I think I'm all Caught Up

CAUTION!!!  Extra Long Post.  There is so much to write about.  Let's get to it.

Baltica 2019  International Folklore Festival:

Baltica 2019 was held in Tallinn this year.  It is a festival that highlights the music, dance and folklore of the Baltic countries but also invites other countries from around the world to participate.  We caught some of the performances in the Town Square in Old Town.

Latvia

Chile

Ukraine

Seto women from Southern Estonia

Lithuania

Punjab State in India

The following are pictures I took of some of the local performers as they waited for their turn.

Baptism:

  

We had yet, another baptism this past month.  Again, since our building is being renovated, we are using the hotel spa as a baptistry.  Of course, afterwards, a social gathering at our place for all to visit.

Service: 

We have, from time-to-time, opportunities to give service to those who may have some need.  The other day we went to a brother's house who lived way out west of town in a secluded neighborhood.  He needed an old subfloor removed and renovation debris stacked and ready to throw in a dumpster.  There was lots of fibrous insulation and old mortar to bag up.  The mask was really helpful.  We had the subfloor demolished in just a few minutes and the remainder of our time was just hauling junk away.  Multiple Eagle Scout projects over the years were good training for these kind of things.

Seminary and Institute Graduation:

On May 14, we held the annual Seminary and Institute Graduation program at the home of our new District President.  Since the area of study this past year was Doctrine & Covenants and church history, we decided to have a Pioneer themed activity for the youth.  Siser Allred told of some pioneer heritage and the kids made button whirligigs (similar to a simple toy the pioneers made).  The we taught them about stick pulling.  This is a game that most Estonians had never heard of.  Only a few dared to try it.  Then to pass the time before the meal, we ate watermelon followed by a seed spitting contest.  Elder Allred won by a very large margin (years of practice, I assure you).  Then we served a taco salad with cheese bread, juice, fruit and cake.  As the weather was threatening rain, we finished the actual graduation ceremonies inside where the youth either graduated from Seminary or received their certificates of completion for both Seminary and Institute.  Our teachers were honored with flower bouquets and chocolate - a gift combination that is very popular here.

Zone Conference: 

Everyone looks forward to Zone Conference.  We receive important instruction and counsel and catch up with everyone else in the zone.  It's like a family reunion every 6 weeks.  This time we learned how to make a 2 minute video to put on Facebook to introduce ourselves, why we're here in Estonia and then leave an invitation to learn more and attend church with us.  It was kinda fun.

 The whole Zone

 All the Sisters plus 3 converts who were invited to attend.  The one on the right (tan skirt) has just submitted her mission application.

Comparing notes and exchanging stories.

Jaanipäev (Summer Solstice):

The observance of the summer solstice is a BIG thing in the Baltics.  There are celebrations everywhere and many businesses close their doors.  The center of town looks like a ghost town with only a few cars or busses to be seen and even fewer people.  They are all at their country home or at a park, building a bonfire and eating "shashlik" (seasoned meat to go on a skewer or grill).  It's a very long day here in these Northern parts.  Daylight is over 18 hours long.  We go to bed and it is light outside.  We wake up in the morning, same thing. So, to celebrate Jaanipäev, we organized a picnic for the YSAs at the park across the street from our apartment.  We  played Kubb, a game involving throwing blocks of wood to capture a king.  Great fun.  We decided to eat our picnic in the house.

More Culture, and I Don't Mean Yogurt:

We were walking in Old Town last week and we some Canadians.  They were in Tallinn with a large choir from Ontario to perform a concert in the St. Nicholas church.  We decided to go and listen.  St. Nicholas was built in the 13th and 14th centuries.  On March 9, 1944, Tallinn was bombed by Soviet forces and the church was severely damaged.  It took nearly 30 years to restore the building to what it is today. The beautiful pews and balconies are forever gone.  Here are some clips from the concert.

A video of the altarpiece below

A Visit with Elder Kearon

On June 1st, Elder Kearon (of the Presidency of the Seventy) and his wife visited Estonia.  He was in Eastern Europe supporting Elder Rasband who was visiting in Belarus on the same day. We (missionaries) had a special meeting with him and his wife Jennifer.  Also attending was Elder Tarmo Lepp and his wife Reeli [pronounced "Ray-lee"]. Tarmo was our district president until this last general conference when he was called as an Area Seventy.  We had a very pleasant time with them and heard many encouraging words and powerful testimonies.  The Kearons were very gracious to have their picture taken and visited with some of us one-on-one after the meeting.  Later that evening, there was a meeting for adult members in the district as well.  Again, a great meeting where we received important and timely counsel.

The next day was Fast Sunday.  Elder Kearon was still here.  He came to our sacrament meeting and spoke again after people had shared their testimonies.  One of the perks of serving in a mission so far away from the strength of the church are meetings like this.  No doubt, there will be more to come in the near future.

Belarus: Vol.4

At last, the final contribution to our excursion to Belarus.  It's taken a while to finish as we have lots of things going on here in Tallinn.  I have much to report on that as well.  But first, the ballet.

The National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre (present-day) first opened in 1939 and has been the home of the Bolshoi State Ballet of Belarus.

A cute model in front of the Ballet

Inside the foyer

Inside the theatre

An English translation of the performance

The performance we saw was Anastasia.  This was not about the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia who supposedly survived the assassination of her family by the Bolsheviks in July of 1918.  This was a ballet, set to the music of Belarusan composer Vyacheslav Kuznetsov.  As with most ballets, there is tragedy and triumph and grand spectacle. We were in the nose-bleed section and without binoculars, it was difficult to see at times.  I did stand for the finale and curtain calls so you can get a sense of the stage and our distance from it.

It was fun to see and hear the music and dance  of local talent.  This was a Monday night.  The next day we would be notified that our stay would be ending and we would return to Estonia the next day.  Farewell Belarus.  It was fun and entertaining, but we really were happy to return to our home away-from-home, Estonia.

Capturing a memory with the Belarusian flag

Belarus: Vol. 3

At the Circus

A "vacation" to Belarus is not complete without taking in the circus.  You know the kind . . . with real Russian bear or maybe a Belarusian bear!

With no assignment and with time to burn, we went out for an evening entertainment at the Belarusian State Circus.  They have their own venue and everything.  It draws a big crowd whenever the show is playing.  It's not as big as Barnum and Bailey or Ringling Brothers that used to play in America, but these folks can really put on a show.  Think "Las Vegas".

Below are some pictures and videos of some of the show.  They should be self-explanatory.

It's not a tent, but it is round.

Statues outside

Here are some videos of some of the acts.  I didn't get them all as I was too focused on the entertainment.

This guy almost fell

Yes, it's a bear driving a car

Belarus: Vol. 2

Minsk

The day after we arrived in Minsk, we took in a walking tour of the center of town that lasted 2 hours.  We learned a lot about Minsk - it's history and the its citizens. Here's what we learned:

Minsk (pop. ~ 2 million) is derived from an old river name, Měn.  The Belarusian pronunciation  sounds like Miensk and with Russian influence, became Minsk.  Historians mark the founding of Minsk in 1067.  Over the centuries, the area was controlled by Sweden, Poland, Russia (more than once) and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.  The borders changed in shape and size many times.  

WWII brought German occupation in 1941.  At the time, Minsk had a significant Jewish population (48%).  On March 2, 1942, approximately 5,000 Jews were rounded up and shot.  There is a memorial erected in the area of the Jewish ghetto where this happened and is called "The Pit".  Today, the Jewish population in Minsk is less than 1%.  

The city is one of the cleanest in all of Europe.  Everyone that can work has a job, and many are out each day sweeping and cleaning.  Although the economy in Belarus is not very robust, there are many venues for art and culture.

In 1944, Minsk was recaptured by Soviet troops after heavy fighting.  Much of the town center was reduced to rubble.  By years end, the population was down to only 50,000.  Rather than engage in reconstruction, Stalin rebuilt Minsk with his preferred style of architecture of grand buildings, broad avenues and wide squares. Consequently, much of the original and traditional look of Minsk no longer exists - all replaced with modern structures.  This is in contrast to many other Baltic countries who have tried to leave the "old look" intact.

In the center of Minsk, the river Свислочь (Svislach) meanders around and forms a bit of a lake.  In the lake is a man-made island called the "Isle of Tears".  On the island is a memorial to the 700 Belarusian troops who died in the 9-year conflict involving Soviet forces in Afghanistan (the "Forgotten War").  There is a chapel with statues of mothers, wives and sisters, all weeping and sorrowing at the loss of sons, husbands and brothers.  The veterans of this war have not been treated well.  This is still a sore spot for Belarusians, who did not want to be involved with the conflict.  

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Monument at "The Pit"

Among these figures is a violinist, a pregnant woman and children - a representation of all walks of life that were killed here.

"To the shining memory to the bright days of 5,000 Jews who perished at the hands of sworn enemies of humanity, German-fascist butchers, March 2, 1942"

Panoramic view

Art Nouveau styling on older buildings

Towers used to disrupt "Voice of America" broadcasts in the 60's and 70's

Apartment of Lee Harvey Oswald

Victory Monument to honor those who died fighting against German fascist invaders

Victory Monument (long view)

Wreath on the obelisk

Draniki (potato pancake) with pork in gravy

Ravioli with mustard and bacon sauce

A view of Minsk from our hotel