Ice Sculptures

 Downtown Novosibirsk has a Winter Festival - we have been transferred to Irkutsk so we will miss it.  But they began the ice sculptures for it and we watched some and took some pictures.

 They put lights into them when they are finished - notice the big community Christmas tree.

 Man with a chain saw doing the sculpturing of the ice.

 Big blocks of ice on the truck - it was interesting to watch...maybe Irkutsk has a winter festival as well.

Some of the ice blocks are transported in these big wooden crates!

Life in Siberia

 This is the view out of our front room window - 14 floors up - it has been snowing and snowing.

 The pigeons gather around the heat vents and people leave bread for them.

 This is the inside of the doors in one of the underground shopping centers - there are many different kinds of shops and you can purchase food, clothes, toys, electronics, etc...yes it was below zero!

 The frost stays on the trees when it is really cold - looks pretty.

There are several Christmas tree selling stands we pass on our daily walks - I love how "Mother Nature" flocks them!

 You might think this is a pretty sunset ... but it is a pretty sunrise!  at 9:30 AM

When a building has snow and ice that falls off and can injure someone below - they make these barriers so people have to walk out on the sidewalk away from the building ... and we do!

Sending Fourteen Volunteers Home

 On Sunday, December 17 all the volunteers in Novosibirsk went to Right Bank Sacrament meeting and sang a medley of Christmas Carols - in Russian.  Here is Elder Roosa - going home, Elder Saunders, us, Sister Sarkalova, and Sister Homes - going home.  Elder Roosa is from Kurt and Emily's ward in Parker, CO.

 We laughed at how we all matched!  we are going to miss Sister Holmes! 

President and Sister Lamb were delayed getting back into the country on a Visa Renewal trip .. so Sister Heiselbetz was in charge of the 'going home dinner' at the mission home.  Elder Smith and I helped her all afternoon and we had a lovely dinner.  There are 14 young missionaries going home and none coming this transfer!  These are the most wonderful young elders and sisters - each one an outstanding person - President Lamb skyped their final interview from Helsinki - also joined us in the mission home for the final Testimony Meeting.

 Notice Elder Smith and Elder Heiselbetz in the backgound - also the wonderful book shelves in the mission home... I have borrowed several.

 It was Sister Blonquist's 21st birthday!  Sister Heiselbetz made this amazing 'red velvet' cake for her.

 Funny thing - Sister Lamb had the ingredients for a carrot cake - but Sister Heiselbetz made a red velvet - and Sister Blonquist said she always had a red velvet cake for her birthday! 

Picture of the awesome young volunteers going home ... adding by skype President and Sister Lamb! 

Lego man at the Moscow Airport

 This 'Lego-man' was at the Moscow airport - pretty cool.

 Closer look - I guess they glue them together!  Don't know why he is looking down and not smiling!

 Elder Smith sharing the bench with Lego Man.

 Sister Smith's turn!

S-7 is a Russian airline - we really enjoy their "Green Bean Machine" colored airplanes!  They serve breakfast, lunch or dinner, determined by your flight times.  Dinner Saturday had a salad, roll, dessert and choice of chicken or vegetables.  I choose chicken and Elder Smith choose veggies - turned out they were buckwheat and cooked carrots!  We were kind of thinking of zucchini, broccoli, oh well!

Red Square - second week in a row!

 Red Square is a block from the subway station - this is the side of the famous St. Basil's - nice because it is up closer.  Last week we were here on a Visa Trip - this week on a Training one ... I like traveling and learning new things.

 There are double decker red buses like in London!

 The GUM department store is a Russian State icon - and very expensive!  We used the restroom and had to pay 30- rubles for the privilege!  Then we ate a delicious lunch - not too much money.  It was fun to window shop - found a tie for 11,000 rubles - $200.00 US dollars!

 More of the amazing store - lots of Christmas decorations and things to see.

The Store is the one with all the lights - really pretty in the dusk.

Moscow Subway

 On Friday, the men met and trained in the Church Office Building - the wives all went in the subway to Red Square!  Moscow Subway had some wonderful stations - art work and carved columns - this station had several statues.

 See the shiny right knee of this rifle toting woman? As people walk by several of them reach out and rub the various parts of the statues!  It's interesting.

 Near Red Square several streets had lights hung about them - it was overcast and the lights looked amazing.

 More lights -these hanging down like icicles.

Notice Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter - Snow Maiden in the middle of the picture.

Moscow Audit Training Dec. 2017

 Dec. 14 - 15 we had Audit training in the Area Offices in Moscow.  Elder Copeland - sitting right is the Area Auditor - his wife is in the white sweater.  Also sitting are the Foleys - they are serving in Kiev, Ukraine.  At the back behind them are the Cooks - they serve in Moscow and then the Smiths - serving in Novosibirsk.  We had a wonderful dinner after the day of training for the men, playing for the women!

 This was the bottled water they brought to  our table!  We laughed at the resemblance to a certain clear alcoholic drink that Russia is famous for!!

 Just had to take a picture of Elder Smith holding the water bottle - he said his late father would have gotten a kick out of it!

 The Cooks had already left - they had a daughter visiting that had been in Moscow years before teaching English.  The Copelands also have a son that does business in Moscow and visits from the US once each month.

 There are two Vegas Malls in Moscow - we thought that was fun since our granddaughter Sydney is teaching high school English in Las Vegas!

Huge Christmas tree and ice skating rink in the Vegas Mall.