Saturday, March 30, 2013

March 31, 2013


In Ukraine, Easter is considered one of the most important religious holidays and it’s one of the favorite ones, too.  The people not only celebrate the resurrection of Christ but also the  coming of spring.  Easter in Ukraine is May 5th.   That will be a wonderful time for Easter.  By then the snow will be all melted, the flowers and trees will be blooming and the earth will ready for the most promising celebration of the year.
 
 Easter here is a month away. And the Easter on the Julian calendar is this Sunday. So this will be kind of like our celebration here this past Christmas. Between the two countries, Easter will last a whole month and what a wonderful thing to celebrate for a whole month. So I will start my Easter Celebration on your Easter with an Easter wish to everyone for a wonderful, spiritual, peace-filled Easter. I am including some of my favorite quotes and thoughts about this wonderful and important holiday.
 

I Stand All Amazed
Charles H. Gabriel

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!



The Greatest Miracle
Howard W. Hunter


Surely the Resurrection is the center of every Christian's faith; it is the greatest of all the miracles performed by the Savior of the world. Without it, we are indeed left hopeless. 1 Cor. 15:13–15, 17

Go with me back in time to those final scenes in the Holy Land. The end of our Lord's mortal life was near. He had healed the sick, raised the dead, and expounded on the scriptures, including those prophecies of his own death and resurrection. He said to his disciples:



"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,



"And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again" (Matt. 20:18–19)


In the hours that followed, he sweat drops of blood, was scourged by the very leaders who claimed to be custodians of his law, and was crucified in the company of thieves.

Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, he, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered these afflictions as we suffer them, according to the flesh. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial.

But there remained one more set of chains to be broken before the Atonement could be complete: the bands of death.

When the women came to the tomb, they found it open and empty. The angels had tarried to tell them the greatest news ever to fall on human ears: "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said" (Matt. 28:6)

In the days that followed his resurrection, the Lord appeared unto many. He displayed his five special wounds to them. He walked and talked and ate with them, as if to prove beyond a doubt that a resurrected body is indeed a physical body of tangible flesh and bones.

It is the responsibility and joy of all men and women everywhere to "seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have [testified]" (Ether 12:41) and to have the spiritual witness of his divinity. It is the right and blessing of all who humbly seek, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness of the Father and his resurrected Son.

As one called and ordained to bear witness of the name of Jesus Christ to the entire world, I testify at this Easter season that he lives. He has a glorified, immortal body of flesh and bones. He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father in the flesh. He is the Savior, the Light and Life of the world.


He Will
W. Jeffrey Marsh


Christ's mercy is the ultimate expression of His love for us. As Isaiah explained, He will teach us, comfort us, give us beauty, anoint us with the oil of joy, and clothe us with the garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3). The Atonement provides eternal life, but it is also a real power that helps us throughout life. It is our immediate help as well as our eternal hope.

The indescribable suffering which caused the Savior to descend below all things was something He willingly submitted to "because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men" (1 Nephi 19:9). Being thus filled with mercy, He now extends that loving-kindness and long-suffering to us.....
            
He will sustain and support us.

He will warn us of impending danger.

He will enlighten us.

He will strengthen and deliver us.

He will shield us.

He will change our nature.

He will give us peace and joy.

He will encircle us in the arms of his mercy.


Bruce R. McConkie – “Nothing in the entire plan of salvation compares in any way in importance with the most transcendent of all events, the atoning sacrifice of our Lord.  It is the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things; it is the rock foundation upon which the gospel and all other things rest.”


Elder Tad Callister – The Atonement is not just a prime teaching of the gospel; it is the heart of the gospel.  It infuses life into every doctrine, every principle, and every ordinance, transforming what might otherwise be a lofty but nonetheless lifeless ideal to a vibrant spiritual truth.  So essential is the Atonement to a purposeful life that on occasion it is referred to as “The gospel.”  While expounding to the Nephites the Savior confirmed this:  “This is the gospel…that I came into the world to do the will of my Father…And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross” (3 Nephi 27:13-14

If there had been no Atonement, the rising of every sun would be a reminder that for us it would one day rise no more, that for each of us death would claim its victory, and the grave would have its sting.  Every death would be a tragedy, and every birth but a tragedy in embryo.  The culmination of love between husbands and wives, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters would perish in the grave, to rise no more.  Without the Atonement, futility would replace purpose, hopelessness would be exchanged for hope and misery would be graded for happiness.  If there were no Atonement, Elder Marion G. Romney declared, “The whole purpose for the creation of earth and our living upon it would fail.”  


C. S. Lewis – …….if one takes away the miracles attributed to Buddhism, there would be no loss to the religion.  If all miracles were eliminated from Islam, nothing essential would be altered. But you cannot possibly do that with Christianity, because the Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion that Christ came into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing Nature up with Him.  It is precisely one great miracle.  If you take that away there is nothing specifically Christian left.”

 

James L. Gordon -  “A cathedral without windows, a face without eyes, a field without flowers, an alphabet without vowels, a continent  without rivers, a night without stars, and a sky without a sun – these would not be so sad as a…..soul without Christ. 


One Last Song, a favorite of mine by the Tabernacle Choir. 

Lilies of the Field
"Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow, how they grow."

"Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And he will feed those who trust him,
And guide them with His eye."

"Consider the sheep of his fold,
How they follow where he leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed."

"He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And he will feed those who trust him,
And guide them with his eye."

"Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth..."

The pains of all of them he carried
From the day of his birth.
He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And he will heal those who trust him,
And make their hearts as gold."

Lilies of the Field

Have a wonderful, glorious Easter everyone, and may the comfort that the Atonement and the Resurrection of our Savior brings fill your hearts with joy.  

Sunday, March 24, 2013

March 24, 2013


This great city of Kyiv didn’t want us to leave before we had experienced a real winter storm.  I have had way to much fun enjoying the beautiful snowy days the last four months and just as I was thinking I would miss winter the last hurrah of winter arrived. 
   
Thursday – Sunny and 43 degrees F.  Yes, I am glad that spring is on its way.

Horsey ride on the first day of spring

Friday – 10:00 AM  Snowing and windy but it was forecast so I wasn’t surprised.  Off to visit a few museums.




Ukrainian eggs




11:00AM  - The wind came up and the snow really started coming down.  One more place to visit and then home.

Snowy day
This is not the mini museum
No, this isn't where I was going, thank heavens!
12:00 PM -  Literally squashed myself onto the bus which I have never seen this full.  They must know something I don’t.

1:00 PM – Home at last.  Glad the heat was  back on.
 
4:00 PM - Even though the roads were getting bad,  I still had high hopes of doing something fun this evening.

The roads getting bad
6:00 PM – Four buses stopped in front of our apartment with no chance of making it up the ascent.  All public transportation (other than the metro’s) shut down.

These buses aren't going anywhere
Pushing buses
 7:00 PM  - Nine men I will always think of as heros started their pushing duties.  They would  push a car up the hill, then the next and so forth.  Temperature in the low 20’s with 30 mile an hour winds.  No gloves.  They seemed to enjoy helping.

Some of the pushing crew

9:00 PM – 2:00 AM  People still trying to get home from work.

10pm
1am
3am

7:00 AM – The streets are full of people because they cannot walk on the drifted sidewalks.     Three snowplows came up the street shortly after two army tanks  passed by.    I checked the news on line and discovered that it is basically the same all over town.  No transport vehicles are being allowed in the city.  Many cars have been abandoned in the streets.   Jay and Marcia sent some pictures from out at the temple….same story there.

Morning
Army tank scoping out the situation
Finally snow plows at 8am

Even at the temple
10:00 AM – I ventured out to go to the store and realized that it is much worse when you are out in the storm than when watching it from the 5th floor of our apartment.   I have now witnessed the worst storm of my life and I am learning an even greater appreciation for the people that day after day get up, get on public transportation and go to work or to the temple.….. no matter the weather.  And if there is no public transportation, they walk for miles in the worst storm of the year.  

Out our back door

By the store
Tram road behind our apartment, stalled cars blocking road
Sidewalk in front of our apartment
10:00 PM – Just heard from a friend in my English class that the city was declared a state of emergency, and hopefully the military will be out helping  clear the roads.  There are so many abandoned cars that have now been drifted under. Church has been adjusted for those of us that can't get there tomorrow and it is still snowing and blowing. Two sisters I know that work at the temple on Saturday walked to the temple because there was no public transportation after getting off the metro and that is a long way from the temple. It took one of them two hours and the other one four hours. The snow is two feet deep and there is ice under the snow which makes it very hard to walk. The first night of the storm there were 47 children stuck in a school bus all night out on the highway that goes to the temple. It is amazing what you don’t hear about when you are feeling cozy in your apartment watching a storm. With all the troubles the storm has caused my friend also sent me an article about the positive side….  cross country skiing down Khreschatyk, families spending time together,  snowboarding on the descents that are not passable by auto, and people helping people. Isn’t it nice to make lemonade.

March 24, 10:00am - Since it would have been very difficult to get to church by the temple we went to the ward in the city on the metro. Actually this city is like a ghost town. The cars are buried in the streets that are usually bustling with traffic and people. No street vendors, no beggars, not even any pigeons today. Even the metros were pretty quiet.  Kyiv has been declared  a state of emergency and I am not sure how long it will take for the roads to get cleared. Is isn't a matter of just plowing. It is a matter of digging out all the vehicles and then plowing and under all that snow is 4 inches of solid ice. It is easy to see why this city has been declared in a state of emergency.  Worst storm ever recorded.   Looks like an exciting week ahead.

Four lane street where the stake center is located. usually bustling with traffic
 


Empty metro

Some more photos from around the city:

Buried car


More buried cars

By the National Opera

Man finding his car

People helping people


Quote for this week:  
“The trek will be proving and trying.  Faith, patience, and obedience are essential, but he who completes the journey successfully will be immeasurably added upon.  And he who does not will have subtracted from the sum of his possibilities.  The very process of daily living makes and breaks followers.  Life’s stern seasons and storms overturn those not grounded and rooted.”     
    Elder Neal A. Maxwell