Sunday 12 October 2008

General Conference in Russia


It was General Conference in the United States last weekend; but in Russia, it was General Conference this weekend with those attending going to designated buildings where they watched the sessions in Russian. We joined the English speakers in a different room to watch in English. Of course, Sam and I watched the morning sessions live last weekend over the Internet; but we chose to watch the taped afternoon sessions online later instead of staying up until midnight to watch them live. Sam went to the Central building yesterday afternoon for the Priesthood session. We're grateful for the technology that makes it possible for us to not miss hearing these inspirational talks while we're far away from home. We also enjoyed hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Primary choir.

President Pieper gave the opening prayer in the Sunday afternoon session. He is the Europe East Area President with the area office being in Moscow. He and his wife are very nice.

Following the morning session today, we had a nice visit with Nactya and saw pictures from her summer in the U.S. where she had gone to be a lifeguard at a water park in Galveston, Texas. Nactya was our interpreter until she left for the summer, and we love her dearly. Although she didn't enjoy Galveston, she and her sister had some good experiences while in the U.S. We are so glad they were able to spend some time with Todd & Beth's family in Utah before returning home to Moscow.

In Elder Bednar's talk Saturday afternoon, he recommended that periodically we offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude without asking for any blessings. He said, "Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts." That evening, I knelt by my bedside and offered a prayer of gratitude to my Father in Heaven for my many blessings. Certainly, among my most cherished blessings is my family - my husband, our children and their spouses, and our grandchildren. We also are blessed with dear friends. Every day we express our gratitude to be able to serve as humanitarian missionaries in Russia.


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