If you have not read this weeks blog, keep going after this post, and Sister Pocock's blog that tells the news of the week. This is Elder Pocock again, trying something new.  This blog is purely optional.  Read through the explanations  and then click only on the ones you are interested in.

There have been some things that have come to light since coming to Perm that have fascinated me.  I am including videos that give further insight to these things.  When we were told the news of a terrible fire in Brazil that killed over 200 people, the news article referred to a fire in Perm Russia.  So I had to learn more.  Here is a short video of the onset of the blaze.  Like the other fires, it is not the flame or heat that kills these people, it is the smoke, lack of oxygen, and lack of escape routes.  Ultimately 156 people died, but not all of them immediately.  The original count was about 120, but more kept dying from the effects, up to six months later.  At least 90 children lost parents in the blaze.

After coming to Russia I found that Francis Gary Powers, the pilot of the U2 plane, was shot down over farm ground near Yekaterinburg, our mission headquarters.  I was told that he was captured by local farmers and held captive by pitchforks until the proper authorities could come and arrest him.

     

This is a video tour of many of the sights we are accustomed to seeing as we go about the city.  It is nice to see these things, because all of the missionaries will recognize the majority of the sites.  This is our view of Perm.  I just wish I could adjust the music.  We hear some music on the bus with English lyrics, but very little country, and no Johnny Cash.

One of the museums had a traveling display of Religious and Social oppression during the Soviet Era.  That got me interested in gulags.  This is very enlightening segment on the last remaining gulag, which is located outside of Perm Russia.  If you are interested, it is self explanatory.

Last is a video that will be of interest to any missionaries who have been here, because it shows a side that we don't see as missionaries.  It was filmed by Japanese visitors who did an amazing job of showing the beauties of our area.  It begins in the Urals.  (This is something that has always bothered me.  I always imagined the Urals as this massive geological phenomena that defined two continents.  They are beautiful, but unimpressive to those who are accustom to the Rockies.  They are more like the Appalachians.)  It goes on to show the best of culture and fashion in this wonderful area we have come to love.   

Saturday, February 16 was such a fun day.  The young single adults loved our idea of a dance and they took the ball and ran with it.  They planned the meal, the decorations, invited their friends and all that Elder Pocock and I had to do was get the music and teach some dances.  I would have felt much more comfortable cooking, but thank goodness for the internet!  Elder Pocock down loaded some great dance  instruction videos and some fun music.  We knew that the kids wouldn't mind music with English words because that is what is always playing on the buses and in the stores.  Some of the kids brought their own Russian music.  The youth decorated with Russian medals and banners...

...then they also put up some fun posters depicting American memorabilia...with ties and scarves for interest. They were really creative...with  "long playing" record folders taped all over the walls.

We had about 22 young adults that were eager to learn some new dances.  They don't have the opportunity to dance except if they go to the night clubs and of course, we discourage that.  The only other time these kids have danced since we have been here, is at the Young Single Adult conference last August. It was time!!!

They loved the cha-cha, the twist, the stroll, the jitter bug, even the waltz was a hit...

and of course, their own kind of rock and roll!

They are all ready to do it again...sounds great, as soon as Elder Pocock and I recuperate!

One of the great moments that fills us with such joy is when we see one of the young adults catch the vision and reach their potential.  Sasha is shown here picking up his suit. He is leaving to serve a mini-mission in Chelyabinsk (he just missed the meteor episode)...a companion was needed for four weeks because an elder went home.  Sasha wanted to serve but didn't have a suit.  The zone leaders found a suit in their closet that was left by a previous missionary.  The waist needed to be taken in, the pants needed to be shortened, the sleeves on the jacket had to be shortened...but we whipped it into shape...pressed it and he was thrilled to have a suit to wear!  Believe me, these kids go on missions with very little, but they are thrilled non the less.  What a great missionary he will be.

Look what we saw in the elevator of our apartment building this week!  President Obama is popular in Russia...he even has a restaurant named after him.  The second to the last line reads:  Barackabama.  I wonder how busy the restaurant is?  We will have to check it out...

Visits this week have been wonderful.  This sister, Tatiana, lives a long way from the meetinghouse.  She doesn't make it to church very often.  A couple weeks ago she came to Sacrament meeting.  We introduced ourselves and asked if we could visit her.  She told us that her grandmother had recently died and she was coming into town to do some things at her apartment.  We had a great visit...she is trying to decided whether to move into her grandmother's apartment.  It would be so much closer to the branch.  She has a daughter that is a member who works in Yekaterinburg.  Here she holds her miniature chihuahua...Caesar.  So grateful for our visit.

Monday night we travelled to the apartment of a family in the branch.  Here are the two boys, Andre' and Sasha and their neighbor, Stass.  We presented a FHE on choices.  Sasha has recently turned 12 and could get the priesthood, so we are encouraging him to attend church with his older sister...one of our very special young single adults...and his younger brother.  The mother is inactive with no interest.  Our amazing young single adult carries the majority of the responsibility with this family.

The four apartments on this floor share this kitchen...

This laundry room...

This wash room with ONE shower...

and ONE toilet!

This is the large area where the families of all four apartments hang their coats and put their boots, and enter the above common rooms... there are also four different doorways that lead into their individual living space.

You may remember our sweet new member, Natalia.  She is following up her baptism with the new member discussions with Elders Henderson and Kaiser.  We so want to help our new members get the foundation they need to build on.

After we met with Natalia...we took off for another member's apartment.  Here you can see Elders Henderson and Kaiser run and slide down this sidewalk of pure ice...while Sister Pocock is creeping along the snow bank for fear of falling.  We had one of our young sister missionaries go back to the states for some rehabilitation for her shoulder due to a fall on the ice.  I don't want that to happen to us!!!

This is a picture we took from the Moscow Times newspaper that shows what life in Russia is like right now.  We had several warmer days that melted some of the snow...now we are getting a winter blast that is freezing everything again and making life treacherous, even for the dogs!!!  Today the temp is a chilly -19 C with a bitter wind!

At last we arrived at Nellie's apartment.  This sister hasn't been in the church for very long, but she is faithfully attending.  Nellie also attends English Conversation Group and has some English phrases down really well.  She is a widow and would so love to go to the temple to do she and her husband's temple work.  With the closest temple being in Kiev, Ukraine...it makes it difficult and expensive for those on pensions to get there.  We are praying for a temple in Russia!!!

English Conversation Group has started up again.  Each of the three groups offered...beginning, intermediate and advanced... actually introduce a very simplified part of a discussion each week and we introduce English words from the discussion.  After the 45 minute conversation, we all meet together for a story that is told in English and then translated into Russian for those that are beginners...then a spiritual thought, a song (you can see our Elders performed last week) and closing prayer.  If there is interest from those participating to speak English one on one...we stay after and discuss topics with them. The first week Elder Pocock and I had two people attend our Advanced English Group...this past week we had seven participating.

The Sister Companionship was getting over some food poisoning issues...so Henderson and Kaiser taught their English group for them.  Payoff was some homemade cookies from the sisters.  Here we see the Elders enjoying the fruits of their labors!

On February 23, we celebrated Men's Day in Russia.  Originally this holiday was to honor the soldiers..."Defenders of our Nation"... but now they honor all men.  Several sisters met at the branch early to prepare for the men's feast.  I learned how to make "chicken in a bag"... English translation.  You take dough...roll it out into a square...cut off 1/4" of the dough around the edges...fill it with the prepared mashed potatoes and sauteed onions and then place a pre-cooked chicken leg upright into the center.  Gather the dough around the chicken leg and tie it closed with the l/4" dough strings...baste with butter and bake.

We made over fifty of these "chicken in a bag" dishes.  It was so fun to work alongside these sisters and learn from them.

Here are a couple of the hardworking "babushkas" (grandmothers).

At the men's feast, I started to pick at the "chicken in a bag" with my fork and I quickly was informed from multiple sisters that this dish is eaten with your hands!!!  So I copied Tamara's lead and enjoyed every bite!

Sister Ninna...my dear friend in her new hair color and her new blouse!  She keeps telling me she will help me color my hair!

On the way home from Institute one evening...our young single adults pointed to the pile of snow above us.  They warned us of walking clear of buildings as the snow begins to melt.  Apparently there have been injuries with falling ice and snow!  So now one of us looks up and the other looks down as ice and snow starts to gang up on us.

What a treat...Saturday we visited Alexei and Lena to welcome another little girl to the branch!!!  Under that hat is a ton of beautiful, dark hair.  While the missionaries gave a meaningful message and we shared photos...I got to hold Emalena the whole time!  I'm getting primed for our new grandbabies that are coming in March and April.  Alexei serves as the branch mission leader and Lena serves in the young women.  What a sweet family. We're so excited to have more children in our little branch.

Sunday evening we went to visit our dear Laressa again...it was her birthday!  On the way we passed this frame home that has been burned.  With the extreme temperatures, these older individual homes are heated with fireplaces.  You can see that it is very risky.  This is why the majority of the people live in apartment buildings that are provided with the water/radiator heating.

As we arrived, the Relief Society presidency was just leaving.  They came to Laressa's right after the block with a meal to celebrate her special day.  I really admire our relief society sisters...they are so busy caring for the many, many needs in this branch.  I am also grateful for their spouses that are not members, who are very supportive of their service!!!

Laressa lives in a home with no indoor plumbing...their outhouse has been build just outside their door and under an extended roof.  However does a paralyzed woman do this?  Does it make you feel that your challenges pale in comparison?

This is the front door to Laressa's home.  In some homes in Russia...you just have to make do and we admire them for it!  Every visit helps Elder Pocock and I learn something new from our Russian friends.  Every family has different levels of circumstance, hope, and commitment, but one thing is the same...we love them all!

Happy Belated Valentines Day!  The entrance to the delightful park in our area had this festive greeting...just had to share it.

This has been a wonderfully full week.  We always take advantage of a visit with our Zone Leaders to Laressa's and her sweet family.  You may remember that Laressa ia paralyzed, so company is always welcome.  We take a short bus ride then comes the long hike.  This doesn't really show the extent of the climb...but there is a steep hill that has intermittent steps...it seems that they go on FOREVER!  I really feel badly for whoever has to clear this sidewalk and stairway.

I have told you before that because so many people don't have cars...they spend a lot of money on extravagant buggies for their little ones.  Well, when you live at the top of the hill and the bus lines don't travel that way, you have to push the buggy up the many flights of stairs.  Thank goodness they have provided these rails that are the exact fit for the wheel base.  So the parents either push or pull the "baby buggy bumpers" up, up, up the hill and to their apartments.

 
We pass this beautiful Russian Orthodox church and monastery as we climb the hill.  It is approximately 6:30 p.m. and we still have a little daylight.  Yea, we love that the days are getting longer.

We have shared once before the challenges of getting to Laressa's home but at that time it was pitch black.  This shows the little village of homes nestled together.  It is beautiful...just wish that it were more accessible for Laressa's sake!  When we finally get to the top of the steps, we turn and go downward towards the river bottoms.  Much of the way is footpath only, no auto access.  Before this point, she has to be carried on a stretcher the remaining distance.  Her home is the one right over Elder Prestwich's head.  The picture captures some of the landscape, but you have to imagine going down to the river on the left and then back up to her home on the right.  Believe me, it is steep and now that some of the snow melts and then refreezes...we find it quite a feat to stay upright.

 Lubov and Yaric had what we call "a play date" with children from the surrounding area.  Laressa tries so hard to make her children's life as normal as possible.  When we left this evening, Laressa asked us if we would take a book to one of the children's mothers who is suffering with an alcohol problem.  She wanted to help cheer her up...this is the kind of woman Laressa is.

Laressa looked so beautiful this night...she had on a fancy top and had just painted her nails.  During the course of the conversation, she asked us if we would call her every day and encourage her to do her exercises.  She has a pulley and rope that is attached to the ceiling above her bed that she uses to strengthen her legs...but she hates doing it and often puts it off.  She needs encouragement.  Then she surprised us with the news that she will be going into a physical therapy hospital in the coming weeks.  She will be staying there a month and is in hopes that the constant therapy will help with her legs.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if she could get the use of her legs again or even partial use?!  It would be a miracle...but we believe in miracles.  Our constant thoughts and prayers are with her.

Our new zone as of 2/2013.  Back row LtoR...Elder Kaiser from Iowa, his new companion, Elder Henderson from Provo, Utah. Have to say that Elder Henderson lives in the ward my parents lived in and would visit my folks when he was involved in the YM's program...small world!  Elder Christiansen is from SLC, Utah...he is training his new companion, Elder Ashjian from Las Vegas, Nevada.  When Elder Ashjian arrived in our zone, he had been in Russia for all of 3 days and he was struggling with the jet lag.  He stays awake in all our meetings now!  Front row...Elder Dugger, New Mexico, Elder Prestwich, Utah, then Sister Patterson, who is new to our area from Bountiful, Utah...she serves with Sister Calli, from Georgia.  We are always glad to keep missionaries around...and love getting to know the new ones!  This is another great group of hardworking missionaries serving in a difficult mission.

Close-ups of the new companionships...Elders Kaiser and Henderson

Sisters Patterson and Galli

Elders Christiansen and Ashjian (Elder Ashjian has Armenian roots)

This is the greatest family!  We had a picture of this family on the blog around Christmas time...Brother Valamir was Father Frost.  Here you get to see him out of costume and with his lovely wife, Svetlana and two adorable daughters.  It was such a blessing to be in their home and get to know them better.  It is so rare to have all the family active members of the church...such a joy.

Brother Valdimir and Sister Svetlana make such a talented team.  Here is their little study that serves also as their older daughter's room.  Svetlana designed the furniture and Vladimir made it!!!  Wish the picture did it justice...she has created furniture that utilizes the space to the max.  Wish they could afford their own business, where they could capitalize on these talents.  They are taking one room of their little apartment at a time and remodeling it.  Can't say enough good about this family.

This is the new branch presidency.  Seated is President Ustyuzhaninov, with First Counselor, Vladimir Motovelov (shown above) and Second Counselor, Elder Pocock.

For Family Home Evening, we had two special sisters here for dinner and a night of getting acquainted.
You know our dear Olga from previous blogs...but this is the first time to introduce Nadesda.  What a sweet, giving woman.  She gave me a haircut a few weeks ago...not only came to our apartment but then wouldn't let me pay her!!!  So I told her that the only way I would accept those conditions, is if she and Olga came for dinner.  We had a wonderful time.   She shared that her husband was a heavy drinker and he left when she was pregnant with their first child.  She never remarried.  Her daughter lives in Spain and is married to a man from there.  They have a son.  She spent four months with them just last summer.  She worked as a beautician for 35 years.  She is now what they call a pensioner.  (retired).  I'm sad that it has taken us so long to get to know her...she is delightful.  Can you tell that we have an amazing branch?

This was the best week...we got to see Olga again and again.  She had invited us to attend the art gallery after her work.  On Wednesday it is free admission...so we took her up on the invitation.  This was a Russian Orthodox church but in the Soviet era they tried to eliminate religion and closed the church.  In the 90's, the building began to be used as an art gallery/museum.  The guide told us that the church is now talking with the city in hopes of taking back the building for the use of church services.

The building is three stories tall.  When the government closed the church...all of the interior decor and icons were removed, stored or destroyed.  Since the 90's, the museum/art gallery has been able to find numerous collections.  This is a picture of only the top one-third of this monstrous wooden and gold- gilded iconostasis that has been preserved and moved from another church to this one.  The pictures that are visible are not the original iconic portrayals...but rather European artwork.

This is a little closer view of part of the display.

We were fortunate that the only English speaking guide was on duty when we were there.  We are now on the third floor of the church where there is a huge display of wooden, three dimensional figures that have been recovered.  It is so against the church for people to worship life-like figures.  All the icons of the Russian Orthodox Church are paintings on flat surfaces.  To worship something that resembled a human, was considered irreverent!   Our guide explained that because this region is a great distance from the central headquarters of the Russian Orthodox church, people didn't follow the tradition and began to carve, paint and worship three dimensional idols.  You can see some of these wooden idols in the background.

This carving of the crucifixion was one that the guide explained in detail.  If you have ever seen a Russian Orthodox church...they all have a cross with a slanted cross bar where the feet of Christ were nailed.  The slanted bar depicts the fact that on the right hand of Christ was a thief that was repentant and the bar tips upward depicting that this man will be with Christ in paradise while the other will not.
The skull painted at the base of the cross symbolizes the skull of Adam, because their tradition states that he had been buried on the very spot where Christ was crucified.

We thought this angel with a trump was particularly poignant...kind of looks like the angel Moroni on the original Nauvoo temple.

I was so amazed with this picture that is painted directly on the wall of the former church.  The guide said that the entire church and even the ceiling of the church was covered with this kind of artwork prior to the Soviet era.  When the government took over the church, they put plaster over all these paintings. This is one of only two wall paintings that have been recovered.  The government asked if they wanted money to restore these paintings, but because it is such a slow, and expensive process...the gallery opted to take the money for expanding their displays rather than restore the paintings that are now under plaster...apparently lost forever!

This is looking upward from the third floor to the ceiling.  Can you imagine artwork painted on every wall and even the ceiling.

This is one of my favorite paintings at the gallery. Here a Russian family and friends are gathered around a newly purchased radio during the outbreak of WWII.  I have seen a similar painting of an American family gathered around a radio...anxiously fearing the news of another world war.  Life truly has similarities all over the world.

As we continued to our next destination, we found that with the warming temperatures...some of the businesses are pounding and scraping the ice from the sidewalks.  Here you get a feel for the depth of the ice.

In our travels, we passed this beautiful Muslim Mosque.

We finally located the "Lame Horse Club".  We had read of the disaster in Brazil where hundreds died in a night club disaster.  In the article, it made reference to a similar situation in Perm, Russia on December 5, 2009.  We asked Olga about this and she took us to the location.  As you can see, they have done nothing to the building except to wrap it in the green restraining fabric.  Our dear friend Nadya told us that some of her friends had come into town that night and they begged her to go with them to the club to celebrate.  She told us that she was just so tired that she refused to go.  In the end, she saved her life and that of her friends!

They have built this lovely monument in a park just across the street from the club in remembrance of the 156 people that died in this fire.  On the center pillar they have printed the names of those who perished.  We were told that 90 children became orphans that night!

At last English Conversation Group has started up again.  The area authority presidency has put out some specific guidelines on how we conduct our English group.  This was our first week, so I am sure that as the word gets out, our numbers will grow.  Elder Pocock and I are teaching the advanced group again.

On Fridays we have our zone meeting at our apartment.  We rotate with the companionships preparing the meal.  This week, Brother Stepan offered to prepare us his favorite Armenian dish, Doma.  He is from Armenia and is a great cook!  He purchased quality ground beef, added spices and rice...rolled it into meatballs and wrapped it in grape leaves and tied them like little packages.  He cooked them in a large covered pan filled with salt water for about two hours.  They were very delicious...especially with the Russian Smetana (sour cream).  It truly is the tastiest sour cream ever!

The kindest man ever is Brother Vacilly.  He is the branch assistant executive secretary.  On one of the branch presidency meetings, he brought with him his official booklet showing that at one time he belonged to the Communist Party.

This is the inside...with a young picture of Brother Vacilly.  Wow, talk about handsome!

Here is Vacilly now... and to think we were afraid of communists!  Never a more gentle, sweeter man will I ever meet!

Many of you have heard of the meteor blast in Chelyabinsk, Russia.  Chely is a town of about 1.4 million.  It is located in the Yekaterinburg mission.  It takes about an eight hour bus ride to get to Chely from Perm. We never heard, felt, or saw a thing the morning of the meteor blast...but we got a phone call from the mission office telling us that the missionaries were all safe!  We were shocked to hear the news.  What we are hearing is that when the meteorite entered the earth's atmosphere...it exploded like a sonic boom...and this is what caused the damage to the city.  I guess windows are broken and many of the frames are bent and mangled...it is a bad time of year to not have windows!!!   The missionaries got the scare of their lives...but it makes for a great approach when teaching the Plan of Salvation!  This is a picture they are displaying over here showing the initial blast.  No sign of any meteor fragments have been found.  Sunday our Branch President used this experience as a perfect example of how we need to listen to our Prophets and be prepared spiritually and temporally for unpredictable disasters.  Who knows what next week will bring....