For all of you who are wondering how the situation is in Turkey.....it is the same - the Presbyterian Pastor is still in prison. Here are two links which tell pretty much the same story, but the reporting is more recent. And......Mormons are mentioned which reaffirms why it was a good idea to evacuate from Turkey.
https://www.citizen-times.com/
This was a big holiday week in Kazakhstan. Monday was Defenders Day and Wednesday was a commemoration of the end of The Great Patriotic War (that would be the end of the war with Nazi Germany). It's a big holiday here - I would say that UPS, DHL, and FedEx did not deliver this day....... but movie theaters and stores were open. On both days, the cashiers at the check stands (young women) were all wearing khaki colored army uniform shirts, red neckerchiefs and army garrison caps. They were so cute!! I wanted to take their pictures but couldn't do it unobtrusively. But I could never imagine them being worn at Safeway or Albertsons.
I spent a lot of time this week at the Astana Triathlon Park walking. I've figured out a route so I can do seven miles in just under two hours......yes, I know, I know, but I am in training for hiking upon our return to Oregon. However there is no elevation gain so the Oregon mountains will still be a challenge.
This is my route - two times around the perimeter and the loop-d-loop in the center.
Here are more pictures - (I did spend almost ten hours walking there) Many new benches have been installed.
Here are old ones, really bad old ones, and the new ones.
A lot of new construction has been going on - which makes me wonder if there is going to be a big triathlon event sometime this summer
This red sign was ominous, and sure enough part of the track alongside the river (really not a river, but a lake) was closed off. That didn't stop me, I just walked around the barricades or crawled over them.....just like all the Kazakhs were doing.
New roads - this one, I discovered this morning, has now been nicely paved with asphalt.
new parking lots and two fancy new soccer fields, end to end, with new aritificial turf.
big pavilion sponsored by a humongous oil and gas company
The next day the roofs were on the pavilions.
this looks like the beginning of a stage
new roads and dividers where the soil has actually been placed and smoothed out
blue, floating, temporary dock - - maybe where triathlon swimmers will start????????? I wouldn't touch that water with anything but my hand....which I did last summer.
an exercise spot along the track which often has gobs of energetic men doing all sorts of calisthenics.
We went back to the big mall which has bulk spices....to get spices to take to other senior couples who we will be meeting up with next week in Yekaterinburg.
Then to the cafe at the 5 Minute Mart just in time for the Thursday version of the Business Lunch. It was the same fish soup, and mashed potatoes with a cutlet (think hamburger patty) and veggies and with soft buns. All for $3.00 for both of us.
Spring is certainly here - green grass (where there is grass), leaves and flowers emerging from buds...but the real sign of spring is when tree trunks are painted white (which, really, is not a sound horticultural practice...at least not in Oregon) and when curbs are whitewashed.
And here is a flower bed in front of a big monument. I am going to send periodic pictures of this particular place so you can watch it bloom.
This is the sidewalk right in front of the previous photo. It has been blocked because of construction. So now people have to walk to the left into the street to get around to the other side.
We had another Relief Society activity this month. We met at Sister Holmgren's home where she demonstrated how to make tortillas (and then burritos) and also how to do American style brownies. I realized on my way over to her home that I'd been in the country long enough that it didn't seem weird to walk 10 minutes to the bus stop, wait for 15 minutes for the bus to come, ride the bus for 30 minutes, and then walk ten minutes to my destination. My biggest worry was that'd I fall asleep and miss my stop.... here is my destination stop
There were ten of us - 3 native Kazakhs, 3 Ex pats, 3 missionaries, and 1 Kazakh guest.
The food was a hit! I loved the homemade flour tortillas. The Kazakhs loved the burritos and had seconds and even some thirds.
The brownies were to die for. Here in Kaz the baking chocolate is awful and whatever you make using it, just turns out "wrong" - it doesn't taste right. But this recipe calls for six 90 gram candy bars (like a Hershey bar) and, oh...they were so good! The pan was emptied very quickly. This is Sister Hessenauer ...she's from from South Africa.
Mother's Day came again this year, and the YVs came to our place to call home. We made breakfast for them and they kinda ate in stages as they called home.
Elder Paul
Sister Critchfield
elder Crawford called Sunday night and Sister Nelson will come on Monday morning.
Sunday night we had dinner with a woman named Ulpon who we know from English Club. We had a nice dinner, and then the YVs taught Ulpon a lesson on prayer and how to receive answers to prayers. Then she asked Dad and me some questions about how we joined the church. It was a fun evening.
Dad gave me a rabbit for Mother's Day.
Tomorrow (Monday) we go to Yekaterinburg for three days for a Mission Conference. This is a 'step up' from a Zone Conference. I think there will be about 36 missionaries and six senior couples, plus the Area President. The last time we left the country, Turkey was evacuated............hope there is no repeat this time around.
This was a big holiday week in Kazakhstan. Monday was Defenders Day and Wednesday was a commemoration of the end of The Great Patriotic War (that would be the end of the war with Nazi Germany). It's a big holiday here - I would say that UPS, DHL, and FedEx did not deliver this day....... but movie theaters and stores were open. On both days, the cashiers at the check stands (young women) were all wearing khaki colored army uniform shirts, red neckerchiefs and army garrison caps. They were so cute!! I wanted to take their pictures but couldn't do it unobtrusively. But I could never imagine them being worn at Safeway or Albertsons.
I spent a lot of time this week at the Astana Triathlon Park walking. I've figured out a route so I can do seven miles in just under two hours......yes, I know, I know, but I am in training for hiking upon our return to Oregon. However there is no elevation gain so the Oregon mountains will still be a challenge.
This is my route - two times around the perimeter and the loop-d-loop in the center.
Here are more pictures - (I did spend almost ten hours walking there) Many new benches have been installed.
Here are old ones, really bad old ones, and the new ones.
A lot of new construction has been going on - which makes me wonder if there is going to be a big triathlon event sometime this summer
This red sign was ominous, and sure enough part of the track alongside the river (really not a river, but a lake) was closed off. That didn't stop me, I just walked around the barricades or crawled over them.....just like all the Kazakhs were doing.
New roads - this one, I discovered this morning, has now been nicely paved with asphalt.
new parking lots and two fancy new soccer fields, end to end, with new aritificial turf.
big pavilion sponsored by a humongous oil and gas company
The next day the roofs were on the pavilions.
this looks like the beginning of a stage
new roads and dividers where the soil has actually been placed and smoothed out
blue, floating, temporary dock - - maybe where triathlon swimmers will start????????? I wouldn't touch that water with anything but my hand....which I did last summer.
an exercise spot along the track which often has gobs of energetic men doing all sorts of calisthenics.
We went back to the big mall which has bulk spices....to get spices to take to other senior couples who we will be meeting up with next week in Yekaterinburg.
Then to the cafe at the 5 Minute Mart just in time for the Thursday version of the Business Lunch. It was the same fish soup, and mashed potatoes with a cutlet (think hamburger patty) and veggies and with soft buns. All for $3.00 for both of us.
Spring is certainly here - green grass (where there is grass), leaves and flowers emerging from buds...but the real sign of spring is when tree trunks are painted white (which, really, is not a sound horticultural practice...at least not in Oregon) and when curbs are whitewashed.
And here is a flower bed in front of a big monument. I am going to send periodic pictures of this particular place so you can watch it bloom.
This is the sidewalk right in front of the previous photo. It has been blocked because of construction. So now people have to walk to the left into the street to get around to the other side.
We had another Relief Society activity this month. We met at Sister Holmgren's home where she demonstrated how to make tortillas (and then burritos) and also how to do American style brownies. I realized on my way over to her home that I'd been in the country long enough that it didn't seem weird to walk 10 minutes to the bus stop, wait for 15 minutes for the bus to come, ride the bus for 30 minutes, and then walk ten minutes to my destination. My biggest worry was that'd I fall asleep and miss my stop.... here is my destination stop
There were ten of us - 3 native Kazakhs, 3 Ex pats, 3 missionaries, and 1 Kazakh guest.
The food was a hit! I loved the homemade flour tortillas. The Kazakhs loved the burritos and had seconds and even some thirds.
The brownies were to die for. Here in Kaz the baking chocolate is awful and whatever you make using it, just turns out "wrong" - it doesn't taste right. But this recipe calls for six 90 gram candy bars (like a Hershey bar) and, oh...they were so good! The pan was emptied very quickly. This is Sister Hessenauer ...she's from from South Africa.
Mother's Day came again this year, and the YVs came to our place to call home. We made breakfast for them and they kinda ate in stages as they called home.
Elder Paul
Sister Critchfield
elder Crawford called Sunday night and Sister Nelson will come on Monday morning.
Sunday night we had dinner with a woman named Ulpon who we know from English Club. We had a nice dinner, and then the YVs taught Ulpon a lesson on prayer and how to receive answers to prayers. Then she asked Dad and me some questions about how we joined the church. It was a fun evening.
Dad gave me a rabbit for Mother's Day.
Tomorrow (Monday) we go to Yekaterinburg for three days for a Mission Conference. This is a 'step up' from a Zone Conference. I think there will be about 36 missionaries and six senior couples, plus the Area President. The last time we left the country, Turkey was evacuated............hope there is no repeat this time around.
Why are the tree trunks painted white??
ReplyDeletehttps://www.areweeurope.com/green-continent/painting-trees-white/
ReplyDeleteHere is one explanation. I agree with it