Ensuring Remembrance of God's hand in the lives of His children...

We have laid some good groundwork in preparation for our supervisors from SLC to visit us.  The past few days and been enlightening, instructional, and informative as we have witnessed the administrative arm of the church and the miracles that occur as it is ultimately governed by the power of the priesthood.  

Thirteen and three and two.  Those numbers have been tossed around for the last month as we sorted through thirteen boxes in the EEA, three boxes that were "somewhere in the building" and then found, and two boxes from St. Petersburg.  

In the storage room at the Kubik Building [our Church Office Building] with our thirteen boxes.

Look at this handsome happy helper using a wheelie chair
to transport the boxes to a conference room.  A Wheeler wheeling.

More treasure hunting with James A. Miller.  James
is from Las Vegas.  It's fun to talk to him about Southern Nevada. 

Elder Wheeler with Matthew Heiss.

We had a wonderful meeting with the Public Affairs Department.  Sergie, Marina, and Lena.  Their job is monumental in establishing relations with different entities in the country.

Ahhhhh....Organized and ready to put in to acid free archival storage folders and boxes.

The three boxes that were hiding and two boxes from St. Petersburg
are now in our apartment ready for the magic touch of James and Matt.
You know how I love to organize.  This is so fun!

Just one of the treasures we found was the original hymnbook that was printed in 1990 the year that the church was officially organized in Russia.  This was before the church owned a copy machine.   Thirteen hymns were translated to Russian and on an old mimeograph machine were copied in purple ink.  Officials at the time were monitoring how many copies were made on each machine.  Dmitry Marchenko asked his father to copy them on a machine that was in the Russian Orthodox church, which he did.  Since no American know Russian, the translations are loose to say the least, but it served a purpose in bringing the hymns of the restoration to this great country.

Vision Statement for the Church History Department in the Europe East Area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

[Paul and Kathy Wheeler ~ April 6, 2017]

Our overall purpose is to increase and strengthen the testimonies of the members of the church in the Europe East Area that this is the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

• ·      Expand awareness of the Church History Program among the members in the East Europe Area. 
• ·      Establish an efficient Records Preservation Center with a vision of looking in to the future for the generations of saints to come. 
• ·      Support the Area Church History Advisers in training and supervising their efforts. 
• ·      Develop projects that will stand as a witness of Jesus Christ .

In the footsteps of Apostles...

A glorious day in Moscow.  We visited the Kremlin and stood in the Aleksandr Gardens where on August 9, 1903, Elder Francis M. Lyman of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered a prayer of dedication.  Joseph J. Cannon recorded: “He prayed that the other peoples of this country, in whose veins the blood of Israel flows generously, might accept the truth, that Ephraim and Judah might thus become reconciled. He besought the Lord to touch the hearts of the Gentiles that they might be grafted into the true olive tree, that their branches might become fruitful. He called upon the Lord to bless this great empire, in many respects greatest in the world, and endow its rulers with wisdom and virtue, that there may be peace and progress here, that darkness may flee and the voices of His servants may sound the glad tidings to the uttermost parts of this great land.”

An incredible spirit filled our souls as we were taught by James Miller [with glasses] and Matthew Heiss [back turned], our supervisors in the Church History Department in Salt Lake City, who are visiting to continue our training and instruction.  Dimitry and Svetlana Marchenko also accompanied us.  The Marchenko's have been called to serve as the Europe East Area Church History Advisors.  They are two of the earliest members of the church in Russia.  Svetlana was baptized in 1991, just one year after the church was established in Moscow. Dimitry joined in 1992.  

We believe this to be the exact spot where the prayer was offered.  Seventy-five yards from the Trinity Tower.  Just pinch me now.  We are in Russia.  

On 25 June 1991, Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve offered a second prayer of rededication for Russia near the Water Conveyance Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. He prayed: “Wilt Thou cause the light of Thy gospel to reach the hearts and the souls of the people of this republic and of this great union. Wilt Thou thwart the efforts of the adversary who would make it difficult for Thy work to prosper.” Elder Nelson was accompanied by Dallin H. Oaks and Hans B. Ringger.

Oh, and by the way, these gardens are breathtakingly beautiful.  

Mother Russia has the Mother of all Flea Markets...Izmaylovo Market

It's charming, it's quaint, it's huge.  Can something be quaint and huge?  It's fun!  And it is a tourist trap to beat all tourist traps.  At the Izmaylovo Market you can purchase anything from old-fashioned vessels, strange articles, paintings, icons, hand-made items, boots, coins, clothing, and other unusual objects.  

The history of the village of Izmaylovo goes back to 1389. Since the days of Ivan the Terrible it was an estate of boyars in the Romanov family.  The architecture is phenomenal. 

What is the saying...Soup to nuts.  It is all here.  I will be contributing to the gross national product via Izmaylovo before returning home.

This display reminds me of the children's book..."Hat's for Sale". 

And what is a tourist trap without T-shirts.  Paul thought this one was pretty interesting.

We do like the food in Russia and Izmaylovo was not a disappointment.

Moscow River Dinner Cruise....

We cruised the famous Moskva River on this Moscow river cruise. We were able to view some of the most popular landmarks and attractions around Moscow's Golden Island, including the beautiful Gorky Park and Novospassky Monastery.

98 Meter Statue of Peter The Great.

A government building.

Novospassky Monastery

We sailed from the Radisson Hotel.  This building is one of six that was built by Stalin.  He had six wives and thus six incredible architectual masterpieces.

Our Moscow family.  We love them so....

A New Cooking Show titled..."An Adventure of an American trying to cook in Moscow"

So what do you think.  Should I start a new TV series entitled "An American tries to cook in Moscow"?  My children have long targeted me for my cooking skills and mixing ingredients that would normally not be on the list.  Well, you should see me now.  It has been interesting.  Here are some of the products I can choose from:

So I look at the pictures, get out my google translate, and say to myself..."Well this might work", or "this might be what I am looking for".  

Imagine my delight when I find something that is familiar.  It is a great adventure!  

So far, so good, but I have mixed some interesting things together.  My worst was a package of chicken bullion.  I couldn't read the back of the package which I now know said, "add one teaspoon to one cup of water".  I added the whole package to a pot of soup.  Pretty salty it was.  I drained the liquid off of the pot of soup and we choked it down.  

It's called "The Moscow Metro"...I call it the eighth wonder of the world, or Sardines!

What is beautiful, clean, efficient, an engineering miracle, and a work of art?

The Moscow Metro!

One of the the biggest surprises to us as we have adapted to city life is the Moscow Metro.  I will post pictures, but it is definitely something to be experienced to fully understand it's complex grandeur and well-organized system.  Since we do not drive in Moscow (and that is a blessing) we ride the Metro everywhere we go or we walk.  It is an hour and 15 minute commute one way to the office that we work in.  

Some facts:

• In 2014 it transported 2.4 billion people.
• Transports between 6-9 million people dailey.
• Holds world record for on-time departure.
• 44 of the 200 stations are listed as cultural treasures.  It is beautiful.  It is clean.
• Construction began in 1935.
• It was used for a bomb shelter during WWII.
• 211 miles of train tracks, mostly underground, with the deepest section 276 feet down.

We live on the Red Line.  Our station is called, Sportivinia.  We walk about 10 minutes to get to our apartment from there.  

To my Grandchildren:  See if you can find where Grandma and Grandpa live.

The following two pictures are from rush hour the last time we rode the Metro.  We now know what it feels like to be a sardine.  

We pass through this station every time we ride to the COB (Church Office Building).  It is the Kiyevskaya Station.  The pictures on the wall are Mosiac.  Little 1/2 inch tiles that are fashioned in to amazing depictions of life in Russia.  

Russia is a treasure of history.  The Metro is evidence of that fact.

"Krasny"...the original word for Red Square...translated means Beautiful.

Red Square lives up to it's original title.  Beautiful.  

Inspirational, jaw-dropping architecture, and the sense of decades of history. The Kremlin towers, St. Basil's Cathedral, miles of cobblestones, Lenin's Mausoleum, the armoury chamber, cathedral square, museums, and concert halls to name just a few.  

This is said to be the center of Moscow.  If you stand in the center and flip a coin and it lands on the gold markers, it is said that your wishes will come true.  

Our first visit there was last Monday with the Sister Volunteers.  Inside this little church was a Russian Orthodox Priest praying.  

Just one of the many, many examples of the Russian Orthodox Church artwork that adorns their cathedrals. Intricate and detailed in every fashion.

A view of Cathedral Square.  The Cathedral of the Annunciation, The Cathedral of the Assumption, The Cathedral of the Archangel, as well as the Church of the Twelve Apostles, and The Church of the Deposition of the Robe. 

April 22, 2017 we toured the Kremlin with our friends the Limb's.  

We have learned that in Russia if you can make anything, you make it BIG.  This cannon and the bell are no exception.  

I am not sure how we lucked out today, but we timed our visit to witness the Kremlin Regiment

perform.  Truly FANTASTIC!  And please be dazzled that I figured out how to post the video that we filmed.  I know I am.