YSA Conference

Hangin' with my peeps...the girls on the right is Elder Davydov's girlfriend who just got home from her mission and is living in Moscow.  Elder Davydov will receive a vicarious hug upon our return...

Conference could hardly have gone better...one of the best testimony meetings I've ever attended.

More to come. It's time for a nap...

More news - Katya from Saratov announced that she will be serving a mission...Elder St. Clair, third cycle, will now be a trainer and District Leader in Nova-K Branch in Samara and our DL Elder Jaynes will now be a trainer and Sister Upshaw is coming back to our zone - she will be in Balakova her last cycle!  And...Elder Bateman is now a Zone Leader in Samara!!!  Our "kids" are growing up!!

AND - PRESIDENT MARKELOV IS OFFICIALLY HIRED AS CES COORDINATOR!!!  HOORAY!!!

Life is good.

Zone Conference

Our zone held conference yesterday...they got to meet the new mission president and his companion.  It's cool to hear the very clear vision President Schwab has for the mission - he told of four points to focus on - Faith in Jesus Christ, Perfect Love, Working with Unweariness and Exact Obedience.

 

Off tomorrow to Moscow for two weeks to attend YSA and Youth Conferences.  Will spend today packing and cleaning and then attend a fireside tonight, church tomorrow morning and we catch the train to Moscow at 17:10.

 

Borscht & The Markelovs

So, a few weeks ago I posted that I was doing crazy stuff here in Russia - like eating vegetables and not liking meat...weird, unusual things. My daughter (in-law, but as far as I am concerned they are all my daughters...since we are sealed together and I love them AT LEAST as much as I love my sons but that is another story for another time...thanx, girls for marrying them) Denee suggested that maybe it was the prayers of her children asking Heavenly Father to help Grandpa be safe and healthy on his mission.  Denee is sweet, isn't she?

 

Anyhow - the other day Lena - Sister Markelov - suggested that they come over and she would make borscht for me...since I had asked her for her recipe.  Every Russian has their own borscht recipe.  Now the deal is - I asked her for her recipe...not for her to come and make it.  If we made it and I didn't like it no big deal.  If she makes it and I don't like it then I have to pretend to like it and she will know I'm pretending.  Cornered as I was I agreed.  Tonight she came over - with her husband and daughter, of course - and we ate borscht.

I have three pictures - one showing my first bite...I love the look on her face as I find out that her borscht is absolutely delicious.  Who would have thought that anything with beets and cabbage in it would be so good?  Crazy.

There is also a close up of the borscht...don't know why but it looked cool so I'm including it.  

We had a wonderful evening.  Next week we should find out for sure if Zhenya is officially hired as CES Coordinator.  Moscow has already bought him a ticket to fly there for training in September so it looks pretty good...but it ain't a done deal until it's a done deal.  He said tonight that after he gets back we are going to have to drive to every city in the mission to meet teachers and train them and give them their materials.  There is a new Book of Mormon curriculum this year that I can't wait to see!

I think we are going to be very busy this fall.  Life is good.

 

 

Institute Lesson

Wow...the teacher didn't show up for institute tonight and I taught the lesson.  You realize the students speak Russian and I speak English, right?

 

The lesson was on the importance of the Holy Ghost in teaching as a missionary (or any other time, of course!).  The lesson only lasted twenty minutes but it went very well...we had one students who translated a bit.

It was very fun.  We ate watermelon and some other kind of melon and some other fruit and went home.

New Mission President

Thursday we said goodbye to President and Sister Sartori and welcomed President and Sister Schwab.  When leadership changes it is natural for everyone to be excited - which is no reflection on prior leadership...just a normal enthusiasm to see what the new leader will do.  Couple that with the recent worldwide broadcast from Salt Lake City on changes in the missionary program and we have a pumped up missionary force excited to meet the new leaders and see what exciting changes they bring.

The flight from the US to Saratov is exhausting and it takes a day or two to recover.  Today we were interviewed by President Schwab and invited them to dinner which they readily accepted...they've been unpacking all day and haven't gone grocery shopping yet.  We really enjoyed getting to know each other.  Also in the attached picture are Elder and Sister Olsen - from Camas, WA - our new office couple who will replace the Connells in a few weeks.  The Schwabs are one the left of the picture and the Olsens in the center.  

It is a great blessing to "happen" to be here when they arrived and to get the privilege of meeting them.  It is apparent that they are the right leaders for the Russia, Samara mission...we're excited to see what the future brings!

Mom and Valia

I'm trying not to be jealous but Mom sat next to Valia instead of me at the activity last night.  It's okay, I love them both...

Institute Summer Activity

We held our first institute activity tonight - we had forty show up throughout the night...including six missionaries and ten who are not members of the church.  We had "American" food - hot dogs, mac salad, chips, chocolate cake and ice cream.  It was an awesome night!

Here's various pictures - charades, ping pong, our soon-to-be coordinator and family...wonderful night!