Elder Pieper said they took a group of 50 people, journalists, scholars and government people to the open house of the Helsinki temple. Afterward an atheist conducted an interview on the media. He said that he had had an experience that he had never had anything like it before. He had visited the Mormon temple. He said the churches in Russia were dark. People came into them, knelt and there was no light. What he saw in the Mormon temple was light for a future, not only for the individual but for families including ancestors. He said that there is hope that a soul, even mine, and he pointed to himself, can receive salvation. Since his interview the media in Russia have changed.
The ancestors of the Russians are working on their posterity. There were 15 family history centers in Eastern Europe a year ago. Now there are 350. People are clamoring for them. They are having dreams, like a sister who said that her sister appeared in a dream and asked her to do her temple work. Twenty five million Russians died in World War II.
Elder Pieper and his wife befriended a couple a couple years ago. The man is a Colonel and used to aim guns at U.S. planes that came close. One day Elder Pieper felt inspired to invite this man to go with him to a youth conference. After the conference this Colonel said, "Now I have hope for the future of Russia." Eventually his wife called the Piepers to say she thought her husband was ready to listen to the missionaries. When he said he wanted to be baptized a young missionary looked him in the eye and said you can't. This tough old Colonel wanted to know why. The young elder said, "Because you are not ready." This Colonel was not used to having someone in authority talk to him that way and he was upset at the young missionary. However, the old Colonel spent the night in prayer. After that night in prayer he said the elder was right. He wasn't ready. He was baptized and this spring he said he wanted to go to general conference. He attended the Piepers and Elder Pieper sealed him and his wife in the Salt Lake temple and on April 3rd he and his wife had baptisms performed in behalf of their mothers, both of whom had died on an April 3rd.
The Europe East Area covers 11 time zones and extends from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. It's the biggest Area in the church. Elder Pieper has to cover only 9 time zones. He and his family have lived here 10 years now. He said the people in this Area have no hope except in the Church. Everything they have ever hoped for has never come to fruition. Those friends that were baptized wish they had known the gospel earlier. She wishes she would have had 8 children. The people in Eastern Europe love to see our families' pictures. They need to see that fathers are authorities in their homes, because in East Europe women traditionally run the house.
The newly sustained Seventy from the Ukraine is a wonderful man, Elder Pieper said. He was demoted twice by his company, because they didn't want someone with strange beliefs in a high position. Picketing and demonstrations formed outside their Branch meeting place.
Those are some of the things Elder Pieper taught us 22 senior couples as we sat at our tables in a Best Western City Hotel in Sophia, Bulgaria.
We've visited 4 of these Orthodox Churches, including the Armenian Apostolic churches now and they are really dark. They have no pews. People buy candles and light them. They really are like dungeons and the murals are ancient and dim. I'll see what we have for photos and attach one.
Sister & Elder Dow, Sister & Elder Dutson (office couple), Kate (Peace Corps volunteer), Sister & Elder Smith, Jim Campbell (standing - Gold's Gym project manager), and Cliff Barton (USAID).
Here we are 27 November 2008 at the Hotel Marriott Armenia. The menu wasn't traditional Thanksgiving - more like elegant gourmet - we enjoyed it all.
The above 3 pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago when we attended some closings at village water projects which were funded by the Church and are now completed. We accompanied the Fluckigers from Idaho, fellow humanitarian missionaries - they did all the work with these projects - and invited us thinking we would be replacing them - but this week we received word that a couple from Blackfoot, ID are coming - happy news! 
This is of most of the senior missionaries in the village of Odzoon, one of the countless Armenian monastaries in the background. We all listened to the local priest do his chant inside the 4th century structure and then upon his invitation we sang "I am a Child of God" with some harmony. We were en route to our Senior conference that didn't really ever happen due to the Russian/Georgian conflict that same weekend. Our Mission President had to evacuate all the missionaries out of Georgia later that same day. In fact he even saw a couple of planes in flames on his way to T'blisi. This kind of news is not good for recruiting senior missionaries to Europe East Area! Things are still up in the air as to when the Georgia missionaries will be permitted to return - right now they are tagging around with the Armenia elders until they get word to go back. One of the senior couples that was up there has been sent to Prague to process missionaries from Russia coming there every 90 days to renew their visas. We will also be receiving missionaries from Russia renewing visas. We were told that 8 will come every week for the next year - all this air fare must be costing the Church tons of money. Russian law actually states that all foreigners have to return to their country of origin every 90 days and remain there for 90 days before returning to Russia, but as of now the law is not being fully enforced. It is easy to see why the Church now only calls missionaries to serve in Russia from Eastern Europe. All is well here in Armenia.
Flowers, apricots, and sunshine on our coffeetable.
We recntly found this park near our office. We walk through here on our way to and from the bus stop.
We took this while climbing up the cascade the other night on our way home from an evening workshop. There are many gardens and fountains included in the cascade and it's especially beautiful at night with the lighting. It's a work in progress and will be breath-taking when complete. Actually much of Yerevan is a work in progress - there is building construction everywhere. I'd love to come back in 10 years and see what it has become.
Typical farming equipment in this part of the world.
I asked Dad to get nearer to this russian thistle so I could include it in a picture of him - he took me seriously - ouch!
Some lovely desert color.
Here we are at Ani - well, actually Ani is now in Turkey, so we are across the ravine from the actual city ruins, since the border is closed. Ani was once the capital of Armenia, back in the 8th century, I think. We took our P day and went on this day trip with a tour group from Yerevan. Three other Sr. Missionary couples also went.
On the way back from Ani, we stopped at this Church that was built in the 4th century. There are caves under the building that were used in times of attack. We dropped down into one which was a nice break from the heat.
The tour package said it included a meal. You never know what that might mean, and in this case it was a picnic by the side of the road. The vans just pulled over - some women spread a couple of tablecloths on the ground, sat down and began cutting up tomatoes. They handed a some bread to each person and offered cold soda - that was it. Cows had recently been in the area, so we had to watch where we stepped - very rustic - but somehow charming - like stepping back in time. We had a great day complete with a touch of sunburn.
Two of these are of the Lighted Fountain Music show at Republic Square last Friday evening. They have a program every weekend night during the summer months - very impressive! We walk by these flowers during our morning walk in the park.
Dad and I strolled through a nearby "Shuka" a couple of Saturdays ago. I wouldn't recommend the milk - we've only found one brand we can tolerate - and even it isn't good straight. The woman is making lavash - she will lay it on the padded board in front of her and then slap it onto the side wall of the round oven to her left. It cooks fast and Armenians love their lavash which they wrap around things like we do with tortillas. Dad bought me this bouquet for mother's day and it lasted very well, in fact we just tossed it today. Thunderstorms here this morning, but now the sun is peaking through.
palm of his hand to see what he's got, they often reach right into his palm and pick out what they need - it happens frequently in various markets. Bread dries out completely after one day, so we have to buy that every day; fortunately it is one thing that is pretty cheap. Most of the fresh produce is displayed outside the store and you pay a clerk right there on the sidewalk after he or she weighs it up.
