Brooms and the Park

These pictures were taken last week as we took a springtime walk in the park...when we thought winter was over!

Here's a couple of pictures of Russian brooms.  One of them is a broom made of branches cut from a tree.  These brooms are REALLY effective - particularly at sweeping up snow and debris on the sidewalk.  The short little broom is used all the time by babushkas (grandmothers) who sweep the areas around the apartment buildings.  The streets and sidewalks and housing areas are generally very clean in the mornings.  It's very normal to see older ladies up very early sweeping.

 The wooden statues are in the park - they look like chainsaw art!  I think I sent a few pictures last year of some of the other statues.

The World Turned Upside Down

This weekend was awesome!  Saturday morning we had teacher training, then Super Saturday activity for the youth and then district conference meetings Saturday afternoon and evening - and Sunday district conference meetings as well.

Here's the awesomest part. Mom was assigned to give a 15 minute talk on finding the one...as in the parable of the lost sheep.  So, she gets up in front of the room full of leaders of Primary, Relief Society and Young Women and starts talking...after a few words she felt her neck and "discovered" that the leaf necklace that was her mothers was gone!  She told all about it and how much she loved it - and got all emotional while she talked about it - because it really is important to her and reminds her of her mother which is why she wears it all the times. She has actually lost it twice while we have been here so it's not hard for her to convey the feeling of loss. She had the leaders crying and getting up to go search for it...Sister Schwab, the mission president's wife was very concerned.  When Mom showed them that she had it in her hand all the time and then talked about the importance of the lost child or sister who doesn't come to church anymore - the leaders really paid attention.  It was a great object lesson!  I love it, of course, because I know how awesome my companion is - but she rarely gets in front of people and expresses herself like this.  My companion is FANTASTIC!  There's a picture of the district Young Women President, Relief Society President and Primary President.

I was asked to give a spiritual thought at Super Saturday right before our boss Zhenya was to give a talk on Personal Revelation.  So, I decided to play the Land Mine game.  You blindfold a person and them place cups of water all over the room.  Then you have everyone yells instructions to the blindfolded person as they try to navigate across the room without stepping on and spilling any of the cups.  You ask one person on the other side of the room to quietly speak correct directions to them.  The trick is for the blindfolded person to figure out which is the correct voice to follow.  So,  when this poor blindfolded young woman was halfway across the room Mom starts moving cups in front of her!  A couple of the young men followed her example and her companion started trying to drown out the voice giving her the wrong directions.  Lots of things to draw on about Personal Revelation for Zhenya after the game.  We ended the game, I mopped the floor and we left.  

I was asked to assist in the teacher training by condensing a 50 minute talk to CES employees and volunteer teachers given last month by Elder Neil Anderson.  The talk was entitled A Classroom of Faith, Hope and Charity.  It's always easy to condense a talk by an Apostle - you just cut out all the stuff that doesn't matter!  You see the problem I had.  The presentation went great and the teachers did most of the talking which is perfect.  The seminary and institute teachers here are incredible.

 There was - and is - a little problem we have with communication. Not sure you realize it but people here speak a different language and we don't.  That causes a LOT of miscommunication.  We try really hard to make sure of things but Saturday we were sure that the meetings started at 09:00.  So, we told Zhenya we would arrive at the branch building at 08:30 and we got on the bus early and got there at 08:25.  It was snowing a lot and really windy.  When 09:00 rolls around and no one was there yet we figured out that maybe the meetings started later...we called and were informed that they started at 10:00.  We stood outside the branch building in the snow and wind for an hour.  I didn't wear my hat or my scarf or my gloves because I'm a man.  By 09:30 I was no longer a man...I was a popsicle.  Oh, well...

Sunday meetings were neat - as you can see we had a nice turnout of members even though it was snowing heavily.  We've included a bunch of pictures of the activities and a few of us while walking home after church.  

Now Mom is in the kitchen - life is good - making enchiladas with her homemade pinto beans and Mexican rice and spicy chicken - life is good - and our coats and shoes are drying out and we're ready to recuperate from the busy week.  

Life is good.  However, after nineteen months away from home and family we are really missing our kids and grandchildren.  A lot.

Senior Couple Meeting

Our mission president and his sweetheart took all the couples here in Saratov out to Il Patio for dinner tonight.  Nice Italian food and wonderful discussions about our assignments.  Each couple gave a ten minute report on their assignments and the Schwabs expressed their love and appreciation for what we do.  They talked about the sacrifices we have made to serve.

We feel that any sacrifices we have made have been waaaaaaay offset by the blessings we and our family has received.  We are, and ever will be, in debt to the Lord for the eternal blessings we are enjoying.  We are so grateful for the blessings of the temple in our lives and the eternal nature of our family relationships.  Our marriage is not "'til death do you part" - we are married for time and for all eternity in the House of the Lord.  We can never serve Heavenly father's children enough to show our gratitude for that blessing.

Tomorrow we have teacher training in the morning, Super Saturday in the afternoon and district conference meetings all evening.

Life is good.

Kholodets

Here's a picture of Elder Reed and I trying some kholodets - Russian Meat Jelly - that Sister Markelov made for us.  You make this by boiling a bunch of meat and bones - bones is where the gelatin part comes from - and letting it cool down and set up.  It's supposed to be eaten cold.

The taste was good but the cold part was not very delicious...

I also read that if you eat kholodets while you are drinking vodka you won't get drunk...and it's good for hangovers...that might explain it's popularity!

Kholodets was the last Russian food I had wanted to try - now I have.  I like borscht better!