С Новым Годом -- Happy New Year!
New Year's Eve day and Russian Christmas Day (7 January) both fall on Monday this year. Those are both big Russian Holidays. Monday is also Preparation Day for all the volunteers when they email their families. Most of them email from a public library near their apartments. But the libraries are all closed on holidays. So we have a sign-up and schedule for them to come to the Mission Office. We now have only two extra computers since the Family History Center was closed. (It had four.) So they use the two spare office computers and also Sue's laptop and iPad.
We had one triple of Sisters on December 31, so Sue went home early and let them use her desktop, too.
On New Year's Eve we had Center District + Elder & Sister Peck + Rawsons all in the Mission home for soup and games and watching fireworks. Sue had to admire Sister Rawson's two unusual nativities.
We had treats and played Uno with twelve people at once around the big Mission Home dining table.
And after midnight we watched fireworks all over the city. At one point Sue counted them going off in nine different places.
The Rawsons have a beautiful view across the river towards the old city. We live in the same building, but our windows look out the other way, and we're only on the second floor. We can hear all the fireworks but can't see anything.
Tuesday our newest volunteer, Sister Dixon, arrived. On Wednesday morning she came to the office for her orientation. From Sue that means signing lots and lots of forms--permission for others to see her private information, promises to keep other people's private information safe, and most important--permission for Ken to pick up her packages at the Post Office!
While we were doing that, Sister Rawson and the Sisters who were not on Visa Trips went shopping! We mentioned last week that the Sisters can now wear pants, but they didn't bring pants to wear. The Mission was told to subsidize up to four pair of pants for each Sister. Ken put the money on all their Mission debit cards. They pulled out the cash and he put it all in envelopes for each Sister. Then they walked on the snow-covered sidewalks across the Okhta River and hit Okhta Mall!
And in the afternoon after the Transfer Meeting, Sister Rawson took the other group that was not able to go in the morning. She got in well over 10 km on her treks. Sue was invited to come along, but those who know her will understand why she begged off. (Sue's philosophy has always been, "Why go shopping when you can stay home and read a good book?" She thinks the only thing worse than clothes shopping is clothes shopping with a bunch of other people.)
When the first group of Visa Trippers arrived back from the drive to Narva, Estonia and the morning shoppers returned, it was Pizza Time! Fourteen had to go to Estonia. With a group that big, they like to split them up, so one group went at 6 a.m. and another group at 8 a.m. No one went to the Temple this Transfer. Because of the holidays, the train tickets to Helsinki were three times as expensive as usual. (Think Thanksgiving travel in the USA.) Ken funded two jitney buses and eighteen pizzas. Such a bargain!
When the second group came back we had the Transfer meeting. It's not long--mostly to exchange telephone SIM cards.
...And to hear a few words of counsel from President Rawson.
This was the Pskov/Kolpina District from last Transfer. They do all their District meetings via Skype, so it's nice to see each other in person. Yes, Sister A-M has a hurt foot.
No, we don't have a bunch of dead critters in the Mission Office. There is a man up in Petrozavodsk who makes the traditional Russian fur hats for a very reasonable price. One of the Elders took it upon himself to put together an order from all of us. It was for 45 hats! Hats of fox and mink and wolf.
Sister Anania-Matafai is from New Zealand. Not so much use for these down there. But they look so nice!
Everyone had to try on and find the one they'd ordered. It was quite the process.
Elder Otterson is a "shopper." He got several to send home to family and friends.
Then it was time for everyone to head out to their new areas. Sister V and Sister K are two of our Russian Sisters who served together in Nevsky this last Transfer. Now Sister K is off to far away Petrozavodsk!
Friday and Saturday was a conference of Young Single Adults from all over Russia. They came from Vladivostok on the East and Estonia on the West and everywhere in between. President Rawson was the lead-off speaker on Friday morning. Many of them stayed and attended our Center Ward on Sunday and commented on what a great conference it was. One young man said he came as a friend of the Church, but now he wants to be baptized and become a Member when he gets home this week.
Friday afternoon we were back at the Hermitage. Ken took a photo of the entrance turnstile because we stare at them for a lot of the three hours we stand by them--helping people scan the barcode on their ticket at the little square with the red lights. The Hermitage was a zoo on Friday. It's vacation week! Everyone is home and just does things with their family. The stores aren't even very crowded.
And when we left the museum about 4:40 pm it was magical outside. The lights were all on; it was just barely snowing. And in the middle of Palace Square was a big slippery slide. No tubes needed. Come down the slide and then hit the ice sheet at the bottom and keep going!
We do hope you and your family are well and that you have a wondrous New Year!
 |
| Elders Mortensen and Meek |
 |
| Sister Brown, Sister Khasaeva & Sister Davis |
We had one triple of Sisters on December 31, so Sue went home early and let them use her desktop, too.
On New Year's Eve we had Center District + Elder & Sister Peck + Rawsons all in the Mission home for soup and games and watching fireworks. Sue had to admire Sister Rawson's two unusual nativities. |
| Center District: Rawson, Peck, Packer, Peck, Allen, Gianni, Thieme, Herrin, James, Stockman, Rawson, Allen |
We had treats and played Uno with twelve people at once around the big Mission Home dining table.
The Rawsons have a beautiful view across the river towards the old city. We live in the same building, but our windows look out the other way, and we're only on the second floor. We can hear all the fireworks but can't see anything.
 |
| Sisters Drake & Dixon with Sue |
Tuesday our newest volunteer, Sister Dixon, arrived. On Wednesday morning she came to the office for her orientation. From Sue that means signing lots and lots of forms--permission for others to see her private information, promises to keep other people's private information safe, and most important--permission for Ken to pick up her packages at the Post Office!
 |
| Sisters Stockman, V, Davis, Karlsson, Brown, James, Anania-Matafai, K, X |
While we were doing that, Sister Rawson and the Sisters who were not on Visa Trips went shopping! We mentioned last week that the Sisters can now wear pants, but they didn't bring pants to wear. The Mission was told to subsidize up to four pair of pants for each Sister. Ken put the money on all their Mission debit cards. They pulled out the cash and he put it all in envelopes for each Sister. Then they walked on the snow-covered sidewalks across the Okhta River and hit Okhta Mall!
 |
| Sisters Stockman, Gursch, Dixon & Drake |
And in the afternoon after the Transfer Meeting, Sister Rawson took the other group that was not able to go in the morning. She got in well over 10 km on her treks. Sue was invited to come along, but those who know her will understand why she begged off. (Sue's philosophy has always been, "Why go shopping when you can stay home and read a good book?" She thinks the only thing worse than clothes shopping is clothes shopping with a bunch of other people.)
 |
| Elder Thieme, Sisters V & K, Elders Hull, Otterson & Brown |
When the first group of Visa Trippers arrived back from the drive to Narva, Estonia and the morning shoppers returned, it was Pizza Time! Fourteen had to go to Estonia. With a group that big, they like to split them up, so one group went at 6 a.m. and another group at 8 a.m. No one went to the Temple this Transfer. Because of the holidays, the train tickets to Helsinki were three times as expensive as usual. (Think Thanksgiving travel in the USA.) Ken funded two jitney buses and eighteen pizzas. Such a bargain!
When the second group came back we had the Transfer meeting. It's not long--mostly to exchange telephone SIM cards.
...And to hear a few words of counsel from President Rawson.
 |
| Elders Hull & Brown, Sisters Karlsson & Anania-Matafai |
No, we don't have a bunch of dead critters in the Mission Office. There is a man up in Petrozavodsk who makes the traditional Russian fur hats for a very reasonable price. One of the Elders took it upon himself to put together an order from all of us. It was for 45 hats! Hats of fox and mink and wolf.
Sister Anania-Matafai is from New Zealand. Not so much use for these down there. But they look so nice!
Everyone had to try on and find the one they'd ordered. It was quite the process.
Elder Otterson is a "shopper." He got several to send home to family and friends.
Then it was time for everyone to head out to their new areas. Sister V and Sister K are two of our Russian Sisters who served together in Nevsky this last Transfer. Now Sister K is off to far away Petrozavodsk!
Friday and Saturday was a conference of Young Single Adults from all over Russia. They came from Vladivostok on the East and Estonia on the West and everywhere in between. President Rawson was the lead-off speaker on Friday morning. Many of them stayed and attended our Center Ward on Sunday and commented on what a great conference it was. One young man said he came as a friend of the Church, but now he wants to be baptized and become a Member when he gets home this week.
Friday afternoon we were back at the Hermitage. Ken took a photo of the entrance turnstile because we stare at them for a lot of the three hours we stand by them--helping people scan the barcode on their ticket at the little square with the red lights. The Hermitage was a zoo on Friday. It's vacation week! Everyone is home and just does things with their family. The stores aren't even very crowded.
And when we left the museum about 4:40 pm it was magical outside. The lights were all on; it was just barely snowing. And in the middle of Palace Square was a big slippery slide. No tubes needed. Come down the slide and then hit the ice sheet at the bottom and keep going!We do hope you and your family are well and that you have a wondrous New Year!
No comments:
Post a Comment