Stuff and The Opera

Two exciting developments today - first, we bought Amoxicillin (Амоксициллин)  over the counter for 56 rubles - less than two dollars!  Russia is awesome. Most of our prescriptions can be bought OTC for NMM (not Much Money!)

Second - while studying today I was reading from Religions of the World - a BYU publication-  and I found what may be the perfect religious concept.  Wu-wei - A Call to Inaction!  Submission to the natural order of things - or inaction or non-action...or resisting the tendency to force "betterments" on others.  One writer wrote that it is best to sit still and not rock the boat.

I would like to report I am doing my part.  I suppose Christopher, who served his mission in Taiwan, may have a slightly deeper understanding of Wu-wei...but, I'm going with mine.  I'm off to practice - wait, can't practice - I'm off to NOT practice!

I wonder where ice cream and chocolate and popcorn fit into my new philospohy...? 

Went to the opera last night.  There is a beautiful opera/ballet theatre here - sort of like an aged grande dame.  The opera was in Russian, of course, so I understood even less than I would have normally understood.  There were good guys and bad guys and a bunch of them committed suicide at the end and the poor little peasant guy who quietly watched much of the action was still there at the end of the opera - still poor, still ragged and still believing in God.

I'm reading some Russian folk tales and the theme seems to be of the noble peasant who is submissive to the ruling class and hard working.  Ivan the Fool is a character from a few of them.  Interesting stuff.

A Package

Hurray!  We received another Christmas package!  It's so awesome to get stuff from home and from our family.  We are going to have the softest feet in the world since we got foot cream and booties!  And new aprons and plenty of food coloring and icing stuff to make cookies and a gingerbread man cookie cutter, too!  Best of all - letters from Christopher and Jen and Ansel and Jonas and Owen and Sadie.  We love and miss you, too.

I think we have our year's supply of vanilla and I made dry rub using the onion powder.  We had it on chicken tonight and it was pretty good.  The brown sugar here is just that - brown sugar.  Very coarse and doesn't melt like the brown sugar in my regular dry rub.  Since I have the district president and one of the branch presidents who have challenged me to a barbecue this summer I have my work cut out for me.  The family honor is a stake.  Well, maybe just my honor...!  It's difficult but I will have to practice, practice, practice....

Sisters

Here is a picture of Sherry with two missionary sisters - who got transferred and are now in Orenburg - and one member.  The older sister is a retired doctor - spent forty years doctoring.  Her grand daughter is now taking the missionary discussions. The two sister missionaries are Sister Upshaw - from Arizona - and Sister Semyonova who is from Russia somewhere!

Oops - there is another sister I missed in this picture!  The sister next to Sherry is Sister Semyonova - same name as the missionary - and is the wife of the branch president.  I know she has a nametag on but she borrowed the missionary Sister Semyonova's nametag....

Mission Bartering

In the Samara Mission a Super Snickers is the ultimate prize!  Don't remember seeing these in the US of A - they are two regular sized Snickers bars in one package and the missionaries LOVE them!  If you want to reward a missionary or give a prize these are the things to give.  When we inspect apartments each cycle (a cycle is six weeks - if a missionary is transferred to a new city it's usually at the end of a cycle) we give Super Snickers  to each missionary who has a clean apartment. There are two missionaries in each apartment and we inspect eight apartments so can give out sixteen Super Snickers each cycle. Attached is the apartment checklist.  
I just made a new one for the mission to use.  The old one was four pages and I put it all on one page. Sister Sartori had been trying to get around to updating the checklist and was happy to get a new one. Each senior couple is assigned apartments to inspect - we inspect eight apartments and they are anywhere from a fifteen minute walk to a two hour bus ride!  

So far no apartment has flunked their inspection.  We're pretty easy - as long as it's tidy and generally clean we're okay with it!  Our missionaries are incredibly obedient to the mission rules so our life is easy.

Grandkids - keep your rooms clean!  Moms - try using a Super Snickers as a reward!  Might work once....

Missionary Apartment Inspection Checklist:

Missionaries Names: __________________________ Date: _____________

Frequency of Inspection – every cycle unless conditions warrant otherwise!

Each apartment should have a carbon monoxide detector and a smoke detector in working order – one of each in the kitchen and bedroom.  This apartment has them:  ___ Yes ___ No

Each apartment should have an emergency food box complete and sealed, 5 gallons of emergency water, a current inventory of church owned property and a 72 hour backpack readily accessible.  This apartment has them: Yes ___ No ___

Each apartment should have a working  - iron and ironing board, washing machine, fax, vacuum cleaner: Does this apartment have them? Yes ___ No ___

Kitchen: (All items clean inside and out)

Microwave Yes ___ No ___ Refrigerator Yes ___ No ___ Cupboards Yes ___ No ___

Stove and Oven Yes ___ No ___   Water pump clean inside and out Yes ___ No ___

A place for garbage Yes ___ No ___ Dishes/Pots Yes ___ No ___ Food Yes ___ No ___

Bathroom

Mirror, sink, tub/shower, toilet, towels, and floor clean? Yes ___ No ___

Bedroom and Living Room

Dusted, floor clean, Bed linen changed regularly, window blinds, study area orderly, closets neat, artwork appropriate: Yes ___ No ___

Foyer

Clean floor, place for coats and hats. Overall clean, inviting and tidy appearance. Yes ___ No __

Necessary corrective action (What needs to be done, who will do it and when will they call inspector to report completion): ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EMERGENCY ACTION REQUIRED: ___________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Early Reinspection Required: Yes ___ No ___

Trip to Moscow

Enjoyed a fantastic trip to Moscow this weekend for some training for the upcoming EFY conference this August.  Attached are pictures of us in Saratov catching the night train to Moscow - which sounds like a song from the 60's!  We had a first class kope and it was so relaxing and comfortable.  As you can see I got into my comfy clothes quickly!  Fourteen hour train ride but we slept much of the way - very soundly!  Arrived relaxed and ready to go!

Here's a picture of another train we encountered and coming into the Saratov train station.

As you come into a city there are hundreds of these little dachas on the outskirts of town...or what used to be the outskirts.  Many times they are surrounded by city.  These are summer homes...most have gardens and fruit trees.  In Soviet times these gardens accounted for much of the food production. Summers many people leave the city and spend weekends at these dachas - tending gardens, barbecuing, etc.  President Markelov's father has a dach in Saratov - now the area is surrounded by city but still a dacha area.  I'm working on an invite...

In the fall we saw many older ladies selling fruit and produce on the street - just have a stool and a turned over box with something to sell.  Could be garlic, apples, herbs - whatever.  They bring the produce in from their dachas and make a few rubles selling it.

Just like the dachas there are hundreds of these storage units as you come into cities.  Many have stoves in them and they are used for storage, shops, garages, whatever.  Most people live in huge apartment buildings so have no place to work or store stuff.  These sort of remind me of the allotment gardens in England where men go to raise produce and everyone has his little building with his stuff in it.  My Uncle Bill spent much of his time in his little allotment shed drinking tea and contemplating his crop!  I suspect a lot of that goes on here and at the dachas.

Dinner with the Branch President

Saturday after the baptism we invited our branch president and his wife over for dinner...and our DL, too.  Someone has to translate.  Sherry made bacon cheeseburgers and macaroni salad and potato salad and we had Lay's Potato Chips and tortilla chips - with brownie sundaes for dessert.  The elders were in heaven!  Fun night.  Our branch president - President Semonov - has been home from his mission for three years....

Baptism

As the attached picture shows I was asked to baptize a young man who was baptized this afternoon.  It was a surprise because I didn't think I had much of a relationship with him - the two Elders shown in this picture have been the ones who have taught him over the last couple of months.  When he was interviewed for baptism he asked me to perform the ordinance.  I asked him if wouldn't rather have one of the younger elders baptise him and he said he'd rather have me do it.  He has been attending FHE the last few months and has been taught a little in our home so I guess he enjoyed the spirit there.  A lot of the young people in Russia don't have positive examples at home and we've been told that our example of a loving marriage would go far towards helping the misisonaries as they teach.  In case you don't know how it works in our church before you can join you are required to be taught - usually by two of our younger missionaries - a series of lessons outlining the doctrines of our religion.  Once you understand those doctrines and believe in them they you can be baptised.  I like the fact that the individual is asked to pray and receive a witness of the spirit before joining - so the decision is between the individual and God.  Sherry and I both went through that experience many years ago.  For those of you who knew me before that you understand how grateful I am for the influence of God in my life!  Everything good I have I owe to Jesus Christ, that's for sure!

In addition to this wonderful spiritual opportunity we also spent five hours on buses going to and from a meeting and the baptism.  We could have driven from Eureka to San Fransisco in that time!  And in a LOT more comfort! 

Hangin' With Our Friends

Here's a picture of some of the senior couples and Elder and Sister Reshetnikov.  From left to right it's us, Sister sartori, Sister Reshetnikov, Sister Petersen, Sister and Elder Wing and on the front row Elder Reshetnikov and Petersen.  We had a fun 

Our Little Russian Girl Friend

While Tanya - our little Russian friend - certainly can't hold a candle to any of our grandchildren she is pretty cute!  We had a young couple over for dinner - President and Sister Markelov - and their two-year-old daughter, Tanya.  As you can see - she is a cutie!  He is the second couselor in the district presidency and a great guy.  They both speak a little english which makes it wonderful for us.