I love it when the seasons change. The leaves are turning beautiful shades of orange, yellow and reds. I grew up in California and one of the things I have always loved about California is that we have four seasons. Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. We arrived here in the winter. I am definitely not a big fan of winter. I hate being cold. I don't like that you have to put so many layers of clothing on to go outside. I hate that when you get all bundled up and then go inside again for a minute you either have to roast or you end up with an armful of coats, hats, scarfs and gloves. I don't like not seeing the sun for days at a time and I especially dislike being stuck inside. I'm a California girl. I want to be out in the sunshine. I want my skin to feel warm from the sun when I go outside. I like going barefoot. I like the beautiful colors that springtime brings. We arrived in Ukraine the end of November. The second week we were here it snowed. It was a beautiful snow the first day then it turned to slush and the roads and sidewalks were covered in slushy mud with little streams of muddy water running down them. There were no leaves on the trees and the sky was grey for months. I remember one day when we were in the car with the Ray's and the Andersen's Sister Ray and Sister Andersen were excited about seeing the sun. They were so excited that they wanted to stop and take a picture. That made me really nervous. I really worried about why it was so significant that they wanted a picture. I soon learned that the sun goes down by 4pm in the winter in Ukraine and the sun makes very infrequent visits in the winter months. Needless to say, it was a long winter. It took us awhile to see past the dark dreary skies, the barren trees, and the slushy muddy streets to the beauty of Ukraine.
It seemed like one day we woke up and everything had changed. The sky was blue, the grass was green, flowers were blooming everywhere and the streets were filled with happy people. The parks had children playing in the playgrounds. We noticed beautiful sculptures in the parks.

Suddenly Donetsk was transformed. And so were we. It seems like just as quickly as the first flower bloomed our attitudes changed. Suddenly we were happier. We thought less about all the things we missed and focused more on the work we came here to do.

I learned something last winter. I learned that sometimes we can't see what lies ahead of us. Sometimes we just have to trust that life won't always be like it is right now. I know there have been times in my life when I have been in despair and I have wondered, "will this pain ever go away, will I ever feel happy again". Last winter taught me that on the other side of the pain is something more beautiful than we can imagine. I had no idea how beautiful springtime in Ukraine would be. Sometimes we just have to hang on and wait. We can't always see what lies ahead so we just have to be patient.

I learned another really valuable lesson last winter. Some days we woke up to a fresh coat of snow on the ground. It really was beautiful. I learned that if I started the day longing for home, I would miss the beauty of that day. I learned that winter brought wonderful gifts too just as spring and summer did. I learned that if I changed my attitude I would find joy in each day even if I didn't see the sun. I learned to stop longing for what I didn't have and to appreciate what I did have. I learned to count my blessings. I learned to start and end each day in gratitude.

So today I just wanted to say,

HELLO FALL, I am enjoying your beautiful leaves that gently blow in the breeze. I am enjoying your cool crisp air. I know that you will only stay awhile and then winter will come. So when I wake up tomorrow I will be full of gratitude for the gifts you have showered us with.

WHAT IS IT LIKE LIVING IN UKRAINE?

THIS IS THE REENIK LAST SATURDAY

I have been getting alot of new visitors to the blog and so I decided to answer a few questions. People often wonder what it is like living in Ukraine? I really try to take pictures and write experiences we are having that might answer that question for you. Ukraine is nothing like America. When we first arrived I was quite surprised by the stark contrast. Living in California I was use to blue skies, the warm brilliant sunshine, green mountains and trees, the beautiful California coast, and refreshing streams, lakes and rivers. Of course, I knew it would be different, I just didn't know how different. First of all , it was winter and very cold outside. The trees were barren and although some days there was snow on the ground many days it was just a dirty brown slush. The people always seemed to be in a hurry. Most people do not give you eye contact when you pass them on the street, or sit by them in public transportation. There was a palpable feeling of apathy hanging over the city. Our mission home, mission office and the couples apartments are all in Central Donetsk. Two couples live in Kharkov. So our first few months we only saw what was in the middle of the city of Donetsk. Most people live in very tall apartment buildings that are called domes. They are quite interesting so I have included a slide show of our current apartment. I would like to digress here. Another question I get asked is, "Is it safe there?"

we wondered that too when we first saw the amount of locked doors you had to enter to get into your apartment. We had also been told many stories of people's belongings being stolen. Purses, wallets, cell phones, watches, many times in broad daylight and in public places. So when I first got here I was constantly looking over my shoulder and clutching my purse. Up until this past weekend I could say, we have had no problems. We have gotten quite comfortable here, in fact, we often go out walking at night. However, this weekend we went shopping at the big Reenik and someone lifted my cell phone from my purse. So the lesson there is, you just always have to be cautious when out in public especially in crowds. I can't tell you how many times I was bumped and smashed into the crowd. Which reminds me, nobody stands in line here, that took some time to get us to. If you are waiting for a bus and others arrive after you they may be the first one on if they are more aggressive then you are. Elder Kinghorn is always letting women on before him or offering his seat to older women but they are certainly not use to it. I can not get use to just shoving my way to the front of the line. Sometimes I would get so frustrated at McDonalds, (yes, we have 3 McDonald's in Donetsk, but no other fast food chains) just trying to place an order because everyone kept crowding in front of me. I finally just gave up and left. I am doing better now but it isn't comfortable for me. There is really no middle class here. The average wage is less than $150.00  per month. Even doctors make less then $300.00 per month. Most people do not drive cars here unless they are wealthy. The average person rides a bus, trolley bus or marshrooka. Marshrookas are vans that have a bus route and regular stops. They will pack as many people into the marshrooka as they possibly can. I mean we are talking sardines here. People are sitting and standing. (this is a post for another day) Let's just say, public transportation took some time to get use to. Another question I get asked is what is the church like there? The church is fairly new here in Ukraine. The predominate church is the Provoslavic church. During the Russian occupation churches were discouraged. The Provaslavic Church reemerged after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90's. We have a few members in our Branch that have been members for 15 or 16 years. There are only branches here in the Donetsk Mission. Our branch is only a 10 to 20 minute bus ride from our apartment. When we move to the new building in 2 weeks it will only be a 10 minute bus ride. We do not have a stake, however Kieve does. I think we have 17 branches. Some of the branches are still relatively small and we have one area where a missionary is the Branch President. I do not mean Senior Missionary. I was amazed at this. Can you imagine any 19 year-old from your ward being the Branch President. It is incredible what can be accomplished when we are on the Lord's errand. He truly does take weak things and make them strong.

Ether 12:27 ....for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

We are experiencing some problems with keeping members active. This is one of the Branch Presidents biggest concerns. We are excited because the Church has published a new Family Home Evening Manual that was translated into Russian and we will be using this with the members. The missionaries are going to offer to go to a member family and teach them how to have Family Home Evening and then ask them to invite another family over for Family Night. The Missionaries will teach a Family Home Evening Lesson with the help of the member family and then present the other family with their own manual. This will open the doors for missionary work as well as help to strengthen families. I could go on and on about what it is like to live here however, this has been a long post so I better close for now. Thank you for your love and support and continued prayers.

THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

Some of the Nicest People we have met work in the Reenik

We buy melons from these two men. They don't speak English and we don't speak Russian but we seem to do just fine. I mean,

Look at the smile on this guy!

When he sees us coming his face lights up. A few days ago I left them a little church pamphlet hoping they would at least have a little understanding of who we are and what we are doing here. Yesterday when we approached they both came out from behind their booth to greet us. The older man came up to me and said in very broken English,

I............Love........You!

How sweet is that!! I asked if we could take their picture (again using a type of sign language) and they were like little kids so excited to pose with us.

When we left they asked if they could have their own photos (at least that is what I think they said) so we said "yes, we will bring them back to you".

We said goodbye and walked away. A few minutes later the younger man tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a bag with a beautiful melon in it and said,

"for you."

I don't think I need to say anymore. It was a touching moment when our hearts spoke. I don't know how that is possible but I know that I felt something heavenly.

Today we went to a hospital that asked for some assistance to purchase some wheelchairs. When we arrived we had a meeting with a Surgeon who does Surgery on patients with decubitis ulcers(bed sores). He said they have many patients who develop decubitis because they are bedridden or wheelchair bound and when a bed sore develops "nobody knows how to treat it" and it becomes infected. We met with the doctor for about an hour.

The first thing I want to say is this..........

HE MAKES $300.00 PER MONTH AND HAS BEEN A SURGEON FOR 38 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!

(Olga told us teachers make about $160.00 a month).

We learn things here everyday that are so hard to comprehend.
As we toured the hospital once again, I was so sad to see the condition of the equipment they use or the lack of equipment. We went to the floor that this doctor works on. It is where patients go who are recovering after surgery on their decubitis. They usually stay in this department a few months. We met one young who was probably under 30 we found lying flat on his stomach with nothing for entertainment. There were no T.V's, or VCR's in the room, absolutely nothing. He had placed a mirror on the head board so that he could see what was going on behind him. When we spoke with him we discovered he had been lying this way for 4 months. The doctor said they don't allow the family to stay because the doctors have to visit patients 3 or 4 times a day.

You must know what I am thinking about now. ........

Did I just hear him say no family?

I never stop being amazed at what goes on here.

When I worked in the hospital the family was such a support to the patients as well as the nurses.

So what if the doctors need to see the patients. At home the patient and his family see the doctor.

What did he just say????????

I bit my lip and went on with the tour.

The hospital requested 4 or 5 wheelchairs that would allow the patients who must stay on their stomach's an opportunity to go outdoors or at least leave their rooms. They told us they only have one now for all of their patients to use. After a little bit of searching we found this young man using the wheelchair to go outside and enjoy some fresh air. We stopped to ask if we could take a picture and to visit for a few minutes. I was so touched. He had a beautiful smile and was so sweet. He is 24 years old. He was injured in a fall 7 years ago and has been in and out of the hospital many times since because of bed sores. The doctor told us they had to bring him back from "Hell" twice. He does not have the use of his legs anymore. The doctor said he had such bad infection that they should have removed his legs but didn't want to because he is so young. I can't imagine how hard that would be at such a young age to be left without the use of your legs. I know that this young man will not have the opportunities young men in America have to attend college and eventually have a career. This country has just not recognized anyone who is handicapped in any way. They can't even get around the streets in a wheelchair not to mention public transportation.

I have mentioned this before but I want to share it again. When people are born with any disability they are sent away to an "internat" to live. These facilities are usually outside town so that no one has to see them and be reminded that the even exist. Bruce and I walk the streets everyday and we very seldom see anyone with a physical or mental disability.

So once again, I am grateful to be an American. I am grateful for the Americans with Disabilities Act that assures humane, fair treatment to people who are born with special needs. I am grateful that I live in a Country where we aren't afraid to work with, or to be friends or neighbors with someone who may look or act different then we do. I am grateful for our freedoms to choose how to raise our children with special needs and for all the wonderful programs we have to support families who are raising children with special needs. I am so proud of all of my friends who have fought for the rights of their special needs children. I am grateful to my friends, both mommies and therapist who have dedicated their lives to enriching the lives of their special needs children. I am so proud to call you my friends.
Tonight I am filled with gratitude for all the blessings that come with being born in the United States of America. God bless the USA.

FANS

Last night as I was lying in bed wide awake after several hours of tossing and turning, I found myself thinking,

"I shouldn't really believe people when they say things like, "Oh you won't really need the air conditioner it stays really cool in here", or "you won't need an air conditioner in your bedroom, the one in the living room cools the whole house."


I don't know maybe it's just me....
but I like to be comfortable when I fall asleep.

It helps if your clothes aren't sticking to you and you don't feel like your body is heating up from the inside out.

Sister Clark, this is her with the fan in front of her face was telling me that she has been experiencing extreme heat surges ( you know the ones that come with hormonal changes) for 10 years now.

"Oh", I say, "that's not so bad, I only have to put up with this for 9 1/2 more years."

So, I just went out and bought myself these cute fans. I figured I can use them at church the next time someone decides to close all the windows except one when it is 110 degrees inside.

You see we are having a little problem regulating the temperature in the church building.

Remember I told you about SWASNIK..................
well, we definitely don't want to create a draft or any kind of circulating air that might pass over.

So we have kind of started an AIR war with the members on Sundays.

The Missionaries arrive come in......open all the windows ..............turn the ceiling fans on high.......
and the Members come in...close all the windows except maybe one or two that are cracked open at the top and either turn off the ceiling fans or turn them very low so as not to create a breeze.

Members one, Missionaries zero..........................

Sister Clark and I were excited to find a few portable fans last week stashed in a pile of forgotten things in a classroom. We put them out in a conspicuous place hoping on Sunday we might be able to sit by them and actually feel some air movement.

Needless to say, we never saw them again.......

So for now we have to rely on these handheld fans and remember we are the guest here.

MONEY

I decided to venture out on my own again yesterday.
I know, we have already been here 8 months and I am still thinking of my time alone as an adventure.

But this is why

I tried to give the taxi driver. 4 griven for my $3.00 cab ride!!!!!!
Hey, it looked like $4.00. It was two two's. That's 4 dollars right?

Wrong that is 40 cents!!!!!


Well, at least the cab driver and I had a good laugh about it.

So here is the deal.

5 griven is basically the equivalent of 1 USD. 10 griven is 2 dollars, 20 griven is 4 dollars. There is a 20 griven bill, which is not to be confused with a 20 dollar bill.
It is really 4 dollars, well actually it is 20 griven.
And then there are the little coins. I won't even talk about them.
It wasn't that long ago, well maybe 2 or 3 months ago. I left Bruce and Olga (our interpreter) outside a store and I went in to buy some bread. I didn't do so good that time either, I told Olga "I gave her a dollar". I was thinking, what's the problem?, after the lady looked at me strange. Well Olga said patiently,
"Sister Kinghorn that is not a dollar."
It was 1 griven which basically is 20 cents!!!!!
So, you get the picture. Going out alone for me is definitely an adventure.
I don't know how my mind works but I am sure quite different from most peoples. My mind does this filtering thing.
Information in..........let's see will I need this again?........ probably not..............and out it goes.....................
How many things get filed this way? or shall I say, not filed.
I think knowing what the bills are should be a keeper................
Of course I am going to need this again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe the fact that I have had Bruce by my side for nearly 30 years and his brain seems to use a more efficient filtering system then mine has contributed to the decisions my brain makes.
I mean why waste important storage space if someone else got it right? All it takes is a quick check, "you got that right" and we're good to go.
Needless to say, It takes money to ride the bus, buy anything at the Reenik, get a drink of water, or use the public restrooms. ..................... you get the picture right?
I'm not even mentioning the Language. It takes a little Russian to.....
I digress......... Let's just say,
I think I better stay close to Bruce for while longer........................

CHILDREN IN UKRAINE (SLIDE SHOW)

WALKING HOME

AS WE WERE WALKING HOME THE OTHER DAY I THOUGHT ABOUT ALL THE THINGS WE SEE ON OUR WALK THAT WE HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO. THIS IS ONE OF THEM. THERE IS ACTUALLY A PERSON IN THIS BOX WHO SELLS TELEPHONE CARDS FOR CELLULAR PHONES. MOST PEOPLE JUST BUY MINUTES FOR THEIR PHONES AS THEY NEED THEM AND THIS IS WHERE YOU BUY YOUR PHONE CARD.

THIS IS WHAT A MARSHRUKA LOOKS LIKE. IF YOU ARE LUCKY YOU WILL GET TO SIT IN A SEAT IF NOT YOU JUST GRAB THE HANDRAIL AND HOLD ON. AS PEOPLE GET IN IT CAN GET VERY CROWDED. IT IS QUITE CHALLENGING IF YOU END UP PUSHED TOWARD THE BACK AND HAVE TO SQUEEZE BY EVERYONE TO GET OFF AT YOUR STOP

WALKING HOME FROM CHURCH

I was thinking about what everything looked like when we first got here and we couldn't tell what was in all of these buildings. We still can't read what the signs say but at least now the snow and dirt is gone and we can see in the windows.

CANDY, ICE CREAM, AND GUM STAND

This is where you can buy candy, ice cream gum and who knows what else.

MAGAZINE STAND

This is where people stop to buy their cigarettes and magazines. The two ladies are buying a quick snack. They sell sandwiches. I have not been able to tell what is in the sandwich but they are loaded with ketchup. They also sell roasted chickens in little booths and meat on a skewer that looks like gyro meat. I haven't been brave enough to try that yet either.

QUICK STOP

This little building is right before you get to our dome. They sell breads, pastas, and other things we might buy at the 7/11 in America but on a much smaller scale.

MOTHER'S DAY AT THE BRANCH

I posted a performance by some of the missionaries on Mother's Day. I just finally figured out how to download videos. It just takes a little time. Patience once again, is all it takes.

One of the interesting things about being here is the Ukrainians celebrate different holidays then we do. I do not understand why but they don't celebrate Father's Day. On Mother's Day they honor the women in their lives it is called "Women's Day". There was a big celebration at our Branch. On the way to church the women we passed on the streets were all dressed up and carrying beautiful bouquets of flowers.
They celebrate Easter a different day then we do so in America you had Easter a few weeks before they had it here.

VISITING THE HOMES OF MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH

BRUCE FOLLOWING SISTER CLARK ON THE ROAD TO THE GRITSKI HOME

Yesterday we had a long bus ride and I found myself talking to Olga about what our life has been like as missionaries. One of the Elders told me that his parents are getting ready to serve a mission and his mother would like to come to Ukraine. He said, he didn't think he wanted his parents to serve their mission here. I was trying to explain to Olga that some of the experiences we have had here we were not really prepared for. I have always thought of myself as being quite adventurous. I am usually open to trying anything at least once. Needless to say, the more I talked the more I stumbled to find the right words. The truth is, each mission is unique. We have faced some challenges and had to deal with things that we weren't prepared for but when I think of the blessings we have received I wouldn't trade it for anything. We had the opportunity to go back to Masha Gretski's house the last two weeks for Family Home Evening and it reminded me of so many things. You may remember Masha and her family. Sister Clark and I went with the Sister Missionaries to visit their family the first month we were here. If you remember we had to ride public transport to get there. First we took a bus and then a marshooka. Then we got out and crossed the main road to a small alley type road that wasn't paved, crossed some railroad tracks and followed a very narrow path around some houses and eventually reached a little road that lead to Masha's house. It had been raining and it was dark and very unsettling. Sister Clark and I commented on how completely different it was this time. The place had been transformed. There were gorgeous gardens lining the road and beautiful rows of vegetables in rich dark earth. Flowers were blooming everywhere. When we finally reached the Gretski's house we found a darling little cottage surrounded by flowers and gardens. As we sat in their home and visited with their family we discussed once again the blessings of serving a mission with your husband. I remember Sister Clark had previously commented how close you get because you rely on each other for everything. I remember that feeling when we first arrived here. I didn't want to let Bruce out of my sight because I felt so insecure. It seems like it was at least 2 months before I crossed a street without holding his hand. I know that sounds so strange knowing how independent I am but that is just one of the strange things you experience when you are "transplanted" in such an unfamiliar environment.

Well, I found myself telling Olga that I feel different now. I am capable of going places by myself now. I know how to ride the public transportation and I could find my way around alone. The difference is I don't want to go off by myself. I have come to really appreciate having Bruce as my companion. I love sharing this experience with him. We really like being together. We are a good team. It is not so much that I need him to feel safe now, I can even cross the street without holding his hand. It is just that I like sharing this amazing journey with him. I know that when we get home we will go back to our life the way it was and I will miss these days of walking through the park holding hands.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!

Bruce and I were talking today about all the lessons we have learned here in Ukraine. We arrived here in November when the trees were barren and it seemed like everywhere you looked everything was brown. Brown buildings, brown sidewalks, and dark skies. It was so depressing. There were so many days when we never saw the sun. Even when it wasn't raining it was dark and gloomy. It was completely dark by 3:30 in the afternoon. It took nearly 3 months to find our interpreter, Olga so we didn't have a lot to do to keep us busy. We had waited so long to begin our mission and here we were wondering, what are we doing here? We had an idea but couldn't actually do much until we found Olga. Everyone told us that Donetsk would be pretty in the Spring. As we looked around at the dirty streets, barren trees, and ugly buildings we just didn't believe it. People rushed by avoiding eye contact, crowding into the Marshookas speaking a language completely foreign to us. As the days slowly passed we thought 18 months seemed like an eternity. We prayed for patience, we prayed for a positive attitude, we prayed to know how to serve the people here in Donetsk, we prayed to be able to be able to learn how to use the public transportation without Olga by our side. We prayed that the longing for home would go away. We prayed for the day when Donetsk and all it's peculiarities wouldn't feel so unfamiliar to us. We went for a walk yesterday and guess what?

Spring is here!!!! They were right it is pretty. There are leaves on the trees and tulips everywhere. The brown has turned to green. Green trees, green grass, green buds. Little Babooshka's(old ladies) on the streets selling flowers, children playing in the parks. We even got new playground equipment in front of our dome. Yesterday when we walked through the park we saw beautiful bronze sculptures lining the path. They were there all winter but we didn't notice how pretty they were. People were out walking hand in hand. Little children were riding bicycles. People seem to be happier. They aren't in such a hurry to get in out of the cold. There are small groups of people out in front of their apartment buildings visiting, and people out walking dogs.

I told Bruce, there is a lesson here. Sometimes just when you think the rain is never going to stop, or these long dark days will never end the buds begin to appear with the promise of new life. What started as small little green buds pushing thru the ugly brown dirt has turned into beautiful bright red tulips everywhere. When we first arrived all we could see was the darkness. It was hard to trust the people who told us that spring would come and bring such rich promises.

As we look back on the past 6 months we can't believe how our lives have changed. The lord has blessed us with so much. We absolutely love Olga. She is such a blessing. She has helped us learn how to get around on public transportation, she is an excellent interpreter, she takes all of our telephone calls from organizations we work with and arranges our appointments. When we have a slow week she miraculously finds a way to fill our days. I could go on and on about her. I love her so much. I can't think about how I will ever say good-bye to her. We love the missionaries. We have had so many wonderful experiences packed into these 6 months. Some of them very spiritual and some of them just plain fun. We have a District meeting with them once a week at our house. I usually try to fix them lunch while they are here. We have tried to be a small refuge from the storm for them. Bruce is great offering words of advise or encouragement. I try to provide some of the comforts of home like a home cooked meal. Last week Elder Harris came into the kitchen and saw the lunch prepared and said' "Sister Kinghorn you are too good to us, you are like our mom." I know I will never replace any ones mom but for a few hours I hope they can feel our love for them. We are so proud of them. I am becoming quite the hostess. I have learned how to bake bread, I make a pretty good chicken soup, and am making some pretty good desserts as well. We have laughed with the missionaries and cried with them. I don't think any of us will ever forget Elder Permenters dancing after one district conference at our house or the fun branch parties we have attended. We participate in zone conferences every 6 weeks with the missionaries. The zone leaders give talks as well as the mission President and Sister Andersen. I am always moved by the spirit when the missionaries teach. Last zone conference when they all stood up to sing I thought about how much I will miss what a powerful experience it is to be in a room full of missionaries singing. I will never forget what it felt like to sit in the chapel with all the missionaries during President Hinckley's funeral or to sit with them as we sustained our new Prophet.

We are finally doing what we came here to do. We have formed some wonderful relationships with the missionaries, we are getting involved in our branch. We are having a Family Home Evening group with the office couple, the Clarks and now will be having branch members join us. We will soon be teaching "Strengthening Families" classes for the Branch. Our days are filled with Humanitarian work. We are doing what the Prophet Joseph Smith said we are to do when he said, "we are to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of an orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church or any other or no church at all."

So I want you to know that I know that Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He blessed us with patience, he filled our empty hearts with love for these wonderful missionaries, he sent us this incredible girl Olga, he has blessed us with the friendships we have formed with the Clark's and the Lee's in Kieve. He has sent us out to "go about doing good" on his errand. We have felt his hand in our lives here as he has reminded us of the love he has for his children.

SPRINGTIME REALLY DID COME AND OUR HEARTS ARE FILLED WITH GRATITUDE

WHAT IS WOMEN'S DAY?

This past week we Celebrated Women's Day in Ukraine. It is similar to Mother's Day in America. Our Branch had a really fun evening that the Men were in charge of. There was music, skits, and food. All the women were given chocolate candy bars just like home. It was well attended and a fun evening. A new couple arrived who will be going to another area in our mission. They have served a previous mission in Croatia. So they felt they were prepared for Ukraine. The second day in Country we had the branch party and when I asked how they were feeling they said "overwhelmed". I guess you just can't get around the "Culture Shock". We took them to see a new 2 story branch building that is being built. It is so beautiful and much bigger than any of the other buildings here. It sits next to a very popular park right on a walking path that goes through the park so it will get a lot of visibility. I mentioned before that Baptisms have dropped by 50% this past year. The building gives us hope that the church will keep growing and have need for that large building in the near future. It is great to be here now while the foundation is being laid. Yesterday was our Wedding Anniversary. It was a beautiful sun shining day here. We got up and went for a walk and bus ride to the store and came home and prepared for a District Meeting at our home. We were all fasting so we had a nice "break the fast meal" afterwards that everyone helped prepare. Elder Permenter showed us his Tennessee Shake after dinner and we all got the cameras out and had a good laugh. We are going on a bus today to visit a school for the blind. It is an hour and a half bus ride. I'm getting a little worried about the bathroom situation (that is always a concern when we leave town). Sunday after our tour of the church building we had a nice dinner at President Andersen's home. We had a great weekend and really enjoyed spending time with the other couples. Oh I almost forgot, a package from home came again. That was great. I have new clothes to wear for spring and Bruce is excited he can charge the electric toothbrush and we have an adapter for our computer that actually fits. Life is great.

WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION (part 2)

I know this is hard to see but this is what the stage looked like at the end of the event. There were a total of about 6 women who had won in various categories on the stage with their awards ( little statues) and flowers while confetti was dropping from the ceiling. It was unbelievable. Oh, and the other strange thing, there were what looked like professional photographers there who as Sister Clark said "Kept taking the Kinghorn's pictures". I don't know if they noticed that the event was being translated for us, or just thought we looked important because of the "nametags" not to mention, Elder Kinghorn was probably one of the few men there who was not a presenter or photographer. I didn't mention that in between each presentation there was so very good entertainment. We saw Ukrainian Folk dancers, a great Children's Dance Troope, A few solo singing performances, and a wonderful number with a man singing Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in English with a Russian accent, while two women hung on beautiful scarves that came from the rafters and performed acrobatic moves. Well that just about explains it. Like I said, we don't always know what to expect but were glad we went. Valentina and her group of women seemed happy to have us and invited us to attend another performance soon. Sister Clark ask me "Why do they invite you? Is it because they hope you will help their organization? I don't really know, but as one of our friends say, "more will be revealed."

WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION (part 1)

Yesterday we were invited by a Women's Organization we have visited to attend a celebration. When Olga called to tell us she said it was a "performance" and a "Woman of the Year"ceremony. Valentina, the President of the organization invited us to bring anyone we wanted, she said she had 5 tickets. So we brought Sister Clark, the office missionary. We approached this much like most things here with an open mind. Sometimes we just know that we should go. When we approached the Cultural Palace, Valentina was waiting and quickly ushered us in. This was great except we hadn't met up with Olga yet (our interpreter) and didn't think we would be able to communicate. But not only was Valentina waving at us when we approached but there was my friend Masha from church who is one of the few people we know who speaks English. What a relief, she and her two friends joined us and she instantly became our "stand in" for Olga. We were amazed as we walked through the doors to see two lines of men dressed in white uniforms at the entrance. We were to walk between the lines as we entered. It seemed most of the women were dressed in their best attire. We were now getting the impression this was a huge thing. We felt like we were attending the Academy Awards. The hall was packed. I was worried that were were over our limit of the 5 Valentina had invited as we now had Masha and her two friends with us and Olga who had joined us. Valentina led us to a section that apparently had been reserved for her organization and there appeared to be room for all of us. I recognized some of the women we had met at the organization when we had previously visited. We were greeted with warm smiles and handshakes. It turned out this event which lasted about 2 1/2 hours was honoring women from all backgrounds. Women were nominated, called up on stage in groups of 6-8 and a winner was announced. I mean, beautiful girls in long flowing gowns came out with the awards, a platter with the "envelope" and scissors to cut it open was handed to a gentlemen who made the presentation to the winner and she gave a little "thank-you" acceptance.

MOVING TO A NEW APARTMENT

February 27, 2008

So much has happened this month. We started the month with President Hinckley’s funeral. It was sad news for us all. We attended the broadcast of the funeral services here in our Branch with about 30 younger missionaries. It was very touching to be sitting in the room with all of them knowing what a powerful influence he had been in all of their lives.
We spent the first week or so looking for a new apartment. Which turned out to be very helpful in many ways, one, it got us out walking in the streets of Donetsk, and two we realized that the center of town isn’t nearly as big as we thought it was and three we ended up finding a really nice apartment. The downside was we had to go without Internet for a few weeks again when we moved. We were fortunate to find an apartment with two bedrooms so that we could have an office separate from the rest of our apartment. We wanted more space so that we can have the missionaries over for dinner as well as members of our Branch. I am trying to invite missionaries at least once a week, and usually 4 at a time, and members or people investigating the church once a week. (I know my family is surprised I am actually cooking, I have even made rolls once, and desserts every time we entertain.) When I get home I am going to have a whole new perspective on feeding the missionaries. The missionaries here don’t get invited to member’s homes much so most of them are losing weight. They are thrilled when the senior couples invite them over. We are losing weight too, but not because we don’t eat, (at least not me), but we are walking a lot now. Our apartment is located right on the river so we have a view of the frozen river from our office (second bedroom).
There is a nice trail along the river we will be able to use when it is springtime. Our walks right now are rather brisk because it is still so cold outside; we are looking forward to a good stroll along the river. We have also discovered some really pretty walking trails that go through parks in Central Donetsk. Bruce lost his footing in the snow the other day and took both of us down, then proceeded to walk about 10 more feet and fell again. We both are fine, except Bruce bruised his hand. We gave someone who was standing nearby a good laugh.
We can tell we are getting use to it here. We actually ride the Marshuka’s now without anyone with us. Even if we get stuck or squished in the back Bruce has memorized a few lines that have consistently gotten us off at the right stop. The first time he tried asking the Marshuka to stop when he was way in the back a few locals assisted by yelling a little louder with a little different pronunciation than he used and that did the trick. We even jump on buses that we have no idea if they will take us to where we want to go. I can say, “I don’t speak Russian” really well in Russian but that just makes them think I can speak a little Russian so they proceed to talk to me in Russian.
We can ride the cab without Olga but she has to call it for us. Bruce does really well with knowing how to pay for things. He can count well and ask “how much”, but when they tell us how much something cost we need them to write it down for us because it doesn’t sound like any of the numbers we know.
We even went to a Restaurant that nobody else had ever tried before all by ourselves. We even managed to order and pay without any help (although they did give us an English Menu).

Some of the other memorable events this month were:

The Swan Lake Performance, when 4 of the Elders wore their brand new matching brown suits, new shoes and pastel ties
The missionaries who helped us move all crammed into the back of the rental van that we paid $8.00 for.
Having lunch at McDonald’s in the Birthday party room with the missionaries after we moved into the new apartment.
Saying good-bye to Elder (Michael) Hammond who was transferred to Gorlovka
Saying good-bye to Sister(Maryann) Jackson who went home to America
I gave a Book of Mormon to Lubov from the International Relief Organization