A Night at the Opera

1 October 2011

Has it really been another week?  Some days it seems like we have been here forever and on others it seems like we just arrived.  This past week has been a little hectic because we have had a VIP here all week.  Elder Neuenschwander a dear friend has been here all week giving Patriarchal blessings.  He has used the Mission Presidents office here at the Mission Office building so we have had a few more people in and out.  We also held a leadership training meeting for all the young missionary leaders for 1 full day and that was a little bit of a logistical fete as well.  Some of these missionary come in on an overnite train and then they need a place to shower, clean up and get a little breakfast before the all day meeting and the train ride back.  We had five young men one morning this week which was rather fun but also a little bit of work to get them all fed and out the door by the start of the meeting.  We also received a call from a young lady who served her mission here and went home about 6 months ago.  She brought her dad out for a visit and a tour of the area where she served and needed a place to crash for the nite.  So we fed them dinner on Thursday, gave them a place to sleep and sent them on their way Friday am around 6:30.  They are from Spokane to it was nice to visit with some “homies”.  They knew many of the people in the church who we knew from the Spokane area and gave us a little update on the mission there.

 
Our highlight this week tho was Wednesday evening’s trip to the Opera.  They performed a Pushkin Poem “Eugene Onegin” (English pronunciation).  The music was fabulous and the whole opera was amazing.  This opera hall is the largest in Eastern Europe and was built during WW2 which in itself is amazing once you see it.  Construction started in 1933 and was complete in about 1944.  It was another great experience.  We will definitely get back for future performances of  both the symphony and the opera.  This was a great night and we hope to be back here more than just once.  A great way to spend the evening.  We have also had an activity of some kind or another for which we have provided the refreshments so we have been busy in the kitchen in our spare time.  We are having a great time and getting a little more comfortable about trying to talk to people.  It is always nice when someone is patient enough to try and help us say things correctly.  That is provided they can figure out what it is we are trying to say.  The missionaries are very helpful and take good care of us.  They watch out for us and try to make sure we understand what is happening and being said whenever they are around.  Church meetings were today and tomorrow we start another week.  The Russian calendar begins with Monday not Sunday so I am continually getting mixed up with the dates when looking at a calendar