kinghorn's called to serve

BRUCE AND I JUST RETURNED FROM A TIP BACK TO UKRAINE

2011-08-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have access to my computer right now but you can read about it on my other blog
www.kinghornswalkingonsunshine.blogspot.com

MY BLOG BOOK ARRIVED

2010-07-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled my family kept encouraging me to make my blog into a book and so I finally did. I am so happy with it. I will cherish this forever. It will be fun to sit down and read about our mission from the very first blog entry to the last one I just wrote a few weeks ago. Thank you to all of you who have read the blog and encouraged me to keep writing. I love it.

COLLEGE, WEDDINGS, AND BABIES

2010-06-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

The last year as the missionaries we served in Ukraine with arrived back in the USA they have been busy with College, Careers, Marriage and a few have even started their families.

Brad Pearson and Michelle Chidester both served with us in Ukraine. They got together after the mission and were soon married. Now they are expecting their first baby. We're so happy for them.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS WHO WERE MARRIED THIS PAST YEAR

2010-06-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Daniel Condie and his wife Whitney

Frederick Benson and his wife Jill

Jonathan Karren and his wife Tawna

Clark Harris and his bride Autumn

Travis Hunt and his wife Leanna

Sister Helelyan and her husband Ashot Symonyan

Austin Andrus is engaged to Mckenzie

Sam Crossley and his wife Shawnee

Joshua Gywnn and his wife Tricia

CALLED TO SERVE

2010-06-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

I SPOKE TO ANYA LAST WEEK AND SHE MENTIONED THAT HER COUSIN MARINA IS CURRENTLY SERVING AS A MINI-MISSIONARY IN THE DONETSK UKRAINE MISSION. MARINA AND ANYA WERE TWO OF THE VERY SPECIAL YOUNG WOMEN I GREW TO LOVE WHILE SERVING OUR MISSION IN UKRAINE.

THE CHURCH IN UKRAINE IS GROWING

2010-06-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have been following Sister Fry's blog and it has been so fun to see that so many of the Young Adults we knew while we were in Ukraine have prepared to serve a Mission and have left for the Missionary Training Center for training in Provo in the past year.

President Fry and Elder Zhdanov

President Fry, Elder Elle, and President Teekemera

Sister Tsuprova

Sister Sechov and her mother

Sister Vinicurova

Sister Dyachenko and her family

Sister Trumova with Sister Fry

Sasha Trunova with her friends with her Mission Call in her hands.

LOOK OUT WORLD HERE THEY COME!!!

THE KYIV TEMPLE WILL BE DEDICATED IN AUGUST 2010

2010-06-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Kyiv Ukraine Temple is the Church’s first in Eastern Europe and the 11th overall on the European continent. It will serve approximately 31,000 members of the Church living in 13 European countries. Other European temples of the Church are located in Bern, Switzerland (dedicated 1955); London, England (1958); Freiberg, Germany (1985); Stockholm, Sweden (1985); Frankfurt, Germany (1987); Preston, England (1998); Madrid, Spain (1999); The Hague, Netherlands (2002); Copenhagen, Denmark (2004); and Helsinki, Finland (2006). A temple to be built in Rome, Italy, was announced in October 2008.
It is customary for Latter-day Saints to open the doors of their temples to the public before they are dedicated. It is expected that many thousands of visitors will come to this temple open house to tour the temple and learn about the highest rites of the faith that take place there. “We are very pleased to be able to invite our friends and neighbors to tour the temple and learn more about this sacred structure,” said Elder Wolfgang H. Paul, president of the Church’s Europe East Area. “We know that many people have passed by the temple during construction and wondered about its purpose. Soon we will be able to welcome them to the temple and explain why the temple is known as the house of the Lord.” Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow man. When the temple is formally dedicated, it will be open to members of the Church who are actively engaged in the faith — unlike the thousands of standard church meetinghouses that are open to everyone for regular Sunday services, regardless of religious affiliation (see Newsroom article explaining difference between chapels and temples).
Speaking to the entire Church membership in October 2009, Church President Thomas S. Monson said, “We continue to build temples. We desire that as many members as possible have an opportunity to attend the temple without having to travel inordinate distances. Worldwide, 83 percent of our members live within 200 miles (320 km) of a temple. That percentage will continue to increase as we construct new temples around the world.” The Kyiv Ukraine Temple was announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley, former worldwide leader of the Church, 20 July 1998. Ground was broken for the temple’s construction on 23 June 2007. When completed it will be the Church’s 134th operating temple worldwide. Formal temple work will commence at the Kyiv Ukraine Temple on Monday, 30 August 2010.

TRIP TO IDAHO TO SEE THE LEE'S

2010-06-26T15:18:00.001-07:00

Bruce and I took a trip to Pocatello Idaho to see the Lee's. They were our Country Directors in Ukraine. They lived in Kieve, which was about a 8 hour train ride away, but we spent a lot of time with them. We were at their home in Pocatello for a few days then we headed to Yellowstone to visit the Grand Tetons. We had such a fun trip. The Lee's are getting ready to leave for another mission to Jordan. We love them so much. They have been such good friends and such wonderful examples to us.

UTAH REUNION

2010-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

I know it's been almost a year since I posted about going to Education Week in Utah last August but I just realized people are still reading this blog and decided to update a bit. Education Week was amazing. Our trip to Utah was so fun. It was a week long mission reunion. I was able to meet Elder Woodhead's mom JaneAnn while I was attending Education Week. We even went to some classes together.
I also got to meet Elder Oldroyd's mom, Kandace, when we went to his homecoming. It was so nice to meet her and Elder Oldroyd's whole family. It was wonderful to see the town he grew up in.hen we returned to Utah we were the guest in Elder Crossley's home for several days while we attended Education week. He too has an awesome family who made us feel so welcome in their home.

We went out to lunch with some of our missionary friends and were able to catch up on what's going on in their lives. Many of the returned missionaries are attending Brigham Young University h State so we were able to see alot of them at the mission reunion. While we were attending the mission reunion Elder Rasmussen's mother, Brenda Joy, came to pick him up and I got to meet her as well.the mothers I have mentioned were moms I corresponded with while living in Ukraine.

By the way, Elder Harris, Elder Crossley, Elder Gwynn, Elder Condie, Elder Carren, and Elder Hunt all have gotten married since we've been home and some even before we returned from the mission. We are so happy for them. The Pearson's are expecting their first baby.

We finished off the trip in St George Utah where we went to meet friends we met at the Missionary Training Center who served their mission in Africa, the Hafens. While we were there we met the Whitehead family whose son was serving his mission in Ukraine with us.

I have mentioned all of the wonderful families we met while being in Utah because it really was a special experience. For 18 months we shared a part of the lives of the young men and women we served with. While we were serving our missions our lives were focused on serving the Lord. We saw these amazing young men and women working hard to be representatives of Christ in everything they did. I know that I wrote often of how amazed I was at the strength and dedication of the young men and women we served with. Being back in America with them and seeing some of them in their homes with their families was such a gift. I found myself thinking, "Oh this is who Elder ____________ is" !!!!!" No wonder he/she is so amazing."
We met some of their siblings, their parents and friends and even visited some of their homes.

Keeping this blog gave me a small opportunity to glimpse into the home lives of some of the missionaries whose parents read the blog and posted comments. Actually being able to meet their families and see where they grew up was so special. Meeting the moms who commented on my blog was a little like getting together with an old friend but really so much more than that.I knew how hard it must have been for these mothers to say good-bye to their sons for 24 months. I also knew that when they read the blog that they were getting an assurance that their boys were alright. I think sometimes it was for them a glimpse into the life of their missionary son. They had sent off a young man who they had watched grow from a little boy into a young man. They weren't sure how their son would handle life away from home let alone life in Ukraine. The comments they left or the e-mails I received did not reflect their fears, only a deep love and devotion to their little boys who had grown into fine young men.These mothers knew that I had come to love their sons and appreciated the awesome young men that they were. I knew that when we returned to America these dear young men and women would go back to their lives as sons and daughters, students, and friends and I would only hear from them now and then. I knew I may never see some of them again.When we stood face to face, those dear moms and I more was expressed then words could ever say. When I walked into their homes it was like walking into their lives. I caught a glimpse of who they were as sons and daughters, brothers, and sisters. It was a tender moment to see who the mothers of these awesome young men were.

Our visit to Utah was interesting. It was so wonderful to see the young men and women we had come to love back in their "normal" lives. It was really nice to see President and Sister Anderson again and the Jacob's and the Clarks. We had some wonderful experiences together. But it was also like closing the last chapter of a really good book. As I got to the last page I didn't want to continue reading because I knew the magic would end. That's how I felt when I walked out the front door of Elder Oldroyd's home and when I said goodbye to JaneAnne and Dixie. It's how I felt when we got into the car after our mission reunion at the Jacob's home.

Life in Ukraine, life with these very special young people in our lives, is like closing a good book. I am left with the feeling of hope that some day I will find another interesting book to read but I know it will never be like the adventure we had in Ukraine with these amazing characters who left their imprints on my heart forever..................
Returning to America has been quite a transition
(this post was taken from my other blog and was written when we first returned home)
Today we had the opportunity to speak with the High Council at church and tell them about our mission. We sat down at a conference table that was surrounded by about 12 men in suits and were given 10 minutes to share our mission experiences.Every time we have the opportunity to talk about our mission I get so homesick for Ukraine and our dear friends there. It is impossible to sum up 18 months of missionary service in 10 minutes. I couldn't sleep last night as I thought about the most important things I should remember to share.My mind raced...... I must remember to mention the Health Fair,
and the Strengthening Families classes, oh......... and I should tell the wonderful stories some of the members of the church shared with us about how their families were using some of the skills they learned in the classes,
and oh.................... I have to mention how much we loved having the missionaries in our home for district meetings each week, and how much we learned from them,
and what a miracle it was to see Olga get baptized and to see she and Vitaly married and planning to go to the temple,and I have to mention sweet Anya, and Marina and her family and what an inspiration they were to us,and I must tell them about the faithful Saints who save all year to go to the temple in Freiberg,
and I have to mention our wonderful Mission Presidents and their wives and how much we felt loved and supported by them,and I must remember to share how much my testimony of Jesus Christ grew, and how our marriage was strengthened, and I can't leave out the wonderful experience we had at the Missionary Training Center, and finally, I must remember to mention that we thought we were going to Ukraine to serve the people of Ukraine but after serving their for 18 months we learned that we went to Ukraine for our own personal growth. Which really is the most important thing.......................
Bruce and I learned so much about ourselves, and one another, things we could have only learned through this incredible experience.

My mind raced all night........and as I sat around that table and tried to convey the feelings of my heart and how much I loved being a missionary I simply had to trust the Lord would help me to find the words that would convey the truly life changing experience UKRAINE was for us.

I remember a conversation with President Fry shortly before we left as he counseled us to share the wonderful experiences we had as missionaries and not to focus on the challenges we faced. Looking back, the challenges seem small and insignificant. There is nothing left to say.
A part of me will always be in Ukraine. I will hold a very special place in my heart for the incredible people I met in Ukraine.

EDUCATION WEEK, ANYONE WANT TO MEET AT BYU??

2009-08-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

I am meeting with two of the mothers of missionaries Wednesday at Education Week at 11am if anyone wants to join us let me know.
melinda_kinghorn@hotmail.com

MISSION GET TOGETHER

2009-08-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Mission Party at the Jacob's
we are getting together with the missionaries who are in the area on August 22nd at 1pm at the Jacob's in Orem
the address is 127 West 1700 South
Orem Utah
if you can come bring a salad, or dessert, or chips, or fruit or veggie plate.

MISSION REUNION

2009-08-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Bruce and I are going to Education Week in Provo and will be arriving August 15th and staying for a week or so. If any of you parents of missionaries or returned missionaries in the Provo area would like to get together we would love to meet up. Just let us know and we will arrange something.

LINK TO MY NEW BLOG

2009-06-22T01:47:00.001-07:00

http://www.kinghornswalkingonsunshine.blogspot.com/

MY LAST BLOG ENTRY

2009-06-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Saying good-bye to some of our dear friends in UkraineMarina, Deema, Ilia

Anya, sweet Anya

Fellow missionaries

Marina, Nastia, Olga, Vitaly, Sister Fry and President Fry

When one door closes........................................................................

another one opens...........................

Our family greeting us at the airport in Sacramento

I'm sitting here looking at this blog thinking about updating it a bit and I just can't bring myself to change one thing about it. This blog contains more than words and pictures. I started writing the blog as a way to communicate to our friends and family what we were doing in Ukraine, but I soon found myself sitting at the computer sometimes daily pouring out my heart.Today as I sit and visit with friends here in America and they ask about Ukraine. I find myself tearing up as I speak of the people I have come to love. The girl who I initially referred to in my blog as our interpreter who we now call our Ukrainian daughter, Olga, the 16 year-old Anya who stole my heart and her cousins, Nastia, Marina, and Ilia, the women at church who I called my sisters, our amazing branch president and his counselors.My friends ask me how it was to see so much pain and suffering. They ask how we dealt with it. My answer is this blog. I just came home and wrote about it. Sometimes the feelings were too much to keep inside and I just had to get it out and this is where I went. I didn't think so much about who would be reading it I just wrote. I wrote about the adjustment to living in a foreign country. I wrote about how hard it was to leave our family and know that we would be gone for so long. I wrote about the things we saw that broke my heart, the children who lived on the streets, the babies in orphanages, the beggars who were often old ladies, the elderly people who were abandoned and left in shelters. I wrote about the appalling way that handicapped people were treated. I wrote of the shocking conditions of the hospitals and orphanages.That is how I coped with seeing so much pain. I wrote about it.

But our mission was so much more than all of that. I wrote about that too. I wrote about the amazing spiritual experiences we were having. I wrote about the wonderful young men and women we were serving with. I wrote about our Mission President's and their wives and how much we admired and loved them. I wrote about how my testimony of Jesus Christ was growing. I wrote about the things I was learning about myself and how Ukraine was transforming me. I wrote about how much I love my husband and the blessing he is to me.

Today will be my last entry in THIS blog, it is time to turn a new page, or maybe to begin a new journey. I will be starting a new blog. It may not be as fascinating or interesting as life in Ukraine but it will continue to be the place I go to pour out my heart.It will be filled with the magical moments of being a wife, mother and Nana home again in America..........................................

I want to close by thanking you, our friends and family who became followers of our blog. As I said I didn't always write with you in mind but I know that your words of encouragement helped us through the difficult times. I will be forever grateful for the love that we felt from you thoughout our journey in Ukraine. To you parents of missionaries who lifted me with your love, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your words were often the balm I needed to face another difficult situation. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your love and support.

DREAMING OF OUR OWN HOME AGAIN

2009-06-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Our dream home is still not a reality yet. Today we went by and visited our home, we even got to sit at the kitchen bar and visit with our real estate agent and the man we are buying the house from but we won't be moving our things in for awhile.As we sat in the kitchen we could hear the roosters crowing outside and birds singing in the backyard, The gentle breeze was blowing through the windows. I could imagine our grandchildren playing on the floor in the family room as we visited in the kitchen. Tonight I am dreaming of our new home and finally getting all our things out of suitcases while my husband, and our daughter and son-in-law watch Batman in the other room and the babies sleep soundly in the beds. Tomorrow I will wake up to the squeals of my dear little grandchildren who greet me each morning as if I just stepped off the plane.

NOTES FROM HOME

2009-06-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have finally found a little time to spend at the computer again. I thought I should let you all know how we are doing. First of all.................
I had no idea that we would experience the same Culture Shock coming home as we did when we arrrived in Ukraine. We are so happy to be home with our family again but I have to say there are days I find myself feeling a little displaced. We still have not been able to move into our new home yet so we are living with our daughter and her husband and 4 children. We are so grateful for their kindness in allowing us to be here so long. We love spending so much time with family. We all took a trip to Santa Cruz to spend about 12 days staying in a beautiful cottage on the beach. We're back and Karrissa and Brad's now and our son Nate comes over a few times a week to join us for dinner or a movie. We are enjoying catching up with our friends at home. I have also spoken to a few of the returned missionaries who are home now. We have spoken about our mission experience during Sacrament Meeting at church and once at a fireside. We loved it. We will have another opportunity to speak again in September and probably when we move into our new ward. I haven't been able to stay in touch by e-mail with my fellow missionaries or my Ukrainian friends the way I intend to as soon as we have our own computer again. I did get to talk to Olga, our interpreter/ and dear friend on the telephone and the minute I heard her voice my eyes filled with tears. I couldn't stop crying as she quickly told us all the things she wanted us to know about life in Ukraine. Oh, how it made me miss you all. I am so grateful to have been to Ukraine and to have been a part of the Donetsk Mission. I am so grateful to President and Sister Fry for all they did for us and for all the missionaries they love so very much. I am so grateful for all of you who kept me going with prayers and wonderful encouraging comments on the blog. I promise I will write more soon and post pictures again as soon as i am able to use my own computer again. Tomorrow Bruce and I are going to Monterey again for a few days and I hope I will be able to use my computer while we are gone to post some pictures.

For now I just want all the missionaries and my friends in Ukraine to know that you are in our prayers daily.
We love you, and miss you so much.

THESE THREE ARE KEEPING ME BUSY

2009-05-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

sorry I haven't written yet.

HOME

2009-05-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

We have been home a few days now and this is the first time I have had to post.
Wyatt is off with Papa Bruce, Monroe went to the store with her dad, the baby is watching his mom cut Cousin Leigh's hair in the garage and Maverick is taking a nap. Wyatt and Monroe have not left my side for long yet. We have all gotten up early each morning to make waffles, we have played MEMORY (card game) many times, we have watched movies, they have helped me cook and clean the kitchen, read books, and gone to the park a few times.This Nana is exhausted but OH SO HAPPY. We won't be moving into our new house until the first of June so we are staying at Brad and Karrissa's. We don't have a phone yet, and I am using Brad's computer to post this as quickly as I can. We will be giving our talks in church tomorrow but I haven't had time to write my talk yet. Oh boy, did I forget what life is like with little children. I promise all my friends both in Ukraine and home in America that I will be better at writing you personally when I am in my own home and have more free time. I love you all and miss you so much.

CHANGE IN FLIGHT PLANS

2009-05-04T01:41:00.001-07:00

OUR FLIGHT PLANS HAVE CHANGED.

OUR PLANE LEAVING KIEV WAS DELAYED 6 HOURS WHICH MEANS WE WILL MISS 2 CONNECTIONS . WE ARE GOING TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN NEW YORK

(WELL AT LEAST TRY TO CATCH A FEW HOURS SLEEP)

AND FLY TO SALT LAKE AND THEN SACRAMENTO.

WE LEAVE NEW YORK ON FLIGHT 1103 AT 7AM AND ARRIVE IN SALT LAKE AT 1024

WE WILL JUST HAVE A FEW MINUTES TO CATCH OUR PLANE TO SACRAMENTO AT 1115AM. WE WILL NOW BE ARRIVING IN SACRAMENTO AT 12:01 PM MAY 5TH DELTA FLIGHT 1187

SAYING GOOD-BYE

2009-04-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

This has been a week of good-byes. A few weeks ago I started feeling sad about leaving so many people we have come to know and love. I couldn't imagine how I would feel this week. It has been difficult but I have to say that I really believe that Heavenly Father has blessed us with a wonderful peace this week. We spoke at Church on Sunday and then had a very nice gathering after church to say good-bye to everyone in our branch. It was a wonderful day. We really felt loved. Yesterday we had our last Zone Conference with our Zone it was another day of good-byes. Now it seems like everytime we do something we say to ourselves, "This will probably be the last time we do this". It is difficult, but on the other hand, we have spoken to our family alot these last few weeks and those little voices of the grandchildren are calling us home. We can hardly wait to see how they have grown and to just hold our loved ones once again.
I have to sign off. We are moving the last few things in our apartment today. We are going to be in the Mission Home until Sunday. Love to you all.

2009-04-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

We are coming HOME

MAY 4TH at 9:47 pm we arrive in Sacramento

RETURNING TO AMERICA

2009-04-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

We are coming home soon and this will be our new home

We are so excited we are buying this beautiful home in Old Town Fair Oaks.

We decided we needed more space for all the grandkids so we began searching on the internet for a new home. We found this home and instantly fell in love with it. It really is our dream home. We sent Brad and Karrissa (our daughter and son-in-law) to look at it and Brad reported back to us,

"it is sick"

(which basically means he loved it)

he continued..

"you guys have to have that house"

The rest, as they say,.................

Is history!

Brad and Karrissa have been busy finalizing all the paperwork for us and meeting with inspectors. Escrow should close by the end of May. We will be staying with Brad and Karrissa for a week or so and then the whole family will be going to Santa Cruz for 10 days. We are looking forward to so much.

Holding loved ones in our arms again

family

friends

a new home

California Sunshine

The Ocean

The Redwoods

Driving a Car again (Bruce is looking forward to a nice long drive)

attending Church that is spoken in English

singing hymns in English

However the list of things I will miss about Ukraine is equally as long.

OUR RETURN HOME

WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW

We have had some people ask about the details of our return to America.

We leave Donetsk for Kiev on Sunday May 3rd and fly to America on Monday, May 4th. We arrive in Sacramento on Delta Airlines on Monday Night at 9:47 pm.

It will be very late when we arrive and clear customs so we know that we won't see you at the airport but hope you can join us at Church on May 10th. Bruce and I have been asked to speak about our mission experience on Sunday May 10th.

The Sacrament meeting will begin at 9am.

The building is located at 7950 Hazel Ave ORANGEVALE , CA 95662987-1849 (Office)987-7479 (Foyer) Map and driving directionsI know I will say this again, but we just want to thank all of our friends and family who have supported us on this mission. Your love and prayers have been felt and so appreciated. We are happy to be coming home but sad to say good-bye to so many we have come to know and love here in Ukraine.

HUMANITARIAN CONFERENCE IN ARMENIA

2009-04-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

We are home from our Humanitarian Conference in Armenia. We are so happy we had this opportunity to go. We met with 21 other couples who are serving Humanitarian Missions in Eastern Europe. We were told that we represented half of the Church's Humanitarian Missionaries worldwide. That means there are less than 42 Humanitarain Couples serving throughout the world and half of them are in Eastern Europe. We feel so blessed to have been among this wonderful group of people and to have been able to serve in this capacity for the past 18 months. We enjoyed hearing how diverse our mission experiences are. The one thing we heard over and over is how grateful they all were to have had this opportunity and how blessed their lives have been by the experiences they have had while on their missions. We had a day and a half of training and one day of sightseeing with these wonderful couples. There is so much I learned and would love to share but we have to get out the door to do a closing at a hospital. I will try to post more later. Yesterday we said good-bye to most of our friends at church and I will post more about that too. We love you all. Thank you for remembering us in your prayers.

WE ARE IN ARMENIA

2009-04-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post that we were going to Armenia for a Humanitarian Conference.
We left on Tuesday for Armenia and we will be here until early Sunday morning. So I will post pictures when we return. We just had a wonderful first day of training with President Gibbons who is a General Authority in the Church who is assigned to Europe East. We met with 21 other couples who are on Humanitarian Missions all over Eastern Europe. We had some wonderful instruction from some of the other couples about how to do different types of projects. In Armenia they have done a huge water project. One Country has had success bringing containers of wheelchairs into the Country. Another couple talked about the Health Fair. We spoke about the Strengthening Families Classes. It has been so wonderful to be around so many wonderful people who are doing amazing things while on their missions. We were told that Eastern Europe represents half of the Humanitarian Missionaries worldwide. Wow. There really is alot of awesome Humanitarian projects happen in Eastern Europe and I am so grateful to have been a part of this. I will write more when I get home. Blessings to you all!

CHANGE IS COMING

2009-04-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Walking home from the Store the other day

It struck me........

there are changes ahead

spring is coming

the trees are sprouting new growth

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago........

That this little grove of trees was covered in snow

Where once all we could see was brown trees covered in snow

we are beginning to see signs of change ahead. We were talking the other day about how much more aware we have been of the change of the seasons in Ukraine.

Winter is hard here.

This is our second winter in Ukraine

but.....

this year has been easier

Having experienced our first winter in Ukraine we learned an important lesson about life

It is easier to get through the difficult times when we know what is ahead

it has been easier to endure the long winter knowing that soon we would see the sun again.

That soon.........................

the the good citizens of Ukraine would be out

sweeping and repaving the streets,

cleaning up trash,

planting flowers,

planting grass seed

and one day we would once again

stroll through the beautiful park

with flowers in bloom,

and see couples in love

The park would be filled with

brides on their wedding day and

children at play

and there would be a transformation..................

Spring would bring with it the promise of better days

I know that now,

I know that the snow will melt,

the rain will stop,

the muddy streets will dry up,

the days will get longer,

the sun will shine,

and the trees will blossom again

and that has made it so much easier to endure the long winter days

sometimes life is like that

when we are in the midst of pain or struggles

we can't see what is ahead

sometimes all we see is the long dark winter

and we can't even imagine that we will ever be happy again.

This journey to Ukraine has taught me that even when we are in the darkest moment

of our lives

up ahead is something better................

we won't always know what it is...............

or when it will come...........

but spring always comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

one day..............

the rain will stop

the sun will shine

and our lives will be filled with the promise of a brigher day

That is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us

The promise that one day

we will be free of the challenges we have faced on this earth,

the unfulfilled dreams,

the heartaches,

the Physical Ailments

If we can just hang on

If we can hold on to the hope of a brighter day

and stay close to our Heavenly Father through prayer and scripture study

If we just keep living our lives believing that one day the light will come,

one day we will smile again, one day our world will be brighter

He will not forsake us

we see his miracles everyday in the lives of people around us

as they receive comfort and strength to endure incredible trials

He will bring us the balm that we need to endure

and one day

we will have an eternal life filled with joy .....

that is what life in Ukraine taught me..............

EASTER SUNDAY IN UKRAINE

2009-04-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today was Easter Sunday Elder Hammond and Elder Rasmussen, with Sister Glen and her new companion, Sister Ward, Elders Kerr, and Greener

So we invited our District over for dinner.

Sister Fry, Sister Solomonson and I were all given gifts from members of the Branch today

Olga gave us handpainted Easter Eggs and Sister Koslova gave us Easter Bread

On the way to church I counted 10 people carrying Easter Baskets of bread

This is what the bread looks like

Happy Easter!

A BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY

2009-04-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Even the dogs were enjoying the sunshine
We decided to take a walk home from Church on Saturday

I love these buildings

we had to stop and take a picture by the green buds on the trees
and then we were on our way again

LUDMILLA WAS BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY

2009-04-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Some of the members of the Donetsk Centrale Branch who attended the Baptism

Ludmilla and Elder Johnson

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK

2009-04-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

We closed a project at an Aid's Clinic

Elder Kinghorn and the Doctor with a water Distiller the Humanitarian Funds provided

We took the Doxey's with us to do the Health Fair at a Boarding School and then came back to our house for a light lunch
This is the Doxey's visiting a classroom at the Boarding School
we are all holding some of the Crafts the students have made

We went to the office for a staff meeting.

Elder Green giving Sister Solomonson some last minute instructions before he leaves the office for his next area

Elder McKinney will stay to "hold down the fort".

Look at this clean desk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We took the Health Fair to the Library

and a Boarding School we went to President and Sister Fry's for dinner

Elders Hunt and Sutherland

We had dinner at the mission home to say good-bye to some amazing missionaries

We had a staff meeting on Tuesday and Transfer Meeting on Friday.We had a baptism on Saturday

and then we had the four AP's (Assistants to the President) to our apartment for dinner. (I don't have a photo because my camera card wasn't working.) Elder Dorman was excited to "finally get to come to the Kinghorn's for dinner". We were lucky that Sister Jadamba and her new companion came over and cooked for us. Sister Glen and Sister Ward joined us too!!!What a treat a homecooked meal that someone else made. It was Mongolian food and Sister Jadamba is a great cook. It was delicious!!!!!

NEW MISSIONARIES HAVE ARRIVED STRAIGHT FROM THE MISSIONARY TRAINING CENTER

2009-04-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sister Ward and Sister Fry

Elders Nersisyan, and Hess

Elder Young with Elder Norman

Elder Norman is an Assistant to the President

Elder Dietrich, Sister Ward, Elder Young, Elder Hess, and Elder Nersisyan

A few hours after they arrived President Fry took the new Missionaries, The AP's, and the Hewlett's, the Doxey's and the Kinghorn's out to eat at "The Three Fat Guys".

DINNER AT THREE FAT GUYS

2009-04-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Hewlett's
The Doxey's at Three Fat Guys

GOING HOME

2009-04-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of the younger missionaries asked me what the first thing is that I am looking forward to doing when I get home. The answer was easy.....Sitting in my living room surrounded by my loved ones who are happily living life.

It will probably look something like this............
my son and my son-in-law sitting on the couch surrounded by little ones. Maybe one under each arm, and one or two others sitting on the floor nearby surrounded by a pile of toys.My husband sitting with a book or the newspaper in his hands, stopping to engage in conversation with a grandchild now and then or to soothe someones hurt away; and our daugther nearby getting someone a snack, or nursing her baby.

I had a glimpe of this a week or so ago when I got to Skype with my son as while he sat in his sisters living room. Monroe (our soon to be 4-year old granddaugher) was sitting next to him tucked under his arm. The other children were nearby. I could see them pass in front of the camera, and sometimes I could hear a childs voice call to his mother from the kitchen. Monroe leaned over and whispered something to her Uncle Nate and a big smile came over his face. In that brief moment they had forgotten that they were involved in a telephone conversation with me and something sweet and tender was transpiring between them. I felt like I was sitting in the room with them surrounded by the sounds and smells of HOME.

It was a moment a shear joy for me. I love my son, and this sweet little granddaugher.I was touched by the sweet tender blessing of being a family.This is heaven. It just doesn't get any better than this. Life is really so simple and so beautiful. It got me thinking about when we return to our Eternal Home.................
we believe that someday we will all leave this temporal life behind and return to live with our Father in Heaven. Have you ever thought about what you look forward to most when at last you enter into His Kingdom??
Will it be the moment you are reunited with loved ones? O will it be that joyous moment when your Savior extends his arms to you and pulls you into him as he whispers "well done, thou good and faithful servant." Or will it be perfect bodies free from disease or affliction of any kind, eternal families, eternal life??
What are you looking most forward to???

MOVIE

2009-04-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

SAYING GOOD-BYE AGAIN

2009-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a dinner at President and Sister Fry's home to say good-bye to some amazing missionaries. Tomorrow morning Elders Brown, Via Gomez, Hunt, Hulet, and Sutherland all board a plane back to America, Elder Hewlett's parents arrived last night to pick him up and Elder Doxey's parents will be here Tuesday. We will sure miss them all they are truly wonderful young men who have served the lord honorably.

Elder Hewlett and his parents above followed by some random photos of missionaries during General Conference in Donetsk

Marina, Sister Kinghorn, Elder Doxey, and Annya at General Conference in the Kalininsky Building

These two wanted to show off their cufflinks that match their ties

Their District had matching ties at Conference today

Me and two of my favorite girls

This was just a small group of the missionaries who were standing outside the church building in between conference sessions and I asked if I could get a group picture

Elder Kinghorn, Annya, and Sister Kinghorn
Genya and her mom who is getting baptized next Saturday

This is the room where most of us watched General Conference
Elders Rasmussen and Noyes

Elders Sutherland and Hulet

I promised these 4 I would post this on the blog

Today was General Conference. Every six months members of our church have the opportunity to listen to talks given by the General Authorities of the church. They have a huge conference center in Salt Lake City where the conference is held. The conference was the first week-end in April but we had to record it and then watch it on the television. Some people watch it live but because of the time change it is the middle of the night here when it is being broadcast so we watched it here today. The members of the Church watched it in our large Chapel where it was translated into Russian and most of the English Speaking Missionaries watched it in a classroom.I loved the talks and I loved being in a small classroom surrounded by these wonderful missionaries as we received words of wisdom from the leaders of our church.

SPRING IS COMING

2009-04-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories of Ukraine............

will be walking hand and hand

with my husband

Through the streets of Donetsk

It doesn't matter what time of year it is there is always so many interesting things to see

This is the walkway near our apartment that leads to a park on the other side of the bridge

They are expanding it all the way to our aparment. We live in the last apartment on the left

We pass this old truck at the construction site everyday I thought I should have a picture of it

There are neat old buildings everywhere

This is the entrance to an apartment building

a better view of the walkway that leads to the park

I didn't get any pictures of it, but there are usually several men fishing here

In the winter they were always here ice fishing

Elder Kinghorn has been anxiously awaiting the green buds on the trees

Spring is coming!!!!!

APARTMENT INSPECTIONS AGAIN

2009-04-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

We always do apartment inspections of the missionary apartments the week before transfers. There are some things I love about this time during the transfer and some things I really don't like at all. I like apartment inspections because I love going to visit some of the missionaries that we don't get to see very often. I like that we can take a few minutes to talk, look at pictures of their families, and share some of their goodies sent from home. (like peeps, or tootsie rolls). Thanks moms, dads, and siblings. What I don't like is having to inspect the bathrooms, I have assigned that task to my Companion. I stick with the kitchens and the bedrooms.

We call the missionaries a few days before we come so they have time to clean. Most of the missionaries do a pretty good job cleaning before we come. Elders Howard and Eckersley had an appointment at an Institute talking to students about the church this morning before our visit so they "didn't have time to straighten up" before we came. However, overall their apartment didn't look bad just a little cluttered. I have to give Elders Green and McKinney cudos for washing their sheets. We (the adult couples) were beginning to worry that the younger missionaries weren't taking the time to do this. Well, at least now we know that some missionaries do.

I know....................................gross huh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well we are working on hygiene around here in the Donetsk Mission.

Your missionaries are in good hands with Sisters Fry and Salamonson in Donetsk and the Mead's and the Crittendon's in Kharkiv. I mentioned before that most of the missionaries "pick things up" well but they aren't so good at scrubbing. I did see one apartment that was really clean and that was Elders Summerhays and Cullen. Way to go guys.

PACKAGES FROM HOME

2009-04-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

I didn't take a picture of Elder Green and Elder McKinney when I was at their apartment but we took one yesterday with Elder Green when he called to tell us we got a big package. (next time we are in the office I will get Elder McKinney) Our daughter and son-in-law have been so great every holiday they send a really fun care package. Today I made little Easter Candy sacks for the missionaries in our ditrict then filled plastic easter eggs to take to the apartments we went to inspect. I even left some plastic eggs filled with jelly bellies hidden all over the office for Elders McKinney and Green. Packages from home are so exciting. Even for us old folks. Thanks Brad and Karrissa. We love you.

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK

2009-04-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

We are going to return to America on May 4th so we have been very busy trying to get all of our projects completed before we go home. I have been corresponding with the Mead's who will come in June to replace us. Sister Mead is the sister to our Mission Presidents wife, Sister Fry. I was going to send an e-mail to the Mead'strying to explain to the Mead's exactly what Humanitarian Missionaries do but decided I would just do a post.

I want to take a minute to explain a little about Senior Missionaries.

First of all Senior Missions are voluntary. Sometimes a church leader will ask a couple to serve a mission and other times a couple will make the request themselves. In our case we went to our Bishop and told him we would really like to serve a mission. Just as with younger missionaries Senior Couples pay for their own mission expenses. The church pays to fly you to your mission and home again. Most couples go on missions for 18 months or 2 years.

There are many opportunities in the church for Senior Couples to serve missions all over the world. You can serve in the United States or you can go out of the Country. When we went to the Missionary Training Center some of the other couples in our group were going to Katmandu, Africa, Egypt, Georgia, the Easter Islands, Chicago Illinois, Moscow Russia and Brazil.

Some couples request to stay within the United States others say they are willing to go to another country and learn another language. The Church publishes a list of some of the mission opportunities that are available to couples. Sometimes people will be tour guides at Church Historical Sites, work in temples, or in Mission Offices, there are Public Affairs Missions, Medical Missions, Church History or Genealogy Missions.

WE SAID WE WOULD BE WILLING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY, AND LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE. WE ALSO SAID WE WOULD BE WILLING TO GO WHERE WE WERE NEEDED.

We didn't say we wanted to do Humanitarian Work although I did mention that I would love to do some type of service mission.

As I read Sister Mead's first e-mail to me it brought back memories of being completely overwhelmed with preparations to leave for our mission. There was so much to do and the list just felt like it was getting longer and longer as the day to leave for the Missionary Training Center approached. There were our annual physicals, Dental appointments, follow-up medical appointments, shots, blood work, passports, visas, selling cars, selling our home (not everyone who goes on a mission sells the house and cars we were just ready for a change when we came home). There were talks to give at church, farewell parties to say good-bye to friends and family. Oh and we were suppose to be learning Russian while all this was going on. Needless to say, we never did learn a new language. We have had an interpretor with us when we do our Humanitarian work and just rely on some primitive sign language when she is not with us.

I guess what I really wanted to say is......................

we had no idea what we would be doing as Humanitarian Missionaries.

We didn't know what life would be like as a Senior Couple on a Mission.

We didn't know if we would follow the same strict schedule as the younger missionaries who rise at 6:30 am and start their day with prayer, exercise, breakfast, personal study, companion study, and language study. (we do some of these things but we have made our own schedule)

The only thing I could imagine that would involve Humanitarian work in Ukraine would be possibly working in an Orphanage, although I had no idea what we would do.

What we do is meet with organizations who request Humanitarian Aide from the Church. We do a basic assessment interview and then write a proposal for assistance. If the proposal is approved then we coordinate with a local vendor to purchase the needed equipment. Then we meet them for a follow-up visit once the equipment is delivered.

So I realized that the Mead's are probably feeling similar to how we felt a month or so before we left for our mission. So I thought I would post a few pictures of what we did this week.

It was a really fun week. We went to some wonderful organizations and spent time with some of our favorite members of the church and fellow missionaries.

A TYPICAL WEEK FOR US

2009-04-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

I went with the missionaries to visit Annya and her family,

We rode for about an hour on a Marshruka to get there

This is Annya and her father

Elder Kinghorn stayed home and caught up on some of our paperwork

we had a family night at our home and fixed dinner and dessert for 4 missionaries, and 4 church members

Annya and I went to watch some of the members of the Branch and the Missionaries at Sports Night

Me and Annya
Elder Kinghorn and I did apartment inspections
at 5 missionary apartments................................
(Elders Doxey and Oldroyd)

We visited a Kindergarten for the Deaf..........................

The Humanitarian Program donated some equipment for their school

We delivered these balls that one of our family members donated to a boarding school.......

The Humanitarian Program donated some other equipment

we visited an organization for Special Needs young people.....................
The Humanitarian Program donated computers, chairs, a printer, a ping-pong table, and excercise equipment

Sister Fry and I had a Bridal Shower for Tonia with members of our branch....

We went to a staff meeting at the mission office with the other couples..........

We wrote Final reports on all the projects we completed this week.....................

We hosted the District Meeting at our home and fed 6 missionaries dinner.....................

We scheduled the Puppet Show for three more performances...........................

We coordinated a service project with the Sisters in Mariupol...............................

We went out to dinner with President and Sister Fry and then came home and had a fun game night.

I was talking to one of the younger missionaries today as he was watching a video of Elder Kinghorn and I dancing with the children in the Kindergarten for the deaf and he said,

"you guys really have a different kind of mission, you do things and see things that most couples don't get to do." This is so true. I have loved this work. It has been so incredible. Every day is completely different from the day before. I am so amazed how Bruce and I have taken our individual talents and combined them in a way that helps us do this job so efficiently. We both have really enjoyed doing Humanitarian Work. It has been a richly rewarding experience and we both feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.

EATING SHARMAS

2009-03-27T01:47:00.000-07:00

FAMOUS MARIUPOL SHARMA STAND

At the Sharma Stand with Olga, Employee of the stand, Elders Kinghorn, Woodhead, Hammond, and Goodfellow

This gentleman insisted I come into the stand to take a picture

Sharma's are famous among the missionaries, especially the Sharmas in Mariupol. So when we told the Elders we were coming to Mariupol they insisted we visit the Sharma stand for our first Sharma. Even our driver Vladimir hasn't had a Sharma before. It is meat, cheese, sourcream, special sauce, and your choice of tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers all in a huge wrap and grilled. It was the first time we had eaten anything from a stand on the street. (the missionaries do it all the time).

I must say..............................

I liked it!!!!!!

It was very good!!!!

and......................

I feel fine today.

Yesterday we went to Mariupol to close one of our projects at a School for the Blind.

We also did cleaning inspections at the 3 missionary apartments.

If you moms are wondering how your sons and daughters are doing with keeping their apartments clean lets just say................

"the Sisters are winning".

It seems the Elders do a good job picking up their apartments but..........

I am not sure if they know the meaning of SCRUB

as in sinks, toilets, and bathtubs...................

we'll have to work on this.........

It was a great day. We got to spend time with some of the missionaries who we don't get to see very often, eat a great lunch and....................

close another project....

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANYA AND SISTER HOWARD

2009-03-27T01:15:00.000-07:00

Annya taught Sister Howard, Sister Glenn and I how to make Borshe

It was delicious!!!!!

GOING BACK TO AMERICA

2009-03-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Every evening as I sit at my computer I glance over at this........

The red square has been moving quickly these last few weeks. The red square on the 25 means we go home in 40 days.I am excited to get home and see my family. I can't wait for the first time I can put my arms around my children again....or the first time I can sit and read a book to my grandchildren, or tuck them into bed at night......I am looking forward to being there when they wake up from their naps and snuggle into my arms.There are so many things I am looking forward to...............

but the red square on my calender moving furthur down each night means that I will soon be leaving so much behind here....
Yesterday my sweet Annya came over with Sisters Howard and Glenn and we learned how to make Borshe, and then had a beautiful lesson given by the Sisters on patience. Annya gave a wonderful prayer she has been practicing in English.

Then we had a wonderful District Meeting

Today we went back to Ukrainsk one of our favorite places here in Ukraine to visit our friend the Mayor and Nastia who lost her husband during a mining disaster in 2002. We took Sister Fry (our Mission President's wife) with us. We took two guitars and a keyboard that one of our dear friends donated.
We were greeted with so much love and appreciation. We took a tour of a afterschool center where the keyboard was donated.They showed us all the wonderful projects the children do. Sister Fry and I were both given gifts the children have made. We toured the sports school the mayor established as an after school program. Then we met a man who we donated the guitars to so that he can teach children to play. The Mayor could hardly wait to call him and tell him what we were giving him. This sweet man, quickly tuned the guitar and sat and played us a song he wrote for his mother who raised 8 children on her own during the Soviet Era. Then he invited us to his Dasha (summer home) where he has 2 horses and several dogs, and a few goats. He wanted us to stay and have a huge fish he had just (shot?????) We explained that we had to get back to Donetsk.

When we arrived back in town we had time to go take pictures of some DOORS that were purchased with Humanitarian Funds at a Sanitorium for children.Tomorrow we go to Mariupol to take pictures of some Computers, braille paper, and a special blood pressure machine for the blind that the Humanitarian Funds purchased. Then we will try to go do apartment inspections while we are in Mariupol.

Saturday we will attend two baptisms in Donetsk Center Branch and then a Shower for Tonia who is a returned missionary who is getting married in a few weeks. Sister Fry and I are giving her a wedding shower.

So.....

as you can see life here has been amazing and I will definitely miss so much.

but I don't want to think any more about that for now..................

for now......................

I will be grateful for each day we have here and fill them with as much joy as I possibly can.

TRIP TO KHARKIV

2009-03-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

LAST WEEK WE WENT TO KHARKIV AND ATTENDED THE OPEN HOUSE FOR THE NOVE
DOMA BUILDING

ELDER JACOB AND A GUEST AT THE OPEN HOUSE

SISTER JACOB AND A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO JOINED HER TO SING SOME HYMNS DURING THE OPEN HOUSE WHILE ELDER NORMAN PLAYED THE PIANO

OUR PUPPETEERS WAITING FOR THE NEXT PERFORMANCE

WHILE WE WERE WALKING THROUGH THE REENIK WE SPOTTED THIS

AND WHILE WALKING AROUND KHARKIV WE TOOK A FEW PICTURES OF THE BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS

WE ARRIVED IN TIME TO HELP THE JACOB'S PACK UP THE LAST OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WILL BE LEAVING FOR THE NEW COUPLE WHO WILL REPLACE THEM.

WE WENT TO THE CRITTENDON'S FOR A NICE LUNCH AND THEN VISITED A HOMELESS SHELTER THAT THE HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM PURCHASED BEDS AND A REFRIGERATOR FOR THEIR SHELTER. THE NEXT DAY OLGA AND I WENT TO THE REENIK TO BUY TIES AND ELDER KINGHORN STAYED AT THE JACOB'S AND HELPED THEM FINISH PACKING.
THAT AFTERNOON (friday night) WE WENT TO THE CHURCH FOR THE VIP OPEN HOUSE.
WE DID THE PUPPET SHOW A FEW TIMES FOR THE VIP'S WHO ATTENDED AND
THE NEXT DAY THE OPEN HOUSE WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
SOME OF THE MISSIONARIES EVEN WENT OUT IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING TO INVITE PEOPLE IN........

WE WERE BUSY ALL DAY PERFORMING THE PUPPET SHOW AND GIVING A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM. IT WAS FUN TO SEE SOME OF THE MISSIONARIES WHO HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THE KHARKIV AREA FOR AWHILE.
THE JACOB'S RETURNED TO AMERICA EARLY MONDAY MORNING. IT WAS HARD TO SEE THE JACOB'S HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO SO MANY OF THE MEMBERS AND MISSIONARIES THEY HAVE COME TO LOVE. THE END OF THE EVENING SISTER JACOB WAS AT THE PIANO SURROUNDED BY THE YOUNG ADULTS WHO LOVE HER SO MUCH. IT WAS A VERY BEUTIFUL MOMENT. I LOOKED OUT AND SAW ELDER JACOB SITTING IN THE PEW WITH A YOUNG WOMAN. IT WAS SO OBVIOUS THAT THESE TWO SPECIAL PEOPLE HAVE REALLY TOUCHED THE LIVES OF SO MANY HERE IN UKRAINE. THEY WILL SURELY BE MISSED.

A FEW MORE OF THE SIGHTS...........................

ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ZONE CONFERENCE IN ONE SIMPLE POST

2009-03-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

If you have never served a mission with our church or had a son or daughter on a mission you probably have no idea what ZONE CONFERENCE is.I thought I would try to explain. In our mission we have Zones in Kharkiv and Donetsk. Every 6 weeks we have a Zone Conference with the Zones in Kharkiv and Donetsk.Each Zone has a set of Missionaries who are assigned to be the Zone Leaders. Each District has 4 to 6 missionaries and one of them is assigned to be the District Leader.

Zone 1 is in Kharkiv and has 3 Districts
Zone 2 is Kharkiv B- is made up of 4 Districts
Zone 3 is Donetsk A-is made up of 3 Districts
Zone 4 is Donetsk B- and has 3 Districts
Zone 5 is Gorlivka and they have 2 Districts
So................................
When we have this wonderful meeting. We all gather together in the Chapel and each of the pairs of Zone Leaders teach a lesson. There is usually a theme assigned for the meeting and all the lessons focus on that theme. There are missionaries assigned to be Assistants to the President. We call them AP's. In our mission we currently have 4 AP"s. They are given special assignments by the Mission President to help support the other missionaries wherever they are needed. Sometimes they accompany the Mission President to meetings and interpret for him. At Zone Conferences they are given an assignment to teach a Skills Practice. This is usually a chance for the missionaries to practice their teaching skills. Sometimes they practice the Russian Language and sometimes they practice teaching lessons from the Preach My Gospel book.
We always have a spiritual lesson from the Mission President and sometimes a message from his wife as well. This week we were treated with a beautiful musical number by Elder Woodhead playing the violin and Sister Howard on the piano. Elder Woodhead said they had no time to practice but it was still amazing.
When we are finished the missionaries take some time to write down their goals for the next 6 weeks and that is followed by a beautiful testimony meeting.

We had a beautiful day. As I loaded the photos in this post slide show I was once again reminded of what a blessing it has been to witness the changes in these young missionaries as their testimonies have grown and they have developed wonderful leadership skills. They are awesome young men and women.

DO YOU EVER WONDER WHAT A HUMANITARIAN COUPLE DOES ON A MISSION???

2009-03-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

We are busy trying to close the last of our projects before we go home. Last week we delivered tables and chairs, beds, bedding, toy shelves and toilets and sinks to a Kindergarten for children with Language Delays.Then we delivered some badly needed medical equipment to a Trauma Department in Makeyevka. We don't physically deliver the items ourselves, the vendors do that part. We just have a visit with the organization to be sure that all the items that the Humanitarian Funds paid for have been delivered and installed.We also closed another Hospital Project last week. Today we took our Health Fair to a Day Facility for Handicapped Young Adults. They asked us to do the Puppet Show on Addiction. It seems their clients are beginning to drink and smoke.So that is how we started our week. We have 3 more contracts that were sent in this week for an Aid's facility, an Orphanage in Kharkiv, and a Hospital that requested a Defibrillator. We are waiting for delivery on a project in Mariupol where we bought computers and braille paper for a blind school. We also have 2 more Kindergartens and a boarding school that we hope to go to very soon once their equipment if delivered.

Olga and I are going to a conference tomorrow on how church's can help with adoption and foster care to the Orphans of Ukraine. I believe that it will be sponsored by an American Organization.It is 3 days long but we can only go for 2 days because we are off to Kharkiv on Thursday for the Nove Doma Open House. We will do the Puppet show there with Elders Fedotov and Thompson. We will also go to a Homeless Shelter in Kharkiv to see some beds and a refrigerator that were donated by Humanitarian Funds.

So we are very happy that we are seeing so many organizations receive the badly needed items that we promised several months ago. It is fun to see the smiling faces of the people who will benefit from the donations.

TONIGHT WE HAD AN AWESOME LESSON IN OUR HOME

2009-03-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yuraslav and Volva came over and we had a great lesson on General Conference. We talked about Modern Day Prophets and Revelation. We discussed the importance of listening to our Prophets Inspired Council. The Elders challenged Yuraslav and Vulva to invite someone to General Conference. They both agreed to do that. After the lesson we had refreshments (the Elders brought homemade brownies) and then played a fun game. I am so grateful to know these wonderful missionaries and to have the opportunity to have them and these great young men in our home.

DISTRICT MEETINGS

2009-03-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Today we had district meeting at our house. I remembered to catch a picture of these 4 before they left. Elders Kerr and Greener had to leave and get to YOUTH NIGHT at the church. It was a great meeting. Everyone came prepared and excited to have a great District. We set some new goals and are really going to work on UNITY in our District. I think Elder Kerr will do a great job being District Leader and Elders Hulet and Johnson are awesome Zone Leaders. Tomorrow is Zone Conference.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ELDER KINGHORN

2009-03-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Love,

MARRIAGE

2009-03-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

THIRTY YEARS AGO...........................

BRUCE AND I EXCHANGED WEDDING VOWS IN A CUTE LITTLE WEDDING CHAPEL IN FOLSOM CALIFORNIA.....................................

SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS JUST YESTERDAY THAT I WALKED INTO HIS CLASSROOM FOR THE FIRST TIME...........................

AND OTHER TIMES.............................

I CAN'T REMEMBER MY LIFE WITHOUT HIM........................

I CAN'T IMAGINE NOT HAVING HIM BY MY SIDE.............................

NOT HAVING HIM THERE TO COME HOME TO AT NIGHT...........

NOT HAVING HIM THERE TO SHARE ALL THE WONDERFUL, EXCITING, THRILLING,

AND CHALLENGING TIMES IN MY LIFE............................

HE HAS BEEN MY CONSTANT COMPANION..........................

MY BEST FRIEND AND CONFIDANT...................................

OUR LIFE TOGETHER HAS BEEN FULL OF WONDERFUL ADVENTURE.......................

AND NO MATTER WHAT BRUCE HAS ALWAYS, ALWAYS, MADE ME AND THE

CHILDREN KNOW THAT WE ARE LOVED AND APPRECIATED..............................

HE IS MY ROCK.................................

I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT HE IS MY ETERNAL COMPANION. I AM GRATEFUL THAT WE HAD THIS PAST 17 MONTHS TO SERVE AS MISSIONARY COMPANIONS HERE IN UKRAINE.

OUR LIVES HAVE BEEN ENRICHED, OUR MARRIAGE HAS BEEN BLESSED BECAUSE OF THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

THE SNOW IS MELTING..............................

2009-03-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

I am patiently waiting..........

for this......................

SUNDAY'S

2009-03-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

WHEN YOU FIRST BEGIN YOUR MISSION IT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A LONG TIME BEFORE YOU RETURN TO YOUR LOVED ONES

18 MONTHS FEELS LIKE FOREVER...............

WE WONDERED HOW WE WOULD FILL OUR DAYS

HOW WE WOULD STAY BUSY ENOUGH

HOW WE COULD MANAGE NOT TO BE TOO HOMESICK

HOWEVER........................

WE FIND OURSELVES IN THIS STRANGE PLACE OF ANXIOUSLY COUNTING DOWN THE WEEKS BEFORE WE GO HOME

BACK TO OUR LOVED ONES

BUT EACH SUNDAY I AM OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTIONS

EACH SUNDAY

I FIND MYSELF THINKING OF

ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE I WILL MISS

IT'S A STRANGELY FAMILIAR FEELING

I THINK IT FEELS MUCH LIKE I FELT

THE LAST FEW WEEKS BEFORE I LEFT FOR MY MISSION

A TUGGING AT MY HEART

WONDERING HOW WILL I EVER SAY GOOD-BYE TO THESE WONDERFUL NEW FRIENDS

AS I LISTEN TO THE HYMNS

MY EYES FILL WITH TEARS

SWEET ANNYA OR GENYA WILL LOOK OVER AND SAY,

"DON'T CRY, SISTER KINGHORN, DON'T BE SAD"

IT IS MUCH LIKE I FELT AS I SAT IN CHURCH WITH MY SWEET LITTLE GRANDCHILDREN THOSE LAST FEW WEEKS BEFORE WE LEFT FOR OUR MISSION

THERE ARE NO WORDS TO TELL THEM WHAT THESE TEARS MEAN

there are really no words.......

I just hug them and tell them I love them

OLGA'S BAPTISM

2009-03-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

yesterday was such a wonderful day

we got to see Olga baptized by her husband Vitaly

Olga has been our interpreter since January 2008. She is such a special young lady. I have written many times about how grateful we have been to have her as our assistant. What I haven't mentioned is how much she means to us. We love her so much. She is just a wonderful young woman. I was overwhelmed with emotions as I gave the talk on Baptism and looked into the faces of these two amazing people. When the talks were over and we had a testimony meeting one of the ladies who has been a member for several years said that it was a special baptism for her to attend because it was the first time she has seen a husband baptize his wife.There have been many brothers baptize siblings or parents. She has seen fathers baptize their children but she had never attended a baptism that was a husband baptizing his wife. The church here in Ukraine has so many families in which only one of the parents is a member. We feel very strongly that Olga and Vitaly will have the wonderful blessing of raising children with the Gospel as the center of their home. What a great blessing this will be for them. Elder Kinghorn confirmed Olga today and gave her a beautiful blessing. r the last year Olga has been involved in many church activities. She translated for the Strengthening Marriage Classes and attended some of the Branch Parties with us. She also translated talks we gave in church. She has been friends with many of the missionaries as well as the members of the Church. President and Sister Fry participated in some of the missionary discussions with her and they said that she really knew alot about the teachings of the church. The members of the Church love Olga too and I felt such a sweet reassurance that they will do all they can to support she and Vitaly as they strive to live the commandments. We wish that we could be here to see Olga and Vitaly embrace the Gospel but are so grateful for the members of this wonderful branch who we know will offer them the love and support they will need.

NEW MISSIONARIES HAVE ARRIVED STRAIGHT FROM THE MISSIONARY TRAINING CENTER

2009-03-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Elder Hyer and his trainer Elder Southerland will be serving in Gorlovka

Elder Tillotson and his trainer Elder Hunt will be in Kharkiv

Elder Shipp and his trainer Elder McArthur will be in Kharkiv

Good-bye to Elder Fedotov (he is going to Khakiv too)

Sister Fry did a very nice post about these three wonderful new missionairies

you can read it here

TRANSFER DAY GOOD-BYE'S

2009-03-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

WE HAD SOME BIG CHANGES IN OUR DISTRICT THIS TRANSFER MEETING. ELDER GWYNN RETURNED TO AMERICA,SISTER ELLISON WENT TO MARIUPOL, AND SISTER HELELYAN WENT TO KHARKIV

ELDER FEDOTOV WENT TO KHARKIV

WE GOT TWO NEW AP'S

ELDERS NORMAN AND OLDROYD

(ELDER HUNT IS TRAINING IN KHARKIV)

Sister Howard is back. Yeah!!!!!

she will be companions with Sister Glen. (sorry I don't have a photo of her yet, she was in Bulgaria during the transfer meeting)

I am excited to get to know Sister Glen she has never served in the Donetsk area. We are happy to have her in our District

Elder Greener will be serving with Elder Kerr, he will be our new Puppeteer

Elder Fedotov went to Kharkiv where we hope he will still be doing the Puppet show but with his new companion there Elder Thompson (from Hawaii, we have two Elder Thompson's)

ELDER HULET WILL BE OUR NEW ZONE LEADER WITH ELDER JOHNSON

HEALTH FAIR AT THE DONETSK PUBLIC LIBRARY

2009-02-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

This week we did the Health Fair again at the Public Library
Olga offered to stand in for Elder Kerr who was in Bulgaria getting his Visa renewed

HEALTH FAIR AT THE MAIN LIBRARY IN DONETSK

2009-02-27T14:42:00.001-08:00

This week we did the Health Fair at the Public Library I wanted to share a few of the pictures of the building

STREETS OF DONETSK

2009-02-27T14:14:00.001-08:00

LAST WEEK I CAME HOME FROM KHARKIV WITH A BAD COLD

I WAS IN BED FOR ALMOST 3 DAYS. I STARTED FEELING BETTER BY TUESDAY

AND TODAY I WOKE UP FEELING PRETTY GOOD SO I TOOK A WALK TO THE HAIRDRESSER. ON THE WAY HOME I DECIDED TO SHARE SOME OF THE INTERESTING SIGHTS I WAS SEEING WITH YOU SO......

I TOOK SOME PICTURES. IT WAS REALLY FUN

BUT BY THE TIME I GOT HOME I HAD TO TAKE A NAP

I WAS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED.

I FEEL MUCH BETTER AGAIN!!!!

Another week has flown by. Monday we had a Health Fair Practice with Olga because Elder Kerr had to go to Bulgaria to get his visa renewed and she offered to stand in for him as a Puppeteer. On Tuesday we went to the Public Library to do the Health Fair and then we had District Meeting.My sweet friend Annya turned 16 this week so I went to her home to wish her a Happy Birthday. We also did apartment inspections this week. We joke that the highlight of our week was going shopping with the other couples at Metro.

2009-02-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get comments from readers who say that they enjoy the pictures of everyday things that I post about Ukraine. Last week when we were on our way to Kharkiv I decided to take some pictures of some the things we saw along the way.

HOPE YOU ENJOY!!

2009-02-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

People waiting for MarshrukasSmall villages with little homes like these

TRIP TO KHARKIV

2009-02-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

we stopped along the road to look at these beautiful scrulptures

that were carved out of the stone

THE SACRAMENTO TEMPLE

2009-02-24T09:58:00.001-08:00

TEMPLE MARRIAGE

2009-02-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

"Marriage partners who come to the house of the Lord and partake of its blessings are joined not only for the period of their mortal lives but for all eternity. They are bound together under authority not only of the law of the land that joins them until death but also through the eternal priesthood of God, which binds in heaven that which is bound on earth. The couple so married has the assurance of divine revelation that their relationship and that of their children will not end with death but will continue in eternity, provided they live worthy of that blessing."
President Gordon B. Hinckley

This summer my son-in-law's brother, Glen was sealed in the Sacramento Temple. Glen married a beautiful young woman from our home ward, Kelsey Strazzo.

I just wanted to share a few of these special pictures from that day. You can tell by the children's faces that they adore Glen and Kelsey. The children could hardly wait for them to exit the building. Kelsey said she was surrounded by little people all day. Brad has 3 brothers and one sister. So Wyatt, Monroe, Maverick, and Cash have lots of cousins who all live in the Sacramento area. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful extended family.

WAITING FOR UNCLE GLEN AND AUNT KELSEY TO EXIT THE SACRAMENTO TEMPLE

2009-02-24T09:26:00.001-08:00

Monroe

Wyatt and London

London, Wyatt, and Monroe

Wyatt, Lakai, and London

Monroe and London

COUSINS

2009-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

MONROE LONDON AND WYATT

2009-02-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

Uncle Glen and Aunt Kelsey with Maverick, Monroe, Wyatt and London

Monroe and London

Uncle Glen with Maverick and Monroe

Monroe and Aunt Kelsey

Monroe and Uncle Glen

I'M SICK

2009-02-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl I loved to play doctor. I loved to pretend that my little teddy bears and stuffed doggies were sick and that I could make them better. I would wrap them in blankets, tuck them into their little beds and sing them to sleep. When I got a little older I had a little sister that I "nursed" back to health when she was sick. Holding her hand when she couldn't sleep, and gently stroking her head until at last her little eyes would close and sleep would come.

And then.........

I became a mommy and I had "real" babies to nurse back to health. I stayed up late at night pacing the floors, rocking them, singing to them, and praying for the pain to go away and sleep to bring them relief from the discomfort. I sat in steam filled bathrooms with my "croupy" little boy, I drove my sweet little baby girl to the hospital in the middle of the night with yet another Chronic Ear Infection. It is no wonder that I became a nurse. I love being able to offer solace. I love bringing some badly needed relief from pain and discomfort.

Today I need that

I need some relief from pain and discomfort. I have a terrible cold.

My head feels like it is going to explode, I can't stop coughing, my glands are swollen and my neck hurts,

My chest feels like someone is sitting on it. I am hot one minute and cold the next. I just keep thinking how much we need each other. How good it feels to be taken care of.

I want my mom

I want to be taken care of in a way only a mother can.

I want a warm blanket, hot soup, a cold cloth for my head, and someone to sing to me. My moms not here. So I will have to adjust. I make my own chicken soup. Bruce brings me warm cups of fruit tea, and I count my blessings.

For at least I know that this is a virus and it will run it's course and soon I will be perfectly fine. In a few days I will be able to go for a walk in the snow. I will be able to continue this wonderful work that we have come here to do. This little virus has reminded me to be so grateful for a strong healthy body. And to be grateful that soon I will go home to a mother who loves me and brings me cold compresses and warm blankets when I am sick.

2 CONTAINERS FROM AMERICA ARRIVED

2009-02-17T13:43:00.001-08:00

During the open house we met with Lubov and Kate from the International Relief Development and they invited us to a container delivery. We partner with them in bringing our containers into the Country. We provide the items in the Containers and they pay for the shipping and clear the delivery with customs.

It is always fun to see the containers unloaded so of course we agreed. They hadn't found anyone to do the unloading yet so .................

I volunteered the missionaries

So today we took, Elders Ekersley, Taylor, Beus, Norman, Southerland, Johnson, Gwyn, Hunt, and Hewlett to do a little service.

We had no idea until we arrived..................

that they would be unloading two very large trucks.

It was a lot of work but they made us proud. We brought Sister Fry and the President's driver Vladimir and even Vladimir helped unload. We were beginning to worry that we may not get it done before the sun set but they just picked up the pace a bit and we got out of there before dark. It even started snowing while we were there. The Elders said they really enjoyed it and that it felt good to do some manual labor. They said it was one of the best service projects they have done. (I'm not sure about that, I think they were just trying to make me feel better when I apologized to them for having them work so hard.) Anyway, it was a great day and I know they made a great impression on a lot of people today. There was also a television camera crew there when we first started and they took video of the Elders working. So it was another great day in Ukraine.

OUR FAMILY

2009-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

One of our friends recently mentioned she hasn't seen pictures of our latest grandson Cash and asked if he is alright. So I thought I better give you an update on the Bailey family. Cash is doing great. He is absolutely adorable. Karrissa says he is such a mellow baby. She says he is a lot like Wyatt was. Maverick is a busy little guy. I have heard he gives lots of loves. Monroe and Wyatt both started preschool this year and love it. Karrissa and Brad say it has taken some time to adjust to having four children under 4 but they do manage to take some fun trips with the family. They have good friends from Reno who have children and they have done several day trips with them. Monroe says when I get home from my mission I am going to say, "Monroe how did you get so big?" We are looking forward to our annual trip to Santa Cruz with the Bailey's and our son Nathan the end of May. We will be joining many of our old friends at New Brighten Beach for a week long vacation in the sun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WYATT JAMES

2009-02-16T14:24:00.001-08:00

Wyatt is 5 years old now!!!!!

Happy Birthday big guy Nana and Papa love you!!!

VALENTINE'S DAY

2009-02-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL OUR DEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. WE ARE SO INCREDIBLY BLESSED TO BE SHOWERED WITH SO MUCH LOVE BOTH HERE IN UKRAINE AND HOME IN AMERICA.WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND WISH YOU A WONDERFUL DAY SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO LOVE YOU. GIVE SOMEONE A HUG FOR US.

THE NEW OFFICE COUPLE HAS ARRIVED

2009-02-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

OUR NEW OFFICE COUPLE, THE SOLAMANSONS ARRIVED TODAY DURING THE OPEN HOUSE. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO BE WELCOMED TO UKRAINE. TO SHOW UP AT THE BRANCH BUILDING AND MEET ALL THESE WONDERFUL MEMBERS AND GUEST.

(That is them in the back of the room) more pictures later

2009-02-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the Happy Faces we saw at the Open House today.

This is a group of guest watching the Puppet Show

Elder Fedotov (our Puppeteer) and some of his fans
You could tell these little guys adore Elder Fedotov

Elders Beus, Dorman and Gwynn

The missionaries made this box and some cards for people to fill out if they would like to learn more about the church. They also had a sheet for people to sign if they would like a free DVD that the missionaries would bring to their home.

These two displays were in the Young Women Room which is where the Young Women ages 12-18 meet for Sunday lessons.

This display was in the Young Men's Room which is where the Young Men Meet for their Sunday lesson

I think this was in the Primary Room

This was the display in the Priesthood room where the Men meet for Sunday lessons

This was the display that was in the Relief Society Room where the Women meet for Sunday lessons (The women from many of the Branch's brought handmade items to display on this table and there was another table of photo albums that were from several years ago)

Lilia and Deema

(They attended our Strengthening Marriage Class, aren't they cute!!) Tanya, Nastia, and Olga

Tatiana, Laressa, and Natalia

Ludmilla and Annya in the Primary Room where the Children have Sunday lessons

Deema and Sister Cechov

Today was a huge success. They estimated about 200 people toured the building. The members of the Branch really did such a wonderful job. When people arrived they were escorted to the area where we had a Humanitarian Display and the Puppet Show. We welcomed them and then gave a brief summary of the Humanitarian Program. Then they watched a short Puppet Show and then went on with the tour of the building. They had members of the church assigned to be tour guides and the people left our area as a group and stayed in the group as they toured each classroom. The last room they toured was the room with the Baptismal Font. This is the room where the missionaries had their display.They had some Church literature and DVD's. They had a two beautiful posters with pictures of recent baptisms. When they finished the tour they went to a room where we served some excellent food and then were entertained in the Chapel with some live violin music and piano music by members of the Church.There were two missionaries in each room along with a member who told the groups about their organizations. The missionaries, tour guides and guides in the classrooms said that they had so many people ask some wonderful questions about the church. It was a fantastic day and we were so happy to have seen the building full throughout the day. It was a successful day because so many of the members worked very hard before and after the event. We had a wonderful group of ladies who worked in the kitchen all day keeping the food on the tables and cleaning up the refreshment room. The Missionaries came over a day or two before the event to clean the building and the grounds. What a great experience for all of us to work hard to put this event together and then see it be such a success.

OPEN HOUSE

2009-02-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

THE VIP NIGHT FOR THE OPEN HOUSE WAS WONDERFUL. WE HAD 22 VIP's which included the Minister of Religion, 2 Priest from the Greek Orthodox Church, a Government Official, A Reporter, Heads of Departments of some of the Hospitals we have worked with, The Director of an Orphanage, the Director of an Aid's program, three representatives from the International Relief Development, a Representative from the Public Library, 2 Representatives from the Largest Humanitarian Organization in Ukraine, and many others that I did not know. The Branch members each set up their classrooms with displays representing their organization such as, the Young Women's Program, They Young Men's Program, Relief Society, The Priesthood, and the Institute Program for Young Adults as well as the Family History Library. They did such a wonderful job with their displays. I will post more later. We are off again to the Open House for the Public.

HEALTH FAIR

2009-02-12T23:37:00.000-08:00

We did another Health Fair presentation today at a facility we are doing a Humanitarian Project with. I will try to write more about the facility later. We have to get ready for the Open House now.

2009-02-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

FOOD

2009-02-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

I thought some of you might like to see some of the groceries we can buy at the little stand outside our apartment and the prices. I usually don't shop here unless it is an emergency. It is just a little tiny shop. I don't even think it has electricity.

LIFE LESSONS

2009-02-10T01:13:00.000-08:00

this is what it looked like outside our front door today

the entrance to our apartment building
this is what it looked like outside our window just a few days ago

LOOKING OUT OUR BALCONY TO THE ENTRANCE TO OUR APARTMENT BUILDING

THE PLAYGROUND RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR BUILDING...........
I am beginning to understand that every day life teaches us something. We just have to be open and ready to listen......
As I looked at these pictures of how our world has changed so quickly I thought about life and how fleeting each moment is. So often we take the beauty around us for granted and we don't realize how much it has meant to us until it is gone.
The first day the snow fell I was like a little girl. I could feel my heart lighter. I found myself smiling and walking with a bounce in my step. Everything was covered in this beautiful white blanket of snow. It seemed as if our world had transformed over night. It was absolutely beautiful. My thoughts were focused on each little detail. How the snow looked piled in little clusters in the trees. How beautiful the little birds looked as they sat in the snow covered tree branches. I noticed the snow lined walkways that lined the parks. The people we passed on the streets were smiling, there were clusters of young people having snowball fights. This freshly fallen snow had brought with it something magical.

As the days passed and the snow continued to fall I focused less and less on it's beauty. I no longer found myself distracted by the transformation as I walked the streets of Donetsk.
In fact,
it wasn't long before I started complaining about it. I grew tired of having to dress in layers, of wearing my heavy coat, and clunky boots. I hated being cold.
and then............
the snow melted and it seemed like everywhere you looked was mud
my perspective changed again....
I wanted the snow back, in fact, I longed for it. As I looked back at the pictures I found myself thinking,
"that was a good time, I loved those days of walking in the snow, and seeing how beautiful everything was."
and this is what I have learned.................that is how life is.
Each day there is something beautiful, some wonderful gift to enjoy and appreciate
but our hearts and minds have to be open to see it.
it is there every single day, whether it snows or not.
There are times in our lives when everything seems right. It seems as if all our dreams have come true. We are filled with joy and gratitude. Similar to how I felt with the first snow but......

After a while we stop noticing all of the blessings we have in our lives and start focusing on what we don't have. We look around and all we see is .......

MUDDY PUDDLES

that have become obstacles in our lives
Soon we no longer see any blessings at all. We long for something more.
WE CAN'T SEE THE SNOW ANYMORE.
WE DON'T EVEN REMEMBER THE JOY IT ONCE BROUGHT.
AND WE THINK THAT WE WILL NEVER BE HAPPY AGAIN
We can't imagine our life will ever change. We stop believing that a transformation is possible. We begin to give up hope and we start complaining about our lives. We may even turn our back on Heavenly Father. As we focus less and less on past blessings we may begin to believe that he has never been there for us. Our minds simply erase all the previous beautiful blessings we once enjoyed. Our world feels dark and hopeless.
and then..........
one day.........
a small bud appears peeking through the dark soil......
and soon a green stalk....
and then........
a blossom.....
and one bloom turns to many....
and soon everywhere you look is covered in blossoms of brilliant colors. The sky is bluer the trees are greener.

It's not snow....
it's not what we remember that previously brought us so much joy.
nevertheless, it's beautiful....
it makes us happy,
it makes us want to smile, to run and jump and laugh and play again. It opens our eyes and our hearts.
It feeds our soul.....
we feel alive again.
and that is how life is. One ebb and flow of good and bad, happy and sad
there will be snow, followed by muddy puddles, but one day the sun will shine again and we will be happy. That is his promise to us. We will be happy. He will never leave us alone. He will always be there even in our darkest moments he will send us his peace. We just have to be open and ready to receive it.
may you find joy in each precious moment and if you are in the midst of darkness hold on and know that the blooms will come.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2009-02-10T01:11:00.000-08:00

THIS WAS IN THE PACKAGE KARRISSA SENT US. I WILL GIVE THE MISSIONARIES IN OUR DISTRICT THESE CUTE LITTLE GIFT BAGS OF SWEETS FROM AMERICA AT THE NEXT DISTRICT MEETING. IT WILL BE FUN TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIES AND MUFFINS TOO WITH THESE CUTE COOKIE CUTTERS AND DECORATIONS. I THINK I WILL INVITE SOME OF THE YOUNG WOMEN OVER TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIES.
THANKS KARRISSA WE LOVE YOU!!!!

THE SNOW IS MELTING

2009-02-09T13:27:00.001-08:00

ANYONE WHO HAS EVER LIVED IN DONETSK KNOW THAT IT IS NO FUN WHEN THE SNOW MELTS.

there is muddy water running down the streets of Donetsk!!!

There are muddy puddles everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is what it looks like in front of our apartment

So much for beautiful walks home in the snow!!! We can no longer walk side by side, hand in hand. It's every man for himself as we try to dodge mud puddles. Last week we were walking ever so carefully on ice now it is just mud and water did I say it is EVERYWHERE ?

On a brighter note............

I am so happy we finally have Internet again. Well.... at least tonight we have it. We finally got so frustrated with our Internet company that we changed providers. It's a long story and not worth complaining about. So tonight......

we got to call our son, Nathan. It is always wonderful to hear his voice,

we got a phone call from the office elders today telling us we have a package

Yeahhhhhhh!! Our sweet daughter sent a package filled with Valentine Treats and a very nice card from the grandchildren. I got to sit and catch up on my e-mails, send an e-mail to our daughter with some suggestions about how we would like to remodel our town home when we get home (she is taking a friend over this week so discuss the possibilities). Yes, the sell of our town home fell through so we get to go home to our old ward and our wonderful town home that is 5 minutes from our daughter and her husband and our 4 grand babies. We were able to take care of some on-line banking. I was able to send our expense report to Kiev along with 3 Final Reports, ( this is really good news because that means 3 more organizations got there items delivered), I sent our Bio to our Directors in Moscow. They needed this for the conference we are attending in Armenia in April.

Oh, did I mention we get to go to Armenia

for a conference with all the other Humanitarian Missionaries from Eastern Europe?

This is such a great opportunity to meet and learn about all the other Humanitarian work that is going on all around Eastern Europe. A few days ago I had to ask the Office Elders to stay a little late so that I could go into the office and use my laptop there to access Skype to call our son. Bruce wasn't in the mood to go out so I had to get all bundled up and go out and deal with the muddy streets, (well actually I called a cab) we just didn't think I should go out alone at night and at least the cab would deliver me right in front of the office. But it's not as easy as just calling a cab because

I can't call a cab!!!!!

I don't know how to ask someone to come get me, (sometimes I feel so helpless)

so I had to call Olga and ask her to call a cab, then when I finally finished checking my e-mails and calling Nathan I had to have the missionaries wait at the bus stop with me.

So tonight I am thrilled. It was so nice to do all this from the comfort of our little Ukrainian Apartment.

We are so grateful to Olga who made all this possible for us. After the disaster of waiting home all day Saturday she basically fired the old Internet company and got a new one by 10am this morning. She works miracles for us.

Today was a good day in Ukraine.

HEALTH FAIR

2009-02-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

Taking the Health Fair into the Orphanages has been so much fun This is Elders Kerr and Fedotov after the performance letting the children meet the puppets.

Look at the excitement on their faces.

Last week we visited an orphanage with small children under 3 and then we went to a Boarding School and did 2 performances. It was so amazing. The second performance the puppet show was about not drinking or smoking because it can lead to addiction. Bruce gave an excellent presentation afterwards about how addiction can affect you and your family. I was so proud of him. We have been so blessed to be given this opportunity to serve in this way.

THIS FRIDAY IS THE OPEN HOUSE AT THE KALININSKY BUILDING

2009-02-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

this is the beautiful sign that was made for the open house

WE HAVE BEEN BUSY INVITING HEADS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH TO OUR OPEN HOUSE THIS FRIDAY. THE BRANCH HAS BEEN WORKING HARD TO GET THE KALININSKY BUILDING READY. WE WILL HAVE TOURS OF THE BUILDING WITH ALL OF THE CLASSROOMS SET UP WITH DISPLAYS. THIS WILL PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CHURCH.

WE WILL HAVE A DISPLAY OF OUR HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM WHICH WILL INCLUDE A DEMONSTRATION OF THE PUPPET SHOW.

FRIDAY NIGHT IS VIP NIGHT AND SATURDAY IS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. I HAVE BEEN BUSY TRYING TO GET OUR DISPLAY READY AND GETTING SOME PHOTOS OF SOME OF THE BRANCH ACTIVITIES.

LAST FRIDAY WAS OUR LAST "STRENGTHENING MARRIAGE" CLASS. THANKS TO OUR DAUGHTER KARRISSA AND THE LAST PACKAGE FROM HOME SHE SENT I MADE SOME YUMMY BROWNIES, BUTTER COOKIES AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. WE WERE WORRIED THE TURNOUT WOULD BE SMALL BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER BUT WE HAD A LARGE GROUP AND IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT. TEACHING THIS CLASS HAS BEEN REALLY FUN AND A WONDERFUL WAY TO GET TO KNOW THE MEMBERS OF THE BRANCH.

LOOK AT THE MAGIC IN HIS EYES

2009-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Meet Vern the Virus and Germ

TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY

2009-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

We took the Health Fair to an orphanage. It was really fun to see the children's faces just light up. Elders Kerr and Fedotov did such a great job. Olga introduced the Puppet Show and then she talked to the children in between each scene. She would ask them questions about what they saw and what they learned. She did so good. They performed 3 separate skits. The first was on eating a well balanced diet of foods that are good for you. The characters are 1)Vitamin and Mineral, 2) Carbohydrate, and 3)Protein who is a big guy with muscles. The second and third plays are about the importance of washing your hands and food so you don't get sick. There are two cute puppets that are germs(fluffy pink and yellow guys) who can make you sick if you don't wash your hands. After the play we had the children talk to the characters (puppets) and when the girl puppet came on the stage with the germ puppets the children started yelling, "look out, get away from him" It was really cute. The missionaries had so much fun. These pictures with Elder Kerr are the children approaching him after the show to talk to the puppet. It was so fun to watch. He couldn't believe how captivated they were and how they spoke directly to the puppet. One of the teachers tried to speak to me and when I told her I didn't speak Russian she left but a few minutes later she came back with a small group of little girls who wanted to speak English to me. It was so sweet. They told me their names and one of them said, "I love you." Today was a great day. Our next show is Saturday at another Orphanage. We will be going with the Young Adults who made toys during their all night New Years Eve Ball to donate to the children. We will be delivering the toys and some homemade hats that someone from America sent.

Tomorrow is District Meeting. So I will be making lunch for the missionaries. Then I have a project to write for an Orphanage in Kharkiv. This is the Orphanage that the Kharkiv missionaries went to for Christmas. The Missionaries in Kharkiv will be taking their Puppet Show to this orphanage soon. Today a Mental Hospital we have been working with got some brand new beds delivered that we purchased.

Yeah, this is the fun stuff!!!!!!!

Today was a great day. I am so thankful to have this opportunity to be here and see such amazing things happening.

THE FUEL SITUATION IN UKRAINE

2009-01-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to let my friends and family know that although Russia and Ukraine are having disputes over the fuel we have not been affected by it. We still have heating in our apartments. Someone told us that Ukraine has a reserve fuel supply that they are relying on however, I don't really know if that is true or not. But just know we have not felt the affects of this crisis.

LIFE IN UKRAINE

2009-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

As I was out walking the other day I thought about how some of the sights I see daily seem so normal now, like this little trailer in an alley where people go to buy bread.

Or these huge Lenin statues that are everywhere................. Or people wearing so many clothes that you can hardly see their faces.

This is a typical look for me now; hat, gloves, scarf, boots, and plastic bag, with my purse hanging over my shoulder (not too attractive I know). However it's not too bad if everyone looks like this right?

All the apartment buildings that have large black garbage containers out in front and sometimes a triangular cage that holds the recycled bottles and cans. Or the small groups of old ladies who shovel the walkways.

As I was going to get my hair done the other day I was thinking about how much our lives have changed. We have gotten use to so many things that felt so strange when we first arrived.

Sometimes we see some pretty strange things. Yesterday when I was walking with the Sisters on our way to Anya's house I saw an old lady walking with a sign around her neck carrying a little plastic cup. Sister Ellison and I talked about it for a minute. She said, it really wasn't an unusual sight for her to see. I have often seen older women standing somewhere on a corner with a little plastic cup in their hands but never have I seen someone with a sign hanging around their neck. Especially a little old woman.

It makes me sad.

In some ways the sights we see are very similar to what we see at home like graffiti written on walls, or teenagers standing on the street corners. But some things I will never get use to. I have gotten use to shoving my way into the crowded marshruka, and using my very broken Russian to ask the bus driver to let me off at my stop. Sometimes when we speak the driver will slowly look back to see who that strange language is coming out of. It is no longer strange to see small groups of homeless dogs wandering the streets. Last night Bruce and I were walking to the Church to teach our Strengthening Marriage Class. It was dark, and cold out. There were small groups of men standing around drinking beers that we passed when we got off the bus. We maneuvered the dark streets trying to avoid the muddy puddles that laid beneath the surface of the snow. We were both carrying bags that contained our lesson materials and other things we may need like our umbrella and scarves and hats on the cold walk home. As we approached the church I mentioned to Bruce, "we probably wouldn't have imagined we would be doing this when we first arrived here". The strange thing was it just felt so normal.

It's hard to explain the adjustment we have made. Living in a new Country is an incredible experience. There are so many things that are so different from what we are use to. For instance, it took 3 or 4 weeks to finally get someone to come fix our Internet and it is still randomly shutting off. When we asked the guy what we owed him, he said, "there is no charge, but you can give me something if you'd like", (at least that is the translation we were given). When we go to the Pharmacy it seems we can only buy one item at a time. Bruce uses a special cream on his skin but they will only give him one tube at a time. Sometimes we see something new at the grocery store that we like and are so excited that they are finally carrying this item but then when we come back we never see it on the shelf again. You are never allowed to carry anything into a grocery store except your purse. There is a guard you watches closely and he will stop you if you try to get in with anything else. They have a little place where you have to check your things and get a little number. You can not ever go pass the check out stand to get out if you haven't purchased anything. The guard will stop you and make you go out the approved exit.

In many shops that are like office supply stores or electronic stores when you buy something they give you a little written check that you must take to another counter to pay, then you take your receipt and go back and get the item and take it to another counter where they plug it in and make sure it works because NOTHING CAN BE RETURNED. EVER.

People carry plastic bags everywhere. They sell them in the Reenik. They don't really carry tote bags or backpacks, just recycled plastic bags. We now have our own supply of plastic bags we carry our umbrellas in, our hats, and scarves and anything else we may need for the day.

One of the things that was really distressing to us is that we will not be able to do our Puppet Shows in the schools. It seems it is against the law for any church to go into the schools except the Provaslavic Church.

I am not complaining, I am just saying.......................

Life is certainly different living in a foreign country

A LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO

2009-01-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

the sisters and i took a trip to visit anya

(Elder Crossley baptized her about 6 months ago)

(today was transfer day we lost Sisters Jadamba and Ellison they went to Kharkiv, we will miss them)

Larissa,Sister Clark, Tanya, MashaWe had a fun going home party for Elder and Sister Clark after English Class

This is just a few of the branch members who came.

The Clark's are going home to Orem Utah this Thursday. I can't imagine this mission without them. They have been great friends and the missionaries love them.

Sister Tumi-Ochir went home to Mongolia

we will miss her

We had a few fun days of apartment inspections

I forgot my camera at Elders McArthur and Steeles's apartment and look what they left us.

IT IS A PICTURE OF A KING AND A EWE

it says, "we love ewe"

how sweet!!!!

These two live in the penthouse. It reminds me of an abandoned building I played in when I was a kid

Elder Johnson baptized this sweet, wonderful girl Jenya.

Everybody loves her. It was so great to see the Young Adults welcome her into the branch

enjoying the incredible transformation our city takes when it begins to get COLD

(the lake behind our dome has frozen over and they are ice fishing on it now)

this is a view from the opposite side of the bridge from where Bruce is standing. If you look closely you can see the smoke coming from a coal mine nearby. This is on our walk home from the store. It got so cold I started to run to hurry and get to our dome.

PACKAGES FROM HOME

2009-01-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

January 7th was Christmas in Ukraine for most people we were so excited to get a phone call from the office saying, "you got a package."look what I got, oh there was more, lots more but this is the really good stuff, well.... O'K the Dark Chocolate Pretzels and Mint Oreos came pretty close.

Oh, and there was stuff for Bruce too, p-day clothes that fit, new jeans and t-shirts and LONG JOHNS TO KEEP HIS SKINNY BODY WARM!!!!Thanks Brad and Karrissa, Karrissa you are the best Christmas shopper ever.

P.S. I love my new lime green sweat suit and matching slippers

we had a Branch Christmas Party and Elders Fedotov and Kerr were able to bring the Puppet Show (Health Fair) and entertain everyone.

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I LOVE THE SNOW!!!I know everyone who knows me knows I am a California Girl. I love the sunshine, I love to sit in the sun and just soak it up. I love going barefoot. I LOVE opening the blinds and feeling the suns rays as I sit at my kitchen window.

BUT WHEN YOU WAKE UP TO A BLANKET OF THIS IT IS EASY TO FALL IN LOVE

WITH THE TRANSFORMATION THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE WHILE YOU SLEPT.

If I have learned anything on my mission it is to ADJUST

I have to ADMIT IT ................

I HATE BEING COLD!!!!!!!!

but with the right gloves, hat, scarf, socks, boots, long johns, and lots of layers. You hardly notice.

WE'RE BACK

2009-01-22T12:10:00.000-08:00

DID YOU MISS US?

This picture was taken in Kharkiv isn't it beautiful?

WE ARE STILL HERE WE JUST HAD SOME INTERNET PROBLEMS AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO USE THE INTERNET FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. In fact, I am not even sure if It is fixed yet. It is still working for a few hours then turning off.

I am sorry for not staying in touch with everyone. I know that many of you parents would love to see some pictures and learn about some of the recent happenings in the mission and I will try to do another post soon that will include some photos but there is something I really want to write about today.

Two days ago we watched our new President of the United States sworn in. I don't think I have ever been more proud to be an American. As I watched all of those people gathered to see this historical event I was deeply touched. Not because I love President Obama .....

frankly I don't really know alot about the man, (we have been on our Mission throughout the whole campaign which means we did not have much access to the News)

but

because I live in America

I was born in a Country where ....

change is possible.

It was not that long ago that Black people were asked to sit in the back of the bus, and to drink out of seperate drinking faucets. I remember when I was in Junior High I did a report about the Watts riots. I was deeply affected by this.

I remember that this is when I first started writing about my feelings. I was young and naive and I didn't really understand why Black people had been treated with such hatred. I grew up in a home where the creed "all men are created equal" was deeply rooted.

Today a black man will lead our country.

Oh there is a part of me that just wants to say, "why do we have to keep saying, The first black President"? Why can't we just acknowledge him as our next President.

The truth is.....

It's a big deal that our Country elected a Black Man, the same way it is a big deal that Hillary Clinton ran for President. This was a historical election. The first black man and the first woman running for office.

The fact that President Obama was elected gives the whole world hope

that things can change.

There is suffering all over the world. Wars, Hunger, Deadly Diseases, Tyrants who run Countries.

The Whole World needs to believe that change is possible.

As my husband and I sat in our small apartment in Ukraine watching our new President take the oath of office I was filled with pride.

I am so proud to be an American. To live in a Country where we are free to choose our religion. We are free to have our own opinions and to express them.

We are free to live where we choose without having to carry a document prooving that we are a legal resident of the country.

We have now lived outside of the United States for 14 months in a Country that does not have these same freedoms. I will go home a changed person.

I now understand why some Americans returning to the States after a tour of duty in the Military or after an extended absence from America bend down and kiss the ground.

The words "God Bless America" have new meaning to me.

You may not have voted for President Obama and he may not stand for some of the things you feel very strongly about but he was Elected to lead our Country.

Our church has 13 Articles of Faith that express some of the things that we believe in. The 12th Article of Faith states,

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

I am going to sustain the new President of the United States. When I complete this mission

I am going to go home and learn all I can about what his hopes for the future of our

Country are and do all I can to stand behind him.

WE'RE BACK FROM KHARKIV

2009-01-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

and we had such a great time.........

we saw some interesting sights.......

we attended a beautiful Baptism .............

we celebrated Sister Fry's birthday, and we spent time with the Jacob's and the Crittendon's who live in Kharkiv.

We had a mini-couples conference while we were there. It was so fun to get the Clark's, (our office couple) out of the office and take a little time to see the sights in Kharkiv. It was really the Clark's first time to leave Donetsk since arriving in Ukraine 17 months ago. We toured Church buildings, visited parks and monuments, walked to the the ice sculptures, rode the metro, visited with the missionaries who live in the Kharkiv area and had a wonderful time visiting with the Crittendon's and the Jacob's. In fact, they each had us over for dinner once and then we all went out to dinner our last evening in Kharkiv. Elder Kinghorn and I were joined by Olga who rode the train up so that we could go visit an Orphanage for a possible project. We are so grateful for President and Sister Fry and their great love for the missionaries. They really are awesome and we are so lucky to serve with them here in Ukraine.

TRIP TO KHARKIV

2009-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

SOME OF THE EXCITING THINGS GOING ON IN KHARKIVmissionaries getting haircuts.....missionaries getting mail

visiting with old friends

a skit by Sisters Fry and Kinghorn

AND
ZONE CONFERENCE

HEALTH FAIR

2009-01-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

We are so excited the two Health Fairs that we ordered several months ago have finally arrived. We now have 2 complete Puppet Shows to use in Donetsk and Kharkiv. The Jacob's and Elder Kinghorn and I have each been assigned a companionship of 2 Elders each who will go into hospitals, schools, and orphanages to perform the puppet shows. They are scripted shows that use adorable puppets to teach proper hygiene, nutrition, and health. There are two sections that will be used with older children to discuss the dangers of alcohol and drugs. The missionaries will be the puppeteers and the dialog is on a CD in Russian. In Donetsk we have been assigned Elders Kerr and Fedotov. They have been coming over a few times a week to practice. They are both doing so great. We have been very impressed with them. Yesterday we did our first performance at Zone Conference. They were awesome. We can't wait to take the show on the road. Tomorrow we go to Kharkiv for their zone conference and will get to observe Elders Greener and Badrusev as the puppeteers. I will post more pictures when we return.

MOTHERS

2008-12-31T12:20:00.000-08:00

I want to dedicate my first post of the Year

to Mothers I think that many of us have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. It is an awesome responsibility to be a mother and sometimes we think that we just don't measure up. I pray that as this New Year begins we will come to understand that our Heavenly Father never expected any of us to be perfect. He just wants us to do our very best. We may do things differently than our neighbors, we may make mistakes, we may not be the mother we hoped we would be but the important thing is that we are trying. The important thing is that we love our families deeply and that we keep working on becoming the mother we want to be.

I would like to share a statement from one of our Latter-day Saint Apostles, M. Russell Ballard

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be 'full-time moms,' at least during the most formative years of their children's lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

I pray that we will make a renewed commitment to strengthen one other. We all have unique parenting opportunities. Each family faces it's own challenges. Our children are living in a very difficult time and will face unique challenges of their own. Now more than ever before we need to be there for each other. We need to reach out and support one another. There is a proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child. Well today more than ever we need to be united. We indeed need a village of strong women united in the cause of protecting our children from the evils of the world.

If you know someone who is struggling please reach out to them in love. Do not judge them. There was only one perfect person who walked this earth and that was our Savior. Be an example of his endless love for us by being a good friend and neighbor.

BRANCH SERVICE PROJECT

2008-12-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

BEFORE PICTURESOF A BRANCH SERVICE PROJECT

We got a request from a branch in Makeyevka that wanted to do a service project. They wanted to help update a treatment room at a local hospital. The tile was falling off the walls, the windows were about 50 years old. The ceiling was molding and had missing tiles and the sink needed to be replaced.The Branch Members provided all the labor and the Humanitarian Aide Funds were used to purchase the materials.

Look how great it looks
This is what it looked like during the first stage of the project

We were so happy to see how well this Branch worked together to provide service to their community. I think it was a wonderful missionary tool. They made a lasting impression on the doctors as well as the patients.

2008-12-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF CHAPELS BELONGING TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS CLICK HERE

2008-12-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

I borrowed these really nice photos of Latter Day Saint Chapels in Ukraine from my friend Olga in Kiev she use to work for the construction department of the church and has some wonderful photos of the chapels.

PICASA WEB ALBUM PHOTOS

2008-12-27T02:24:00.000-08:00

I think I have discovered something new. If you click on the photo below you can go directly to Picasa Web album and view the photos from our trip to the boarding school. Once you are in Picasa you can view the photos in a slideshow. The photos at the end of just the missionaries are the group games we played. As you will see they got a little physical but it was really fun for everyone. We played alot of really fun games that encouraged cooperation and team building.

Christmas 2008 Boarding School visit

2008-12-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

For the son of man came to save that which was lost

Matthew 18:11

THIS IS WHAT WE WOKE UP TO TODAY

2008-12-24T23:12:00.000-08:00

MeRRy ChRiStMaSThe view from our balcony

Looking out our kitchen window

we love you all and are wishing you a joyous New Year filled with love and laughter

CHRISTMAS IN UKRAINE

2008-12-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with the missionaries in the Donetsk area on Sunday night with a fireside and a very nice dinner. After the talks that were given by the Senior Couples including President Fry and Sister Fry the missionaries were given gifts of handmade scarves that Sister Fry made. They were also given gifts that were donated by Sister Fry's daughters, mother, her neighbors, missionary moms, and ward members. Sister Fry made beautiful blankets for the Clark's and for us which will always be a special treasure.Then on Monday we spent the whole day together. We met at the church for a few hours to play some fun group games. You will see from the pictures that the missionaries had a great time. Then we had a great lunch and then boarded a very nice bus for a trip to Makeyevka to visit a Boarding School. The children live at this school. There were over 100 children of all ages who have been removed from their homes. They were not orphans they just did not have parents who were capable of taking care of them. The children were developmentally delayed. We divided the missionaries and the children into three groups and they were able to play together for an hour. We brought puzzles, board games, and balls that we played with and then left for the children. It was so much fun and the missionaries did such a wonderful job jumping right in and having a really good time with the children. In the one room with children who seemed to be between 4 and 10 years old where I spent most of my time they started out playing with puzzles and then balls and by the end of the hour there were about 20 children in a big circle playing duck duck goose. The director told us to "please come back anytime" she said, "you don't have to bring gifts the children just love the attention". I could tell it was so hard for the missionaries to say good-bye. It felt like the time just flew by. The Elders that live in Makeyevka are going to try to go back and visit on a regular basis. We encouraged the other missionaries to find orphanages, or boarding schools in their areas and do service there. We sang Christmas Carols on the way home. It was a very special Christmas one I am sure the missionaries will always remember. I know that I will.

2008-12-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Elder Hulet showing the kids how to flip a coin
The children playing duck duck goose with the missionaries

Elder Green playing catch with a group of children

Elder Doxey's group proud of finishing their puzzle