Oct 22-29 1017

Last week’s highlights were seeing the Swan Lake Ballet with Elder and Sister Burton at Stanalovsky Theater last Thursday night, having dinner with Limbs on Friday, not going anywhere on the Metro for the first Saturday since we’ve been here, and enjoying the Europe East Area First Presidency Broadcast on Sunday.

    Senior Council was held at the Central Building for the first time since we’ve been here and the Smiths introduced themselves. The Central Building is more in the downtown area near Red Square and closer to the Smiths.  Elder and Sister Smith grew up in Southern California but have lived in Utah more recently. They have a big family—about seven children, which seems to be the average here with these senior couples! Elder Smith is/was a musician. Growing up he sang back up vocals for The Letterman and the Osmonds. He also worked on some musical stuff with Lex D’Azevedo. Being in the LA area, gave him lots of musical opportunities.  He also has a son who is in the music/recording business now.

    Following their introduction, about eight of the senior couples went to a cafeteria-style restaurant near the downtown area where Elder and Sister Krimme live. They are very busy with Member and Leadership Support and help lots with the YSA’s so are close to downtown. They were happy to have Senior Council held in their area, since they must travel about 1-1/2 hours via Metro to come to the Cubic Building, where we work and also where the Europe East Area (EEA henceforth and forever) Offices are located.

    Swan Lake ballet was mesmerizing, it was about four hours long with two intermissions! We intended to go out to eat at a nicer place prior to the show, but ended up at KFC, a Moscow favorite, due to time factors. Our seats were on the main floor to the left, and turned out to be great seats. The orchestra was huge and very good. It seemed like the prima ballerina used her arms and upper body as a swan would for the entire ballet. She and the others around her were always in sync. The men enjoyed it as much as we ladies did. We are signed up to see the Nutcracker in January, and in November a folk-dance group called the Berezka Dance Group. In December there is going to be a Ballet Gala Celebration which is based somewhat on the Scrooge/Christmas Carol Story. We are going to take the new couple, the Harris’ to that about a week after they arrive here. That’s what the Taylors did for us. They bought us tickets to that Military Tatoo that we attended in September even before we arrived. It was such a great way to get immediately immersed in the culture here and meet several of the senior couples.

    Limbs invited us and Cooks to come to their apartment for dinner last Friday night after work. We walked to their apartment with Elder Limb since we had never been there before. The Copelands live in the same area, which is a bit closer to our office, but not as easy to access with the public transportation.

    Sister Limb made homemade cream chicken soup to die for, a veggie platter, homemade bread, and homemade chocolate sour cream cake with ice cream. She is an excellent cook as are most of the senior sisters here. We played a card game afterwards with Rook Cards I think it was called “Tricks”. You had a trump card and made a bid to how many tricks you might win! It was fun and we really enjoyed ourselves. The Limbs (Clark and Mary Jean) live across this huge, lighted bridge near our office. Sister Limb went home last month to Idaho/Utah for two weeks to help welcome a new grandchild into their family. The Limbs home is in Middleton, Idaho. Interesting fact is that their next-door neighbors are Michael Abraham and his family. Mike’s Dad is Bob, and step-mom, Jerrie, and they were good friends of ours in our Albany Ward. They have since moved to Nampa, Idaho and are getting ready to serve a mission.

     Bro. Limb is 6 feet 5 inches tall and Sister Limb is tiny. They have about seven or eight children, are a very handsome couple and serve as the EEA Secretary and assistant. The Limbs apartment doesn’t have the high ceilings like ours does. I feel like Elder Limb might feel a bit squished in his small apartment. It is interesting to see how each of the apartments, all in these gigantic high-rise buildings are each a bit different and have their own personalities.

    On Saturday we did chores, grocery shopping, and household cleaning. It was the first time we didn’t take the Metro anywhere on a Saturday. Both of us took naps on Saturday and Sunday, so I think we were just catching up a bit from our busy week. We spend the most every at AwaH (our favorite grocery store!) on groceries and found some items not previously discovered, like tuna fish and cinnamon. In fact, I made snickerdoodles when we got home, and discovered it wasn’t just cinnamon, but cinnamon mixed with sugar, so just right for the cookies! Lots of people here use simple hand carts to carry their groceries. We have been carrying ours in sturdy plastic bags up to now, but think We’ll buy one for use in the Winter months.

    Our EEA broadcast on Sunday, October 29, started with serving the Sacrament, then having a few preliminary comments from a High Councilman, and then from our Bishop. Here are a few interesting things I took note of: Our Bishop, Jonny Backman, (I think he’s a Microsoft Employee here in Moscow) often speaks to the youth and referred to Mormon 1:2 where it talks about the character of Mormon and says he was “sober”. Bishop asked, “Are you sober like Mormon was (at 10 years old) and are you quick to observe?” Then in Mormon 1:15, the question is posed, “Are you sober (at age 15) and visited by the Lord?” Bishop Backman has two sons, one age ten and one age fifteen, so he talked to them in relationship to these scriptures, as well as all of us. He asked, “Are you having personal experiences that will let you know of the goodness of Jesus?” I love our Bishop!

    Then onto the regular broadcast which was sent to 14 countries, 4 stakes, and several wards and branches. I took careful notes, since these broadcasts are not recorded nor printed and distributed to the members and the few others that I have seen, are very inspiring! Elder Martineau, the Area President, was conducting, Pres. Russell Nelson was presiding, with Elder Christoffel Golden, Elder Patrick Kearon, and Sister Jean Bingham were also speakers. Elder Golden (from South Africa) was the first speaker and is a counselor to Elder Martineau. He is new in his assignment and Jason thinks he was called because he is NOT American. He quoted a Ukranian writer, Nikolai Vasilievich, who is deemed by many as the Father of Russia’s Golden Age of Realism (according to Wikipedia) and how the lands in this area are rich in growth in both Christianity and Islam, two great religions. Then he spoke of the Restoration that came about after the Apostasy, which brought belief in a prophet and revelation. He quoted from the Book of Revelations, “By your fruits ye shall know them”, and how the Book of Mormon is the fruit of Joseph Smith. We should always be striving to do the Lord’s will. We will be changed through the power of Jesus Christ which changes us into a new creature.

    President Martineau then spoke about how he and his wife, Jenny, have been here 15 months and have learned much of the history and culture of the area.  Recently, they were visiting in an area where there was a celebration of the Patriotic War where Russia lost more than 29 million lives. To memorialize those lost, the local people were walking around with pictures of those lost on them.

    Then Elder Martineau spoke about two subjects. First, 2000 years ago Christ came and we made covenants with him. The Sacrament was introduced. Do we know what a privilege it is? Renewing that covenant is like we are baptized again. We must become His Sons and Daughters as we are converted. Also, he spoke of the temples and of redeeming the dead. Elder Martineau suggested how great it would be if those who had lost lives in the Patriotic War, could realize the significance of the temple and how to redeem them thereby.

    Sister Jean Bingham, The General RS President, then spoke of how she has visited the EEA and been in many of its beautiful cathedrals with the mosaics depicting the life of Christ and His followers. She was in the Museum and Church of Our Savior in Istanbul and also visited in St. Petersburg. She shared testimonies of sisters from Bulgaria and quoted others. Some members have moved away from the Church and have forgotten how they felt when they were closer to the Spirit. We need to reach out to them. They need a friend, a responsibility, and nourishing by the Good Word of God. Sis Bingham also quoted Paul where he talks about the how the whole body cannot work without all the parts—you need the feet, hands, legs, and every part to work well together. Like the small tiles in those mosaics, all are needed to be complete. Reach out and offer answers to gospel questions. Look for something others can do to serve. Reach out in love, one soul at a time and hold onto the iron rod.

    Elder Patrick Kearon quoted from General Conference 2016 when President Nelson reminded us to remember to focus on Christ and we’ll be happier. I (and we are often asked how can you believe in God when there are so many bad things going on in the world? I answer by telling them about the Plan: Where did we come from? Why are you here? Where are you going? This is God’s plan for us. Our progress depends on our ability to choose. We experience physical and spiritual death and with Christ’s Atonement can overcome them. We believe in the Resurrection. It is still painful to see these events going on around us. Recently, I attended the funeral of Trevor Jones, son of Sis. Jones of the Gen. Primary Presidency, with Pres. Nelson and Sister Bingham. Trevor never asked why. He left a beautiful wife and five young children. Their loss is painful but they are looking forward to their reunion. We can help a friend to see the world as we see it. Our time here is so brief! Thank you for listening to my words, now please act in faith! I am a witness of these truths.

    President Russell Nelson (age 93 and Pres. Of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles). He recently visited the EEA and reviewed the progress here. Even though we are physically far apart, we are close and we love you! I first came to Russia in 1966 with the American Heart Association and have been here several times since. I have created three of the four stakes who are invited to this meeting. Refer to I Timothy 4:12, “Be an example of the believers.” Your friends don’t want long explanations, but just brief responses. We know these basic truths:

1. Heavenly beings appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820.
2. Godhead
3. We are created in the image of God.
4. The Lord, Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
5. The Atonement is the central act of human history.
6. We are the re-established original Church of Christ/
7. The Scriptures, also referred to as The Standard Works, are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. We are of the same religion of those who wrote the Bible.
8. Christianity: Jesus Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
9. Marriage is ordained of God. Adam and Eve had an eternal union.
10. The significance of religion in our lives: Ours is not just a Sunday religion.
11. Temples
12. Plan of Salvation/Happiness
13. Women in the Church are very involved.
14. Humanitarian Aid
15. The Law of the Fast: “Going hungry to help the hungry.”
16. Unpaid Clergy: We preach for free what the Savior gave us for free.
17. Volunteers: Invite people to come to Christ to prepare for the 2nd Coming.
18. Our duty: Live lives worthy of emulation. Each of us can be an example of the believers.

President Nelson then left us with an Apostolic Blessing that we would feast on the Words of Christ, have health and strength, and be a righteous example to our friends and family. He closed by bearing his testimony.

Oct 16-22 2017

 I’m writing this from our workplace at 4 pm on Monday, Oct. 23 and for some reason I’m tired today. Work for me today has been slow—I’ve sent a few emails and caught up on other social media, went to a Visa Meeting, ate lunch, and walked to Awah to pick up a few things. It snowed lightly today for the first time and the temps are a bit cooler—low 30’s. I am still wearing my eggplant colored water repellent jacket I bought back home at Costco. I like it since I can layer under it with a sweater, scarf, etc.  Every morning the metro stops at the bottom of a slight hill, which is about a 10-15-minute walk from our office. I have been walking up it to get some exercise, but Jason has been taking the bus until his heels feel better. When it gets super cold, I’m not sure if I’ll keep walking!

    I received my brother Dow’s weekly email and I’m so impressed at how he can write so succinctly! His letters are short, sweet, artistic and to the point. He gets much into them and gives a great vibe as to what’s going on in his life. I wanna be able to write like him someday!

    Last Tuesday at our weekly Senior Council, Elder George and Sister Laura (Rigby) Copeland introduced themselves. He grew up in Florida and his grandparents were the first members in the Jacksonville area, which was the first LDS stake created in Florida. Sister Copeland is from Rexburg and her 94-year-old father just retired from his private law practice. He promised her he would still be alive when she gets home in two years. Her sister-in-law, Shelley Rigby,  is Meredith’s RS President. They showed a 25-minute video that their daughter-in-law created which was fabulous made us all cry and miss our families. There was lovely music, family pictures of baptisms, eagle court of honors, temple marriages, quotes from the prophets, etc. Afterward about 8 couples went to the nearby mall to eat in the food court together. I tried something new called Bellini, which is a Middle Eastern Wrap with meat inside. It was tasty!

     Last Thursday, I left work at Midday to attend a Sister’s training sponsored by our Moscow Mission with President and Sister McGhie. I was thinking it might be more about PMG since all the young and senior sisters were there, but it was about building confidence, gratitude and getting to know each other better. It was quite refreshing and I enjoyed hanging out with the young sisters. They are all beautiful inside and out, and most do a good job of speaking the language. One of the presentations was by a partnership of the only two native Russian speaking sisters. One is from somewhere clear over by Japan and she is the only member in her family. The other is from somewhere closer to here, but they were very dynamic. They did their presentation in Russian and we English speakers had a few of the other sisters translating for us. For the introductions, Sister Copeland introduced me and I introduced her. I told our Sis. Copeland is a trained teacher as well as a phenomenal teacher in her family. She was a business teacher. She maintains blogs for two of her grandsons who are on missions. She and Elder Copeland will celebrate their 50th Wedding anniversary. We both have family in Florida and Idaho, so that’s a nice connection! She told the sisters about how we have two sets of twins born on the same day 14 years apart. She is a kick! Her husband is an Area Auditor and works near us. She is helping him some, but doesn’t come in every day.

    During the week last week, we visited the Cranes and I helped them pack their suitcases for returning home. Elder Crane, the Area Mental Health Advisor, fell at the airport here, broke his shoulder in three places and will need surgery and recovery in Utah. Sister Crane works in our office and she is trying to work from the US. They hope to come back, but will have to wait and see how it goes. Their apartment is very nice and close to us and the Cooks. The C’s are all together: Carliles, Cooks, and Cranes.

    On Saturday, we walked across the street from our apartment to the Anteka (Pharmacy) to get my prescriptions. This is the first time I’ve done that, so our Medical Doc Hansen gave me the Russian translation of the three meds, and I handed the Russian clerk the paper, and she gave me my prescrips over the counter just like that! They aren’t in very big quantities—only like 20-28 pills, so I’ll have to go often, or buy more at a time. But it is very easy to do so! Then we went on the Metro to Gorky Park, and circled the city on the Pink line, which goes entirely around the City of Moscow.  We enjoyed The Garage, a Modern Art Museum featuring the Japanese artist, Takeshita Murakami. It was fun and let us go inside and warm up a bit. There was an admission fee, but when we went to pay, they asked us for our passports and let us in free, so that was nice.

    We have found this bargain basement store right close to us. I bought some fur-lined lower cut boots there and a smaller wallet and purse like a cross body purse so my hands are free. We have found some random things in there, but it’s fun just to see what they have—everything from hats to coats to boots to suitcases to kids’ stuff to purses, etc.—like a Ross Dress for less, but not that big—everything here is crammed into an extremely small space and there are is lots of Nike and Adidas merchandise.

    Church went well yesterday—we took the bus there and it’s not crowded on Sundays and quiet--takes about 30 minutes then a 15 minute walk to the Sokol Buliding. For Primary sharing time, we had Sister Escobar give the lesson. She is the HR director for the EEA (Europe East Area) of the Church here during the week, but she is also the parent of an autistic son names Tyrone in our Moscow International Ward Primary. Sis. Escobar is from Armenia, she served a fulltime mission, and I understand she works while her husband stays home with their son. Anyway, she showed a five-minute video that was very simple and good for the children explaining how we are all different and some of us can do certain things and others not—and how sometimes you can see what’s wrong with people and sometimes you can’t. Then she had a discussion with the Primary Kids about Autism and explained about her son. He is 7 but looks maybe 4 or 5. She or her husband sits with Tyrone every Sunday in Primary. They then showed a special video about Tyrone that they made and it showed him riding the train, doing math, playing tennis, playing football (soccer that is), playing at the playground, etc. It was wonderful. We felt the Spirit of Tyrone and his family and how to love them more fully. After Sacrament Meeting ended, Tyrone came up to me and took my hand and wanted to take me into the Primary Room. I sit across the room from him and smile at him every week and I think I have made a new friend! His Mom told me that he doesn’t have any grandparents around, so I think he will adopt us.

    We have met six very nice young adults mainly from the Western US who are all about 18 years old and they are here teaching English in Russian Schools. They go to church with us and two of the girls are twins from Utah. They are blonde and outstanding young women just like my granddaugthters, Abby and Savy. I can’t believe how these kids are travelling the world and getting exposed to this wonderful country! They are all going on field trips to other cities soon: some to Paris, some to Prague, etc.

    The Burtons invited us to Sunday dinner again yesterday. They are the best! And they made the best Minestrone Soup I have ever tasted! Also, salad, bread, and corn chips. We enjoy visiting with them about things going on in the office as well. They are both very nice and kind individuals Yesterday they got Dad/Jason to talk all about his career as a prosecutor and it was very interesting to me, since I had not heard anyone ask the questions they asked. Dad will have to tell you about that. I’m trying to get him to do some journaling.  We think of all of you often and pray for your welfare.

May God bless you in your endeavors!        Love, Pam/Mom  We’re going to Swan Lake Ballet this week!