The Montenegrin Coast

Sister Cordray, the wife of President Cordray (our mission president) encourages the missionaries to take good care of their bodies and minds, while on their mission. So, in the spring and in the fall; she organizes a mission-wide 5K. On the appointed day, all missionaries across the mission (young and old) participate in their assigned area. We were in Montenegro the day of the 5K, so we and Elder and Sister Allan participated with the Podgorica elders and sisters. 

As a district, we had decided to get up early and drive out to the beautiful city of Herceg Novi, near the bay of Kotor. 

The Elders Biehn and McGraw rode with the Allans and Sisters Sundell and Porter rode 2 ½ hour drive with us. There is a beautiful 6K walkway along the water and this is where the young elders and sisters ran their 5K..."On your marks, Get set, Go!"

Elder Allan, also walked most of the route. Lot and I and Sister Allan had the nearly impossible task of finding parking (which is NOT easy) and to meet them at the finish line. And lest you think we were slackers, when we checked the step tracker at the end of our day, we also got in our 5K+, hiking from the parking spaces and down the steep stairs to the shore. 

When the run was done, we were met by Venessa and Duško, who live in Herceg Novi. Venessa treated us to some very delicious carrot cupcakes. 

Duško, who was raised in the area and has been a city guide, graciously showed us around. We visited Forte Mare, which sits on the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. It is a fortress built in the 14th century and has scenic views of the city and the water.  

And after expending all that energy, we bought pizza for a late lunch. It was a great day!

As we traveled back to Podgorica, we enjoyed the photos shared from across the mission. We saw a picture of the Sarajevo missionaries, who had run along the Miljacka River, on Wilson Promenade. We wished we could have been in two places at once.

The mission chat was flooded with pictures/videos that showed missionaries running along the shore, the streets and lakeside. It was good for our bodies and a great unifier in the mission. 

Mid-wee, Lot had the flu and then so kindly (NOT!), shared it with me. Oh, well – we both survived, and I just chalk it up as one of the consequences of having a “physical body”, that for the most part, functions in a quite miraculous ways. When I have recovered from being sick, I am always a little more grateful for my body.   

Our week also was filled with evening classes at the church, office/housekeeping tasks and walks through the city from our apartment to the church. 

On Friday, were back at the coast, on the south end, near Bar. We went to visit our member friend, Tina and her two boys. We first met her in the branch in Sarajevo. She has since moved to Montenegro. As we drove south on the costal highway, we turned away from the sea and headed up the mountain. When we didn’t’ think we could go any higher up the mountain, we made it to her house. She has a breathtaking view from her patio, we almost thought we could see Itay – lol.  

Along the coast, the mountains rise steeply out of the sea.

  

The other thing we did one evening was visit the Niagra Falls of Montenegro. (not quite as big as the ones in North America, but lovely just the same. 

The river  meanders through the agricultural part of the valley. As we drove we saw fields of freshly cut hay (Lot said, "just the smell made him itchy" - LOL), acres of grape vines and endless groves of olive trees. It really is so beautiful and it makes a farmer's heart happy to see things growing. 

On Saturday, back to Sarajevo. We are getting pretty good at the drive and what once seemed "like death defying road conditions", now are more familiar and not near as scary - lol. Because we know that route, we can relax a little and enjoy the scenery. 

Our Sunday worship service was our monthly "testimony" meeting, where members of the congregation can share their feelings about Jesus Christ, His gospel and how those things impact their lives. Our hearts were tender as we listened to Elder Liddle and Sister Gunson, who will leave Sarajevo on Tuesday. (In contrast to Senior/old missionaries, the young elders and sisters are assigned to labor in a certain city for a time and then are transfered to another city, with a new companion). These two young missionaries arrived in Sarajevo only 2 weeks after we arrive in December. Their goodness to us cannot be underscored. We are excite for them to have new experiences and grow in new ways, but we will miss them. 

Sunday afternoon, we were also happy to witness the baptism of Nadžad. He is a friend who has been studying with the missionaries and has now chosen to make covenants with God.