July 4, 2012

We have just started our fourth month in Ukraine.  This week our hearts have been in Pocatello thinking about all of our friends and Stake Members who lost their houses in the Mink Creek Fire.  We know that their faith is strong and know what a great support system they have in the people of Pocatello.  You are in our prayers and thoughts.

Thursday, the day of the fire (which we didn’t hear about until Friday) was Constitution Day in Ukraine, which is a pretty big holiday.  We took that day to visit some of the various Memorials around the city.  There are thousands of monuments erected to World War II. This city is filled with historical monuments erected to honor people and events that have had a major impact on this country.

 

Babi Yar- The site where fascists executed thousands of Jews and POWs in 1941

The Old Arsenal--Built from 1783-1803 and is the armory that was fired on in the revolution of 1917.  This was Gary's favorite and you can see the bullet holes in the outside walls and in some of the holes you can see the lead from the bullets still there.

Museum to the Great Famine of 1932-1933.  This famine was man caused. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, set in motion events designed to cause a famine in the Ukraine to destroy the people there seeking independence from his rule. As a result, an estimated 7,000,000 persons died of starvation  in this farming area, known as the breadbasket of Europe, with the people deprived of the food they had grown with their own hands.

National Memorial Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945--where in addition to the Memorial Complex there are 8000 exhibits showing the history of World War II.

And then coming home from all of this we learned about the fires in America leaving hundreds homeless. This is a aerial shot of the area consumed by the fire in Mink Creek...

And on a brighter note.... Saturday Night we went to the final concert of the Ukraine Philharmonic Orchestra and it was a fabulous concert. We love beautiful classical music and this was some of the best. As we walked back to our bus stop in Independence Square the Elton John Concert was just starting so even though we were leaving at 5:00AM for Lutsk we stayed and watched the concert (with about 500,000 other people.) It's not every day you can see an Elton John Concert for free. It was the concert before the Final Game of the Euro Cup so was projected on the huge screens that were used for  the games in the "Fan Zone". It was a great concert and topped off a great evening. Luckily most of the people were staying around to party after the concert so we had no trouble at all getting back to our apartment.

The games are now over but we are still reaping the benefits of having them here. Street signs, English announcements on the metro and busses, flowers planted everywhere, trash containers in public places, and street improvements. And the amazing thing is that most prices did not go up. I think the people that visited here found out what a beautiful, unique city we have and the people here are amazing. 

Sunday we spent another wonderful day at the Lutsk Branch. The people there are so wonderful and appreciate our limited ability to speak their language. What they appreciate is that we try.  Unfortunately our driver that was going to take us to the country village on the way back to Kyiv had to stay in Kyiv so we will have to make that trip another day. The sunflowers were all blooming in the fields, more and more poppies, and gorgeous hollyhocks, another beautiful drive.

 Hydrangea at the Monastery

Lutsk

My favorite, hollyhocks, on the way to Lutsk

Sunflower fields forever

Poppy fields

I have been enjoying my time at the temple while we have been here and Tuesday I was called to be an ordinance worker one day a week. It will mean having to catch the metro at 5:45AM but I am really excited to work with all the wonderful workers and patrons. The Kyiv Temple is the busiest temple in the world (per capita). People come here from all over Eastern Europe and stay a week at a time to do the ordinance work for their ancestors. They are such faithful, humble people and a joy to serve. I am now learning all of the script in Russian which is challenging but possible with the Lord's help. Quote from this week is from Doctrine and Covenants 98:1-3. "Fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks; waiting patiently on the Lord...Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you:...all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good."