Christmas in Lugansk

We have been transferred from the city of Donetsk to Lugansk which is three hours to the northeast of our former home and is a fifteen minute drive from the Russian border.  Our first contact with members of the branch there was on Christmas Eve when we attended their Christmas celebration.  The guest of honor was Dedushka Moroz or in English, Grandfather Frost with the Snow Maiden, or Snegdevachka.  Grandfather Frost is the kind legend who brings gifts to good Ukrainian boys and girls.  Unlike Santa, Grandfather Frost does not come secretively at night with gifts, but he visits children and delivers the gifts personally, asking each one telling questions, the answers to which will let him know which children are really deserving of the gifts he brings.  No gift is given until the receiver first earns it by reciting a verse or singing a song.

  

 Most of the time, Grandfather Frost wears a long, blue, fur-trimmed robe and his gifts are presented on New Year's Eve, which is a much more important celebration in Ukraine than Christmas. Only occasionally are gifts left under the New Year's tree, or yeolka.

Before gifts were distributed, Grandfather Frost played his accordian, leading singing of traditional Ukrainian carols.  Then children who felt deserving of being gifted, each in turn gave a song, a verse or other demonstration of merit.  

After Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden left, everyone

gathered round tables to make greetings cards on which 

each wrote a holiday message to give to another person.

Members of the church in Ukraine have worked quite successfully at integrating old Ukrainian traditions with a Christian Christmas celebration.  Children from the primary acted out the story of the birth of Christ from the book of Luke (20 month old is the star over Bethlehem -- see her head-gear)

and the four missionaries who are serving in Lugansk

represented four prophets who fortold Christ's birth:

 Isaiah, King Benjamin, Abinadi and Nephi..

Christmas Day we spoke in church.  Using our very best Russian, we testified of  Jesus Christ and his love for us.  Elder Hatch shared his experience with the Saints in the leper colony of  Kalapapa, Hawaii to explain the value and reality of the atonement of Christ.  We know that our words were not perfect, but the spirit carried the message to the hearts of those who had come to be filled.

 After Church on Christmas Day, Elders Solin, Porter,

Efoshkin and Groothuyzen joined us for a holiday dinner.

Then later, each scheduled time to call home and family using our internet. 

This Christmas in Ukraine we missed our own family more than we can say,

but our hearts were filled and our spirits were lifted

by the love, service and testimonies that surround us here in Lugansk, Ukraine.