Zone Conferences Week

Monday and Tuesday this week were pretty quiet. So, we will just skip to Wednesday and Thursday. They were Zone Conference days. Half the Mission comes to the Stake Center on each day for instruction and inspiration. Not much to write about, so will just put in all the photos for the parent lurkers. 

Sister Rawson spoke to us using Elder Rasband's
talk on "Let the Holy Spirit Guide."

This was a special conference because we had Elder James Martino and his wife visiting the Mission for this week. Elder Martino is the Area President for the Europe East Area, which includes Eastern Europe and all of Russia. Twelve Missions in all. He conducted most of the Conference himself.






Sister Martino also spoke to us about each person who was at the birth of Jesus. "If I were ________ what would I have done?" Fill in names--Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Wisemen, Jesus himself.

Elder Martino brought President and Sister Rawson up to point out that they are an example to all of us, and will love us all of our lives. All the volunteers are like more of their children. [And ours too!!]

The Martinos have lived many years in Latin America before their assignment in Russia, so they were thrilled that the local Taco Truck came back to feed us all lunch. And it was there both days, so they got a double treat. 

So did we. We only go to Zone Conference one day, but on the other day we are downstairs in the office, so always "crash" lunch. Especially when it is tacos!! And after the second day Sue bought a stack of left-over corn tortillas. They are not to be bought in any store here. Flour tortillas are easy to find, but not corn. Great chicken and/or pork filling, with cilantro and onions, green and red sauces, and delicious rice and beans. All done in true Mexican style by someone from northern Mexico.  

And a visiting General Authority is always a time for a photo.

After lunch a musical number by Shuvalovo District.

Elders Baptista, Herrod, Ershov, Peck.
Sisters Peck, Dixon, Davis
Elders Woodruff & Jensen, with Elder Bohman on piano

Elders Owens, Ershov and  Herrod

Mid-afternoon break is chocolate chip cookies made by Sisters Allen and Peck.

Then on Thursday the whole process starts over with the other half of the Mission.

Sisters Anania-Matafai and Karlsson
Elders Fife, Rosenhan and Herrin. 
(Elder Herrin on temporary loan from Center.)

This time the musical number was from the Nevsky District.

Elder Cummings

Those going home before the next Zone Conference have the opportunity to bear their testimonies for the Mission.

Elder McOmber

And here's the Thursday group. There are a few unfamiliar faces. We had three Young Men from Shuvalovo Ward with their leader who came to also spend the day and get a taste of Volunteer life. It won't be long before they will be ready to serve on their own. And our friend Colin Hawkins came along to translate for them. He served as a volunteer here and went home over a year ago. Now he's back working in SPB--and still serving in so many ways.

We usually have company for dinner once each week. This week it was put off until Thursday, and then we forgot to take a picture! The Rawsons and the Martinos came and shared lasagna and green salad and Sue's favorite ciabatta bread from our close-by bakery. She didn't make dessert, because we were all still so full from the tacos at lunch. Sister Rawson couldn't be in Zone Conferences all day and also do dinner each night for the Martinos, so the Pecks did Wednesday night dinner and we did Thursday night. It all works out.


Friday we went for Hermitage Service as usual. Afterwards we visited a special collection of ceramics by Rudolph Wilde. He worked for the Imperial Ceramic Works starting about 1900 until his death in 1938. (Executed for alleged crimes against the State.) It's an interesting exhibition because they show the pieces he designed during Tsarist Times in half the room, and pieces he designed after the Revolution in the other half.  




For this exhibition they also brought out a favorite painting that we saw in Fall 1917. (You can see the photos of that in our 5 Nov 2017 post.) It's a life-size canvas with Nicholas II (the last Tsar) on one side, and Lenin painted on the other side of the same canvas. So it fit in well with the Wilde Exhibition. As is true with most special exhibitions, no photography was allowed, so here are a few we pulled from the web.



Ceramic pieces are generally made in quantity, so Wilde would design, and then other artists would paint the many copies. Here is one of his design paintings from the Tsarist era. He liked flowers and sometimes birds.  

And here is a plate from Soviet times. He did lots of angular designs with Soviet themes, and various words. This says "Proletariat of all countries unite!" 

After we left, Sue wanted to stop at a street vendor outside the Admiraltiskaya Metro station. We usually take the bus from the Office to the Hermitage. It's gotten really cold and even in boots with thick soles, her feet get so cold sitting with them on the un-insulated metal bus floor. So these insulating insoles are easy to buy all over St. Petersburg. They are woolen shoe liners, and they really do help! She stood right there on the street on one foot while Ken helped her balance and the vendor put the liners into her boots. They cost 57 rubles--about 86 cents.








Next stop was an African restaurant. A few weeks ago Sage, from the DR Congo, came to dinner at our house. He is part-owner of an African restaurant here, so we decided to go there for dinner. It has African decor and music, but the food was decidedly Russian. Ken had veal cutlet. Sue had chicken in a sauce with peppers and mushrooms. Both were very good, but the side dish on each was the ubiquitous Russian cucumber-and-tomato-with-a-little-dill. Oh, and we had "milk shakes." On the menu the page said "Non-alcoholic cocktails." Ken had vanilla and Sue had mojito--coconut & mint. They beat the milk to make it frothy, but no ice cream, so they aren't thick. That's also standard Russian fare.








Saturday we didn't want to just sit home, but the weather was cold and snowy, so we looked for something indoors. The Pecks came with us, and we all went to an organ concert at the Large Philharmonia Hall. It's a beautiful venue. We've been there a couple of times before. This was the Peck's first time.






An organ concert here is unusual. There are very few organs in Russia, let alone in St. Petersburg because the Russian Orthodox Church uses only unaccompanied small male choruses for their services. The German Lutheran Church here has a large organ, and then there is this one at the Philharmonia Hall. 









The organist was Krzysztof Musial from Poland. He was the third place winner in the 2017 Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad (where there is a grand organ from its German days). He played pieces by JS Bach, Mikael Tariverdiev, and Maurice Durufle. The narrator for the program was Vera Tariverdieva, the widow of the composer.  He died in 1996. She talked about each piece, but it was all in Russian, so we got very little, unfortunately.

Mr. Musial played well, but we've heard better organ concerts by our friend, Jim Welch. This organ is not huge, and we are spoiled by hearing Jim and others play the Tabernacle Organ in Salt Lake City, and the organs at Stanford Memorial Church and St. Marks Episcopal Church at home in Palo Alto. But we are glad we went and supported organ playing in Russia!