FIRST INSTITUTE CLASS TAUGHT THIS WEEK

Since we've been here, we have been working toward the starting of our English Institute class and our Pathway gatherings.  This week it finally began and was a great experience.  Our course of study for this semester is the Teachings of the Living Prophets.  We are excited about this course.  We spent our first week introducing the subject and helping the students understand the importance of studying what today's prophets tell us.  We focused on a quote by George Q. Cannon when he said that studying the standard works is important but only by adding the teachings of the prophets will we be able to make it to the celestial kingdom. That's a paraphrase, of course, but it is quite a significant thought.  We had about 20 in attendance and they all seemed excited about the 7 lessons in the course and then getting involved in studying the most recent conference talks for the remainder of the semester.  Such a timely course for all of us.  It was a great experience to team teach together.  We love the study and preparation time as well as the actual lesson presentation.  

For a while, I began practicing the piano thinking I might have to

play the piano for institute.  I was greatly relieved when we

found out that one of our students was a concert pianist.

After the institute class, we took a short break with cookie pizzas for a treat. (Of course, they all got eaten. YSA love American type sweets.) We then began our Pathway gathering.  Eight other students joined us for this meeting. We met together for an opening song and prayer.  We, then, had three third semester students bear their testimonies about the Pathway program, especially the first course of study.  We wanted to encourage our new students to stick with the program as it seems overwhelming at first.  They all bore strong testimonies of the benefit the class had on their lives and the expected benefit to them in the future. At that point, we broke into our two cohort groups.  I took the third semester students who are working in a writing class and Paul took the first semester students who are in a life skills course. It was great to interact with each of our students and to feel of their spirits during our gathering time.  They are so sharp and are so busy.  We admire that they have found time to do these courses in order to further their education.  Most of them hold down full time jobs or are studying at a local college too.  Many are also married with children but still willing to spend the 15 hours necessary to complete each week's assignment. They understand what a great opportunity this program is for them and their families.

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Now for our week.....Sunday was a busy day as usual, but for the first time since we've been here we were able to sit down to a nice Sunday type dinner.  Our meeting after church lasted only an hour which gave us time to cook a dinner when we got home. Usually we just have a quick snack because we get home so late.

Monday, we had the opportunity of going to a Russian ballet with our district.  They had earned a cultural night by getting five perfect weeks.  A perfect week was achievable by earning 100 points each day as a companionship.  Certain activities were given a point value and the companionships were on their honor to keep an accurate record of points earned each day.  They were encouraged to report their weekly totals to the mission president in their weekly letter to him.  

The inside of the restuarant.  It was a buffet with lots

of dishes from which to choose.

For our outing to the ballet, we met at our metro station and walked to a local restaurant for dinner.  It was a buffet and all the elders and sister knew what to take as they could read the signs. Paul and I just guessed. We ended up with a roll stuffed with a cabbage mixture. Paul took it thinking it was a plain dinner roll.  I took a chicken ceasar salad but the chicken tasted like fish and the dressing was just plain mayonnaise.  Our pork on a skewer, broccoli spears, and fried potatoes were edible. Probably won't go back there again.

Our wonderful elders and sisters

Elder Ricks inside the Kremlin.

The grand palace is on his

left.

After dinner we took the metro to the Red Square. The ballet was in the Palace theater which was inside the Kremlin.  It is a theater meant for the common people so the prices are kept somewhat affordable.  We spent about $10 each whereas tickets to the Bolshoy theater begin at about $50 and can go up to several hundred dollars. Our district wanted the ballet experience without depleting their personal funds.  

Of course, it was raining so we were grateful to get inside the beautiful theater and check our wet coats and umbrellas.  As we were waiting for everyone before we went to our seats, we ran into Dr. Smart and Dr. Sonda of our mission.  They are the mission doctor and mission mental health specialist. They met online, married and came on this mission. They are a wonderful resource for all of us. 

Our Assistants to the President, Elder Crawford and Elder Ebling

with Dr. Sonda

Inside the theater, anxiously awaiting the beginning of the ballet.

For many this was their first exposure to a ballet.

The ballet was Giselle, a story of a duke who disguised himself as a commoner, met a country girl and fell in love.  Upon finding out he was royalty, Giselle, the country girl with a weak heart, dies from a broken heart.  The second act was all danced in a graveyard where ghosts of women who had been jilted at the altar gathered each night to kill the men who came into the graveyard.  Of course, the duke comes to mourn Giselle and it is Giselle's spirit that pleads for his life.  In so doing, she not only saves her true love, the Duke, but saves her own soul.  It was a beautifully portrayed story.  We all went away amazed at the performance and the talent displayed.  Now we all can say we've seen a Russian ballet.  

We were so grateful to be able to spend that evening with our district as transfers were coming up on Thursday. This was a wonderful opportunity to be together one more time, as a district, before the changes we all knew were coming.

The following afternoon was our district meeting.  It would be our last one all together as a district.  Chicken alfredo, ceasar salad and garlic toast was the fare for the day.  Better than anything caramel cake was the requested dessert by one of our sisters.

Our wonderful district - Elders Melchor, Ricks, Bradford,

Ebling, and Marks on the back row.  Elders Crawford, Hermansen,

Bass, and Sisters Carver and Hawkins sitting in the front.

The elders and sisters in the mission who were being transferred were notified on the weekend as to where they were going and who would be their new companions. We knew by Sunday that we would be losing Sister Carver and Elders Bradford and Hermansen.  Those three bore their testimonies at our district meeting.  They are great missionaries with strong and abiding testimonies of the work they are involved in.  They love the Lord and know they are representatives of His true church.  They will be missed.

Our week was filled with much preparation for our institute class and gathering.  We took time on Wednesday to facilitate our English group but the remainder of the day and night was studying, making bookmarks with the weekly lessons outlined on them, and preparing the different forms and sign ups needed for our pathway gathering. We were glad we had spent time earlier in the week in preparation as Thursday turned out to be a day spent at the central building.  It was transfer day so everyone involved met at the church at 11:00. We don't need to go to these meetings but love hearing the words of our mission president, the testimonies of the new elders and sisters, and seeing the willingness of the elders and sisters to do whatever they are asked to do. As always it was a spiritual meeting.  We spent another couple of hours in a meeting because the AP's needed the projector system set up so we hung around til Paul could take it down and put it back in the institute room.  When we got home we only had an hour to get everything ready to teach.  We had some last minute scurrying to do as BYU Idaho changed the proposed gathering agenda at the last minute.  It all went well, though, despite that.  We were finally home by 10:30 that night, tired, but well rewarded for our efforts and very grateful for the Lord's help in carrying out our responsibilities.

The camera man setting

up his lights in our office.

Friday was a chill out day.  We read the next week's lesson, cleaned house, and went for a walk....in the rain.  That night was game night.  We had agreed to meet a photographer early so he could take some pictures of us as a senior couple here in Moscow.  He is involved in a church sponsored video that will be released on the internet for missionaries and members to use as a way to let others know about our church.  He took pictures of us working in our office, helping a young adult on the computer, talking with a group of YSAs, and planning with two of our elders.  It will be interesting to see the final product.  

Out with the puzzle completed

During game night we put out a new puzzle and got started on it while our young singles played board games.  It is hard to be involved in their games as they are all conversing in Russian.  It is fun to just listen to them.  They know we are there for them and often they come work with us on the puzzle.

In with the new.....1000 pieces!

LIFE IN RUSSIA SPOTLIGHT

Typically, not much thought or care is put into the entryways of apartment buildings.  For the most part they are very drab.  Ours, being an older building, is even less attractive then most.  It's poorly lit with chipped paint and exposed wires up the walls.  The other day we noticed that someone had added a piece of furniture to the area.  It was a perfect fit.

In the stores here, you can not find canned soups.  They have soups in packages but they are usually chicken or beef broth based soup.....no creamed soups.  This past week I have been into making creamed soups.  I experimented with a potato basil soup that was to die for. One night, after our meetings, we were hungry so I decided to try making a broccoli soup.  It was pretty quick to make and turned out to be delicious.  Of course, cream of chicken and mushroom soups must be made from scratch, too.  Thank goodness for chicken and mushroom bouillon cubes.

The cream of broccoli soup

We are continually amazed at the amount of rain here in Moscow.  We think we must have moved to Seattle, Washington or Eugene, Oregon.  We take our umbrellas with us everywhere we go.  Every time I am walking with my umbrella and Paul is walking behind me, he calls me Mary Poppins.  It must be the cloddy, but very comfortable, shoes, the black tights, long skirts and, of course, the black umbrella.

THAT'S IT FOR ANOTHER WEEK........AND A GREAT ONE AT THAT.