Erken's law of travel "just do it"

Drasvootiya Comrades,
We are happy in Karaganda. Last Friday I may not have used the word happy but today it is accurate. You remember the smooth crossing at the border on the train? Well it may have been too smooth. On the back of the migration paper it says to register within 5 days. The law appears to say if you are on a 30 tourist visa ( which we are) you don't have to register. There is also an unwritten law that seems to say " just do it". Even if the law says you don't need to do something go ahead. The next city or region or policeman or...may require it.
I spent last Friday at the migration police dept. with the head of the Kabup Eng. dept. interpreting for me. The crime - failure to register within 5 days. After almost two hours they said to bring Jan back Sat. morning to go through the same thing. Oh, they took me upstairs to the big guy that pronounces the fines. He asked how old I was and said because you are advanced in age there will be no fine ( $80 to $800 per person) this time. I lined up Sergei to interpret for Jan on Sat.
Well, after talking to Ian and going on line reading the law we decided to cancel Sergei and just move on. At lunch on Sat. we had Akmaral (teacher) and her future husband. Dumon is a customs officer at the airport. What could be better. He made a few calls and then said, "they should have stamped your card twice at the border- don't worry about it. Then during dessert his phone kept ringing. You have to register today! More calls and then he puts us in the taxi. We got to the main migration office and it is only open on Tue. and Thur. Oh, my. We went back home.
On Sunday after meeting ( which was another really nice meeting with Sergei) we told Sergei our problem. He agreed to take us on Monday to the little station I had started at (it is open all week). We arrived at 9. The officer arrived at 10:30. Lots of people waiting now. We worked our way through an interesting system including running next door for photocopies (the police don't have a copier). Jan and Sergei went with the officer, got the ok - no fine, speech and after a few more papers we were out of there. I must say that the officer had a good sense of humor and a nice smile. That is pretty typical with the Kaz. people.
I helped Sergei move some furniture from their pharmacy to their home. They are soon expanding to a second pharmacy. They work hard and Aleya seems to be a terrific business woman. They are a real help to us in many ways.
The weather is cloudy, rainy, windy cold and sunny and warm. It is Spring.
We hope all is well with you also.
Love in Him, Morrie

Tl. Aleya, Sergei, M, J TR. Vika, Aleya, Roma, Sergei BL. M, J, Vika Sergei, Aleya (Roma is the photographer BR> Lamb and Terimisu

Celebrations with Erken and Sergei

Salim comrades,
Well as you know Sunday morning meeting was great. Sergei has such a nice part and his family is so attentive. I am sending pictures of their family and the restaurant we ate at. What a feast we had. I would put this restaurant up against any we have at home. We are really enjoying our time now with Joyce.
As usual the workers bail us out when we run into simple little problems. Yesterday we went to buy train tickets for Almaty. At the window the lady said, Oh, i must have your passport, not copies. (remember we we now carrying copies after being warned that the police at the moment like to take passports and hold them for a ransom) Well Jan and I made a quick trip back to the apt. and got them. Then the lady said, Oh, you need this immigration paper stamped twice or it is no good. Go to the police office and they will take care of it. So because we had Joyce along we did. They fiddled and called someone who said to go to the police chief or someone downtown. ( I'm sure that would not be free). So Joyce smiled and told them spaceba, thanks. She then just directed us to a different window, different clerk, and the new lady just sold us tickets with no questions asked. Such is life in this part of the world. Never give up.
Well I will see if I can attach a picture to this.
Dos ve danya. Comrade Morrie

Erken says Salim (hello)

Well, Salim to you all,
I suppose that I can no longer be Ivan. How does Nursultan sound. Ray of light King. This is the President's name. He is one of the richest men on the planet. His daughter happens to own Nurbank, as in Bank. Sounds too rich for me. How about Erken. He is Kaz. and one of the students we had the other night. Today Jan and I visited her old school. Her teacher warned us to be careful of the police at the bus stop near us. Sounds like they like to do the extended passport check-as in until they get some tenge $. She said to just quickly call someone that speaks Russian, someone from her school or wherever can come and clear it up. Here I thought all that was a thing of the past. The Crisis raises its ugly head again.
We had a wonderful time up in P.F. It is always special to be with all of them. I still don't seem to have the hang of pictures, labels etc. I have been trying to send pictures of Jahyun, Anipa and Ginny. Plus our meeting of Luda, Ludmilla, Zhenya, Rema, Vova, Maxim, Oksana, missing were Marina, Paulina and Antonina. Later Bible study and tea with Antonina.
Anyway don't give up on me. We hired a car and brought Jahyun to Astana then hired another car to Karaganda. It is as cheap as the train it seems, and quicker.
We had a nice Bible study at Sergei's home. His wife Aleya and children, Vika and Roma were there. It is so nice, Even Roma can interpret for us. Of course Sergei does very well. He is the only professing person here. Sunday was another good meeting with S. and family. We had lunch here and Monday night we are going to dinner to celebrate their 15th anniversary and my b'day.
We are really enjoying our old stomping grounds. I will try for a picture with this.
Rok med (thank you ) for all your thoughts etc.
Your brother in Him, Erken, Morrie

Petitsi Fabrica folks

Leaving Russia and into Kaz

Ivan starts transformation from Russian to Kaz

Dear All,
Just a brief update on our Southern Russia experiences.
But first the labels for the pictures.
1. Jan, Kezenia, Asia, BR Elena, Maria, Natasha
2. Where will He send us next?
3. Elena, Sergei, Jan BR Maria, Olga, Natasha, Tamara, Nadiezhda
4. Coffee break, Koneshna, of course.
We left St. P with no problem with our carry-ons. Of course once we boarded we realized why the last flight wouldn't let our bags in the cabin. The over head storage was extremely small. So we had our own personal foot rests, with knees above our heads. There is always a good reason for all rules. Well, no one that has visited Russia would agree with that.
Maria and Elena met us at the airport in Ekaterinburg. We had a few really good days with them, including a train ride to Omsk. Kezenia professed several years ago and is very faithful. Natasha is her neighbor and is very interested in Truth. Sergei is Olga's son. Olga professed years ago in Petitsi Fabrica with several others. When the workers get to her village above Omsk once a month they have meeting and her daughter Anya has started to take part. Nice!
There is good interest in both cities including Boris who professed years ago in Latvia. While in Omsk we also visited Lydia. We stayed with her in her apartment several years ago in Petitsi F.
Well, as usual our good times there with the girls had to come to an end so they loaded us another train.
Our border crossing went extremely well. While the border guards check everyone out of Russia the trainmen are busy adjusting the width of the wheels so the train can continue. Russia, years ago built wider tracks so the enemy couldn't come rolling in. The Russian guards were quite modern. They had a laptop computer to enter our data, names migration paperwork etc. The one carrying the laptop didn't know how to open it so I showed him the button. Later they came back and checked my passport again-just for practice for one of them. The Kazakhstan guards weren't as modern. They borrowed paper and a pen from Jan and dutifully recorded all.
Well this is it for today. Our days continue to be more than we deserve. Jan just reminded me that last year on my Birthday Jana P. made me a lemon pie-ummm. I think it will be carrot cake with Sergei, Aleya, Vika and Roma after meeting tomorrow.
Dos Vedanya Morrie

J

Ivan crosses part of Russia

Good morning y'all,
Well, as the pictures may or may not have indicated, we have visited several fields in the last week. Our days continue to be wonderful. It was hard to leave Annette and Karyn but our visa said get going. In Moscow we had a brief but great time. The pictures show Wayne the chef. His curry is worth traveling around the world to eat. Also saw Martin and Alla. We didn't get to see the friends that day but it sounds like all is well. Our short flight to St. Petersburg was good although they wouldn't allow our carry-on ($ 30) to check the extra bag.
Shelley met us in St. P. and we headed to a hotel for the night. We had been told it was a room for two. The clerk said, no, there would be two men in the room with us; made sense as it is a hostel with the bathroom down the hall. Well, lost in translation extra two really meant twenty. It was a quite and comfortable night and we woke up and had a nice cup of coffee and roll before going to meeting.
A wonderful meeting it was. We had looked forward to being with the girls, Shelley and Tama but also Sveta, who we hadn't seen in a couple of years. Also there was Julia, a young recently professing girl and Breanna Wong who has been studying in Hungary. She meets with Jim and Susan Stout some of the time for meeting. What a terrific meeting and day we had before jumping on another jet for Ekaterinbutg.
We are now in Kazakhstan but I think this catches you us to the pictures that went out yesterday with no story.
We do hope that all is well with each of you, we miss you. Love in Him, Ivan and Ivana

Where's Waldo-I mean Karyn and Annette

Ivan says Dos Vedanya Vlad...

Prevyet Comrades,
I think Dos Vedanya means, until we meet again, and we do hope to do Vlad again, so that word seems appropriate. Our last days were far to quick but memorable. My cold slowed me down and now Jan has a bit of one but mind over matter is working pretty well for her.
Natasha and Vasilisa spent the evening, meeting with us. The Last morning was hectic as N left before 8 and V a little later. Showers were difficult as the light bulb blew. I know that sounds silly. In this apt. you tape the switch off, pull the bulb, go to the store, realize the chinese made one of a kind lights and you cannot get a replacement. Sooo you buy a new fixture and go home to remove the old fixture, replace it with the new, screw in bulb, untape the switch and let there be light. This is all accomplished between a wonderful "blini breakfast" by Karyn and Annette and the airport taxi at 11am.
The rush to the airport was unnecessary as the plane was delayed 5 hours.
The flight was 9 hours and 7 time zones. About the same as our Frankfort to Denver flight but we didn't come close to leaving Russia.
I will send a few pictures along.
Spoka de noche for now. Good night. Morrie