July 1, 2012

Comrades!

Happy first of July morning!  It will soon be the 4th.  I expect a big celebration here in Moscow.  I will report on it next week, perhaps.

I got interrupted.  It is not morning any longer.  It is now 2:30.  We are back from fast and testimony meeting and I thought I would try to break the pattern by blogging in the afternoon instead of the evening.

The fast meeting was very interesting and tender.  Summer time is apparently the time when a lot of turnover occurs in the ward as expats, mostly State Department folks, rotate to their next assignments.  The sweet mom whose eight year old got baptized last week spoke.  She mentioned how much of an impact their three years here have had on her, her husband and their three sons.  She has been the YW president.

Then a brother who has been in Moscow for 21 years spoke tenderly about his memories of being here as the Church got started.  (He is moving back to the U. S. to Cache Valley.)  He recounted how the branch/now ward had met in seven different locations in the 20 years he has been here.  One of their first locations was a building named "Red October."  They most often met in the smaller of two meeting rooms available to them.  Most things were fine except the hammer and sickle on the podium.  They draped a cloth over that.  Sometimes the building owners needed the smaller room so the branch would have to use the larger room.  It was okay except for the larger-than-life bust of Lenin along the wall of the room.  They threw a cover over that too, but of course, everyone knew what was under the cover.

A very nice, older sister bore her testimony.  She has been her from the beginning--20 years ago, and is also native to Moscow.  She remembered seeing the first missionaries and what  thrill that was for the early saints.  She recalled the light that lights the faces of converts.

Her husband also spoke.  He is a developer and is here only a small part of the year.  (He developed the neighborhood where my presidency lives--and many others.)  He recalled the early days and how that little seed has now grown into a stake of Zion.  He said there were only three things he likes about Russia:  The metric system, the Celsius temperature measure, and one more along those lines that I can't remember at the moment.

Sister Johnson was the last to bear her testimony.  She said that because she grew up on the east coast, when the Church was young, that they too had some unusual meeting places.  She said that after six months here she can finally say that she is happy to be here and to enjoy the opportunities that her calling, and living in Moscow, afford her.  She told of her love of being with the Saints and how comforting it is to know that wherever one goes there will always be other Saints with which to share one's experiences.

She mentioned that one of her assignments in the Area Office is to process the missionary applications for anyone wishing to serve from the Area.  She remembered one in particular.  His father had left the family when he was very young, so he was raised by a single mom.  The prospective missionary's bishop said that when the boy was 13 he noticed the missionaries on the street of whatever town he was living in and he was drawn to them.  He eventually had the lessons and was allowed to be baptized.  He was faithful to his commitments in spite of having no support at home.  Marlene committed a little faux pas and observed that this was such an outstanding young man that he should get a call to go to America.  She quickly corrected herself and said that he would be a great priesthood leader in his native land after he returns from his mission, wherever that is.

Anyway, it was a very tender meeting and proof that the gospel affects the Saints in the same ways no matter their addresses.

On the way out of church I met the stake president.  We are 'kind of' friends because we trade emails regularly and I can joke with him.  It has been just a year since the stake was created.  It truly is a miracle that there is a stake in Moscow, Russia.

This afternoon's contributions to the blog come from two trips we made this week.  On Tuesday evening, by ourselves we went to the Kievskaya metro station, and came up out of the ground to see what we could see.  There is an enormous "European" shopping mall there.  So we looked around the mall, ate a little pizza, splurged on an over-the-top Cinnabun thingee, and then wandered the neighborhood looking at stuff.  Pictures to follow.

Then on Saturday we returned to Red Square (ho, hum) mostly to visit a State Museum we heard about at the Old People's meeting on Thursday night.  That proved to be very interesting, but no pictures follow (except for the after events) because one has to pay extra to take pictures of the exhibits.  It was a beautiful day, about 65 sunny and a light breeze blowing.  We know it has been hot, dry, and the sky is full of ash in the west.  But here it has been cool and pleasant thus far through this first part of summer.

We had lunch on Saturday at McDonald's.  It was a mob scene.

The see-through escalators and elevators in the mall.
(6/27, the anniversary of Joseph Smith's martyrdom.)

I cannot delete this image below, but the actual video is somewhere near the end of the blog.  I think you will find it pretty funny.

Another picture of a rose.  Don't you think Sister Johnson's blouse sets it off rather nicely?

Marina, the very nice Liahona coordinator lady in the office tends to the plants.  She has a gift for orchids as well as a gift for editing the Area's Liahona content.

The base of the elevators in the mall.  Water and light.

The babe and the mall.

The mall without the babe.
E for European.

The Kievskaya train station, just east of the mall.

This is the Russian soccer team's prize for competing in Euro 2012.
Just kidding.  But I think it advertises Euro 2012.

A very exotic pedestrian bridge over a very busy street.

The view from a fountain that you will see in a minute.  Marlene was taken by the design in the grass.  I do not think they are all dandelions.

Some of Moscow's finest citizens chatting about the dollar/ruble conversion rate.

Turning back toward the mall from where we were looking at the motorcyclists.
The corner of the train station is at the left corner of this picture.
I can't explain why I am interested in the train station.

Yesterday, as we walked toward the entrance to Red Square and the museum.

Two sales ladies.  They are either sharing a chair or they are really good friends.  Marlene noticed the period costume and the cell phone.

Stalin and Lenin.  But, I thought Lenin was lying 'in state' in a glass coffin just inside the gate to the left?
I guess the Ruskies have overcome death.

Their 'Unknown Solider' monument.  This translates to "Fallen for Their Country."

The babe and the memorial proper.  The flame that you can barely see near the helmet on the right, burns perpetually.

Two soldiers stand motionless for an hour and then are relieved by two fresh comrades.  I have a video clip of the men coming to relieve these two, but it it too big to post.
See me for a personal viewing where we are next in the same time and space. 

The crowd is gathering to watch the changing of the guard ceremony.

The current law intern, a very nice young man, Tim Stratford.
 I think I mis-reported last week that he is going to BYU's law school but that is not right.  He is in Nashville at Vanderbilt.

You remember the Vanderbilt's?  They had almost as much money as Rod and Becky.

I am endlessly fascinated by the well dressed girls with their guys.
She looks like she is going to the prom and he looks like he is going to the gym.  We see this constantly.

If the little clip below will work I think you will get a chuckle of Addie's first effort at dancing.