We are all at the beginning of a new year and as we enter this new
year, we begin to think of things that we need to improve on. We
always come up with lists and then we push them aside as we rush from
the day to day challenges that we face. This year as I was reading
the Book of Mormon and came upon the Anti-Lehi-Nephites story of how
they buried their swords and decided that they would no longer use
them to fight, but would be peace loving people, I decided that I had
some swords that needed to be buried. I did not make a list because
lists are too discouraging for me. I decided that when something
comes up, and I don't like the way I think about it, or handle it, or
feel about it, I will bury, and or correct, that feeling and take a
higher road to improvement. So far, it has worked, I have a daily
inventory when evening comes, some days I need to bury several swords,
and some days only a few. But, it makes me feel like I am doing
something and that is the only way I can change.
One exciting thing that we have to announce is that we are getting a
new grandchild. In July we will come home to eighteen grandchildren.
Now that is a homecoming.
FAITHFUL YOUTH
On January 4th during our YSA institute meeting we noticed some new faces
in our class. There were three young men, and one beautiful young
lady. The young lady was visiting from Moscow and the young men were
visiting from Novosibirsk. They all had a holiday from either school
or work. They were all visiting friends here in Krasnoyarsk. BUT, to
all be in Institute on Friday night seemed very unusual to me. I can
think of at least ten other places that they would or could have been.
But, here they were all sitting together with their friends studying
the New Testament. I know that they are blessed young people, but I
also know that they are deserving of the Lords' blessings. I've been
told, and I believe that if we are WHERE, we are supposed to be, WHEN,
we are supposed to be there, DOING what we are supposed to be DOING,
we will be blessed.
New Ice and Snow Sculptures
On January 19th we had another visa trip to Finland. This trip was
different because there is a new rule that the senior couples cannot
stay over night any more unless they pay for it themselves. We were
forced to stay over night because our visa expired and we could not
come home until the 20th.
While we were waiting to fly out of Kransnoyarsk I thought I heard
someone speaking english. My ears perked up like a puppy dogs. I
turned and looked to see three people sitting together. I asked "Are
you from America?" They told me that they were from Alaska and had
just finished sculpturing some peacocks out of snow for the carving
contest here. They said that Krasnoyarsk paid their travel and room
expenses to come and join their celebration. We were so excited to
talk to them and to know what they had carved because we had taken a
walk just two nights earlier to see the new carvings, but were
disappointed because the artists were still working on their pieces
and we could not get in. They said that they loved being here, and
were treated very well. Here are some photos of ice and snow sculptures carved since the last ones we put on our blog. The peacock snow sculpture was done by the people we met in the airport. This were taken on an overcast day and some are hard to see clearly. Also it had snowed so some of the detail is covered.
Adoption: The Lord Will Touch Their Hearts:
Also, on this trip when we were in the Moscow airport about to go
through the visa check point we noticed two women each pushing
strollers with down syndrome children in them. One from Las Vegas and
one from Tremonton. Frank and I commented to each other wondering if
they were the last orphans to make it out of Russia since the new law
prohibiting Americans' from adopting Russian orphans came into effect.
Just before I entered the pass port check, one of the women asked me
if I was a missionary. I said that I was, she began to tell me that
she and her friend were also LDS. She told me that they had just left
Krasnoyarsk with the last two orphans that will ever leave Russia.
She said that she felt so grateful, I looked at her child and was
overcome with emotion, as I thought of the sacrifice these two women
were making to save these two little children.
As I exited the booth, I walked over to the other woman and looked at
her down-syndrome child, the child looked up at me and I could see
that she had no idea that her life had just begun. I spoke with the
woman who is from Tremonton. She said that this was her tenth child,
and nine of them are special needs children. The oldest of her ten is
their own. I told her that I had a story for them if they had a
minute, they of course did, so here it is. . . .
Dennis and Mariya are a couple in our branch who have one daughter.
Her name is Eva and she is in the nursery with me. Dennis is one of
our Institute teachers. He has been on a mission and he and his wife
have been married in the temple. They both speak english very well. He
has his own genealogical business, and is very close to the spirit of
Elijah. They are both finishing up school, and Mariya is in the
Relief Society Presidency.
One day while in nursery Mariya proceeded to tell me that they had a
very spiritual experience while watching conference in October. While
Elder Oaks was giving his talk about children, they both felt
impressed that they needed to adopt a child. They were both taken
back because Mariya has no problem getting pregnant or delivering
children. After his talk they began to talk about what they were
feeling and both of them decided that the spirit had spoken to them.
They decided that they would prepare for adoption. Here in Russia you
have to take twenty hours of classes and receive a certificate in
order to even apply for adoption. They began the classes and got
their certificate. We were then speaking to Dennis one night at Institute and how so many americans adopt special needs children from Russia. He looked at us very seriously and said "If for no other reason, God bless America for this." Then a few days later out of nowhere Russia announced that legislation would be introduced banning all future adoption of Russian children by Americans.
Dennis and Mariya will finish school this summer and then be able to
have a new baby to care for.
We all feel that God will touch the hearts of the people here, some
how he will help these little children find homes where they will be
loved and taken care of.
The woman from Tremonton had tears in her eyes and thanked me for the
story because she told me that it was bitter sweet as they walked out
of the orphanage. They were grateful for the two children that made
it out, but were praying for the others who were left behind.
GETTING SWINDLED
We needed cabbage for our Friday missionary meal. I like to buy the
Chinese cabbage because it is a little bit more like lettuce which you
can't find here too often and when you do it is very expensive. So we
decided rather than take the bus to the large supermarket we would
just walk to a renok where they sell everything from soup to nuts. We
had seen Chinese cabbage there before so we knew we could get some. .
After walking around I found three good sized heads and we began to
ask the price. The woman (a Gypsy) said 200 rubles each. Well I
quickly timesed that by 3 ( 3 heads) and then timesed again by 3 to
figure the American dollar and came up with $18.00 American dollars.
I said "no way" to Frank, "that is terrible." He said, "Nyet." She quickly
said 100 and I said that is more like it. So she bagged them up and
came around from her counter to hand them to us and then said "170."
Frank already had his wallet out, and so being the nice guy that he
is, he gave her the money. She could tell that I wasn't so happy with
the transaction. She must have felt a little guilty because she took
a lemon from her stand and threw it in the bag and smiled like, "this
will make up for my little trick."
We walked away saying, live and learn right? When we got home and
began to unpack our goods, I reached for the lemon only to find that
it was soft like a wet sponge. We got hit twice, but, like I said, I
will bury that sword, and move on.
SIMPLE FAITH
The mission leader in our branch meets with the missionaries each week
and we attend this meeting also. Brother Veletion, an engineer,
speaks only Russian so one of the missionaries helps us out. Each
week we feel of his spirit, and his devotion for his calling. One
Sunday we heard that he was very worried and stressed out because he
was going to have to move his mother from another city to Krasnoyarsk.
He told the missionaries that his boss would not give him time off to get the job done. He asked Frank if he would give him a blessing. Frank gave him the blessing and through an
interpreter, he was able to understand it. The next time we saw him
he was all smiles, his boss understood and gave him the two weeks
needed to get the job done. It is just another example of how God
wants to help us in all of our fears, troubles, and problems. We need
to go to him with simple faith to get help.
We feel so blessed to be among such faithful people who teach us much
about faith and sacrifice. May God bless all of us that we
might have the simple faith to go forward doing good, and appreciating
all that we have. We Love You All, Elder and Sister Noel
year, we begin to think of things that we need to improve on. We
always come up with lists and then we push them aside as we rush from
the day to day challenges that we face. This year as I was reading
the Book of Mormon and came upon the Anti-Lehi-Nephites story of how
they buried their swords and decided that they would no longer use
them to fight, but would be peace loving people, I decided that I had
some swords that needed to be buried. I did not make a list because
lists are too discouraging for me. I decided that when something
comes up, and I don't like the way I think about it, or handle it, or
feel about it, I will bury, and or correct, that feeling and take a
higher road to improvement. So far, it has worked, I have a daily
inventory when evening comes, some days I need to bury several swords,
and some days only a few. But, it makes me feel like I am doing
something and that is the only way I can change.
One exciting thing that we have to announce is that we are getting a
new grandchild. In July we will come home to eighteen grandchildren.
Now that is a homecoming.
FAITHFUL YOUTH
On January 4th during our YSA institute meeting we noticed some new faces
in our class. There were three young men, and one beautiful young
lady. The young lady was visiting from Moscow and the young men were
visiting from Novosibirsk. They all had a holiday from either school
or work. They were all visiting friends here in Krasnoyarsk. BUT, to
all be in Institute on Friday night seemed very unusual to me. I can
think of at least ten other places that they would or could have been.
But, here they were all sitting together with their friends studying
the New Testament. I know that they are blessed young people, but I
also know that they are deserving of the Lords' blessings. I've been
told, and I believe that if we are WHERE, we are supposed to be, WHEN,
we are supposed to be there, DOING what we are supposed to be DOING,
we will be blessed.
New Ice and Snow Sculptures
On January 19th we had another visa trip to Finland. This trip was
different because there is a new rule that the senior couples cannot
stay over night any more unless they pay for it themselves. We were
forced to stay over night because our visa expired and we could not
come home until the 20th.
While we were waiting to fly out of Kransnoyarsk I thought I heard
someone speaking english. My ears perked up like a puppy dogs. I
turned and looked to see three people sitting together. I asked "Are
you from America?" They told me that they were from Alaska and had
just finished sculpturing some peacocks out of snow for the carving
contest here. They said that Krasnoyarsk paid their travel and room
expenses to come and join their celebration. We were so excited to
talk to them and to know what they had carved because we had taken a
walk just two nights earlier to see the new carvings, but were
disappointed because the artists were still working on their pieces
and we could not get in. They said that they loved being here, and
were treated very well. Here are some photos of ice and snow sculptures carved since the last ones we put on our blog. The peacock snow sculpture was done by the people we met in the airport. This were taken on an overcast day and some are hard to see clearly. Also it had snowed so some of the detail is covered.
 |
| A famous Krasnoyarsk artist |
 |
| Called "Breaking Through The Chains." |
 |
| This "Ice Ship" is right on the banks of the Yenesei River in Krasnoyarsk. |
 |
| This are oil paintings displayed with frames carved in ice. |
Adoption: The Lord Will Touch Their Hearts:
Also, on this trip when we were in the Moscow airport about to go
through the visa check point we noticed two women each pushing
strollers with down syndrome children in them. One from Las Vegas and
one from Tremonton. Frank and I commented to each other wondering if
they were the last orphans to make it out of Russia since the new law
prohibiting Americans' from adopting Russian orphans came into effect.
Just before I entered the pass port check, one of the women asked me
if I was a missionary. I said that I was, she began to tell me that
she and her friend were also LDS. She told me that they had just left
Krasnoyarsk with the last two orphans that will ever leave Russia.
She said that she felt so grateful, I looked at her child and was
overcome with emotion, as I thought of the sacrifice these two women
were making to save these two little children.
As I exited the booth, I walked over to the other woman and looked at
her down-syndrome child, the child looked up at me and I could see
that she had no idea that her life had just begun. I spoke with the
woman who is from Tremonton. She said that this was her tenth child,
and nine of them are special needs children. The oldest of her ten is
their own. I told her that I had a story for them if they had a
minute, they of course did, so here it is. . . .
Dennis and Mariya are a couple in our branch who have one daughter.
Her name is Eva and she is in the nursery with me. Dennis is one of
our Institute teachers. He has been on a mission and he and his wife
have been married in the temple. They both speak english very well. He
has his own genealogical business, and is very close to the spirit of
Elijah. They are both finishing up school, and Mariya is in the
Relief Society Presidency.
One day while in nursery Mariya proceeded to tell me that they had a
very spiritual experience while watching conference in October. While
Elder Oaks was giving his talk about children, they both felt
impressed that they needed to adopt a child. They were both taken
back because Mariya has no problem getting pregnant or delivering
children. After his talk they began to talk about what they were
feeling and both of them decided that the spirit had spoken to them.
They decided that they would prepare for adoption. Here in Russia you
have to take twenty hours of classes and receive a certificate in
order to even apply for adoption. They began the classes and got
their certificate. We were then speaking to Dennis one night at Institute and how so many americans adopt special needs children from Russia. He looked at us very seriously and said "If for no other reason, God bless America for this." Then a few days later out of nowhere Russia announced that legislation would be introduced banning all future adoption of Russian children by Americans.
Dennis and Mariya will finish school this summer and then be able to
have a new baby to care for.
We all feel that God will touch the hearts of the people here, some
how he will help these little children find homes where they will be
loved and taken care of.
The woman from Tremonton had tears in her eyes and thanked me for the
story because she told me that it was bitter sweet as they walked out
of the orphanage. They were grateful for the two children that made
it out, but were praying for the others who were left behind.
 |
| Dennis and Mariya and their daughter Eva. |
GETTING SWINDLED
We needed cabbage for our Friday missionary meal. I like to buy the
Chinese cabbage because it is a little bit more like lettuce which you
can't find here too often and when you do it is very expensive. So we
decided rather than take the bus to the large supermarket we would
just walk to a renok where they sell everything from soup to nuts. We
had seen Chinese cabbage there before so we knew we could get some. .
After walking around I found three good sized heads and we began to
ask the price. The woman (a Gypsy) said 200 rubles each. Well I
quickly timesed that by 3 ( 3 heads) and then timesed again by 3 to
figure the American dollar and came up with $18.00 American dollars.
I said "no way" to Frank, "that is terrible." He said, "Nyet." She quickly
said 100 and I said that is more like it. So she bagged them up and
came around from her counter to hand them to us and then said "170."
Frank already had his wallet out, and so being the nice guy that he
is, he gave her the money. She could tell that I wasn't so happy with
the transaction. She must have felt a little guilty because she took
a lemon from her stand and threw it in the bag and smiled like, "this
will make up for my little trick."
We walked away saying, live and learn right? When we got home and
began to unpack our goods, I reached for the lemon only to find that
it was soft like a wet sponge. We got hit twice, but, like I said, I
will bury that sword, and move on.
SIMPLE FAITH
The mission leader in our branch meets with the missionaries each week
and we attend this meeting also. Brother Veletion, an engineer,
speaks only Russian so one of the missionaries helps us out. Each
week we feel of his spirit, and his devotion for his calling. One
Sunday we heard that he was very worried and stressed out because he
was going to have to move his mother from another city to Krasnoyarsk.
He told the missionaries that his boss would not give him time off to get the job done. He asked Frank if he would give him a blessing. Frank gave him the blessing and through an
interpreter, he was able to understand it. The next time we saw him
he was all smiles, his boss understood and gave him the two weeks
needed to get the job done. It is just another example of how God
wants to help us in all of our fears, troubles, and problems. We need
to go to him with simple faith to get help.
We feel so blessed to be among such faithful people who teach us much
about faith and sacrifice. May God bless all of us that we
might have the simple faith to go forward doing good, and appreciating
all that we have. We Love You All, Elder and Sister Noel
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