A visit by an Apostle

Week of June 6-12, 2016
This was one of those "WOW where did the week go" weeks. We love it when we are so busy we hardly have time to touch the ground!  This week the Kodyma Elders moved in with us.  They are in town for 3 days a week and then travel to their service area.  We are looking for a new apartment but until then we will have them with us.  Tuesday we had a wonderful young couple come to dinner.

This young couple just got married they brought her
nephew with them

All types of things are appearing around town
This is a Beer wagon. People ride on it and
must peddle as they tour the city 

It was a beautiful evening stroll

The sister is one of our Pathway students and so we had the opportunity to help her prepare for the lesson she taught this week.  Each of the students take turns teaching the lessons.  She did a wonderful job.  We are so proud of her.  Her language skills are growing each week.
Wednesday we had our Young Adults over for a Hamburger cook out.  They are always fun to share time with.  They certainly bless our life and help us to grow.

Hamburger time for the YSA

This is a game they play. It's theme is the American old west
but it is in Russian

 One interesting food failure.  We decided to make home made Root Beer so that we could have floats.  There is no root beer in Ukraine.  There was a bottle of extract in the cupboard leftover from the last couple. As we got ready to make the syrup we opened the bottle and nothing came out.  it was dried up.  we really wanted floats so we added and little water and heated it just a little and gave it a try.  It tasted like root beer but the extract would not dissolve in the syrup so when you poured it over the ice-cream it looked like you had pepper on your ice-cream.

Oops! don't use old Extract when making
Homemade Root Beer

The other interesting fact we found was that here in Ukraine there is a medicine that kids take when they are sick that has a flavor and smell very similar to root beer.  Root beer in Ukraine was not a big hit.
Thursday morning we were up early to catch our train to go north for our mission conference.  We got permission to make an over night stop in our first area, Vinnistya.  We arrived at about 10:30 AM, checked into our Hotel room and then spent the rest of the day with our good friend Zina visiting people.

In the country it is beautiful new swan Family

Momma and Papa Swan out on a swim 

We took a wrong bus and ended up getting a taxi to take us out to one the villages to visit with some wonderful friends.  We stopped at Igor and Olya's home and they fed us fresh strawberries they had just picked.

We love Sister Anna.  She is a hard worker

Like the song says Strawberry Fields Forever

These kids are the best and love the strawberries

Irgo has completed a lot of his project we started
last summer

 It was wonderful to spend time with them and feel their love for us and us for them.  We went and visited Rosa and her husband.  She would not allow us to leave empty handed so we got a bottle of her famous Pear cider!  It is the best.

Pear Juice Cider from Sister Rosa

 We made the trek across the village and visited with the just released branch President and got a tour of his amazing garden.  They pride themselves in what they can produce in their garden.  

President Bondranko has a great garden

What a wonderful opportunity to visit with this good man

Early dinner with Zina and the Mado Family we love these people

That night we made our way back to the hotel room in time to run our Pathway class but there was no connectivity in our room so we had to do our class in the lobby of the hotel.  I think it might be the first time they had church hymns in the lobby along with opening and closing prayers.  While we were teaching our class our good friend Yuri came over and spent the evening with us.  He was very interested in our class and how it worked.  He is also a teacher of advanced mathematics in Vinnistya.  After class we had a nice dinner with him.
Friday we were on the train to Kyiv very early in the morning.  We grabbed a taxi when we arrived.  I showed the driver a map on the iPad of where we wanted to go.  He said OK and off we went.  He drove around town for a few minutes and pulled up to a place and said this is it.  I said net net net and showed him the map again.  He said it was very far and I said yes but he took us out there and we arrived at our hotel in plenty of time to get to the Packers house.  We were asked to help them get the dinner ready for the 6 general authorities and their wives.

Sister Packer has everything ready for 6 General Authorities
and their wives

You can imagine that that creates a lot of stress.  Sister Packer had thought of everything and things came together very well.  That afternoon at 2 we had a mission conference.  Every missionary in the mission was there.  It was the first time since the Packers have been here that all the missionaries were all together in one place.  It was a wonderful experience.

Every Kyiv Ukraine missionary prepared to learn from an apostle

The talks by the brethren were wonderful and the missionaries knew that they had a great work to do.  Sister Mikkelsen and I had to leave just as Elder Ballard was getting ready to speak.  We went over to the house to get everything warmed up and out on the table so that they could eat as soon as they arrived.

The Packer family ready to host at the dinner

Funny story.  As the conference ended it had been threatening to rain all day. Well as soon as the closing prayer was said the clouds opened up and in a matter of 5 minutes the streets were rivers.  As Elder Ballard arrived at the Packer home it was slowing down just a little and as he walked into the house I was standing by the front door.  As he shook my hand he said well I guess our missionaries just got re-baptized.  I quipped, well at least sprinkled, at that moment the clouds opened up again and I said, you're right. this looks like a total immersion.

Internet photo it was not quite this bad of a rain storm but you
get the idea

 Elder Ballard was kind enough to laugh.  But I personally thought it funny.  Two of the other senior couples met us at a local restaurant for dinner and we had a nice evening.

The Mitchell's and the Palochet's eating dinner at Eddies

Saturday we had a large priesthood and auxiliary training meeting.  It was four hours long with a lunch in the middle.  What a blessing to be taught at the feet of six general authorities and one of them being an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have truly been blessed by the opportunity to be here for this momentous occasion.

The new Branch President and his 1st Councilor in Vinnistya

Priesthood training session brethren lining up to shake hands
with the general authorities

President Bevzok from Vinnistya he was the man that started
The Vinnistya Branch many years ago

Sisters at the axillary training

Sunday was another blessed day as we got to attend Stake conference and also a YSA Fireside all of which were presided by Elder Ballard.  It is a wonder how an 87 year old man can keep the schedule that he does.  It brings meaning to the scripture in D&C 84:33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining of these two Priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying of their callings, are sanctified by the spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.  That is certainly evident in this situation.  Any other person would never be able to keep the schedule he keeps without that promise.  And after sitting at his feet these last three days, I can testify that he is magnifying his calling.

This is an Internet photo we were asked not to photograph
Elder Ballard but this gives you a feel for his love

Another Internet photo but he showed this same excited
look the entire time of all of our meetings what a wonder
man

I took 11 pages of notes in the last few days and will not try to express all the things we were taught. But I will leave you with one impression I truly felt as we participated with Elder Ballard these last few days.  I can witness unto you that he was called of God 35 years ago to go through out the world and testify of Jesus Christ as a special witness.  I have no doubt that he is as much of an apostle as Peter, James, or John.  He holds all of the keys to the fulness of the gospel and if the Lord sees fit to make him Prophet he could then exercise all of those keys that President Monson holds and exercises today.  The gospel is true and missionary work is the work of God and bringing the light of the gospel to the world is His and our job.  What a blessing it is to be a part of this great work.

Some random shots from around Kyiv I couldn't pass this
one up.  

This is the Golden Gate last standing part of
the wall that used to surround Kyiv.  We have
served with all of these elders in Odesa now they
are in Kyiv

We went to the Botanical Gardens in Kyiv between conference
sessions

 We would invite all of you to do what you can to move the work forward by sharing your testimony, time, talents, or anything else that you have been blessed with. Have a wonderful week and may you be blessed as you serve in the kingdom of God
All of our Love Elder and Sister Mikkelsen

These are more sites around Kyiv

Old and the new. This type of thing is seen
all the time around Ukraine