September 29, 2012

The days are getting shorter and cooler and are also speeding by. We have now been here six months. Every day is filled with new and exciting things in the world around us. Monday will be our last October 1^st in Kyiv. And every day after that will be the last so we have to make the most of every moment. We don’t want to miss out on any chance to enjoy, serve and love the people and uniqueness of this country. 

This week we were involved in a variety of activities that were all very fulfilling. On Saturday I went to the Stake Center which is in the center of the city and not far from our apartment for the Women’s Conference.  So many wonderful sisters that I know were there and the meeting was so good. One of the girls from the office translated for me and I love listening to translations. Tanya gave her translation from the heart (well, the topic was love) and I know I probably listened to a better conference than most because of her sweet translation. After the talks and musical numbers there was a luncheon.  It was so good but there was so much to eat (cabbage rolls, cherry pastry, grapes and chocolate) that I waddled all the way home. Just a side note, the Stake Center is located on the third floor of a building right above the Ferrari dealership. I know it wouldn’t be hard to get my grandsons to go to meetings there, but just getting them to go up to the third floor might be the trick. 

Friends at Women's Conference

Translator Tanya

Luncheon food

Ferrari

Monday morning after a very productive meeting with a few of the attorneys that Gary works with, we went to the church at the Temple site for a Senior Missionary Meeting and dinner. We were able to see some of the senior missionaries that we haven’t seen for a few months. There are some new opportunities for English practice classes which I am delighted to have available. One of the things we have been doing in English Class is game day on Friday. The favorite game is “Catch Phrase”. The clues they come up with are so hilarious. They were so excited to learn what a “pot hole” was as they now have a new English word for all of the “pot holes” in the sidewalks in Kyiv. 

Senior Missionary Conference

New student in English class, Yana

We are starting to get some responses from our Embassy contacts and are anxious to go out and start meeting and visiting with the Ambassadors about the church’s many humanitarian efforts in their countries. Countries like Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Switzerland, India, Brazil and six others.  We will be starting to do that in the next week or so.

American Embassy

The Saints at the temple this week were from Novosibirsk (Siberia) and Western Russia. Every week it is so interesting to get to meet these wonderful people who are always so very loving and kind. They are so happy for what could possibly be their only opportunity to come this far to the temple and they are always so sad to leave at the end of the week.

Thursday Elder Don R. Clarke spoke to the missionaries in Kyiv. He had been at the Mission President’s conference in Estonia and then had several speaking engagements in various parts of Eastern Europe. Since he was departing out of Kyiv we were fortunate to get to hear him speak. One very interesting story he told was how his Patriarchal Blessing was fulfilled here in Ukraine last Sunday evening. When he was twelve years old his grandfather had given him his Patriarchal Blessing and promised him that he would live to see the gathering of the ten tribes of Israel. He never believed it would happen, but at a fireside in Donetsk he asked those with Patriarchal Blessings to stand and tell what lineage they were from and every tribe but Judah was represented that evening. He then realized that he was witnessing the gathering of Israel that he had been promised.  The promise to Abraham is being fulfilled.  (Isaiah 5, Ezekiel 20, Psalms 107, 2nd Nephi 10, 3rd Nephi 20, Abraham 1).  These missionaries are helping to fulfill this prophecy. 

Elder Don R. Clark

Elder Duffin at missionary meeting

Friday, two of the Stuart’s (our relatives that are serving a temple mission here) daughters arrived from the US. We went to dinner and then to the National Opera House of Ukraine to see Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Ballet.  It was indeed a beautiful end to a wonderful week. 

Marcia Stuart, Shelly and Carrie

At the ballet

Final bows

Quote this week is from the Sound of Music.

“When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window………….what you must find out is how God wants you to spend your love.” 

We miss our family and friends in the USA but while we are here we are learning how God wants us to spend our love. We have enlarged our hearts to include a whole new group of family, friends, and strangers and hope that we will be able to accomplish all we were sent here to do.  

New riding mower at the temple