Last of 2018

 Sister Stairger from Germany was the first volunteer to come to the office in slacks, I also had mine on that day so we recorded the histortic moment with a picture!

 Snow on the roof of an old Russian wooden house we pass on our walk to the office every day.  I love snow!  especially falling and also sparkling in the sunlight.

 More snow pictures.

 Walkway into the old house.

 Russian Orthodox Christmas is January 7th - I loved extending the holiday and celebrating it twice!  These geese for sale reminded us of the song: "Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat, can you please put a penny in the old man's hat?  If you haven't got a penny a ha'penny will do, if you haven't got a ha'penny (half) God bless you!"

 One of the local meat markets near our apartment building - they bring the whole carcess in and cut it up and people purchase all day long! 

 Strollers with runners for the snow!

 Closer you can see runners and wheels when needed - so inventive!

 Farewell dinner our our -place for the young volunteers who are being transferred right after Christmas....will always love these young people! 

 A member of the branch came up to us at Church and said he had a "small gift" for us - yes he did!  Siberian Spruce Oil - very wonderful smell - we thanked him and loved our 'small gift'!

Our twin grandsons in North Carolina, USA received the Aaronic Piresthood Dec. 30th - their 12th Birthday!  Loved being able to view a small part of the program - love you Luke and Noah!!

Christmas Day!

 President and Sister Lamb invited us and Elder Gushchin (his wife was in Hawaii with a new grandbaby) - to Christmas Lunch at the Mission Home - isn't the table lovely?  Especially the Nativities decorating the center of the table.  We enjoyed good food and delightful company.

 The young volunteers had earlier for us to let them into the apartment complex do they could Christmas Carol to the Lamb's - such wonderful young people.  Sounded great also!

 We had a small 'fishes and loafs' miracle with providing enough left overs for all of them to eat!

 The Elders brought me these beautiful flowers when they came over later for our Christmas Openhouse - since some of them were calling home, we just invited everyone to come from 3 - 5 when they could - we love them all and love feeding them! 

 Blurry picture but a great table full of food for the volunteers!

 Some of the volunteers, Sister Staiger is on the computer talking to her family in Germany!  Sister Van den Herick has spoken with her family in Holland earlier, two elders had come over earlier and called their families on Christmas Eve - USA time.

Fun to open small gifts from the US - love the note on these stamps!  I left them with the Pouch Mail file for others to use when needed.  Thanks Emilee, you are exactly right!!!

Continuing Christmas fun

 We enjoyed the annual Office Staff Christmas Party - This is Father Frost and his grnaddaughter Snow Maiden.

 Whole scene at the restaurant we had the luncheon at - pretty decorations.

 Delicious salads and food, delightful company - wonderful Christmas feelings.

 Before leaving for work December 20th - we noted online that all sister missionaries can now weat slacks if desired ... I changed into mine from a skirt and was much warmer walking to work!

 This is our enclosed back porch - which in the spring and fall is an extra refridgerator - in the winter an extra freezer!  Cookies cook really fast - I made Reese's peanut butter trees.

 These are the shelves at the end of the porch - more fridge and freezer space!

Elder Smith bought me this beautiful pine arrangement - looked and smelled good.  We enjoyed it all December and January.

More December Fun!

 Our First Branch Primary Program - so wonderful! Children all wore white shirts and black skirts or pants and did their parts very well.  Prmary President here at the pulpit getting things ready - lovely program and spirit felt strongly in the chapel.

 At Thanksgiving in the mission home, President Lamb joked that if any of the volunteers Christmas packages contained Jolly Ranchers or Almons Roca - that they were his favorite candy and they just might come up missing!! 

 I took that as a challenge and found online home made recipes for each!  Corn syrup for the Ranchers was in the cupboard - from Sister Heiselbetz's - not available in Russia.  It was fun to make them as authentic as possible and surprise President at the December Zone Conference! 

 Our little Christmas tree in our apartment - along with the goodies bags for all the Novosibirsk volunteers - wooden spoons, new toothbrushes, and goodies!

 December Zone Conference lunch - I made three jello salads to contribute to the ham and cheese potatoes - delicious food - wonderful company!

 He loved his treats!

 Those volunteers present who had served in Irkutsk - sure love these voluneers!

Ploy and Dasha's small Christmas presents - they are coming on the train from Irkutsk for the January Holidays - yay!

Train Museum

 On Saturday, December 8th, all the Right Bank Novosibirsk volunteers and Elder Smith and I rode the train from Novo to a neat Outdoor Train Museum.  Here we are attempting to obtain tickets at the automatic machines...some worked and some didn't!

 Men were shoveling snow off the roof of the train station - into the dump truck waiting.  Note the time!

 Now note the temperature!  It was very cold! Minus 15 C is 5 F!!

 Waiting for the train.

 Russia has many trains and lots of people ride them...today we joined in the fun!

 Our whole District at the start of the museum - lots of trains and speciality cars to see - but very cold weather!

 Elder Saunders in front of a huge snow plow engine!

 Sister Van den Herik (Netherlands) and Sister Staiger (Germany) and Sister Smith  - cute ladies!

 Elder and Sister Smith in front of a luxury car!

 Elders in a jail car!

 Rest Room is actually a hole in the ground!

 Tame squirrel eating out of the hands of the volunteers.

It was so cold that snowflakes stayed on our coat sleeves - very pretty!

December fun

 Artwork from our grandson Talus - 9 years old - it is the Second Coming!

 His brother Baden, 7 years old decorations for Christmas.

 Fun to decorate for the Holidays - love getting mail from Family!

 Treat bags for the young voluneers - and some for them to give away to others!  One of the companionships told me that when I made a certain cookie they ate both bags and made their own cookies to give away to others!

 Trucks unloading ice blocks that will be turned into sclupture downtown Novosibirsk.

Walking to work at the mission office - nine o'clock in the morning - still pretty dark!