Easter Greetings

   Week of March 29-April 5 2015

I'd wish you Happy Easter (с Пасхой! =)  but it's not until April 12th here.  Hope you all had a wonderful Easter week last week.  We're headed into a great week here. The weather has been extraordinary.  Beautiful, sunny, springlike, one minute and laying down thick snow the next.  It is, however, spring!  Trees are budding out, grass is getting green, and vegetables are slowly, but surely, hitting the marketplace.  One of our favorite things about Ukraine is the flowers (квіти in Ukrainian).  There are little flower shops everywhere because a gift is essential when you go visit someone at home and flowers are one of the preferred gifts.  There are also flowers planted everywhere, artificial flowers for sale everywhere, and flowers embroidered everywhere.  I love it!

This is not a very good depiction but people plant wherever theres a spot of dirt.

 
     Another favorite is to be out in the country.  We were able to be out in the fresh, but still chilly, air for a couple days.  We needed to cut down a 100 ft, 100 yr old pear tree and cut it up into firewood.

 I guess this little село used to be owned, over a century ago, by one man who was famous for his pears, and other fruits.  This was one of the few trees left.  We were surprised when on the last cut by the chainsaw, as the log fell apart, there was a frightened little mouse who had just lost his house.  It was a fun day spent with some of the most amazing people you could ever meet.  We even learned how to make a yummy (смакота) Ukrainian cake made with jam and cocoa (Кавришка - I think).  I have never tasted such good bottled jam! (The fruit juices are really good too).  We love Ukraine!  The only thing that could make it better would be to have our family here with us.  If we could bring them all here along with the Bunkerville 2nd Ward, it would be perfect!  Think of all the missionary work we could accomplish!!!!!

Our brave Branch Mission Leader and our
amazing Branch President prepping the tree.

This pile should provide heat for quite awhile.

     We had our first experience with "necessary documents" this week.  So glad we didn't need to leave the country to renew a visa.  We just had to get re-registered and could do it here.  We did have to finalize everything in Kyiv but we were headed there anyway.  President Packer had a Sr. Couples conference scheduled this weekend.  We had dinner and some training at the mission home.  Eight couples attended,  wish there had been 20.  Couples are so needed here, needed everywhere!  We have 4 area couples and 4 mission couples: a medical, historian, humanitarian, CES, accountant, office, and 2 MLS couples.  Dedicated, wonderful people and so much fun!

Sleeper Car on the way to Kyiv.  Just one more adventure!

 Saturday morning we were able to attend the Kyiv temple.  It gave us chills thinking that we were working in Russian for Russian and Ukrainian saints.  The church has only been here for about 24 years.  It was класна!!!!! (cool)

As we came in to the temple, the President greeted us, turned to leave and pointed to our name tags, then stopped
and gave us a scripture to read.  I would suggest you all read it as you leave the
 temple the next time you go.  D&C 109:22

   
     This was transfer week so we have a new Elder, Elder Brough. In Russian it's spelled Бро making him, Elder "Bro".  Everyone laughs at that.  He is another great Elder.  We only get the best here in Vinnitsa because, I think, there is such important work that needs to be done.  We are so humbled, and very grateful, to be taught by such amazing youth!

Elder Poter on right left Good Bye Elder Porter

Welcome Elder Bro!!

      I will admit here that we did celebrate just a little yesterday.  We had members and missionaries over for dinner and had a great evening.  It was so much fun to visit together.  But, as we woke Easter morning, memories of past Easters came flooding in.  One family tradition is to gather outside just before sunrise to read and sing about the last week of the Saviors life.  Since our sunrise comes well before any of the family we had to share through email.  A couple scriptures have kept coming up in lessons and study lately.  John 3:16-17

     "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved"  

And D&C 6:34, 36

     "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail...  Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

     I know that our Savior lived, died and lives again for me, for all of us.  I know that our Father in Heaven is, our Father, in heaven.  He lives.  He loves us, individually, so completely that His greatest desire is for us to return to Him where we can have all that He has.  He has a plan for us that was so lovingly crafted, that if we follow it with full purpose of heart, with an eye single to His glory, we will be together forever, with Him, in peace and joy. 

     Have a wonderful week,
For those of you that made it this far you get the special treat of seeing a few more pictures of our wonderful new grand daughter.  Lucky you!!