Week of February 22, 2015

Wow what a week.  We were the guests of Elder and Sister Callister in Kyiv until Tuesday morning.
On Monday we had the opportunity to travel around Kyiv and get initiated into the culture of Ukraine.  Elder and Sister Mehr, who are the area Historians, were our tour guilds.  The area doctor and his wife also accompanied us.  It is wonderful to see and experience the history of this wonderful country.  Let's start off with the most important site that we saw all day.  In the picture below we are standing where President Boyd K. Packer stood in September of 1991 and dedicated the land of Ukraine to the preaching of the gospel.  With a little quick math that means the 25th anniversary will take place about the time we go home in 2016, I would bet we will not miss that opportunity,

Ukraine dedication spot

A little history that took place a year ago.  The next picture shows the location of the protests that took place when the people of Ukraine protested until the former president of Ukraine left the country.  Many people camped in the square for many months and some very tragic things took place in this square.  The second picture is a memorial to those who lost their lives during this very difficult time.

Independence square

Memorial in the square in remembrance of those who died

There are many beautiful Cathedrals all around the city.  These are two of the ones we viewed that day.  The Russian, Greek, and Roman Catholic are very prevalent in all of Ukraine.  The last one we went into was dedicated to Vladimire who was the ruler that brought Christianity to the country.  The pictures in this Cathedral were amazing.  Most churches have very stylized paintings but in this one the paintings were very realistic and wonderfully preserved.  They are huge covering walls 20+ feet high.  these people have a very rich religious culture.  

This is Saint Sophia it sits high on the hill overlooking all of Kyiv

This is the Cathedral that had the wonderful painting in it.

We walked to what is know as the Golden Gate.  This is the last standing part of the wall that used to surround Kyiv.  The gate dates back to the 1017-1024.  It is the last of three gates that allowed entrance into the city.  It is now a museum.  Wonderful history on the internet if you google Golden Gate Kiev.  

Golden Gate constructed 1017-1024.

After walking for half of the day the other two couples stopped in souvenir alley and purchased quite a few things.  We were tempted but we knew we had to carry our stuff for many months so we resisted.  I'm definitely buying a Russian fur hat known as a Ushanka.  They have beautiful painted eggs and decorated plates and the Matruska dolls that nest inside each other and get smaller and smaller.

We had a wonderful lunch at a Georgian restaurant (Russian Georgia) wonderful food.  Last night I tasted my first Borsht (Beet Soup) it was wonderful.  A sister at the ward told me that hers is much better so that is exciting.  

We moved to Vinnitsya on Tuesday morning and checked into the Hotel Vinnistya.  We thought we would only be here a week until our apartment was ready.  But there was a problem so we will be here another week.  The room is actually a suite and so is very nice.  It includes a hot, waitress served breakfast each day.  We have been working with the Elders this past week we had two different English classes Tuesday night and I worked with the advanced class.  They were allowed to ask me any question they wanted so there were lots of political questions and cultural questions.  It was a fun experience.  We are learning how to get around on the public transportation system. There are 4 types of buses.  Tram-vi is a trolly on tracks, Trolley Bus is an electric bus on tires that is hooked to power lines that run all over the city, Auto Bus, is a diesel powered bus, Marshrutka (Mini Bus) they are independent and go everywhere.  All of the busses are very crowded.(they are all crowded cause there are so many people living in such a small place.  There miles and miles of high-rise apartment building everywhere)  Some have a conductor that collects your fare others you just pass your money up to the front and somehow your change gets back to you as they pass it back.  We also road the Metro in Kyiv that is an underground subway.

The weather has been cool and cloudy. It rained Thursday all day but no snow. Today we attended church and were able to meet lots of members.  They are wonderful people with all the same problems and worries that we all have.  There are several in the Branch that speak English so that is helpful.  Sister Mikkelsen and I both bore our testimonies in Russian today.  We are told everyday that we need to learn Ukrainian. But the people understand us still the same.  We have lots to learn.

This is Elder Porter on Left and Elder Kerr on the Right.  Great missionaries
they have made our introduction to the area much easier.

Hope you are all as blessed as us. We love our call as missionaries.  Those of you wondering, yes, it is for you also.  The Branches around the world need your help so much if I can do this, you can to. (That's my weekly mission plug)  Have a blessed week I know we will.

All our love The Mikkelsen's

PS.  I was asked by a young man at English class Tuesday what my first impression of Ukraine was.  It caught me off guard.  I couldn't think of what to say so I said it was beautiful.  They all laughed and I backed up and said that "well, it will be beautiful in the spring." Which is true.  You can tell by the landscaping etc and by the fact that everything is clean and well cared for, that it will be gorgeous but- After thinking it over, I think my original statement was correct.  The outside of everything looks dreary right now, but when you look inside all you see is beauty.  Inside the homes, inside the shops- the souvenirs are amazing, and inside the people.  At first they won't even look you in the eye, but when you get to know them they are sensitive, concerned, educated, courageous, animated, loving, beautiful people with a dedication, knowledge and love of their very tortuous heritage that is unsurpassed.  Ukraine is amazing!