Veliki pozdrav!

Okay so hello everyone! This week was wayyy fun! Language is picking up and I'm getting slightly more comfortable talking so that's awesome. I don't have a ton of time so this may be a short email

Baka is the word for grandma and it's amazing because bakas are like their own people. Like a woman doesn't slowly become a baka, it's like one day they are just some girl and then they get a lil older and the next day they are full baka (like with the scarf head band thing, not Muslim covering) and it's awesome. They even have communities for bakas. They have this street where a bunch of them sell produce from their gardens and we call it the baka market. It's awesome!

Thanksgiving was way fun! We cooked up some food and hung out and played some very fun games. Christmas doesn't exist in Sarajevo because its mainly Muslim so no Christmas stuff is really coming up. There is some stuff in malls for like commercial use but that's about it. In Banja Luka they'll have a bit more because they are orthodox. So we will mostly be doing out own stuff in Bosnia for Christmas.

Also they had the Bosnia holiday on Nov 25, celebrating their independence (I think that is the holiday, not 100 percent sure). So that was pretty cool to see. 

Funny story

We run a 5k in like 30 degree weather and get home to take a warm shower but we come home to find out water heater not working so we went like 2 and a half days with heating or warm water so we just had full coats on and stuff throughout those days. Twas rough. Plus our land lady came to fix it and she's tough. She told us how "unclean" our apartment was but I promise you all it was clean (like especially for missionaries) and so she takes a paper and writes "KEEP CLEAN" and proceeds to put it over our picture of Jesus. We prayed for her that night.

Anywho, y'all are great, have a nice week

Priatno!

1. Comp studying in like 30 degrees

2. National day

3. Frozen spider web (looked and felt like silly string because of the cold)

4. Land lady's note she hung over Jesus

Wassup

 Wassup.

Pictures are at the bottom if y'all wanna skip.

So I don't remember very well what was in my last email so if I repeat stuff I'm sorry. 

This week was cool! We had the chance to go to Banja Luka for about a day and a half. Basically we packed for like 3 days then drove about 3 hours to do some work there in Banja. Very awesome place and a very scenic drive over there as well. 

Last week we did a service thing at this horse place which was way fun. We scooped poop for like 2 hours which made time for excellent conversation with the comp (literally awesome guy). 

Checked out an Olympic bobsled track today which was very fun to walk on. Plus we looked in these old buildings that have been blown out because of the war, very cool to see.

Language is getting better. Able to respond a few times which is great! Being surrounded by it helps a ton, plus my trainer is good at like everything so he answers all of my questions. 

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

Elder Gubler

Bosnian hay

Field with blown out house

Inside said house

Bob sled track 1 and 2

Olympic sign

Ņöşē

Banja luka snow

Fog

Sarajevo

Horse service in fog

Veliki pozdrav!

 Howdy Everyone!

So basically this week has been super super busy. Taught a lot of lessons, did some finance stuff, taught english, and the everlasting battle with learning the language. It's really humbling and this week has let me know how little I actually know of the language. There's already so much to learn so my brain gets fried each day. But it's all in the learning. My comp is awesome and so patient with me so that's great!

I love how nice the people are here and how willing they are to talk about religion. Some aren't like searching for truth but more of just curious on what we believe and love talking about what they believe and learning about ours. I am loving learning about their culture too.  

Fun thing for this week, this dude came up to us and talked about how he had a friend who was from Mexico, came to Bosnia and is in jail now and referred to him as his "client" in his Marijuana clientele. He asked us to give him an English book for his client to hear while he is in prison. So you already know we gonna give the man the classic. A Book of Mormon.

I'll slap some pictures on here. 

Love you all!

1st Transfer (Bosnia)

Transfers

So transfers have literally taken like a week and a half haha. With all the covid tests going wild and not hearing soon enough and people being quarantined made transfers super long. Luckily I got to Bosnia fairly quick

Before transfers: 

We visited a castle which was sooo cool, a way cool walk up there and a way cool thing to see. We did exchanges for a day which was a great experience. And then the next day we really didn't do a whole lot. Both of which were fun and i was okay with because I got to be with the mtc homies longer. 

After transfers: 

It took a solid 5 hour drive or something to get to Sarajevo. First off my companion is awesome! His name is Elder Christensen (from Boise, Idaho) and the dude is amazing. We have a ton of similar hobbies and stuff and talking with him is way fun, I've already learned so much. Serving with him will be great.

As for the work, it's a LOT. Normally we do the work in one city (Sarajevo) but since of covid there isn't as many missionaries here. We just have me and Elder Christensen, two sisters, and a senior couple managing like 3 cities. Basically all of Bosnia. So the first two days here were super busy and filled with stuff I will  learn eventually. I am the clerk in the branches so I'm learning a lot more finance work than I thought was gonna happen. It seems like a lot right now, but I know I will eventually learn it all slowly. 

Spiritual thought: 1 Nephi 3:7

"...the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

This has been cool for me because all the new work has been a lot to handle but I know from the support of y'all, my companion, and the Lord, I can work through the path he has put down for me.

Hope y'all have a fantastic day!

Pictures:

1. Outside the apartment

2. Little car show

3. Small memorial(s) that are found everywhere representing a bomb going off and killing 3 or more people from the war. Super sad to see those

4. Building with bullet holes and other markings from artillery in the war. You'll see a lot of buildings with holes and such.

5. My comp and me

6. The castle

7. Cooking some stuff with the comp

Utvrda Medvedgrad Castle for Pday

 

Day of the Dead Celebration

 October 31, 2020

Okej howdy ljudi Americe! 

This week was pretty fun! We finished the MTC which was kinda sad, but we found out transfers! Getting our transfers feels like a whole new mission call because it's a different country with a different religion and different dialects. My first transfer I'm going to Sarajevo Bosnia!! I'm so stoked! My trainer seems like a stud. Its only him, me and two other sisters in all of Bosnia so we will be able to go anywhere throughout it. 

We did a little celebration for Halloween but the cool thing here was the Day of the Dead. It is the day after Halloween and we went to this cemetery where they have candles everywhere. People come from all over and place candles on the graves. It's very sad because there is a section that is marked with a giant cross on top of a stack of bullets to show graves from the war. It was so sad to see how many there were.  But it is awesome to see how the people pay their respects and honor all who have passed on. Also we got to see Krešmir Čosić's (BYU basketball star and Yugoslavian National player) grave and put candles there. 

Church was super cool, I wasn't able to understand everything but I could really feel the passion between each member's testimony. I love how universal the gospel is. Also I have to give a talk in church in Bosnia already next Sunday so that will be fun to try. 

That's about all, if you have questions send em here!

Doviđenja prijatelji

Elder Gubler