Tulips Are Up!! in Astana, Kazakhstan

This week has been pretty uneventful with Mira, our translator, in Pavlodar. She will be returning on Sunday night and we expect to be really busy this coming week!

The good news is that we have heard from the couple that are replacing us and hopefully, they will be here sometime in June. We have a lot to do to get ready for them!

We also found out this week that the project for the "Children's Charity Fund" has been approved and we are very happy about that!. We will be out most of this coming week getting invoices and prices for the computers, chairs and sewing machines for them.

Mira called us and told us that we have two closing presentations this week on projects that we have done!! That is always good news and we will let you know more about that in our next blog.

Now about the tulips...........

They are not up from the ground, but wired up on every lamp post, bridge and some buildings throughout the city!

After getting a hair cut, we took these pictures as we strolled through the "Lollipop Park" on the way to the grocery store.

We had our favorite Air Astana pilot here in Astana, Frank Tetreault, over for dinner this week and he shared some of his pictures with us.

This is the walking bridge behind our apartment building that spans the Esil River. The tulips are a real stand out!

As you can see, they have wired them to every lamp post across the bridge!

And, they are especially beautiful at night!!

These are the lights across the walking bridge into Astana Park!

These decorations are on the building next to the Radisson Hotel! They go all out with decorations here!!

So, this has been a good sign that Spring is coming! But as I write this blog, alas, it is snowing outside!! Everyone here is looking forward to Spring, because winter lasts sooo looong here in Astana, Kazakhstan.

We did go to a couple of English Clubs this week as well as visiting with the student translators at the University. It's nice to have things that keep us busy when we are not so busy with Humanitarian work!

The first thing we will do Monday, is to take our papers from the Akimat (Mayor's office) to the Immigration Police to see if they will renew our visas. We'll keep our fingers crossed!!

We want to congratulate Gabriela Welling on her baptism on Saturday!! We hope it was a special day for you, Gabriela, and one that you will never forget!!

How grateful we are to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! What would we do without the Church in our lives! What a blessing it is to have the Holy Ghost as a guide and a direction in our lives. We are truly blessed!!

Love,

Elder and Sister Welling