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.