sweet.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
What's Your Boy Up To?
Let me tell you about what's been going on!
Last week we drove up to Vienna. And in my opinion, it's a rather pretty little 8 hour ride. Not to mention it's littered with all sorts of interesting eye-candy. For instance, there's the long stretch of hawk/falcon/some sort of predatory bird sanctuary (which, as you can see by the picture on your left, I so masterfully captured with my undeniable capability in "moving-vehicle" photography). But, as many of you may know, Beth just began her daily radiation treatment as a preventative measure against her cancer returning. This unfortunately means she's limited to staying up in Vienna for about 5 to 6 weeks until the treatment is over. So for right now, it's just Jeff and I in Bosnia.
...oh and don't think Beth, in her absence, didn't leave us a "to do list" ...to do.
The past few days we've gotten busy undergoing the step-building project. So far the foundation is laid and the column shafts are built. The majstor dude came by today and gave us direction as to what the next few days entailed. Should be fun! It's hard to envision the front door with readily accessible steps. For as long as I've been here, it's been suspended 2 stories in the air with nothing but a terribly nasty fall following its exit. It'll be nice I think =D
MAJOR NEWS! The Harmony Youth's 30-Hour Famine fundraising will sponsor 4 greenhouses being donated to 4 different families in some local villages here. This is a brilliant project idea for Bosnia in my opinion. One greenhouse will not only cover a family's monetary needs, but will also provide a large portion of their own personal food supply, feed many of their surrounding neighbors, as well as sustain a great deal of the local community's need for freshly grown, readily available food. So please, keep this project on your thoughts and in your prayers. I will be sure to keep you up to speed on this...providing updates and more information regarding the selected families and such. I can't wait to see this in action. It's going to rule!
I think that's about it for now though. I'm super pumped that in a couple of weeks I'm going to have the privilege of seeing my family. They're all going to be in Europe in April. So soon! Craziness!
Grace and Peace,
Caleb
Pictures from the first couple days of stair-building!
...oh and don't think Beth, in her absence, didn't leave us a "to do list" ...to do.
The past few days we've gotten busy undergoing the step-building project. So far the foundation is laid and the column shafts are built. The majstor dude came by today and gave us direction as to what the next few days entailed. Should be fun! It's hard to envision the front door with readily accessible steps. For as long as I've been here, it's been suspended 2 stories in the air with nothing but a terribly nasty fall following its exit. It'll be nice I think =D
MAJOR NEWS! The Harmony Youth's 30-Hour Famine fundraising will sponsor 4 greenhouses being donated to 4 different families in some local villages here. This is a brilliant project idea for Bosnia in my opinion. One greenhouse will not only cover a family's monetary needs, but will also provide a large portion of their own personal food supply, feed many of their surrounding neighbors, as well as sustain a great deal of the local community's need for freshly grown, readily available food. So please, keep this project on your thoughts and in your prayers. I will be sure to keep you up to speed on this...providing updates and more information regarding the selected families and such. I can't wait to see this in action. It's going to rule!
I think that's about it for now though. I'm super pumped that in a couple of weeks I'm going to have the privilege of seeing my family. They're all going to be in Europe in April. So soon! Craziness!
Grace and Peace,
Caleb
Pictures from the first couple days of stair-building!
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Monday, February 21, 2011
MMM CATSUP
Hey Guys! Here's a bit of what's happening!
Had a great little visit in the States. My Mama so kindly provided me a way to come home for a couple weeks. Which, after living on my own for about a month in Bosnia prior to that, was nice. I was able to just relax and be with family and friends in a very appreciative state of being =] ...and I'm not going to lie, it felt almost surreal to be back in a place where everyone spoke english. But as my couple weeks in America were drawing to an end, I can't express how eager I was to return to Bosnia. This opportunity I have been blessed with certainly comes with an immense amount of gratitude. And I sincerely apologize if my lack of blogging has had anyone thinking otherwise ;D
Since being back in BiH I have felt truly compelled to soak in and learn as much as I can from the people I've gotten to know here and the relationships that I have formed. Going back to America for that short stint was good for me because it really put into perspective how fast time can fly. I'm here for a reason. That is to learn...and I want to make the most of my time granted to me. Each day I am learning more and more about the similarities I never envisioned having with a culture that I, at one point, couldn't tell you anything about. I'm learning how to better appreciate the simple human connections that bond us to one another. I am learning what it means to love your neighbor, no matter his background, religious beliefs, or world views. I think Jeff and Beth are a tremendous example of how a "missionary" in this region of the world should live. Their rooted understanding of what it means to walk alongside of your friend and help them in whatever way possible is inspiring to say the least. Through my steadily progressing language comprehension (which by no means is anything to brag about), this simple fact has become increasingly clearer. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity of shadowing their humble example.
hmm what else...
Oh! This past weekend was a cool new experience for me. We went down to Gorazde to visit Kemal (a longtime Bosnian friend of the Summays) and see his new house that he lives in with his mother and brother. It was neat staying the night in legitimate Bosnian environment...which consisted of an ever-looming smog of cigarette smoke, unbelievably delicious Bosnian home-cooking, and hours and hours of highly competitive board game playing. And even though Kemal speaks almost fluent english, his mother and brother do not...which made for an interesting time playing Cities and Knights mostly all in Bosnian. Which simply put, was a hoot!
That's it for now! I'll be sure to keep you posted with more!
Grace and Peace,
Cupo
Movies: Eagle vs Shark | The Big Lebowski | Live-Action Super Mario Bros. Movie
Music: Teenage Fanclub "A Catholic Education" & "Songs From Northern Britain" | My Bloody Valentine "Loveless" | Fitz And The Tantrums "Pickin' Up The Pieces" | The Smiths "The Queen Is Dead"
Books: Safe Area Gorazde | Tea With Hezbollah
Had a great little visit in the States. My Mama so kindly provided me a way to come home for a couple weeks. Which, after living on my own for about a month in Bosnia prior to that, was nice. I was able to just relax and be with family and friends in a very appreciative state of being =] ...and I'm not going to lie, it felt almost surreal to be back in a place where everyone spoke english. But as my couple weeks in America were drawing to an end, I can't express how eager I was to return to Bosnia. This opportunity I have been blessed with certainly comes with an immense amount of gratitude. And I sincerely apologize if my lack of blogging has had anyone thinking otherwise ;D
Since being back in BiH I have felt truly compelled to soak in and learn as much as I can from the people I've gotten to know here and the relationships that I have formed. Going back to America for that short stint was good for me because it really put into perspective how fast time can fly. I'm here for a reason. That is to learn...and I want to make the most of my time granted to me. Each day I am learning more and more about the similarities I never envisioned having with a culture that I, at one point, couldn't tell you anything about. I'm learning how to better appreciate the simple human connections that bond us to one another. I am learning what it means to love your neighbor, no matter his background, religious beliefs, or world views. I think Jeff and Beth are a tremendous example of how a "missionary" in this region of the world should live. Their rooted understanding of what it means to walk alongside of your friend and help them in whatever way possible is inspiring to say the least. Through my steadily progressing language comprehension (which by no means is anything to brag about), this simple fact has become increasingly clearer. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity of shadowing their humble example.
hmm what else...
Oh! This past weekend was a cool new experience for me. We went down to Gorazde to visit Kemal (a longtime Bosnian friend of the Summays) and see his new house that he lives in with his mother and brother. It was neat staying the night in legitimate Bosnian environment...which consisted of an ever-looming smog of cigarette smoke, unbelievably delicious Bosnian home-cooking, and hours and hours of highly competitive board game playing. And even though Kemal speaks almost fluent english, his mother and brother do not...which made for an interesting time playing Cities and Knights mostly all in Bosnian. Which simply put, was a hoot!
That's it for now! I'll be sure to keep you posted with more!
Grace and Peace,
Cupo
Movies: Eagle vs Shark | The Big Lebowski | Live-Action Super Mario Bros. Movie
Music: Teenage Fanclub "A Catholic Education" & "Songs From Northern Britain" | My Bloody Valentine "Loveless" | Fitz And The Tantrums "Pickin' Up The Pieces" | The Smiths "The Queen Is Dead"
Books: Safe Area Gorazde | Tea With Hezbollah
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