Our First Ukrainian Picnic

Saturday we were invited to join the Obyedeyoni Branch on the other side of Donetsk for a Branch picnic.

You have already met Sister Yana who extended the invitation.  She is our hairdresser.  She met us at the the big bus terminal where our knowledge of the end of the earth ends, and went with us on another bus out into the country.  On the bus ride we were visiting together in English and a white haired man who had been sitting on the far end of the bench, scooted over to join the conversation. 

He said, "I know a little English."  So we began to converse.

We would say something in Russian and he would answer in English.  As he learned we were from America, he told us of a church he knew from Salt Lake City in America.  He could not remember it's name.

Sister Hatch pointed to her badfge and said in Russian,
"Церковь Иисуса Христа Святых Последних дней"
(Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)?
He shook his head trying to think more.

 I said "Mormon?"

Yes! That was it!  Several years earlier he had attended a church meeting in Ukraine.  He liked it, he said.  The people seemed very nice.  We continued visiting and had a good conversation, ending with an invitation to join us at church.    




 

The people in Ukraine do not speak English, but they act the same way at picnics as do people at home.

 

This is a nice, recently returned missionary throwing the younger little pests into the drink.  They had been throwing water on him.  (Maybe you noticed that the little pest in pink is not really THAT much younger...)

The appetitzer was a mushroom sandwich - a roll cut into sections, each section had a dollop of mayonaise on top with  mushrooms poked in.

The main course was the sausages. 

My favorite was the whole little cucumbers and tomatoes.

The picnic was great but it was the people that were terrific!!