June 1, 2013

Your heart to mine,

My heart to yours

Talk about opening windows

Talk about opening doors

Your heart to mine

My heart to yours

Love is a light that shines from heart to heart

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have sung this song and quite frankly I’m not even sure that it is a song. I heard a children’s group sing this song a long time ago and have tried to find the song or lyrics ever since and haven’t been able to. But this song has a lot of meaning in my life. I have always sung it to my children and grandchildren (not even sure if I have the tune correct) and I can remember the times they have sung it back to me.  Wherever it came from, I hope it is never forgotten, because the message, though simple, is so beautiful.**

Love is a very powerful door opener. Love works no matter where in the world you are.  Love is something that can soften hearts and bless lives. Love is something that cannot be disguised and there is nothing else that can be disguised as love. Love always begins with a smile.

I have a true love for the people of Ukraine. It is a love that is easily established because like the song says, love is a light that shines from heart to heart.

Last week was the 1531^st birthday of Kyiv. There were many celebrations but one of my favorites and one that I have looked forward to since last year was the classical concert.  People here truly love cultural events. There are numerous theatres, opera houses, symphony orchestras, and a variety of other cultural opportunities in Kyiv. They are held every night of the week, not just monthly, or on the weekends, but every night and the halls are always full. Every celebration has cultural concerts as a part of the activities. The classical concert for the birthday celebration of Kyiv is held at St. Sophia’s Square, is free and is attended by thousands of people. It was once again a night of symphonic music and famous opera stars performing with the symphony which was the best of the best all in one event. Happy Birthday Kyiv.

Flower car show

Flower car show

Cars car

Another car

Hot Air Balloons

Kyiv Days Bike Race

Interns and ILP's at Concert

The concert

Back to the love theme…………while waiting for the concert to start I was sitting next to a Ukrainian lady. While we were waiting I showed her some of the pictures I had taken earlier during the day at the flower car show. First step……..smile and show you care. We then exchanged names and I gave her one of our mission cards and an Articles of Faith Card. She then took out her passport and gave me the icon of her patron saint, St. Helena.  That was her name. She told me about her family (the one question I know how to ask in Russian) and I could understand enough to know that her daughter lives and works in Canada. It made our waiting time go by so much faster and I feel like I now have another friend in Kyiv. I look for her on the buses every day and I am sure that someday I will see her again.

My new friend Helena

We had another wonderful Sunday at Lutsk. The members of the branch there are also such loving, kind people. We love the opportunity to spend time with them every month. This week the Stuart’s went with us. We had a fun dinner with the missionaries before coming back to Kyiv. Between Rivna and Lutsk is a little town called Kleven where is the amazing tunnel of love that I am sure all of you have seen in “beautiful pictures” on the internet.

Lutsk Relief Society sisters

Lutsk Missionaries, Dances and Stuarts

Farming in countryside

Enjoying the Sunshine

Gardens growing

Out for a Sunday Drive

Tunnel of Love in Kleven

The most love filled place is the temple. Everyone loves everyone at the temple. It is like instant family. There are always hugs and smiles and friendly faces and Russians trying to speak English and Americans trying to speak Russian but basically the best communication is from the heart. There is definitely a light that shines from heart to heart in the temple. 

Yulia Simonovskaya and Shiyans

Alla and Nikolay

Irinna

Natalya

Vera and Olyah - friends on the tramvi

Thursday and Friday we had an Eastern European Area Meeting here in Kyiv. It was fun to be in a temple session with all of the people from our office and the Moscow office. On Friday we met all day at the church by the temple. 

Seminar group

During our meeting on Friday there was also a Sister Missionary Meeting in the same building. All of the sister missionaries came to Kyiv to meet their new companions that they will be training for the next month and to make the transfers to their new areas. It was fun to see a lot of the sisters that we have known the last year. Earlier in the week twenty three missionaries met in Kyiv before leaving for home. It was a large group leaving but there are plenty of replacements coming in so it will all even out. Also, the Ukrainian speaking missionaries were being transferred to the western side of the country where they will soon be a part of the L’viv Mission. Parting for whatever reason is always sweet sorrow…..happiness to be going home and sadness at leaving a country and lifestyle that they have learned to love. Luckily I was at the temple on Tuesday and Wednesday so I was able to say a lot of goodbyes and feel the love the missionaries have for each other, their President, and the people of Ukraine.

Sister Filipovska and Bishop

 Sisters Russavage, Zharkova, and Kanchenko

Sisters heading west (L'viv mission)

Sister Filipovska, Julia and Sister Russavage

Elders Braithwaite, Hilton and Garcia

Sister Karpenko

Sisters Coming and Going

Going home

Sisters Daniels, Moore and Irizarry

Elders Grange and Fisher staying in Kyiv Mission

Sister Missionary Conference

Elders Nielson, Robinett, and Randall

Iris

Quote for the week by Chieko Okazaki.

“We must give our hearts to the Savior so that he becomes the light of our lives and the touchstone by which we measure every relationship, every action, every word and every 
thought………”

Kyiv Temple 6/5/2013

**Post Script:  This is the first post script ever to my blog but  two of my children made me aware that the song I quoted was written by John Denver and after reading the lyrics  I decided that I also wanted to include the first verse because it just works great with how I am feeling right now.  So here goes:

I haven't seen all there is to see
But I've seen quite a bit
I've seen things I'll always remember
Some things I wish I could forget.
I haven't been quite around the world
But I've been around the block
I know that distances are meaningless
Like the hands that move around the clock.

And I know that love is everywhere
Always safe, always true
And exactly where it is coming from
Is where it is going to.

Your heart to mine, my heart to yours
Talk about opening windows
Talk about opening doors
My heart to yours, your heart to mine
Love is a light that shines
from heart to heart.