48TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED ON RED SQUARE

RYMs all lit up for Christmas

Who would have ever thought that we would be celebrating our 48th wedding anniversary walking around Red Square in Moscow in the winter snow.  That is exactly how we spent our anniversary (actually the day before our anniversary). We invited the Piersons and Hays to join us for dinner Saturday night, the 21st, at an Italian restaurant across the street from the Bolshoi Theater.  After a delightful meal, we walked the short distance to the Red Square.  Our friends hadn't seen all the Christmas decorations yet and we had seen them only in the daytime.  What a fairyland it was at night and in the snow.  RYM's (Goom) department store was completely lit up complimenting the massive Christmas tree in front also bedecked with lights. People were everywhere buying presents at the little Christmas shops, ice skating at the ice skating rink, and, like us, just admiring the beauty and feeling the excitement of Christmas.  There was a light snow falling which made it even more magical.  We all kept saying, "Can you believe we are really here."  A perfect anniversary celebration.

At a favorite Italian restaurant just off Red Square

with some dear friends

Almost a temple square effect surrounding the Bolishoi Theater

A magical fairyland

A side note: As we walked through GYM's to see the magnificent decorations there, 'Raindrops Keep Falling on Your Head' was being played over the loud speaker.  A unique kind of holiday music, we thought.  

All ready for decorating.  I had to

make the colored sugar as there

is no such thing here.

Our week started with our weekly shop at Ashans during the day and our family Home evening in our home that night.  This Monday we had a total of 19 in our little apartment.  It was a riot trying to play 'Four on a Couch' with everyone crowded into our living room.  We decided to have our guests experience an American holiday tradition and decorate sugar cookies for refreshments. I had the cookies baked, the frosting made, and the candies set out for everyone to use. When the investigators first came into the kitchen they didn't know what to do. I had to show them how to frost and decorate a cookie. Once I did, they really got into it. They were getting real creative by the end, taking pictures of their creations, posting them on facebook and then, of course, eating their cookies with a glass of milk.  It was so much fun watching them react to a tradition which is so common to us.  

Dema showing off his creation.  He took a picture of it and then ate it.

Tuesday, we went to the South building to a Zone training meeting.  The training was centered around our area president's directions to our mission leadership council on how to be the best missionaries they can be.  Our zone leaders did a great job conveying his message. It will be a great boon to our mission if the missionaries will follow his suggestions like being 100% obedient, totally focused, and unified as a companionship.  He suggested that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. With that suggestion, the elders and sisters in our zone decided to sacrifice something in order to call upon the powers above to help them meet a rather high member presence goal.  After much discussion it was decided they would all give up sweets until the next transfer(5 weeks). That meant no sweets during the Christmas holidays. Quite a sacrifice.  Because of this commitment, we won't be serving any desserts for the next few district meetings, not even on Christmas day. We won't be having a sugar plum for Christmas dinner nor will we give them the Millar traditional tea ring as a Christmas gift. Just a little stress, now, to have to find something else to give our elders and sisters and to change our Christmas day menu.


After the meeting we met the Kings, Ottleys, and Ropers at another Starlight diner (we've been to 3 different ones now) for dinner. We weren't in the mood for hamburgers so I ordered a salmon and rice pilaf dish and Paul ordered a lemon chicken dish with Alfredo and pasta. Both were delicious. We had fun visiting with the Ropers who sat right across from us. They are new to our mission from Orem, Utah and will be a great addition to our senior couple group.  The Kings and Ottleys were in town to take their semi annual migration trip to Riga, Latvia. All missionaries have to leave the country every 6 months in order to get new migration papers. (Our trip will be in January.) The Kings spent the night at our apartment and then left in the early morning for the train to take them to the airport for their trip.

The Kings and Ottleys and us waiting for the Ropers at the metro station

Once again our English group discussion was fun.  We talked about education and learning. After the activity, we had to tell a story about education and learning. Paul found one called Rose.  It was about an 87 year old lady who went to college to get a degree because she had always dreamed of getting an education.  A week after she graduated she passed away.  Over 2000 students attended her funeral because she had impacted their lives in some way.  At a football banquet where she was asked to speak, she sang a song entitled 'The Rose.'  We found that song recorded by Bette Midler and played it for the group.  It was very effective.

As we were rearranging the chairs in the classroom, a group of missionaries came in to watch a video with an investigator. The TV didn't have a DVD player so we invited them to come to our apartment to use ours.  As a result, we got to watch the Restoration video again (this time in English) and sit in on a discussion.  The young man has committed to be baptized on the 7th of January.  

Our third semester students

excited to begin their on-line education at BYU Idaho.

10 of 14 are matriculating.

We conducted our last Institute and gathering meeting for this semester on Thursday night. Our lesson was based on Elder Holland's powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon given in October 2009 general conference.  We are teaching the Book of Mormon for the next two semesters and we wanted to motivate our students to begin reading it. Between institute and our gathering we had a pizza party - 8 pizzas, pop, cut up vegetables, and Christmas cookies.  At our gathering the students in both classes had an opportunity to review their semester.  It was exciting to hear how much these students have appreciated their learning and the opportunity to get an education at a wonderful university for a much reduced cost.  So worth our (mostly Paul's) effort to keep the program running smoothly.

Isaac will be gone til after the

new year. 

Friday we said goodbye to Isaac, our home study seminary student, as he is going home for the holidays. We gave him three units to do while he is away.  We'll keep up with him and study what he is studying so we can be on the same page when he returns.  We do love teaching him every week.

The puzzle

Sweet Leelee

Friday we got to game night and  started a new puzzle. The puzzle we had been working on was finished by Leelee, a sweet friend.  She had come and finished it during Pathway the night before.  The last two puzzles we have started, have been completed by someone else. It is a standing joke with Leelee and Paul about who will work most of each puzzle.  She shared with us that she received her mission call.  She is so excited because she is going to be serving on Temple Square.  She said she had dreamed of serving there since she was a little girl.  The Lord knew her desire.  She will be wonderful as she is very outgoing, has a darling personality, and speaks pretty good English.  We are so excited for her.

Taken on Sunday at church

That brings us back to Saturday.  It was a very busy day. Before going to dinner for our anniversary, we had a luncheon at our home with a new friend and her niece. We met Natalia on our way to church last Sunday. She is from Armenia but left there 20 years ago with her husband and two daughters to go to America.  She lives in Beaverton, Oregon.  She found the church while living in America and her whole family was baptized thanks to the home teacher of their host family. This is her first trip to Russia in those 20 years. She is visiting some family members who live here. Sunday, she was looking for our ward building.  We just happened to run into her on our way to church, so we took her with us. We found out that the family she is staying with here in Moscow has been asking her questions about her church.  She talked about wanting to get her niece together with some members so she could get to know someone her age. During the week, I arranged to have her bring her niece to our home Saturday afternoon for lunch.  I invited the sister missionaries and a ward member to come too.  At the last minute the ward member couldn't come, but we had a wonderful lunch and great visit anyway. We left each other grateful we had had this opportunity to become friends.  A special day.

Natalia, Sisters Tolbert and Simmons, and Tamara

Served Cafe Rio chicken soup.  A Big Hit!

LIVING IN RUSSIA SPOTLIGHT

Here in the Russia Moscow Mission, the elders are asked to carry man purses instead of backpacks.  Paul swore he would never be caught dead carrying one.  One of our elders left his man purse at our home and we had to take it to him at our zone training so.... Paul had to wear it.  Never say never.

Taken about 9:30 in the morning

We have experienced our shortest day here in Moscow. It was dark at 4:30 p.m. and just getting light at 9:30 a.m.  The days only get longer from here on out.

A week ago we were in a grocery store and came across these lovely rabbits all ready to take home to cook for dinner......paws and all.  We about died.

We'll end this blog with all the beautiful Christmas trees we have seen all over the city. They are everywhere and each one is very unique.

...and even a Metro tree.  The M is the symbol

in front of every metro station.

WE SEND EVERYONE OUR MERRIEST OF CHRISTMAS WISHES.

MAY YOU FEEL THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS ALWAYS.

WE ARE A WEEK BEHIND IN OUR BLOG POSTS 

SO OUR REPORT OF OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS

IN RUSSIA WILL BE NEXT WEEK.