Mission Conference

A pretty incredible week.  Thursday we had a mission conference in Moscow, which was the last meeting we will have with our current mission president, President Woolley.  He and Sister Woolley have served wonderfully in leading this extraodinary mission. The Moscow West mission included Kazakhstan, and Belarus and cities north and south of Moscow, but not including Moscow.  They return Home on June 25 and we will miss them. 

On July 1, we will become part of the Moscow mission and Kazakhstan will be part of another Russian mission and Belarus will become part of the Baltic mission.  Following our last meeting in the morning, we joined with the Moscow missionaries in a mission conference which was truly historic.  In attendance were six general authorities which included Elder D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the twelve, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Senior President of the Seventy, Bishop Gary F. Stevenson Presiding Bishop, Elders Gregory A. Schwitzer, Larry R. Lawrence, and Ronald K. Bennett of the East Europe area presidency.  Elder Lawrence will replace Elder Schwitzer as Area President on July 1.  We met Elder Lawrence in the Kiev airport during our visa trip.   Above is the combined Moscow West and Moscow missions with all the General authorities and their wives.  This should also make the Church News.

 At the conclusion of our meeting, the Woolley's were gifted with a beautiful quilt with the names of all missionaries who served under them on it.  Also a scarf for Sister Woolley and a Russian hat for President.

 The first and last mission wide picture of the Moscow West Mission.  About twenty of these people will move to new missions when Kazakhstan and Belarus are united with their new missions.

 We were all able to shake hands with the general authorities.  Here are Elders Christofferson and Rasband greeting the missionaries.  Elder Christofferson remarked that he had assigned many of our missionaries to their callings.  He said they tried to send the best to Eastern Europe.  I can believe that.  We have wonderful missionaries and very little if any discipline type problems.  We have the best of the best right here in Lipetsk.

On Saturday I attended the priesthood leadership meeting in conjunction with the Moscow Stake.  I was pleased that both counselors were able to be there and also my executive secretary.  Wonderful meeting.
Elder Christofferson:  In all we do we should think about what should happen as a consequence.  Whose life should be effected.  There is a difference between activity and having results, don't be satisfied with just being busy.  Our purpose is to see that all receive the ordinances of Salvation.
Elder Rasband:  Quorum is a class, brotherhood and a service unit.  Continue to reach out to less active so the Lord can heal them.
Bishop Stevenson:  Spoke on how to treat our wives.  Give love and affection, write her a letter, No contention, All will be released from callings, but not as husband and father.
Elder Lawrence:  Spoke on an acceptable fast.
Elder Bennett:  Be life long learners of the Spiritual and the academic.
President Schwitzer collected questions from group to be used in second half of meeting.  Each leader was given questions to answer.  Very good!  Will always remember this experience.

 Elder Lawrence on the left and Elder Bennett on the Right with Sister Schwitzer in blue.

 Bishop Stevenson waiting for the next missionary.  He was just sustained at last April conference.  All of these men are magnificent.  Elder Christofferson described his calling as all work and no glory.  He has responsibility for welfare production and distribution, building construction and maintenance, and the Aaronic priesthood.  WOW!!

Elder & Sister Walker were our host while we were in Moscow.  They are from Weiser, Idaho.  Elder Walker is assistant legal council for the East European Area.  Sister Walker also has a responsibility in that office.  We had just finished touring Red Square and stopped for lunch at McDonalds.  A real mad house! 

Because of rain we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon touring the Metro, which is famous for the art work done at its stations.  It was an interesting afternoon.  The only thing that happened to make it more interesting was when we crossed the Moscow River, we were exposed to the rain and the air vents leaked dirty water over my white shirt and Judy's pink sweater. As you can see this was a slow period for ridership.  Moscow moves billions of people through their large system every year.  Second only to Tokyo in ridership. 

 Each station has its own theme.  All are patriotic but  depict all aspect of life.  Army, family, farming, industrial, etc.

 Not all stations have art work.  It depended on who was leading the country.  Some felt transportation was more important than art.

 Every piece uses the same colors and material but each post has at least two different subjects.

 Hundred dollars to anyone who can spot a smile.

 This is not it, but Moscow Metro has the longest escalator in the world.

 The perfect Soviet family is depicted here.

When finished our metro tour, we went to the Hyatt Hotel in NE Moscow where we had dinner with other senior couples and then went to the Russian National Dance Show, "Kostroma" at the theater adjacent the Hotel.  What a wonderful show it was.  The costumes were magnificent as well as the dancing.  

 Theater sign at the Hyatt Hotel.  They try to make their signs a little like Las Vegas, but not quite.

 President and Sister Woolley talking with Elder Walker prior to the show.

We were on row 10 on the left.  There were no bad seats.

Following the show we had our picture taken with the Walkers.  Notice that at 9:45 it is still pretty light out.

I will use another blog to show pictures of Red Square, and other photos.  I will finish with our experience with the train travel to and from the conference.  Our Elders thought that we had plenty of time to get to the train in a small town south of lipetsk.  We took a taxi.  The line at the ticket window was not long, but a couple of women were planning a summer vacation and took 30 minutes or more.  We almost missed the train.  We all piled on the train without giving tickets or passports or we would have missed it.  The conductor took care of that business as the train moved out as soon as we got on.  Did not sleep well on the train going or coming.  We arrived in Lepitsk at 7:11 am Sunday morning.  I gave a talk and taught the youth SS class.  At the very end of the lesson I fell asleep momentarily sitting there.  I had no chance in priesthood meeting.  Elder Janson was also having trouble staying awake.