Birthday Boy Bennett

One year ago today my Lover Boy Bennett was born.  I was there--it was truly miraculous.  What a blessing he is to our family--pure love and joy.  Happy Birthday Bennett!!  I hope you are feeling better and that you have a ONE-IS-FUN-filled day.  We love you tons and miss you like crazy. 

 oxoxoxo

MeMa & PaPa

THE UNLUCKY DUCKY

The other day Dad called and said that he had a break between interviews and invited me to go on a walk.  I never turn down an invitation like that.  The sun was even shining so it was a  special day for a walk.  We went over to the Novadievechie Monastary.  Doesn't it look different in the winter time with the frozen lake?  There is a rustic ice rink in the middle of the lake.  It brought back memories of Jonathan squeezing into Ashly's ice skates and skating on our frozen swimming pool in Massena.  What a nut!  The only other person around was this woman walking her dogs.  They were so cute and made me miss my Ruby Dog.  We mentioned how weird it was to be there without seeing or hearing the ducks.  The pigeons were still there of course and they loved eating some seed that some kind person threw out on the frozen lake.  Then when we were leaving I spotted him--the Unlucky Ducky.  He had gotten left behind.  He was all alone.  It stinks to be an Unlucky Ducky.

Following Promptings

One of the many blessings that I have been given while serving here in Moscow is on most days I have all the time I want to search the scriptures--including our modern day scriptures--such as conference talks. My love for the scriptures has increased so much--along with my testimony of my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I feel like Nephi when he said, "For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children".  I read Elder Ballard's talk from October 2007 and I feel strongly that I should share a couple of things with you.  He said this:

"...it was the Savior who said "by their fruits ye shall know them".  A church, or any way of life, should be judged by the fruits or the results that it generates.  Here are a few examples based on United States statistics.  But these would be similar throughout the world among practicing Mormons (by which we mean those who attend church and the temple regularly)".

Given this definition by Elder Ballard of what a practicing Mormon is---Are You A Practicing Mormon?  I know you attend church, but how about your temple attendance?  Is it regular?  Could you do better at making the time for the temple in your lives?  

Elder Ballard  goes on to mention some of the fruits of being a practicing member of the church.  "Second, those who are married in AND attend the temple regularly have a divorce rate far below the national and world average".

I can testify to you that the Lord will bless you individually, as couples, and as a family if you make going to the temple a top priority in your lives.  It has been many years since we have lived closed to a temple other than those few months we were in AZ.  I know what it is like to yearn for the opportunity to go to the temple regularly. I continue to miss it.  You are all living close to a temple.  I not only hope, but I (for years) have acted----I pray for you all to realize the importance of regular temple attendance and to commit to a plan that gets you there.

I love you.  I want us to be with each other forever living in eternal bliss.  NOM!

POOR PAPA

PaPa went to the dentist yesterday to get a pocket of infection in his gums above his front teeth cut out.  It had eaten away at the bone.  He had to get some stitches and it was pretty painful.  He loved the pain killers that the dentist gave him.  He has liked them so much I'm glad he only gave him 3.  Of course he wanted me to take a picture of his mouth so that you could see how bad it was.  As far as PaPa is concerned--sympathy is always welcomed.  All he could eat last night was a chocolate malt.  Today is better.  He had a hot dog at IKEA.  Yep--it was P-Day and we got to take off together for a few hours. We had fun.  Now he is back at work downstairs in the mission office.  He's da man. 

South Zone Missionaries

We had T-shirts made for all of our missionaries for Christmas.  They weren't ready when we had our Christmas Celebration with the South Zone, so they were pretty excited to get them this time.  Elder Moss ( Pennsylvania), Elder Peterson (Washington), and Sister Gunderson (Temeculah, CA).  A sweet lady from the branch made Russian food for us to eat after our ZC.  I've eaten a lot of borcht and this was one of the best.  Elder Booth (Wyoming use to be our AP), Elder Lamb (Roosevelt, UT our AP now) and Elder Aitken (UT), loved the borcht too.  Sister Gunderson and Sister Shesternova (Russian) are the only Sisters in the Zone.  Aren't they all amazing?  They really are. 

Zone Conference in the South

Isn't our church building in Voronezh cool?  They just finished remodeling the whole outside.  There use to be a hammer and cycle symbol at the top.  It was an old soviet theater.  It also has the only sports court of all of the church buildings in Russia.  Isn't that man standing in front of it handsome?  He is my best boyfriend and sweetheart aka the President--the best Mission President in the whole world.  No doubt about that.

A Wing and a Prayer

This ancient airplane is what takes us to and from Voronezh.  I'm pretty sure they used this plane back during WWII. Scary huh?  The noise from the engines and propellers wrack my ears for days afterwards.  See why we need your prayers?  Never forget us.