Five Weeks - October 30, 2017

Dear Family,

Another week has come and gone--we kept very busy this week, and that's how we like it!  I will first tell you about the fun things we did--most of them I did put on Instagram, so you saw some of the pics there.  But after Tuesday night's Senior Meeting, we all went to a glamorized Chuck-a-Rama.  We all thought of our kids and grand kids.  There are definitely other grandparents that take their family to Chuck!  Hah!  

Not sure how much of the food the kids would be familiar with, however.  One of our group thought he was getting roast beef and asked the girl--she said, "Yes, it is!"  Turned out it was cow liver--he wasn't very happy about that!  But, it definitely was very unique atmosphere and lots of fun there.

On Wednesday, I went with the Mission President's wife, her 17 year old daughter, and a couple of other seniors to Izmaylova--the outdoor markets which is over an hour away by metro.  I was so interested as we were walking up to it because it was a very cold day.  I thought it was going to be inside the big castle!  Wrong!  That was only a facade!  A backdrop for all the outdoor shops!  

Yes, it was freezing and I had dressed warmly with my thermal tights, pants, two shirts, and a sweater on, but my feet started freezing!  I couldn't even feel them.  But then when I bought some camel fur socks from Mongolia, I put them on and they were so tight in my boots, my feet went to sleep!  Sleeping feet or cold feet??? 

 Anyway, after being out in that cold for about 2 1/2 hours, we went to an area that had food.  We are instructed not to eat street food, but the Mission President's wife said this was great food.  They were bbq-ing all kinds of meats on skewers, had all kinds of veggies, and potatoes!  They love potatoes here--my kind of place!  They bbq-ed the potatoes on skewers, too.  Anyway, we ordered our food, then went upstairs to sit down.  No heat--just a boarded in place that was so smokey from the bbq-ing down below that we could hardly see each other, but at least it was a little warmer there.  The food was actually delicious!  

We then went by Metro, and then by taxi to the beautiful mall there.  

Another couple and I (Dad was at work at the Area Office and couldn't go), were getting desperate for our winter coats and boots.  They say that when it really does start to snow and get very sub-zero weather, everything gets sold out, so Dad just told me to pick out something.  Well, easier said than done--to get just the right thing in just the right size--well, you know.  Three hours later, we were all so tired, we felt happy about our purchases, no matter what!  Then we took another bus, and then decided to take another bus home because we would save 20 minutes by riding that instead of the metro.  After leaving at 10:00 a.m., I finally arrived home at 8:00 p.m. after the last bus ride that I literally was afraid for my life!  I was on the last step of the bus and with all those packages of down jackets and big boots, I was literally sprung backwards each time the bus door opened, and there were people so tight next to me on all the steps down as well as packed in the bus, you could hardly breathe!  But Dad was so kind and walked to where the bus let me off and helped with the packages there.  I was never so happy to see him and home in my life!   

Friday, we went with some of the seniors to one of the oldest chocolate factories in Russia.  It was a really fun experience.  There was a chocolate bear that was originally 80 pounds when they made it in 1956, I believe, but each year they spiff it up with another layer of chocolate, so it now weighs 100 pounds!  Sort of like us if we keep having so much chocolate through the years--I think!  Hah!  Anyway, a very good time!  

 The Mayans were given the credit of first learning the value of the cacao bean.

 The beans grow right on the stock all year long.  It is quite a process getting them out of those pods!

 The chocolate drink used to be the drink of the very wealthy and aristocrats.

 Why can't these cups be made anymore?!  The holder for the cup attaches right onto the plate and the handle fits in the little slot so it is never spilled.

 George just wanted to know if that would fit his Coke Zero (as they call it here.)

 Different chocolate containers through the ages--a tribute to the Russian cosmonauts; Nadia Komenichi, the Romanian gymnast; among others. 

 We had to dress in lab coats and cover our hair to go into where they actually manufactured the chocolate candies.  So sad we couldn't take pics inside!

 So many beautiful chocolate creations.

 Then we got to go into the "creation" room where we created our own candy treat.

 Then we each were given a little lunch box to carry our treats home with.  Hah!  

 Our wonderful Russian guide.  We, also, had an interpreter with us.  Such a fun tour!

 We then got to go into their retail store.  We had so many candy samples, I didn't think chocolate looked too good at this time--but next week I'll probably be sorry I didn't purchase more!

The original residence of the candy makes--dating back to the 1850s.

The candy factory we went in.

Saturday, Kyle fixed us up with his sling box, so we were able to watch the BYU game starting at 10:00 at night.  It actually was worth watching this time!  So happy for them!  We, also, watched a few minutes of the Gator game until we got so discouraged, we said, "No way!"  Poor Gators!

Now, I will let you know a little about the work here in Russia.  It definitely is not easy!  Dad gets people wanting us to come to help, but the new Visas only allow you to leave the country once in 90 days, so unless all the people in every country we need to visit, line up in time, we can only visit one place during those 90 days.  In addition, we need to go to Istanbul, but the State Department isn't recommending that right now--plus there's not real good relations between the two countries and we are afraid we might not get back in to Russia.  So, this makes it difficult to do our work in those countries.  But, we continue to try to figure this all out.  We are definitely going to Bulgaria in November, so at least that one is set.  That will be our one time out, then we'll have to wait until our Visa trip in December to be able to travel again.  

As far as helping in our ward, we have such wonderful missionaries.  We are so impressed with their hard work!  Saturday night, the sister missionaries are bringing a less-active over for dinner.  It will take them an hour and a half to get here by metro, then they will have to walk about 20 minutes from the metro to get here.  I told them I was so sorry that it was so far, but they thought nothing of it.  They do these kind of trips daily!  Amazing!  

I wanted to share one more thing.  In our Ward Missionary Council Meeting Sunday, I loved what the Russian Ward Mission Leader said.  He told the young missionaries that they are doing a great work and said they are like a physician who diagnoses someone who is sick and lets them know the way to get better.  But then when they get around their family and friends, they put doubts in their minds and say maybe the doctor doesn't know what he is talking about.  The missionaries here are trying to overcome the years of Communism when the people were told there was no God.  Now, they are being told there is a God.  The people are confused.  The Mission Leader said the people should be thrilled to hear this, but they are overcoming years and generations of hearing otherwise from their government and leaders.  We all will just keep trying!  Sunday, we had a special meeting that was televised in our Sacrament from Elder Nelson, the Area Presidency, the General YW President, and Elder Kearon, a Seventy who I believe is from England.  Anyway, they have all just visited here and spoke directly to the Area Saints.  It was so good and so meaningful to the Saints here.

Well, I've written so much.  Sorry!  You know me!  Hopefully some of you will find some of this interesting! 

We love you all!  Thanks for being so wonderful!

Love, Gma Laura 

One Month - October 23, 2017

Dear Family,

On Thursday, we will have been in Russia for one month.  I can't believe it!  It certainly seems like six!  Hah!  But, we (I should say "I" because Dad figured his out the first week we were here!), feel more and more ways that I can be of service here.  This is certainly a different mission than others in the fact that we really can't go around talking about the church--#1 because the Russian government says we can't, and #2 because of the language barrier.  But we can definitely name drop when people ask why we are here.  The people can only be taught about the gospel if they come to church or are in a member's home.  So, the mission president encourages us to get out and about so that our presence is felt wherever we go.  

On Sunday, we received the nicest letter handed to us by the sister missionaries in our ward--one has been out a year and the other came just a couple of weeks before us.  They are both from the Utah area someplace--we meet so many that I can't remember exactly.  Anyway, I will send it along for you to see--mainly because it made me feel happy that maybe we are doing some good, and for the fact that those two young missionaries have already learned how much it means to people be appreciated.  It truly made my day!  We will soon start having some inactives in our home along with the missionaries--probably some who are English speaking--so that Dad and I can be part of the conversation.

(On the top row, the 2nd and 3rd sister volunteers from the left are the sweet sisters who wrote this letter.)

We will soon be starting to travel to different places this next month for auditing training.  Dad is working very hard to make sure everyone gets trained.  You can't blame someone for not doing something properly until you know they are properly trained.  We learned that in our Dairy Queen experience!  (Did you notice how I slipped that in there?! Hah!)  Anyway, we will be going to the Baltic area, as well as down to Bulgaria, I believe.  

Then, right before Christmas, we have to take our three month leave out of Russia, which we must do every 90 days, and Dad wants to try to go over to Kiev to the temple there.  That's what most senior couples do--go to where there is a temple so we can do temple work.  There are two other places that they go--Helsinki, Finland, and the Sweden temple, which I'm sure we'll try to visit in the two years we are here.

This week, we have Senior Council tomorrow night, I'm going with the Mission President's wife to the outdoor market on Wednesday, and Friday, the senior's are touring a Russian chocolate factory.  That certainly sounds interesting and delicious!  Last Thursday, we had a Women's Volunteer Workshop where all the young and senior volunteers came together for five hours of training, testimonies, and then dinner afterwards.  It was really well done!  The young volunteers here are absolutely amazing!  To get to anything is at least an hour or longer--cold weather and having to find addresses that seem impossible to find--and learn such a difficult language, in the meantime.  They can only eat with members if they bring an inactive or non-member with them.  That seems pretty strict--certainly not what we have ever had in Florida--but they go along with the rule!  

We had our first skiff of snow this morning and woke up to 32 degree weather outside!  It feels so much colder because of the moist air and wind.  We still don't have our heavy coats, but that is a necessity this week.

Well, better close.  We certainly send our love to all!  So proud of Lauren this week participating in the State of Utah Distinguished Young Women program and winning $1,000 in scholarship money for physical fitness.  She has worked so hard, and we really congratulate her for this.

Love you all so much,

Gma Laura

PS  I put many pictures on Instagram, but I actually do have a blog so that I can put it all in  a book when I get home.  If you want to see it, I have to invite you, so if you're interested in it, just let me know, and I'll do that.  

Visiting the Moscow Tretyakov Museum - Saturday, October 14, 2017

On Saturday, October 14, 2017, we were so excited to spend the day with another of our son, Kyle's, employees here in Moscow.  Her name is Lily, and she was so excited to take us to the most famous art museum which has all Russian art--The Tretyakov Museum.  I don't know how excited George was, but by the end of the day, we both had learned so much Russian history and about Russian art.  We both LOVED the experience!

The gallery is named after its founder, the great Moscow industrialist and patron Pavel Tretyakov.  The museum lies on the site of an estate built in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Tretyakov bought it in 1852 and moved his collection of art here.  His art acquisitions had taken him more than thirty years to put together, and he presented it to the City of Moscow in 1892.  

 The Gallery has been reconstructed and added on to several times to what it is today, with over 100,000 works of art.  This was the perfect place to go on a drizzling, rainy day!

 One of the earliest paintings of Red Square, the Kremlin, and St. Basil's.

 I loved how George walked around learning about the paintings and was so fascinated!

 I don't know all of the painters' names, but I'll put what I can and some of the stories that Lily shared with me.

 The Ryder by Karl Bryullov.  I loved this because it reminded me of our granddaughter, Ella, who has a black horse named Vader.

 The Appearance of Christ Before the People - Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, 1857

 Portrait of Nikolai Gogol by Fyodor Moller.  Gogol was a playwright and novelist from Ukraine.

 This picture of the painting does not do this painting justice--look at her dress!  It looks like you could just touch the shiny fabric--it looks so real--you can even see the stitches in the hem!  Amazing!

 From the Internet:  This painting depicts a wedding ceremony in an Orthodox church. The young, dowerless bride is marrying an old official against her will. According to one theory, the painting depicts the artist’s own romantic drama. Vasily Pukirev’s former bride-to-be served as the prototype for the image of the bride. Also, the image of the best man, shown behind the bride at the edge of the painting, with his arms across his chest, portrays the artist himself.

 From the Internet:  The theme used by Flavitsky for his impressive painting was borrowed from one of the legends connected with the name of the alleged princess Tarakanova. In 1774, she came to Rome where she declared herself as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth and her favorite A.G. Razumovsky, and made a claim to the Russian throne. The reigning Catherine the Great sent Count Alexey Orlov to Rome and he deceived the alleged princess severely to make her come to Petersburg. The imposter was imprisoned in the Alexeyevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress where she died of consumption in 1775.  Folk legend  awarded her the title of Princess Tarakanova and stated that she had died not because of the disease, but during the notorious flood of 1777 when water flooded dungeons of the Peter and Paul Fortress, taking the lives of many prisoners.  (Notice the water rising around her bed.) 

 A young family with a casket on their sleigh.  So many thoughts go through your head as you see this painting.

Christ in Gethsemane.  George and I have been there, so this brought back many feelings we had visiting this exact spot and the importance of what happened there and all Christ had to go through for each of us.

 The hunters at the end of their hunt--notice that they had a successful day of hunting.

 Lily told us she grew up with a copy of this painting in her room. Aleksei Savrasov’s The Rooks have Returned, 1871.  It is a wonderful Russian piece depicting the coming of spring in a small Russian village, and it was said to have been the favorite of Pavel Tretyakov.  

 I believe that Lily said this painter always did ocean and water scenes, but had never actually seen the ocean himself.

 Princess Reveries, by Mikhail Vrubel.

 Morning in a Pine Forest by Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky.  Lily told us this painting is used on boxes of chocolates.  I liked it because bears have always been a favorite in the Copeland family!

 This painting looked just like an actual snapshot of a forest.

 Alyonushka by Viktor Vasnetsov - An artist who painted fairy tales.  This one is of a young girl who grieves for her brother who drank the water and turned into a wolf.

 Bogatyrs (Knights) by Viktor Vasnetsov

 Ivan the Terrible

 A field of the dead.

From the internet:   This work was painted in 1871, and was influenced by Russia’s military operations in Turkestan, which were striking to witnesses for their brutality. The painting was initially called The Triumph of Tamerlane, after the ruler (also known as Timur) whose troops left behind pyramids of sculls. According to the story, the women of Baghdad and Damascus once complained to Tamerlane that their husbands were mired in sin and debauchery. The cruel commander ordered every soldier in his 200,000-strong army to bring him the severed head of one of these lecherous husbands. Once the order was carried out, seven pyramids were made from the heads.

The artist later decided to give broader meaning to the painting. Vereshchagin wrote “The Apotheosis of War” on the frame, and added: “Dedicated to all the great conquerors, past, present and future."

 The Morning of the Streltsy Execution by Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, painted in 1881.  It illustrates Streltsy's failed attempted uprising before the walls of the Kremlin.

From the internet:   This giant painting (10 ft. by 20 ft.) by Vasily Surikov depicts a scene from the history of the 17^th century schism of the Russian Orthodox Church. The painting is dedicated to Feodosia Prokopiyevna Morozova, an associate of archpriest Avvakum, who was a spiritual leader of the Old Believers. Around 1670 she secretly became a nun, in 1671 she was arrested, and in 1673 she was sent to the Pafnutevo-Borovski Monastery, where she was starved to death in an earthen prison.

The painting depicts an episode when the boyarynya (boyar’s wife) Morozova is transported through Moscow to the place of captivity. Next to Morozova is her sister Yevdokiya Urusova, who shared the dissenter’s fate; in the background is a pilgrim, in whose face the artist’s features can be found. Notice how some people are crying, but other people cheering.    

 Lily pointed out that the artist sketches each of the people first before putting them on the huge painting.  Now each of these sketches is famous and very valuable, too!

 This was such a upsetting painting.  Ivan the Terrible is shown with absolute devastation on his face after it is said that he killed his oldest son, Ivan, on November 16, 1581, who he considered a threat to his throne.   Artist - Ilya Repin.

 Aleksander III receiving rural district elders in the yard of Petrovsky Palace in Moscow by Ilya Repin.

 There were many school groups at the museum that day.  A large group was in front of this painting.  It is called, "They Did Not Expect Him," by Ilya Repin.   Lily told us this is a favorite painting that teachers have students write essays on--what do you or your family feel like when someone unexpected arrives?  It is fun to see the faces depicted of these people's reactions.

 Statue of Christ, after he was bound to be taken before Herod.

Christ in the Desert or the Wilderness - Ivan Kramskoi, reflecting the Fasting of Christ

 Jesus as a young boy of twelve teaching the scholars in the temple.

To the right are the Roman soldiers in dark after putting Jesus in a tomb.  To the left, an angel looking upward toward the light.

Portrait of an Unknown Woman - Ivan Kramskoi, drawn in 1883.  The model whose identity is unknown, is a woman of "quiet strength and forthright gaze."

 A Russian family.

 Girl with Peaches - Valentin Serov (one of his most famous paintings)

 You could have spent so many more hours looking through this gallery, but soon it was time to get something to eat and then get on our way home.  We walked through the rain to a wonderful little Russian restaurant that Lily showed us.

We had the typical Russian dumplings and other Russian favorites.  They were all delicious!

Our new Russian friend, Lily, who spent the day with us and taught us so much.

We then were driven back home by the Jeneusse driver, Alex.  We had spent such a wonderful day--one we will never forget!