We walked along the river in Penza - it was snowing and there was a cold breeze blowing.  I may have to get out the winter coat and my cool shopka soon!  Also walked through a very large market/renok.  Thought it was interesting that they were selling furniture and rugs - outside in the snow.  The booths in the picture all were selling fresh fruits and veggies.



While in Penza we went to an art museum.  No pictures allowed inside but it was neat.  Right across the street from the museum, the Russian Orthodox Church is rebuilding a temple that was destroyed in 1937.  It will be beautiful!  There is an awesome bell tower with huge bells already installed - and the cross is already up as well.  In the renovations that I've seen, the cross seems to go on before the building is very far along.  Makes me think of when they put the statue of Moroni on our temples.  




There is a picture of the theatre where we went to a play...three hours, all in Russian.  Still lots of fun.  One picture of us inside the theatre and one on the street.  

We went to dinner at a cafe featuring food from Kazakhstan.  Not sure what we ate but most of it was pretty good.  Some sort of stew and shredded carrot salad and a salad of beets and beans.
In the large multipurpose room in the church in Penza they had doors that went up and down to protect the kitchen and storage areas.  Just push a button.  Probably very nice to keep kids out of food and protect the kitchen from volleyballs or whatever.  Keeps the stuff in storage secure, too.  The building was the biggest and nicest we've seen so far - and kept very clean by the members




Here's a few pictures of some sweet members we met in Penza.  A few babuskas/grandmas outside the church, some of the teachers sitting around talking and two students and a teacher.  The teacher with the students is an incredibly gifted teacher.  She was an anesthesiologist but quit that occupation when she got pregnant.  Her husband is a businessman - says he serves as a director of a couple companies.  Great people...she insisted on bringing us some beetless borscht called shchi.  It was pretty good.  This is the sister we first met in Samara at the teacher training and we spent some time with her afterwards.  Since she knew I like meat she also served us some pork steak.






Speaking of borscht - Sister Stevens made a batch last week and it was really good.  Beets and all.  Maybe I'll make some for the grandkids when we get home!!!

Mom is in the kitchen making chili for institute tomorrow, fruit cocktail cake for FHE tonight and some bran/banana/buckwheat muffins for our first visa trip which happens Wednesday.  The taxi picks us up at 6 a.m. - we fly from Saratov to Moscow, Moscow to Kiev, Kiev to Moscow and back to Saratov.  We'll get home by midnight.  Lots of sitting around in airports.  Hopefully this will be the only visa trip we take since the law has changed.  No one seems to know yet.  All we know is the new missionaries have a three year visa instead of a three month visa.

And just in case you think I didn't help Mom I chopped the nuts for the muffins.  And chopped the celery and peppers for the chili.  AND - I'm in charge of clean up.

My missionary companion is the best.  I love her more than I ever have before - she is so positive and solid as a rock.  What a joy to be here with her.  You'll have to ask her how she feels...!

Just got an email from the Connells - the office couple in the mission office - we have a package from the office of our former employer in Richland!  The girls sent us something!  Man, do we LOVE packages!