Greetings from Russia!
We have had a wonderful week. It could be described by saying that the snow was falling softly as we walked along the street. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and here in Russia the hearts of the people have proved to be very warm but we have to admit that the weather has been cold. For Thanksgiving we had a fresh foot of snow and the night before it was accompanied with a biting wind.
Inside of our apartment it is like a sunny day in Hawaii. It is very warm, so warm that we need to leave our windows cracked open to counter the effect. The other evening we went to bed with a steady snow fall. The next morning we awoke to a small snow drift on the inside window sill. The good news is that the inside window sills in our apartment are from 18 to 24 inches wide. We have found that we do sleep better when the room is cooler.
Our Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful. We had some challenges in matching the Russian ingredients to our list of needs but we did as well as we could. Our first challenge was learning the word for Turkey and then trying to find one. In the end we did learn the word but our search for a Turkey was in vain. We each made use of our good imaginations and we were able to pretend that the chicken we ate was a very fine Turkey.
Present with us for dinner were Elder Smith, from Vernal, Utah, Elder Weihing, from Herriman, Utah, Shondra Jacobis, a convert to the church and medical student from Guyana and Sergei Varnavaski and his wife Olga who are originally from Uzbekistan. Sergei has joined the church and Olga was given a baptismal challenge on Tuesday. She has felt the Spirit and wants to be baptized. The young Elders here are so good and faithful. They are a tribute to their families back home.
Jamie had the table festively set with yellow chrysanthemums to brighten the occasion. Both Elders ate their fill, so much so, that Elder Smith had to lay down on the floor to recuperate. Our meal included Turkey (Chicken), stuffing made from black bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied carrots, green beans with bacon and onions, black and green olives from Spain, fruit salad, pasta salad, sparkling cowberry juice, strawberry cheesecake and homemade pumpkin pie. We each, in turn, told of things that we were thankful for and had a very pleasant afternoon of friendship and conversation.
We continue to improve as we study the language. We teach in a mix of broken Russian and translated English. We feel the Spirit and love the people. The branch here, as in other developing areas, is small. We are impressed with the tenacity and the love that we feel from this handful of people who have testimonies of Jesus Christ and call themselves the Yaroslavl branch.
It is our desire to help where ever we can. We have been helping with the English club and as of last week we have also started a Spanish club. There is a large university here and many students wanting to learn English and apparently Spanish. The medical student who joined us for Thanksgiving dinner is returning to Guyana next summer and needs to learn Spanish. Along with others, she is one of the students in our Spanish club. Though we do not actively proselyte during the language club meetings, a number of converts have come from this venue.
There is just a bit more about warm apartments before we leave that topic. When we go outside we are bundled up for a trip into the arctic. We are dressed in layers. We have on long thermal underwear, a pair of pants, shirt and tie for me and slip, skirt and stockings for Jamie followed by a sweater or suit coat that is covered by a heavy winter coat, a scarf, warm hat, gloves and insulated shoes made to keep out the cold. That is all wonderful until you go into a Russian family's apartment, where inside temperatures can be in the 80's or 90's. They dress in light clothing and appear, with few exceptions so far, to greatly enjoy their warmth. While standing in their doorway we immediately shed our shoes then go through a complete metamorphosis and try to shed as many layers as we can. By the time we bundle up again to leave we usually end up drenched in sweat.
Getting a grasp of the language is one of our most pressing needs, so as a learning tool for Russian we have stickers in our apartment placed all over the many objects of daily life. Each sticker has the name of the object spelled in Russian along with a phonetic spelling to help with pronunciation. They have proved very helpful. Recently, after giving a lesson at an investigators apartment, Jamie was preparing to put her boots back on to leave when she found the sticker for shoes stuck to her stockings. Pointing the sticker out to our investigators we found it somewhat amusing.
A fruit here that is in large supply is the persimmon. There are persimmons in many varieties, shapes, sizes and colors. They range from the typical orange color to red, purple and yellow. The local fruit stands here are like mini insulated huts. They are found along most streets, close to housing and near news stands and other similar huts for small food and drink. The fruit is displayed behind glass windows or on tables outside if the temperatures permit. At one such stand, on a busy corner, Jamie has made friends with a woman who has a warm smile and who found Jamie's smelling of the fruit amusing. Purchasing some of her persimmons, walnuts and raisins, Jamie has made some very delicious cookies and brought the lady some to sample. She seemed taken with the gift of the cookies and we found out that her name is Sabrina. The other day when we passed by we purchased more walnuts and Jamie gave her a copy of The Book of Mormon.
In talking to people we find there is a genuine interest in us and in all things American. They almost always ask us why we have come to Russian. When we tell them that we are missionaries, some have asked how much money do people get paid to be a missionary? We tell them that we are not financially supported by the church, that we pay our own way. Most people here know very little of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Almost everyone wants to know what it is like to be from America. They ask if life in America is like they have seen portrayed in our movies. They ask us what we like to read and what our home is like. They are interested in knowing about our schools and we field many questions about politics. Russians seem to love President Obama and at the same time have very little good to say about former President Bush. When we show them pictures from home and of our family we are greeted with broad smiles.
There are three McDonald’s here in Yaroslavl and most have eaten there. With Burger King now in Moscow as a comparison they have asked which we prefer. To say that there are masses of people at McDonalds would be an understatement. If you compare it to standing in line with three busloads of football players and the opposing teams band at a US McDonald's, there are still more people at the McDonald's here. The astonishing thing is how quickly the lines move and how efficient they are. With six to eight lines at the counter they are very fast with their service.
In thinking about what to write there are several odds and ends that may be worth mentioning. In Russia people are amazed when they learn that we have a large family. We have been told that women who have five or more children are given a medal of recognition by the state for their contribution to building the nation. Several have mentioned to Jamie that if she were Russian she would be considered a hero of the state.
Though they have keys and locks similar to what we are accustomed to seeing, many of the keys here look like those that might have been used to open a door in a medieval castle. We would best describe them as skeleton keys. They are five or six inches long with a flat and wide, notched end. In the apartment buildings there is almost always a large outer door to enter the building. These doors are made of steel and have a call system to let tenants approve a visitor’s entry to the building. Each individual apartment will then have two heavily locked doors to enter the apartment. These doors are also made of steel. Each door is thick and hangs on heavy hinges. They would seem suitable for use as a door to a gun safe, a bank or perhaps a door in the Harry Potter movies. These double doors each have two or more locks and dead bolts, some requiring the skeleton keys. Taking into consideration the size of the keys and possessing a set of keys for our apartment, a set of keys for the church and another set of keys for the family history center, we try to only carry one set at a time. Carrying keys is better than wearing ankle weights for keeping in shape. Jamie likes the sounds they make as they jingle jangle in our pocket.
For those who like to shop, there are stores and shops all over the place but it can be tricky to find them or just the right shop with what you need. Often with only a non-descript door, barely noticeable or advertised from the outside it will open into multiple small shops that are stuffed with goods. In the grocery and department stores the shoppers put their bags into a locker and many have a place to check your coat. They have a large department store called Globus that is much like Wal-Mart.
At the open markets we have found all sorts of items including a large assortment of clothing and products with fur. There are fur lined boots, fur lined hats, fur lined coats, fur lined gloves, fur lined bags and fur lined scarves. There appears to be no end to the uses of fur. Animals covered in fur need to be very careful here in Russia.
Before Thanksgiving, after we had given up our hunt for a Turkey, we kept a sharp eye out for fresh whole chickens. We had seen them in the store but they disappeared quickly. Preferring fresh over the frozen, two nice looking birds made their way to the poultry section. The young missionaries were quick to fend off the savvy babushkas and secure them for our meal. To hear them tell the story they used a combination of slow motion moves from football and Kung-Fu to keep the wily bab’s at bay. They made us smile.
Finding spices proved to be an odyssey of sorts. When we looked in the stores we did not see a familiar spice aisle or anything resembling spice bottles. We found that they don’t use bottles for their spices here. Spices come in little packets. Vanilla is not liquid but also comes in a packet similar to what we had observed in Norway. Baking powder packets are small with about two tablespoons per packet. We were able to look up the words for spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and eventually found most of what we were looking for.
Another curiosity is the placement of advertising. Often it is painted on the sidewalk, especially noticeable on the sidewalks in Moscow. Russians walk with their heads down rather than looking straight ahead. There are so many people who walk and with sidewalks and walking surfaces that are somewhat inconsistent, it makes sense to watch where you are walking. Sidewalk painted ads probably don't do as well when there is snow on the ground but it is something different.
It has been our observation that the simple movement of people from point A to point B or points in between consumes a huge amount of time. A great majority of the people own one or no personal vehicle and are extremely dependent on public transportation. Their public transportation system is efficient and easy to access with large and small buses running at all times. Passengers use the honor system to pay their fares often needing to pass their money from the back to the front of the bus.
We would like to end by giving thanks for what we have received and experienced. We are grateful for finding hidden treasures, a good grocery store, a beautiful pumpkin to make into pies, the prospect of 100's of lilac trees in the spring, a genuine smile from a weary human, the generosity of a stranger, figuring out how to say baking power in Russian and for finding out that Harry Potter speaks Russian.
Oh and lest we forget we want to say thank you for the two fantastic, amazing and sweet young Elders who have taken such good care of us. Thank you Elder Smith and Elder Weihing and thanks to the many who have given their words of encouragement. God bless us all in this work. We are thankful every day that we are here. We are thankful for the gift of tongues. We hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as we have ours. May it have been all things wonderful!
With Love,
Elder Mark & Sister Jamie Forsyth
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