28 Nov 2010

Another wonderful week.  I learned to make bread.  The bread here is very dry and we really do not like it to well so one of the senior sisters gave me her bread reccipe and it worked the first try.  That is a miracle.  But it sure makes a good peanut butter sandwhich for lunch. Tues night was Senior night and we went to the Lochead's house.  He is working here as a legal person for the church so they are in a beautiful gated housing area with a beautiful home that is owned by the church.  But it was so nice.  A lot of Americans live there so it really felt like a little piece of America. We enjoyed the evening. We had to ride marshuka's, buses and metros to attend this but we have gotten use to that. Thursday was Thanksgiving.  What a treat.  Each senior couple had the missionaries in their branch over for Thanksgiving dinner.  Sister Sorenson got us all a turkey through the American Embassy and one can of pumpkin pie mix. No turkeys in Russia.We could only get small turkeys because our ovens are so small. We call them cracker box ovens. So we had turkey, potatoes and gravy, salad, some stove top that Michelle sent from home some candied carrots to take the place of yams(no yams or sweet potatoes here) carrots and cucumbers, rolls, and pies.  It was so good.  And it was nice to be making the missionaries happy on Thanksgiving.  I know it was hard for us to be away on Thanksgiving and I know it is hard for them.  So being together made us all happy and kept our minds off of home.  We talked about our own traditions at home and it just turned out to be a wonderful Thanksgiving.Then I have been making sugar cookies.  We are having the Great Christmas Cookie project.  Each senior sister was given a cookie cutter and was asked to bake 6 doz cookies.  Then the missionaries are all getting together to frost and decorate them and give them to investigators.  We have some Russian missionaries serving whose families are not members and they do not get much support from them.  So they will decorate cookies and send the missions love with them to their families. Then today Sunday was probably one of the highlights of our mission.  The primary did the sacrament meeting.  There were 9 little girls ages 6-9 who sang and bore their testimonies.  It was really touching to hear these little Russian saints sing the primary songs and talk about their families and how they love heavenly Father.  They sang How Great Thou Art..all verses without a word to read.  They had it all memorized.  One little girl sang while her father played the piano.  We take the church so much for granted and these new saints appreciate it so much in their lives. I will never forget those sweet little children and how we are all God's children. That was their whole primary except for a couple of little boys who are to little to participate. How blessed we were to be part of this day.  We love the saints here and their sweet young and simple testimonies. 
We love you all and appreciate your thoughts for us..Gene and Marcia

I made bread

The Lochead's

Enjoying pie for a treat

Thanksgiving table

Pretty little flowers we bought for a table decoration

This turkey barely fit in the oven and we had to take a 1
hr bus ride to a store where we could buy a pan to cook
it in

Sitter Knudsen and Sister Perry they brought
some onion cabbage rolls..a Russian food

Ready to eat

Elder Nielsen had just received
a package from home

After dinner photo

Always an event to get laundry done.
Trying to get the sheets dry

The great Christmas Cookie Project

It has been a good and happy week

Carving the turkey as Elder Cardoza takes lessons

Happy Thanksgiving week Sunday 21 Nov. 2010

Well the week started off great with another package from home.  Michelle keeps us happy with all the love she sends in her boxes.  So much good stuff.  Then we got three letters from home.  Callie, Sadie and Courtnee.  So that was a great way to start the week.
We will miss Thanksgiving in Russia.  We are having the missionaries in our branch to our apt for
Thanksgiving dinner.  Sister Sorenson was able to get each senior couple a turkey through the American Embassy.  They are not huge but at least we will all have the smell and taste of turkey. Should be fun.  We are suppose to have them back to their apts by 5p.m.so it will not be real long which is probably good.
This week we had our zone conference.  We do enjoy them.  The Zone leaders, and the AP's do most of the teaching.  We just learn so much from them. We love to listen and watch them teach.  You have to be a strong missionary to serve in Russia because the majority of the people do not like you to much.  So we think we have the cream of the crop here.  We always hear from President Sorenson and that is always wonderful.
One of the branches prepared lunch for us.  Wed was our English club night and it was fun as always.
Thursday night was our turn to host senior night.  We had it at the office.  We ordered pizza from downstairs and then Elder Hansen play his violin for us and Elder Grover gave a short message on being prepared. It was a fun night also.  Saturday we went to the mega mall to find some things for Thanksgiving.  I needed a pan for the turkey and a pie plate.  The bus was so crowded and the traffic so bad that it took forever to get there.  And the same coming home.  The only fun thing about that event was we found Burger King and we really enjoyed a whopper. But we got the pans and went home.  I think the malls are already getting busy for Christmas.  This morning we woke up to lots of snow.  They tell us once it snows hard and gets cold the snow will not melt until spring.  So I think we are going to get our first taste of winter in Russia.
We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  You have so much to be thankful for.  We are thankful for all you and your support and prayers and the love we feel from you...Gene and Marcia

Beautiful sunset from the office window Monday night

I gets dark about 4:30 so we walk home in the dark. What
a georgeous sunset this was

This is our zone.  We are the north zone

Elder Nielson was taking some heat for his pink
tie so he decided that we matched and should have
our picture taken together

They patched all the holes and footprints
in the sidewalk. Now it looks like the street..
not cement

Another package from Michelle..

Look at all the fun things.  Eye drops, gravy mixes,
cake mixes cards and pictures..The red licorice was gone
that day.  The elders love it.

Elder Hansen playing for us at senior night.
Elder Grover made a cute music stand.

Another fun thing, pictures from Callie, Sadie and Courtnee

Burger King at the mall

Ice skating at the mall

Beautiful Christmas Decorations

Welcome to Winter

Missionaries singing at zone conference.
Not a very good picture..

14 November 2010

Well we were skyping with Michelle the other night and she was a little sad.  Just having a hard time that we were so far away.  Of course Gene does not get it, but I told her I felt the same.  I said if you asked me if the time has gone fast so far(and we just hit the 4 month mark) I would say very fast.  But looking ahead to the remaining 14 seems so far away.  So Michelle lets not look so far.  Day by day...Week by week.
The week starting with the elders coming over for dinner.  When the old President left his wife left the elders with 2 roast.  They did not know how to cook them so I told them I would cook them for them.  So that is what we did Monday night for family night.  I am having issues with the smell of the meat here, so by the time we were ready to eat I couldn't eat it.  But they said it was really good.. The beef especially smells so bad when it is cooking.  Hamburger is awful alone.  But if we mix it in something like spagetti I can eat it. The last time I cooked hamburger for tacos Gene did not like it either.  Anyway after dinner Gene gave a lesson on David and Goliath and how we all have to face our own Goliaths's in life.  And then he asked them to think about why David went and got 5 shinny stones instead of just one ugly rock?  He knew he would kill him with one stone.  So you ponder that also.
Tuesday was an awful day.  It was flu shot day and we were all told we had to get one.  This is where being obedient came in.  Because some of the missionaries did not want one and asked if it was a choice.  I told President if it was a choice I was first man out!! Not a choice.  Others would have to suffer from our bad choices.  We would get sick and then make them sick.  Not a pleasant time.  Some of the seniors could not make it to where we needed to be so they had Gene give shots to them at senior night.  They were a little hesitant at first but then told him what a good job he did.  We said he had a good teacher.  Our friend Hugh.
President Lawrence of the Area Presidency and wife were at senior night and she gave us a lesson on the twelve tribes of Israel and then talked aabout the lost 10 tribes which the scriptures say they went to the North country.  So we had a very interesting discussion on that and many believe there are some here in Russia.  Very interessting lesson.
On our way home from English club on Wed night about 9p.m. we were standing at the train station bus stop which is kind of a scarey place and we got offered our first beer.  The man tried so hard to convince  us to have a taste of his beer.  He even tried in English.  The bus came along and we passed on the beer.

Hope everyone is great.  Appreciate that beautiful land of America with your freedom.  We do miss that.
Until next week so long and take care..Gene and Marica

W

Elder Hansen and Elder Grover over for family night
and dinner on Monday.  Aren't they cute?

Who smiles when you get a shot?  I actually think that
is the Sacrament table where the nurse is.  Only in Russia.

Elder Cordoza was very scared.  He waited until almost the last person.

No expanation needed.  I do not like shots!!!

Gene giving Elder Budd a Flu shot.

Repairing the stairs to our apt. Can you believe this?

Very interesting lesson.

Gathering the ten lost tribes.

07 Nov 2010

What a busy week!!
Monday was started with another big surprise.  When we walked into the office there was 2 packages on my desk.  That makes me so excited.  One was from Penneys..I tried to order a skirt and sweater to see if they would make it here and they did.  Shipping and handling a bit expensive..but beats trying to figure out what you are trying to buy here...Then the other was from Mitch and Sonya.  So many fun things.  You would never think that Mothers Cookies and eye drops and tylenol PM and hair things could be so exciting.  But believe me when you do not have them you are so excited to get them.  Cute picture of the girls with their scarey teeth.  And Gene's favorite the gators.  He put them right on and made sure everyone saw them.  He is sure they will keep the bottom of his suit pants clean in the winter when we are out walking. And they probably will.  So thank you so much Mitch and Sonya and Morgan and Karlee.  A few new pictures were added to my board.  Then Monday night we did our first cultural event.  A native Russian Marina, got us all ticket to go see the BYU piano quartet.  then she took us their.  What a treat.  Theatre is so big here.  Where we went to watch this had a number of big theatres around and it was so beautiful.  The paino quartet was amazing.  Two men play one piano.  We just loved it.  And for an oncore they played Stars and Stripes Forever.  It brought tears to our eyes.  You will never know how much we have learned to love America. so that was just a piece of home to us. Such a fun night.
The other fun thing we did this week was go to President Sorensons house for dinner.  He had all the seniors over for dinner and a little meeting.  It was a great night.  To get everyone to their house is not easy.  Many he had to go pick up when they got off the subway.  Gene and I just left from the office with him so we had it good.  But nowhere is close in Russia.   It takes a long time to get anywhere.  If we can do church in 6 hrs that is good.  So it is 3 hrs total up and back and 3 hrs in church. 
To get into our office you have to step over a ridge.  Everything is step over, step in, step around, step down, step uneven and on and on.  I was not paying attention (As Gene would say is always the case) and triped over the ledge.  I went flying and hit my head and noice right on the reception's desk.  Lucky I did not hurt myself worst because when I hit it hurt so bad.  Thank goodness no one saw that happen.  If I make it home in one piece that is going to be the biggest miracle ever.  Gene keeps saying "Marcia, watch where you are going) but I am always interested in what is happening around me just like many of my grandchildren. So a cut on my nose and a sore nose will be noticed by all for awhile.
If any of you have blog sites please send the address to us so we can follow what you are doing.  You can coment on here on send them to mggronning2@hotmail.com.. Until next week..Gene and Marcia

2 packages on Monday morning

Look at all the fun things

One happy granny

One happy pa with his new gators

Full of everything we need

Look at my fun wall..the missionaries say we have got more
in 3 months than have in 18 months

I keep pictures right in front of me so I can look at them constantly.

Subways are always crowded.  Notice how pretty the stations are

Going into the Sleyventa Hall for the piano quartet

Beautiful hall

Marina arranged for us to meet them after the show

Way home crossing the Moscow River

Marina and her husband.  We bought her some flowers

Some pretty building.  Do not know what it is

Dinner at President Sorensons

Ledge going into office.  I trip on it quite frequently

Cut on nose where I ran into the receptionist desk