Sunday, June 7, 2015

Miracles, Munchies, and Monkeys

Week of June 1-7, 2015
Wow what a week!  Who ever said being a missionary was boring or easy or monotonous or what ever negative adjective they want to use.  They are wrong!!! This week has been so busy I can't even think where to start.  OK.  I'll start on Monday.  What a spiritual high this day was. We had a brother and his daughter over for dinner. His conversion story started back in 1991. He was married with one daughter (who is on a mission now) and they were living in France.
The First Member in Vinnistya and his Daughter
There was no work in Ukraine so he was selling newspapers in France to make a living.  He saw two young men nicely dressed and was drawn to their table where they had books they were giving away.  He spoke little French but got the point across that when he saw them, he could tell they were different.  He asked how they were different and they told him it was because of the Book of Mormon.  He wanted one.  They said if he came to church on Sunday they would give him one.  So on Sunday he came and got the book and a Joseph Smith track in Russian.  They committed him to read and he left.  He didn't go back to church for a month but he read the book and track completely and knew they were true.  He went back to the church to tell them thanks and to return the book. Then he said,  "How can I be like you?".  Well as you can imagine the language made no difference to those missionaries. They got all the Russian stuff they could find and taught him the 6 lessons. He was convinced and wanted to be baptized.  He attended church in France, not understanding much, but he was happy. He made the decision he would never go back to Ukraine.  Well that was not the decision the Lord had in mind.  The spirit forced him back to his home in Vinnistya.  He had no work and was struggling, but once a month he made the trip to Kyiv where he attended church.  After 3 years he asked what he needed to do to get a church in Vinnistya.  He was told to gather 10 people who would support it and he did.  On November 20, 1998 they had their first branch meeting.  Over the next few years almost 100 people were brought into the church.  He served as the branch president for 7 years.  He is now serving his beloved country in the military.  What a blessing it was to hear his testimony.
We had a day at the farm on Wednesday the zone leaders were in town so we enlisted them to help. It was a long and productive day.
Lifting greenhouse frames into place
No heavy equipment here just lots of Priesthood power

The frames are up. Next to Sister Mikkelsen is one of those
"Stumps"
We got all ten greenhouse frames stood up and welded in place.  It was a good day. Putting out physical effort is a great way to spend the day blessing our lives and the lives of others.  The green house, as you can, see is huge and there is much more to complete before the winter cold sets in.  Having this in place will bless the lives of the branch members here was well.
Thursday we traveled to Kyiv to participate in our zone conference.  Sister Packer was not there. We found out she has been in Germany in the hospital for 10 days. President Packer is a great gospel leader.  Under that added stress he presented a most inspired conference.  We all have stress and issues in our lives. It is part of life.  It is not the lack of problems that make us who we are. It is how we handle the issues in our lives that make us who we are.
Stress reliever that we pass everyday
At lunch time the area historian, Elder Mehr, presented a PowerPoint covering the history of the church in the Eastern European Area.  There were so many miracles that took place starting over 100 years ago when a family in Saint Petersburg was baptized. (Their ancestors continue to live there today).  That was very important. When Russia opened to doors to churches they had to prove they had been in the country for at least 100 years.  Our Heavenly Father knows the beginning from the end and made sure that the gospel could be preached to these wonderful people.  Another miracle was the building of the Kyiv Temple.  Not since the days of Kirkland Ohio had a temple been built in a location that had had members for 20 years or less.
Kirkland Temple
Kyiv Ukraine Temple only 5 years old
This area is a very special part of the world.  The dedicatory prayer says that temples will dot this land and that there will be tens of thousands of members.  Just 30-40 years ago Brazil had a very small LDS population.  Now look at the growth!  Temples dot that land.  The same thing is going to happen here in this beautiful land and we are here to help that process along.   We returned from Zone Conference to our little world of Vinnistya recharged and committed to put off the issues that bind us down and better serve here.
Friday was Meet the Mormons movie night at English class.
We had a good sized group and the brownies and Popcorn added to the success of the night.  I could see that hearts were softened and touched as they attentively watched the movie.
The view out our front window changed this week.
Two small domes in place
 The Greek Orthodox church at the end of the road that has been under construction for some time. The domes have been sitting on the ground since we arrived and we have seen little activity.  On Saturday they placed the 4 small domes on the building and Sunday morning we woke up to bells and singing as a celebration was going on.  We saw on our way to church that their courtyard was packed with people.  A large crane was there to lift the large dome into place.  It was much like the celebrations we have when the Angle Moroni is placed on our temples.  When we returned home from church the new dome was in place. It is beautiful to look at and the people were so happy and full of faith.
The dome is beautiful
 These people are being prepared for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  Faith is the first step in that process.
Saturday was Shashlikie Day (Shisk-e-bob)
This is the process messy but oh, so good!
One last thing to report we need to report this week didn't happen here, but in Columbus Ohio. On Sunday, three of our sons joined together and our new little grand baby received a name and blessing.  We got to hear all about it via Skype.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!
A few of the strange animals at the Columbus Ohio Zoo
Riley Anne Mikkelsen gets a name and a blessing
Sad we could not attend but so glad they could all be together
May all of you and your families be blessed as you move through this wonderful life and enjoy the Plan of Happiness!  Have a wonderful week. I know we will.  Love the Mikkelsen's
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
This was one of the little monkeys at the zoo.