12/13/2015 Kazakhstan Visa Trip, Tide, Nativity, Fire Drill

            Good treat for all of you this week - from Mike's journal about our visa trip to Kazakhstan. We may have mentioned this before, but any non-citizens have to go out of the country either every three or six months to renew their visa.  Fortunately we have the six month visa.  This is our transportation - the missionaries call it the Ramon-Von for Ramon, the mission driver who can find anything and drive any road.  Rare picture of it dirty, even in muddy weather he keeps it clean  

This is Ramon with President Blinkov, who works for the church/mission in Samara and also is counselor in the mission presidency.  Ramon, left, graduated from university and has a degree in engineering, but he makes more working for the church.  He is also a professional two-man team volley-ball player and has won several championships.  Now to Mike's Journal entry:

         We woke to a 5:00 alarm, which doesn’t happen often, and moved through the morning routine, then grabbed all those things we had put aside last night. Lynnette took chicken sandwiches and candy. I  took some reading material, but made sure, above all, that I was carrying our passports. We got to the office at 6:15 on the dot, and waited only a few minutes for Roman who had already picked up Sisters McKell and Reed. We stopped for Elder Fry and then escaped, with difficulty, the traffic of Saratov, bound for the border of Kazakhstan on our third and last Visa run. Our other trips were to Riga, Latvia and Kiev, Ukraine.  We were driving due west, I think, into a dusty looking gray. In fact, the terrain was nothing whatsoever like our trip several months ago with Pres Markelov to Izhevsk, which was an inspiring beauty. This would have been more breath taking in a different season, but today it was brown and gray. The tree strips along the brutal road were lifeless and dry looking.

         An occasional panoramic shot gave evidence of what would be in the spring and summer rolling hills of sunflowers, bordered by tree lines. But today was picturesque because it felt cold and uninspired. And we did see cows and sheep.

The villages were small crowds of unlighted sheds, or so they seemed. Sometimes several lines of unbeautified homes under the shadow, so to speak, of the silos or factories. 

Roman was on a tight schedule for he had to return to Samara Friday night.  So he took that patched, pot-holed road with good speed, hitting some bumps and dips that lifted us out of seats—or would have had we not been buckled in. Roman pointed out that it was a good thing, it was cheaper and kept drivers awake.  We made the trip there with only one relief stop in the three and a half hours, which Lynnette and I were grateful for.  

      (They do not allow pictures at the border and there were stories and plenty of border patrol around so it wasn't much of a temptation.  We got the two from the internet and it is almost exact but the white building on the left as you enter was blue, weather the same as in the picture.  

Someone opens every gate you go through after they check to make sure you have the number you are supposed to - the vehicle is checked going in and out when all are out of it. They are nice - just very careful.)  Then came the cold process of getting our passports stamped. This week was the first time the mission had made use of this close neighbor, instead of flying to Kiev or Riga, but we were the third group this week, so Roman knew what to expect. On the Russian side we had to deliver our passports and stand out in the cold, and it was beginning to get quite chilly—Lynnette had debated which coat to take and was becoming more and more grateful she had taken the heavier of the two.  The immigration soldiers or those in what seemed military uniforms were inside a booth each time, but we stood outside a window before a camera in the temperature that was dropping. 

          We stood in Russia, then passing two gates before and after, drove a dirt road perhaps two miles to the Kazakhstan border and went through the same process. Again we loaded up, went through another gate into Kazakhstan maybe a hundred yards and drove back first to second booth on the Kazakhstan border, along that same two mile dusty, cold road to the Russian booth, where for the last time stood again in line. It was then time to wish we had brought our double socks and under armour.  (The pictures below are ok for us to post, you can see the Welcome to Kazakstan in English on the bottom line, above is Russian, top is Kazak.  You can also see they don't want you to honk your horn, they come and get you when it is your turn.  The guards were all business but not unpleasant.

This is a building as you go into Kazakhstan (you can almost read it yourself if you know the C has an S sound and the H has an N sound.  Putin is in the middle.

         After all had received the necessary stamps (two leaving and two coming back in) we headed for the van, but one more delay. For some reason they decided to examine us, to see what we were doing here in Russia. A boy in a uniform selected me and Sister McKell, but it was a young gentleman, not in a uniform, who realized quickly I spoke no Russian.  He took the two of us into a room where he questioned Sister McKell about our purposes in Russian. She gave him an Articles of Faith card and they talked. He asked questions that seemed professional and of personal interest, and the full time he was respectful and kind. After perhaps twenty minutes we were dismissed, he shook our hands and we were on our way. The scenery didn’t improve for the return trip, but the sandwiches were welcome and most, excepting Roman, got a little sleep. 

          Grandma Waite would be pleased to know that we have been able to get Tide here - in fact, it is less expensive that it is at home by almost half.  

EXCITING!!!  We found a nativity, the first we have seen here.  Saturday we went over to an activity center  where a couple of the branches - whoops - wards, have rented a gym sized floor for two or three hours on Saturday afternoons.  There was a man selling a variety of food items as we went in, and tucked in among everything was this .. it is made out of some kind of wax, and we're glad to have it.  It won't melt here but we may have to be careful when we get back home. 

      Sunday we had a fire drill during the Volzhski Ward sacrament meeting.  We had been told and the city was there to make sure everything was done correctly.  It was freezing cold outside, but all stood around and laughed and chatted for the ten minutes or so we were out.  It was cool (in more ways than one)  there were a couple of the sisters who had gone out without a coat and immediately one sister opened her coat and wrapped both of them. Another, with one sister on each side who did the same.

 

           Sundays are busy because we attend two wards - Zadvaskoy is 10:00 to 1:00, Volshski  from 12:30 to 3:30.  Mike has to be in the clerk's office for part of that time so he can get the reports.  He goes to both sacrament meetings and is in and out of the other meetings.  Even though I don't understand what is going on unless someone is there to translate, I usually go to SS and Relief Society of the Volshski Ward.   A couple of weeks ago we moved the Single Adults middle group to 6:00 p.m.on Sundays because more can come at that time.  Also, a couple of times a month we have Institute Council at 5:00 p.m.  It is good to be busy.  Also, because of this we will try to have the blog posted by Saturday night or first thing Sunday morning instead of waiting until Sunday night and then not getting it done until later - like your Tuesday night this week.
        The picture below will give you some idea of our weather.  The sun doesn't come out a lot during this time of year.  We continue to be impressed with our young missionaries as they now face contacting in this cold weather. We are also impressed with missionaries everywhere who go out on the streets wherever they are and in whatever circumstances they face to bring this important message to all who will listen - and proud of those in our families who are serving - Elder Braxton,Leavitt,  Elder Clancy Leavitt, Sister Hanna Leavitt, Sister Devaney Rasmussen, and of course Elder & Sister Cecil and Carol Leavitt who have been willing to go out for the second time, even if it means being away from family and we all know how they love family.  They bless many lives.

Nice view of the Volga - 

 There are some things that are more than worth your money!!! (Translation - toilet)

Closing with Aaron's FHE lesson from many, many years ago

The Church is true!

There's work to do!

and the scripture:

D&C 128:22 - ...shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go forward and not backward.  Courage, brethren and on, on to the victory!  Let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad.

  Being here has been a great blessing for us and for our family.  Our testimonies and our lives are strengthened.                                                    

12/6/15 Movings, More Yeva, Kopek "Parable", Not Lost, Mikkelsens

        We had two major missionary moves from Saratov this week.  Saturday Sister Hannah Kathryn Leavitt,  David's daughter, Dixie & Anne's granddaughter, is headed home to State College, Pennsylvania, then to BYU for school.  (one of their grandsons, Eric's son, also served in the Russia Samara Mission several years ago.)  Anyway, the lift (elevator) in their apartment building took this inopportune time to go on one of its non-working sprees, so it meant bringing all the luggage down 9 floors, one of the many reasons I'm against "equality" for women...being perfectly content to stand at the bottom and take pictures while Mike helped bring the fully packed suitcases down.

 
Note the two tracks in the picture below - they are on the sides of most stairs so that strollers (which are well made and solid with wide-heavy tires) have a place to go up.  For winter, some of the strollers even have sled blades that fold down and snap in below the tires.  I think we posted a couple of those last winter.
 
We were able - suitcases and all four of us - to scrunch into one taxi which was fun.

Despite the cold, a group gathered to see her off.  She was an exceptional missionary and a great support to us.  She is obedient, hard working and pleasant.  We will miss her, as will everyone here. She has been in our Saratov district since March, and along with her regular missionary work, has translated for Mike at the District Council meetings and often at our Single Adult Meetings and Institute Council if they didn't have a teaching appointment.  

And Monday night, our Indiana elder, one of the Zone Leaders,  Elder Farmer, who has been here for all of our mission was transferred to Izhevsk, the furthermost north city in the mission. He is on the left in the picture below with Elder Plettig, our other Zone leader. The missionaries teasingly called him the Mayor of Saratov because he had been here 15 months.  He has done much good, works hard, has a good solid testimony, is good at teaching and livens up activities.  Another very cold night, but worth it to be at the train station with those being transferred or going on Visa trips.

Elder Farmer is in the white Saratov cap, a going away gift from a long-time friend, Vova, on the left,  a member about a year and a half and just sustained as his ward's mission leader.

We've known only one bus number we could take home from the train station, so it was nice to have Vova with us because he showed us another, so we made it home in time that our he could come up to the apartment with us for some turkey stew before FHE at the Institute building.
This was a welcome sight.  It is in front of a business close to our apartment.  The magneet (small grocery store) we shop at is behind it with the long lighted sign. 

More on our friend Yeva from Astrahan, Russia.

After she joined the church and started working in family search on her genealogy, she found ancestral names she could do the work for.  The next time they went to the Kiev temple, she went to the desk to have the cards printed and was told that they were reserved.  She didn't even know what that meant, and they told her they had been reserved by a Greg Kellogg in the United States.  She emailed him and he forwarded the email to his mother, Gloria Repin Kellogg.  This is Gloria's email:
      My dear Yeva, My son just forwarded me your email.  My father is Ivan.  You have no idea how long  I have tried to find my family.  And to find you are a member of the church is just amazing.  As far as I know my dad was the only one of my family to come to the US.  So exciting.  He died at 48 years so didn’t have a lot of information.
           Gloria's father, Ivan, was Yeva's grandmother's uncle (ok - figure that one out.) He was 14 at the time of the Russian revolution in 1917 and was against Communism.  Friends helped him escape to the United States where he later became one of the directors of the American/Russian immigration.  In order to be sure his family left in Russia was protected, he never mentioned them.  Gloria sent many pictures of her father and mother and two brothers to Yeva.  When Yeva showed them to her Grandmother, her grandmother cried and cried, said she never knew what happened to her Uncle Ivan or any of the family.  She asked Yeva where she found out all of this information and Yeva told her at the Kiev temple.  Her grandmother wanted to know more about the church and now also is a member and attending the same small branch Yeva and her family attend. And they have done more on family search - Yeva took almost 100 names when she went to the temple last month.

        A good object lesson if I can tell it right from the translation I got.  First some background. In their money system a ruble is less than two cents, it takes 100  of the "10" kopecks to make a ruble, so a kopeck is less than 1/50th of a penny and size wise, about 2/3, if that much, of a dime. People don't even keep them and if one is on the sidewalk, nobody bothers to pick it up so they are pretty much not very important.
                                      
So, talking about looking at the faults in others, close one eye and then hold a kopeck as close as possible to the other eye.  Although you may be able to see just a little around the edges, everything else is blocked out, whether it is important or not, and you lose focus making it is impossible to view the whole picture.  And the longer you hold it there, the more convinced you become that what you are seeing is all there is.
       But, if you make yourself move the kopeck away from your eye, the further away it gets, the harder it becomes to focus on it completely because you are awakened to the many other things that are there.  And if then you also open your other eye, the kopeck, now surrounded  by everything else seems smaller and you can see with even more depth and broader vision.

​      (At least with scriptures used we know the translation is correct) - 

Matthew 7:8 - "first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."  and D&C 64:9 "for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord for there remaineth in him the greater sin."                                        *                   *                    *                 *
One of things Mike has tried to do as assistant ward clerk is to clear up the membership list.  His letter below will explain.  Brother Kazakov's answer is one of the great and comforting truths of this world.  It made us smile, and warmed our hearts.  (I bolded the words, they didn't. )        
Brother Kazakov, 

In every ward and branch in the new Saratov Stake, there are many members listed who no longer live in Saratov. And we don't know where they have gone. Many to Moscow, but where in Moscow we don't know.  

So, the bishops, elders quorum presidents and Relief Society presidents, as they organize home teaching and visiting teaching, as well as making up class lists and activation assignments, must work around the names that are just cluttering the membership list. What is to be done with them? 

We obviously can send the membership for each to the lost record file, but I'm not sure what happens then. Are there missionaries who go looking for the lost members? 

Please help us understand how we can help find those lost saints, but also make available clear and accurate membership lists for the bishops and branch presidents. 

Thank you for your service. 

Elder M Waite

Igor Kazakov
Hello, Elder M Waite!

They lost for the Saratov, but not for the God!

                                        *                  *                 *
    We just completed the mission's 65 day challenge to read the Book of Mormon.  Although it was fast and didn't permit much - not any in fact - pondering or discussing time, still there are unexplainable good feelings that come with the reading.  We're grateful for the truthfulness of it and the effect it has on people.  When asked, we tell people here that if we didn't know for sure of the truthfulness of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the value of those truths to the lives of everyone in the world, there is no way we would leave those we love so dearly to come so far for this long.  We are grateful for this experience.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A note for those of you who don't always see the Mikkelsen's Blog - their mission president is moving them to Odessa in South Ukraine by the Black Sea to work with the five branches there. They served exceptionally well and accomplished much in the area they were in and now move on to bless the lives of those in the new area.    This is from their blog:
 President Packer has informed us that he is moving us this next week.  We are being transferred to Odessa.  It is home to over 1,000,000 people  the fifth largest city in Ukraine and is in the south right against the Black sea.

This is where we will be next week

 Our apartment will be about four blocks from the sea. The couple that was there just left for home and he feels like we need to go down and continue to work with the five branches that are located in that area.  This will be quite a change from our current assignment and I just hope that our light is bright enough to make a difference down there.  Moving from this wonderful town is very difficult.  We have grown to love and respect the people here.  They are true pioneer saints of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will miss them dearly. 

 

11/29/15 Where the Sidewalk Ends, Thanksgiving Party, RS Conference

One of our new converts moved from Saratov to Tuarse, which is in the Rostov Russia mission about 540 miles from here, 11+ hours depending on roads and traffic.  Mike got in touch with the Elders there so they could follow up on the lessons and help her where they could.  After they met with her and her mother, who is now interested in the church, the Elders called to tell Mike what her schedule is if they came in to church.  They would have to get up at 3:00 a.m. and walk for three hours to get to the next village in time for the 6:00 a.m. bus.  There are very few and that is the only one that leaves in time for them to make it on time to church. The bus trip is three hours, the block goes from 11-1 (only two hours).  Then they have to wait until 6:00 p.m. for the first bus that goes back to the first village - and they arrive about 9.  They still face the three walk back to their home in Tuarse.   The cold and snow that we are getting now makes that pretty much an impossible trip; also makes our bus trip to the church here seem like a short stroll in the park, and makes us wonder why at home in Bunkerville we don't even walk from our home the very short distance to the church.

For Shel Silverstein fans everywhere - always brings a smile and warmth in your heart when you read his poems.  If you haven't read any, might be fun to look up a few.  Mike uses these poems in his English gospel study class.  

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow
,And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends
                                   =                               =                                           =                                      
      We held our combined "ward" (not branch anymore) Thanksgiving activity last Saturday.  It started as a ward activity, but they wanted an American Thanksgiving so it was turned to the missionaries, the district leaders in that branch.   It is hard to get turkey here - in fact, even a normal sized turkey wouldn't fit in most ovens, certainly not ours - a large chicken would have a squeeze, but they sell lots of rotisserie chicken here and the elders knew a good place. so we used chicken instead of turkey (had to buy 10). It was done just right and easily came off the bones.
   All the missionaries helped, some of the elders even did some great cooking.  The zone leaders used our kitchen because they don't have an oven.  Below, our German elder, Elder Plettig,  is making Schnitzel, which is amazing.  As a note, he went into the Provo MTC speaking only German and now, at his one year mark is doing very well with both English and Russian.

 and our Indiana elder , Elder Farmer, making his mission famed Snickerdoodles.

We (when we use "we" it means us and all the missionaries) made mashed potatoes, using all the potatoes in a 20 lb bag, and gravy (some hadn't tasted that before), corn, salads, drinks, desserts, the members brought their favorite dishes too .. and it turned out great.  Lots of prayers and planning went into this and we're always grateful that our Father helps us in these kinds of things, as well as so many other.

              Looks like a lot of food until everyone starts filling their plates, then it goes pretty fast.  There were 60-70 there, including members, inactives and investigators.                              

 There was a Stake Relief Society conference at 4:00, the Thanksgiving activity at 6:30 -- so Elder Waite and the new member of the Bishopric took that over.  It was so nice to come into cook and have all the carrots and potatoes peeled and cut up ready to be cooked.  

Our new Bishop is in the center - formerly in the District Presidency - the one on your left is the new counselor in the Bishopric that helped Mike peel and cut.  He and his wife have been back from a mission about 6 months.  She is the Stake Relief Society President.

                                                      

Below, Sister Petrunin (Lydia) is setting up the tables for the light luncheon after the RS conference.  (Kind of a side note - the Relief Society was very grateful to the Elders for setting up tables for them to use -- which they actually set up for the Thanksgiving activity.  Sometimes it is better to just say Thank You than explain and that is what they did.  It worked out best for everyone.   

      Look at how she stacked the clementines. When these ladies come, whether it is their activity or someone elses, just like home, they pitch in and help, quietly and without show. After we finished the basic cleanup after eating at the Thanksgiving activity, I slipped in to watch one of the games,  and by the time I got back, she already had the kitchen floor mopped.

 

Lena Markelov is translating for Sister Schwab, the main speaker for the RS Conference. Lena speaks English, but it was her first time translating and she was pretty nervous, but did very well.  Her husband, President Markelov (President Mission Presidency before and President Stake Presidency now) is the one who translates always for President Schwab - and almost everyone else. The theme was unity and how important that is, especially now as this young Stake moves forward.  The other speakers were leaders in the Stake, and spoke on the same.  They are so grateful and excited for this new stake and are willing to put in the time and effort needed.  There was a very strong and very peaceful spirit there which I can't exactly explain, but certainly could feel.

        Fun Thanksgiving fact we didn't know:  On October 3, 1863 Lincoln proclaimed the official Thanksgiving holiday,  expressing gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg and announced that the nation would celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday on November 26, 1863.   The speech, actually written by Secretary of State William Seward declared the fourth Thursday of every November thereafter would be considered an official US holiday.  That went back to when George Washington was in his first term in 1789 after the nation had come through the American Revolution.  At that time, George Washington called for an official celebratory "day of public thanksgiving and prayer."

We're kind of jumping back and forth from the RS meeting to the Thanksgiving activity, at which one of the sister companionships did some of the Minute To Win It games.  Nobody had seen them before which made them extra fun.  Here they are doing the one where a box of Tic Tacs is fastened to the end of a ruler and they have to hold the ruler in their teeth and just by bobbing their head have to get them all out in the 60 second limit.  

 Next was the game where you use chopsticks to transfer M&Ms from one bowl to another.

 Then the "pie eating" contest .. except instead of pies we made jello and then mixed it up with that whipped cream that comes in the cans .. from old to young wanted to do it and it turned out very well.  The older ones got as much jello on their faces as the younger ones, and licked their plates just as clean. The Russians always do games at parties and they always have great participation.  They enjoy gathering and have fun together.  As we mentioned before, in ways it sounds much like the way Grandma Waite used to describe their town parties when everyone got together.

 
.After our Sunday meeting with Institute Council, Mike was talking with one of the council members who had just been to St. Petersburg to a training.  It is a typical pose and expression that I really like, thought you'd enjoy seeing it too.

This is the entry in our apartment and our bedroom on District Conference days at the time one district is leaving and the other coming in.

 
From Mike's writing - on the missionaries: "they are sunny and positive, facing their calls as emissaries of the Lord seriously. The missionaries are not allowed to congregate in one place, except for district or zone meetings. After such meetings they leave with staggered timing, allowing a few minutes between the departure of each companionship, so they are not all together on the streets. But when together, when gathered as young energetic, miraculous missionaries, young men and women in their late teens and early twenties, in those district meetings, they are an exciting group, full of stories to tell about embarrassing language blunders, cooking mistakes,  “incidents,” on the streets— when someone gets in their face or tries to manhandle them--, and revealing scenes about the idiosyncrasies of companions or members. It is a physical group, so there are always tales of successes and disappointments on the soccer field or wrestling mat, and they are all authorities on tasty places to eat and homemade recipes. Within a few weeks of being in an area, they all become well acquainted with the unusual street names, the parks, and the renocks (small markets) where there are good sales on juice or Russian cuisine,. And they know how to work. Gracious, they know how to work. They understand the value of strict obedience to the rules of the mission."
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And you most certainly are in our thoughts, hearts and prayers.  We are grateful for each and all.