Baby It's Cold Inside!1

The hot water has been turned off again in our apartment for the last 4 days. It is do to the "crisis" we are told. Even the PM here said she was without hot water! As we had our friends up when we heard this on the news they were all laughing and said that she "lied". They would not dare turn off any of the hot water in the Center area where all the politicians live and where the businesses are. However the hot water also controls the heat in the apartments and it is colder in here than it was last winter and the registers are cooler so they somehow must also control the heat by how hot the water is that flows through the pipes. We were to go downstairs last night to play games and about 20 minutes before we were to go down we had a knock on the door and it was them. They said it was to cold in their apartment so they came up - they live on the ground floor so it is colder. We fortunately have two units that are either heaters or air conditioners so we turn them on and in Sept. we bought a small space heater that can warm the place up. I just wonder how the children and the "older" citizens survive! They also said all the bills aren't getting paid so they will just give less money to the pensioners to pay the water bills. Oh, well life in Ukraine as usual.

We had a good trip to Bulgaria. For the most part the area was about the same. It did have mountains around the city as we flew in and Dad thought it reminded him of home. The streets are narrower and the buildiings not as tall and not as many but the litter is still there, the old paved streets, lots of cracks in the sidewalks and buildings with no outward care. We did enjoy the few days we were there. Stayed in a really nice hotel and actually had some KFC and even a Buger King hamburger.

We will not be traveling much the rest of the time here as we have been to all the countries except the Baltics. We continue with English and a few calls from the missionaries. Had a broken finger and foot, 2 different people, this week. Not much else. Which is good.

Hope things are going good at home. we know that there are a few trials but just rely on the Lord. We do love you all. May this Holiday be full of fun family times. Luv M&D

Christmas in Ukraine

Just a quick note to show you that we are ready for Christmas here in Ukraine. The ornaments are the ones the grandchildren will get for their next year's ornaments. Will be gone for the next 4 days so have a great weekend. PS. The tree is only about 3 ft. tall just wanted you to think it is big. Luv MOM

Leaving Again - This time to Bulgaria!

This is the latest picture of your Mother and Dad having dinner with the RS General Board Member and the Primary Pres. They were touring the Ukraine Mission.



This is our District after the Thanksgiving meal. Forgot to take one before the meal. Elders Rupp, Hamilton, Trasdahl and Wahl. It was great to fix a meal for them since no family showed up for the day. One IOP teacher's mother and sister surprised her!!!


We are doing good. Hope this month is a White December for our Mission!! Remember the real purpose of this month and share what you have as much as you can. Teach the kids it is a great time to do service for others.

We will be going to Bulgaria on Friday to renew our Visa. A requirement that we have to do every year. So you can tell we are coming up on the year anniversary - 7 Jan. 2009!! Will stay a few extra days to give a presentation - that area is also in our assigned mission coverage. For the most part the mission has been relatively healthy. The missionaries must be following the rules - OBEDIENCE- does bring results and blessings. May you all find joy in this season - our tree is up. The lights have already burned out after one day!! Oh, as the saying goes - only in Ukraine. But it is up - hope your greatest desires come true as you remain valiant in your doings. Luv M&D, GM&GP

Thinking of Thanksgiving!

Dear Family,



During 1941, a notice in the newspaper notified all the Jews in the Kiev area to report here, bringing with them all of their possessions. They incorrectly thought they were being sent back to Israel or a gehtto. Instead they were executed, told to go to the ravine and then shot. There are reports of 33,000 (documented) - 100,000 killed, according to inscription on base of monument. Then the bodies were covered with dirt and another group was executed on top. This was during the Stalin reign in Russia. What a great tragedy in the history of Ukraine!

"All [Jews] living in the city of Kiev and its vicinity are to report by 8 o'clock on the morning of Monday, September 29th, 1941, at the corner of Melnikovsky and Dokhturov Streets (near the cemetery). They are to take with them documents, money, valuables, as well as warm clothes, underwear, etc. Any [Jew] not carrying out this instruction and who is found elsewhere will be shot. Any civilian entering flats evacuated by [Jews] and stealing property will be shot." Copy of newspaper article and posters. This was supposedly in retaliation for some bombings that occured in Kiev after the Germans came in and the Russians had fled.



The monument errected to the memory of those that died.





This man came up to me while I was standing at the monument and told me that his grandfather had lost his life here.

We visited this area a couple of weeks ago - but wanted to share how careful of our freedoms and blessed our country has been so far. We need to willingly continue protecting those freedoms with which we have been blessed.

At this time of year our thoughts go to pondering about all of our blessings. So here goes the top 10 things we are thankful for:

10.Opportunities that we have in America

9.Freedoms that we enjoy in America - especially religious

8.Our ancestors that have dealt with things we will never haft to face because of their willingness to go before

7.This beautiful land/earth that we are blessed with

6.Everyone's good health - now stay that way

5.The increase faith and blessings that come by living and following the commandments

4.All of my extended family-including the 24 grandchildren, that they have blessed our lives with

3.All of our children - even the trials they gave us, notice I did not say give, they are now yours, we can only spoil them :)

2.Each other

1.Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ

We will have Thanksgiving dinner here for our District and then go to Center for a evening with the Senior Couples. I need to make pumpkin pies so I guess I had better cut up this pumpkin and make the base for them. Oh, that was so long ago when I did things like that!

We did go to Odessa this past week. Rode the train down - interesting night of sleep. It was really a rough, swaying ride and we must have stopped at about 5 train stations during the trip. We survived which was the most important thing. Got in about 6:30 and went to the Church to hang out for Zone Conference to begin. Gave our presentations and that evening met with a Doctor, church member, and wife who had helped us make appointments to look at medical facilities the next day. They were a great couple , he was baptized during the first year of the church here.

The next day we went surveying medical and dental facilities. Found some good ones. That evening we had supper with Pres. and Sister Piper, Area Pres, Sister Lant and Sister Thompson who both had been in Ukraine to help with training of the local auxillaries. We had met them last week when they gave a fireside in Kiev but we enjoyed talking with them again.

We returned Saturday evening. Church on Sunday and this last evening the couple from downstairs were to come up for FHE with the missionaries. Unfortunately the husband had to work late and did not get here until the missionaries had to leave. We still watched Finding Happiness and had a small discussion. They are really good about reading the Bible and have a good basis. I don't know what will eventually happen but we are to play games at their home Friday night and go bowling on Saturday with them, oh, those bones, those aching bones.

Tonight we will teach English, tomorrow is a farewell supper for Sister Lee, Thurs. English again, Friday game night, Sat. bowling and RS VT meeting. Think that about does it for this week and then next week is Thanksgiving week! We do fit some medical help in there as it is needed. May you all have a great week is our prayer. Miss you all. Luv. M&D, GM&GP, J&J

Traveling Again!

Our week was again a very quiet one. District Meeting, lunch with the missionaries, teaching our two nights of English conversations, taking our neighbors to Fridays and then to a baptism on Saturday night. Oh, and on Wednesday we had zone conference where we gave our power point presentations and at the end receiving word that mother had passed away. We were saddened about that news but so thankful that she did not have to suffer long - she had already lost so much of her ability to remeber and function physically that it was good that she went rapidily in the end. As Jan and I were talking I think the hard thing to realize is that we are now our mother's age and we are getting closer to the end than the beginning. The facing of mortality on this Earth becomes more real. I appreciated the poem Sarah posted on the Lackey Legand. This is but a short time here and we have the eternities to learn more and to interact with others. Life is good.


We are traveling to Odessa on an over night train - will see how well we can sleep on it. John has really not wanted to experience this but the Pres. is going down and we are going with them. Will fly back Saturday evening. Going to check out some clinics.

Hope all is going well at home. We do love you all. Take care. Luv Mom and Dad

Oct. Activities

I know - as a mother I am suppose to write every week - and I have really good intentions but alas at times I fail. We have not been very exciting lately but we are plugging along. We have been fielding the medical calls from Russia for the last six weeks but have found that not to add a lot of time to our medical calls. That must mean that the missionaries are staying healthy. Don't think we sent any to a medical clinic during Sept and Oct. which I think must be a first for us - that was at least here in Kiev. Have not had any sick enought to go home since the first of August - think that is a great blessing!

Just a short recap of the past three weeks. We had a good Senior Conference where we discussed some changes, ideas and problems. All in all a good time for all. We had three new senior couples there. We did do a half day of sight seeing around Kiev and saw some places we had not had the opportunity to go before. Went to Valdimir's statue which is also the place where Elder Packer dedicated the land in 1991. One night we also went to the Opera House where we saw the ballet "The Wedding of Figaro". Surprisingly we both enjoyed it very much - as we have not gone to the ballet very much in our lives, we also thought the performers were very good.

On Saturday evening we had the young couple from downstairs up for dinner. Natasha was here and they asked if they could go to church with us, not tomorrow but the following Sunday. We told them it was Stake Conference then but would be glad to take them the following Sunday, yesterday. We also watched August Rush with them which they enjoyed very much. They are a really nice couple, have been married just over a year, no children, both working.

We taught English lessons these past two weeks. Having some success in getting a few investigators from those attending. There is a young man, Eugene, who has been attending some that asked the missionaries for discussions on his own. He is getting married this week so haven't seen him much at class but he has been meeting with the missionaries. We hope there was something we "said" that helped him be interested. Last Saturday evening we had another class member over for supper with her husband and daughter. (Sister Lee and Natasha were also her.) They are both doctors but work in the pharmacuetical field. Dad in the past always ask if there are any special food habits, this time he failed to do that as Natahsa was doing the talking. So when it came time to eat they took salad and that was all. Come to find out they are all vegetarians. However, I had a great dish of steamed vegetables and they did not even eat that. Now they did eat the dessert, one of BC cake mixes and ice cream. Natasha thinks some of their eating habits may be a religious issue. So if they would be interested in the gospel is a wait to see thing. Dad thinks maybe - he liked the husband as he is a mountain biker!

We had District meeting here the past two weeks. Lots of changes in the District. Elder Jacobs went home this past week - well actually his parents came to pick him up and we had supper with them this past Wednesday night. They are still in the area but will leave this week. He is a great young man and always worked hard as a missionary. He was the zone leader along with Elder Higgins. Since Elder Jacobs was leaving we thought Elder Higgins would be left but we got "white washed" again. Elder Higgins was made AP. Elder Imangazi who has been with us since he arrived on his mission in March also left. He was sent out West. He was the 18yo that got to come on his mission early and he is a supper missionary. Has already been a trainer for two transfers and got sent out as a trainer again much to his displeasure. Think he had 3-4 baptisms in the last area and left with three to be baptized this Saturday. Since his is "native" I think he had a good understanding of the people, and they like him, and he doesn't have that language barrier.

Now, to finish the rest of the story about the young couple wanting to attend church with us. We stopped by last Thursday to see if they still wanted to go and they responded yes. So we told them we would pick them up at 10:30 on Sunday. Sunday I went down around 10:30 and they were waiting outside their apartment ready to go. I had not told them it would be a three hour meeting but they stayed for the whole time with us. It was Fast and Testimony meeting and with no microphone. The other lessons were on chasity and families. On the way home they were talking in "Russian" but later they told us that they were glad they had gone and the lessons had made them "happy" as they were about families. So tonight they are going to come up again and we will have a English song "I am a Child of God". They both love to sing and have a Karoke machine in their home. They want to learn more English but also wants us to read Bible /BOM with them. Dad is also going to give a short lesson. We told them about Family Night and they liked that concept. Pray for them. Somehow we need to make the transition from only us to the missionaries, as we are inadequate to teach them.

Pray all is going well at home. Now there is alot of uncertainity in the nation but things can still be good within the home. Make yours a place where the children can feel love, peace and security. Love your spouses, show them love, and tell them you love them at least 5 times per day. (acts of love,service, displays of affection, and verbal affection to each member of the family 5x.day makes for a loving family). Make yours one! Luv u all! M&D, GM&GP, J&J

Week of Sr. Conference

This past week has again been rather uneventful. We have been in town all week with no travel. Did not even go site seeing. Now the only exciting thing that really happened is that your mother got a color boost. I decided if I had made it half way I could get a remodeling job and since I haven't really changed the size of the body the hair will do. What do you think?

Now as for the picture of last week. Everywhere we go Dad finds it interesting that he never ever sees any bathroom facilities or gets told about any. So at this castle as we stood in this small area under these chutes we were told that this is the area that collected all the refuse from the toilets and if we looked up we could see the toilets. They had open bottoms in them and everything fell out to the yard below. Then she said that the one was a double decker and you had to watch out if you were on the bottom. Dad was impressed that he got an answer without asking the "dumb question."


This week is Sr. Conference Week and this time it is in Kiev. We will have the Williams stay with us for the next four nights which we are excited to have them. They are from Penigree and a really nice couple. We will be doing some site seeing and then have meetings and activities. There will be 10 couples, we have three new ones as of this month. Supposedly two more are coming but the Andersons will go home in Oct. and the Lees in Dec.. I have been trying to bake cookies for dessert one evening but that is always interesting to say the least. My oven has this idea that if it is getting to hot it just turns off the flame to control the temperature. And then it just cools off and does not relite itself - so sometimes I am not mindful of the fire and the cookies just don't get done at the designated time. Oh, well it's Ukraine!


These last pictures are the evolution of a flower bed during the growing season in Ukraine. They have replanted this same flower bed about four times . Spring tulips, early summer blue flower, hot summer just a few flowers as they wait for the heat to pass - early fall salvisa, etc. I thought this was pretty all year and they took a lot of care with the flowers.










We heard that most of you have already had the first snow of the season and it is not even Halloween yet. Actually I can remember getting snow one year about 29 Sept. but they did not report that being the earliest snow. Hope that is not an indication of how the winter will be in the city - mountains fine. We are trying to keep busy - at least we are still plugging along. Hope all is going well for all of you. The most important thing is for there to be love in each of your families, for your spouses and your children. Tell them that you love them. HF loves them. And their GP love them. Luv, M&D, GM&GP, J&J