Central Eurasian Mission- Week 44 -  Jan 15- 21, 2018



The picture above pretty much defined our week....sadly.  Dad woke up Monday morning and just kinda stood, stooped, at the edge of the bed.  I asked him, "what's wrong?"  He grunted, and I put him back to bed.  He had chills, aches and pains, a cough, sinus congestion, and the Big D.  I suspect he had some form of flu----even though we all got shots. He was a blob in the bed pretty much the whole week.  Elder Lowry had the same symptoms too and was out of business for two days.  Dad didn't go to English Club on either Tuesday or Friday nor did he go to Russian Class on Wednesday or Friday.  It was a lost week.

But......we did have two humanitarian meetings.  One was with Emin who had turned in documents for a project, but he hadn't done it quite correctly.  We didn't want to try to communicate what needed to be changed over the phone or via email and  we'd already made an appointment before we knew that Dad would be a blob.  I looked plaintively at Dad, and he got dressed, and we went together.  In hind sight, he should have stayed home because he just sat there in his chair and thought a mental chant something like, "I will endure, I will endure", and so forth.  So, we sorted things out with Emin, and he knows what needs to changed in his Project Proposal.  Then on Thursday we had a meeting with Tuleu, who with her husband, has an NGO where they help people who need money, and clothes, and help with stuff.  She isn't a member but is a "friend of the Church" so we needed to meet with her.  I went by myself as Dad was still a blob.  Turns out that the sort of work she does, does not meet the parameters of LDS Charities.  She said they have a bank account into which sponsors donate money, and then they use that money to help people.  Well.........that is not how LDS Charities uses the sacred funds that people donate monthly to the church.  So I told her we do not donate money or 'things' to individuals.  And, we only work with NGOs who have a project that does something that specifically promotes the self sufficiency and self reliance of people.  We'll see..........I told her we could talk again if she came up with an idea that would work.....but.......umm

Here is the shoe attachments we are wearing lately on our boots.  These are called YakTraks, and they work very well.



The coiled wires on the sole really grip the snow/ice and gives lots of traction.  You still have to be careful not to 'push off' with your trailing foot.  They are put on so tightly that they are nearly impossible to take off (except at home) so, when you go inside a building you have to be really careful on the floors (which are mostly tile or concrete) because you can slide fairly easily - but NOTHING like how you'd slide without them on icy roads or sidewalks.  The only downside is that they 'crunch' as you walk....minor problem.



You can hardly tell you're wearing them when they are put on your shoes.



I had taken off my YakTrax to loan them to the Taylors when they were here over the weekend, and without them I headed off to English Club.  I approached the site of the three little concrete steps which lead up to where our apartment building is.  On that particular day the steps were completely covered with packed icy snow.  Here's a picture now with some of the snow chopped off the steps.



I boldly proceeded down the slope, and my feet slipped out from under me.  My legs flew up, my bum went down, my back whacked the snow, and my head snapped back and cracked the icy snow.  I was down!!!  A passer-by immediately assisted me up, but I had to wait awhile before I could begin the walk to church.  Actually my tummy was kinda nauseous, and I was dizzy but I made it.  I only continued because we were having the gift exchange with all of the Young Volunteers, and I couldn't miss that because it'd been postponed twice previously.

Here are our gifts.  Dad got a plant and two packets of veggie seeds from Sister Nelson and I got a heat sensitive mug from Elder Paul.  When the mug gets hot, a picture appears on the side - my picture is one where we are all at our dining room (I am photo shopped in - holding on to a yellow pole in a bus...I think we were getting our flu shot).





Since the slip on the slope I have been continuously wearing my YakTrax - no sense testing fate.  The next morning when I got up I could barely move my head or hold it while getting up.  I had to roll over on to one side to get out of the bed.  I suppose I had a case of whip lash.

The snow continues to amaze us----everything about it...the gently falling snow, the wind blown snow, the terribly icy rutted roads, the ice packed sidewalks, the piles of plowed snow that must be traversed sometimes, the ice removal by city crews.  I realize that this is not new to many people from cold climates, but for us, it is a new adventure.

In some kinds of snow, there are ice crystals that sparkle - just like you'd expect to happen in a Disney fairy tale when a character walks along a snowy forest path. The whole ground sparkles, and the cars and everything.  Here is my best attempt at a photo of the sparkling, but nothing does justice to the real thing.





Then this morning when I was walking, it was not snowing, but as I looked upwards there were sparklelies everywhere just as if someone on an upper floor were throwing out shovels full of silver glitter that floated away into the distance.

Snow removal is intense and continuous.  After the roads are cleared, crews start doing parking areas.  This week crews cleared our parking lot.  When they started, the area was full of the cars of the residents.  I watched as a workman walked along the row of cars and soundly slapped the hood of each one.  That set off the alarms which notified the owners that someone might be breaking into their car.  Gradually all of the owners showed up and moved their cars.  Only one car was not retrieved by its owner, and it still sits in the lot.  The crew and equipment just worked around it.









I feel sorry for these men.  It is so cold, and they are outside all day....and they probably don't get paid well.



I am loving the Russian classes we are taking.  It is really fun to review what I've previously learned and to relearn what I've forgotten.  I am forcing myself to speak more Russian.



January 18 and 19 Orthodox Epiphany was celebrated here in Kaz.  Google Orthodox Epiphany if you want more - there is even a video of John Huntsman (the US ambassador to Russia) participating. Two of our volunteers went down to the river and made several videos.  Here is a still shot.



I can't help but add this last picture.  It is from the second floor of the grocery store next door.  I've previously posted a similar picture.  Here is where a hole has been drilled through the floor below so an electric outlet could be used on the second floor in the middle of the aisle.  This outlet was used to light up a Christmas tree.  But now, the outlet is tastefully concealed by a cardboard box.  Gotta love Kazakhstan.  You know, this just wouldn't work in the US, but here, it seems to work seamlessly - no one kicks the box or trips on the exposed cord.