Central Eurasian Mission - Week 30 - Oct 9-15, 2017

Here is the staircase going to our floor.  See all those dark spots?  Yes, those would be globs of gum - or other sticky somethings.  On a weekly basis, a woman comes along with a bucket and a rag and wet wipes all the stairs......so she cleans all the gum blobs.  I decided I'd help her out by scraping off the blobs with a chisel that we happen to have in our tool box.



Here is before----and after




It's great fun.  I do one step in the morning when I go outside to walk.  Kinda like digging for clams or maybe...picking zits......finding mushrooms in the woods.  I am sure all of the tenants feel much better every time they walk up and down the stairs.

We had a shopping quest this week.  We needed to find a CO detector.  One of the mission wide rules is that all missionary apartments need a smoke detector and a CO detector.  In our apartment, a CO detector is absolutely unnecessary because all of the window leak and plenty of fresh air enters so we'll never be overcome by CO.  But...we had to find one for one of the YVs' apartments. During our search we explored more of the city on foot.

First stop was the store where we'd found the smoke detector.  It seemed like a sure bet...smoke detector + CO detector = home safety.  We had a picture and description we'd printed from the internet.  But no luck---the salesperson looked for a long time on his computer and said, "нету."  But, he had an idea of a place that would have one and beckoned us to the window and pointed out
that-a-way toward buildings on the horizon and said that that place should have it.  Okay - I couldn't exactly see the building he was describing - - mostly because I had no idea of what he was saying.  But Dad said the magic word (address) and handed the salesclerk his phone.  The salesclerk entered the address and we were set.



In Astana (probably many more places too) there is an app called 2Giis which is an amazing map app.  All the buildings (with their numbers) and streets (with their names) are pictured and you just drop a pin where you want to go, and you're usually never lost.

Seredipitishly (pretty sure that is not a word) we were on a street corner directly across the street from a huge and humongous Islamic Cemetery which we've wanted to explore for weeks.  We often ride by it on the bus and can just see over the fence---oh, yes, we wanted to visit.  So, we walked around the whole perimeter, and could see even less than what we could see from the bus.  Dad  took these photos by standing on his tippy toes and holding the camera up and in between bars on the fence.

It wasn't too inviting - brown grass (of course this is October and not springtime) and tall weeds.  If we'd found a way to get in and walk around our socks would have been b=full of burrs








There was an entrance gate that was locked and a security house, but no humans were around.  Here a sign (in Kazakh) that says there are tombs here from 1609 to 1962



At one of the corners, we came upon a site of historical significance.  If any of you come to visit, we'll take you to "Corner 19".  On this corner there are nineteen, yes 19, man holes!  It's hard to see them, but we counted three times for accuracy.  That's me in the background.



There were some cool water pipes.  We've never seen kids playing on these.  If we'd had grandchildren with us they would have been all over these.  I chose to be simply in between them.



This was an older part of town and there are still a lot of old apartment buildings.  In the older buildings many of the balconies have wooden decorations, that overtime kinda waste away.  Newer buildings, like ours, are just concrete and maybe painted a different color.  So, look at these balconies.











Another old apartment building.






Street art.



And a yellow Les Schawb tire repair store with a warehouse something being built behind it.



And finally!!!!! The CO Detector store.  But we received the usual, "нету" and we went away empty handed.  We would just have to tell dear Sister Eager, who is the mission secretary in Istanbul, that we would have to be non compliant unless she sent a Turkish CO Detector to Kaz with Sister Mission Pres Wife when she comes for the next Zone Conference.  That is not Dad in the foreground, but a photo bomber of sorts.  Look at the picture in the white circle - fire extinguishers, alarms, security cameras - there should be something for smoke's little CO cousin!



But, good news, we passed Burger King on the way!!!



"The home of friendly (or freely... no, its freshly) grilled burgers".







Here is our Vopper Kamba.  It was just as good as at home.  When I ordered (in my very best Russian) a Whopper Combo, I learned it is a Vopper Kamba.



Tuesday was the day for Seniors (us) to "inspect" the YV's apartments.  Inspections are supposed to be done every 6 weeks when missionaries get switched to different cities or apartments or companions.  But, for sure, every six months when it is General Conference time, there are these inspections.  To liven things up, Sister Davis (Sister Mission Pres Wife) instituted the Golden Mop award and a scoring sheet to use during inspections.  In each of the two countries in the mission (Kaz and Turkey), the top two apartments will receive this award.  In Kaz, there are six apartments, so competition will be fierce (I promise I will be an unbiased judge ensuring that the YVs in Astana will have no unfair advantage over the poor housekeeping YVs in Almaty).  In Turkey, the award morphed from a Golden Mop to a Golden Toilet Plunger with golden glitter......our YVs weren't too excited about the glitter part as it can leave speckled golden traces all over one's apartment).

The best part about the inspections was that the YVs treated us to three meals.  Elder Crawford and Elder Lowry made us cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  Quite yummy!  And a clean apartment too.  Their apartment is on the outer edges of the city, it is brand new, and very near the site of EXPO 2017.  No photos because, well, it is just......

Lunch was at Elder Bullock and Elder Paul's apartment which is worthy of a photo.  It is a relatively new building but looks old.  I'm sure it was fashioned after some iconic buildings that are in Moscow which are called Stalin's Seven Sisters - as there are seven of them.  This one was quite new looking on the inside, and it was nice and clean too.  The YVs made us lasagna!  Also - the YVs in their deep cleaning efforts found their CO detector hiding on a window sill behind the curtains!!!



And, afterwards, we went to a chocolate restaurant for a bit of dessert.  Do the chocolates look yummy and expensive? Well, they were!  Each piece was a dollar.





Third visit was the the apartment of Sister Cantrell and Sister Nelson.  Nice and clean with homemade chicken vegetable soup homemade bread for dinner. See on the left there is a row of what looks like balconies?  It is really part of the stairway - the stairs are on the inside but to use them you have to go outside on each floor.  So, up one flight of stairs, go outside and walk across the balcony, go up another flight of stairs, out and across the balcony, and so on.  Never seen that before.



Here is a picture outside the sisters kitchen balcony.  Below are a bunch of private homes that have been around a long time.



One day we went to visit a partner who has two projects.  We've been working to get these "on paper" so we can get all the necessary documents and submit it this month.  His name is Emin and he is, probably, the leader of social entrepreneurship in Astana.  His NGO has a sewing and woodworking shop where disabled people are trained to make "real" items that have value and can be sold.  He recently moved his headquarters to the mental hospital (I've sent pictures previously) and now he is partnering with the hospital.  Previously the hospital could only give treatment, but patients left with no skills.  Now Emin can provide valuable vocational skills.

I love this photo of the entrance to the hospital compound.  It could be a movie set.



Sewing photos.  These machines were donated some years ago to the hospital by some big company - like Johnson and Johnson, or Shell Oil.... don't know.  But they belonged to the hospital, so patients could use them to only make hospital sheets and towels and so forth.  But they are commercial quality machines and often too complicated for the patients.  Also, all the items that were made could not be sold, so there was little incentive for the patients.  As we all know, it is nice to be rewarded for our efforts.







Woodworking project (really cute doll houses) and the shop area



wooden puzzle toys









On the way home we visited at big mall which we'd been too before - you guessed it, we knew the food court was on the third floor.

On the way to the mall we passed the big pipes which were in the process of being replaced and reburied when we were here before.  They are big and insulated.





And to the Mr Po restaurant!  Dad had to explain to me that Mr Po was the Kung Fo Panda guy.  And Mr Ping was his dad who wanted him to be a noodle maker.





The noodles happen to be the best we've had here in Astana.  How random is that - the best lagman noodles in Astana are at food court in a Kung Foo Panda restaurant.  (Does Foo have one o or two?)





The weather has been absolutely gorgeous - meaning clear skies, no rain or snow, and temps in the 50's.  One afternoon we decided to go for a walk - our goal was a canal that links up to the
reservoir / river.  It is labeled on the map as a rowing course and, sure enough, part of it is very very straight, perfect for rowing races.  There were also people fishing.  The distance we walked was about a three and a half miles.  It was good to see the sights =slowly, on foot = rather that from a bus which has everything going by so quickly and one is always jostling for a seat.



And there was a park with comfortable benches.  I really felt as thought you could come here and read a book and look at the water and not hear any traffic.  Here is the 'Eternal Flame' memorial - with flame.



We also passed by Eurasia University which looks like it is made up of about two or three big buildings.  It is located right by the canal, and there were swarms of young people milling about

Saturday was a big day at the church building - a cleaning day in preparation for President Russell M Nelson's visit.  Mopping, window washing, dusting, stair cleaning, everything.  I teamed up with the Primary children and Young Women.  We scoured all the the grassy area (hard to call it a lawn) and picked up cigarette butts.  We did that for two hours.  A couple of the girls grabbed rakes and started raking up leaves and grass bits.  It was like mining for butts - wherever they raked, they unearthed more cigarette butts.  The source the the cigarettes is (besides the casual passers by who toss their trash onto the sidewalk and grassy areas) a tenant just above our stairway.  He stands at the open window of his balcony and smokes and tosses and spits.  There was a mess of spit stuff all over the handrails and on the stairs.

The yard cleaning turned out to be fun.  We had a contest to see who could find the most unusual thing - there was a sock, pony tail holders, a Bic lighter, a brick and a concrete block, and a pocket size empty vodka bottle.

There were a lot of friends from English Club.  Someone asked one of them why they were willing to come and help clean.  Their reply was that whenever their friends move, they help by completely cleaning the new and old apartment.

Sunday was something.  First of all, many people came to Astana to be at the devotional given by President Nelson the President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  Church members from Almaty came, ex-pat members from the oil fields of western Kazakhstan came.  Remarkably, a man from English Club came just by chance.  His name is Kairat, married with three children.  Dad and I have talked with him often at English Club.  He is a man with a spiritual soul and yearning for spiritual knowledge.  One of the speakers, Mary Ann from the Philippines who comes ever school year to Astana to teach English, was talking about living prophets.  Now, those of us who are members of the Mormon Church, know about living prophets and believe President Monson is a living prophet.  And---also that President Nelson is a living prophet.  But for our friend, Kairat, it was a totally new concept.  In the middle of the talk by Mary Ann, he leaned over to me and said, "I need to ask you some questions!"

The Devotional Sunday night was supposed to start at 7:00 - we'd told all the Kazah members and the friends we'd invited to BE there at 7:00 (Kazakhs are often late to meetings).  Many people were there and seated by 6:30.   So......President Nelson arrives ten minutes early, walks in , and we all stand.  As he walks up to the front, he is shaking hands of people who are on the ends of rows of chairs.   Kairat was seated between me and Dad.  Kairat says to me, "I am going to meet a prophet?  Can I shake his hand?  I say yes to both.  The room got quiet and reverent as President Nelson came to the front and sat down - there was a definite sense of importance in the air.  And the meeting began early!  President and Sister Martino (Europe East Area President) both spoke.  Then Sister Nelson spoke - she gave a really great personal talk about her life and about how she was inspired to move from Canada to teach at BYU and so forth.  (The rest of the story, which she did not relate, was about how she met Elder Nelson after he was widowed, and how they married).

Then President Nelson spoke - totally without notes.  He was not speaking to any ex-pat members - he was speaking to Kazak members and Kazak visitors.  He covered everything -  everything that someone who was looking for spiritual answers would want to know.  He talked about the Book of Mormon and had us recall that in general Conference this month, how he had talked about things we would not know about Christ if there was not the Book of Mormon.  He said he had the idea some time ago and put the question before all of the apostles at one of their meetings.  From their responses he came us with his questions.  He said that in his conference talk he did not give answers to the questions - he just asked the questions to make us think.  But, he did say that the answers will be in the November Ensign in the footnotes to his talk - so look for them.

At the end of his talk he excused his translator saying he would finish his remarks on his own.  Then, in Russian, he bore his testimony.....very impressive.  But, thinking about it,  President Nelson has been "over" the East European Area (which includes Russia) for years, and he, no doubt understood that bearing his testimony in Russian would be well received.

Then it was over.  It was announced that President Nelson would like to meet and shake hands with everyone.  A reception line of sorts formed up.  Kairat was excited....well, so were Dad and I.  After President Nelson and company left, everybody milled around a bit...knowing our anticipation was over.  Kairat said he felt he'd been blessed when he shook hands, did we feel that too?  I said I felt I'd shaken the had of a spiritual man, a prophet of God,  and that it was a great blessing for all of us to have been there.

Tomorrow is Zone Conference with all of the 18 missionaries in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.  We are all secretly hoping that President Nelson will make an unexpected, unannounced visit to our conference.  He has meetings scheduled today with Department of Religion, government officials. We're hoping he'll ask the government to let us openly proselytize (that'd be a miracle) and let us act and behave like a free church- another miracle - but "We are a Mission of Miracles".