From Russia With Love...

a.k.a. Letters from Sis. Lynes in Russia

Letter #13: From the Mission Field in Russia

Subject: #13
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 22:54:42 +0600
From: Shirley Lynes <gma@jacklynes.com>
To: jlynes@jacklynes.com

Hello out there in cyberspace!
I can't believe another week has come and gone. Time moves so very quickly! We stay busy and (most of the time) out of trouble! We had supper out with the two sisters who had stayed with us while their apartment was being made ready. They moved out over a week ago. We liked having them here, but I think they got tired of sleeping on the floor and living out of boxes. Anyway, they met us for supper. They know where a good "chicken place" is. It isn't KFC, but it is good! It was nice not to have to cook. We don't buy meat anyway, because we are not sure of the handling the meat has had. At the reenock, you can buy meat and chicken, but it is just lying there, uncovered, not refrigerated. Not very appealing, to say the least. There are better places to buy meat, but Sis. Jenkins and I are not big meat eaters, anyway. At the bus station in Chelyabinsk, there are people selling anything (almost) that you can imagine. Raw pig skins, pig fat, hog heads, fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, (those last ones are all right, but those first three!!!!!!) And both raw (unrefrigerated) and dried fish. We aren't allowed to eat fish here. (Something about pollution!) And there are lots of gypsies there, too. We just walk away from them, and don't talk to them. One little gypsy boy cursed us out one day. Bro. Woodford was with us, and told us we didn't want to know what he was saying. All because we wouldn't give him money. If you give one money, you are immediately surrounded by other gypsies wanting their share too! Oh, I told you last week that I have become a bag lady, but I didn't tell you that we are also taking in laundry! That sounds worse than it is. Because we have a washing machine, and we work at Rosy where the baptismal clothing is kept, we get to launder all the baptism clothing that is used. We really don't mind doing the baptism clothing. We would love to do several loads every week, because that would mean lots of people were being baptised. They have had several baptisms since I have been here. How did you like the postcard that Jack got last week? Sergei loves visitor guides, tourist books and that sort of thing. He has traveled in America, and is a member of the Russian-American Friendship Society. He is one of the men in my advanced English class who comes almost every night, and on Saturday morning. If he misses a class, he explains whathappened to keep him away. If any of you could send him some of that sort of stuff, he would be too thrilled. He doesn't have anything from South Carolina. I have sometimes 4 or 5 Sergeis in class. We call this one Sergei 1, because he was the first. Then he brought a friend, so he is Sergei 2. The third one said to just call him Serg. They are all so nice. Sister Jenkins needed to have some dental work done, and when the class found out what she was being charged, they were up in arms! They couldn't believe that anybody would charge those kind of prices, which would have been about normal prices in America. Sergei 2 got busy and found another dental clinic, close to our dom, who will do the same work, for less than half what the other clinic was charging. He took us to the clinic, and talked to the dentist for Sis. Jenkins, and made all the arrangements. He is such a good man. We are praying for him and his family to accept the gospel. He is just too good a man not to be in the chuch. He has worked in Boston for six months about 2 or 3 years ago on some kind of exchange program. He would like to go back to America, but you have to be under 27 to participate in that program, and he is just over that. That's too bad, because he is the kind of person who would be so good for our country--good, honest, kind, hard-working, decent. I am so impressed with most of the people I have met here. Rosy Luxemborg Street, where our facility is, is a one-way street. I get the biggest kick out of sitting by the floor to ceiling windows and watching the traffic. It is a busy street with many trolley buses and regular buses, and lots of car traffic. What I get the biggest kickout of is seeing someone who has been to one of the offices in our building, (or they missed their turn). Instead of going around the block, they wait till there is a break in traffic, and just drive the wrong way to get back where they want to be! Sometimes, they just back up for about half a block. The other day, someone backed up clear out of sight!!!! I don't know where they needed to go, but you have to give them credit for nerve! And I see this regularly. I told you before that if a car will fit, they will drive there. Sis. Jenkins had a car come up in back of her on the sidewalk the other day. And they will just blow their horn at you, like you are the one in the wrong place, and just keep coming. It's a good thing we are usually together, so we can keep an eye out for each other! Have I told you about the way the women dress? They make us feel positively frumpy! They look very fashionable. Only thing is, they love to wear their skirts short. And you know, the men don't gawk at them or make remarks. They act like they don't even see them. Strange. Women walking around in America would definitely be stared at. They aren't indecent, just their skirts are short. And they have good looking legs. Most of the women are in good shape. You don't see many that look to have a weight problem. The little old babuskas are short and sort of round, not really fat, just round. And you don't see a lot of old men. I'm told that most of them that would be that age died in the war, or have drunk themselves to death. Vodka must be very cheap here. I know the people don't have much money. I haven't told you much about the money here. It takes 100 kopecks to make a ruble. It takes, right now (it fluctates) just under 30 rubles to make a dollar. A trolley, tram or bus ride is 4 rubles, which is between 12 and 15 cents. (Unless you are over 60, then it is free). Pretty cheap transportation. The ride to Chelyabinsk, one way, is about 88 rubles, or just under $3, for a 4 hour trip. There aren't a lot of regular taxis, but if you need a ride, you step out on the edge of the street and hold your hand out, not quite like hitching a ride, more down than up. If someone is going your way and has time, and wants to earn a few rubles, they stop and you negotitate a price for where you want to go. Then you get in, and they take you where you want to go. Sergei 2 tells me that this is quite safe here in Russia. I don't do it. If I am with some elders, maybe, but not just Sis. Jenkins and me. Something else that looks strange is women walking arm in arm, or hand in hand. I would love to send photos, but we are still under strict prohibition from taking the camera out of the apartment. Here in Yekat, there are military buildings right in residential areas, with no signs or anything telling you that these are military building. You could innocently be taking a picture of something else, and get one of these buidings in the shot, and get us all thrown out of Russia. So unless you want to see pictures of the inside of our apartment, I'll just wait and maybe the restriction will be lifted. Sunday: We have returned from Chelyabinsk, where they are having summer. We slept with the windows open last night. On the way home, we had a lot of rain, and the bus ran through a hail storm. The temperature here when we got home was 54 degrees F., so you see we aren't exactly having summer here yet. And it was raining when we got off the bus. So we did our Gene Kelly impression of Singing in the Rain. We have learned to carry our umbrellas with us most of the time. The temperature on June 21, the official first day of summer, was in the forties. I wore my coat to work, and off and on all day, inside Rosy. We won't have heat turned back on until the first of October. It's real central heat---it comes from the central part of town. I'm told the hot water will be back on in the middle of July. Thankfully, the hot water is back on in Chelyabinsk, so I got a nice hot shower this morning! Felt WONDERFUL!!!!! Think about that in the morning when you get in the shower! I have been asking the people in my class if they have songbirds over here. So far, I've seen some sort of little sparrow looking bird, and occasionally a crow, but I haven't seen or heard any songbirds. I miss the mockingbirds. And the blue jays. And the cardinals. All the colorful birds we have back home. The birds I have seen are so dull looking, except for the pigeons who have some irredescent coloring. I want you all to know how thankful I am for the interest you have expressed in what I'm doing! I love getting emails from everyone. Sometimes it takes me a little while to answer, but please understand, and please keep writing! It really makes my day to hear from you. I love you all! I'm thankful the Lord called me to this place to meet these wonderful people. I want you all to know that I know the gospel is true, that Jesus lives and is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that Heavenly Father lives and loves each one of us, and that He hears and answers our prayers. Keep the faith! Hold fast to that which you know to be true! Until next week.

Love,
Mom, Grandma, Greatgrandma, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, acquaintance, whatever! (Choose one!!)