Week 40 - June 25, 2018

Dear Family,

First of all, a big Happy Birthday to Natalie, our DIL (not to be confused with Natalie, my sister--and to make it more confusing, their birthdays are only two days apart!), whose birthday was yesterday.  In addition to keeping very busy with her ow family, Natalie helps out so much in the community and at church, as well as taking in foster children.  She's such a dear wife and mother, and we really appreciate her many kindnesses she has shown George and me while we have been living close by their wonderful family!  

On Wednesday, we will have two important events:  John and Alison will celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary and Ella will celebrate her 12th birthday.  We are so grateful for John and Alison and the wonderful family they have.  They have truly made a home where the gospel is taught and their family can feel their love.  

Ella--well, what do I say about her--she is so much older than her years--she has a heart of gold, so much fun, and is always thinking of new ways to help others out.   Happy Birthday, Ella!  

This past week was so busy.  On Tuesday night, we had Senior Night.  We invited Kyle's area manager for Jeunesse to be our guest speaker, talking about growing up in Russia.  Wow!  He did not disappoint!  He did such a great job and the people just kept asking him questions.  He talked about what a great boss and company he was working for.  I so appreciate that we got to hear from him.   He is Russian Orthodox, but I think he had to be impressed with the Area Office and the volunteers who work there.  We had a pot luck dinner afterwards where they continued to ask him questions.  And Gpa George presented him with a FIFA World Cup soccer ball, which he seemed pretty pleased with.  (Some of the volunteers want him to come back again!)

Thursday  we had our Area Meeting with Elder Golden of the Seventy.  It is always so nerve-wrecking to make the hour-long presentation and discussion.  We always pray it will go well.  This time, we felt so good about it.  We felt very good about positive results that are showing in the area's audits and with the participation we are getting.  Gpa George works very hard with the AAAs in each area, as well as the Audit Committee Chairman in the countries we are over.  Elder Golden seemed very pleased.  The end of July, we, along with Elder Cook and his wife, will go over to Armenia to do the ten audits there, since they have so few priesthood holders to do it, and then afterwards will go to Turkey to do five audits there, since there are no volunteers at all there now.  We have received permission from the Area Presidency to do so, and hope everything goes well for that. 

On Friday, after work, and all day on Saturday, Gpa and I went out to make sure we knew how to get to all the activities and venues that we have planned for the next six days while Kevin, Hannah, Kent, Natalie, Ethan, Ella, and their friends, Jory and Kathy, come to Moscow.  We have so many fun activities planned, so we didn't want to ruin it by not knowing how to get to everything.  We took buses and metros and used our feet!  We ended up walking nearly six miles each day and were dead tired when we got home at night.  But man, are we excited to get them here on Friday!  We hope before we leave in August 2019 that everybody in the family who has a desire will be able to visit!  Everywhere you go, you feel the excitement in the air about the World Cup.  And Red Square is just crazy!  It is packed with people who are singing, painting their faces with their team colors, and just having a good time.  They have set up a huge place inside Red Square where fans can go and have fun playing each other on a tiny field, and whatever.  We didn't go inside, but saw it there.  I'm sure everyone will want to try it out when they get here. 

Then on Sunday, we had one of the craziest days ever!  A trip that regularly takes 2 1/2 hours to get to a small branch we have been blessed to be assigned to visit once a month, turned into a 5-hour trip!  Yes, we got on the wrong train and when the train police found out we were on the wrong train, they put us off (kindly though) in the middle of the boonies!  They wrote us a note (in Russian) how to get on the correct train (Hah!).  A tender mercy was when the next rain came along, we met a young lady who helped us make the transfer!  We arrived at church with ten minutes left of the whole block of meetings.  We were greeted by the young people, the leaders, ad the young volunteers!  They hugged us and acted so happy to see that we were no longer lost  They were sooo sweet and made us feel so good!  

The Branch President was so kind.  He had the Young Volunteers bless and he gave us the Sacrament because he knew we were so sad not being able to partake of it.  Also, a young woman who is going through a lot right now because she is pregnant and the doctor is worried the baby might come too soon is so stressed.  In addition, her husband, who is a flight attendant, stepped out on her (while she was pregnant!), but they are trying to work together to make their marriage work.  Anyway, she requested that Gpa give her a blessing of comfort and healing, which he did.  Fortunately, she understands a good deal of English.  So, with all this, we knew we were supposed to be here at Ramenskoye today, even though it was such a round-about way of getting there.  

On the way home, we just happened to go by the Spartak Stadium and took a few pictures.  It was a beautiful day when we looked back, but our efforts to go to church today turned into ten hours by the time we got home.  

Well, better close.  We are going on a picnic tonight with the little family we met on the metro a few months back, and I told them I would bring chocolate chip cookies to the picnic.  So, I'd better get baking!  We had another very exciting incident with a girl we met on the plane to Switzerland, but I will tell you more about that next time!

Love, Gma Laura

Week 39 - June 18, 2018

Dear Family,

First of all, a shout-out to all the fathers!  We hope your day was extra-special!  We LOVED all the phone calls--it made Gpa George's day!  We surely appreciate the great work all of you fathers are doing in your homes--not only are you being great providers, but you are, also, providing love and  teaching of the gospel in the home.  I love the quote from Billy Graham that Amy put on her Instagram post:  "A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society."  So sad, but true.  I know there is no way I could have ever handled seven children without the support of my husband.  We didn't always agree on the way we handled the kids, but behind closed doors we talked it over and tried to have a unified front and then support each other in our efforts at parenting.  We definitely made many mistakes--but hopefully, there were more good parenting points than bad.

  

I, also, want to tell Lauren how much we love her and the beautiful and kind granddaughter she is!  She is setting such great goals and definitely has the work ethic to accomplish them!   It was her 18th birthday on June 14th.  

Coming up this week will be Taylor and Ellie's 5th anniversary.  We are so proud of the work and energy they have put into these past five years.  They have purchased their own home and are now expecting our first great grandchild in August.  Can't wait!  

And, also, we wish a Happy Birthday to John this week!  What a fantastic son-in-law he is!  We so appreciate the love and kindness he has shown us through the years and the wonderful husband to Alison and father to his four great kids he is!   

Well, World Cup fever is all over the place here!  We tried to enjoy Red Square on Tuesday, but we finally just gave up.  There are so many people, so much security, and you definitely have a hard time getting around there.  We pass by the Spartek Stadium each time we take the bus.  This Saturday, as we were going to the evening session of Stake Conference, we saw the place just packed with spectators, horse policemen, and security guards everywhere.  Argentina was playing Iceland, and it ended in a draw.  Iceland was pretty thrilled about it!

 World Cup Fever even inside the Gum!

 Everything in the Gum is sooo expensive--but the ice cream is a great deal!  There is always line--especially now with all the visitors!  

  

Since coming home from Switzerland last Tuesday, we have just been trying to catch up and get things ready for our Area Meeting this Thursday where we have to present to the Auditing Committee, headed by Elder Golden of the Seventy.   We are always glad to have that over with!  We are just counting the days until Kent and Natalie, Ethan and Ella, Kevin and Hannah get here on the 29th of June!  We have so many activities planned for them--we've pulled out all the stops!  We will be having them run every day to something new so they can truly experience Russian life!  Hah!  We certainly hope you all plan a trip to Russia before we leave in August 2019.  We would LOVE that!

This morning, Gpa woke up to a cold shower!  We knew that every single summer, the government turns off the hot water randomly in different buildings, to flush the lines, and this can last for  up to two weeks!  Wow!  But fortunately, for us, our landlord told us that when they do it, we can turn on the water boiler that will at least give us hot water in the bathroom for showers and baths.  So happy!  I can handle that!  But think of all the Russians whose apartments don't have a boiler (so many do not!) and they just have to warm water on the stove or do without.  Amazing!  Also, the government decides when to turn on the heat to the apartments.  When we arrived in September, it was already getting cold and our apartment was freeezing!  But no heat!  Luckily within a couple of days, they turned the heat on.  They do this to save money, I guess, because all of the apartments are heated by radiators which have water running through them.  Oh, the things you have to get used to in a foreign mission, right?!

We really enjoyed Stake Conference.  Our Area President, Pres. Martino, was the General Authority who was presiding.  He really talked about ministering and getting ready in our hearts for a temple.  A temple will come when the people are ready!  Right now, it is sad to say, that the people, in my opinion, have a long ways to go.  There were so few people at the Saturday night session, and even on Sunday, the place was certainly not filled.  Pres. Martino talked about how other activities are taking over people's lives and causing them to put those activities before coming to church.  He, also, said that if each person would minister to inactives and help bring them back, what a difference it would make.  Just one person apiece!  Anyway, it was all very good.

I'm sending a few pics of a sunset (they truly are beautiful here) and one pic snapped at 10:15 p.m. to show you how light it still is at that time.  Sunrise is at 3:15 a.m. and sunset is after 10:00 p.m.  But, it just reverses in the winter time, obviously, which just makes the winters seem that much longer. 

I, also, am including the Moscow River where we cross the bridge.  It is really beautiful now that it isn't ice covered.  You just have to stop and look at the beautiful sight!  

Lastly, a pic of George and me at Stake Conference with two of the young sisters--the one next to me is from Alaska, and her aunt lives in Olathe, Kansas, and is one of Amy's best friends.  Always a small world! 

Much love,

Gma

Week 38 - June 13, 2018

Dear Family,

Sorry this is a couple of days late.  We just returned home Sunday after being gone for the past 5 1/2 days on our Visa Trip to Switzerland.  Since it was our 50th Wedding Anniversary on the exact day we had to leave, it was an extra-special place to visit.  It has always held such a special place in our hearts because of its beauty and wonderful people there.  We were so blessed to have Jonathan and Ingrid Hung who live right outside of Zurich in the hills, with a beautiful view over the valley below.  Jonathan was on a mission in Taiwan when my brother, Jerry, was there.  He absolutely loves my dad and insisted we call my dad while we were there so he could talk to him.  He said my dad was the one who helped him attend BYU in the States, which allowed him to meet his wife, Ingrid, who is from Switzerland when they both were waiting to get into General Conference in the Tabernacle.  So, he feels he owes a great deal to my dad, and we were the recipients of my dad's generosity.  He and Ingrid allowed us to stay there for two nights, cooked for us amazing 5-star meals, and showed us around Lucerne and interlachen.  They just couldn't have been nicer or better hosts while we were in Switzerland!   When we were in Lucerne, we were able to hear a street presentation put on by seven Alphorn players--an instrument originally used in the 15th Century to call back and forth across the valleys to each other!  That was a real treat and one I had never experienced!  I, also, had the "lucky?" experience of having bird -doo land on my head while there--on my 50th wedding anniversary.  They say it is lucky!  Hah!

 Seriously, Jonathan and Ingrid could cook at a 5-star hotel.  Every meal was made-from-scratch, taking much time to prepare, but absolutely delicious!!!

George's favorite thing to do was sit on their porch, overlooking the beautiful valley below, and listen to the birds and church bells.  It was heavenly!

Interlachen--the meeting place of two lakes--was absolutely beautiful.  We loved traveling through the mountains to get there where we saw waterfalls, grazing cows, and highway cameras that snap a picture even if you exceed the speed limit by one kilometer.  A steep fine will be arriving to Jonathan by mail!  We watched the para gliders (oh, how George wished he could have done that!) while having lunch in a beautiful outdoor cafe, visited a 1,250 year old church and saw an 18th century castle being restored.  

 Scherzligen Church - 1250 years old!

 Schadau Castle - Built in the 1800s, presently being restored.

The next morning, Jonathan and Ingrid took us to the train station where we were on our own!  Seriously, you can travel anywhere in Europe with the wonderful rail system they have.  It's not inexpensive like it used to be, but it is just a wonderful, quiet way to get from here to there.

Jonathan and Ingrid just couldn't have been more gracious and wonderful to us during our two-day stay with them.

We ended up in Bern, made one transfer and arrived at our destination in Zollikofen. 

 

We checked into temple housing there--pretty  barren, but adequate.  There were lots of children who must have been there while their parents were attending the temple, so it wasn't the quietest of nights, not a lot of sleep with paper-thin walls, but at only $40 a night, who's complaining!  

The Mormon Temple in Zollikofen is absolutely one of the most beautiful sights ever!  It is surrounded by so many beautiful flowers and a huge lawn that didn't appear to have one weed!  We attended a session that night in Italian--it brought tears to our eyes to be back in the temple again.  You don't realize how much you miss the temple until you are away for awhile.  The next morning, we attended another session in German.  We certainly didn't mind the headphones--we are used to that every single Sunday we attend church. 

We then headed for Bern--one of my all-time favorite small towns.  With its open-air bear pit (for whom the city was named), over 100  fountains where you can drink the fresh mountain water, intriguing clock towers, medieval architecture dating back to the 12th century, sparkling river, chocolatiers, and even a St. Bernard thrown in--what's not to love?!  

We visited the Einstein House, where Albert Einstein and his wife lived, and where he developed his Theory of Relativity. 

 There are actually over 100 fountains in this small city where it is safe to drink the cool, sparkling mountain water.

Our final day in Switzerland, we visited the Bern Rose Gardens where we saw hundreds of different kinds of blooming roses--which were just heavenly.  We, also, visited the Bern Minster Cathedral which began in the 1400s and is the largest cathedral in Switzerland.   

We, also, visited the Bern Minster Cathedral which began in the 1400s and is the largest cathedral in Switzerland. 

  

We then boarded the train and went back to Lucerne where we saw a couple more old churches--one dating back to the 1200s, but one thing that was so special was seeing Bertal Thorvaldsen's, The Dying Lion Monument--carved right into the mountain.  He, also, designed the Christus.  This monument, which just break your heart looking at it, commemorates the heroism of the Swiss soldiers who died in 1792, attempting to protect the palace in Paris during the French Revolution.  

We had fun visiting the farmer's market, and headed back to our hotel to pack things up to return to Moscow the next day.

So, as you can see, we had a perfect 50th Wedding Anniversary.  The only thing missing was all of you!  But, hopefully before we go home, you can all come to visit.  We are just counting the days until Kent, Natalie, Ethan, Ella, Kevin, Hannah, and Kent and Natalie's friends (and our friends, too!), Jory and Kathy, come to visit.  It is really getting crazy here!  There are so many people everywhere you go and so much security!  Monday, when we got back, a group of us Seniors went to the Moscow Zoo and took along a few of the new interns we have here, who are mostly from BYU--a couple from that other school to the north--hah!  Anyway, they have come for various areas of interning, but most all of them served missions here and know the language.  They are all so much fun!  

Walking past one of the "Seven Sisters" on our way to lunch.

Yes, we were back in Texas again! 

Then on Tuesday, we went to Gorky Park and Red Square, which was just impossible.  There were so many policemen and so many searches, plus rain, we just finally went home.  It was Russian Day, so everyone was off work for Monday and Tuesday, so that added to all the chaos, too.  Hopefully, things will calm down a little after all the celebrating of the last two days, and it will be a little more manageable on the crowds.  

I want to end by telling you about a girl we met on the plane going to Switzerland.  The woman in about her 30s was Russian and appeared not to want to talk.  Finally, she asked to get up from her seat near the window and if we would let her out.  Funny, but that's how we got talking.  She was actually from Rostov-n-don, and when she heard we were Mormons, she got very excited.  She said she used to attend English classes there and got to know the people and was so excited about going back to visit there.  I told her I didn't know if they were still offering English classes there (the government won't allow it--sad, but true-- I didn't tell her that), but she really wanted to know how she could go to the church there.  She is a single mother with a 7-year-old child with special needs and teaches English classes in Rostov from home, is well-educated, but her husband left her when she was pregnant.  She was going to visit her mother in Switzerland for a month while her former mother-in-law watched her son.  I sent her name and e-mail address on to the mission president and also, sent her the address of the new mission home, which also houses the church there.  It is a new building, so that's why she didn't know where it was, I guess.  Anyway, slowly but surely, we try to reach out when we can.  It is so difficult because we basically have to have them ask us before we can exchange any information at all, and we definitely can't teach except inside the church.  I told her I want to keep in touch, which I'm still doing with the girl and her family we met on the Metro in Moscow a few months ago.  

Well, time to close.  We are really excited that Kyle's Russian Manager, Vlad, will be speaking to our Senior group this Tuesday.  I am inviting so many people, because I want it to be a great experience for them, as well as Vald, I hope!

We send our love to all!

Gma