Last Trip to Moscow

Last week we went to Moscow for two days to renew our 'migration' cards for Kazakhstan. We have a one year business visa for Kazakhstan but they will only allow you to stay 120 consecutive days so we had to leave the country one more time. It is very tiring to go to Moscow for a short trip because you leave Astana at 9 PM and arrive in Moscow at 11 PM their time. By the time you arrive at the accommodations it is 1 AM and a driver is set to pick us up at 8 AM for meetings. We were in meetings all day with General Authorities of the Church. The first meeting we were invited to was for Church employees and was attended by the Senior President of the Seventy, Presiding Bishop of the church and one of the East Europe Area Presidency and their wives. The content did not really apply to us but it was good to be there. We then went to lunch with 2 other Senior couples, including the couple who will replace us - the Anderson's. The afternoon was spent in a combined mission conference for the two missions that are being combined - our Russia Moscow West Mission which is going away and the Russia Moscow Mission which will remain. The two mission presidents, the Area Presidency and their wives, the Presiding Bishop and his wife, the Senior President of the Seventy and his wife, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson and his wife. All of them spoke of missionary work and it was very uplifting for us. At the end they had us all file past and shake their hand.

This is the photo taken at the end of the combined Mission meeting. Can you spot us?

From there we went back to the hotel (Art Hotel) for dinner and much needed sleep. After a great breakfast, we were picked up at 8 AM and taken to the Moscow Service Center to do some preliminary training with the Anderson's. We had a good time with them and went to lunch with our Area Welfare Manager who supervises all the humanitarian work done by Senior Couples in the East Europe Area. He has been so wonderful to work with and has been very patient with us. He presented us with a very nice 'release' letter. At 5 PM it was time for the Anderson's to be taxied back to their hotel. The original plan was that the driver would take them to their hotel and then come back to get us at 7 PM to go to the airport. The driver was worried that Friday evening Moscow traffic would be a problem and recommended that we go with him at 5 to drop off the Anderson's and take a printer to another couple in Moscow and then head right for the airport. Turned out to be a good decision because it took until 9 PM to get to the airport using all back streets, country roads, and a few short cuts through parking lots.

Drive by picture as we made our way through the city.

Every time we came within view of the freeway we saw it was a parking lot. This was OK with me because we saw parts of Moscow we would never have seen nor will we ever see them again. Our flight back to Astana left about midnight and arrived at 5 AM Astana time.

Yes we are glad we have no more of these Moscow trips!!!