April 24, 2013

I see trees of green........ red roses too 

I see 'em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

Spring is delightful in Kyiv. The city workers that chipped ice and snow for the last 4 months have picked up their brooms and are sweeping away winter. They are not only sweeping but painting, planting, and getting the city ready for Easter and the holidays ahead. And best of all they are doing it all with a smile. So before I begin the news of the week I wanted to share some of the pictures of the signs of spring in Kyiv.  

Tree and curb painters

The Hummer limo

...with bride inside

Fence painters 

Little wildflowers

Newly painted trees, benches and curbs in our backyard

Neatly stacked wood

Make a wish tree

Sidewalk clean up crew

First daffodils

Braids

Survivors

More fishermen at 5:30am than workmen

Flowering trees

New planted pansies

Sidewalk visits

Washing windows

Wall painting at the monastery

Temple with daffodils 4-21-13

I spent the first part of the week at the temple and going on visits with the sister missionaries. They are the most darling girls and have so much patience and love for the people of Ukraine. Sister Filipovska was born in Ukraine and is from Italy. Sister Russavage is from California. They are amazing, hard-working missionaries that are very dedicated to the work.  They took this picture of me in front of a sculpture dedicated to 9-11 in the US. Kyiv's heart was broken at our losses.  Isn't that wonderful.  

9-11 Broken Heart sculpture

Sister Filipovska and Sister Russavage visiting for a sister's birthday

Friday was a beautiful day so after the home chores and getting some shopping done for Gary’s party on Sunday, Jill and I headed out to see the Vydubytsky Monastery. (see future blog) The directions were pretty broad and sounded easy so we were sure it would be easy to find. Well, that was a very wrong assumption on my part. After several miles and hundreds of stairs and crossing over and under a cloverleaf highway we found a little monastery which we now know wasn’t the one we were looking for. What we found was quaint, and did have a monk running it and I’m sure we were the only visitors he had had for months and probably will have for months. We not only had to put on scarves to go in but skirts also which he provided. It was a pretty little chapel but of course the wrong one.

Beginning of some more wild adventures...

Monastery

Candles lit for us

Monk

After such a long hike we walked on down the Dniper through Navodnitsky Park. One of the sites we saw was the  Memorial to the founders of Kyiv, depicting the brothers Kkyi, Shchek, Khoryv and sister Lybid. It is a tradition for newly married couples to lay flowers here.  We also saw the Tree of Happiness.  For a happy marriage you need to touch the bronze leaf of the tree and tie a ribbon there.  To make a wish that your children are healthy you need to touch the apples on the tree.

Memorial to founders of Kyiv

Saturday we cleaned the church and then started the preparations for the big “Café Rio” dinner we were going to have for Gary’s birthday.  It just so happens that my friend Jill’s daughter was born on the same day as Gary and since both of their favorite foods is the pulled pork salad we decided to combine efforts and have a little party after stake conference.  It turned out we invited three temple missionary couples and the Mission Office missionaries. (Sister Ricks is the YW leader).  The food turned out delicious and Jessa was a great sport to share her birthday with a bunch of older folks. 

The party

Gary and Jessa

At stake conference on Sunday President Kanchenko was released after nine years. He was the first Stake President of the Kyiv Stake and is over the real estate department at the service center so we have known him well and have such high regard for him. He and his wife also worked on the same Tuesday shift at the temple. Our new Stake President is President Pohilko, the temple recorder. He will be an outstanding stake president. He is in his early thirties and one of his counselors is twenty-four.

 President Pohilko’s wife had an amazing insight in her talk which I will share.  “We have so many really good intentions in this life that are usually blocked by the little word “but”.  However, you can turn all of your intentions into successes if you just choose what goes in front and behind of the “but”. For instance, instead of saying ‘I want to study the scriptures but I am really tired’, say ‘I am really tired but I want to study the scriptures.’ I really loved that little idea.

President Pohilko had a great thought from Hugh Nibley. “There are a lot of things we need to do but only two that we should worry about…forgiveness and repentance.” Through the Savior we can turn our weaknesses into strengths. He has given the Holy Ghost to guide us. 

Conference-Elder Bennett with Pres. Kanchenko

Conference friends

Nastia - Natasha's granddaughter

Shikalovas

Ira

Sunday night was the annual Ukrainian Concert and talent show. It was a long way to go to the temple church but I knew a lot of the people performing and I wanted to go.  (One of those “but” sentences – I didn’t even realize it until I wrote it.) It was a great concert by a variety of ages of people. They practice every Sunday evening whether there are two or twenty that can come to rehearsal. The director arranges the music and the musicians range in age from five to sixty. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to share their talents.  Sister Serdyuk, who I work with at the temple and is the promoter of cultural events said in her introduction, “Music teaches many good qualities. It teaches patience for other people – we make mistakes and learn tolerance and forgiveness and love.”

Sister Seryduk, the organizer

The trumpet player

Concert soloist

Julia, the director

Quote for the week from President Henry B. Eyring:

“I bear you my testimony that the Lord will always prepare a way for you to escape from the trials you will be given if you understand two things.  One is that you need to be on the Lord’s errand.  The second thing you need to understand is that the escape  will almost never be out of the trial;  it will usually be through it.  If you pray to have the experience removed altogether, you may not find the way prepared for you.  Instead, you need to pray to find the way of deliverance through it.”

Blue skies of spring

April 17, 2013

Updates on two of my favorite things here in Kyiv…….

The metro – Remember back in June 2012 when I told you about the wonderful adventure I had on Wagon 4805 on the Metro. . . . . the history filled wagon. I said I would watch and wait for it with camera in hand. Well, on  March 6 when I was heading to the temple early in the morning, it passed by. I ran about five cars down and hopped on before it left the station. And now I can finally share pictures with you of my favorite Metro Wagon, #4805.

Wagon 4805

50th Anniversary of the metro

No one as interested in the history or details of this car as me...

So much to see....so little time....

The Monastery - Anyone who has been following this blog is well aware of my infatuation with the monastery that is about a kilometer from our apartment. When I first found this monastery which is amazingly hidden from view from the main streets, I couldn’t believe what a treasure it was. (see May 2, 2012 blog) I visit the monastery quite often as it is such a peaceful place and beautiful at all times of the year. I decided to do a little historical study and learned some very interesting things. The convent was founded by Grand Princess Alexandra Petrovna – the Sister- in- law of Alexander II. A pilgrimage to the Pechersk relics helped her find relief after a severe illness. She then provided funds for founding a convent in Kyiv in 1889. She had a room at the convent and later secretly became a nun under the name of Anastasia. There is a memorial tomb in her honor and she is worshiped like a saint. St. Nicholas Cathedral, the largest in Kyiv, was built on the convent property in 1896-1911. During the Soviet regime, the convent was closed and the churches disfigured but during the Nazi occupation, the religious life of the convent was restored. Ironically, the nuns secretly sabotaged the Hitlerites and helped many Kyvians avoid being sent to labor camps in Germany. The convent and church now belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Intercession church was restored in 1989 and the domes were restored on the Cathedral in 2006 – it is still being restored on the outside but the inside is beautiful. 

The monastery (in summer)

Memorial for Alexandria, aka Anastasia

Restoring the cathedral

Restoring the cathedral (2)

Getting ready for spring

So that is my history lesson for this post but there will be more in weeks to come.

 This was a very busy and eventful week. On Monday we had our monthly dinner with the other senior missionaries. By October all but four of the senior missionaries will have completed their missions.

  

Senior Missionary dinner

On Tuesday and Wednesday I spent the days at the temple with the Saints from the Donetsk mission. I kept asking everyone if they knew Elder Wood from Pocatello and they all just seemed puzzled. I have heard from so many people what a great missionary he is that I just knew that they must know him. Then I asked someone that knew a little English what the word for “Wood” was in Russian and she said “Lce” (pronounced less). So then I started asking if they knew Elder Lce and yes they did know Elder Lce. Mystery solved. 

 

Temple friend

Spring cleaning temple grounds

6 inches in 4 days

Spring at last

Wednesday was such a beautiful sunny day and it was a sure sign that spring is finally here.  The snow was almost all gone, and the daffodils were alive and well and hadn’t been frozen under the recent snow.   The temple grounds workers were raking the acres of lawn and cleaning out all the flower beds.  It made me want to bring my work clothes to the temple and join them.  Oh, and this morning there were birds chirping outside of our window.  Being up on the fifth floor and looking out into the top branches of the trees, it is almost like living in a tree house.   I just know that with a few more warm days everything will be in bloom.

A few years ago we saw the opera Boris Godunov down in Logan at the Utah Opera Festival. It is a Russian opera about the history of Russia. Ever since we arrived here Gary has been waiting to see the opera here, especially since now we know a little of the language and history. So Wednesday evening we were able to see Boris Godunov. It was an amazing production – sets, costumes, cast and the voices were exceptional as always. Check that one off the bucket list.    

Thursday for one of the English classes we went to a museum that is right next to the Service Center where the office is and saw the National Geographic top photographs exhibit. The museum was amazingly beautiful and the photographs so also.

 

My favorite photo

Famous photo

Ripening pears

Friday morning we had to go to get registered so that we can stay in Kyiv for another six months. When we first got registered a year ago it took about 4 hours so I was expecting the same today so when it only took a little more than an hour I went for a walk in the beautiful sunshine around a part of our neighborhood that I had never explored. Among other things I discovered a neighborhood soccer field, a school (the schools here have all 12 grades in one building) a huge acreage of parking garages that look like our storage sheds in the US and several really beautiful old buildings. At the school I talked to the Cambridge English teacher and she invited me back and wanted to offer me a job on the spot. I may not see this entire city but I will see as much as I can.

Where we got registered to be able to stay in Kyiv 

  

Soccer field near our apartment

Around the neighborhood

Neighborhood school

Wash day

School cafeteria

Saturday we were privileged to have the Sister Missionaries teach a discussion at our apartment after which we had dinner. Julia is a golden contact, was not raised with any religion but the last few years has wanted something more in her life. She teaches English in the evenings and is studying music during the day. I know that these Sister Missionaries are a blessing in her life.

Sisters Russavage and Filipovoska

After the discussion and dinner we met some friends down at the Teatralna  Metro station.   Every Saturday night, just before seven in the evening, a hundred or so senior citizens come to the underground concourse at the entry to Teatralna metro station for the senior citizen dance. There are a group of five or six musicians – accordion,  trumpet, saxophones and tambourines assembled in front of a potato bar restaurant. The seniors are all decked out for the dance in their Sunday best, some even wear native costumes. They come because it is fun and doesn’t cost anything. It is really fun and the people are all so happy and friendly and love to have their pictures taken. It ends about 9:00 and you know that they will all be back in a week. 

The band

The dancers

The seniors

Sunday we took the tram to the church to watch General Conference. It is a week late here because of the time schedule. Everyone brings a lunch to eat between sessions and this was an especially great day because between sessions our branch had our fourth baptism in as many months. Kolia is such a wonderful convert with an amazing spirit. As the Branch Mission Leader, Gary plans and conducts the baptism and I usually get to give one of the talks and help with refreshments. This was an especially great day. Listening to the words of the Prophet and apostles and then topping it off with a baptism. One little side note here. At Christmas time one of our granddaughters, Sylvie, wrote and asked us if we had any baptisms. Even though her parents have explained to her that that is not our type of mission, they still always pray for us to have baptisms. Well, it is paying off because since Christmas we have been able to participate in four baptisms with a few more coming up, so keep up the prayers and we will do our part.

 

Kolia's baptism

Baptism

Refreshment time

Elder Garcia, Kolia and Elder Schultz

An investigator brought by the Blacks

Quote of the Week from the book A God Who Weeps, by Terryl Givens. 

“God’s desire, so manifest in the texture of the created order, is to enlarge the sphere of human joy, and we discover the marvelous truth that our joy is His joy.  What greater motivation could there be for us to seek out and secure our own, our friends’, our families’ happiness, than to know it adds to His.  Truly, God has made us His central concern, and as long as humans live—He will share in all our sorrows.  But He also shares in all our triumphs and joys.  For He has set His heart upon us.”

Kyiv Temple 4-14-2013