Never to old to serve

Sometimes we underestimate youth and sometime we overlook wisdom of age and experience.  They are now a synergy that will rock our small branch here in Mariupol.  Last Sunday our Mission President came to town, he asked to meet with all the priesthood holders.     Elder Cannon was asked to serve as 1st Counselor to the Branch President.   We both assumed it was to be with  the existing president.  Then into Sacrament meeting we were a little confused due to the fact it is our practice, we don't have interpreters to 1. diminish the distractions and 2.  force us to listen to the cadence of Russian as a learning tool.               

When I heard Elder Cannon's name called and our hands raised in confirmation of our support of him and heard other names called.  This was our first insight into a bigger change.  Our new branch president's is the son of the now former Branch President,   He is a returned missionary about 26 years old and full of enthusiasm for branch growth.    Especially here in Eastern Europe sometimes change feels like a "demotion", but our Former President was grinning from ear to ear.   He told us later he was prompted a change was coming but didn't realize it would be his son.   Mother was happy for both to have her always serving husband back and knowing the weight her son would now bare.

 

Since it was fast and testimony meeting and a sweet little woman came to the stand and started to talk in an accelerated pace, somewhat agitated I asked for an interpreter.   She was distraught over the change and my heart went out to her.  Change is hard in many ways but the young branch president and his fine counselors will bring a new energy and purpose to this branch. 

The new Presidency met in our home at noon, I was volunteered to provide lunch and decided on Dad's favorite a meatloaf, with all the balance trimmings to compliment it.    They met for 4 hours, discussed new ideas, prioritized, made assignments and jumped in with both feet.    Elder Cannon has taken on the job of calling members to remind them to come and clean the church each Saturday as they are assigned.  He studied that conversation in Russian and made 4 phone calls this morning.   He gave his prepared speech and then when they replied answered in English that he had not idea what they were saying.   

I am so pleased that the Lord has provided this calling, it will be a good challenge and a refining responsibility for my good and faithful mate and already it has advanced his Russian skills. 

Now let me digress to the tender mercies...   The young missionaries asked us to join in a fast the purpose was to "increase the number of priesthood holders in our branch".   We agree to eat lunch together a wonderful Muslin fast food place and thereafter begin our 24 hour fast.   The plan was to break our fast together we had a small window of opportunity right after our Sunday meetings and between President's assignments.    I agreed to make the Sunday meal, which was a macaroni salad, carrot salad, lunch meat, bread and cucumber etc.     The plan was to feed 6 of us.   Then after arriving at the churchouse I realized I should invited the President his wife and his counselor and his wife.  Not realizing their day started at 6:30 am and would not end until after 5 pm.   I prayed that the Lord would stretch this meal for all, he did and in fact it ended up feeding the original six and seven more adults.   (including some second helpings for our young elders) . 

 I made more than I originally anticipated,  but I know it was stretch beyond its normal portion allowance.   So in all 13 people ate good portions from a lunch designed for 6, and after a long day at the church they didn't have make a 2 hour drive home on empty stomachs.   

I want to share what our another senior couple repeated at our at our senior conference last month.    "Do you know why they only call Mission Presidents for three years?"  Answer:   Because it has been medically proven that is all the time they can go without sleep.   We all laughed but there is plenty of truth to that as well.   This is a job for the young and the more seasoned and it is WORK!!. 

 

Eastern Europe heating system

My offfical temperature website reads:   43F, with a feels like 32F (with wind chill or barometer or whatever the website uses to report this reading).

It's dreary, overcast, light showers, a good read by the fireplace day.   Oh, I forgot I'm not in Kansas and I don't have a fireplace. 

The central radiant heating is shutting down.  Yup, no heat, the season has officially changed, it's spring.    Yesterday, I was opening windows to cool down the place, NOT TODAY.  I guess we've involuntarily given up warmth for Lent. 

Instead we are grateful for Steve and Sarah's down filled slippers, and the blankets that used to keep me almost to warm at night!!!!!  

WWII memorials and senior conference

We were so excited to attend a "Seniors Conference" in Kharkov.   We took a wiggly, jiggly overnight train to Kharkov.  The magic and synergy of other senior missionaries, the insights of our mission presidents and his focus.    The red building is one of the Kharkov branches and it's unique and beautiful inside.   Two floors looks of winding hallways and only two friendly drunks interrupted our meetings before they locked the front door.   Our meals were catered by a local restaurant and friends made by shared mission experiences.  Staying in a lovely hotel for 2 nights and a tiny bit of shopping and sightseeing.   Then back to the train for another sleep interrupted ride back home to Mariupol.    Our Bolivian mission president made a statement  worth repeating.   "Do you know why they only call Mission Presidents for only 3 years?  Because it has been determined that is how long they can live without sleep. "  We have friends who will surely agree with that statement.  It's a big job.                                        

This is the "motherland"  it is a WWII memorial.  We walked the path about a football field down an tree lined avenue toward her.   As you approached you can hear her heartbeat, a slow soft rhythmic sound "thump, thump.     I was quite moving.    She represents all mankind we were told. 

Our tour guide.taxi driver?  One of our Jewish food caters.  I asked if his father lived during WWII, no he told me his grandfather did and he doesn't talk about it much. 

The war memorial includes both Jews, Russians and Germans in mass graves. 

 This sacred ground holds more than 16 thousand Jewish men, women and children.   It also holds Russian and Germans killed during this war.   All together a half million bodies rest in this area.   It truly was sacred grounds and represents a horrific waste of human life. 

  Then we drove to another memorial, a Jewish Menora representation on the hill as we entered. 



Then a small memorial museum, it looks like the 10 commandments, but look again, it is one commandment written with 10 languages.   

Inside the small memorial on the walls are the names of those who were marched 10 miles from the Jewish Ghetto in winter, to be shot and buried in mass graves.   The walls reflect the family name, sometimes the word for Child, or Grandparents and even Newborn Infant.   This was very somber more so than the other because this was only a Jewish memorial.    Around the world today ethnic cleasing continues, it has to be such an offense to our Father in Heaven.

Rick wanted to walk another part of town

We don't live in city central, just a 25 minute walk or several bus stops.   So today Elder Cannon decided he wanted to walk another direction just to see.    We walked by several abandoned homes, a State University and some construction.   It's all fascinating, especially to us.

One of my favorite discoveries was this....   it's the rotating signs, you've seen them...   The advertisement changes. 

The one above is halfway through the transition then the transition is complete.  No big deal right

Well check out how it is done in Ukraine.    The boards are hand placed, they are three sided, to get three rotations and they are individual boards.   Look at the pictures below closely and you will see why it was fascinating.

 One board at a time, so they are apparently layed out and printed and then installed like this.   Wow, high tech eh?

Below are some of the common housing. I didn't photo the outhouse which was on most of the individual home properties, but the yards are certainly not like home.

Makes me appreciate home, even sidewalks, less mud, less green painted fences, less overhead wires, and believe it or now, less potholes.    The Lord does bless our nation I only pray we can be righteous enough to keep it.   Even still I love the service here, the learning experience, but we are both tired of  carrying all our groceries.  Thank goodness Elder Cannon is the grocery mule; I just load him up with the heavy stuff: water, flour, sugar, detergent, potatoes etc.   I carry the easy stuff like:  toilet paper, the cotton balls, the potatoes chips, paper napkins, it seems like a reasonable division of labor.  

The mule gets fed, his back washed, his feet rubbed.   That is as long as he does the dishes.... 

What to take when living in a foreign country

What is one of the most important tools to bring with you when living in a foreign country?
                                   A handyman....   

Oh man already the draw front is busted of AGAIN

If you think this is no big deal, do it with makeshift tools.  Repair this pressed wood type cabinetry.  Do it with minimal tools and find wood dowels speaking little Russian; oh and while you are at it, find wood glue.  Then repair it once, and then again when it is to weak to hold the dowels in place.   The repair required removing the old dowels which was done with a kitchen knife, a pair of pliers and the steel needle used for fingernail care carried in this Elders travel kit. 

Oh my brand new serrated kitchen knife became his saw of choice!!!!!!!! 

Good thing I wasn't watching this repair to closely. 

But this is not all.   The shower is a bit fragile, that can be restored to use with a bit of athletic tape.

This toilet seat cost $50 (49.6887 USD)

That's a lot of money for a toilet seat, but the old seat was made out of plastic and it a tendency to close at the wrong time.  It also would fall apart (separate the top from the bottom) at the most ackward moments.  We were tired of constantly repairing it.  

A new plastic replacement would have been about $4.00 USD.   Ouch!!!!

Well, I guess we have to say we are blessed to have the finances to make these choices and we are definately blessed to have a HandyMan in Ukraine.   

Missionaries have different distractions

This is a fun one, this fun elder wants to be a seminary/institute teacher in the future.   Men's ties (галстук) are fun and inexpensive.

   He wants to go home with enough ties to wear a new one each day as he teach's.   I think it's a fun harmless distraction.  I suggested he need more purple and "shrek colored green'!

He has over 100 and as he wears them he carefully stores them back in the plastic sleeves.

Playground are all over the place

This one had some interesting characters I thought you might enjoy experiencing some of Ukraine.  I truly do love being here, now if only I had some grandchildren to take to the park....

I have no idea why a mermaid is chained in a tree, not enough language skills yet.

Perhaps only Dianna will recognize the Direwolf

I suggested these might be Helamen's army, Elder Cannon didn't laugh

Yes this is clean, free of dirt, free of potholes, it only gets worse from here.