September 28, 2013

Raindrops keep falling on my head

And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling

So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he' got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling

But there's one thing I know
The blues he sends to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Crying's not for me
Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me.

This Burt Bacharach song has always been a favorite of mine and with all the rain we have had this last month it has come to mind more than once.  I have started recognizing umbrellas instead of faces which is very colorful at times.  They do have the cutest umbrellas here in Kyiv.  

A week ago some senior missionaries from Moscow arrived for four days. It was raining so hard that we decided to just meet in the dining room of their hotel, The Dnipro, for dinner before going across the street to the Philharmonic. The rain broke for a few minutes and we captured this picture from the Panorama Room.

The concert was a fabulous Rachmaninoff tribute with two young piano soloists from Russia. One was fifteen and was probably the best we have heard anywhere and we have heard a lot of good ones. The second, a twenty year old was also fantastic. We had an enjoyable evening to begin our visit.

Sunday we went to church and then came to our flat for dinner. It was also pouring rain until just about the time they left so we walked to a few sights near our home on the way back to their hotel including the monastery,  the Mosaic Park, and St. Andrews and St. Michaels.

Monastery

St. Andrews (thanks Jill)

St. Michael's

Queen Olga

Monday while the men worked I scheduled a tour of St. Sophia’s with Helen, our favorite tour guide.  We were drenched by the time we got there but the tour was especially good.  We have been on that tour five times and every tour  we learn something new.  She is a wealth of knowledge about this area.

St. Sophia's on a rainy day

There was a break in the rain so we were able to walk down Khreschatyk after dinner.  It was a beautiful evening.

Independence Square

Main Post Office on Khreschatyk

Tuesday was my final Tuesday at the temple.  Many sad good-byes  which made me realize just how much I will miss the people here.  One of my friends said something that is so very true… We start understanding how much people enter into our life only when they leave.  Anyway, I  look terrible when I cry so I pretty much looked terrible the rest of the day. 

Tuesday evening was pretty crazy.  Sveta had tickets for us to a concert at the Philharmonic.
We left in plenty of time but since it was raining we decided to take the bus.  We got into such bad traffic that we had to finally get out and walk to make it there.  The concert was another cultural feast.  It was a beautiful evening to walk home but not even halfway to our destination another downpour started.  I'm not sure if my shoes will ever dry out.  

Sveta

Concert

On the way home

Wednesday was another day of goodbyes at the temple but there was such a happy event occurring that I had a much better day.  I have one friend that I met when we first got here on our mission and have only seen a few times since as she works in the temple on a different day than I do.  I only knew her first name and have wanted to tell her goodbye but was sure I would have to leave without seeing her.  Well, tender mercy from the Lord she came to the temple Wednesday.  She went on a mission 20 years ago to Samara and converted  Vera when she was sixty years old.  Vera then went on a mission and converted Alexander and then got married and were being sealed in the temple.  They are an adorable couple and now I have two more friends to miss.   Ira asked if I would stay and take pictures which I was thrilled to do and then the Vasilyev’s invited us all over for dinner.  It was so much fun and I will never forget that day.

Vera and Alexander

Thursday the sun came out and so did my bucket list.

Speaking of buckets.......so cute

  I decided that after English classes I would have time for an adventure before dinner at the Barton’s.  By 2:00 PM it was once again pouring down rain.  I had some errands to run down in Podil so I stopped by to see my friend Sveta.  I was able to see and talk to her daughter Oksana and meet her darling grandson Alexander.  We have a wonderful friendship. Somewhat of a language barrier but we communicate heart to heart. 

BaBa Sveta and Alexander

Friday there was only 20% chance of rain so after my haircut I had made arrangements with Helen to take Jill and I to the Lukianivska Cemetery.  I have wanted to go there ever since we have been here as there are several very famous people from Ukraine buried there.  I learned that 20% chance of rain means that every twenty minutes it rains for twenty and then there is a little sunshine.   Actually a rainy day is probably the best time to visit a cemetery.  Helen was so happy that I asked because she is afraid to be in the cemetery alone.  I found that very strange as I have never been afraid of being in a cemetery alone.  She told us an interesting story. As in all cemeteries the monuments are facing east.    The tombstones mostly have fences around them with gates.   The day before Easter all the gates are opened.  On Easter no one is allowed in the cemetery as the spirits come out of the graves.   It is a very sacred day.  Joyous reunion. 

Mykola Pymonenko's Monument

Raining even with the sunshine

Lukianivska Cemetary

I had to go back to the office after the cemetery trip and walked home in the rain, sun, rain.  I kind of felt like it was my last time so I stopped to take some pictures on the way. I will miss a lot about this beautiful city, especially the people I have met.  These are a few of my friends who have served us while we are here and that I will never forget.

Across from the office

St. Sophia's on the way home from the office

Our favorite bus cashier

The girls at Dominio's

The best postal employee ever!

Consultant at the organic market

Helen our tour guide

Our excellent barber 

The ladies that mend and repair our clothes

flower shop friend

Favorite marasrutka #527 and favorite driver

Snack lady by the temple

Shoe repairman reading during a lunch break

We spent Friday evening packing and Saturday we decided to go to the National Art Museum of Ukraine one more time.  We love the art of the Impressionists of Ukraine.  It wasn't quite open when we got there so we were able to enjoy the character of the museum on the outside.

National Art Museum of Ukraine

Tonight we went to dinner with our good friends Natasha and Vladimir to our favorite Italian Restaurant,
Napule's. We have known them since we arrived in Kyiv and they have a special place in our hearts.   So many people that we will miss.

Well, that’s all for another rainy week which was very fun and exciting in spite of the weather. 

And my quote for the week is from an old Christian Songbook but is perfect for this ending.



May God be with you Till we meet again,
May God be with you, Keep you safe till then;
And may His blessings Be within your heart,
May God be with you while we are apart.

May God be with you, watch you from above,
May God protect you in His tender love;
And with the dawning of each bright, new day,
May God be with you, To guide your way.  
May God be with you Till we meet again.

September 18, 2013

The Latin phrase Carpe Diem  sometimes translated as “seize the day”   has been a little catch phrase of ours since we saw a movie where it was used in connection with Horace's  Odes. Carpe usually translated as enjoy, seize, use, make use of and Diem which is day together become seize the day.   This has become very wise counsel for me the last eighteen months as I have been presented opportunities in Ukraine, and especially these last few weeks.  I have learned that it is important to make every minute count.  

Where oh where is 'grandma summer'?  The Lord has chosen to bless the people of Ukraine with moisture for the last four weeks with very little sunshine.    Now this has become a little inconvenient for me as we will be leaving Ukraine in two weeks and I was really hoping to enjoy one last beautiful autumn.  There are so many trees and parks in this city and in the fall it is truly a beautiful sight to see. I guess I'll have to be content with seeing all the colorful umbrellas to brighten up the rainy days.  And I still have all the beautiful memories from last September. 

Love all the umbrellas

 The Lord has blessed me with some great opportunities when we have  had a day or two of sunshine.  Katia Serdyuk invited  my friend Jill and me to come to her dacha  Wednesday afternoon and it just happened to be a beautiful fall afternoon.  A dacha for most people is a 25 square meter house located on .15 acre of land and there are hundreds and thousands of these dachas  located outside of the city.  Katia's is very close to the city and is not far from the banks of the Dnieper River.   These small plots of land were given to the people during soviet times for the purpose of growing little gardens and also to give the people  a place to go  for a  getaway during the summer months.  Fortunately they still have these little dachas where they go to garden and enjoy the fresh air of the country.  

Soviet dacha

the garden

Katia and her husband, Vladimir

Back to Katia. Katia is an amazing person that does translating of church materials into Ukrainian and Russian. She also has an orchestra group which you have seen in previous blogs, is a temple worker, and a great help to American missionaries who come to Ukraine.  She not only invited us to come to her dacha but prepared us a wonderful meal and a full afternoon of activities to enjoy. It was an incredible day………the only day of sunshine we had had for three weeks and she very graciously shared it with us. It was an amazing little blessing from the Lord for one day as the rains returned on Thursday. 

Dnieper River by the dacha

grape vines at the dacha

One of the things we will really miss here in Kyiv are all the amazing cultural events that are within walking distance of our apartment. We have been able to attend many operas, ballets, and symphonies which we have loved. This last week we were able to see the ballet Swan Lake, the opera Moses (which we were told by a Ukrainian friend who also attended that it was not the Bible version of Moses and definitely not the Cecil B. DeMille version that we all know and love), and two symphonies which included the 150^th Gala Season Opening of the National Philharmonic.

taking bow at Swan Lake

150th Year of Philiharmonic

friends - Svita and Luba 

Kreschatyk after the concert

Last Saturday we were able to attend our last mission conference. This gave us the great opportunity not only to be spiritually uplifted but to also be able to see many of the missionaries that we have grown to love over the last year and a half. 

That evening was spent having dinner and going to the Season Opening Organ Concert at St. Nicholas church. The rain didn’t dampen the enjoyment we had for all of these events of the past few weeks. 

Dinner at our favorite Italian Restaurant Napules

St. Nicholas - House of Organ

Jill (our organist) at organ concert

After raining all day on Sunday it cleared up just in time for Svita and I to enjoy our Sunday evening walk after the discussion with the missionaries.

On the way to the office

So with all these wonderful opportunities, I really can’t complain about rain.


Yesterday was another sunny day. I was at the temple all morning and stayed a little longer to attend a sealing of a beautiful family from Dubai which is over 2000 miles from Kyiv. As the temple for Eastern Europe, the Kyiv Temple is the temple for their city. I was able to be with adorable little Julianna and then take her to the sealing room for their family to be sealed for eternity. It was a special experience. 

When I returned home from the temple two of the girls from work, Tanya and Ira called with another Carpe Diem opportunity. Since it was the only sunny day in the forecast they wanted to take me to Feofaniya Park, a park located in a historical neighborhood on a tract of land  near the southern outskirts of Kiev. The name of this beautiful park Feofaniya dates back to 1803 when Feofan Shiyanov settled in this area. During the 1860s, Feofaniya belonged to the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in central Kiev. Buildings built in the area were constructed in the Ukrainian Baroque style, however, they did not survive. In 1919, Feofaniya was converted to the Soviet state farm, and later transformed into the main observatory for the Institute of Botany of the Ukrainian Academy of Science. In 1972, Feofaniya was declared a park, and from 1992—a government designated park, which belongs to the "Feofaniya" conservatory of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine.  Looking over the park is the beautiful St. Panteleimon's Cathedral.

Ira and Tanya

Kicking leaves

St Penteleimon's Cathedral and Monestary

It was fun to be here as this is where Ira had her wedding party gather and take pictures three weeks ago. It was a beautiful evening to walk around the park and enjoy the beginning of fall colors and even kick a few fall leaves around. And just as we returned to our bus, the rain started to pour down over the area. And once again  another truly wonderful blessing amidst  the storms.

Ira 3 weeks later this time with a fall bouquet

During the first months on our mission here I was able to spend some time with our landlady, Tania, who is a professional photographer. She has published a book  Simply Ukraine, that has beautiful pictures of this amazing country. One thing she taught me was to always have my camera ready for photo opportunities. The carpe minitus of photography so to speak. With this great advice I have been able to take some pretty amazing pictures which I will continue to share on this blog after our mission ends. Here are just a few of them from this week. 

favorite photo of the week

I feel like in life we must always take every opportunity that avails itself to us, follow every inspiration given to us, go forward without fear or hesitation as  the opportunity may never be ours again.     Elder Jacob de Jager quotes the thought that he calls "my Liahona":  I shall pass through this world but once.  Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now.  Let me not neglect it for I shall not pass this way again."   I think I will adopt that one for myself also.  

Kyiv Temple morning of 9-18-13