Aug 25, 2018

I am trying to figure out how to talk about the 2 different subjects I wanted to talk about.  They are so totally different, I don't know whether to do 2 posts or one really long one.

So I will just start with the one, and see how long it gets and then we will go from there.

People.

We have been overwhelmed with the love and friendship that we have been shown in the 10 short days we have been here.  From the other temple missionaries, from the patrons attending the temple, from the ward members, and from all of the texts, emails and Facebook sent by so many of you at home.

Our trainers have been Dorothy and Alan Tomlinson.  They have made us feel welcome and shown and taught us not only what to do in our temple assignment but where to shop and how to get around in Kiev. They are good friends. We are blessed to have been trained by them.  I was going to tell you all about the past 10 days, but Dorothy did a great job of summarizing it in her blog....  I will let you read hers!!!  here is it......  http://tomlinsonsinukraine.blogspot.com/

As you can read....  it has been a week filled with learning and fun.

We have been so impressed with the patrons who have come to the temple the past 2 weeks.   The first ones we met were a couple of sisters from Mongolia.   Yes, you read that right.   They traveled 5,000 miles to get here and that is like going from SLC to NYC and back!! Except for them it was just one way.  We were told that it the eastern coast of Canada was closer to Kiev, than there home was.  That is long way!!!   They were so sweet and so earnest to spend every minute they could doing ordinances for their ancestors.They were there every day and ALL day long. 

This week there has been a Youth Conference from Saratov, Russia.  I looked it up and that is about the distance from SLC to Austin TX.  There were a little over 70 of them counting leaders, families, and youth.  They stayed in the Patron housing next door to the temple and they were serious about what they came here to do.  We were told that the Kiev Temple averages about 500 ordinances a week.  This last Tuesday there was over 1400 ordinances done.  This group of young people set a goal of doing over 1000 baptisms and they started out with a BANG.  They were so organized, respectful and obedient.  They had Priests and Elders to assist in the work and once they were taught the proper procedure....   they were efficient and precise.   I became instant friends with many of the women who came with the group.  They would be in the temple all day long.  I was wasted and tired after my shift of only 6 hours and they had been there for both the morning and the afternoon shift.  What dedicated women. 

We have been so busy in the temple with them, we didn't even get any pictures.   I will try and remember to do that in the future.

The temple missionaries have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.  They have spoiled us.

I could tell you stories already about each one of them that have made us love them after such a short period of time.  They are loving, fun, dedicated to their Lord, and a great example.

The Temple President and Matron, the Roths (pronouced ROTE)  are the kind of people that you fall instantly in love with.  They are from Austria so they speak German, but, they also speak English, and Russian.  They are always happy and almost bubbly with life.

The  2nd counselor and his wife the Rotis (ponounced with a long I) have been particularly helpful both before we got here with lots of emails, and now we are here they are always there to make sure we have what we need and we are understanding what is going on.

I am so impressed with the language skills of all of these missionaries.  I hope that some day I will be able to be as good at it as they are. Brent is really catching on quite quickly.  He is working hard at memorizing and is really doing a great job. 

The missionaries come from a big variety of backgrounds.  Some have never been outside the US before. and others, this is their 5th mission.  I think there are 3 past mission presidents.    The 1st councilor is from Ukraine.  They came to Kiev when the conflicts began in their hometown of Donetsk  (I think)    When he went back a couple of weeks later to check on his house.  It had been ransacked and everything including his son's baby grand piano was gone.  They had nothing.  They had previously put in their mission papers and then when they came to Kiev they were called as temple workers.He was then called as 1st councilor in the temple presidency. (They are the couple on the far right on the back row) 

That is just 4 of the 13 couples.  So you can see we are truly blessed with good people to be working with and learning from for the next 18 months.

Here is what the temple grounds look like. (Doesn't it look a lot like the Ogden Temple?!!?)  The apartments to the rear on the right are the missionary housing and the patron housing.  The building you can only see part of on the right is our ward building. We attend the international ward there.  That building also houses the Kiev Mission office and one more ward.   Our ward is a mix of many different nationalities, but English is the main language that is spoken.  Sunday the opening prayer was given in Ukrainian, the meeting was conducted in English and the closing prayer was given in Nigerian. It is a great mix of people who all come together for the same reason.  To partake of the Sacrament, to worship, and to learn. 

I think I will do another blog in a few days to address the other subject.  It will have a lot more pictures and will show the things here that are the same and are different.  Until then......

God Bless

Бог благословил

(Bog blagaslaveel)

Brent and Jan

We made it.

Monday Aug 13th - lucky 13th - right!?!

Off to the airport we go.  We are so excited to be off on this new adventure.  Upon arrival at the  airport we are informed that our flight had been delayed.  Not a big deal.  We should have plenty of time on the other end.    So off we go on our 2 1/2 hour flight to Minneapolis.

Our 777 that is taking us to Paris is HUGE.  The pilot came out to the waiting area and talked to us a little bit about it.  He was so excited to be flying it.  He said it was the finest in the fleet. We were extra excited because for Mother's Day Brent bought us an upgrade for this  8 hour flight.  It was  so nice to not be so crowded. 

 We weren't the only ones who thought that an upgrade was a good idea.  First we walked through 1st class...  there was over 70 first class BED lounge compartments, We were in comfort plus and there must have been almost 250 of us in that section...   then in the back was probably less than 150 in economy class.   So, if my observations were correct there was more than twice as many people with upgrades on the plane than there were regular economy seats.   THAT IS CRAZY!!  

But it really doesn't matter if you have upgrades or not if the plane doesn't work!!  We were told that the power was out in the Galley and they didn't want us to go 8 hours without eating, so they had us get off the plane and wait for 2 hours while they called in another twin plane and got it ready to go.  

A little - on the side -   When we walked into the boarding area in Minneapolis I got the distinct feeling that I had been here before.  Then I realized that that was the exact gate that we had been at on a choir tour.  It brought back a flood of memories of times with the choir.   A tender mercy for today!!!

After over 3 hours of waiting we finally got off the ground and we on our way to Paris.  It really was a lovely plane.

We arrived in Paris 40 minutes after our connection to Kiev had departed.  It took a couple of hours to get reassigned, ride the shuttle to get to another part of the airport (that took 45 min all by it's self) so we could fly out on Ukrainian International Air - hoping that our luggage followed us from Air France to UIA.

And we are off...   our first ON TIME flight of the day....   WAHOOOOO!  

It was a relaxing flight and we got a row to ourselves and got to get a little sleep and finished the book I started in SLC.

WE ARE IN UKRAINE!!! 

We ended up standing on the plane for 1/2 hour or so waiting for the shuttle to come pick us up.  Passport check line was a little long, but not bad.  So getting to luggage we expected them to be waiting for us....  but not so.   We waited a bit and a few more from the flight came, then they were done.  HMMM.....   4 large 50lb suitcases MIA.

Brent filled out all the paperwork, got the documentation done and almost 2 hours after landing headed out to see if we had a ride.

And there they were.....   Our wonderful Temple President and his wife had waited and waited for us and were the smiling faces that made it all worthwhile.  They are such sweet people and they set the tone for what is sure to be the most wonderful next 18 months.

Pres Roth took us for a walk around the temple grounds while Sr Roth whipped up some wonderful curry chicken for us.  We were blessed to meet our trainers the Tomlinsons and they ate with us.

Our apartment for now is a few blocks away from the temple.  It is a new apartment in a tall complex.  The Temple missionary sisters  set it up so nicely with even homemade cookies and muffins.  Such sweet people.   We are going to love this place and these people.  I can just feel it.

             

Here is Elder Petersen with our apartment complex in the background.  We are the 3rd building in - on the 2nd floor.  It is about a 8-9 min walk to the temple,  Walking is the way things are done here.  Temple Missionaries don't have cars or bikes....  so it is our feet and the public transportation for us!!  Here is what the small buses look like.  We take them to access the metro and the subway.

 

Our first day out our phone registered over 14K steps.  Today we had 8K before noon.   I think I may get my 10K in without even trying!!! 

We went to lunch with some of the temple missionaries and had our first experience with local flavor.  It was absolutely yummy!!  All of this plus dessert for 100 UAH which equals $3.65.    I think I may be eating out a lot!!

 We went to a large mall and store today to try and get some food and supplies to get us by until the luggage arrives and to stock up our apartment.  It is one of the largest stores - maybe even larger than Costco- in the city and definitely looks different than the small shops outside.

I

It has lots of things that are the same as what we are used to, but then there are some that I have never seen before.   For example....  Eggs.   Lots of regular boxes of eggs.  But, then there are these 

I should have put something next to them for proportions, but I am guessing the spotted ones are quail eggs, they were 1/2 the size of a regular chicken egg.  The ones in the basket must be ostrich,  I can't think of any other bird that would have an egg that size.  They were HUGE.  I have been trying to think of something about that size to compare it to....  maybe a cantaloupe? a big one or maybe a small single size watermelon.  Needless to say... they were big.

Mayonnaise heaven!!  There was a whole row of mayo....   many different brands and flavors....  but they are in a bag!  

Well, we have been here almost 48 hours.  We still don't have our luggage, but we have rumors that they may be in Ukraine...  so hopefully they are getting closer.

We have met most of the Temple missionaries that we will be working with.  We have settled into the apartment.  We have had some wonderful meals with great people.  And tomorrow we get to start serving in the temple.  We are so blessed.  

God Bless

Бог благословил

Brent and Jan