HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!   

I know it is a little late in the month....  but I still wish it for you!!

Brent at the Nativity display at the Temple

What a season of happiness and reflection it has been since we last posted.  The Christmas Season was filled with activities, service, Love, Missing family, and of course, the Temple. We had Temple missionaries leave and new ones come.  And there is always the constant of being surrounded by wonderful people who are doing their best to do what they are asked to do here, a long way away from their families, and serve as many people as they can in this wonderful area of the Lord's kingdom.

Rather than doing a summery of a very busy and eventful few weeks, We decided to share with you some of our insights - and things we have learned from study, classes, letters, and friends.

Since it is a new year...  We will start with a thought from the Kyiv Mission Mom. They sends a letter to all their missionaries once a month.  We are lucky enough to receive the letter, even though we are not in their mission.  One of the big take-aways from the letter was a statement from her daughter.  We all have noticed how hard the month of January usually is...  and it seems to be especially challenging this year.  Here is what her daughter told her:

Christmas is a season of Hope. As we are coming out of the Christmas season, many people have renewed determination and resolve to do and be better. 
Of course, Satan is going to work his hardest to create contention and unhappiness when everyone wants to focus on the Savior and be better people

That makes total sense to me.  Now that I can recognize what is happening and why, I am better capable of dealing with it.

Last year we had an amazing team teaching our Sunday School class.  They made very insightful points and directed me to new understandings in the Old Testament.  They are going home in a couple of weeks, and when they spoke in church last Sunday I was so impressed with these good people.  We are going to miss them terribly - their wisdom, their kindness, their goodness, and their friendship. 

 Two things I would like to share that I gained from their talks:
Joanna:  
Always pray to have EYES that see the best in people.
A HEART that forgives the worst.
A MIND that forgets the bad.
And a SOUL; that NEVER loses Faith in God.

Then from Ralph:  I found out that he worked with Mathematics in his previous (un-retired) life.  In his very left brained way he laid out the foundation of truth and faith.  It was unbelievable how he made it so logical and sound.  Here is an excerpt from his talk:

When you set out to develop a geometry, an algebra, a calculus, or a topology, you first define the most basic elements or objects that you wish to study.

Then, you set forth a set of axioms which describe properties or behaviors you assume to be inherently or obviously true of the items you have defined.

Axioms don’t require proof.  You accept them as the bedrock ideas from which all the rest of your mathematics is developed.

Once you have stated your axioms, you proceed to develop theorems and corollaries that flow logically from those axioms.  If you have chosen your axioms carefully, elaborate and sophisticated geometries, algebras, calculuses, and topologies can be derived.

Are the theorems found in any area of mathematics true, as we commonly understand the term ‘truth’?  It’s true theorems can be proven logically to hold, given the axioms on which they are based.  

Why had I never heard that before?   I love that I have AXIOMS in my life!!!   They don't need to be proven.  They are the bedrock and the foundation of all my theorems.  (wow...  that sounds really high brow for me....  but that truth sat very well in my heart and I love it!!)

Our new Sunday School teachers are totally different than the last, but bring to the class ways we can apply the New Testament to our own lives, and they are guiding us through the new "Come Follow Me" program. (that I love - by the way)

Another Husband and wife team that give us insights and direction that I have found very helpful.

Here are some of the quotes that I have loved:

This thought on Timing.....   WOW!!  What a great reminder.

In my studies this month I have been researching and exploring the Atonement of the Savior.  Through those studies I learned a  lot about Meekness....   what I have learned: 

Meekness is an essential part of Divine Nature and can only be received and developed in us because of, and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  

That lead me to look at meekness a little deeper - In Elder Bednar's talk in April Conference I learned:

Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint.

Meekness is    strong, not weak

active, not passive

courageous, not timid

restrained, not excessive

modest, not self-aggrandizing

gracious, not brash.

A meek person is    

       not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing

                                and

      readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others.

The most majestic and meaningful examples of meekness are found in the life of the Savior Himself.  [His] meekness in the eternally essential and excruciating experience [of Gethsemane] demonstrates for each of us the importance of putting the wisdom of God above our own wisdom. (Bednar)

I hope I can incorporate more meekness in my nature this year.

One of our neighboring couples gave Brent a new book to read by Terryl and Feona Givens .  It is called "The Christ who Heals"  He was very impressed with their last book "The God that Weeps".  This one begins by looking at the history of the early Christian Church, and how "plain and precious truths were lost"  He would highly recommend it. 

Finally, As a celebration of all of our birthdays, and the beginning of the new year, we invited Bruce Chandler (and his cute wife Kathy) to lead us all in a drum circle.  I had always been fascinated  with drum circles and never had the opportunity to participate.  So when I heard that Bruce used them in his counseling and therapy sessions both at home in SLC and here as a Senior Family Services Missionary - I asked him to lead us in one.   WHAT A BLAST!!  I loved the camaraderie, the lessons learned, and of course the RHYTHM.

Two points of learning I took from the evening was that we all have a rhythm that directs our life, and understanding Bruce's description of the the Mother Drum.  In a drum circle the Mother Drum is the drum that sets the rhythm, the beat, the tempo for everyone to follow.  He then explained that we all have a Mother Drum in our life.  A rhythm that we hook our inner rhythms to.  A rhythm that controls the rhythm of our life.  He explained that when he did drum circles in prisons to inmates in counseling sessions - he would ask them what their Mother drum was.  In almost every case it was a mother drum that carried a bad rhythm.  Drugs, Gangs, addictions, their rhythm was dictated by their mother drums rhythm. 

In a season of life where many of my friends are having their Earthly mothers leave this planet and return to Our Heavenly Father and Savior to continue their journey....   I am grateful to my earthly Mother who helped me set my rhythm on a  Mother Drum that has created a positive rhythm for my life - and help me understand just how important the rhythm of life is.  Where to listen for my Mother Drum, How to know truth when I hear it, and to choose to follow my Savior.

Sending you love and hugs from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Jan and Brent