Day at the farm

The mission gets more interesting every day.  This week we had one of our sisters break a toe that required surgery.  Natalia was to be hospitalized for 10 days.  Because of a wind storm we had on Tuesday there were many injuries that required them to release her two days early.  That was a fun storm as we had just finished English club and the wind and the rain was fierce for about 15 minutes.  We waited for about 50 minutes before we ventured out into a light sprinkle.  Trees and limbs we down everywhere and we were without power for 18 hours.  We did get it back for an hour in the morning that recharged the refrigerator.  

I met in the home of a less active member, who desires to return to activity, with the Elders (I need an interpreter).  He came for sacrament meeting last Sunday.  He is concerned that he is responsible for his children not being active.  We encouraged him to be faithful and gave him a blessing.  

Samville has a chronic  back disease and will enter the hospital for treatment this week.  We also gave him a blessing Sunday.  Samville and Margarite live outside of town in the village but Margarite stays in town to work and lives with Vica while Vica's husband works in Moscow.  Now that it is summer, Margarite's daughters are living in town as well.

I had many experiences with the Elders teaching investigators, playing volleyball with the branch, visiting members, giving blessing and having interviews.  

 We had dinner with Vika and her boys and Elders Harris and Bishop.  We love this little family.  Armond has been working in Moscow for three months now and we hope he is getting paid.  Kind of a shady deal driving truck for Some Armenians who don't keep records.  Artiome in the end of the table will be baptized as soon as his dad is in town long enough to baptize him.  They joined the church the weekend before we arrived here.

 A beautiful sunset from our apartment window.  At this time of year the sunset lasts for a couple of hours.

 We went to Sargis's farm to celebrate their daughter Ani's birday.  She turned 21.  We had an hour and a half ride in a van with 18 passanger seats.  This was one of the passengers waiting to get on.

 Here are some other passengers waiting.  Our Elders and two others who work in the office in Moscow joined us.

 What a hot and stuffy ride this was.  As you can see I was in the back.  Sister Hoagland stayed home as it is a rather diffucult trip.   This bus drops us off about 4 or 5 miles from the farm and the Elder's had to walk it the last time they came.  Fortunately a van used as a school bus came by and took us in.

 Some chickens on the farm.

 The goose

 The Elders helping make cheese.  It is Armenian and very salty cheese.

 Here they are draining off the liquid through cheese cloth.  I wondered where that name came from.

 No running water on this farm.  Elder Harris is pulling up the bucket to fill on these containers.  A friend of the family on the Left.

 Chickens and rabbits.

 A goat was killed for the occasion.

 Chopped goat.  I didn't think goat was much of a dinner meat before, and now I can confirm it.

 Sargis and his friend.

 They just built two tables and two very long bench's for the occasion.

While I was at the farm some clowns and a ballerina showed up at the playground at our apartment building. 

Sadly we said good bye to the Wooley's on Monday.  They were wonderful and the missionaries loved them.  They spent a good deal of the time visiting all the branch's of the mission as none of them were a part of a district or stake.  It was amazing how well they new everyone and how the people loved them.  

We leave again for Moscow this evening for a mission wide conference.  It will be the first as the new Moscow mission is organized.  We will have new zones and maybe our branch will be part of a stake or district.  We are excited to see what will happen.