The Fahrenheit is Falling, The Fur is Flying and the Flowers are in Full bloom

        Ok, I admit that the title is a little over the top, but frankly I am fascinated (couldn't resist) with the coats, the hats, the scarves and the boots that you see on the streets of Siberia when winter arrives.  And while natural fur may not be favored by a lot of people in many countries,  They don't seem to share that feeling in Siberia.  It is almost a necessity.  Fur really does seem to have some advantages in a cold weather climate.  And as cold and as dark as it gets here in Krasnoyarsk, the flower shops thrive.  But before I get into all of that the most important thing is the progress of the work.
      We had a baptism yesterday!  Baptisms are fairly few and far between in Russia's Siberia.  So it is a big event for our Krasnoyarsk district.  Leena Konyeva was taught by the Sister missionaries and then baptized by a local member on Friday night.  There were a lot of our members in attendance.  Today in Sacrament meeting she was confirmed.  The members and missionaries are working very hard to prepare our Novosibirsk mission for a Stake.  Hopefully it will happen in 2013 and will be the first Stake in Siberia and third in Russia.  It is remarkable that there is a Stake in Moscow and in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).  The first full-time missionaries arrived in Moscow in 1990.  We have had full -time missionaries in Siberia about 16 years.  And now there are 6 branches in Siberia one of which is here in Krasnoyarsk.

Leena and her Husband and child and Brother Adamski

Leena with Sister Karachova and Sister Xanthos.

              The pictures below of some winter hats and coats are only a fraction of the variety of beautiful and interesting hats a coats that we see each day. And by far the color of choice is black.  sometimes we will sit (or I should say "stand") in a bus and it is a sea of black, both men and women.  but I have tried to show some of the other colors as well.

 

Elena, a member of our Krasnoyarsk branch

Karen with a couple of the street vendors that we buy from regularly.

This is the most typical Russian look for women.  I walked one block from our apartment one day and counted 11 black mink coats either full length or 3/4 length and with full hoods.

This is little Ева (pronounced "Yeva").  She is the daughter of a couple from the branch who we had for dinner in our apartment on this night.  The little toddlers get so bundled up that they can hardly bend their arms and legs.  They sit in their stollers with their arms and legs out straight.  We call them "star babies."

Getting ready to brave the weather.

After a half hour or so out in the weather.

Two of our sister missionaries teaching a lady about the Book of Mormon on a street in Krasnoyarsk.

Two members of our branch.  Liza on the left is the wife of our branch president.  Galya on the right is the nursery leader that Karen works with.

Karen and another CES missionary during a break in some CES training here in Krasnoyarsk in October.

Street vendors set up around the bus stops.

These are the "ice trekkers that karen and I wear so that we will remain upright on the ice, which of course is everywhere from November until about April.  

Shopping at a Renock (outdoor marketplace).  They remain open year round no matter the temperature.

I did not take this picture.  I got it off the internet but it is of a young lady in Krasnoyarsk.

"Masha" our Institute Student Council leader.  Hat, gloves and scarf  all in one.

        I have to say something about the flowers.  These flower shops are open year round and they are everywhere.  They are at most bus stops and also in between bus stops.  You can't walk more than a couple of blocks without seeing one.  And many times there will be 5 o 6 of them in one continuous row of small buildings, all competing with each other but all at the same location.  Most of the flowers, at least in the winter, come from Holland.  But they all thrive.  My theory is that they bring some welcome color, light and warmth to these people during the long Russian winters.  Of course they are also are very popular during the summer months.  You will see the word "цветы" (prounounced Tsvyehty)  in many of these photos and as you can probably guess it is Russian for "flowers."

All of these shops, to the very end of this row of buildings are flower shops.  And you see this same thing in many many places throughout Krasnoyarsk.

     I hope you excuse the overkill on the pictures but to us these sights are fascinating.   Thanks for all your prayers and support.  We love you all and miss you so much, but we love our work and we love the people here in Russia.
Elder and Sister Noel