June 9, 2013

When we first came out on our mission, our daughter –in-law told me to be sure to take pictures and write about everything unusual because before long everything would see usual. What she said was very true. So for the first little while I included in the blog all the extraordinary things about Kyiv. Many things like the flowers in the underground, the wonderful vegetable and meat markets, the babushkas selling everything under the sun, the endless stairs, the metro, the marshrutkas, the cars parking on the sidewalks, the colorful buildings, the sidewalk sweepers the men that water the flowers in the parks without getting out of their trucks  but most of all the faces of reality that I have grown to love were there so today I have decided to add a few more pictures and interesting things I enjoy here in Kyiv.

Market friend (calls me the Romaine lady)

Beautiful produce

Watering the park flowers

Sidewalk sweeper

Favorite face

Alyona

Natasha and Ira

Today when I was walking through the park I saw something unusual and so cute that I just have to mention it ......a sidewalk library. It was adorable and full of new books to borrow. The rule is "borrow a book, return a boo,"  or "take a book, leave a book."  There were books for children, teens, and adults………. history books, fiction, classics and now even a Book of Mormon.  This is such a refreshing idea to me and I do hope that this little library will be protected and provide the opportunity for many people to enjoy the wonderful world of books.

Julia in front of street library

 

Sidewalk library now has a Book of Mormon

One interesting thing that I see every time I go to the temple but have never mentioned and that I find interesting are the truckload markets. Off to the side of the road there will be little parking lots filled with dump trucks full of so many different things……bricks, dirt, gravel, lumber, sheet rock, insulation, you name it you’ll probably find it. Building contractors or just every day builders come to the truck market, purchase a truck load of whatever and then viola……it is delivered to wherever you want it delivered. No need for a truck to go pick up what you need. Very convenient.

Dump truck market

Another thing that is so very interesting is the surprise behind all the doors along the street. You can open a door and find a shoe repair, a dressmaker, a 5 and 10 hrevna (dime) store, a bead store, a fabric shop, a needlework supply shop, a flower store, a notebook store, whatever. It makes me think of the phrase from a quiz show, “and behind this door………”

 

5 rph (dollar) store

And one really interesting thing that I did recently was go on a hike with my friend Jill  up Zamkova Hora, literally Castle Hill. This is a historical landmark in the center of the city. The place is called "Zamkova" because Vytautas the Great had his castle here and some important events of Ukrainian history took place on this hill. There is an amazing view from the top and the climb is so interesting. It is very overgrown and every turn in the path has about four options of which way to go. The first part of the climb is up about 150 stairs. Hiking around in the dense growth we came up on an old cemetery and a crumbling wall that we are quite sure was one of the castle walls.

Zamkova Hora park

In the park

Stairs in the park

View from the park

Old cemetary in the park

One of our views was a part of Podil that looked quite fascinating to me. It really looked  like a movie set and so on Saturday I went down to that area and it really was like stepping out of reality and they were making a movie on one of the streets and there were seven weddings around the rest of the streets. It was all very interesting.

Is this real or just a movie set???

One of the seven weddings on the streets

Well, enough on that for a week. This was a busy week all around. Gary was busy with work, I did an extra shift at the temple and we also had a lot of fun social events. To start off, President Klebingat’s parents were here from Germany and with a few of the senior couple missionaries leaving we had a little dinner and social at a restaurant called Sim Sim.  It was Armenian Restaurant with a wonderful atmosphere and we had such a fun time.

Dinner with Klebingats and senior missionaries

On Sunday after church, the Ricks had us over to their apartment for dinner. And then on Monday we met for probably our last monthly senior missionary dinner as several of the couples will be leaving this summer.

 

The Stuart’s son Joe and his wife Kristen arrived from the USA this week and we went to a little Ukrainian restaurant on Wednesday evening with them. Marcia and Jay will be 

leaving to go home in July along with two other temple missionary couples.

Dinner with Stuarts

Now I have to add a little plea right now for more senior missionary couples. A lot of the couples going home do not have any couples coming to replace them. I think all of the new missions are taking a lot of the senior couples but there are so many areas in the church that need senior couples. I can guarantee you that it is not a sacrifice but a great blessing, personally and to your families. So if you are even starting to think about it, move forward and join the ranks of the young elders and sisters that are coming in full force. We have so many sister missionaries coming that the ones that have only been here one month will be training new Sister missionaries next month.

 

And speaking of sister missionaries, we decided to continue our restaurant tour this evening and we took the sister missionaries to dinner. We have been working with them on a few investigators and this gave us a chance to get caught up and also get to know Sister Zharkova who arrived from Russia a few weeks ago. Also, a camera crew was here from Utah to take pictures of missionaries for a special edition of the New Era coming out in October and they took a picture of Sister Russavage and Sister Zharkova teaching a lesson to Luba (see blog April 6) and another babushka. The cameraman had a really great conversation with her when he found out that she was at one time a famous journalist.

 

Sister Russavage and Sister Zharkovo

Our beautiful granddaughter Sylvie Lucille has chosen to be baptized this week. We are so proud of her for making this important decision in her life. We are sorry that we have to miss this big event but it is just one of the many important things that we have missed while being in Ukraine on our mission, but knowing that we have the support of our wonderful family makes missing these special events bearable.

Our granddaughter Sylvie!

Since baptism is such a crucial ordinance I have chosen to share with you one of my favorite talks about the importance and reason for this ordinance as explained by Nephi in the Book of Mormon and is found in II Nephi, Chapter 31.

 

4 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.

 5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

 6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfill all righteousness in being baptized by water?

 7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

 8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.

 9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.

 10 And he said unto the children of men:  Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

 11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

 13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of 

angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

Baptistry in Kyiv Temple