SPRING IS COMING

One of my favorite memories of Ukraine............

will be walking hand and hand


with my husband

Through the streets of Donetsk


It doesn't matter what time of year it is there is always so many interesting things to see

This is the walkway near our apartment that leads to a park on the other side of the bridge

They are expanding it all the way to our aparment. We live in the last apartment on the left

We pass this old truck at the construction site everyday I thought I should have a picture of it

There are neat old buildings everywhere

This is the entrance to an apartment building

a better view of the walkway that leads to the park

I didn't get any pictures of it, but there are usually several men fishing here

In the winter they were always here ice fishing

Elder Kinghorn has been anxiously awaiting the green buds on the trees

Spring is coming!!!!!

APARTMENT INSPECTIONS AGAIN

We always do apartment inspections of the missionary apartments the week before transfers. There are some things I love about this time during the transfer and some things I really don't like at all. I like apartment inspections because I love going to visit some of the missionaries that we don't get to see very often. I like that we can take a few minutes to talk, look at pictures of their families, and share some of their goodies sent from home. (like peeps, or tootsie rolls). Thanks moms, dads, and siblings. What I don't like is having to inspect the bathrooms, I have assigned that task to my Companion. I stick with the kitchens and the bedrooms.

We call the missionaries a few days before we come so they have time to clean. Most of the missionaries do a pretty good job cleaning before we come. Elders Howard and Eckersley had an appointment at an Institute talking to students about the church this morning before our visit so they "didn't have time to straighten up" before we came. However, overall their apartment didn't look bad just a little cluttered. I have to give Elders Green and McKinney cudos for washing their sheets. We (the adult couples) were beginning to worry that the younger missionaries weren't taking the time to do this. Well, at least now we know that some missionaries do.

I know....................................gross huh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well we are working on hygiene around here in the Donetsk Mission.

Your missionaries are in good hands with Sisters Fry and Salamonson in Donetsk and the Mead's and the Crittendon's in Kharkiv. I mentioned before that most of the missionaries "pick things up" well but they aren't so good at scrubbing. I did see one apartment that was really clean and that was Elders Summerhays and Cullen. Way to go guys.

PACKAGES FROM HOME

I didn't take a picture of Elder Green and Elder McKinney when I was at their apartment but we took one yesterday with Elder Green when he called to tell us we got a big package. (next time we are in the office I will get Elder McKinney) Our daughter and son-in-law have been so great every holiday they send a really fun care package. Today I made little Easter Candy sacks for the missionaries in our ditrict then filled plastic easter eggs to take to the apartments we went to inspect. I even left some plastic eggs filled with jelly bellies hidden all over the office for Elders McKinney and Green. Packages from home are so exciting. Even for us old folks. Thanks Brad and Karrissa. We love you.

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK

We are going to return to America on May 4th so we have been very busy trying to get all of our projects completed before we go home. I have been corresponding with the Mead's who will come in June to replace us. Sister Mead is the sister to our Mission Presidents wife, Sister Fry. I was going to send an e-mail to the Mead'strying to explain to the Mead's exactly what Humanitarian Missionaries do but decided I would just do a post.

I want to take a minute to explain a little about Senior Missionaries.

First of all Senior Missions are voluntary. Sometimes a church leader will ask a couple to serve a mission and other times a couple will make the request themselves. In our case we went to our Bishop and told him we would really like to serve a mission. Just as with younger missionaries Senior Couples pay for their own mission expenses. The church pays to fly you to your mission and home again. Most couples go on missions for 18 months or 2 years.

There are many opportunities in the church for Senior Couples to serve missions all over the world. You can serve in the United States or you can go out of the Country. When we went to the Missionary Training Center some of the other couples in our group were going to Katmandu, Africa, Egypt, Georgia, the Easter Islands, Chicago Illinois, Moscow Russia and Brazil.

Some couples request to stay within the United States others say they are willing to go to another country and learn another language. The Church publishes a list of some of the mission opportunities that are available to couples. Sometimes people will be tour guides at Church Historical Sites, work in temples, or in Mission Offices, there are Public Affairs Missions, Medical Missions, Church History or Genealogy Missions.

WE SAID WE WOULD BE WILLING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY, AND LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE. WE ALSO SAID WE WOULD BE WILLING TO GO WHERE WE WERE NEEDED.

We didn't say we wanted to do Humanitarian Work although I did mention that I would love to do some type of service mission.

As I read Sister Mead's first e-mail to me it brought back memories of being completely overwhelmed with preparations to leave for our mission. There was so much to do and the list just felt like it was getting longer and longer as the day to leave for the Missionary Training Center approached. There were our annual physicals, Dental appointments, follow-up medical appointments, shots, blood work, passports, visas, selling cars, selling our home (not everyone who goes on a mission sells the house and cars we were just ready for a change when we came home). There were talks to give at church, farewell parties to say good-bye to friends and family. Oh and we were suppose to be learning Russian while all this was going on. Needless to say, we never did learn a new language. We have had an interpretor with us when we do our Humanitarian work and just rely on some primitive sign language when she is not with us.

I guess what I really wanted to say is......................

we had no idea what we would be doing as Humanitarian Missionaries.

We didn't know what life would be like as a Senior Couple on a Mission.

We didn't know if we would follow the same strict schedule as the younger missionaries who rise at 6:30 am and start their day with prayer, exercise, breakfast, personal study, companion study, and language study. (we do some of these things but we have made our own schedule)

The only thing I could imagine that would involve Humanitarian work in Ukraine would be possibly working in an Orphanage, although I had no idea what we would do.

What we do is meet with organizations who request Humanitarian Aide from the Church. We do a basic assessment interview and then write a proposal for assistance. If the proposal is approved then we coordinate with a local vendor to purchase the needed equipment. Then we meet them for a follow-up visit once the equipment is delivered.

So I realized that the Mead's are probably feeling similar to how we felt a month or so before we left for our mission. So I thought I would post a few pictures of what we did this week.

It was a really fun week. We went to some wonderful organizations and spent time with some of our favorite members of the church and fellow missionaries.

A TYPICAL WEEK FOR US

I went with the missionaries to visit Annya and her family,

We rode for about an hour on a Marshruka to get there

This is Annya and her father

Elder Kinghorn stayed home and caught up on some of our paperwork

we had a family night at our home and fixed dinner and dessert for 4 missionaries, and 4 church members


Annya and I went to watch some of the members of the Branch and the Missionaries at Sports Night

Me and Annya
Elder Kinghorn and I did apartment inspections
at 5 missionary apartments................................
(Elders Doxey and Oldroyd)

We visited a Kindergarten for the Deaf..........................

The Humanitarian Program donated some equipment for their school

We delivered these balls that one of our family members donated to a boarding school.......

The Humanitarian Program donated some other equipment

we visited an organization for Special Needs young people.....................
The Humanitarian Program donated computers, chairs, a printer, a ping-pong table, and excercise equipment

Sister Fry and I had a Bridal Shower for Tonia with members of our branch....

We went to a staff meeting at the mission office with the other couples..........

We wrote Final reports on all the projects we completed this week.....................

We hosted the District Meeting at our home and fed 6 missionaries dinner.....................

We scheduled the Puppet Show for three more performances...........................

We coordinated a service project with the Sisters in Mariupol...............................

We went out to dinner with President and Sister Fry and then came home and had a fun game night.

I was talking to one of the younger missionaries today as he was watching a video of Elder Kinghorn and I dancing with the children in the Kindergarten for the deaf and he said,

"you guys really have a different kind of mission, you do things and see things that most couples don't get to do." This is so true. I have loved this work. It has been so incredible. Every day is completely different from the day before. I am so amazed how Bruce and I have taken our individual talents and combined them in a way that helps us do this job so efficiently. We both have really enjoyed doing Humanitarian Work. It has been a richly rewarding experience and we both feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.