The Last Trip Apr. 20-May 13th, 2013

Our training trip was 3 weeks and included one week in the Bulgaria Sophia Mission (trained 5 branches) and two weeks in the Rostov Russia Mission (trained 11 branches).  The parade was in Krasnodor on May 9th for their Independence day.  The training group was in the Sochi Russia Branch, the city where the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held.  The Russian flag is white, blue, and red.  The warrior statue was in Stavropol.  The fisherman's family looking toward the sea was in Novorossyisk.

Mike's Visit April 2013

Mike arrived on Sat., April 6th and left on Thurs., April 11th.  It was so fun to show him around.  He was able to attend our branch on Sun.  Some places we visited were Khor Virap Monastery, Mother of Armenia, Echmizdzin Monastery, The Cascades (steps), Genocide Memorial, the monastery at Lake Sevan.

April 3, 2013 Rostov and Volgograd, Russia

The dinner with some of the missionaries at the Rostov mission home was after their zone training meeting.  The other pictures are in Volgograd at the Mother of Russia monument.  The changing of the guard takes place each hour.  They march with "goose steps" with the legs raised high each step.  The eternal flame is where the guards stand at attention.  The statue with the sword raised is bigger than the Statue of Liberty.  The city name during World War II was Stalingrad and the Russians fought the Germans near the city.  The city was destroyed and the name was changed to Volgograd when it was rebuilt.  We flew to Rostov on Thurs., Mar. 28th and had meetings and audits in the mission office on Thurs. and Thurs. evening.  Friday we traveled to Volgograd and had meetings and training with the branch presidents and clerks Sat. and Sun. after district conference.

March 2013 Spring in Armenia

The branch president and his parents invited us and the sister missionaries to dinner at his apartment.  Armenia is famous for their apricots.  The apricot trees were the first fruit trees to bloom in March.  Yerevan has a new and very modern airport.  The painting was a famous Armenian painting that was restored after being damaged in the 1989 earthquake.  It is hanging in the Yerevan Zvartnots Airport.

March 20, 2013 Concert and some activities

The dinner was after the Senior Missionary Council.  We attended our branch activity on March 6, Women's Day.  We had a program and then music and dancing.  Before the symphony concert at the Yerevan Opera House we had dinner with the senior missionaries at Old Yerevan.  The fancy entryway was in the stadium where we attended the Julio Iglesia concert that week.

February 2013 Moscow Extras

I always love to see the long fur coats in Moscow and Yerevan.  Mom gave me her fox fur coat and Dave has teased me for not bringing it with me.  The picture is our training group from our Moscow meeting.  Our group included an auditor from Ukraine, our S.L. visitor/trainer and the 4 senior couples with area and assistant area auditor callings.  You can tell how cold it was in Moscow in January!

February 12-13, 2013 Ephesus and Izmir

For a preparation day we went to Ephesus with the senior humanitarian couple who live in Izmir.  InTurkey the missionaries don't wear name tags and don't wear missioary clothes for preparation days.  The picture of us is in Ephesus.  The second picture is arches in Ephesus.  The next to the last picture is the library and the last picture is the road into the city from where the sea used to be. The fourth picture is some ruins in Izmir.  We liked the advertisement at the airport with the surfing fingers.