Central Eurasian Mission - Week 23 - August 21-27, 2017

A whirlwind of activity this week.  Twice the YVs brought over friends from English Club for a bit of socialization.  One night they brought over three young people for dessert and some weird card game. Another evening we had a movie night and watched Ephraim's Rescue which was interesting, but we needed to explain a lot.  The YVs are going to try involving us (and our apartment) more when they are trying to teach,

 

After three days of relative peace and quiet.....the Mission Tour by the Area President and the Mission President and his wife began!!!  It was (and still is) a five day event.  Dad and I were in charge of facilitating the Astana part of the tour (the first day) ) and the Taylors in Almaty were responsible for four days.  We were given the assignment to have an 'executive van' for all of activities while in Astana.   I know, you're asking, "what is an executive van?"  We eventually figured that it was a van that can seat 12-15 people, with their luggage and can take you wherever you want to go and wait for you.  So, basically, a nice comfy van, at your and beck and call.  Miraculously, one guy from English Club had (with his brother - or possibly a cousin - or even a good friend-had just started a new business where their business plan is to shuttle people around town.  We were their customers!!!  And, I think we are featured on their web site.

Thursday - So,  we left our appartment at 2 am to pick them up at the airport and were back to our apartment at 4 am.  It was still dark so I was hopeful I could sleep until ten or so before we had to go and get our people for our "tour of Astana".  We went to the same Ethn-o-village which we described just last week.

We were greeted by the warrior again.




There was a guy with an eagle this time who was saying to people - "hold my eagle for 500 tenge (about $1.50) .  Here is President Martino with Fluffy



and President Davis got to hold Fluffy too,



The Cultural Event being held at the racetrack was a Kazakh game on horses - we called it Horse Rugby.  Two teams of five men each -on fast nimble horses- are on a field with a circle at each end (like a goal), a circle in the middle,  and a circle on each side.  In the original game the rugby ball was a recently killed goat whose head had been removed.  In this game, a big rubberish goat shaped rubber carcass sort of a ball was dropped into the center circle.  The two teams were lined up on one side line, and when the whistle blew, they all raced to the center of the field.  Some sprinted ahead and some held back and tried to block their counterparts.  When the reached the fake goat, one man reached waaayy down and grabbed the goat, and tucked it under one leg.  Then, while opponents tried to grab the goat, he raced down to his end of the field and dropped the goat into the goal.  There were penalties and out of bounds, and one guy even had to go to the penalty box.  It was great fun to watch even though we didn't really know what was happening (which happens a lot to us these days).  The Kazakh team soundly defeated the Chinese team.  We heard that there was an American team (complete with cowboy hats) that was going to compete.  Unfortunately, we'll probably never know of their success or defeat.





Then we got into the 'executive van' and all went to the downtown mall to see some of the modern architecture and visit the 'fat people' again.








The Davis' in front of the Turkey statue.



All of us in front of the Kazakhstan statue



We planned to go to the Social Cafe that we told you about previously.  We thought it'd be great to ask them to prepare for us a traditional Kazakh meal.  The setting would be this simple cafe, and the beauty of it was that they are one of our NGO partners.  It turned out great - the Branch Pres and his family, four Astana volunteers, the Mission Pres and wife, and President Martino (his wife did not come because she had eaten something really bad in Turkey and was in her hotel room......well....trying to recover.  Later on, all of the visitors got the bug, to some extent, and had to concentrate on being great visitors).  There was tons of food, enough you might say, to feed a horse.



This was the main dish - boiled potatoes, onions, big noodles, and horse meat.  All very yummy.



Friday - we were up at 3:30, just in time to go get everyone in our wonderful van and be at the airport at 5:30.  Arrived in Almaty with some medical problems.  Both Sister Martino and Sister Davis were really in bad shape.  The decision was to take them to a Turkish clinic (I don't know how it was a Turkish clinic or why it was the best one to go to), where they got some IV fluids, began to feel better, and then went to their hotel rooms for the afternoon. Our Zone Conference. went well and we were all edified.  Here we are, all of the Kazakhstan Volunteers in our Sunday finest-we look like thousands of groups at the end of a zone conference.



That evening we went to a food court at a big mall for dinner with the other two senior volunteers

Saturday - This was our day to tour the city of Almaty.  First we went to the Park of the President of Kazakhstan - that would be President Nazarbayev who has been president since 1991.  It is really a massive beautiful open area where people like to stroll and enjoy the outdoors.





The Martinos feel a lot better



we look great too



all of us Seniors with the Pres and his wife.



Then we took the gondola up to Kok Tobe where we'd been about a month ago - where President Nelson had dedicated the country of Kazakhstan for the preaching of the gospel.

Here is a view of Altmaty from the top of the Green Hill.  The building on the left with the blue roof - that is our hotel.  The blue building near the bottom,,,,right behind it is a beige building...that is where the church is....on the ground floor.



The classic picture from the top-everybody is here now as those who were feeling crummy had mostly recovered.



The purpose of going here was to find a place as close as possible to the actual spot, where 14 years ago, President Nelson gave the Dedicatory Prayer.  That spot is now covered by a building...how dare they!  This was about the spot, and we all sat on benches; the prayer was read; we contemplated and talked.



Here are the men who seem to be just having a good time, but in reality they are discussing how to build the church in Kazakhstan - they really were, right there in the park.



We took this picture just for Jude because he wants to be a heavy equipment operator when he is ten.



Back down to city level - we were taken to another big park where there is an Eternal Flame burning in memory of the (oh.... I forget for sure) the 601,000 soldiers who were killed during the Afghanistan War.  Here is the flame.



and again, taken at a 'creative angle' with an arch and a soviet like star in the background.



The park is also a memorial for the first and second world wars.  This one is for WWI



This one is for WWII.  It specifically refers to the Panfilov Division's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen.  If you have nothing much to do, google -  Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen.  the engraving reads,
Russia is a vast land, yet there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!"

  

We're in Almaty now and having trouble with the internet and my blog program.  I am going to end now and hope I can publish this

Central Eurasian Mission - Week 22 - August 14 - 20, 2017

We had some really successful humanitarian experiences this week, but first I want to share our personal experiences of the week - - - we actually got new bedroom furniture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We'd told our landlord that we needed a new mattress and that some bedroom furniture that did not look as though it'd be shipped south from a soviet era Krushevsko apartment, would be nice.  He came over and looked and agreed that a new mattress would be possible but that he'd have to see what kind of furniture he could find.  Well - he had his chance and blew it!  We asked Renat, a guy who lives upstairs (he went to school in Texas for five years and speaks nearly perfect English) if he would take us to a furniture store.  When he finally had a morning with some time, he took us to a nearby showroom.  I figured we had an hour to look and find something - which we did.  Then to the cashier....................who spent an awful long time on the computer and printer before finally giving us the official quotes which would be good for three days (to keep special deal prices)  That would be fine because it would take that much time to get the money on our card.

Three days later with the proper amount of tenge on our card, we headed (alone) back to the store. What could be hard about this?  Quote in hand-check?   Money on card-check?  Piece of cake!  The cashier swiped the card numerous times before Dad noticed that the card was being inserted not only backward but also upside down!  But nothing worked = "no, card no work".  A customer standing nearby took pity on us - luckily for us, she had gone to university in New York and spoke perfect English.  The result of a lot of discussion was that we needed to withdraw the money from ATM machines and the return with the cash...............

At this point, our out of town guests from Moscow had arrived, and we needed to show them around town.  Our party attitude ended when we realized we couldn't withdraw all the money on the same day.  We went home, called the USA to talk to the bank, and found out that there is a $1000.00 per day limit.  What?????  Who can buy bedroom furniture for less that $1000??  So we had to get our other card and use it to get the balance.  And off we went with our pockets full of tenge bills.

We had success at the store because hard cash usually works wonders.  This was Wednesday, and delivery would be on Friday.  I asked, "when on Friday?"  The cashier told us she'd send a text to let us know.  Thursday we spent a large part of the day dismantling the standing closet and moving it into the second room.  Friday was spent dismantling the bed......and waiting for delivery.  Finally the delivery guys came and here we go-everything was stacked in the room.



When the guys were leaving, they asked for 3000 tenge for delivery.  I balked because I thought  delivery was included in the price.  A quick call to a friend from English Club revealed that delivery is free from the store to the door to your apartment building.  But.......if you want the packages carried up the stairs to your apartment, it costs 1000 tenge per floor.  We should have known!  The funny thing was that we didn't have any cash, so Dad had to run to the ATM to get some.  Then the assembly guys came to put all the pieces together.  Fortunately, we knew (kinda knew) that they would come. Here are before and after photos.












Afterwards we had a stack of long empty boxes in our entry way that we needed to take down to the dumpster.  The next morning I went down to the street/sidewalk below our balconyish window, and Dad threw the boxes out the third floor window to me.  I quickly gathered them up and started stacking them by the trash bins.  In just a few minutes there was a guy picking them up from my pile and moving them into his metal storage shed = thus proving the adage that one man's garbage is another man's treasure.

All in all, we are very happy with the new bedroom - it is definitely a more pleasant place to sleep in.

So our colleagues from Moscow--I started last week describing their visit.  First off we went to visit
the greenhouse project that we first described way back in April.  Work is progressing nicely.  Land has been leveled, trash picked up.  A fence is being built around the property and a storage shed has been moved to the site for a live-in caretaker.





A concrete floor has been poured inside the greenhouse and electrical wiring is being installed.  We are now, honestly, hopeful that crops will be grown at this facility.



Then we went to visit Balamy - the people to whom we provided physical therapy equipment for children.  This time we went to their facility for young people from 18-35 who are being taught life skills.   It was a great visit.  We went inside.



and ended up in this room where they sang us a song.  Their leader on the right was very animated

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Some of the young men have no place to go at night, so they stay at this facility.  Here is their dorm room.



And there is a kitchen where they learn to cook.





They also have a project where they are teaching the young people to take care of quail and to collect the eggs and sell them.





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And other young people are taught how to plant seeds and grow herbs.  They might be able to sell the herbs in a market, or they might just feed the little plants to the quail.  Notice that they are all wearing matching hats and aprons which were made by another NGO which we helped set up a sewing shop.




To top the visit off, they took us to their "social cafe".  Who knew? - a social cafe is one whose purpose is not to make money but to provide training and employment for the disabled.  At this cafe you can get a two course meal for about $1.80.  There is no menu, and each day different dishes are served.  This cafe and kitchen also prepared meals which are then taken to the three different locations where Balamy operates their facilities.  The food was really good - we had fried chicken, rice, beet soup, and other dishes.



The next day was a great one because we went to the "mushroom place".  The shelves have been built and there are bags of mushrooms growing in what, just two months ago, was a sewing shop.






The Taylors, the humanitarian missionaries from Almaty, came to Astana for the weekend.  He came up to work with Dad and do the financial audit for the Astana Branch.  He is also a counselor in the Mission Presidency, and so had some interviews, etc.  We took them to EXPO on Saturday morning. I only took one picture of the Latvia Pavillion - for Olga....and if she reads this blog, she needs to write to me.



Primary this morning was interesting.  My only teacher and my music person are gone until mid September, so it was just me.  But I asked a twelve year old, bilingual young woman, who is now the only young woman in the Branch, to teach the lesson. We were doing great until, unexpectedly, two Russian speaking Kazakh boys showed up.  Suddenly I needed a more experienced translator.  I ended up asking a young Kazakh woman who is not a member to translate for us.  She is being taught by the missionaries and so knows only a little about the church.  The lesson was on the Three Degrees of Glory = our translator was introduced to a lot of new doctrine today.

This evening the two YV brought over a couple of friends who they are teaching - they played cards, ate food, laughed, and all the while I was writing this blog.



Here is a nice picture of me and my friend - again.