Institute Opening Social

We had a grand opening of our Institute on August 28. It was intersting in that they did not know here what a grand opening or 'opening social' was, so when we suggested do it, they gave a guarded "yes." So I told the Student Council that we would take care of outlining it and getting it all put together. All they had to do was get it advertised, get the actors for our skit, and get the refreshments. When we presented the outline to them, they were totally amazed. I had outlined an agenda for the program, then gave them a script of what we wanted the actors to say, and then had outlined job descripitons for everyone from handing out colored pieces of paper at the door, to who was to take chairs out and bring them in, etc. It was a great opportunity to get them to see how organizing can really help when planning an activity. They seem to do everything at the last minute here.

So our program went like this: welcome by student council president; opening hymn and prayer; description of Institute Center and activities that would take place there by our coordinator; talk by member of district presidency; talk by President Podvodov; skit on Book of Mormon; refreshments and games. We had around 50 in attendance, which the powers that be thought was great. I was a little disappointed because the publicity didn't really get out. It went by word of mouth.

Our skit was a big hit. We had ordered posters from a company in Utah of their concept of Heroes of the Book of Mormon. Then we got seven kids to take parts in the lives of these seven Heroes. One of our posters was Nephi, so we had our actor be one of the group who came out of Jerusalem and he described what it was like to be in the group. Each actor got two minutes and I timed them and then rang a bell. We had divided the audience into seven groups by color and so there were about seven in each group as they rotated around the room.

One of the Hero posters was of Samuel the Lamanite. So my actor told how he was a great archer and got mad when Sameul called him to repentance. So he went to shoot him. Every arrow he shot missed and he was quite upset. But then he decided something must be wrong and so he listened to the message and was converted.

We had a girl take the position of being in the New World when the Savior came. She really got into the part. She told how she felt when she saw the Savior and what he did. She got tears in her eyes and everyone who watched her teared up also. It was so neat.

The night was a super success. The kids had bought food for 100, so there was way too much food. We told the kids to take some home and by the end of the night, there was hardly any left.

Last Tuesday was the first night of classes. We had two Book of Mormon classes going. There was the Russian language one in one room and on my side of the divider, I taught in English. I had five Russian students and we had a great lesson. Diane taught them the song from the Primary hymn book on the names of the books in the Book of Mormon. This class will grow from this first lesson as we will soon get our American English teachers who come for four months to teach English in the schools here. Plus we have several recent converts from Africa who will come.

We are excited to have the Institute open from 4-9 or 10, M-F, with activities all the time. We will add to our classes another proper institute class and then Diane will teach a conducting music class while I will hold a Culture Club. Diane will also teach piano lessons now that school is in session.

We are having so much fun we have almost forgotten that fall is officially here in Russia, and that winter is just around the corner. NOT. We think about it often as the temperatures cool down and today Diane is off to the downtown malls shopping for a winter coat.