Because of the Color of the Wheat Fields

Greg put this story from "The Little Prince" on the blog for a special purpose. Please read it to the end; it's for our dear friends Alvin and Barbara Price.

It was then that the fox appeared.
"Good morning," said the fox.
"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."
"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," said the fox.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."
"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.
But, after some thought, he added:
"What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean-- 'tame'?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."
"'To establish ties'?"
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."
"It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."
"Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince.
The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.
"On another planet?"
"Yes."
"Are there hunters on this planet?"
"No."
"Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?"
"No."
"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox.

But he came back to his idea.
"My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..."
The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.
"Please-- tame me!" he said.
"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."
"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..."
"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.
"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me-- like that-- in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."

The next day the little prince came back.
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you... One must observe the proper rites..."
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."

So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you..."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added:
"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."

The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.
"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world."
And the roses were very much embarassed.
"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you-- the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.

And he went back to meet the fox.
"Goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
"It is the time I have wasted for my rose--" said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose..."
"I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

"To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes." And so they were, Alvin and Barbara Price, just like a hundred other missionary couples serving in Russia, until the "taming" process began and we began to "establish ties." We also "established rites." How we anticipated our Friday night Rummikub games and our Saturday adventures through the streets of Moscow. And oh, how they became unique in all the world.

It is with regret that we were informed today that Al and Barbara can't return just yet to Moscow. Al's condition is a little too advanced to be treated here. So we will have to yield them back to their family who will take care of them and nurse Al back to health.

What a blessing they have been to us. How we came to love them so quickly and deeply. They have been refined by the fires of the Holy Spirit. After 5 missions you cannot remained unaffected.

Now our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Price family. Find comfort that our Lord and Savior has already suffered as you are suffering this day. Lean on Him. Have faith that he is in control. Know that Grandma and Grandpa were sent to Russia for a purpose. There mission was shorter than most because they were able to accomplish already, what the Lord had expected of them.

So now we have a reunion to look forward to. When we show up, we will need two parking spaces to accommodate our RV. We will have a lot of Rummikub to catch up on, so we may be there a while. Better check with your HOA and get an exception on overnight parking!! Just kidding.

Keep reading the blog. We will keep you informed. We will call you from time to time just to make sure Al is behaving and following the doctor's and Barbara's orders. We love you guys. Keep looking for blue sky. It's out there. I promise.

The Role of the Executive Secretary

It has now been 5 months that we have been on our mission and next week will mark the beginning of the 6th month, as the executive secretary. It has been quite a journey. In the beginning, most of my attention was given to learning the 14 missions and gaining some basic orientation to geography. The language was a considerable barrier, because it is so foreign...no latin roots!! So when you hear a word, it is just that much more difficult to remember. Examples would be Dniprepetrosk, Novokuznyetsk, Vladivostok, and Novosibirsk. Now convert these to their Cyrillic equivalents and you have quite a challenge. It seems that the Russians can't live without words that are at least 4 to 5 syllables long. Next, as the executive secretary, you receive about 20 to 40 emails everday. Many of these are questions that people send in regarding procedures. How do I...What form do I use to ....etc. Many of them are just fyi sorts of things, but things you need to be familiar with, in case the Area Presidency asks you to follow up on an item. Of course, as the new kid on the block, I knew less about the answers to these questions than the person submitting the querie. Finding things in the computer files was the next great obstacle (we are currently in the middle of a process to reorganize all of our computer files). Next, are the tasks that are assigned directly to the executive secretary, such as faciliating all boundary and leadership changes throughout the area. This involves receiving requests for new unit creation or boundary changes, reviewing, modifying and correcting recommendations that come in from the missions. Once the paper work is completed properly, including maps to show the old and new boundaries, these items are taken to the Area Presidency for their review. If all is in order and if the recommendation is approved, the paper work goes to the Boundary and Leadership Committee at Church headquarters and the mission is advised that their recommendation has been sent forward. At any given time, there may be 4 or 5 of these requests in process. So a log has to be kept showing where, in the process, each proposal is. When units are created, a unit number is assigned and that has to be communicated to the mission. Then the mission can proceed with the creation of the unit and new leaders are called (another review process). The final step is gathering record of the creation of the unit, the new leaders and their contact information so that that information can be put into the Church Directory of Organizations and Leaders.

The executive secretary also processes all recommendations for new district presidents, counselors and mission president counselors. There are forms, approvals and notifications associated with these activities as well.

As the executive secretary, you are the office manager. So the drivers and secretaries report to you (these are full time church employees). You are responsible for their work assignments and performance evaluation and salary administration. Job evaluation and grade changes are also thrown into the mix.

Three times a year we (Chris and I) are responsible for hosting a Mission President Seminar. These, like the one just completed in Sochi, involve arranging travel for approximately 50 people, hotel and conference accommodations, group meals and activities. Once a plan is in place and arrangements have been made, the continuous process of change begins. It does not end until you are actually back to your home base. On the last seminar, we were actually changing travel for one mission president and his wife, while participating in the final leg of the event, an Area Council.

Just to spice things up a bit, I have been involved with the development of an employee website, which involves learning a Microsoft based software, called Sharepoint. We refer to the website as LDS Teams. While a considerable amount of effort was put forth in creating this website, it does not work that great for an Area Office, since our communication needs are mostly centered with mission and district presidents, who are not employees, so they ended up having no access to the site. We discovered that after we developed it.

The newest piece of software is DecisionPoint. I may have described this briefly in a previous post. DecisionPoint is proprietary software developed by the church to support the PBO or the Presiding Bishopric Office. Here is where all of the big temporal decisions of the church are made, about 20,000 a year. The software program provides a way to manage agendas, minutes and action items that come out of the meetings. We started using DecisionPoint for the Area Office about a month ago. Up until that time, whenever the Area Presidency met, I would take notes, jot down a few that I thought were important enough to be called a minute and log action items, all on LDS Teams. Now, this entire process is managed with DecisionPoint. Instead of having about 10 to 15 minute items a month, we now capture approximately 100. These minutes must then be distributed to those who submitted items that made it to the Area Presidency's agenda, along with action items that tied to the minute. This is a whole new world.

The software was developed based on the processes used in the PBO. These are highly refined processes for making sure that each discussion point, conclusions, decisions and next steps are carefully recorded. The Lord's house is a house of order. We are endeavoring to put ours in order. Of course, the software is new, so somethings still need to be tweaked, but there are no bugs. Everything works, everytime. That is a blessing.

This has radically affected how I consume my available time. At the present, I am quite overwhelmed and feel the pressure of many time sensitive documents. Most items the executive secretary works on takes a week or two to get through the system, so you need another system to keep track of where you are with your tasks. Thus, my little To Do list that I created and described on a previous post.

So it has been quite a journey up to now. I think I have probably gotten my arms around 80 percent of the job. The "deer in the headlights look" is less frequent these days. The days go fast. I am looking forward to when I can do more executing than learning. But that day should not be too far off. Hopefully, for the next executive secretary these process will be better defined and the learning curve not as steep.

Women's Day Celebration

Today was the girl's day out. It was Women's Day. So they all went shopping and to lunch, without the men!! They are all wearing their new hats!! Pictured starting from the far left is Rene Mason and next to her, Narene Ireland. Today was also Narene's birthday. Elder Ireland bought a wonderful cake at the market next to our house. The men had come up earlier.

Both couples stayed for dinner. We had homemade Okie macaroni. It turned out great, even though I had to substitue a few items. For Rotel tomatoes I used diced tomatoes with some chili sauce. For elbow macaroni, I used a corkscrew macaroni. I couldn't find really sharp cheddar cheese, but it turned out fine.

Below is a watercolor that Chris purchased. It is a sweet picture of Russian children playing in the snow. It looks just like the kids we see when we go to and from our office and on the metro.

Alvin Price: Indefagitable and Incorrigable

I just got off the phone with brother Al Price. He called to say that the connection between the arriving flight from Moscow and the departing flight to Salt Lake City is an impossible connection, not helped by the fact that his flight was late, due to severe head winds. The result being, that he and Barbara arrived in Salt Lake City at midnight. The next day, he was at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. for more tests (blood tests and a CT Scan), before being wheeled into surgery.

He reminded me that the most painful part of a surgery is not the cutting, but that lousy tube they put down your throat for oxygen. He sounded a little gravely as a result.

He will meet with a specialist on Wednesday to review the analysis of the biopsy. The current thinking is that he has level two lymphoma, which is very treatable, but he will not know exactly what the treatment will be until Wednesday.

He also told me, with great delight, that he was laying on his gurney or bed faking that he was alseep (probably trying to easedrop on the conversations of the family and the doctor), when all of a sudden he sat upright and stated, "Holy, Holy, God loves Alvin!!" Then fell back down. He was sure he really gave them a fright!!

He was in rare form and seemed to have good energy, despite his gravely voice. Thanks brother Al for the update. Barbara we are glad you have the entire family to help you with that wonderfully incorrigable husband of yours, but even they may not be enough!!

Shrovetide and Women's Day

We learned of a new holdiay today in Russia. Shrovetide. Not new to them, but to us. At the end of winter Shrovetide (a pancake week) comes. In Russia, Pancake week is called "Maslyanitsa". Shrovetide is an ancient festival dating from pagan times. The Christian historians say that those were really "mad" days in the past. People wore funny masks and costumes, sometimes, men wore women's clothing and vice versa. Such masquerade anticipated a merry festival, when delicious food and a lot of wine was consumed. At first it was a festival that celebrated the arrival of spring and the start of work on the land. It included many rituals (burning a man of straw symbolizing winter, lighting fires, leaving festival food on the ancestors' graves) and feasts, the main food at which were blini. The feast fighting was one more great fun that helped to get warm on cold winter days. Later, the Orthodox Church included Shrovetide among its festivals. Shrovetide has lost its ritual significance and has become a symbolic festival of saying good-bye to winter and welcoming spring. At present special performances are held during Pancake week. Throughout the whole week people cook pancakes (blini).

On Saturday, the celebrations conclude with Women's Days--Not Mothers Day, but Women's Day. One of the Pieper's daughters, in her second year in Russia, was quick to discover the merits of Women's Day when she told her dad she wanted breakfast in bed. She was 6 years old!!

Some new converts, friends of the Piepers, were in the office on Friday and they brought blini for everybody. We ate them warm with honey. Very tasty.

We bought chocolates for all the women in the office. Flowers are coming on Tuesday. In Russia flowers is the most appropriate gift for a woman, but you should never give an even number. That number is saved for furnerals.

The Prices flew out on Thursday in the most beautiful weather. Clear skies. We walked to work on dry ground. Almost all of the snow was gone. We wanted to believe that Spring had actually arrived (the Russians celebrate the first day of Spring on March 1), but the snow returned the next day, about 4 inches and we were back to sloshing to get to work!!

On Friday, we went home with Elder Paul who dropped us off at the Gibbons. We went out for Italian food with the them and the Piepers. We played games and had dessert back at the Gibbons, where we slept. We got up early the next morning and went shopping at Metro. Then the Gibbons dropped us off at home.

On Monday, the girls are going shopping in the Arbat district and some of the guys will hang out together. I am going to try to make macaroni and cheese, but there is no sharp cheddar in Russia and it is white cheddar to boot! No Rotel tomatoes, but I do have diced tomatoes and a little chili sauce that might make up the difference. (We are not in Kansas any more!!)

Mom discovered today that what she thought was fabric softener was actually just another brand of soap. Our towels are very stiff!!

The dollars decline means that it costs more dollars to purchase Roubles. The other day, I was trying to get Roubles so that we could pay our rent. I normally try to get 24,000 on a given day. Usually that is about 950 dollars, which is below my daily limit of 1,000 with Schwab. But on Tuesday, it gave me 8,000 Roubles twice, then shut me down. I was over the limit. At first, I thought that the machine was not working properly. It was a little while later that I discoverd that the weak dollar was my real enemy!!

Our Dear Friends the Prices: Homeward Bound

Al and Barbara Price are heading home tomorrow after just 4 months into their mission. The Prices are on their 5th mission, their third to Russia, the other two were in China and Romania. Al has been diagnosed with a form of Lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a type of cancer involving cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. Just as cancer represents many different diseases, lymphoma represents many different cancers of lymphocytes—about 35 different subtypes, in fact.

He will have some lymphnodes removed on Friday, which will be biopsied to determine the type of Lymphoma he has. If all goes well, according to our own Medical Director, Dr. McCune, he could be treated and return in a month, if he is found to have a less aggressive form of the disease. A more aggressive form of the disease would take 8 to 9 months to treat. Regardless of which form he has, our doctor, who by profession is a hemotologist, and who is a Lymphoma survivor himself, indicates that this is a very treatable situation. We will know the results of the test by next Monday or Tuesday. Our prayers are with Prices and their wonderful family, who we were just beginning to know.

Al and Barbara are the type of people everyone just loves to be around. They are so capable, kind, generous, positive and spontaneous. And can they play a mean game of Rummikub. Now you know why we spent so much time with them last weekend. We needed a good charge to last us until they return.

Chris and Barbara became fast friends. Chris looked forward to the little breaks from their office duties where she and Barbara could share a story or two about their grandchildren and the other stuff girls like to talk about.

Al and Barbara were serving in Public Affairs, with Elena Nechiporova. They had met Elena and her husband Vlad when Al was serving as a Mission President in Vladivostok. As I have indicated in previous posts, Public Affairs is a very important function here in Russia. I know Elena and Vlad are doing their best to pray them back to Moscow.

When I was a kid, I saw one of the first versions of Peter Pan on TV. If you saw it, you will remember Peter (Mary Martin) asking all of the children, if they believed in fairies, to clap their hands for Tinkerbell ,who was very sick. Soon all of the children in America were clapping their hands like crazy and Tinkerbell recovered!! Well, we can do better than that. If you believe in a kind, wise, loving heavenly father, how about a prayer for our friends. Let's pray them back to Moscow.

Barbara, you'll be back in Utah and Al will have recovered from his surgery before you read this post. But that doesn't matter. Just know that we love you two. You are already missed. Have a safe flight and a grand family reunion. Don't get too comfortable there! We still have plenty of snow and ice to share and so many more things to explore in Moscow. We'll see you in April!

Spending Time with Friends

A guy strolls up to me and starts creating this charcoal sketch. He tells me he is a famous artist that paints in the Arbot district. This is a high end shopping district in Moscow. He tells me that he does these sketches for about 1800 roubles. He tells me a little more about his life and offers me a deal that I can't refuse...only 1200 roubles. Then he continues with his well rehearsed approach and says he doesn't know who he is sketching...maybe this sketch is worth a lot more...maybe some day it will be worth a million! I just smile and he smiles...He knows I am on to his little scheme. Then he asks me what I would be willing to pay. I just shake my head no. I tell him my wife is spending all of my money. OK, he says, 800r. I just shake my head no and start to walk away. This goes on until I we reach an agreement of 200 r. or about $8. This is about half of what a sketch like this might cost at Fisherman's Wharf in SF, with no better likeness. Why did he pick me out of the crowd? I am sure it was my hat!!

So today we were back to Ismyloftski to pick up a few things for the grandchildren. We have just over 13 months left on our mission, but you mother is concerned that they might run out of stuff!!

We were with the Prices and they were performing similar duties. We ate dinner with them last night. We were supposed to eat turkey, but Barbara decided to cook it in crock pot and it was not done in time, so being the resourceful person that she is, she whipped up some chicken and gravy, corn, bread and fruit salad. We topped that off with Baskin and Robbins Ice Cream, after a few games of Rummikub. This is fun game. It is like playing rummy with domino like pieces.

After Ismyloftski, we went back to the Prices for the Turkey!! We had great turkey sandwiches on the best french bread. Earlier we went to Palace of Catherine the Great, but it was closed for construction. It was closed for construction the last time the Prices were here on their mission!

Tomorrow (Sunday) we are going to church with the Prices, who travel to a very small branch that meets in one of the Moscow mission offices. They will then follow us back to our apartment for dinner and maybe a little more Rummikub.

That makes three days in a row with our great friends. They are a great example for us. As we have shared in the past they have been on many missions. They have a great spirit. They are always up, always positive and always spontaneous. We love to hear about their adventures.

What We Can Learn from Enos

We finally did get to the Armory Museum on Monday. I have some pictures and tales to tell from that excursion, but I will get to that on another day. Today, I just want to reflect on some doctrine and principles that Chris and I have been studying.

Enos, as everybody in the church knows, is a story of a righteous man who spends an entire day (and probably most of the night) praying to the Lord. We can trivialize his experience by thinking about this as the "longest prayer." When we do (and I have certainly been a guilty party), we miss the point. His experience is very much an illustration of what Elder Bednar taught in Moscow last year.

[When Elder Bednar was here in Russia, I posted my personal summary of his talk on the blog (my longest and perhaps my most important post that many probably did not read). I recommend it to you again. (See the November 13 post, "We Are Back!!!")]

Enos begins by telling us that he was taught by his father and that these teachings came to his rememberance one day while he was hunting. It came to him, in what must have been a very powerful manner, such that he subordinated his need for food, as he began to ponder and then to pray for a greater understanding of what his father had taught him. He explains "the wrestle" he had before God, before he received a remission of his sins. Toward the end of the day he says that a voice came to him saying, "Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee... "

I think that happens next is very instructive. First, he knew that his sins were forgiven (the atonement had effect). Second, Enos said that he "knew that God could not lie (doctrine), wherefore my guilt was swept away." How often have you prayed for your sins to be forgiven, but can't quite feel like you can just accept this truth because of your guilt--because you know that you have been given light, but still you lack patience, are less forgiving, or not as grateful as you know you should be. But Enos felt the reality of it. He understood more clearly and believed more faithfully that Christ did suffer for his sins and that redemption really is possible (doctrine).

Then he inquired, How is this miracle possible? How is it that this guilt could be swept away so completely? The Lord answered, "...they faith hath made thee whole (principle)."

Immediately, the atonement now began to have affect in his life. He was moved to action. He, like Lehi when he partook of the fruit in his dream and desired all of his family to partake, he (Enos) began to feel a desire for "the welfare of my brethren." And he poured out his heart on behalf his brethren and the Lord said that he would grant unto him his desires, "because of thy faith."

And what was his desire? That the records that he had kept, that contained the pure and precious doctrines and principles of the gospel, that he had been taught by his fathers would one day be lost by the Jews, should somehow be preserved. And more than that. He said that if his people were destroyed and only the Lamanites remained (who desired to destroy the plates and the Nephites) he wanted the record preserved for them, "that they might be brought to salvation. "

The Lord then convenanted with him that he would grant him this desire, not just because of his righteous efforts but because of the efforts of his fathers, because they had "required of me this same thing...for their faith was like unto thine."

And when he heard these things he said,"my soul did rest."

He was saved and he wanted salvation for the rest of mankind. He preach valiantly, but he says "our labors were in vain," so hard were the hearts of the Lamanites. Nonetheless, he continued.

It is my desire that I can pursue a remission of my sins with the confidence that Enos had, that my guilt might be swept away, that the atonement will have a greater affect in my life. And as I endeavor to approach this state, I too, will feel more intensely the urgency of this great work and become a tool in the Lord's hand to bring these great blessings into the lives of my family, my friends and the good people of Russia, so that my soul might rest.

Mom Assaulted...by a windmill!!!!!!

Today was very warm (almost 40 degrees). We experienced our first thunderstorm and it rained and rained. It was a national holiday today, The Day of the Defenders, to commemorate the defense of Moscow against Napoleon and Hitler. We went to Red Square, where we had hoped to see the Armory Museum, but Red Square was encircled by Army officers, about one every 50 feet. No one was allowed in. So we just walked around, had a hot chocolate and took this video of your mother before strolling through a part of Katy Gorod, which is an old suburb of Moscow, with many interesting old buildings. But alas, the weather got the best of us so we will have to go back on a better day.

A New Day

Well, the day has finally arrived. Nick got the job he was looking for. Nick we are all very proud of you. You have worked very hard and deserve this wonderful assignment.

Abby and Lore will be moving to Dallas to live with Dale and Gaynell for the four-month training period. Then heaven only knows where they will be sent. There is an office in Moscow headed up by a member of our ward...just kidding...I think!

Today was a catch-up after Sochi day. Tomorrow we are reconfiguring our conference room and conducting training with the Area Presidency on Decisionpoint, a software program that we will use to collect and organize meeting agendas, minutes, and action items. There is a lot to it. I am not sure I am the best one to conduct the training, but I am the only one. I have spent about 12 hours with it so far. I am sure we will learn together. We are also getting large flat screen monitor that will eliminate the need for a projector. By eliminating the projector, we eliminate the distraction from the hum of the projector and the fan during our meetings. Silence is golden!!

Back from Sochi

Our first Mission Presidents' Seminar is history and it was not without incident. The host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics has a way to go!! Even without the crowds that will be associated with the Olympics, it took one of our groups over two hours to get from the airport to the hotel. We were one of the fortunate groups that made the same distance in only 30 minutes. There is only one road in and out of the city.

Our first view of Sochi was from the tarmack. It is a beautiful mediterranean building graced with lovely palm trees:

This is the view from our first hotel room. We had to switch rooms because of the construction noise (that continues until about 3:00 a.m. every day) from a building adjacent the hotel.

The weather was a bit colder than we had hoped for...but that was nothing compared to what we were greeted by the next morning!!

The snow has a way of slowing down the babuskas!!!

By the afternoon it had cleared,

By eventide, it was spectacular!!

Friday afternoon we had a chance to go to an art museum. We saw a number of works by Russian painters, a massive model of the city of Sochi as they hope it will be by the time the Olympics gets to town, and a few sculptures. While they are planning an ambitious project to create a man-made island, there are still no plans to create a better road to the city!!

A portrait of Pushkin in St. Petersburg.

A model of the city of Sochi, showing the island to be built in the Black Sea. Our hotel was located in the northwest portion of this photo. The airport, which is not shown, would be to the far right. They do have a new airport, but it is has not opened yet.

A sculpture that I thought my grandkids would get a kick out of!!

Friday night was a game and talent night. President Cranney, our mission president stole the show:

The mission presidents were edified and were very much appreciative of all that had been done to make this event all that it could be for them and their wives. The hotel rooms were nice. The food was good. The weather was eventful. The service was good at times. I was disappointed when I asked the Hotel Director to turn off the 4 foot by 6 foot television set in the hotel lobby, that we had to walk by every time we went to dinner or to our meetings, and he refused. It was showing provocative scantily-clad women in a number of rock videos. Not quite the environment we had hoped for. Not everything can be completely anticipated.

When we arrived back home in Moscow, they had had a little snow (but not as much as we had in Sochi) and it was about 10 degrees colder, about 16 degrees below freezing. Tomorrow it is back to the grindstone. Next stop, the Meridian Hotel in Moscow for the new Mission Presidents' Seminar and Helsinki, Finland in August for the 2nd Annual Mission Presidents' Seminar. Stay tuned.

The Countdown to Sochi

This past week was very busy. Three days of meetings. Last minute arrangements for Sochi. HIV tests for another visa trip to Estonia in March (That's our third HIV test in 5 months!!). We had the Price's over for dinner and games on Friday. We ate pork chops, potatoes and onions! I just felt like a good old fashion Okie dinner. Mom made a wonderful salad to go with. Then we ate some cake and ice cream that we picked up at Ashwans (big hypermarket) where we had shopped with our friendly driver, Yuri, earlier that afternoon. We try to get out at least once a month to either Ashawns or Metro.

Saturday we went to a massive WW II memorial (Kutuzovskiy) with the Prices. I will let the pictures and video do most of the talking.

This is your mom at the Belaruskaya station on the Metro. Next, here comes the train.

This last video is of a new metro station. Our last stop on the way to the museum. It reminded me of a scene from a 1950's sci-fi movie.

The next series of pictures are of the outside walking up to the front of memorial; then inside (photos of a series of dioramas depicting the key battle scenes of WW II, including the 900 day seige at St. Petersburg, the Battle for Stalingrad and Moscow. The first picture, though, is coming out of the Metro. The escalator is a three minute ride straight up!!

A year marker; one of four place about 100 yards apart as you walk up to the museum which is just behind the oblisk.
A Giant Oblisk. Slaying the Nazi Dragon
St. Petersburg Seige
St. Petersburg Seige A artist's rendition of a 2400 tank battle (1200 on each side).
A monument that is waiting for interpretation.

We were back on the Metro by 4:30 p.m. and home by 5:3o; just enough time to change clothes and head back to church (all the way back on the Metro) to attend the Church's Annual Leadership Training which was open to all adults. The subject was families. This was President Monson's first worldwide address since being set apart as the President of the Church.

Today we attended church, after having eaten our fill of pancakes with real maple syrup. When we got back from church we video conferenced with Jason and the girls and mom spoke with Auntie Val on the phone, while I worked on the blog.

We leave on Wednesday morning for Sochi and return on Sunday. Wish us luck!! We hope everyone gets there on time and that no one gets stranded because we forgot an important detail!!

I will try to post one more time before we leave, then we will surface again next Sunday.

New First Presidency Announced

It's late in Russia, but I thought this news was worthy of a quick post. Thomas S. Monson, formerly the First Counselor to Presdent Hinckley was ordained on Sunday to be the President of the Church. On Monday he named Henry B. Eyring as First Counselor and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. Boyd K. Packer was ordained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Thomas S. Monson, President
Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor
Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

As members of the Church we will have the opportunity to sustain these changes during the Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church in April. General Conference is broadcast in meetinghouses throughout the world by way of the Church's satellite system.

These actions still leave a vacancy in the Quourum of the Twelve Apostles, where Elder Uchtdorf was previously serving. Elder Uchtdorf is the Europe East Area's first contact to the Council of the Twelve. He attended our Mission President's Seminar, this past August in Tallinn. Obviously, this assignment will change. I am sure our Area Presidency will miss their frequent contact with this wonderful leader.

We are truly blessed to have such capable and inspired leaders.

The Making of a Man

The funeral services of Gordon B. Hinckley just concluded. It is 11:46 p.m. in Moscow. We watched it on the internet, live on the BYU channel, with the miracle of streaming video in our apartment. What a blessing technology can be.

What a special moment in time, as those who served with this humble man made their tributes and recalled many personal experiences that they had shared with him over the past 45 years and more. These men have been together for a long time! I believe this is quite a unique experience in today's world (to have spent so much time together). With the whirlwind of change about us, sometimes resulting from job changes, relocations or just simply the pace of living, it is hard to maintain relationships for that length of time.

One of the most important takeaways for me was the unique mentoring that President Hinkley received at the hands of the prophets and apostles. The importance of these relationships were outlined in a recent conference address. Oh, how I would love my sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, nieces and nephews to have the opportunity to associate with such brethren. Mixing with optimistic, inspiring, and capable leaders is, I believe, critical to a child's development, and not bad even for a grandfather, who is enjoying the opportunity given to him to work with the caliber of such men. We need experience with people that have confidence in the Lord--those that move forward in faith, not fear and to learn from those who have greater knowledge and experience; so that we might gain more knowledge and experience to perform a great service for our families and the Lord.

D&C 50: 24
That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

I am talking about President Hinckley's relationship with other priesthood leaders, but the principle obviously applies to sisters, as well. Who can forget the inspired address by Sister Julie Beck , the General Relief Society President, in the last General Conference? I was sitting next to two young coeds from BYU when she spoke. I could see that they were taking lots of notes and really listening to what she had to say. They later commented on what a wonderful example and mentor she is to them (one of them actually knew her).

Not everyone will get to have the opportunity that President Hinckley did to learn at the feet the prophet and the apostles nor will all of our our young women have a personal relationship with Sister Beck, but I could not help but reflect upon the quality of the leadership we enjoy in our own stake and wards. I hope we all recognize and appreciate the quality of leaders we have in President Wright, Jones and Fisher. You will not find a more capable stake presidency. What great examples these men are. Take the opportunity to introduce your sons and daughters to these men. Don't let them be intimidated by their position. I know these men and they would love to look your children in the eye and shake their hands.

Our bishops and Relief Society Presidents have all been called by revelation. We have two of the very best in the Allen 2 Ward and I am sure that you feel the same way about your bishop and Relief Society President. Don't let your children be strangers to these wonderful leaders.

The more willing we are to serve, the more likely we are to be in their councils, seeing firsthand how the Lord directs and inspires these men and women and, most importantly, building our testimonies that these men and women are called of God. And no where in the church does the Lord place more capable mentors than at our universities, institutes, seminary and youth programs.

Take advantage of these opportunities. Stand in holy places, serve when called, do your very best and the Lord will make sure that your sons and daughters have the mentors they need to be the very best that they can be.

Getting Ready for Sochi

This week found Chris out three days with a bad cold. I had a chance to find my desk again by about 5:00 on Friday afternoon! I had a scare and thought that I had inadvertantly deleted some files, but one of our secretaries reminded me where we had put them. The two of us are working as a team and reorganizing the computer files. When we view the folders alphabetically, we are in the "D's," so we have a way to go.

We are making final preparations for the Mission Presidents Seminar, which will be held in Sochi, Russia, the site of the winter olympics in 2014
It's also Russia's biggest summer resort. Chris and I will travel a day ahead of our group. The rest of the group will arrive on Valentine's Day. Sochi is in southern Russia, along the Black Sea, so we are hoping for some warm weather.

We will stay in this weekend, and give Chris and chance to recover.

Talked to Benj tonight. It's his birthday today (26). He is in San Francisco working on a new album. He says he has about 5 to 6 weeks until he will complete his work. I think he might want to give some consideration to writing a travel book, "How to visit San Francisco on less than $10 a day!!!" It might be a big seller. Of course, I'm not sure how many tourists would want to sleep on a mattress in the recording studio!

FHE

Tonight was a small group, just the Prices, Irelands, Browns and me. Chris stayed home with a cold. I ate dinner at the KFC with the Prices. Not quite your father's Kentucky Fried Chicken, but not bad. We sailed down the metro and skated for about a mile to the Ireland's. Today was as treacherous as any we have had so far. Nothing but ice. But we made it safely and on time.

Tonight, we shared some definitions of friendship that Elder Ireland had researched earlier. Some great sentiment. You could tell that he has really been impressed with the friends he and Narene have made in such a short time. We all echo that sentiment. We have a wonderful group of seniors. We actually have more outside social activity here in Moscow than we ever participated in Dallas. In three months we have all been to the ballet, symphony, and several museums. Others have been to the circus! We get together at least twice a week, FHE and Russian study, and then kick around on most weekends. We work hard in the office. The work never seems to stop, but we enjoy many good times with all of our new friends. The Browns, who will be going home at the end of the second week in February, will be sorely missed. They have been our SENIOR senior couple. Their experience and willingness to help has been a wonderful blessing to all of us newbies. They have been the catalyst for much of our social activity. So, we will have to pick up wherever they leave us and carry on.

I have read a number of articles on President Hinckley since he passed away. All that I have read have been very complimentary. The press seems to have sensed that he was a special man. We continue to share our special memories of him with one another. We are just not quite ready to let him go. I hope that we will be able to pick up the BYU broadcast of his memorial service on the internet or on the satellite broadcast at one of our chapels.

Hope you are all doing well.

Now He Belongs to the Ages

Gordon B. Hinckley
June 23 1910 to January 27, 2008

Said of Abraham Lincoln upon his death, it seems to me that it is a fitting tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th President, a prophet,seer and revelator.

His leadership spans nearly 47 years as a General Authority, 27 years in the First Presidency, including 13 years as the Prophet.

He was an example of everything I have ever wanted to be. He was kind, optimistic, a man of great vision, a spiritual giant and man who loved to work. He was a man of great faith. The atonement of Jesus Christ had affect on his life. He was, in some ways, an extraordinarily ordinary man who followed the doctrines and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He accepted the invitation to perfect himself, and in pursuing this path he became extraordinary. He encouraged us to do the same.

I was but a young pup in the church (7 years membership) when he was called to be Spencer W. Kimball's third counselor in 1981. Since that time I have had the opportunity to be in his presence on several occasions. The first time was the dedication of the Bishop's Storehouse in Carrollton. I was in a priesthood leadership meeting in which he presided in the Meandering Way chapel. I was in the temple in Dallas when he dedicated it. I was in Fort Worth when he presided over a regional conference there. I have attended 7 sessions of general conference where he has presided. But my most special memories are attending and hearing his addresses in General Priesthood meeting, twice a year, with my sons. The memories are too precious and sacred to relate here, but you should know that I owe that man a great debt for helping me develop my testimony and the testimonies of all six of my sons.

Thank goodness for a father's counsel to a son who had written to his father that he felt he was wasting his time and his father's money while serving a mission in England: "Gordon forget yourself and go to work!" How grateful I am that he listened to his father's counsel.

Thanks be to God for a humble man who shared with us this simple, but profound, approach to life. "I get down on my knees and pray to God for help, as though everything depended on Him. Then, I get up and go to work as if everything depended on me."

Who will ever forget the story of the walnut tree that was in his backyard, that is now the podium in the great Conference Center of the church.

Will the youth of the church ever forget what they can "Be?"

Who will ever forget Sister Hinckley admonishing her husband "You can't just leave them here!", speaking about the first six missionaries he left in the Philippines. (Today there are hundreds of thousands of members of the church in the Philippines.) Or when she said, "I didn't marry a prophet." And "Yes. He does leave his wet towels on the floor, occasionally!!"

President Hinckley wasn't a rich man by the world's standards. In fact, when you read his biography, you learn how he used to take out or move walls in his house (on more than one occasion) to accommodate a wedding reception for one of his children. But who wouldn't trade the riches of the world to be as beloved as he was by all those that knew him?

In one of his recent conference addresses he declared that he had made over 200 addresses over the past 40 years in General Conference. Then he quipped, "And you expect me to tell you something new?!" Didn't we love his sense of humor?

So the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. But the Lord hasn't left us to grope in the darkness. He has prepared another to stand in his place. Soon Thomas S. Monson will be sustained as the prophet of the church. We know him and love him. He was called as a bishop when he was in his early twenties. He presided over a ward of widows. He loved those women and saw that they never went without. How we marvel at his ability to tell a story. While I have spoken of the presence of Gordon B. Hinckley in our General Priesthood sessions, so too has Thomas S. Monson been. In particular, to one in our family he is a kindred spirit. What sweet communion they have enjoyed.

To my nonmember friends, I only wish that you could have known him. That you might have come to know him and love him as millions of others have. He was extraordinary. He will be missed but never forgotten. Now he belongs to the ages.

My How Time Flies

This has been a very productive week. With two of the Area Presidency out on mission tours, I was really able to catch up, after a long series of meetings and the long holiday season. I even discovered that I have a desk with a wooden desktop, once I worked through all the paper that was covering it.

I created a little spreadsheet to help me keep up with my own action items. I have about 17 items that I am working on currently, which I have taken as far as I can (each of these items require someone else to do something before I can complete the task). The spreadsheet is simply two columns with the action item in one column and a brief summary of the status of the item in the second column. I number each item and color the cell, if I have taken the item as far as I can, when the item is still in process. I take the color out of the cell, whenever I am able to work on the item. I was finding it difficult to remember where I was in the process (the next step). For example, I may have sent an email which requires someone in the field to respond, but 5 days later, I might not remember who I sent it to, or which mission the person is from. That part is getting a little easier, now that I know the missions and some of those who work in the office, but I still have a ways to go. It would be easy if you could just complete the task, but when you have to suspend items, waiting on input from others, it makes it a little more challenging to remember. What I would give for a good memory!! Once the item is complete, I remove it from my To Do list and paste it on my Completed Items list on another worksheet in the same file. This document remains open all day and is updated throughout the day.

Tuesday night was our FHE and all but two of the seniors couples went to the ballet. We at dinner at McDonalds. I had a Cheekyin Meefeet and a Shocolad Cocktail (a chocolate shake). We had a great time. What a beautiful theater. We had seats all over the first floor, but Chris and I got seats on the second row! I have never been that close for any event before!! We saw Cinderella and it was great fun. There were three acts and lots of little children staying out past their bedtimes. I wanted to just take pictures of all the little girls in their party dresses. They were all so cute and proper. I did happen to catch this one, without a flash (that's why it is a little fuzzy), with gold lame slippers.


The crystal lights above were stunning. The photos do no justice. Every color in the rainbow was being reflected. They were so shiny and rich looking. It made you feel as though you were in the Tzar's palace!!
As you watch this video clip of the theater, you will notice a bunch of shiny lights that are really too bright to video. These are all crystal lights.

After the ballet, we went out onto an island, where two large city streets converge in the theater district (Tverskaya) and took this picture under a statue of who knows who!!

On Thursday, a few of us gathered at the Ireland's to continue our Russian studies. We had the translator (Nastia), that the Ireland's use in their humanitarian efforts, to help us with our pronunciation. We need a lot of help.

On Friday night, the Prices joined us for a casserole, conversation and some games.

On Saturday, I worked most of today learning how to use a new software program that we are implementing in the Area to help us organize our meetings, minutes, and action items. The program is called Decisionpoint and was developed by the Church for the Office of the Presiding Bishopric. Apparently, in one year, the Presiding Bishopric takes over 20,000 actions!! Can you even imagine trying to organize records like that without the help of a good software program?

Mom baked cookies, made a stew and cut my hair. She can do it all. It has been snowing a lot here, so we never left the apartment. It is a winter wonderland outside and nice and warm, just above freezing.

Well, its about time to hit the sack, so I will say goodbye for now.

Just a Half a Day

Just a half day is what they used to say in Mexico. How long did you work? Just a half day: 7:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the evening! We started the day with a web training session that was conducted on my computer in the office, by the IT manager in SLC. Then we just ran from pillar to post until this evening, when I called it quits, having organized about a weeks worth of paper and completing an important email to the participants for our Februay Mission President's Seminar. It was the travel details for 48 people, coming from 12 different destinations, flights, hotels and shuttle service. Just thinking about gives me a headache. We finalize the details on Monday and finalize our purchases and bookings on Tuesday. Then we can actually get into the details of planning the Seminar!!

So this weekend will be a slow one. I still have to finish my talk for Sunday. I think Chris has already finished hers. We may have a couple (the Brown's) in tomorrow afternoon for dinner and games. We'll see. I am going to look for a movie now, to see if I can't catch some ZZZZs (inside family joke).

A New Look

I thought it was time to give the old blog a new look. I have been getting pretty tired of that little picture of Red Square, so it was time for a change. This was a picture taken while we were in the MTC. We had posted it earlier. We will continue to look for other photo opporunities.

Three in One

We just got back from FHE and we have the internet again, so hear is today's post plus the posts for the last two days. Very busy. I never get to the bottom of my in basket. We are in the middle of finalizing travel schedules for 50 people, coming from 14 missions and staff from Moscow to Sochi. Hopefully, by the end of next week I may have a chance to catch up. Mom got new water filters installed today and reclaimed our internet.

From Sunday

We had a very nice Sabbath Day. We got to sleep in a little later (our new meetings are from 1:00 to 4:00 pm). We had a great family presentation in our sacrament meeting, on being directed by the spirit. We had our first lesson from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith. We discussed the first vision. We had warm weather, just a little below freezing, for walking to and from the metro. We find that if we miss the bus, it takes about 25 or 30 minutes for the next one. Since it is only a 15 minute walk from the bus station to the metro, we often walk.

I am writing this post in Word, so that I can copy and paste it into the blog tomorrow, since we lost our internet connection today (who knows why!), but it was nice just to read and study. I just finished 2 Nephi. The last 7 chapters or so of 2 Nephi (which is what I was reading today), is one of the most complete discourses on pride, its consequences and how to overcome it. Isn’t it interesting that, today, we were asked to speak in sacrament next week and our subject is, “Overcoming Pride.” So, we have a pretty good basis for preparing our talks.

Mom has a driver tomorrow to take her to Oshans, one of the big grocery superstores. I was going to go with her, but I got a call tonight from the Area President, and it looks like our agenda for tomorrow is a bit more than I can manage by noon, so mom is trying to get another sister to go with her. It takes a half day to go grocery shopping, when travel time is considered.

By the time this gets posted, we will all know if the Cowboys are going to the Championship Game! I hope there is joy in Mudville tonight!! And Cody, I hope for your sake the Packers win their game! Wouldn’t it be something to see the two of them play each other again!

From Monday

We found out yesterday (Monday) that they cut off our internet for lack of payment!! The internet office is in the building right next to ours. Here is the real story. We started by paying 1350 rubles for the first three months. That was at the slow internet speed. The high speed which I got a month later is at 600 rubles a month. The installer said I could make up the difference (three hundred rubles) the next time I paid the bill. So much for what he knows! I still have 300 rubles worth of credit, but I guess if you don’t pay the bill in full, they just cut you off. No communication either by email or to our company representative who gave the company his cell phone number in case there were any concerns. The good news is the same guy who is going to change out our water filters tomorrow, will walk next door to try and straighten out the internet service. I would love to be there but this is my week of meetings, so I will just have to delegate it. It is nice to have that kind of support.

Tonight would be FHE but we have moved it to Tuesdays, so that two other couples can attend. So we probably would have watched a movie tonight, but I guess that will have to wait. So I think I will study my Russian!

P-Day

It is about 20 degress outside, and it snowed (just a dusting) over the past two days, and the 10 day outlook, for the most part, stays about 20 with some snow flurries and one day of freezing rain. It will be interesting to see how that goes. It's treacherous enough without freezing rain. But so far winter is setting up to be "mild" by Russian standards. Still, we are only into three weeks of winter, so we have 9 weeks left! Of course, by U.S. standards, we have about 20 weeks left!

Today is a day to catch up. I am going to venture out and see if I can find the local internet company, for bill paying purposes. It is supposed to be in one of the buildings close to our apartment. We'll see. It will also be a good day to study my Russian!

We had date night last night (dinner and a movie (both at home). The movie we watched on the internet. We discovered the motherload of free internet movies (http://www.watch-movies.net/movies/d.html) about a week ago and have seen some good ones. They are not always the very best quality, but they are great in Moscow. Here are a few I would recommend; The Debaters, with D. Washington, On Becoming Jane (bio on Jane Austen), August Rush, the story of a young, gifted musician, and No Reservations Needed, with Catherine Z. You have to watch them in sections, mostly, but sometimes you can watch the whole movie without interruption. The faster the internet, the better!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am studying Russian with the two other couples, the Yorgesens and the Irelands (I think the Prices will join our little group when they get back from their visa trip). The Shepards, Yorgesens, and the Ireland all studied with Jonathan Snow, my instructor. Jonathan, if you are listening,we have a what we think is a great idea for future students. Once they have learned the alphabet, have them practice reading and pronouncing the stops on the metro, on the green line and the red line (this is where we all spend most of our time). That would be a very practical and valuable skill set, for those coming to Moscow. Just a thought!

I found the internet company, but the business is closed on Saturday's. It was about 50 yards behind our building. I will check back next week.

Just had a visitor at the door. It was Galina, our next door neighbor (the one who teaches English and has translated for the church in the past). She has been out for almost two months, for the holidays and to help a sick family member. She came bearing gifts. She bought us a beautiful linen table cloth when she was in the Ukraine, a box of chocolates and a bottle of champagne! We were a little overwhelmed. Then she asked us for dinner. We said yes, we would be happy to. Then she asked us if we wanted to go on a River Cruise this summer to visit the "real Russia." She said she could arrange it for just the price of food (about $100). She said the cruise would take about 7 days!! We immediately went out to the florist across the street and bought some tulips to take when we go to dinner. This is the kind of impression the Russians make when you get to know the real people!! P.S. We had to tell her that we didn't drink and gave her back the champagne. Then she asked in disbelief, "Not at all?", to which we added no coffee or tea, so that we could get that settled early.

Now we are going to watch a movie, for the afternoon. It is called the Game Plan. Couldn't quite finish the movie, we are being called to dinner.

Dinner was great. We had leg of lamb and many other culinary delights. We met Galina's husband Sasha. Very nice guy. They have a very nice apartment, which they had remodeled a couple of years ago. We stayed until about 9:30, we had an interesting dinner conversation. They are very nice. They followed us home (our doors are about 12 inches apart!) to look at our apartment, then they left and we finished our movie. Typical Disney feel good movie. A pretty good day!

Davstree eche (see you later)

What a Cute Video

Today is Nick's 30th birthday!~ I (his Momma) am only 29 so I don't know HOW he got that old!!! We called to wish him Happy Birthday, and just caught him for a minute before he had to be in court...he attends a lot of bail hearings in his new job. He told us to check his blog, for a new video. What a treat to get to see Lore first thing Christmas morning, as she found her new trike and baby doll. She was so proud of herself for climbing on, and didn't seem to care that she had knocked her doll off the seat to the floor! First things first! My how she is growing up; almost two, come mid-February, and what a cutie-pie!

I met tonight in our apartment with one other couple and Elder Yorgeson (his wife was sick) to study Russian! (Mom made dessert!) It was the first time, in some time, that I had cracked the books and I was amazed at how much I had forgotten, but at the same time, I was much more comfortable with reading and pronounication than I remember. Of course, we didn't have any natives with us to really measure my progress. But I do think trying to read all of those advertisements on the metro is paying off. Now I will have to follow that up with some independent study and let's see where that takes me! I will be a long road, regardless!!

Back to Work

All of Russia went back to work yesterday, after the New Year's shutdown. The country virtually shuts down for about 10 days. Tuesday was their Christmas. On the internet, I saw that one news source says the Russians spend about 25 billion dollars on celebrating New Year's. That sounds like a bit of a stretch to me, but if it is true, about half of that amount is spent of fireworks. We still hear them, from time to time!

Yesterday, was our first real day back to work, though I went in on two occasions and worked about a half day each. Lots to do getting ready for the Mission Presidents seminar in Sochi, just a month away now.

It is still cold, but we expect snow to return tomorrow and that should warm things up a bit.

Happy New Year to all. Happy Birthday Nick! We will stay in touch!

A Room with a View

We took a little hike today to what is commonly referred to as Sparrow Hill, at least by the senior missionaries! Walking through a grove of birch trees we came to a vista that gave a rather nice view of Moscow below. There are not a lot of vistas of Moscow. Unfortunately, even as clear as the skies were, there was still enough moisture in the air to keep one from seeing "forever."

Along the way we stopped off at the first and largest McDonalds in Moscow. It is located just off Tverskaya, which is just kitty corner to the deli, shown in the last post. This is a very touristy area, with lots of things to do and only a short distance from Red Square.

I talked with one of the vendors at the top of the hill. He was selling bronze busts of famous Russians, like Lenin, Stalin, Pushkin, etc. He started to tell me a little bit about the history of Russia. I asked him who his hero was and he said Stalin! I told him he was not my favorite and began talking about the valiant stand the Russians made against the Germans in WWII. He agreed with me that winter was a special season, since it delivered Russia out to the hands of two great dictators, Hitler and Napoleon. He told me about a gathering in 2005, when Russia celebrated the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. He told me about a veteren with medals draped on both sides of his uniform and how he gave up his seat to him on the metro. He said that when he contemplated what this man had been through, that a tear rolled down his cheek. The Russians have a lot of sentiment for their WWII heroes. At McDonalds
At the Metro near Sparrow Hill
Looking over the Moscow River
The University of Moscow, across the street from vista point!!

Gastronome No. 1

This is the famous delicatessen we have spoken to many of you about. It was the ballroom of an ex-tzar. It is quite the place to buy your groceries. Of course, you don't buy too many, because with each purchase you pay for a little bit of the posh surroundings. We did find SF style italian style salami. It was about 15 bucks for one pound. You would get a whole stick for that price in the City!

Also picture below is what the Russians call Catherine the Great's Palace. They say that, but everything in the palace is brand new (finished, for the most part, in the last couple of years but they are still working on it). It is quite the building and the grounds will be quite lovely in the spring. The big dome is actually a fountain, a la the Belaggio Hotel in Las Vegas, with music and programming. Apparently, some small part of this palace was actually built for her, but she wouldn't live it because Masons worked on it and she thought they may have put a spell on it. Mostly, it is a museum, which is interesting, but probably not quite as interesting as the story they are promoting!!

Some kind of Delicatessen!
Catherine the Great's Palace from a distance
Catherine the Great's Palace
Catherine the Great's Palace
Catherine the Great's Palace (inside ballroom)

Happy New Year

On New Year's Eve, a few of the senior missionaries took off on a walking tour of downtown Moscow, with the intention of eating at a famous deli. Well, we never found the deli, thanks to my misinterpretation of a map, so we will save that for another day. But we did have a nice lunch (I had babyback ribs, Russian Style and they were great). The cost of the ribs was between 6 and 7 dollars! Every once in a while you can find a deal!

The following are pictures we took as we walked through the city. I tried to give you some idea of the preparations for Moscow's New Year's celebration, a Moscovite's biggest celebration of the year. The last one in this series is a video of fireworks outside our window. Imagine fireworks like this by the thousands going off all over Moscow (all night long!). That's New Year's in Moscow! This video was taken at approximately 2:00 a.m. Chris and I were awakened in the morning at about 7:30 a.m. with other local bombs blasting!!
Coming Out of the Underground Cross Walk and Entering the Red Square Area.
Our Group
The Metropol Hotel (One of the Oldest and Grandest Hotels in Moscow
Inside the Metorpol
An Interesting Building
Mom Inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel
Happy New Year in a Big Way
Snowman with Coins (People lick coins and put them on the ice scupture. There were about 10 of these!)
Statue of Moscow Founder (850 years ago), but still in the spirit!!
Happy New Year in a Small Way!

Later that afternoon, we all went home to the Price's and ate all of their chicken soup! What a great improvised dinner! We were going to play games but settled on conversation instead! After dinner, we then went to the Ireland's to watch the fireworks. They have a great view of the city. We left there just before 10:00 p.m. and got home at just past 11:00. We actually could see more from our apartment, because we are further north, but we just see some things smaller, unless, of course, the fireworks happen to be in your backyard!

At just a little past midnight, I found a streaming video channel from CNN on the computer showing the Moscow New Year's celbration at Red Square. It was great seeing the performers on the stage that we had seen earlier in the day. And it was a lot more fun seeing it on the computer, in the warmth of our cozy apartment.

On New Year's day, Chris cut my hair with the new trimmers we bought in Tallinn. She did a great job! Then, she frosted her hair, while I put our receipts together for the last 10 days. Later, we invited the Price's for dinner and played Pedro (well there was no football)!!! They caught on pretty fast. We had stuffed celery with cream cheese and olives, salami and cheese, brownies and ice cream, M@Ms, and more chicken soup, that we had made the day before! Since no two chicken soups are the same, we didn't mind having it two days in a row.

Today we are going to see Catherine the Great's Palace in Moscow. While she never visited there, it was still built for her!! Talk about extravagance!