Just Like Christmas

It had many of the best aspects of Christmas, this past week of ours --

much anticipation, family coming to visit, presents, special days doing fun things together, the let down when it's over, and, finally, the good (New Years') feeling of getting back to what we're supposed to be doing. Our son and daughter-in-law, Brad and Geri, and our grandsons, Kyle and Mitch, actually came to St. Petersburg, Russia! We had timed this visit so that it fell on the week between semesters at our Institute so there wasn't really anything going on there. (Actually, the building was supposed to be closed for remodeling at that time, but that didn't happen.) So we were able to basically be tourists for a few days and to show them some of the palaces, cathedrals and museums of St. Petersburg. How cool is that?
The weather was cool and we got in rain a couple of days, but didn't dampen our spirits at all. One day we were standing in line in front of one of the palaces when it began to rain. As the umbrellas unfurled I noticed a couple of blue and white ones bearing the BYU logo. We had a visit with those folks.

They brought 4 huge suitcases with them, much more room than they needed, so that they could bring goodies for us --foodstuffs and baking items we can't get here -- such as chocolate chips, powdered sugar, Karo syrup, and licorice. Also clothes I had ordered sent to their house. Oh, happy day! Something new to wear! After filling my list of things Geri still had room left over so she packed Oreos and potato chips (in shoe boxes so they weren't squished). Then we filled those suitcases with our heavy winter coats and souvenirs for their trip home.

Here's the men waiting for the women in front of the Winter Palace. (Geri and I had stopped off in the museum gift store.)

You ought to try ordering from those menus. The blinis pictured are typical Russian fast food fare. The one on the left is served with caviar.

Right after the kids left we went to Estonia for a day to renew our visas. This was our last visa trip. (We have to leave the country every 90 days to renew our visas.) I was very disappointed that we couldn't go to Finland this time to visit the temple and my friend Ronda. It all depends on where your visa is in the renewal process.

This past weekend Elder L. Tom Perry and some members of our Europe East Area presidency were here visiting. They held a Saturday meeting just for the missionaries and then a district conference on Sunday. On Saturday Elder Perry had us all line up to come and shake hands and tell him where we were from. He surprised us all by how tall he is and what a booming, robust voice and manner he has. When we got to him we had only to say our name and that we were from Rexburg, Idaho, when he said, "Are you related to my friend, Ray Clements?" We were totally expecting that (he and Lou's father were buddies in the Marines during WWII), but what was funny was that it took him a minute to wrap his head around the fact that this old man he was talking to (Lou) was his friend's son, not his brother. He said, "How can that be?" We all got a laugh out of that. Then he told everyone how this man's father was his good friend in the Marine Corps and later in his talk he was talking to the missionaries about the importance of companionship study and he had to digress and tell about his worthy 'companions' in the Marines and how he and Ray Clements and a couple of other members of the church built a tiny chapel on Saipan and were able to attend meetings there only one week before they were shipped out. On Sunday he talked mostly about church history and about each of the presidents of the Church he has served under and how the special talents and emphasis each of them had were exactly what was needed at that era in the church. Stories like these are very interesting to the members here, many of whom don't know a lot of this history. At the age of 88 Elder Perry is still a magificant witness of the Savior.