We have been in Ukraine 1 month. There are times when I feel I have lived here all my life. On my early morning walk today I happened upon a scene that could have been straight out of the Sound of Music. Well, let me back up a few days to last Friday. On the way to the market I decided to take a little side road right across from our apartment just to see what the neighborhood was like. I went through a very modern area called the “Forum” which seems to be the local headquarters of about a hundred international businesses. At the end of the road was the hospital – very old – and right behind it the most beautiful cathedral and monastery you can imagine. I tried to figure out how to get onto the grounds but couldn’t so I retraced my steps and went on to the market. Saturday was a working day but Gary came home a little early and I wanted to take him to see the cathedral. We met a darling girl who spoke English and was out on her break from her office in the “Forum” (Svitka) and we asked her how to find the entrance. She was so eager to take us there that she led the way. She said as she was walking about a month ago, she too had come upon it and wanted to make sure we saw the gardens. Well, I am attaching pictures but it was breathtaking. The well kept grounds were arrayed with tulips, primroses, and the sidewalks were lined with fruit trees in full blossom. (I felt like I was on the “great white way” in the movie Anne of Green Gables) and the aroma of all those blossoms was enough to keep me there for hours. We walked around the grounds where there were several pink dormitories with white lace curtains, smaller chapels, shrines, and the most beautiful cathedral we have yet seen...... And only a few blocks from our apartment, hidden by some really dilapidated apartments. Now, back to today. Of course this has become my favorite place to walk every day. It is so peaceful and serine there. Today at 7:00 AM as I was walking down the “great white way”, up from a dormitory came a young girl, dressed just like Maria in the Sound of Music, scurrying as fast as she could go, (she wasn’t running but walking as fast as she reverently could walk) up to the Abby. Just then the cathedral bells started ringing and I knew that she was late. It was so picturesque and is imbedded in my mind as a cherished memory.
Monday, April 30, we had a senior missionary meeting with President Klebingat. We had a chance to get to know all of the other Senior missionaries here in the mission and it was a great meeting. We also heard about all the wonderful young missionaries we have in this mission. He will be giving us branch assignments soon and we could possibly be over a branch that is a nine hour train ride away. We would only go there twice a month. We’ll wait to report on that assignment. After our meeting we joined with all of the temple missionaries for a wonderful dinner at a hotel that is close to the temple and heard the greatest love story ever told. Someday I will write it all down for you. It was such a wonderful evening and quite a contrast to our big black tie event last week. The gospel is true and the joy that comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be found in worldly pleasures.
This week 87 Saints came to the temple from Armenia. There are twenty-two that received their own endowments yesterday. They will be here all week so the temple will be crowded as the ordinance rooms only seat 40 or 50 with added chairs. They will be going back to Armenia on Saturday so after they leave and before the next group comes in on Monday we will be able to go to the temple. We know a young man that works for the church and he was telling us that when he went with his mother to receive the sealing ordinances (his father died 12 years ago) there was no temple in Kyiv so they went to Freiberg Temple. It took 28 hours to get there in a bus which wouldn’t have been your basic Greyhound. (Kind of like us traveling to the Chicago Temple.) When I commented how much dedication that would take and wasn’t he glad to have a temple closer he said that he really liked the bus ride. He said the people sang hymns, watched gospel videos and really prepared spiritually for the experience. He said that only having to drive an hour now he doesn’t feel as spiritually prepared. Think on that one. We are so blessed and we need to never forget the importance of the blessings of the gospel and the importance of the Temple in our lives. We love you.
Pokrova Nunnery by our apartment and part of St. Nicholas complex
St. Nicholas's Cathedral near our apartment
Other senior missionaries
President and Sister Klebingat
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