December 27, 2011 Sunrise

This picture was taken at 10:00 a.m. just as the sun was coming over the horizon. Again this is looking just about straight south across the city of Moscow. It was cloudythe rest of the day so we didn't see this on at all that day. The sun sets approximately 4:30 and when we walked homeby 5:15 it was almost totally dark. Russia stayed on the daylight savings time so it would be light longer in the evening. It actually warned that today so by this afternoon it was 41°. Almost unheard of nice weather for this time of the year.

December 27, 9:25 a.m. 2011 Moscow looking south

This picture was takenat 9:25 a.m.looking almost due South along the main highway running north and south. It was still dark only let up by the streetl ights and cars.

2011 Christmas dinner in our apartment

Here we are all together for a great mealwith our traditional meat balls potatoes and gravyand all the other trimmings with ricecrem. It was a great way to spend Christmas when you have no family.These are people we have grown to love and appreciate here in this far off country.The employee in our office and his girlfriend arefirst on the left, then the sister missionaries, the Andersons who leave to go home in four days,one missionary and mom.We had a wonderful day.

Mission Christmas Party-Senior Couples Skit

December 24,we attended a missionary baptisma young woman in our branch. Following that baptis, in the same building we had an all mission conference with the senior couples. It was a great activity and lots of fun. It lasted all afternoon until seven o'clock at night.

Europe the East Area Presidency

Each Morning at 8:30a.m.we are privileged to have a devotional with these brethren and the other workers in our building.They and other members of their staff are often traveling,but for all who are there we have a morning devotional. One morning we sing together in Russian and the next morning the song is in English. Following the song someone has been preassigned to give her spiritual thought and then another gives a closing prayer.This is a great way to start the day.These brethren are all members of a second quorum of 70s. Two are medical doctors

English Club Group

This is the English club that we teach on Wednesday nights. This is the last nightthat Chad and Bethany taught the class.Some of these have attended many yearstrying to improve their English.The older fellow at the front right is an engineer and has developed several patents.They are a fun group tobe withand motivate them to speak about different subjects in English.

Old-time circus-Moscow

They wouldn't let us take pictures during any of the performance, but this is the arenaand as you can see we are sitting quite high up. That arena held six big elephants with dancing girls. The girls rode on the elephants during some of their stunts.There was a live orchestraclear in the background behind thethe big picturesyou see in the back ground across the hall. This was absolutely amazing talent of all kinds. It lastedmore than two hours and 15 minutes.

Traditional Russian dance and costumes after farewell

A picture showing Chad and Bethany and mom and Iwith some the branch members which joined in the dance. The Russians know how to have a good time. They are so differentfrom what we were taught they were light through the years.They have weathered the storms of oppression very well and our friendly and quite gentle.There are occasional bad apples, as once in a while the missionaries and even last week the mission President got mugged by three thugs who took his money and cell phone. Fortunately he was only roughed up a little.

Packaged farewell branch party

Chad and Bethany work closely and extensivelywith the young single adults, they taught an institute class on Tuesday, English club on Wednesday,choir practiceThursday evening, and then usually some party or games on Friday night. They were loved and respected by these young people.This couple were dressed and acted like chat and Bethany. Hard to depicked in the picture, but she had this wig thatl ike Bethany and she looked spoke with American-Russian accent and acted just like Bethanyit was hilariousand great to watch.

Amazing architecture-Odessa

Old housing, 100 150 years oldbuilt with amazing architectural designsand then very neatly preserved what such as this building.There were many other buildings with just as unique character and hard to explain

On the dock At the Black Sea-Odessa

We Toured around the City of Odessa and I saw many great historical sites.We are on the docks with our backs facing the Black Sea.Unlike Moscow, which has virtually no hills or valleys, Odessa has some fairly hilly parts of the city.

Ukrainian restaurant in Odessa

We tried to restrain differenttraditional Ukrainian restaurants and the food was excellent. Most of the Russian food is not very spicy but yet very tasty.The waitress and service was above average.

We saw a lot of great sites, old buildings,anddined in some of themost famous Ukrainian-Odessarestaurantsat the expense of theLeavittInstitute,funded by a government program. I taught at two different law schools, which I havetold about earlier,and enjoyed the subject in thestudents very much.This is a pictureof the smaller classat one of the schools.

We flew from Keivto OdessaSunday evening.Odessa was establishedunder the rule ofCatherine the greatin the 1700s.Like Keiv,Odessa had some magnificentbuildingssuch as you seehere.The building in the front centeris the Odessa Opera House,claim to be the secondgreatest opera house in all of Europe,with the operate in St. Petersburgbeing first.

Weattended the Operaof Prince Igorwhich wasabsolutely amazing.It was thepart opera withsubstantial amount ofdancing ballet.

On Sunday weattended the international branchat Keivand enjoy their meetings.The most exciting part wasI met a man by the name ofJan Karlssonfrom Oslo, Norway.The most excitingpart of this meetingwas that he married a 16-year-old girlwho lived in Oslowho I knewwhile I served in Norway.His wife was Benta Bakkenand I was in their home just before I leftmy mission.She was a great pianistat that ageand later graduated from BYU in music.Their daughter marriedKaren and Steve Affleck's oldestson Steve.It was great to meet him.

This is where the president of Ukrainehas his officeand we stood under his sign.The sign readsquite clearly-PresidentUkraine.This buildingwas a huge old buildingright across the squarefrom the last building with all theornamentalanimal heads.

Keiv is the capital of Ukraineand there are manyhistoric buildingssuch as this one.Key was alsoin years pastthe center ofand capitalabout Russianland beforeCommunistand there are stillsignificantold structuresto be seen.The ornamentationon the top of the building ismade of concreterepresenting heads ofmany different kinds of animals, deer, elk,rhinoceros,etc.

Here is the place whereElder Boyd K. Packercame to Keivwithout the general authoritiesand dedicatedthis land for the preaching of the Gospelshortly after Communism crumbled.This is a hallowed spot to the Saints

Last Thursday night afterThanksgivingwe flew toUkraine, to the city of keivand the next two day, Friday and Saturdaywe were able to tour the city of Keivas well as attendfour sessions and it was wonderful.The temple presidentand I were in the elders quorumtogether at BYU before my mission.That week we werethere the presidentindicated the temple hadfunction that 104%all full capacity.In other words every sessionthat weekwas completely filland I had the movie and shares.This last year it has performedat 87%of full capacity the entire year.One ofthe topoperating temples in the world.We had dinner with President Galbreath and his wifeand a great visit.

This is a view of the buildingshowing its massive sizean ornamentalstructural design.It is hard to believedid you seewhat kind of moneywas put in to these places of worship.These are a few scenesaround Moscowwhich is absolutely gorgeous huge citywith many many unique oldbuildings.It's a great place to visit.

Another picture showingthe elaboratepaintings, decorations,ornamentation,imagesinside of this sameCathedral.

This is the third time I posted this picturebut keeps disappearingso I tried it once again.It is further explainedbelow.

This is a picture looking up in one of the towers of the cathedral they are much more massive than the picture shows beautiful carvings and decorative designs all the way up.

This is anotherpaintinginsidethe Cathedralwith a elaborate gold carvingsdepicting the quorum of the 12 time of Christ.Of most interest to uswas the fact thatJudas sitting on the left sidewas not highlightedwith a radiant of light around his head.

Inside St. Basil,sCathedralit is elaborately decorated withgold and bronzewith magnificent paintings, sculpturesand decorative ornaments.Each toweris opened or down to the main floorand eachas aseparate room underthat towerso there can be separate meeting rooms, whereseparate congregations meetsimultaneously.

This is a pictureChad and Bethanyand Marianne and IonRed Squarein the center of Moscow.You can see theSt. Basil'sCathedral in the background.It is a massiveChurch that survived Sovietregimeand was not dismantled like many were.Some of the following picturesour tourto thatbeautifulbuildingwhere construction started in themid-1500.

This is one of theMetro stationsapproximate three stories in megroundand this is one of the pillarsholding it up.The Soviet Union started to build thisMetro systemin 1932and it is one of the mostefficient andmassivesystems in the worldthat movesmore than 9 million people a day.

This is our firstThanksgivingdinnerin Moscow.It was great.We had three companionshipsof young missionaries,two sets of eldersand one sisters.We had one other senior couple, theMark Anderson's,one investigatorand one other employeefrom ouroffice.We had a wonderful meal and a great time together