Central Eurasian Mission - Week 17 - July 10-16, 2017

This has been  an interesting week.  The new Mission President (who has been "in country" for 14 days) has come to Astana аor four days.  He came to Almaty last weekend, went to Bishkek mid week and came here to Astana on Friday and will leave Monday (tomorrow) afternoon after visiting EXPO 2017.  A whirlwind of activity!!!  We picked him up at the airport, then it was District Meeting Friday afternoon; then to dinner, then English Club.  Saturday night there was a Branch/English Сlub Social - a potluck dinner and games afterwards.  Today after church all the missionary group came to our house for dinner - taco soup, cornbread muffins, watermelon, Russian lemonade (which we've decided tastes like creme soda) and fresh peach cobbler.  Here are some candid photos

Four silly young men.  Elder Wasser, Paul Gallo, Elder Shaw, Jake Stebbing



Sister Cantrell, Elder Shaw, Jake Stebbins



Kitchen cleanup - Elder Crawford, Sister Davis, Sister Cantrell



Cobbler



Russian lemonade



We are glad that we were able to be here in the mission when there was this mission president change.  Mission presidents change every three years, elders every 2 years, sisters every 18 months, and most humanitarian volunteers every 18 months.  So not every one experiences the "changing of a president".  Both the Torontos and the Davises are exceptional people - talented, spiritual, etc, but they are different, and it is edifying to be able to appreciate the differences.

Here is our newest addition to our apartment.  Yes - it is a table!!  But papers are now off the floor and off the couch.   I realize, that to you in the comfort of your US home, a table is not that exciting, but to us....oh yeah!

The fun part was going to a store to buy it.  We couldn't find a store with a table on our own, so we posted on the English Club Facebook Page that we needed help.  Within three minutes Nurgissa (a guy) contacted us and told us where to go - the ZETA store.



The store itself is on the second floor of this building which, I think, was originally designed to be apartments because the layout of the store is scattered throughout smallish rooms and hallways.  It is very crowded too.  Everything is carried, by hand, up and down the stairway-no freight elevator and/or delivery door.





Here our attendant is carrying our table to the cashier.



We asked about delivery, and the guy said it could be done at no charge, but in three days.  Well, I wanted the table now!  We decided we'd carry it back to our apartment - it was about a mile.  I counted steps- we'd go 100 steps and then stop, change arms; then another 100 steps, and so on.  I'll bet we made a pretty sight.  As we got to our parking lot, a tall and strong young man took pity on us.  He just picked up the table, went up our stairs, manhandled the table into the elevator, and then carried it into out second bedroom and helped us set it up.  The best I could do was to say in my most grateful Russian, "big kindness!"

Remember when I told you about when we went to the wheelchair repair shop to see if the shipping container had been delivered.  The NGO is called Center for Independent Living.  They do all sorts of things for people in wheelchairs.  Well, we got a call one afternoon inviting us to a concert  in a park.  Okay!  We're ready for a concert.
 Their singing and dancing group (wheelchair dancing - think wheelchair basketball but with music with graceful movements )- was having a performance.  This was a dress rehearsal of sorts because they were preparing for a competition in Minsk.

Here is the covered stage






The singing was really quite good!  The music was TOO loud which made it painful for us, but everyone seemed to enjoy it



This guy was blind and sang a song in English.  It was, like a Frank Sinatra song, with-the phrase "don't get around much anymore".  I even sang along (quietly) with him.  A woman, who knew who we were, turned around and gave me the international 'thumbs up' gesture, and yes, I thought it was good too.



Afterwards we walked around the park - actually it was not a park, more like a vacant area - and looked at the displays.

Great play structure for kids.



A yurt made from pallets.  We checked inside and nails were used!



Inside the yurt



And an interesting movable piece of wood art.



We had an appointment with Kamila Rolan to discuss a project.  Kamila is a graduate student at Nazarbayev University who works with autistic children.  She wants us to help her develop a Resource Classroom where there can be Inclusive Education - meaning autistic children will be taught right alongside of general education children.  We went to the university to  take a look at the school, buildings, rooms, etc. - we do need to learn all we can.

classrooms





These pyramid buildings are going to be classrooms come September, and if we are able to help, they will be the home of an Inclusive Classroom. Yeah - I know - why pyramids?



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