Spring "Пух"

There are trees all over Saratov that have white fuzzy stuff that blows off and floats all over the place.  It looks like cotton.  Here's an explanation and a couple of pictures.

Pukh is the result of a Soviet-era experiment gone totally wrong. In efforts to make Moscow greener and create more oxygen for a healthier life, linseed trees were planted throughout Russia’s capital. The result is that these trees begin producing and releasing into the air a fluffy substance similar to cotton but much lighter, referred to as pukh in Russian. The air becomes thick with this fluffy white stuff and it looks like there’s a blizzard outside in the middle of summer.

Baptismal Service

Last Saturday, after our graduation services, we rode the bus 90 minutes and attended a baptism in Solnichney Branch.  Our senior missionary friend Elder Stevens got to perform the baptism of Svetlana.  She has been attending church for months and just got her husband's okay to be baptised.  In the interests of family unity we ask that both partners in a marriage agree to that ordinance being performed.  It was a wonderful service.  Solnichney is a very nice branch and there is a lot of fellowship there.

We took another 90 minute bus ride and got home about 20:00 - which is 30 minutes past curfew. We don't have the same rules as the younger missionaries but we try to follow their rules as best we can.  Except for that getting up at 06:30!

Left to right in the picture is the branch seminary teacher, a young Elder, a sister in the branch (who speaks very good English!), Svetlana, Sister Stevens, Elder Stevens, the son of Svetlana and another Elder.

Seminary and Institute Graduation

We enjoyed Seminary and Institute graduation last Saturday.  I was asked to give a spiritual thought so did a object lesson on Standing in Holy Places.  The young woman in the picture stood alone on the table and when I wiggled it she was unstable.  I asked the students what helps us stay close to God and as they answered I had them come and stand next to our young lady.  The object being that prayer, reading the scriptures, etc. help us Stand in Holy Places.  When I wiggled the table with them supporting her she wasn't afraid and had no problem being stable.

Since Stand Ye In Holy Places is the theme for our upcoming conferences I then invited them all to register to attend.  It was fun.

The graduation was short and a lot less formal than the ones we have been used to.  I suspect that will change next year.

End of School

Here is a picture of one of our youth dressed in her end of school year outfit which is very typical of what is worn the last day of school.  The boys are all in ties.  As we went to the park that day there were hundreds of kids dressed like this - busloads, in fact.  It was awesome.  Here is a little history of the outfit.

Young Russians celebrate their graduation from high-school in quite a unique way, and mark the occasion with an event called Последний звонок (The Last Bell).

If you were to travel to Russia around May 25, and it was your first visit to this grand nation, you may be inclined to think that Russian teenagers are quite eccentric! You'll see young girls wearing short dark dresses with white lacy aprons, together with fluffy white bows in their hair, white knee-high socks and black shoes, and teenage guys wearing business suits adorned with a colourful, shoulder-to-hip diagonal sash, somewhat reminiscent of a Miss Universe competition!

But the outfits are all part of a long standing tradition, with black and white uniforms representing the standard attire of school students supposedly in pre-Soviet times, in the period of the Tsars. It should be noted that Russian teenagers are in fact very fashionable, but for this one special day they put away their designer clothes and embrace tradition.

Accordion Solo

Here is one of our seminary student's accordion solo.  She is 16 years old.  All her sisters are married in the temple.  Wonderful mother - Father works most of the year in Siberia to earn the money his family needs.

Russian Diet

 I am now on the Step and Sprint diet.  Step is a Russian version of a Snickers bar and Sprint is a tasty caramel candy bar.  So far the diet is going very well.

FHE at the Activity Center

We had our first activity in the new Activity Center.  FHE.  Played Musical Chairs and Do You Love Your Neighbors.  Eight investigators!  They LOVED the place!  I challenged one and all to ping pong.  We carried food from our apartment - I think we better get used to doing that!

This building is going to change lives.  

FHE

Our new FHE coordinator Miroslav came up with a couple of new games.  The first one he filled four glasses with water - one he kept plain, the second we added a LOT of salt to, the third sugar and the fourth vinegar.  Then we put food coloring in them so they would all look the same.  One of the kids drank a glassful and the rest of the students had to guess what he drank by the look on the face.  There are a couple of pictures showing reactions.  His second game was hiding M&Ms in a plate of salt and then someone had to close their eyes and hunt for the M&M with their tongue.  Kinda gross.

We also had a spiritual thought on faith and we had them do a trust fall where you close you eyes and fall backwards into the arms of some of the students.  Always a fun activity unless someone gets hurt...;-)!

This week for FHE we are going to the park and play Americanski Football.  Sweet.  I promised to buy them all ice cream cones at the ice cream stand in the park.  Life is good.

Our Picnic in the Forest

Last weekend we went with our friends the Markelovs on a picnic in the forest.  Just so you know there are no redwood trees anywhere near by.  We rode bus #6 to the end of the bus line - which is about 45 minutes from our house.  President Markelov met us there in his Lada.  A Lada is a Russian automobile manufacturer.  I have a couple of pictures of the Lada - one parked and one going up a muddy hill on our way to the forest.  The road we drove on was muddy and very rutted - the portion I have a picture of was the best part of the road.  

When we got to the Markelovs he said he had a little problem.  Sherry went into their apartment and Jenya (President Markelovs first name phonetically) said only one of his brakes was working.  So, I watched him play around with bleeding the brakes - I helped by pushing on the brake pedal - and after an hour or so and a few calls to his mechanic brother we got three brakes working.  Jenya said we weren't going on any busy roads and were only driving about 20 kilometers so three brakes would be okay.  We all piled into the Lada - his family of three, a friend of theirs and Sherry and I.  I called "shotgun" and got to explain what that means.

I think they didn't realize that we have areas with muddy roads and streets with huge potholes because they seemed surprised when we were okay with driving on them.  We've certainly done that before - lots of times.  Maybe not in a Lada but still...

We got to the forest which was near a nice pond with some dachas (summer cabins) around them.  Dachas are a Russian institution - usually have a garden and fruit trees and are an escape from the hectic city life and crowds.  Dachas pass down families through the generations - Jenya's Dad has one and we have been promised a visit.  Our district president also has one and he has promised us a barbecue and sauna...not too sure about the sauna part!  Very sure about the barbecue part!  Hannah mailed us some of my Soon-To-Be-Famous dry rub (I guess that will be Soon-To-Be-Internationally-Famous) so we're going to make some tri-tip sandwiches for them.  Of course we can't find tri-tips roasts and I don't like the beef here so we'll probably have dry rubbed pork sandwiches but that will be another story.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of our friends and our campfire.  We cooked some sausages over the fire - the sausages were tasty.  If fact, they were so tasty we tasted them all night!.

Victory Day

Here is a YouTube link to our mission district singing a patriotic Russian song from WWII at our district Victory Day activity. Pretty cool.  We got the names of the songs and are going to check it out to see what they are about...since they were all sang in Russian.  This one we know is about a faithful Russian girl waiting for her boyfriend who is fighting on the front lines.  Very patriotic and poignant.

Just to remind you - 20,000,000 Russians lost their lives in WWII.  For the older generation in particular it is very emotional.  The younger kids nit so much but maybe when they grow up...

Katyusha

Blooming apple trees and pear trees, 
hung the morning mist over the river. 
Katyusha stepped out, 
on the high bank on the steep.

She was walking, singing a song 
About a blue-gray steppe eagle, 
Of the one she loved, 
the one whose letters she was keeping.

Oh, you, song, song of a maiden, 
Head for the bright sun after 
the soldier on the far frontier 
with greetings from Katyusha.

Let him remember an ordinary girl, 
let him hear how she sings, 
Let him preserve the Motherland, 
As love Katyusha preserves.

Blooming apple trees and pear trees, 
hung the morning mist over the river. 
Katyusha stepped out, 
on the high bank on the steep.

A few words about the history of the Russian folk song "Katyusha"

Russian folk song "Katyusha" is widely known both in Russia and outside our country. It was especially popular during the Second World War. The famous fighting machine rocket artillery, which fired for the first time July 14, 1941, was also named Katya.

Activity Center

Here's a few pictures of the new activity center the church just leased.  It has incredible potential and we hope it acts as a gathering place.  Plenty of room for plenty of activities...our mission president is working on approval to add a kitchen/serving center.  One of the pictures shows the little room that would make a great kitchen!  We plan to meet with the facilities guy and see what they can do to get it cleaned up and ready for occupancy.

Did I mention it is right across the street from our apartment!?  Centrally located, near bus lines, great neighborhood, professional building...all good

Funerals

Here's a couple of pictures from the funeral we attended.  One of the "hearse" and one of the graves.  Very typical.