Mountain Trip

We enjoyed the two trips we took up into the mountains so much that we wanted to do it with our missionaries.  So, the P-Day after our guests left to go to Astana, we donned our casual clothes, piled into the car (Elder Beckh rode in the back where there isn't a seat) and we headed up into the mountains.

 On the way, there is a small park on the side of the road with flowers, horse statues and a scenic canvas print in the background.

We just had to stop and get pictures.  Here are Rick, Elder Beckh, Sister Williams, Sister Talakh and Elder Nalimov posing next to the horses.

As you can see in this picture, there are four horse statues.  They look so real, we could almost feel them running past us.

Rick had to take Anne's picture with a patch of her favorite flowers in the foreground.  She exclaimed when she saw them, "I've never seen such big daisies."

The gondola ride didn't open until noon, so we drove up to the top of the dam built across the valley for flood control.

In the picture to the leftg we are at the top of the dam with the mountains in the background.  Sister Williams is really enjoying the crisp mountain air.

The gondola ride finally opened and we boarded the cable cars.  They were just right for the six of us.  They don't stop, so you have to all get on while the car is slowly moving.  We all lined up around the curve so we could get on one at a time.

This is the start of our trip.  You can see the sign on the speed skating rink at Medeu just above and left of the center of the picture.

As you can tell, taking pictures inside the cable car doesn't produce a very clear picture.  The windows of the car dim the colors.

The views of the mountains going up this ride were fantastic.

This is a view of the front side of the damn.  Notice the steps starting at the bottom and going all the way to the top, right up the middle of the damn.  They were more of a hike than any of us wanted to attempt.

It was amazing to see the effects of the snow on the mountain sides.  Trees had been knocked over and rolled so that the limbs had been broken off.  There were crews on the roads hauling off these giant trees for lumber.  There is no way they will be able to clear off all of them.

Once at the top, Anne coearsed Rick into sticking his head through the hole in a picture board to get this shot.  This will be the closest he gets to skiing.

At the top of the gondola ride are the ski slopes and lifts for skiers.  Of course there are a couple of restaurants and a few other attractions there.  The picture on the left shows the slopes and lifts.

Anne turned just a little to the right and then took this picture to get the beautiful mountain tops.  You can still see the ski lift on the left side of the picture.

We treated the missionaries to lunch at one of the restaurants and then headed back down.

This is a shot just as we started down the mountain.  You can see some of the housing on the left.  They are probably rental properties for the winter season.  When we were with the mission president up here a few days earlier we were joking that we should move the mission home into one of these and then take another for the mission office.

The city of Almaty can be seen in the far distance between the mountains in the center of the picture.  It was a wonderful day to spend in the mountains.

Gibbons/Gushchin Visit

Kiev Visa Trip
On our last visa trip to Kiev, the Eurocup football (soccer) finals were being held and the city had gone all out to put on a good show for visitors.  This large flower clock had cartoon soccer players on each side designed from flowers.  We spent some time shopping in an underground mall across the street from this display.

A university student trying to earn a little money offered to take our picture in front of the Archangel Michael monument.  He is the patron angel of Kiev.  The soccer motif was on most buildings and the temporary booths positioned around the central square.

Dinner with the Tsay's

 Vitaly Tsay, the second counselor in our branch presidency, his wife Nadia, their son Deema, his wife, Allah and their adorable daughter, Angelina came to dinner the Sunday after our return from Kiev.  We enjoyed our visit with them and especially being able to hold the baby who is just a week younger than our youngest grandson.

When Angelina was waking from her nap, Anne caught this sweet expression.  She is such a great baby and has lots of family to love her.









A Trip Up the Mountain

One afternoon, we decided to preview the other side of the mountains so we would know which road would be the best for the visitors who were coming.  This mountain stream sounded wonderful rushing over rocks and reminded us of some of the canyons in Utah.

It had been raining a little, so there was a haze still hanging over the mountains, but as we approached the entrance to the huge skating rink at Medey, we loved the way it was nestled in the valley.

Looking over the wall from the Medey dam, the skating rink can be seen in the distance.  The wildflowers were everywhere along the winding mountain road.








A Visit from the Gibbon's, the Gushchin's and the Webb's

We had a district meeting with all our visiting couples which made us all feel pretty special.  In the back are Sister and Elder Webb, the office couple, and Rick.  President and Sister Gibbons (left front), Sister and Elder Gushchin, Sister Talakh, Elder Nalimov, Elder Beckh and Sister Williams.

After our lunch, we rode the gondola up the hillside of Almaty.  The views were incredible.  The Webbs and the Gibbons felt right home since both couples come from mountainous areas.

The Gushchin's, who live in Novosibirsk, also enjoyed the mountain views and said it reminded them of their visit to Utah when Elder Gushchin was called as an Area Seventy.  They are such a delightful couple.  We all enjoyed getting to know them.

The missionaries loved having the opportunity to ride the gondola and see the views from the hillside.  Starting left:  Sisters Talakh and Williams, Elders Beckh and Nalimov.

Anne couldn't resist taking Rick's picture in this beautiful setting.  Almaty is in the background and if you look closely, you can see the ski jump used for the Asian winter games last year.  It's just to the left of little branch in the center of the picture.

Elder Gushchin heard Beatles music as we were strolling down the walkway and when we came to this display, he was very excited.  He LOVES the Beatles and has many of their recordings.  When he was learning about the gospel, he asked the missionaries if the Church was okay with the Beatles.  When they told him there was no objection, he said, "Then I'll be baptized!"  I know this will be a sweet memory of his trip here.

We couldn't resist having a picture in front of the apple fountain.  Apples are seen everywhere in Almaty, which means apple.  It is said that genetically, all apples can be traced back to the ones that grow wild in the Almaty area.

Standing in a spot we think is very close to where Elder Nelson offered a dedicatory prayer in 2003 for the preaching of the gospel in Kazakhstan, President Gibbons read the dedicatory prayer and then favored us with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" and "We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet."  He chose a leaf from a lilac bush to use as his instrument.  Quite a talent he has!

New missionaries & Apartment

New Missionaries

Sister Dick was transferred back to Russia to finish her mission.  She will go home in early July.  Sister Williams came to replace her.  She has been serving for a year and came from Veronezh.  We love the sparkle she adds.  She is from Alpine, Utah.

Elder Beckh has been serving as an Assistant to the President and has been transferred here to take Elder Jensen's place.  Elder Jensen will stay in Almaty for a week to orient Elder Beckh and then will go to Astana.

Elder Nalimv, who was here for our first week and then went to Astana, has come back to be Elder Beckh's companion.  He is from the Ekaterinberg Mission in Russia and goes home later this summer.

Our Apartment

This is the view as you first come in the door.  It is a custom to take off your shoes as soon as you enter someone's home.  The taller chest on the right is a special piece of furniture designed to have pull down drawers where guests can put their shoes.  The living/dining room is on the left.  The master bedroom is at the end on the right.  The office/spare bedroom is at the end on the left.  The bathroom is the door at the end of the hall.  The kitchen is on the left just before the office.

 This is the dining portion of the living/dining room.  We purchased the flowers at different stores for the arrangement on the table.  We also found the sofa pillows to add some color.  The sunroom/porch door is behind the curtain.  We use it for storage.

The living room portion of this room is large enough for a group of 10 to gather.  We purchased the little table and lamp and added family pictures.

Walking up the hall, past the water closet, we turn to the left into the kitchen.  The cabinet on the right is the one that Alexey made for us.  It has made a big difference to our storage in the kitchen.  We are very greatful to him for this special gift.

The kitchen is compact, but functional.  Anne has done a wonderful job in organizing everything here for the most efficient usage in preparing the many meals and refreshments she is relied on to make.  Notice, no dishwasher.  We do the dishes by hand using filtered water heated on the stove.  The washer works well and we can wash both sheets at one time, unlike our washer in Yaroslavl.

Just past the kitchen, on the left, at the end of the hall, is our office/spare bedroom.  It is a very small room, but serves its purpose.  Our missionaries come here to use our computers and write home on P-Day.

The bathroom has a very small shower stall on the left.  This is the room that had the leak which caused damage to the apartment downstairs from us.  A hot water pipe was replaced which increased our water pressure and gave us more consistent hot water.  The shower head on the wand was also repaired because it was leaking.  It is definitely a one-person-at-a-time bathroom.

On the right at the end of the hall is the master bedroom.  The TV is hooked to a VCR, which we never use.










This is a view of the bedroom from over by the TV.  The chest shown here is the one we bought to replace the one that was there.  We needed to replace it because we couldn't open the right closet door all the way because the chest was too wide.

This is the light fixture in the master bedroom.  We will have limited space to bring things home, but will take orders on a first come, first serve basis. There will be a limit of one per family.

Now that you've had the tour, here's the front door going out of the apartment.  Even though this apartment is smaller than either of the ones we had in Russia, we've tried to make it a place of refuge for us and the missionaries.

Woolley's Last Visit

Elder Romero joined our missionary force in Almaty this month.  He's served in Russia for three months and has added enthusiasm and a fresh spirit of determination.  We enjoy being with him.

One of the neatest experiences we've had was attending this dinner at an authentic Kazakh restaurant.  Since President and Sister Woolley are leaving, they hosted the branch presidency and us.  The evening was perfect for an outdoor dinner, the food was delicious and the company was exceptional!

Sitting next to Rick is President Woolley, Anne, Alexey, Rashid, Sister Woolley, Nadia, Vitaly, Elmera and President Dautov.

President and Sister Dautov are such a sweet couple.  We loved sitting across from them during the dinner.  We learned much about their family and Kazakh history.  They both speak enough English that we can communicate.

Vitaly is a counselor in the branch presidency.  His wife, Nadia, is an English teacher at a university for business.  They became grandparents this year and are very proud of their little granddaughter.

The gazebo we ate in made us feel like we were having a picnic.  The tables were long with benches and the food was served family-style.

There were many places for family and friends to gather.  The tables and benches shown here had stacked stone legs and canvas canopies.  The grounds were manicured with flowers and walking paths throughout the complex.  There was also a large dance area with live music.

Anne especially liked the design of the large chandelier in our gazebo.  It had short, cut twigs tied in lines ending with a hoop of flowers and greenery.

Our last zone conference with the Woolley's was bittersweet.  They have worked tirelessly creating a vision and direction for the missionaries.  He told us that our mission leads all Russian missions in many of the key indicators.  They are dearly loved by all who know them.  In the picture on the front row starting left are Elder and Sister Maxwell, Sister and President Woolley, Anne and Rick.  In the back row are Sister Talakh, Elders Nalimov, Romero, Jensen, Harrison and Sister Dick.

The branch had a special farewell party for the Woolley's.  The Primary sang "I Am A Child of God".  There were only three children there at the time, but the Primary is usually larger.  Those little boys sang beautifully.

Sisters Dick and Talakh and Elders Romero and Jensen lent their talent to the evening.  They really sound nice together.

The Wooley's were presented authentic Kazakh costumes and a darling felt/camel hair camel.  They were told the camel symbolizes wisdom and patience.

President Woolley was presented a camel whip for his next camel riding adventure.  He seemed to know exactly how to use it.

Pictures were taken after the program, but several of the sisters had already gone to finish preparations for the meal.  In the back row left is Elder Reshetnikov, the area authority seventy who was visiting for the weekend.  He had presented a fireside before the farewell party.  Many of the members of the branch took turns thanking the Woolley's and presenting gifts.  It was a wonderful evening for all.