kinghorn's called to serve: WE'RE BACK FROM KHARKIV

January 9, 2009

WE'RE BACK FROM KHARKIV

and we had such a great time.........

we saw some interesting sights.......

we attended a beautiful Baptism .............

we celebrated Sister Fry's birthday, and we spent time with the Jacob's and the Crittendon's who live in Kharkiv.

We had a mini-couples conference while we were there. It was so fun to get the Clark's, (our office couple) out of the office and take a little time to see the sights in Kharkiv. It was really the Clark's first time to leave Donetsk since arriving in Ukraine 17 months ago. We toured Church buildings, visited parks and monuments, walked to the the ice sculptures, rode the metro, visited with the missionaries who live in the Kharkiv area and had a wonderful time visiting with the Crittendon's and the Jacob's. In fact, they each had us over for dinner once and then we all went out to dinner our last evening in Kharkiv. Elder Kinghorn and I were joined by Olga who rode the train up so that we could go visit an Orphanage for a possible project. We are so grateful for President and Sister Fry and their great love for the missionaries. They really are awesome and we are so lucky to serve with them here in Ukraine.

4 messages from friends and family:

Annie said...: I don't know how missions could exist without senior couples. Keep up the good work:); January 10, 2009
Hermana Whitehead said...: I'm so glad you got to spend time with the Crittendons and Jacobs in Kharkiv. They seem so wonderful. And for the Frys...I hate to say I told you so...but... You all deserve each other. The efficient and funny Clarks (just thinking of his letter to the parents about the Christmas call) add so much. And what would we do without you and Elder Kinghorn? Thank you all so much for your unselfish service.

I sure love seeing the big smiles on the faces on your blog. It really is amazing.; January 11, 2009
Tim and Jeannie Fry said...: I'm always inspiried when I see what you've done on your blog! I'm grateful to be serving with you! You've been a huge help to us. Thanks so much. Love, Sister Fry.; January 12, 2009
Elder and Sister Grassli said...: We love seeing what you are doing. Your mission is so different from ours, and you can see measurable results, which has got to be so satisfying! Thank you for your blog. We check in every now and then . . .; January 14, 2009

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who we are and why we are blogging about Ukraine

My husband Bruce and I are Missionaries with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are serving a Humanitarian Mission in Ukraine. The focus of the Church's Humanitarian work is to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy. Every week we visit charitable organizations such as orphanages, shelters, boarding schools for the handicapped, special hospice homes, and hospitals. We have met some incredible people who dedicate their lives to helping others. We hope to share with you a glimpse of what those experiences are like for us and the wonderful blessings we have enjoyed while being on the Lord's errand. This is our story of daily life as missionaries with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine.

Making the Decision to Serve a Mission

During the summer of 2006 Bruce and I both had very strong feelings that the time was right for us to serve a mission. It wasn't exactly the time we had planned to go but the feelings were so strong that we just knew it was where the Lord wanted us. So we met with our Bishop and our Stake President, turned in our application and waited for the "call" that would tell us where the Lord wanted us to serve. In the meantime we sold the house, sold the cars, quit our jobs, and put everything in storage. In June 2007 we received a letter from the office of the First Presidency of the Church calling us to "Labor with Welfare Services in Donetsk Ukraine. We arrived in Ukraine on my fiftieth birthday, November 22, 2007 which also happened to be Thanksgiving.

Missionary Service

There is an urgent need in the church today for missionary couples. If you and your companion have been planning on serving a mission "someday" I urge you do not wait any longer for "someday" to come. If you wait for the perfect time when your life is all wrapped up in a neat package you will never go. The Lord needs your service now. He needs faithful servants to be instruments in his hands. If you put your trust in him he will bless you and make it possible for you to serve a mission. He will help you prepare to serve now.

The Lord has showered our lives with blessings. We could not have imagined how much more we would be blessed by serving a mission. My sweet husband and I have grown closer to each other during the short time we have served here in Ukraine than ever before. Our testimonies of Jesus Christ have been strengthened. Our hearts have been touched by the people we have met both members of the church and the dedicated people involved in charitable work here in Ukraine.

I receive letters every week from other couples that we met at the missionary training center who are serving missions all over the world. They are filled with words of gratitude for the opportunity to be on the Lord's errand. One couple wrote, "it is a richly rewarding work that has changed our perspective on life forever." Another couple wrote, " we are being touched and uplifted daily by those with whom we serve and whom we serve. The Lord Jesus Christ is our constant companion. The work would be impossible without his presence in our lives."

We all want to feel Christ love for us. There is no greater way to feel his love and serve him than to serve a mission. I urge you to not put it off another day.

There are opportunities for senior couples to serve all over the world. We need couples here in Ukraine. We have couples going home soon and have no replacements in sight. If you would like to serve in Ukraine please e-mail us and let us know. We will let our Mission President know and he will contact you with more information about missionary service in Ukraine.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW A BLOG?

WHAT HAPPENS IF I CLICK ON FOLLOW THIS BLOG in the box below?

My recent post will be added to your dashboard so you can be informed immediately when I update the blog. I would love to have you add your name to my list of followers. I know there are families out there who are reading the blog and would love to know who you are. It keeps me motivated to post often so that you will have current news from your son or daughters mission. So, don't be shy just click on follow this blog. Come on now, help me out I am going to have a complex and think I am not very popular, or I just may get discouraged and stop posting.

WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHO IS CHECKING IN WITH OUR ADVENTURES

I hope you enjoy visiting our site. We feel like we have having such a unique experience serving in Ukraine. We want to be able to give you just a little glipse of what life is like as a Missionary Couple. We hope that you will see through our eyes what a life changing experience it is. We hope to capture the blessings and miracles of serving the Lord. We want to share with you a small piece of our everyday experiences here. We'd love to hear your thoughts as you journey with us. It really is fun for us to read your comments it's very easy, you don't have to say much, just let us know you are checking in on us now and then.

So after you read the current post you will see a comment section just click on that a leave us a little message.

Favorite LDS artist

I want to share with you three of my favorite LDS artist. Sandra Rast , Greg Olsen, and Liz Lemon Swindle. I have never really been interested in original art. I have no artistic talent. However, when I saw the art of all three of these artist I was deeply moved. Each artist had a particular piece that spoke to me. This has never happened to me before. Bruce and I met all of them while at Education week in Provo a few years ago. I am sure Bruce was a little surprised when I asked if we could buy a few pieces of art to take home with us. He agreed but I had to agree that they could be my birthday, anniversary, valentine's day, etc... presents for the rest of the year. He bought me one of Sandra's prints of the Sacramento Temple just after the Temple opened. He also bought a print of the picture of the young man on the park bench sitting next to Jesus. I have always loved this picture and so did my mother so we bought one for her. While we were there I got to talk with Greg Olsen and we discussed his inspiration and interpretation of this beautiful piece of art. It reminds me that the Lord knows his sheep. And he will not forsake us. He is always with us. I love the picture the Liz Lemon Swindle did of Christ with the children. They all look so happy. Ms. Swindle's art is so alive. I love the way she captures the expressions of each person in her paintings. She makes the scriptures come alive. We came home with three of her paintings. I couldn't wait to hang them when we got home. They will be the first things I look for when we unpack.