This has been a terrific week.  We are still so happy to be back in Astana.  Also, the weather has been beautiful.  It is delightful to be out and about in warm sunshine.  After a cold Siberian winter, this is bliss! 

The two Elder and two Sister missionaries in our district came over on Monday to use our computers for their weekly email time.  After they finished with the computers, I gave them some chicken taco soup for lunch.  Since they didn't seem in a hurry to leave, we invited them to play Bananagrams (thanks to Susie for the much used and enjoyed Christmas gift.)  They had so much fun we played for over two hours.

 We teach English on Tuesday and Friday Evenings, mostly to young adults.  Also this week we have spent a few hours helping two young friends with applications for grad school.  Our translator, Timur, is applying to Kansas State.  A young woman from English group asked me to help her apply to Nazarbayev University here in Astana.  Nazarbayev is an English-medium institution with an international faculty.  These students mostly needed help with their essays.  We have enjoyed the experience.  We have also been asked to hold a weekly get-together for young adults at our apartment.  We are beginning to feel like CES (church education system) missionaries, although we still have plenty of humanitarian work. 

The less fun portion of our week involved working on our expense reports for humanitarian work.  We were unable to submit  reports the 2 1/2 months we were in Russia since the forms and codes were on one of the office computers here in the apartment in Astana.  It took us most of three days to complete the task.  To celebrate, we went to KFC for lunch.  I had forgotten how delicious American fast food can be, even if it is served in Kazakhstan.