred.

We usually have 12 - 15 at church each Sunday.  As you can see almost half are pictured below.

They are good people.

Everywhere we go, we find very dedicated, selfless people, willing to help those in need and give of their time to improve the lives of others.  I am so impressed with so many people living for and contributing to the needs of others.  My pessimistic view of the world is beginning to change.

I am realizing that YOU are a good person.  Your donations - to any cause outside yourself -

has qualified you as a good person.

The projects I mentioned did not come about by us but by YOU!

Kristi wanted her photo taken by this mural, she is good in trying to teach me.

"Good Grief"

Grief is mental suffering.  

I suppose I have experienced that in a small way but take comfort in knowing that 

"thy afflictions shall be but a small moment."  The good part is the growth afterward.

When I tell you my "grief" you will roll your eyes and laugh, but to me it has been real.

We prepared ourselves for what we thought would be our role of relieving the suffering of humanity in this corner of the world.  We were mentally prepared for changes but not prepared for the detail of the work.  Remember we had been to the MTC, Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission and then cooled our heels in Albania and then a B&B.  It seems we needed more training.  Lots and lots of training.

So first we flew to Frankfurt, Germany.

Those are the Sar Mountains, dividing N. Macedonia and Kosovo (the two countries we live in).

In Frankfurt we met with five other couples assigned to different countries in central Europe.

We learned we were in the Central Europe Area of the Church (one of 23 world divisions).

Kristi and I serve in the green section of the Area, along with many others.

You can see that the Welfare and Self-Reliance portion of the Area is very organized.

The Church does employ a lot of folks.  We are down at the bottom of "Field Operations" where it shows six managers and twenty-one couple Senior Missionaries.  The other areas also have a few Senior Missionaries assigned.  There is a great need for more.  

Good grief, what have I gotten myself into?

We were gone four days and they tried to fill our heads with new forms and reports, more computer insights, software training, financial reports, evaluation criteria and reports,  protocols and the necessity of keeping receipts for ten years.  Good Grief.  Now please, just let us get to work.

No, not yet, they wanted us to share how great an experience being a senior missionary is, so in the evening we experienced old fashioned German bowling.  No gutters and creative scoring.  I must admit I had fun and of course winning is always fun.

We went to the Senior Missionary family home evening.  There are a lot of senior missionaries in Frankfurt.  These four couples were heading home.

Another evening we went to the Frankfurt Temple.

So now we are pumped full of new information and ready to put it to use?  

No, not yet.  On our return we were invited to the Albania Mission couples' conference.

We drove down through N. Macedonia to Korce, Albania.

It was beautiful and I said, "Good grief, are we just tourists now"?

Our Mission leaders are great people and we did learn more, but also had fun activities.

This is President and Sister Auras.  They are helping and teaching us all, in the three countries of Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.  There are nineteen senior missionaries and less than sixty young Elders and Sisters. The Auras' are serving here for three years from Germany.

Sunday was Branch Conference in Korce, Albania.

Monday was P-day or preparation day.

We watched and ate at a demonstration of making a traditional food of Byret.

It was especially good.

The next day was the Mission Conference with all the young missionaries in the mission.

They are bright, intelligent, conversant in Albanian and Macedonian, and in touch with the Spirit.

I have been so impressed with their work ethic and love for the people they serve among.

It is a delight to be around them.  

(And none of them call me "Older Skidmore" yet, rather than Elder Skidmore.)

OK, one more photo - can I go home now?  I can't contain one more drop of learning.

GOOD GRIEF, all of a sudden we are almost on our own.  

We are starting to get in the swing of things.  

Our world is meeting new people every day, emails, forms, starting projects, monitoring projects, documenting projects, filing every bit of information with each project and then seeing that it is closed and that everything is accounted for.  

"Almost" on our own.

We can call Frankfurt any time.

We can call other Humanitarian couples, any time.

There is even a help line with the main software we use.

This is "but a small moment."

GOOD GRIEF - with prayer we are never alone.

 

Everyone Does Good

We have moved quite a bit these last nine weeks.  When traveling we try to unpack and settle into a place, no matter how short a stay.  Sadly, it has seemed impossible in so small a space and with so many suitcases and bags to unpack, there just wasn't room where we stayed . . . so we have been living out of our suitcases until now.  Often, strangers would offer to help with our luggage.  

There are good people everywhere.

We finally moved into our flat in Gjakova, Kosovo.  It is pretty bare but the landlord promised a new bed for Saturday.   This was my view from bed when I awoke my first morning in the new flat.

Not too bad.  Then I got up and looked out from our 6th floor deck.

We needed to get back to Macedonia to check on a school that the Church was helping to provide an elevator for the disabled students. 

There are 25 to 30 children in this school of 1600 students who are handicapped, but have classes upstairs with the older kids.  The teachers and parents carry them up two flights of stairs for the day where they remain until taken downstairs.  (Below is just the second flight of stairs)

This is the footing/hole where the elevator will be located in an inner courtyard.

Suzana, the principal, was very happy to see us and very hopeful about the 

elevator.  She does a lot of good.

When we are on the road, Kristi will run into a bakery and grab some fresh rolls with cheese and jam for lunch.  Every morning this type of shop is full and by the end of the day it is empty.  These good people make my life easy.

One strange sight I found while looking for more electrical plugs was this set of toys hanging on the wall.

When we got the call to the Albania mission, one of the first things I did was search out the golf clubs in the three countries.  I was shocked that there were none!  So what do I find - toy golf clubs.  Clearly someone has the same hope that I do.  Perhaps somehow it could be a humanitarian project to benefit women and children by getting men out of their way and to a golf course.  (?)

I am surprised by the number of good people who want to have their photo taken with us.

This neighbor lived in Palm Springs for a while.

There is a recycling program in one of the villages we drove through.

Someone is a leader in being good.

On Saturday Maslina was baptized in Skopje.

She is freshly good and surrounded by very good Elders.

Sometimes you forget the good that is really close to you.

Occasionally, I get reminded in a big way.