Christmas with Mike and Missionaries

Our Christmas in Moscow was wonderful!  Our son Mike was able to spend the week of Chrismtas with us and we had so much fun with him.  It all passed too quickly though and now he is home already.  We will always cherish the time he spent with us.  We also had the privilege of spending time with our missionaries and that will also be cherished. 

Mike's plane landed in a snowstorm, but there's no better place for snow removal than Moscow, so his plane wasn't even delayed.  Going from the airport to the mission office took a long time because of the heavy traffic (which is a daily thing we deal with).  You can see out the van window in the picture traffic on a snowy day in Moscow.

We're at the mission office to have his documents scanned.  He looks great after his 24-hour journey.

I took Mike to the big outdoor souvenir place called Izmailovo (it's in the background with the castle-like buildings) and did a little Christmas shopping.  He got a couple of Russian hats and he looks great in them.

If you were singing the Christmas song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" you were singing about us in Moscow.  It was beautiful at the mission home.

On December 24th we had three baptisms.  This is Mike with one of our dear members, Elena, from our Universityetski Branch.  She was baptized about 16 months ago.  After the baptisms we had a mission conference/party and ALL our missionaries were there.  We had a devotional, watched the movie "A Christmas Carol", had a lovely Christmas dinner, and then skits from each of our districts.  It was a wonderful way to spend Chrismtas Eve.

Elders Knight and Ayers.

Dinner time.

Skits:  Contacting on the Metro?

More contacting on the Metro?

Even more contacting on the Metro?

Street contacting?

Senior couples singing "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer".

Riding the Metro to church on Christmas morning.

After attending one of our Russian wards on Christmas morning we went over to Red Square to stroll around.  St Basil's Cathedral is in the background.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Stephen and Mike in the area where Francis M. Lyman gave a dedicatory prayer in Moscow on August 9, 1903, for the preaching of the gospel.

Christmas night at the mission home around 5:00 p.m.  "All is calm, all is bright."

Mike in one of his Russian hats.

On the 26th we went back down to Red Square and went inside the Kremlin wall to see some of the beautiful cathedrals.  It was very cold and snowy that day.  Mike is wearing his other Russian hat he got for Christmas.

Mike standing next to the Tsar's Bell that was cast in 1730 and weighs 202 tons.  It was never rung.

Mike and Corinne standing by the Tsar's Cannon that was cast in 1586 and weighs 40 tons.

Mike in front of Lenin's Tomb.

Stephen and Mike in front of St. Basil's Cathedral.

The day after Christmas on Red Square.

At Victory Park.

Our Merry Christmas with Mike!

С Новым Годом!

(Happy New Year!)