Sunday 26 Sept 2010

I cannot believe Sept is almost gone.  It is probably beautiful fall weather with lots of pretty colors in Utah and Idaho.  But Michael tells us Nevada is still very hot.  We had rain 3 days this week and beautiful sunny skies for 4.  It was sweater weather and just beautiful.  In Russia as soon as it cools down just a little they get there winter coats out and bundle up.  You never see a small child or a baby without a hat on. And with the temp in the low 60's they have coats on also.The babies is the strollers are so bundled up that they look like they are going to sweat to death.
Another week in Russia and we expierence new things almost every day.
Tues was pay the rent day so we had to have the elders come and help us communicate with the landlord.
We received mail this week.  Gracie sent a card that took about a month to get here.  But it was worth the wait.  We loved it.
I finally found powered sugar after 3 trys.  A success story.
A mission miracle happened.  As we were crossing the busy street we started across when it was our turn and a car came speeding through the red light.  2 or 3 steps closer and he would of hit us.  A policeman was stopped about 4 cars back and he took off after him.  We do have guardian angels around us.
We tried to shop at a renic which is sort of like our flea markets.  But that was not to successful.  We are going to have to get better at that,
We spoke in church with a translator. So that was quite interesting and a very different expierence.
So life goes on in Russia as we become adjusted and learn.  We will always miss family and friends but we will really appreciate and love them when we get home. 
Thanks for all your prayers for us...love to all..The Gronnings  Gene and Marcia  Dad and Mom  Pa and Granny


School bus we see every morning as we walk to office

Which of these 3 do you think is powdered sugar?

If you guessed this
one you are right.  It was the last one I bought.

A special card from Gracie

I have this by my desk at the office pinned on the wall by me.

This is my piece of wall.  I need more cards grandchildren.

At the renic..In the back tents they sell clothes, shoes, sheets anything you want.

                                                                        





Sunday 19 Sept 2010

O.K So I just looked at this entry and it was a disaster and the pictures were gone. So I guess I Will try again.
Happy birthday to our Kyler today.
Lots going on each week. Monday we had an elder who was coming from Ekatensburg Russia to go to the MTC. His flight in Ekatensburg was delayed 5 hrs and so he missed his connecting flight in Moscow. President Sorenson went to get him and he stayed at the office all day. President was scheduled to be with missionaries that night so the 2 office elders and he came to our house for dinner and family night. Then at 10pm President picked him up and went to their house to spend the night. He did catch his flight to the MTC on Tues. the next day.But it was nice to visit with him.
We had a mini zone trainning meeting on Tues. Sister Sorenson brought all her quilt things and each missionary picked out their piece for the quilt. They all loved it.I was amazed how the elders tried hard to make pieces match. Then Sister Sorenson gave a little talk on M and M's. Gene and I are still trying to decide which one of us is right..(polite for arguing) He thinks they stand for Mission Miracles and think it is Moscow Miracles.But I guess it can be Moscow Mission Miracles.I guess we will ask. But we were challenged to watch for all the miracles that happen on our missions. And many do. I decided I would start writing mine down. But we will never look at M and M's and not think of our mission. We had a program and the misssonaries sang Heark All Ye. We really have alot of musical talent in our mission. We are told at Christmas time the missionaries sing outside the metro stations. So I hope we get to see and hear that.
We had senior night that night so we just stayed in downtow Moscow for the whole day. It was a very long day but a good day.
On Friday we went to Gene's cousin Francis Anns house for dinner. It was yummy. She had fried chicken, potatoes, beans and brocoli (don't know how to spell brocoli, I guess that is because I don't like it)salad. For dessert she baked a cake with a cake mix from the USA. So good..No cake mixes in Russia.
On Sat we looked out our window to see a stage being set up below us. Lots of orange and blue baloons. There is a utility building down below us also and there were some men doing spray painting pictures on it. It was amazing what they painted with cans of spray paint.
Sunday was a good day also. We were able to have someone translate the meetings a little for us so that helped.It is really hard to go to church for 3 hrs and not understand anything being said. So just a little translation helps. Next week we are speaking in church with a translator. Now that should be interesting. For me it is scarey and gives me anxiety, but no choice so I will figure out how to do it. Gene will love it.
Well until next week....all our luv Gene and Marcia

                             Office elders with the stranded elder in the middle

                              Happy Birthday Elder Packard.  One of the senior couples but a very young one.

                                 Elder Callister playing piano for the missionaries who were singing

                         Missionaries choosing their quilt pieces with sweet Sister Sorenson

                          Elder Trotter and Elder Cordoza with their quilt pieces

                            They all loved being a part of the quilt

                                         Cute Sister Perry with the pieces she picked.

                                     The office elders got a new office phone that they think is better than Gene's.

                                         Elder Hansen showing our M and M lesson

                                  We said good by to our dear friends the Burton.  We will miss them. He is the Elder
                                  that came looking for us when we got lost. And he did find us.

                                     Some type of celebration outside our apt. We could not read what it was

                                        All the next pictures are paintings on the utility building outside our apt done with
                                        cans of spray paint. Just amazing..

Sunday 12 Sept 2010

Quick update on the week.  Pretty normal week at the office.  A sister next door to the office came over and invited us to lunch.  So that was a new event for us.  They have a Russian soup here that all the Russians love and eat a lot of.  I do not like it at all and of course that is what we had.  I ate as much as I could. But she was a very nice lady and it was a very kind thing she did for us.
There is also a Russian Soda here that they all love.  We tried it Tues. night with the elders. It taste like yeast and smells like beer.  Horrible..
Sister Sorenson's is making a grandmothers quilt.  She is making one piece for each missionary she has while they are here for 3 yrs.  It is beautiful and it is all done by hand.  Gene picked our piece.
This weekend has been District Conference that is like our stake conference.  We had Sunday's session at a place called the Amber Plaza. It is like an expo center. Moscow is looking so forward to having a stake in the near future, but Gene and I were saying they will need a stake center to have a stake.  Their little branches are just in small buildings. Conference has been good.  One of the speakers said it was his first time he had ever spoke in a meeting.  We still watch how young the church is here. The saints are just learning and so willing to learn. 
Sat night Gene was asking what Metros we needed to take to get to the Amber Plaza.  A member sitting near by heard him and asked if he could pick us up.  Gene accepted.  It would of taken us 11/2 hrs by bus and metro to get there.  Which we are getting use to.  You just do not get in your car and drive to church.  And these saints to get to conference had to travel by metros and busses.  The member that offered us the ride is here working for Chevron oil.  He is from Canada.  So he had his own private driver and car.  After conference he had the driver take us on a little tour around Moscow.  We loved that.  It is hard to find time to get out and see much and we live out in the suburbs.  Quite a ways from downtown Moscow,
Anyway, our testimonies have grown this week as we have felt of the Moscow Saints testimonies and their love for their Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Gospel.
We look forward to another week in Moscow. 

Cute office elders we had over for dinner

The elders talked us into trying this drink..Never again..Awful

This is our piece for the quilt

These are some of the pieces she sews together

This is how the pieces look before she puts them together

Gene waiting his turn at the ATM only one person in at a time.

Conference at the Amber Plaza

This is a church we pass when we ride the bus

Wonderful headsets that we listen to English through as someone translates

A building on Red Square So neat

The famous church on Red Square

Famous St. Basil's Cathedral

Brother Iherts..the kind man who took us on tour

Church in Moscow

The Moscow river,  It goes all around the city

Sunday Sept 4 2010

Another week has gone by very quickly. It has been an eventful week.  School started on Monday and it is a tradition that each student bring their teacher a bouquet of flowers.  So Monday we watched all the children carrying their flowers..and they were beautiful flowers.  Flower shops are on the streets and little flower stands everywhere you go. Their bouquets looked like a Costco bouquet.  There was music playing loudly outside for the children as they came.  To our surprise the small building out our kitchen window is a school.
We did our first BIG get lost thing.  We got lost walking in an unfamilar place for about an hour until one of the senior couple elders could find us.  And he did..We got on a wrong bus on a very rainy night and when we realized it we got off and walked back to start over...We were soaked.
Elder Russel Nielson was in Russia to do some training in the branches.  We did not get to see him but some of the members did and they were so excited.
Gene had to buy his first hat to keep his bald head warm. It got cold fast here. And it rained everyday last week.
Our walk to the office has very bad cement so I will post a picture of before and after cement. 
Until next week take care and we send you our love from Russia
Gene and Marcia

                                    Before the cement was patched..Big footprints in it

                             After the cement was patched.  Just dump a little cement in the footprints

                              These are called Marsukas and they are like little buses.  We have been on one once.

                  This is our subway map.

                       We usually start at the 3rd stop down that starts with a T.  It is closest to where we live. Then we have learned to connect with other stops.

                                     This is the school outside our window on the first day

               Flower shop on the street.  Lots of pretty flowers

This is our new babuska cart.  The Missionaries call it a bob cart.The say old people pull them.  That is what we are.

Does 't he look cute in his hat?