6 April 2008 - To Almaty, Kazakhstan For Branch Conference

Three weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to the Branch Conference in Almaty. President Larry Gibbons, from the Area Presidency and his wife and President Cranney, our Mission President and his wife were there. President Cranney was particularly interested in meeting us. He had never met us but we do email him every other week to let him know that we are alive and still here!! After meeting us he told us that we must really like one another because we have to spend so much time alone together!!

It was so wonderful to be with them and the saints in Almaty! The branch is growing very fast! They have three missionaries out and were sending another one the week after we left. This is a branch of only eighty members but extremely spiritual and faithful!! President Gibbons said that President Pieper, the Area President, felt that the Almaty Branch held the key to spreading the gospel to all of central Asia. We feel the spirit of that Branch everytime we go there.

There are two sets of elders and one set of sister missionaries in Almaty. They have been registered to proselyte since January. They have to renew their visas, just like us, every three months; but it takes them three weeks to get registered to proselyte once they get there. They are so far away from the mission home which is Russia Moscow (3 time zones) that the President has to completely trust them to be on their own. The only supervision they have is the leadership couple, Craig and Pat Vincent.Craig Vincent is a former lawyer and a former member of the Seventy. He has been very influential in getting the missionaries registered to openly proselyte. He and his wife have also made several trips into Kirgystan and Tajikistan for the Area Presidency in hopes of doing missionary work and Humanitarian work in those two countries and to visit extremely isolated members. The infrastructure of both countries are imploding leaving the people in extremely poor circumstances (poor sanitation and utilities) and the government wants help. They also help us do humanitarian projects in Almaty.

While we were at the Branch Conference we also met Matt Sontag who works for the US Embassy in Uzbekistan. He has a wife and 5 children and they hold Sunday meetings by themselves in their home, because it is illegal for citizens of Uzbekistan to practice Christianity. But there are members there but they can't practice for fear of being turned in. That was a real eye-opener!!

At the close of our meetings on Sunday, President Cranney called everyone back into the chapel. He had 18 patriarchal blessings that were given by a traveling Patriarch from Jerusalem 6 weeks before. (He was giving blessing for three days.) You have never seen such excitement and emotion!! Some people took them and put them in their scriptures to read privately at home but others were even borrowing glasses to read them right then and there and the tears flowed!! Parents and teenagers both were getting their blessings!! It was a very emotional scene for everyone!! It is something we will never forget!

The interesting thing about all of this is that it has been noted that members from all of the ten tribes of Israel have been located either in Eastern Europe or Central Asia through patriarchal blessings!!We felt very blessed to be with the saints at their Branch Conference in Almaty!! We don't have to opportunity to be with that many members at one time.

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Last week we told you that we would tell you more about the Duman that we visited. Located within the Duman is a large Oceanarium. It is the farthest inland aquarium in the world. Here we are in front of the Coral Reef, as you can read above our heads!

There were many tanks of very interesting and odd looking fish. This was one of the most beautiful.

Aren't these two sea horses adorable?

There was one extremely large area of glass tunnels where we walked and walked through the fish in their natural habitat. Here is one of the many sharks we saw!Here we are, Anne and Zirina, our substitute translator, inside one of the tunnels. Overhead is a large sting ray.

Anne and Roy inside the tunnel. Notice the large shark and sting ray in the background.

See the large stingray overhead!! They were the most interesting to watch!

There were several of these large fish swimming around!

This is at the exit at the Oceanarium in the Duman. We had a great time!

We hope you all got to enjoy conference. We got both morning sessions live on audio and we will listen to the afternoon sessions later on in the week. It was nice to join with the rest of the church in solemn assembly.

Thanks again for your love and support!!

Love,

Elder and Sister Welling