In Kharkov . . .

We stayed at the Aurora Hotel . . .

. . . in a business suite

which had a pretty little enclosed patio where we studied together.   We ate lovely food.

which tasted every bit as good as it looked.  We enjoyed being in the company of both other mission couples and President and Sister Fry.  Elder and Sister Aagard sat across the table from us; Elder and Sister Burr to our left with President and Sister Fry to the right of the Aagard's.

Elder and Sister Burr were our host couple in Kharkov.  They live out of the center of town in an area called Холодная Гора, (Cold Mountain), where they have a small house with a lawn to mow, apricot and apple trees and a vegetable garden.  They were wonderful tour guides, pointing out beautiful, thought-provoking, sobering and culturally enlightening sites. 

We found the old buildings fascinating. 

We had breakfast at McDonald's.

We watched pre-schoolers dance while their teacher accompanied them on the accordian.

We traveled on автобус, метро, такси, and маршрутка, from one side of the city to another, exploring the open markets, open air and covered пыноки, (pronounced reeniks) as well as visiting an actual shopping mall. 

 The largest art пынок in Kharkov pops up in the middle of a beautiful city park at 9 am every morning throughout the summer, then disappears with the sun, only to appear again the next morning.  Here one can find paintings, statuary, leather, pottery, weaving, handwork, crafts and cultural artifacts. 

Barbashova is an immense пынок (or flea market) that every elder MUST visit before leaving Ukraine, if only to shop at the "tie stall" where hundreds of men's ties are available in every style and color imaginable for a fraction of what they would cost in the states.

The Assistants to the President served as our tour guides another day when we went with Sister Fry both shopping and touring.  The largest Cathedral in Kharkov, the Annunciation Cathedral is affectionately called the "candy-striped Cathedral" by English speakers. 

There were other sights much more sobering.

Kharkov (Харьков) is the second largest city in Ukraine. It has less of the mining-industrial feel than other cities in Ukraine that we have visited. It is touted as a cultural and educational center in the country, with 60 scientific Institutes, 30 establishments of higher education, 6 museums, 7 theatres and 80 libraries. In the central part of the city is a beautiful, big square called Freedom Square, which is said to be the sixth largest city square in Europe, and the 12th largest square in the world.

Public transport is the major means of locomotion here, just as it is in Donetsk. But unlike Donetsk, Kharkov has a "Metro" or subway, and so exploring the city via subway became another great adventure. The trains are fast and colorful and crowded, and they have stops in all areas of the city.

We learned how to change grevin into tokens and how to use the tokens to pass through the turnstyles into the subway tunnels. At first it was very intimidating to imagine traveling on these high-speed underground trains without experienced help. Elder and Sister Burr said that it was not a problem as long as you learned to listen for the name of the stop you needed. Sure enough, with intense listening, we could recognize stop names when they were called out in Russian. We were just glad that they did not limit announcements to Ukranian because we have not yet acquired Ukranian vocabulary. The interiors of the subway stations were amazing. Each section of the subway was decorated in a different style, but all were interesting, artistic and ornate with amazing chandeliers and tile-work.

If you are not aggressive getting onto the metro, you do not get in. Once you are in the car, it is important to stand with feet wide-spread, brace yourself and reach for something to hang onto. Riding the Metro is fast, efficient and reliable, but we think it would take a bit of getting used to.

Донецьк (Donetsk) to Харкiв (Kharkov) on the Night Train

 Zone Conference was to be held in Kharkov providing an opportune time for all couples in the mission to get together one last time before with President and Sister Fry return home.  It was also a great opportunity for us to view all of the apartments in the northern part of the mission.  In order to arrive in time for the previously scheduled apartment checks, we would be traveling by train.

Tuesday evening we were driven to the train station.  We had tickets on the "night train" to Kharkov.  We purchased four tickets for the  two of us, giving us private use of one full sleeping compartment on the train. 

Our departure time was 9:00 PM.  We were boarded and settled in our "kupe" long before departure.  Everything required exploration and discovery, including how to turn on the compartment lighting and how to open, lock, and unlock the compartment door.

Each compartment had four bunks: two upper and two lower.  Bedding was provided in a sealed plastic bag.  A toilet room was located at one end of each car, but we completed our trip without exploring that accomodation. The bunks were compact, the sleeping pads firm; the railroad atmosphere unmistakeable, complete with auditory, visual, and tactile stimulation.  The sense of being part of some unreal and fantastic story was unmistakeable.  Dad steeled himself for a sleepless night, certain that the rattling and tapping at the door of our kupe must be one of the "Death Eaters" from Harry Potter's adventures.

 

 Morning did arrive and so did we.  Without benefit of toothbrush, shaving cream or comb we disembarked in the city of Kharkov.  What a relief it was to look see out the window of our train car, the familiar form of Elder Burr who had come in a taxi to retrieve us.

It was an amazing experience.  Maybe we will try it again someday. . . . just not someday soon!

Special Visitors

What a great feeling of strength and of unity was demonstrated as the Donetsk District met together for conference.  We were greatly blessed by instruction and testimony from leaders of the Seventy. 

 

 Members of our District came for the conference meetings in busses, in vans and in private cars.  They thrilled to the amazing opportunity to see church leaders and to receive instruction and guidance.

 

We thrilled as we saw five or six big busses filled to overflowing unload.  We had never before seen the parking lot even partially filled with machinas (cars). The best feeling was all the host of faithfull saints filling the overflow, bulging down every hall and out of every door raising the roof with the songs of Zion, in Russian. We can't explain that feeling.

How Rare a Possession

Tonight was Family Home Evening. 

We were expecting an investigator to join us, but he did not make it.  We did have Paul, a new member from Nigeria, as part of our family in Ukraine. He has five brothers and two sisters and misses his family.  Paul is a professional soccer player here.  He was recruited from Nigeria to play soccer for a club in Ukraine.  It was here in Donetsk that he met missionaries.  He liked the look of  them. 

These are Spiritual people.  They dress different...they feel different. 

He told of reading the Book of Mormon after the missionaries taught him about how Joseph Smith was searching for answers; how he read in the Book of James, then he prayed.  Paul took the book that the missionaries offered.  When he got home, he decided that he wanted to read that verse in James.  Then he began to read the Book of Mormon and immediately he KNEW that it was true.  When he read 3rd Nephi he said that he felt it so strongly that he cried. 

Sunday Paul attended church in the Donetsk Centralle Branch and he brought a friend from his soccer team.  The Elders invited them both to Family Home Evening, and we were to be the hosts. Elder Finneran suggested we do a lesson on the Book of Mormon for the expected investigator so Dad gave the prepared lesson anyway, even though the investigator was not there.

Elder Finneran, Elder Duke, Paul, Elder and Sister Hatch

 Paul suggested an opening song of "Blessings From Above", or (the way we know it, "Count Your Many Blessings". 

We had a wrapped present and Dad said that it was a very special treasure.  We each wrote our most cherished possesions on a card. He shared some of his most special treasures that were not in the wrapped package, like our family (we shared the little family slide show), like being married to a special companion and friend, (he used his wedding ring as the visualization).  Another treasue, the time we have been given or our life on this earth, was represented by his watch; and still others were his mind and knowledge, his body, and the Holy Bible.  Each of these possessions is a treasure, but what was in the box makes every possession more clear and more beautiful and gives each one even greater value. His relationship with his wife and family takes on a whole new dimension.   The purpose and the best use of the time we have been given on this earth is understood better.  The eternal nature of man and what we do with knowledge when we die is answered; what is going to happen to this body is clarified by this special treasure.  What is the treasure?

 The Book of Mormon.
(no he's not praying)

We watched "How Rare A Possession" which gave a beautiful, additional testimony. 

Every person there added their own personal wittness concerning that very special book. 

We invited Paul to join us again soon; we anticipate he will be in our home more and hope he will bring some of his friends.

Just because it's June . . . June . . . June



Now that the weather is warm and it is between rainstorms, Ukranian street-sweepers are a frequent sight.  Donetsk's waterways attract ducks and other waterfowl, fishermen and teenagers.  It is difficult to see, but the duck above is herding a brood of ducklings.

 We are into another transfer and another round of checking apartments.  Above are missionaries 

serving in Makeevka, Petrovsky and Obyedyoni with more apartment checks still to come.

On the way back to Donetsk Center from Obyedeyoni we stopped for lunch at the Пузата Хата.  Translated into English, this is the Fat Hut, also sometimes called the Ukranian Kitchen.  It is a very popular place to eat and features Ukranian cooking. 

President and Sister Fry will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary this month.  He surprised her with a twenty-foot long billboard on the corner of Shakesperia and Bogdana Streets.   

We are still teaching Sonia.  She is pictured above with Sister Howell and Sister Kartechova.

With transfers comes shuffling within and between districts.  District meeting is still held in our apartment.  We always provide some kind of refreshments.  This Sunday we wanted to bake a real, American apple pie.  We were a little limited in available ingredients, but we could improvise there.  The major problem came with no pie tin.  With a little unconventional thinking we overcame that hurdle.  We removed the knob from the top of a glass frying pan lid, lined it with pastry and filled it with apples.  The result was a passable double-crust apple pie.

For this week'sdistrict meeting, we were assigned to conduct an activity which would demonstrate "desire, love and unity." Elisabeth was a great resource and came up with a fun and stimulating cross between musical chairs and twister which stimulated amazing creativity and thoughtful insight from our elders. We work with such a GREAT bunch of young people and we really do love them all.

Yes, Benjamin . . . there ARE children!

 June 1st is a holiday in Ukraine.  It is Children's Day.




 

 








The holiday has it's own flag - a green background on which images representing children all over the world are holding hands surrounding a world.                                  



It is nice to know that there is a day for children.  For the first two months that we were in Ukraine we wondered if there really were any children here at all.

As we walked along the streets or rode on the avtoboose or the marshrootka we saw no children.  We attended holiday celebrations and saw only adults.  We sat in church meetings with lots of adults.  We began to wonder if, like in the old Walt Disney movie of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", we had been transported to a land where all children were either captured by or hidden from the child catcher.

Then the snow melted and the sun came out bringing spring and flowers and children.

  It really does look like we live in a different neighborhood when spring surrounds our building with flowers and greenery.

   Just in front of our Padez is a tiny playground/park for children who live in the surrounding buildings.  And just beyond the playground is a school.  All winter we have watched the fenced yard around the school building and have seen no children.  A few times we saw children walking into or out of the building doors.  "This must be a school," we surmised. 

(There MUST be children around here somewhere!)

As the weather has become warmer, our supposition has been verified. Above are children in the schoolyard across our fence. 

This is our Padez playground

In the town of Makeevka the Nebalshoye Prehode (Branch) installed outdoor physical fittness equipment as part of a Padez playground.  Yesterday we went with the Prehode President and the Public Relations Specialist to invite the local television station and the newspaper to attend the official opening.  As a church we do not have unfavorable relations with heads of government or political personnel, but they do seem to favor the prominent Orthodox Churches.  It is very important for our church members here to overcome a prevelent impression that is a holdover from the Cold War, and that labels our church as a foreign entity.  Prior to each meeting we took a few minutes in the car to pray for softened hearts.  Then President grabbed a Book of Mormon and a "Preach My Gospel" Lesson One booklet to leave as a gift.     Responses were noncommittal.    Each said they would make note of the event, but could make no promises.  Amazingly, at this afternoon's ceremony, they did show up after all.  Footage was captured with a promise that the playground improvement project would be aired on the evening news as an appropriate showcase piece for Children's Day.