Excited for Autumn

Summer is just a faded memory!

A week ago it was a warm sunny day, now yesterday was cold, cloudy and raining.

Autumn in Slovakia jumps in with both feet and changes to much colder weather. With September upon us, summer is just a faded memory. September 22 is the Equinox for the first day of autumn.

Sunrise is now at 6:36 a.m., and sunset at 6:53 p.m., but every day we lose 3-4 minutes of daylight.

With the colder weather we put away our summer clothes and pulled out the sweaters, jackets, and wool socks. Fall weather in Slovakia brings rain and cloudy skies and we see umbrellas everywhere.

Autumn is apple season. I was overcome with nostalgia while picking apples straight off the branch. Something, I would do as a child in Oregon.

I cooked fresh applesauce lightly sprinkled with cinnamon. Sweet memories from home. Pumpkins are appearing in store windows. Chestnuts escape their prickly shell and drop to the ground.

Ahh, there's nothing more beautiful than watching leaves change from green, to yellow, to orange, and then fall to the ground. 

Autumn, it's the perfect time to cuddle up in a soft fleece blanket as you sip hot raspberry fruit tea and watch the umbrellas move across the street.

Bratislava Garden Project

In June, shortly after our arrival in Slovakia, LDS charities was approached by a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Bratislava. This NGO wanted to provide something meaningful for disabled homeless clients who live in the facility to do during their free time. They came up with a plan to grow gardens. Because the ground on their property is full of rocks with poor soil, they proposed making five raised garden boxes. These boxes would be made with wood lumber about 1/2 meter high by 1 x 2 meters. These would be used to grow vegetables, provide gardening opportunities for the clients, and they could consume the harvest.

In Bratislava, the NGO operates two homeless shelters including a night shelter and a day shelter for those challenged with mental and physical disabilities. The day shelter was proposing the project as gardening was found to be therapeutic for various mental illnesses as a calm, quiet, and peaceful activity. Across town was the night shelter for over 100+ homeless people who are provided a place to sleep each night.

In discussing the project with the NGO staff, it became apparent a lot of labor would be needed to build and fill the boxes with dirt. An idea evolved of asking the homeless men at the night shelter to participate in the project.

It was agreed to pay them a small hourly wage for their labors which would help them earn an income. Who better to provide labor then those unemployed and homeless?

We had several meetings with the NGOs manager along with his assistants who helped translate and work out details. They liked the idea of homeless men doing the labor, and agreed to approach the night shelter manager.

The night manager offered to assist in recruiting homeless men to work at the project and stated the small pay could be used to purchase bus and meal vouchers as part of the incentive.

During the planning stage, Bratislava LDS church members were interested in helping in any way possible. One designed the wood garden boxes and agreed to supervise the construction steps of the project. They assisted in tremendous ways throughout the project.

One morning we all met the staff at the local Hornbach hardware store to purchase the materials needed. This included tools such as rakes and shovels as well as hardware and wood preservative. A couple large water containers, plastic sheeting, and lumber to build the boxes was all purchased. The bare wood needed a coating of preservative to withstand the weather and this labor was provided by the day shelter clients and LDS missionaries who volunteered their time.

In September 2017, the building of Garden boxes began. An LDS member provided the supervision along with the staff in directing the laborers in digging, raking, and assisting in construction.

After the five boxes were constructed and placed they needed to be filled with dirt from a nearby compost pile. The project is still in process as next spring the vegetables will be planted.

The shelter staff had also requested new appliances to replace older ones they have used for years.

An inspection found appliances with broken hinges, damaged seals, and duct tape to latch the door shut. LDS Charities agreed to provide three appliances for the shelter including a large freezer, refrigerator, and a small fridge for medicines. The fridge and freezer are used to store donated bulk foods and avoid spoilage.

There are three elements of the best humanitarian projects which include service, sustainability, and self-reliance. The service was provided by homeless men in both shelters, and members of the church including missionaries. Sustainability is accomplished through the solid construction beds and the shelter staff planting vegetables each year. The self-reliance occurs when people till the dirt, plant the seeds, and reap the harvest each year. We are so grateful for the many hands that came together to make this project a success. 

Live with Purpose

Who was Wallace Toronto and what does he have to do with our service project this week?

Wallace Toronto was one of the first missionaries called to open the Czechoslovakia mission in 1929. He was first called to serve as a full-time missionary in the German mission. In 1936, he presided over Czech Mission as President until WWI when all missionaries were evacuated due to the Nazi occupation. During WWI, he became the director at the Utah Red Cross.

Several years later, he and his family returned to Prague with a larger missionary force. Due to communist regime, in 1950 the missionaries were expelled, and the registration of the Church was cancelled. Faithful Saints were now left without the opportunity even to hold church meetings. Through cryptic letters, he kept in touch with the members in Czechoslovakia. 

In 1964, President McKay assigned the Torontos to visit the Czech members as tourists. In 1965, he was asked to return alone to meet with the ministry officials. He did so, but only after he was arrested following his interview on television during the huge national sports festival. His request for Church recognition was rejected, and he was deported at the German border. Wallace Toronto remained president of the Czech Mission until his death from cancer in 1968 in Salt Lake City.

President Pohorelicky 

President McConkie

President Irwin and wife

 

The project included landscaping a child's park involving sweeping, raking, cutting, and dragging tree branches and digging up roots. An IQ Roma building was also cleaned, painted, repaired, and beautified in many ways. IQ is an organization that serves the very poor and needy in the area and they do a wonderful job.

While my husband was involved in the landscaping portion. I helped place broken ceramic tile into a large IQ logo near the entrance to the building. We were so impressed to see many people flew in from the USA to be involved with this project. This included past Mission Presidents McKonkie and Irwin, and foundation members who all sponsor the event. We met many new friends, and enjoyed being involved in this wonderful service project to help make this neighborhood look a little better. 

Moving the Work Along

It is only September in Slovakia but it feels like Autumn as the temperatures are dropping and leaves are falling to the ground. We have been busy visiting several NGO's (non-governmental organizations) trying to figure out how to best help involving (1) service, (2) self-reliance, and (3) sustainability.

We visited and NGO serving 120 disabled children and adults in one facility. With all the variety of mental and physical challenges among this group, how to best help? A plan was discussed involving a ceramic workshop for all the participants to work with clay.

Room selected for ceramic workshop.

Interesting to note, working with clay and creating artistic pieces has great therapeutic value for several mental disorders. Using a pottery wheel to form objects, a kiln to bake, and paints to color the items require time. All these steps help disabled people make small steps in creating a work of art.

Other crafts at NGO

Each piece is unique and builds self-confidence, teamwork, and developing fine motor skills. The NGO has been hoping for planning for 10 years but hasn't been able to get the funding or donations. Upon our departure they were so thrilled with LDS Charities and the possibility to finally have a ceramic workshop.

We have been considering a water project in a village of 900 people.

About 750 Roma people living in this remote community do not have running water. Roma are seen carrying buckets down the dirt roads to a hand pump at the bottom of the hill.

These buckets are filled and the water is then used for drinking, cooking, sanitation, and washing. Some of the Roma people live in shanties or shacks with no utilities or insulation. They cannot get the government to provide water.

An ETP director who works with the Roma devised a plan to allow them to help themselves.

If a family save 2000 euro, they qualify for an 8000 euro loan and the 10,000 euros is used to purchase land and materials to build a small house. They village gives the family a small plot of land to build.

EPT provides a construction manager for advice and to assure proper building. The family provides the labor to build the house with friends and neighbors. At least sixteen homes have been built in this village and more may be built in the future.

But they do not have running water although, the plumbing is put in. This is where a possible LDS charities water project may be able to help. This project is based on service, self-reliance, and sustainability. But we need more expertise, advise, and assistance to get started.

We made a visit to our local Red Cross office. We utilized a couple missionaries and had them explain they are only translating for us. After introductions, the director indicated he knows about LDS Charities. He explained that about five years ago, he was a volunteer and recalls a wheelchair project in the region.

As a volunteer, he was involved in distributing many wheelchairs and recalled they were blue and the name of the church was printed on the back of each chair. He advised he would like to meet with us again and possibly we could find a project to work together on.