WE'RE BACK

DID YOU MISS US?

This picture was taken in Kharkiv isn't it beautiful?

WE ARE STILL HERE WE JUST HAD SOME INTERNET PROBLEMS AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO USE THE INTERNET FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. In fact, I am not even sure if It is fixed yet. It is still working for a few hours then turning off.

I am sorry for not staying in touch with everyone. I know that many of you parents would love to see some pictures and learn about some of the recent happenings in the mission and I will try to do another post soon that will include some photos but there is something I really want to write about today.

Two days ago we watched our new President of the United States sworn in. I don't think I have ever been more proud to be an American. As I watched all of those people gathered to see this historical event I was deeply touched. Not because I love President Obama .....

frankly I don't really know alot about the man, (we have been on our Mission throughout the whole campaign which means we did not have much access to the News)

but

because I live in America

I was born in a Country where ....

change is possible.

It was not that long ago that Black people were asked to sit in the back of the bus, and to drink out of seperate drinking faucets. I remember when I was in Junior High I did a report about the Watts riots. I was deeply affected by this.

I remember that this is when I first started writing about my feelings. I was young and naive and I didn't really understand why Black people had been treated with such hatred. I grew up in a home where the creed "all men are created equal" was deeply rooted.

Today a black man will lead our country.

Oh there is a part of me that just wants to say, "why do we have to keep saying, The first black President"? Why can't we just acknowledge him as our next President.

The truth is.....

It's a big deal that our Country elected a Black Man, the same way it is a big deal that Hillary Clinton ran for President. This was a historical election. The first black man and the first woman running for office.

The fact that President Obama was elected gives the whole world hope

that things can change.

There is suffering all over the world. Wars, Hunger, Deadly Diseases, Tyrants who run Countries.

The Whole World needs to believe that change is possible.

As my husband and I sat in our small apartment in Ukraine watching our new President take the oath of office I was filled with pride.

I am so proud to be an American. To live in a Country where we are free to choose our religion. We are free to have our own opinions and to express them.

We are free to live where we choose without having to carry a document prooving that we are a legal resident of the country.

We have now lived outside of the United States for 14 months in a Country that does not have these same freedoms. I will go home a changed person.

I now understand why some Americans returning to the States after a tour of duty in the Military or after an extended absence from America bend down and kiss the ground.

The words "God Bless America" have new meaning to me.

You may not have voted for President Obama and he may not stand for some of the things you feel very strongly about but he was Elected to lead our Country.

Our church has 13 Articles of Faith that express some of the things that we believe in. The 12th Article of Faith states,

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

I am going to sustain the new President of the United States. When I complete this mission

I am going to go home and learn all I can about what his hopes for the future of our

Country are and do all I can to stand behind him.

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.

TRIP TO KHARKIV

SOME OF THE EXCITING THINGS GOING ON IN KHARKIVmissionaries getting haircuts.....missionaries getting mail

visiting with old friends

a skit by Sisters Fry and Kinghorn

AND
ZONE CONFERENCE

HEALTH FAIR

We are so excited the two Health Fairs that we ordered several months ago have finally arrived. We now have 2 complete Puppet Shows to use in Donetsk and Kharkiv. The Jacob's and Elder Kinghorn and I have each been assigned a companionship of 2 Elders each who will go into hospitals, schools, and orphanages to perform the puppet shows. They are scripted shows that use adorable puppets to teach proper hygiene, nutrition, and health. There are two sections that will be used with older children to discuss the dangers of alcohol and drugs. The missionaries will be the puppeteers and the dialog is on a CD in Russian. In Donetsk we have been assigned Elders Kerr and Fedotov. They have been coming over a few times a week to practice. They are both doing so great. We have been very impressed with them. Yesterday we did our first performance at Zone Conference. They were awesome. We can't wait to take the show on the road. Tomorrow we go to Kharkiv for their zone conference and will get to observe Elders Greener and Badrusev as the puppeteers. I will post more pictures when we return.

MOTHERS

I want to dedicate my first post of the Year

to Mothers I think that many of us have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. It is an awesome responsibility to be a mother and sometimes we think that we just don't measure up. I pray that as this New Year begins we will come to understand that our Heavenly Father never expected any of us to be perfect. He just wants us to do our very best. We may do things differently than our neighbors, we may make mistakes, we may not be the mother we hoped we would be but the important thing is that we are trying. The important thing is that we love our families deeply and that we keep working on becoming the mother we want to be.

I would like to share a statement from one of our Latter-day Saint Apostles, M. Russell Ballard

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be 'full-time moms,' at least during the most formative years of their children's lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

I pray that we will make a renewed commitment to strengthen one other. We all have unique parenting opportunities. Each family faces it's own challenges. Our children are living in a very difficult time and will face unique challenges of their own. Now more than ever before we need to be there for each other. We need to reach out and support one another. There is a proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child. Well today more than ever we need to be united. We indeed need a village of strong women united in the cause of protecting our children from the evils of the world.

If you know someone who is struggling please reach out to them in love. Do not judge them. There was only one perfect person who walked this earth and that was our Savior. Be an example of his endless love for us by being a good friend and neighbor.