ARRIVING IN RUSSIA.....BR-R-R-RWONDERFUL!

I can't believe that we have been in Khabarovsk, Russia 11 days! It is cold (holadna) here, but most the time we do not feel it. We are prepared, so we don't worry as we go out our door all bundled up. Yes, we bought shopkas! (Russian fur hats) Ours happen to be mink and they are very warm. Sorry PETA people, but to survive here in subzero weather, the animals are very helpful. We arrived in Vladivostok, Russia on Wed. Feb. 11, 2009... somehow we just lost Tuesday, but we understand that in 18 months we will find it again! Pres. & Sis. Everett plus two wonderful elders, E. Call & E. Myronchuk met us and Elder & Sis. Magill at the airport. Okay, being in a different country was a little unnerving as we stood in line to show our passport/visas and had no clue what everyone was saying! We just smiled and felt gratitude for being on the Lord's errands. We immediately loaded up ALL BELONGINGS and people into two mini vans and one hour later we arrived at the Vladivostok Mission Office. The evening began with dinner at a restaurant and checking into a nice 100 yr. old hotel. Next morning, we had training from Pres. and Sis. Everett ... wonderful, spiritual giants here in this part of the Lord's vineyards. It is amazing how the Lord helps us know all the good and correct things to do in all the foreign lands. We walked to lunch with the elders to a chicken 'fast food' place that if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't find it! More training and getting important 'stuff' (how's that for describing important tasks? Later we attended English Kloob (Club), a place where Russian People are invited to talk & converse in English, then invited to the 2nd hour which they are told is spiritual. The Russian people that we have met are totally delightful. We walk down the street giving them a smile, a zdrastvootye (hello), or a friendly nod of the head. In English Kloob, we talk in English and a lot of them speak very good English. After English Kloob, the Elders and all our luggage PLUS supplies for CES were loaded onto a poezd (train) and we rode in a koopye (sleeping car) all night to reach Khabarovsk! More delightful Elders took us under their wings and brought us to our apartment. WHEW! The adventure continues! Apartments in our area have linoleum floors with room-size rugs on them. The walls are plaster with foam-type wallpaper of various colors and designs, each differing in every room.... so if we wish green and tan decor, we enter the kitchen - if we wish floral, the bedroom, if we wish dark brown tile with upper light green plain colored walls it is the "tub room" and the "toilet room". In the tub room is our clothes washer...a real nice one. We hang our clothes on lines in the 'porches'. Our kvarteera zdanee (apartment bldg) is 15 stories high and we live on the 3rd floor. Yuri, our landlord is a kind, gentle, humble man. Our living room is white plain walls...hooray, my kind and color!! Our office room has blue walls, blue (different color/shade/etc.) floor with bright orange/yellow rug. Bedroom rug is carpet-type wall to wall and is rust color/geometric design. Okay, by now you can picture a potpourri of color, design, plus I didn't even describe the drapes...use your vivid imagination!! It is our home for now...it is WARM, COMFY and we are together serving our Heavenly Father (Nee-b-s-nee Otyets) and our Savior (Spaceetil). We have no thermostat, but the apartment is always perfect temperature...go figure? Khabarovsk has been -24 celsius for lows and -2 or -3 to -10 for highs. Right now, it is -10 C and it is +10 F. RIGHT TOASTY, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?? The elders are WONDERFUL here in Khabarovsk. They have shown us where to shop, how to walk to church, how and which buses to take to go visit some of our members...they are the best young men!! We are so impressed with the depth and caliber of these young men. Two are on mini-missions, and are native Russians, who will go to the MTC in Provo in a matter of weeks, then come back to Russia and serve in one of her 8 missions! Wow!! The Lord's work moves onward and forward, with or without us.....hopefully we are all 'with'. Our Branch is tiny. The first Sunday we only had about 15 in attendance and 10 of those were us missionaries. Please join in our prayers for these wonderful people to come back to church. We understand there are about 75-80 members living here and just like home, they choose not to come. It is hard, it does cost money and sometimes they just can't come (one sister works 2 of the 4 Sundays, but tries to come when she isn't working. The second Sunday (yesterday) our prayers were answered and we had 21 people come to church! Hooray! Will you include our Khabarovsk Branch in your prayers? H.F. will know what you mean when you try to say it!! Our Branch President Karuc is a fantastic, humble man who the Lord has called to lead and guide us here. We are trying to help in any way that we can! We have 'gone out' with the missionaries several times to teach, bear testimony, or help visit and lift people. The Lord's work is the same, no matter whether we are in Utah or in Russia. So I would encourage you to find out who the Elders and Sisters are that are serving in your area and call them and ask what you can do to help them. Ask them how you can help serve. Family/friends, we love you and we love serving our Heavenly Father. We just happen to have the great blessing of serving here in Khabarovsk, Russia at this time. We think of you often and pray that H.F. blessings will attend you as you strive to obey His great word. Love to all......Starayshena & Sestra Sartori