Week #74 (I think)

Week of July 11-17, 2016

Welcome to the Odessa Catacombs!  We were headed out to de-register from the city of Odessa and found out a bunch of missionaries were going to see the catacombs.  We're in!

We'd had heard a lot about them but hadn't researched where to find them.

We payed extra to have an English tour.  The only English we
heard the guild say was you need to practice your Russian.

Turns out, there are over 1500 miles (2500 kilometers) of tunnels winding around under the city.  The largest system in the world!  The first tunnels date back to the 1600's but most of them were created in the 1800's.  As Odessa grew most of the homes were built of limestone blocks mined from underneath the city.  Towards the end of the century mining became such a nuisance that they shut it down in center Odessa.  (Now, when something goes wrong with your house, you blame it on the catacombs)

Amazing architecture was created with the stone mined
from underneath the city. The stone is very porous and disintegrates
if exposed to the weather so everything here has a plaster finish on it.

It seems the tunnels are kind of a jumble. Some say since there is already a system of tunnels, there should be a subway system.  Others say because of the tunnels, there can not be a subway system.  Here is an example,

"In September 1995, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Odessa, the record for the longest underground journey in the catacombs was broken by a 27-hour continuos journey of over 40 kilometers. (Had they walked in a straight line the journey would only have been 9.5 kilometers.) Shortly after this the mapping of a huge unexplored area of the catacombs known as "K-29" was begun."

 During WWII the catacombs became the home of rebel soldiers and their families.  They built churches, schools, radio rooms, hospitals, whatever they needed for the 1 1/2- 2 years they lived there.

"Hiding in the catacombs for as much as 13 months, literally below the noses and feet of the Nazis above, they waited for a chance to strike or relay information. The men (and women; the rebel groups usually contained a least a few women) would play chess, checkers, cook, and listen to Soviet Radio, generally trying to make a normal life below the surface of the city. They tried to ignore the malnutrition and malaria which afflicted many of them. Many of the partisan groups lived in the catacombs for the entirety of the rest of the war and on occasion the partisan groups even managed to blow up German facilities. The Fascist Germans and Romanians meanwhile chose random catacomb exits and sealed them, hoping to trap the men below the city forever, and occasionally tossed poison gas canisters into the catacombs hoping to smoke the soviet rebels out.

Once the war was over the catacombs became home to numerous smuggling and criminal groups, who widened and created new tunnel systems of their own."


"Today there is an entire Ukrainian subculture of catacomb explorers with dozens of semiprofessional groups, often quite competitive, exploring the catacombs. They go on multi-day underground treks, known as expeditions, to document and map the system. Should someone get lost in the catacombs, (as happens every couple of years) these groups put aside their differences and mount large search expeditions. They have rescued a number of children who have wandered into the catacombs."

"Partisan weapon caches such as rifles and grenades are occasionally still found within the tunnels, and about once every five years a body is found. On rare occasions these bodies are almost perfectly mummified, freeze dried by the cold, dry air of the tunnels. While most of the time the bodies found are from long ago, bones of soldiers and smugglers, more recent accidents have been known to happen."

Most of these are self explanatory.  A kitchen

A queen size bed!

Radio room

Target practice

Laundry

This is looking down into a freshwater well.  They actually had
everything they needed

The church

School

As you came out of the tunnels there was a museum
with artifacts from the catacombs as well as
Partisan war memorabilia.

Outside the museum

Ready-fire-Aim? of something like that

One of our military men checking out the machinery

This is how the buses look most days.  This one
was not too bad.

Such fun young men!

So interesting!

The rest of our week is kind of a blur.  Lots of shopping, preparations, just busy stuff.  Here's a little of what went on

On transfer day they decided to have a quick good-by/
birthday lunch.  They brought and fixed it all!

This is how a 19 year old makes a hamburger!

and this is how it is consumed!

One Elder got a boxed cake mix from home and shared it with
these two.  That, actually, is quite a sacrifice.
Especially when you were looking forward to eating that
whole container of frosting yourself!

Authors, poets, artists... are all highly revered.  The one on the
left is Исаак Бабель  (Isaac Babel) 

Early morning cranes at work at the port

Half the town is shut down for a few days for the International
Film Festival.  This Screen is set up at the bottom of the stairs.
Plenty of seating!  150 available steps seating maybe 20 each.

Another good week!  Emotions still pull strong at the old heartstrings though. It was hard to say good-bye to my sweet mother.  Our boys made it possible for us to attend the funeral. They held up their phones throughout it all and we are so grateful.  As we watch her generation leave this earth all over the world we realize the importance of the legacy they leave behind.  Not only is it important for us to study history, we need to study our own history, to learn from our loved ones, through their stories and examples, the lessons we must not forget if we are to successfully maneuver through these last days (kind of like getting around in those catacombs).  I still have so much to learn from my mother.  She was always faithful, always working, always learning something new, always focused on the needs of everyone else, always teaching what was right and good, always willing and able, always respectful and polite, and always positive.  I don't think I ever heard her say anything bad about another person.
Actually, the best description of my mother is Moroni 7:40-48.  (You need to read it all.  I will only put part)

" 45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.


46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

(https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/7?lang=eng  also 

 https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/2-pet/1.5?lang=eng#4)

Love you, Mom!

Hope you have a great week,

Love the Mik's

118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. D&C 88:118 

23 Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. D&C 19:23

88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. D&C 84:88

A time of passing

Week of July 4-10, 2016
Well what a week.  There are those times on a senior mission where you struggle to find things to do well this was not one of those weeks.  What a blessing it is to serve these wonderful people!  We are the ones getting the blessings.  We have never been happier.  The sad note is that our days are numbered.  Today we are going to deregister with our landlord.  When you are in country you have to register your living location and it takes a while so we are in the process of preparing to leave the country even though we still have a month left. Today we are actually talking with our replacements, Elder and Sister Gibbons from the Provo Utah area.

New couple getting ready to enter the MTC
Welcome aboard to the Gibbons

They go into the MTC on the 19th of July. We are so excited for them.  They are in for a life changing blessing. So, the quick senior missionary plug.  Don't let us have all the fun.  Jump in, the water is great.  It might be a little shock when you first jump in but before you know it you are used to it and it just feels so refreshing.  Go Senior Missionaries!!!!
Now on to the adventures of the week.  Last week Sister Mikkelsen shared the fact that her mother was failing.  She passed away Friday evening.  Her sister Karen was there and testified that there were angles there to assist her to the other side of the vail.  It is a difficult thing to lose someone so dear and loved.  But suffering with a frail body in this life is difficult and death of the Physical body is a blessing that releases us to move into the the spirit world.

Winifred Jennens Petersen was quite the dancer

Beloved mother and grandmother.  We will miss you

 What a blessing it is to understand the Plan of Salvation and the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Her funeral service will be on Tuesday and we will join the service via the miracle of the Internet. Not the same as being there but it is a blessing.  Last night her bother and sisters all joined together on Google Hangout and prepared the program for the funeral.  We will be represented by two of our sons and three daughter-in-laws. We appreciate their help at this difficult time.
The first part of the week was spent getting ready for the last part of the week.  We had a FHE at our apartment on Wednesday and had 18 people show up for the lesson and games.

FHE Night

Sister Mikkelsen made a big raspberry cake with fresh fruit on top.  We had three different tables playing different games all at the same time.  These kids love to spend time together and just relax.  It is alway fun to be with them. It keeps us young.

4th of July dinner

Little remodeling needed but what a grand building it was.

On Thursday we had a lot of preparation to do to get ready for the overnight campout that took place on Friday and Saturday. The idea of camping in Ukraine is just a little different than we are used to.  In America, we load everything in a tuck or onto a trailer and head out to your chosen spot.  The process is just a little different here.  First, we had to go around to the different branches an gather up the equipment they have, several tents, foam pads, sleeping bags, and one cooking pot.  We decided that we should have two pots so, we went to our favorite Renok and are now the proud owners of a tripod pot stand and large cooking pot.

New yummy potatoes

The new pot not quite as shiny as it was

It took several trips to get everything to the church.  That was our staging area, plus, since we didn't have an ice chest, we had to cook and pre-freeze lots of stuff. The church fridge was the only one big enough to hold it all. We packed all of our cooking supplies in one rolling suitcase and then all the cold frozen items in another suit case.  The the kids called our холодильик (pronounced Hall-a-dell-nik)which means refrigerator.  It worked out great and everything stayed cold until we needed it.  So, late Thursday night, we had most everything at the church and ready to go at 5 AM Friday morning.  Two of the youth had to stay over night with us because the buses don't run that early in the morning. This worked out well because we then had someone that could order a taxi for us and get all of our stuff up the the train station.
Friday morning arrived, we made all of our connections and got all the stuff to the train station.  We had to catch the morning train to федоровка (Fiyoldervka) This is not your normal high speed express train.

All aboard!!!

Getting ready to board the train

We are talking about the Electrichka, which is also know as the commoners train.  The total cost to transport 11 people 5 hours was 273 UHA which is just a little over $10. The nice thing about getting on the train in Odesa is that it is the first station so we had lots of time to load all of our stuff.  The train seating is composed of bench seats they are padded, somewhat.

being cool by our refrigerator

Packing it in the train

 Riding with the kids is fun. We played lots of card games and studied and the 5 hours went really fast.  When we arrived, the Branch President met us with his van.  It took two trips to get us and all of our stuff out to the place we were staying.
Friday afternoon the kids set up the tents as best they could.  We have all borrowed tents before and realize you have a lot more poles than you have tents, but finally we got 3 to work and then the kids went swimming while we fixed lunch.

Local swimming hole

When they came back, we had a nice lunch and then they had team building games.  That evening the Local Branch President gave a wonderful fireside while we were cooking the Shashlik and rice dish.

President Hilibok, yes, wearing an Aggie shirt!!!

Fireside

 Sister Mikkelsen made sure there were lots of treats and that evening before bed they cooked marshmallows and made S'mores.

Wild life near our campsite
The campsite is the future home of the
branch building, hopefully in a year.

The sleeping arrangements were interesting.  We slept outside.  The kids couldn't believe we were not in a tent.  They were also a little short on sleeping bags.  It was a good thing that we brought a blanket. We used that and an extra rain fly to keep us warm.
Saturday morning was fresh milk from the local cow and cooked oatmeal.  They cook their oatmeal right in the milk.  It is very tasty that way.  After breakfast we had a service project.  They worked on a local playground that the church Humanitarian Aid funded.

Church does things right

The crew at the playground

They cleaned it up and got it ready for the grand opening that will take place on Wednesday this week.  We also helped clean a yard of one of our youth that has a home in the area.  It was a jungle of weeds when we started but we soon whipped it into shape. Lunch was cooked by Elder Young. It was a village Mushroom Chicken recipe over rice.

Elder Young stirring the pot

It was very good and the kids finished off their lunch hour with a closing devotional.  Then we got all packed up and headed back to the train station.  This time we put 13 people and all of our gear in the Presidents van and we survived the trip.

inside the van first trip with only 9 in the van

The return train is a little different. It is the same train and since you are not at the originating station, when the train pulls into the station you have two minutes to get boarded.  Well, with all of our stuff, I was a little concerned about getting on in time.  As we got to the station, the platform was filled with people and cases and cases of fruit to transport to Odesa.  I couldn't believe how fast they got everything on that train, including me!  The first step is like about 3 feet off the ground. As I was getting into the train, I got a boast from the guy behind me.  He didn't want to miss the train.
Well, there is so much more I should tell but we will leave it at this and let the pictures speak a few words for us.  We love all of you and are grateful for your support.  Have a wonderful week.
Love Elder and Sister Mikkelsen.

CES local teacher. 14 years in the program. Great teacher

I think you get the idea

Working on the human knot 

Village life with a truck

Without a truck

With heavy equipment

Elder Young out harvesting with his might