Three top Soviet scientists who spent a month in Utah got a first-hand glimpse of Latter-day Saint lifestyles as they stayed in the homes of three LDS families, attended meetings at two wards, and toured Temple Square.

While in Utah from Oct. 24 to Nov. 20, the scientists were hosted by the Church at a luncheon in the Lion House, which was attended by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Council of the Twelve; and were guests of BYU Pres. Rex D. Lee at a BYU football game. They also visited the Family History Library, where they searched computer files for information about the USSR, and attended a Sunday morning performance of the Tabernacle Choir.The scientists are Valeriy Zyukov, deputy director of the Kurchatov Atomic Energy Institute; Alexey Chadovich, department head of Software and Research Laboratories; and Andrei Portnov, a computer expert.

Their visit was the culmination of a pen pal exchange between students at Hill View Elementary School in Holladay in Salt Lake County and students in the Soviet Union. Salt Lake County Commissioner Bart Barker helped Hill View students set up a way to send computer messages to their Soviet counterparts. The friendship letters were sent via PEACENET, a computer satellite uplink.

Students in Troitsk, a community about 20 kilometers southwest of Moscow, answered back. That began a year-long letter exchange, which resulted in an invitation to Hill View's principal and teachers to visit Troitsk last May.

A representative from Salt Lake County joined them for the trip in hopes of establishing a "sister community" relationship with Troitsk. The U.S. visitors not only met their pen pals, but also many of Troitsk's scientists, three of whom were the recent visitors to Utah.

During their visit in Utah, they and Salt Lake County commissioners agreed to participate in governmental, cultural, educational and trade exchanges. Arrangements are being made for Soviet students to visit Utah in 1990.

"The Soviet visitors were for us a symbol of what can be a wave of the future of good feelings and trust," said Salt Lake County Commission chairman, Mike Stewart.

Commissioner Barker and his wife, Patti, and their three children hosted the Soviet visitors several days. Barker's administrative assistant, Brian Bellamy, and his wife, Claudia, also hosted the visitors, as did Hill View principal, Dr. Paul McCarty, and his wife, Becky.

"When we put them on the plane when it was time for them to leave," said Sister Barker, "we felt like we were saying goodbye to some of our family. From the moment they arrived, our children were drawn to them. Our 4-year-old son, Benjamin, just followed Valeriy nearly every step. At the schools they visited, Valeriy was almost like a pied piper - children just gravitated to him."

The Soviet visitors attended two LDS wards - the Bennion Ward, Bennion Utah East Stake, and the Meadow View Ward, Kearns Utah Central Stake. They also attended Catholic services at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake City.