9 February 2008 - Letter from Kazakhstan

A couple of weeks ago we went to the new government district to deliver some papers for the NRT (Neo-natal Resusitation Project) that we are trying to get approved for July.

This is the building that we went into to deliver the papers. It is extremely long and crosses the highway. Notice the four lane highway going through the arch. We entered the first door on the right of the arch but foreigners are not allowed past the foyer, so Mira had to take them up for us.
This is the rest of the building to the right of the door we entered. Notice the round tower-looking-end of the building. The left end looks just the same.

This statue is on the Mall (similar to the Washington DC Mall). It is called "The Tree of Life". It is from a Kazakh legend that sounds a great deal like the story of Adam and Eve.

This is Anne and Mira posing in one of the Kazakh pieces of art that decorate the Mall.

These are another set of buildings going down the mall, and yes they are as crooked as they look but they are meant to look that way. Unlike the Washington DC Mall, the majority of these buildings are not government, but business and industry. Mira and Anne are in the center.

This is half way down the Mall looking back at the "Tree of Life".

This is standing in the same place in the Mall but looking the opposite direction. Notice the building at the other end with the arch in the middle. It isn't a government building that crosses the road. This building belongs to the largest oil company in the nation.

This is a new building going up on the Mall. This is the most common sight in Astana. In some places you can see as high as 40 or 50 cranes at once. There is that much construction going on.

This building on the Mall is jokingly called the "Cigarette Lighter". Not only does it look like one it has caught fire a couple of times while they were building it!!

We had a most enjoyable day on the Mall!! We walked a good 5 miles that day but it was beautiful!! The wind wasn't blowing and it was sunny, but cold!! It's always cold!!

Thanks for your support and prayers in our behalf.

Love,

Elder and Sister Welling