Post trip to DNP

As you know we took a 11 day trip through the DNEP mission, in Southern Ukraine, with Pres. and Sister Abraham and the APs. We took the train to DNEP and then made a car excursion with them. Right outside of the city the first thing we started to see was fields of sunflowers. So natuarally we asked them to stop and get a picture. We stopped in the best field of the whole trip. These sunflowers are as tall as we are. So we all took pictures among the flowers. They use the sunflowers in Ukraine for cooking oil. Haven't ever seen this many sunflowers before even in the state of Kansas. They were beautiful - took a couple of pictures for Julie.


Besides taking in a few attractions we mainly went to access and prioritize the medical clinic and hospitals in the area. We also visited a few dental clinics. We go through LIC, an insurance referring company, here in Kiev because they can talk the language. They have contracted with clinics to see the patients but it is amazing some of the clinics they contract we. We wonder if they have ever done an onsite visit with them. We also gave a few power point presentations at Zone Conferences. Hope the missionaries are getting the message - have TB skin test done on return home and to watch what they eat - and bleach their food. Three out of the 4 missionaries in our district now report they are bleaching. We tease the 4th and tell him he is just waiting to happen. Since we have been back have been teaching English again, had a going home meal for the District last evening, Elder Weissburg, our Lamanite missionary, will be heading home next Tuesday. He has been a great missionary working hard till the end, but Elder Jacobs has been trying to make him trunky this past month. Will have the MP's three sons over today. They are becoming "bored" as they have not received their household good from the states and they have been here for a month. There is a river near us with a small recreation park; slides, paddle boats, trampoline, etc. so Dad volunteered to watch them. We will see how that goes. Trying to give them a break from the city life of sidewalks, metros, and rentinks.

On this trip I found that Sister Abraham like to also take pictures of the local life so see pointed out a lot of new sites to me. The following is a picture of a wedding car. They decorate the cars and travel to the cival authorities to get married. Once married they then travel to a lot of the city's points of interest to take wedding pictures at the different sites.




The following pictures are to give you just a little bit of the local color of the country of Ukraine. The first picture is in Kherson and is one of a local open market "rentink". This one was interesting to me as it was all under one roof and a large area. In Obalone our rentinks are not as large as this one.


This is a picture of the women milking the cows for the evening - and it is all done right out in the open fields. Just had to get this picture!


The following is a picture of the "goat lady". She is taking the goats out for the day and this was in a pretty big city.


These young men were not to excited about us trying to get a picture of them - they really had scows on their faces but we thought their mode of transportation on the highway was interesting.

And as always, where ever we go they are just piles of trash. No one seems to think of putting it in the bins or to clean up that which is just littering the land.


We saw several old Greek Cities that started about 600 BC. Just a few pictures of the ruins, will have to tell more about them once we get home and I sort out where we were for sure. The names of these towns become very confusing, to me at least.











These last pictures are from the Yalta area. The palace is where Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt signed the Yalta treaty. Roosevelt stayed in the palace that was one of the living places for the Romanoff family before they were all killed about 1918.




This is the table they sat around to sign the treaty - was not actually in this room as they still use this as a meeting place and they needed a larger table.

This was the headboard to Roosevelt's bed - he liked this room so much that he wanted to recreate it in the White House. However, he soon died after making this trip.


This is the palace - they used it to accomadate Roosevelt's health problems.


Must close for now. Need to get ready for the MP'S children. We are both doing well, just getting a little older - John's BD was yesterday and mine will be soon. Hope all is going well in Pocatello. We did get to visit the Orr's from Poky will on our trip to DNEP. Had the Lee's over - it is good to visit with them when we start to feel lonely. Have a senior gathering tomorrow night that should be fun. Will leave for the Donestk mission about the 14th for a nother tour. Want to show you one more picture of the doorway to a clinic we visited - and we wonder about the health care.


Sorry failed to rotate it before I wanted to post. And then above the reception desk to the surgical center.



Only in Ukraine is our response. Luv you all, M&D, GM&GP, J&J

Leaving for Crimea

The hot water is back on. This is the condition of the water for about two hours after it came on. This is after cleaning the pipes!










The new Mission President and his family arrived the first of July. They have 3 sons that they brought with them. Jordan 17, Morgan 14and Slade 9. It will be a real challenge for them to keep the kids busy and to get all the mission work done. Sister S. will probably not travel as much as Sister Davis did. But this first week they have been gone. The Pres. left last Sat. and are traveling with the family throughout the mission field, so the boys will get some idea of the area and meet the missionaries. The Davis traveled almost 3000 miles every six weeks to hold interviews, zone conf, etc., don't think the Stin. will do that much together.



The normal metro cars are these plain blue and yellow ones. But every once in a while you can see a colorful one. This white one is decorated with computers. We have also seen one for Snickers and another for Rochen product, mainly cakes. Will have to see if I can catch their pictures. They come in and leave so fast one has to be ready for the snap!



We will be going by train back to the Southern end of Ukraine. Will be gone for almost two weeks. Will be giving our health presentations and visiting hospitals and clinic. It should be a busy few days. The last day will be in Yalta Crimea. That is where the WWII treaty was signed so will be doing a little historical touring for one day. We will then fly back into Kiev. We pray that you are all doing well. We know that a lot is going on - but stay in contact with each other.




This is a KBAC truck. They are all over the city. They dispense a drink made out of bread, water, sugar (maybe some barley seeds) and yeast. They start appearing the first of the summer and the liquid is just added to as it is depleted. I can only imagine what you are drinking by the end of the summer. It probably really ferments good from all the heat. Some of the missionaries I hear are drinking this stuff! Sounds almost like a beer receipe to me. Sometimes I wonder if missionaries really don't do STUPID things. We tell them no --- but!



Thought this was a interesting fountain.

We went to the Lee's for a fourth of July celebration. The Senior couples met at their home for a potluck dinner. We then played a game and then just sat around telling about our most embarrassing experiences and then one of our most spiritual. It was a good time together - there are some great senior couples here. Give the kids hugs and kisses for us. Luv, M&D