Keeping Busy Despite the Cold in Astana, Kazakhstan - 3 February 2009

It's been quite cold here but not as cold as last year! We do have more snow than we did a year ago. But we still have things to do so we bundle up and go out!

A week ago, we were able to visit a lady, Dr. Ms. Balkhiya Suleimenova, who is the Chief Physician of the City Ambulance Service here in Astana. She, along with another doctor from Aktobe, visited the United States to see the ambulance service there. They visited Iowa, Tuscon, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Salt Lake City and were in the US for a month. While in Salt Lake they were given a tour of Temple Square and the Area Presidency asked us to follow up and visit with her and let her know that we have Humanitarian Missionaries here in Astana and also to see if she had any more questions about the Church.

We asked her how she enjoyed being in the United States. She said that all of her life under Soviet rule she was taught that Americans were the aggressor and that they were very bad people. She said that it has taken her whole life to find out that just was not true. She told us that Americans are so kind and nice and that they care for one another. She was impressed with the ambulance service in the US and said that we have the best care possible.

While they were in Salt Lake City, they also visited Snowbird and sat in on the practice session of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She showed us the pictures of her trip including some from Temple Square. She told us how much she loved being at Temple Square and the spirit she felt there. She also told us our religion is concerned about families and about people's souls and what we do matters in this life. That made such an impression on her!! We gave her a "Family Enrichment Program" book that tells how to have a Family Home Evenings. She was delighted with it and said she would use it for her family! We told her if she had any questions about the church to be sure and call us!

She took us downstairs where some wonderful "treats" were prepared for us by the staff. Dr. Suleimenova, Anne, Roy and Mira visiting about her facility here in Astana. Dr. Suleimenova has 720 employees and is over five different stations throughout Astana. This is the dispatch center of the city. She also told us that every ambulance must have a doctor and the training takes 7 years. The training for an EMT in the US is only 2 years and she feels that it is a much better way. She told us again that people really care for one another in the US and that the medical EMTs demonstrated that.

She thanked us so much for coming and invited us to a event that they will be having in February. She is a wonderful person and we are sure that we will see her again.

Wednesday was Mira's birthday and we wanted to take her out! On the way to the restaurant, we stopped and she took a picture of us because, as she put it, the day was so beautiful with the frost on the trees!

Anne and Mira enjoying their meal!

Roy enjoying after dinner conversation with Mira.

We don't know what we would do without Mira. We really couldn't function without her. She is wonderful and works so hard for us and always keeps us on the ball. We love her so very much and wonder how she puts up with us!

Anne and Mira in the park on the way home from the restaurant. What an enjoyable time we had!!

Friday of last week we visited the Tselenograd Regional Hospital to deliver some paper work for a project that we are doing for them and also took some receiving blankets, which were sent to us by Deanne Hughes, for the newborns there.

The blankets were so cute and the mothers were so grateful. Of course, the babies are just adorable!!

The mothers were so shy but very appreciative of the gift. We presented six mothers with blankets.

Deanne also sent this beautiful crocheted blanket and the nurses were so impressed with it that they are keeping it in the room where they prepare the babies to go home. Roy, Anne, Aigul, who is head nurse over the maternity section, Galina, who is the head doctor over maternity and an assistant, Aisulu. It was wonderful to be able to give out the blankets for the moms and their babies!!

This is a common scene this time of year in Astana!! Crews are everywhere, breaking up the ice or compacted snow on the sidewalks. It is as hard as rock because it is so cold!! They shovel it into big piles and then load it into trucks and haul it out of town.

We are truly blessed each and every day! We thank you all again for your love and support. We couldn't do it without all of you! May the Lord's choicest blessing be upon you!

Love,

Elder and Sister Welling