We returned from a wonderful Senor Couples Conference last night. We didn't do any unusual things but just spent time together sharing ideas and experiences. We had a delicious dinner at the mission home Wednesday night and attended a ballet in the opera house afterward. It is really beautiful. The ballet, Spartacus, was quite different than the the ones we had seen before. The dancers were Roman soldiers and slaves so there were no fancy tutus. The dancer who portrayed Spartacus looked like he was flying, he could leap so high. The next day we met at the mission home again and received counsel from Pres. Gibbons, he is a very spiritual man. One of the couples who serve in Almaty, Kazakhstan wasn't able to come because their plane was delayed and they missed the connecting flight. They joined us on Skype. Another couple, that will be coming to the Novosibirsk Mission in December, the Becks, who live in Mt.Pleasant, UT also joined us on Skype. On Friday we had a testimony meeting, lunch then we had to catch our bus. The other couples were also going back to their cities.

Our missionaries from Barnaul were on a visa trip so there were no missionaries in Barnaul for 3 days.

The open house for our new building was held on Nov. 2. Many people came and they were guided on tours through the building. A meeting was held in the chapel for those who wanted to hear a little about the Church and then ask questions. The Relief Society prepared some light refreshments and people stayed to have a bite to eat. Two men from the city government came and spoke. The district president and a district council member came. Everyone was pleased with the event.

Tuesday it started to snow and continued all day. When we left for the bus station, the next morning, there was 6 or 7 inches of snow covering everything. The roads were mostly clear so the trip to Novosibirsk wasn't bad. It has been very cold today, 12 degrees F.

We miss you and hope all is well.