Week #53 of our 78-week humanitarian mission to Slovakia and Poland is in the books.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going

to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss.

Slovakia fact of the week . . . Štefan Banič, a native of Slovakia, witnessed a tragic accident when someone fell from a high elevation. This motivated him to create the first parachute. His prototype was submitted in 1913 to U.S. authorities for consideration. The Slovak parachute worked on the principle of an umbrella and fastened with straps on the body of the aviator.

A year later the design was shown to the public in Washington and a man safely jumped from the roof of a 15-story building. The U.S. Army bought the patent of the skilful Slovak inventor.

Kelly is making great progress in her effort to provide crocheted blankets to babies of Ukraine refugees. Ukrainian women continue to flee to Poland to get the medical care and support they need in the later months of their pregnancy. One of our partners in Krakow, Tezca, has provided every aspect of pregnancy support, including midwives for delivery, to more than 1,000 refugees.

We want to thank our daughter-in-law Kristy and the women and young women of our church in Highlands Ranch Colorado for making blankets that filled four large suitcases. Kristy partnered with Reach Humanity in shipping the blankets to Poland.

We received approval for two projects this week and have another two projects submitted for approval.

Project #1: The SSI Boarding Vocational School was founded in 1983 and operates schools throughout Slovakia that prepares young people with manageable disabilities, many of which are Roma, for the performance of blue-collar professions. Students are assigned to the school by government social services personnel or medical professionals. The children have been orphaned, neglected by their parents, or are in situations in which they can not be cared for adequately. After three years of study, and completing a final exam successfully, each student will receive a degree and will be certified as a mason, painter, locksmith, plumber, culinary artist, florist and gardener, tailor, leather worker, folk artist, or social services nurse. SSI has an impressive 80% graduation rate. We provided funding for 115 students to receive the appropriate uniforms and protective gear for their chosen profession.

Project #2: Kolobeh Života is a group of mental health experts who have focused on assisting Slovakians in coping with the death of a loved one. They provide comprehensive services to reach as large a population as possible. Their services include educational materials, one-on-one counseling, retreats for widowed parents and their children, summer therapy camps for children, online self-help groups, social networks, and coping with grief and loss books. The custom in Slovakia was for death to occur at home with the body remaining in the home for three days to allow family and friends to gather to mourn their loss and to begin the healing process together. With the implementation of socialized medicine, and the associated lack of hospice and palliative care in Slovakia, less than one-third of Slovakians now die at home. Slovak patients with chronic conditions are more likely to die in hospitals than in any other European Union country. We funded the printing of 1,000 copies of the Guide Book to Coping with Grief and Loss. The book is beautifully illustrated.

Kelly visited Amos, a retirement home we supported early in our mission. Amos has permanent residents and seniors who attend for the day. Residents can suffer from mental and physical disabilities. As Kelly took care of business, Elder Noftle and Elder Waisath spent time playing games and visiting with the residents.

I am keeping my commitment to take advantage of our weekly P-days and this week was a visit to Lubovna Castle, built in the 13th century, on a very rainy day. Kelly, Sister Farr, and Sister Murri had other commitments so Elders Waisath, Noftle, Aronsohn, and Bayles joined me.

We pray you are well and that you will have a wonderful week.