Hearing the Voice of the Spirit

On a Sunday morning not too long ago, as a young LDS Ukrainian priest began to bless the sacramental bread, loud music suddenly poured though the wall of windows that had been opened to catch the spring breeze.  The music was definitely louder than the prayer and was not of a worshipful nature.  We endured it for the length of the ordinance and then several people quickly closed windows.  We sweltered in what seemed like a greenhouse through the rest of our three hours of worship.  I could still hear the music, only (a little) more faintly.  At first, I was somewhat irritated and wanted to rush outside and quiet the disturbance, but of course I could not.  I instead concentrated intently upon the words of the prayers, discovering that although the music was far louder, I could still make them out.  I then focused on the meaning of the covenant that I was making and felt the warmth of the Spirit fill my soul.  For the rest of the meeting I reflected upon the way in which the rancorous world seems to intrude upon our lives and how we can tune it out and listen to the still small voice of the Spirit.    

One of the things I most enjoy about our time here in Kiev (Kyiv) is that we focus full-time on what we can do the further the Lord’s work.  Yes, we worry about family, but not the day-to-day comings and goings, and I no longer worry about finishing a client project on time.  I also love spending so much time with my companion. J  When we are spending all of our time doing the Lord’s work, the voice of the Spirit is much more easily heard, and much more often!  

Each Thursday when we enter the Kyiv Temple, the first painting we see is of the rich young man asking the Lord, “What more do I lack?”   I love that image and I ask the Lord that question every time I see it.  When I answer the question myself, I’ve found that I lack a great deal!  But when I allow the Lord to answer, I feel His love and encouragement to keep trying. I believe that the Lord asked the rich young man to give up what was most important to him and that He asks the same of us -   to be ready and willing to give up anything and everything that keeps us separated from Him.  It is the ultimate test of our lives.   I have pondered many times the blessings that flow from living the law of consecration, which is the last individual covenant we make with the Lord in His holy house.  The promised blessing is sanctification and the Second Comforter.  We promise to give all that we are and have and He promises to make us holy like Him, fit for His presence.    These dear people have made many sacrifices for the Lord and they continue to do so.  In my next blog post, I will tell you of the wonderful apostolic blessing given them by Elder Holland.  We love these Ukrainian saints so very much!

One of the activities we most enjoy, because of the Spirit it brings, is having cottage meetings in our home.    We do this at least once a week, sometimes more often.  Our goal each time is to gather a small group consisting of active members, less active members, a couple of missionaries and us.  We pray together, share food, and most importantly, share our conversion stories.  The Holy Spirit always accompanies these beautiful stories and hearts are softened as spiritual memories are renewed.  We always go to bed afterwards rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord.  These stories are amazing too.  We love hearing how those who were raised in Soviet times as atheists, only hearing about God from their grandmothers, were thirsty to know more about God when Soviet control was thrown off.  They were open to talking to the missionaries and eager to learn more.  We are in awe of those who committed to baptism and remain faithfully serving in the church.  We are so thankful for those who are remembering and coming back into the gospel family.  These evenings always make us want to stay beyond the determined end of our mission here.  There are so many people we love and so many stories – and only so many evenings in which to share.  We are recording these stories so that they can be transcribed and kept among the saints here.  Remembering our own spiritual stories and the witness of the Spirit is important in each of our lives.  Writing them down helps not only us, but our families too.     

You wouldn’t think a birthday party was an occasion to feel the Holy Spirit, but it was.  Howard celebrated his 82^nd birthday on March 28^th by inviting a few very close friends to share dinner with us at a restaurant within walking distance of our apartment.  What touched my heart, bringing tears to my eyes, was the obvious love these wonderful friends have for Howard, and the obvious love that he has for them.  I am sure that whenever such Christ-like love is present, so is the Spirit of the Lord.  It was a most touching evening, worth getting older just to experience (at least having Howard get older).  

I learned of three interesting Ukrainian customs as the days led up to this birthday event.  A couple of weeks prior to the birthday, we learned that the mother of our good friend, Liudmyla Filypovich, had died.   Wanting to express in some tangible way our empathy for Liudmyla, we invited her and her husband, Anatoliy Kolodny, to a restaurant for dinner.  I purchased some gorgeous long-stemmed roses to take to Liudmyla.  I had chosen nine of the most beautiful ones I think I’ve ever seen and had them wrapped.  I know very little Russian, but I do know the words for “friend,”” mother” and “death.”  I told the clerk helping me that they were for my friend whose mother had died.  She was appalled, and quickly unwrapped the flowers and grabbed another one to add to the bunch before re-wrapping them.  No, this was not to sell more flowers, but to keep me from committing a terrible faux pas.  I guess you give an odd number of flowers to a living person, but when you are honoring the dead, it must be an even number.  Good to know.  I don’t want to bring bad luck to anyone!  Also interesting was our dinner with Liudmyla and Anatoliy.  Although it was our invitation, there was no way we could convince them that we should pay for the dinner.  So much for my good idea of how to express our sympathy!  I later learned that it is the family of the deceased who must pay for dinners to honor the dead.  However, Liudmyla told me that although she must pay for that dinner, they would be most happy to come to Howard’s birthday and we could pay for dinner then.  I got a chuckle out of her inviting herself to the party, as we had no intention of having a party.  I also later learned that it is customary for the birthday person to host a party for all of his/her friends to come and celebrate.  A very different custom than in the United States, but it turns out to be a very nice one.  Thank you, Liudmyla, for forcing us to have a birthday party for Howard.  We enjoyed it more than we can express in words! 

One of my many things I love about the gift of the Holy Ghost is that when one truly possesses it, he/she is magnified in ability.  Parley P. Pratt expressed it like this.  “The gift of the Holy Ghost...quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. . . “ Howard has received this expansion of his intellectual faculties as he has written papers to be given at various conferences of the several churches here in Ukraine.  We leave in the morning for Ternopil, where he will give a paper about religious toleration of minority faiths and how that comes about, using the LDS Church as a case study.  He has also been working very hard in researching and writing another paper about restorationist movements in America which will be given in a national conference of churches commemorating 500 years of Protestantism in the world.  My husband is a brilliant man, but age and health has taken their toll, and in the case of this last paper, it is a subject outside of his work as a college professor.  He has had to research and analyze and write.  I am so impressed with his work – I mean it truly – it is so good!  He gives the Lord credit for sending the Holy Spirit to help and inspire him with ideas and insights.  I thank the Lord for continually renewing his health and spirit.

We have had, and continue to have, many opportunities to speak to the saints.  We have given firesides in a number of places.  Next month when we go to L’viv for another national conference, we will give a fireside to the LDS saints there.  I have been asked to speak separately from Howard as well.  One such talk was on adversity, given to the Relief Society sisters of one ward.  Another talk was given at the stake Relief Society celebration of its founding.  At that stake event, I talked about physical health.   Our bodies are (or should be) temples of the Holy Spirit.  As such, we should make every effort to be healthy.  That will allow us to live more joyfully and productively and to serve the Lord better and longer.  After that talk, I was asked to write a lesson on health to be used in all of the wards and branches of the stake, which I intend to do soon.

Yes, the Holy Spirit can be felt and enjoyed in all of our good and righteous activities.  I have learned this over and over during my life, and especially now as I have literally put aside the things of the world to serve full-time in the Lord’s vineyard.  Howard promised that it would be so.  I feel such joy when I am enveloped in this holy influence.  My greatest desire is to be with our Father and His Son again.  I love “the earnest of his Spirit” which encourages me and lets me know when I am on the right path.  When I don’t have that Spirit with me, I immediately know that I need to make a correction.  The great sanctifier is the Holy Spirit – that still small voice which we must strive to hear and follow, especially as we sojourn in this rancorous world.  We can hear it and follow it in spite of the loud distractions all around us, but we must desire it enough to tune out the world.  We must desire it enough to tune our lives to its quiet promptings and to the covenants we make with our Lord.

The birthday boy.

For those of you who read Ukrainian (haha!), here is an article in the Liahona which we were totally surprised to find when we opened it up.

Be Thou Not Weary in Well-Doing

Okay, I acknowledge that most of you have had unusually cold, snowy winters.  My whining probably won’t move you in sympathy – it will probably only start a “one up-manship” contest.  (For my Ukrainian friends, that means a contest of who can tell the worst story).  But wow, has it been cold here in Kiev (Kyiv)!   It is noon as I write this and it is minus 13 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit) and it will be considerably colder as the day nears its end.  Yesterday was colder.  Now don’t get me wrong, we are not miserable.  We have a wonderful warm apartment.  It is just that getting out and about is very, very difficult.  It is not only the cold.  It is the condition of the streets and sidewalks and steps into buildings. How I miss Utah’s state of the art snow-clearing equipment!  How I miss snow blowers (operated by kind neighbors)!    Some of the streets are semi-cleared by old, rusty ploughs, but not all of them.  Given the depressed economy, that they have any snow-ploughs at all is wonderful!  The snow is pushed up onto the sides of the streets (often onto the sidewalks).  When someone clears a sidewalk, which doesn’t seem to be very often, they push the snow toward the street.  What results is a wall of dirty snow and ice between the buildings and street – walls that are impassible for most, and certainly impassible for Howard, who is not steady on his feet.   Getting up and down snow-covered steps is truly impossible without a strong man on each side.  To top it all off, the temple has been closed for two weeks.  As a result, we feel quite snow-bound and quite frankly, weary.   The weariness has come in feeling like we aren’t accomplishing what we came to do at the pace we desire.

Both Howard and I have done some writing during this period of seeming inactivity (some is included below), and we’ve been active in communicating with people both here and back home via the internet.  These are all things that we don’t need to be in Ukraine to do.  In the meantime, there are things that we could be doing at home that would help members our family who are having difficulties.  We have wondered if perhaps we should go home, take care of things there, including have a hernia surgery needed by Howard, and then come back.  We could continue to do our online ministry from there.   We carefully considered this option, figured how we would accomplish it and then prayed about it.   The answer was to stay in place.  We accepted the Lord’s direction, in spite of the fact that we miss and worry about family.  And then an amazing thing happened.  We were flooded with the Spirit, with inspiration and ideas, with a feeling of happiness and peace.  I’m sure you have noticed that the Lord blesses us so abundantly after a trial of our faith.

I wrote all of the above about three weeks ago.  We have been so very busy ever since, that writing this blog post was put aside.  We have just recently talked with our mission president, our bishop, our stake presidency and with our ward mission leader.  We have a revised and improved plan for going forward and feel energized and anxious to be about the Lord’s work.  The temple has opened again and we had marvelous spiritually uplifting days there.  We often lie in bed and count our blessings to one another and to the Lord.

All of this reminds me of Lehi’s dream of the tree of life.  Remember the mists of darkness?  These are the temptations of the devil. They really do come into every life.  In ours, discouragement is a big tool used by our adversary.  The key is to push through the mists, holding ever tightly to the word of God, sometimes for what seems to be a very long time.  But when we do, the beautiful vision of the tree of life eventually comes fully into view.   It is a beautiful vision of the pure love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It can also be felt in our hearts and brings such joy!

We have been holding small group meetings in our apartment, each consisting of a set of young missionaries and a few members, both those who we see each week in our Sunday meetings, and also others who have lost their way in the mists of darkness.  We invite a different group each time.  During these meetings, those attending are encouraged to share their “dukhovny raskaz” or spiritual journey.  In other words, we share with one another our conversion stories.  We always feel the Holy Spirit in great abundance during these times.  We have seen reconversions come from this spiritual sharing.  What joy we feel during these and when we see the results!

Another thing that we have sought to do during our ministry here is to rekindle and increase the Spirit of Elijah.  I wrote in a previous post of our Christmas dinner in December where we invited all of the latter-day saints who traveled on the first three temple trips to Germany in 1992-1993. We have established a facebook group of these dear friends and post messages in the group, as well as send messages to them via email.  We have also expanded our reach to other latter-day saints here, encouraging an increase in temple worship and family history research.  We have discussed our desires with the stake presidency which has authorized us to give firesides in each ward and branch on these subjects.  Since then, the stake has invited a specialist in Slavic family history to give a fireside, the visiting high council members have given talks on the subject and one ward (whose bishop is among the group who attended our dinner) has held a special temple day.  A short time ago, there were days when there were more ordinance workers at the temple than patrons.  However, we have recently seen a real increase in temple attendance and enthusiasm concerning the work of salvation. For example, just last Saturday, every session at the temple was full.  Many people, besides us, are now being moved by the Spirit of Elijah. 

In essence, we are beginning to realize that we are making a difference.  We can already see the blessings that are resulting in the lives of these choice people whom we love so very much.   Yes, it is easy to become weary (maybe that’s why the Lord addressed it, do you think?).  We, too, have experienced it, but we can testify that as we press forward with faith in Christ, we will come to feel the love and approval of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  This is especially true as we seek to serve His children, but it is also true in our individual lives as we are faithful to the covenants we have made, in spite of set-backs and discouragement.  Let us not be weary in well doing.  We are promised that if we press forward in faith, we will receive eternal life.

I now attach messages that Howard and I have written to members here to encourage temple and family history service:

“A Voice of Gladness for the Living and the Dead”

By HOWARD L. BIDDULPH

A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead.  A temple is a place where the Lord may come, and in fact is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth.  Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey His word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to eternal life may be administered.  Examples of temple worship are found in The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants. (See Bible Dictionary). 

Those Latter-day Saints who have the “Spirit of Elijah” have “planted in their hearts the promises (of salvation) made to the fathers (their ancestors) and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.” (D.&C. 2:2). Those Latter-day Saints who enjoy the “Spirit of Elijah” not only desire the temple blessings and covenants of eternal life for themselves, but deeply desire these same blessings for their relatives who wait in the Spirit World for their descendants to perform the temple ordinances on the earth that will grant them eternal life together with their families.  This is the meaning of Malachi’s promise that Elijah would be sent in the latter days to “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” (Malachi: 4:5-6). These keys were given to the Prophet Joseph Smith by the Prophet Elijah on April 3, 1836 in the Kirtland Ohio Temple. (D&C 110:13-16).  The Prophet Joseph referred to the Spirit of Elijah as “a voice of gladness for the living and the dead.” (D&C 128:19).

The first three excursions of Latter-day Saints from Kyiv to the temple in Freiberg Germany in 1992-1993, were not only the first from Ukraine to do so, but the first organized LDS groups from Eastern Europe and Eurasia to conduct a “spiritual pilgrimage” to the “House of The Lord.”  Many of you brothers and sisters who were part of that great pilgrimage are honored today in the History of the Church as Pioneers of Temple Service.  We honor you first, for the great sacrifices you made to inaugurate this high and holy work of salvation for the living and for the dead.  Your sacrifices are a great inspiration to us.  Second, your spiritual pilgrimage inspired your fellow Latter-day Saints in Kyiv, in Donetsk, in Kharkov, in Odessa, in Simfiropol, in L’viv, and other places in Ukraine, as well as in Russia, Belarus, and other countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia with the Spirit of Elijah. This spirit has inspired them to unite their families and ancestors in the sacred ordinances of salvation found in the temple.    Your spiritual pilgrimage pioneered temple worship in this entire geographical region as other Latter-day Saints followed your example.

This resulted in the erection of the first Temple of the Lord in Kyiv, as prophesied by an apostle of God Boyd K. Packer in his dedication of Ukraine in 1991.  On August 29, 2010, the Prophet of God, President Thomas S. Monson, dedicated the Kyiv Temple to serve the Latter-day Saints of nine countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.  As Pioneers of Temple Service it is the special responsibility of Kyiv Latter-day Saints to lead the way in sharing with others the Spirit of Elijah, through encouraging members of the Church to hold valid temple recommends, to increase significantly their own family history research of the names of their kindred dead, and to increase their temple attendance to perform ordinances for those who wait in the Spirit World for salvation.

Part of the Spirit of Elijah involves learning about our kindred dead.  Ukrainian Latter-day Saints have a noble heritage.  Your Patriarchal Blessings will identify each of you with one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, Ten Tribes of which were led to the “lands to the North” of ancient Israel.  Almost all of these choice Tribes have been identified in the Patriarchal Blessings of Ukrainian Latter-day Saints.  Some of your ancestors founded ancient Kyiv, the political, cultural, religious and economic center of the first Eastern Slavic country of Rus,’ that ruled the territories that would later become Ukraine, Belarus, and European Russia.

Your ancestors faced terrible afflictions and suffering at the hands of the Mongols, the Turks, the Russians, the Austro-Hungarian and Polish Kingdoms, Stalin’s Holodymyr, Hitler’s Babiy Yar and the many millions who perished in the World Wars.  Many of your ancestors have sat in darkness of the Spirit Prison, waiting through centuries for the promised Great Light of the gospel to break forth in their homeland, waiting for you, their beloved descendants, to accept the covenants of eternal life, and then in a wonderful Temple of God in Kyiv to perform the saving ordinances that would liberate them from the Prison House!  Can you imagine how they are rejoicing in you, how they love you?!!

It was wonderful to host you at the special dinner for Temple Pioneers on December 19.  Thank you for coming!  Thank you for accepting our invitation to go together on another Temple Excursion, this time to the Kyiv Temple on Saturday, August 12, 2017.  Remember that you must see your Bishop right away to prepare for a temple recommend, unless you already have a recommend that will still be valid on August 12. If you already have a valid recommend please start increasing your temple attendance now, but plan to be with us on August 12 also.

Second, start praying to decide who among your kindred dead you should do the baptism, endowment, and marriage sealing for on August 12.  Ask Heavenly Father to reveal to you the name of a spiritual ancestor who has prepared himself or herself for the temple ordinances of eternal life.  That person will become very close to you as you both prepare for the temple. 

Third, we will soon announce a special course for you at the Rustaveli Family History Library to help you find ancestors and prepare them for Temple ordinances.  You are asked to learn all you can about their lives and to share brief biographies with us and other temple pioneers.

Finally, each of us as Temple Pioneers should make some special sacrifices of time to increase our temple attendance, and the work of the temple will grow to wonderful proportions.  I promise you that you will be personally blessed, temporally and spiritually for your increased temple service.  Ukraine, as a country, is presently facing critically serious national and international problems.  I believe that Heavenly Father will bless, prosper, and protect this land through the great work we do in the Temple of God for our own salvation and that of our kindred dead.  There will be a great legion of our ancestors from the Unseen World to help us.

“A Beacon of Peace”

By LAUREL C.  BIDDULPH

The temple is a beacon of peace in a troubled world. During the time of one particularly devastating adversity in my own life, the temple was the source of peace, stability and comfort for me.  My world had been rocked completely off its axis.  I wasn’t sure that I could function properly so devastating was what had been thrust upon me.  Work was impossible; sleep elusive.  Bouts of anguished sobbing engulfed me.  My only peace could be found in the temple.  There I felt a loving Father’s arms surround me; there I received revelation; there my heart found solace.   I would emerge strengthened and fortified, ready to face for a few more days a reality drastically altered.  And then, my strength again spent, I needed to return to my Father’s house.  I returned once a week, sometimes more often, until I was healed and whole again  - Stronger -  Wiser -  Ready to forgive -  Ready to serve more compassionately - Remolded more closely in my Savior’s image.  (I am still working on that image).

President Monson said, “As I think of temples, my thoughts turn to the many blessings we receive therein.  As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world.  Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order.  There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives. As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other feeling which could come into the human heart.  We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when He said ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’  Such peace can permeate any heart – hearts that are troubled, hearts that are burdened down with grief, hearts that feel confusion, hearts that plead for help.”

I testify that the words of our prophet are true, for I have experienced that peace for myself.  I have experienced it every time I enter the sacred doors of the temple.  I have experienced it in times of trouble and in times of great joy.  What I beautiful blessing is the temple in our lives!   The Lord pleads with His children to come to His holy house and meet Him there so that He can bless us with peace.  

"The Times, They Are A-Changin..."

I liked Bob Dylan as a teenager and as a young adult.  I can’t say that I agree with all of his lyrics today, but he did get one thing right.  “The times, they are a-changing.”  Whether they are changing for good or for ill is for each of us to decide.  But change – it is inevitable.  My father used to tell me that the only thing that was constant was change itself.  (Just to make the record clear, he also taught me that there is a source to which we can always turn, that is constant and that will never vary – our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ).  I remember this lesson about change when I am experiencing adversity.  I say to myself, “This too will pass.”  I also remember it when things are wonderful, when my children are all doing well, the bills are paid, health is good and life is comfortable.  I say to myself, “This too will pass, so appreciate and enjoy every moment.”  The way in which we react to change in large part not only reveals, but forms, our character.

Forty years ago I was a happily married young wife in my mid-twenties.  Laury Kent Backman was not only my husband, but my best friend.  He was a kind, handsome, charismatic, adventurous kind of guy, loved by the men he commanded and respected by his superior officers.  He was adored by his children and me. We were married in the temple and so I thought we were just at the beginning of our happily-ever-after story.  On a cold November morning in Japan, I kissed him goodbye as he left for work.  Several hours later, our branch president and the military chaplain together came to tell me that he had lost his life in an aircraft accident.  Noooo!!! That news did not fit with my idea of what reality should be.  My world came crashing down in one terrible, unexpected event.  That I was devastated is an understatement of gigantic proportions.  As I awoke each morning with fresh realization of the horrible truth, the world seemed somehow off-kilter, as if I was in some kind of alternate reality.  But facts were facts and I didn’t have the luxury to wallow in self-pity or numbing despair.  My babies and I were living in a foreign country and I needed to get us home; I needed to help and protect (and feed) them; I needed to help them survive, even thrive, without their daddy.  I needed to look forward, not backward.  As I now look back to those tragic times, I realize that two things brought me through intact and as a better, stronger person.  One was my early and deliberate acceptance of an unwelcome change.  I spent almost no time bemoaning my situation, almost no time mentally playing the “if only” game.  I accepted my situation and looked at what I needed to do to make a good life for my children.  The other was my faith in a loving Father in Heaven to whom I turned and who did not abandon me.

The United States has just come through a bitter election campaign season, perhaps the most bitter in modern history.  Each side has been positive that their idea of what is best for our country is the right one.  Each side has painted the other as evil, or uninformed or duped.  Each of the candidates has been painted by the opposing side as the most ugly, corrupt, evil person to ever come to national prominence.  Many persons on each side were convinced that should the candidate of the other party win, our country and their own lives would be plunged into the darkest abyss.  I believe that neither candidate is even close to perfect, but that neither is the evil caricature he/she has been described to be.  I believe that most people have the same desires for their personal lives, for those of their families and for our country.  We just have different ideas about how to achieve the results we all want.  Having differing ideas does not make those opposing ours evil or stupid or motivated by malice.   I am also convinced that none of the projected calamities have happened, nor will they. I know for certain that God has not abandoned us, nor will He, provided that we don’t abandon Him. 

Howard and I stayed up very late to watch the inauguration from start to finish.  Living overseas and learning about (and in Howard’s case, experiencing first hand) how power is transferred in some other countries makes us appreciate so very much our American system of choosing a leader and peacefully transferring power from one to another.  We were impressed by the attendance of representatives from the other branches of government, especially that they came from both political parties.  The attending dignitaries obviously understand this amazing and important example to all the world.  Democracy cannot exist without this peaceful transfer of power.  Once there is a large enough group which refuses to yield power and which is willing to resort to violence, democracy comes to an end.   And so we were moved by this most democratic of processes.  And while we have not embraced the policies or philosophies of our out-going president, we were impressed by his and the former first lady’s gracious behavior in the transition.  The election of President Trump meant the repudiation in some degree of the Obama legacy, and yet the example and behavior of the (now former) first couple was beyond reproach.  We were impressed by the graciousness of President and Mrs. Obama in greeting Mr. and Mrs. Trump to the White House.  We were impressed by President Obama’s last press conference in which he expressed hope for the future.  We were impressed by Mrs. Clinton’s gracious speech to her supporters the day after the election.  We were impressed by Mrs. Obama’s last speech.  It all was dignified and gracious and classy.  Again, the way we respond to change reveals our character.  We can all learn from the example we have just seen.  And we can be assured that God has not abandoned us and that our country can and will move forward with hope toward the future as we peacefully work toward that future.

 

Accepting a change in church leadership can also be difficult at times.  Brigham Young was a very different type of leader than was Joseph Smith.  Some just could not accept him because they didn’t like his brash personality.  The press of his day didn’t do him any favors either.  But he was used by the Lord to accomplish a formidable task.  In the early days of the LDS Church in Ukraine, the members loved the foreign missionaries and the foreign mission president.  They saw them as great leaders worthy of their loyalty.  It was more difficult for them to accept leaders called from the local branches.  (“How could you call and trust someone whose father was KGB?”)  The fact that changes in church leadership now occur without criticism and reluctance to accept a new leader shows the spiritual maturity of the Ukrainian members. 

We have had several changes in church leadership recently.  Our temple president, Frank Trythall and his wife, Nancy, have completed their service.  President Gerold Roth his wife, Gertraud, have replaced them.  We love both the Trythalls and the Roths!  Interestingly, John and Carol Galbraith, first temple president and matron just visited this past weekend.  They were enthusiastically greeted by the members and the love for them was very evident.  (We love them too). Their fireside was well attended and inspiring.  They will always be loved, as will the others who have succeeded them in their service.  Elder Bruce Porter completed his mortal journey and was released as area president of the Europe East Area.  Elder James B. Martino has replaced Elder Porter in assignment and responsibility.  Just Sunday, our stake president, Kirill Pokhilko was released so that he can prepare to assume leadership of the St. Petersburg, Russia mission.  He was replaced as stake president by Igor Kravchenko.  The visiting authorities making the change were Elders James Martino and Larry Kacher of the area presidency.  And back home, President Steven Allred was released as stake president for the same reason – a call to serve as a mission president in Argentina. 

    

None of these persons receiving church callings and assignments sought the positions to which they were called.  There was no lobbying, no campaigning.  In fact, when a call is received, the most common reaction is one of deep humility and a sense of inadequacy.  These callings are filled at great sacrifice in time, effort, missed economic opportunities and great emotional investment both from the one called and from the spouse and family.  We appreciate and love each of the Lord’s servants who accept a call to serve, from the highest position of leadership to the least visible of callings.  It doesn’t matter where we serve; what matters is our devotion to the Lord and to His children.  Not only do we accept these changes with humility, but we also pledge to sustain, support and help each person as he/she serves the Lord by serving us and others.  None of these men (in these examples) or women (in other cases) are perfect.  The Lord works miracles through his imperfect servants, because not only is that all He has to work with, but because His work is to perfect his children.  That is done as we humbly and faithfully serve in our own ways, and as each of us welcomes such changes in leadership and do our part to encourage the success of our new leader servants.

Yes, change is inevitable and it can be very difficult.  Yet, it is in the times when we are out of our comfort zones that we learn and grow the most.  I thank my Father in Heaven for the many changes, both welcome and unwelcome, which have come in my life.  I am not the same person I was 40 years ago.  Hopefully, I am a wiser, kinder, more patient person, more seasoned in faith.   I love the Lord with all of my heart and thank Him for never abandoning me, especially in the times of my greatest stress and anxiety.  Yes, the times, they are a-changing.  That can be a good thing, depending upon our response. 

My favorite inauguration picture.  What a great example to us those two ladies are!

She may not have won the election, but she supports democracy and attended the inauguration.  Another good example.

A peaceful transition of power.

Stake conference. Those with eagle eyes might find us on the right.

 Our new stake president at the podium.

Our old stake presidency and our new stake presidency in one picture.  The three men on the right are the old stake presidency.  The three men on the left are the new.

Ring in the New!

Like many of you, at the end of each year I assess what I have accomplished during the preceding year and set goals for the next.  Note that I said “SET GOALS.”  These are goals that I will give myself an entire year to accomplish.  I do not make resolutions for the year, because of course, those are easily broken early in the year, leading to discouragement.  (In case you wondered, I do NOT like being discouraged)!  My RESOLUTIONS are made each week as I renew my covenants with the Lord during the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  

On Sunday, I put into effect a suggestion made by Sister Wendy Watson Nelson in her book, Covenant Keepers.  As I partook of the emblems of the Sacrament, I said in my mind, “Father, I now covenant with Thee, that I will remember that I have taken upon myself the name of Thy Son in the waters of baptism.  I also covenant with Thee that I will always remember my Savior Jesus Christ throughout the week and I further covenant with Thee that I will keep His commandments.”   Amazing!  The Spirit bore witness to me that my covenant was noted and the outpouring of the Spirit promised in return was abundant.  The accountability session one can have with the Lord during those precious 20 minutes each week as the Sacrament is administered can be one of the most rewarding of experiences.  A review of the past week and a resolve to do better in the coming week fills me with happiness.  Each week I “ring in the new” filled with the Spirit of love.

I love the concept of new beginnings.  I love new years, new weeks, new days, new semesters, new projects.  What hope they each bring!  What promise of new learning, new accomplishment, new understanding!  I also, as time goes by, look anxiously forward to endings because they mark a time when you can make another new beginning.  Not every kind of ending mind you!  I don’t like in the least the ending of the mortal life of someone whom I will greatly miss.  That of Elder Bruce D. Porter was one such life.  Howard knew him well, and I had some wonderful encounters and meetings with him too.  We will greatly miss him and the loving direction he gave as area president of this Europe East Area in which we live and serve.  However, even in these endings, I see wonderful new beginnings.  Just think of the marvelous experience Elder Porter had as he entered the World of Spirits and had his own accountability session with the Lord!  As one renews his or her covenants each week and then keeps those covenants, he or she is incrementally sanctified step by step over time by the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit.  Such a person surely looks forward with anticipation to coming face to face with the Lord and feeling His love and compassion for a life imperfectly, but valiantly, lived.

So here in Ukraine, we haven’t had our new beginning yet.  Yes, January 1^st has come and gone (complete with a few fireworks), but we have continued to celebrate Christmas since December and the “Old New Year” is still to come on January 14.   We’ve celebrated two Christmases: December 25^th and January 7^th.   According to the Julian calendar, Christmas is January 7^th and the New Year is January 14^th.  This calendar is observed by the Russian, Ukrainian, Jerusalem Serbian, Polish and Georgian Orthodox churches.  It is also observed by the Greek Catholics of Ukraine and Belarus. The others celebrate according to the Gregorian calendar, which is what Americans are used to using.  In Ukraine, that means lots of celebrating!  On January 5^th, we attended a warm and friendly ward Christmas party complete with decorations, a program, music, games and food (even though our LDS ward does not fit into any of those religious categories listed above).  

On our January 7^th Christmas, we had a wonderful Christmas gathering in our apartment.  Our good friends, Liudmyla and Anatoli, invited three Ukrainian musicians to come with them and entertain us with Ukrainian Christmas carols.  Luidmyla also brought with her a traditional Ukrainian dish called kutya.  It is made of wheat boiled in water, to which is added poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins and honey.  The ritual significance of kutya is ancient.  The dish signifies penance and is placed behind the religious icons, an honorary place in the house (which we failed to provide). The head of the family is supposed to offer some to the frost, thrice inviting him to participate in the dinner.  When the frost does not appear, he is advised not to appear to harm the crops.  Our friends, Zoya and Slava brought desert and I provided a large veggie tray.  Yevgeniy provided vanilla shakes.  Good food and good company and absolutely wonderful singing made for a memorable afternoon and evening.  Later that evening, members of our Kyiv LDS Stake gathered at a metro station and sang Christmas hymns for the passersby.

On the evening prior to our Christmas gathering (the Orthodox Christmas Eve) we left in a snow storm to attend a Christmas Mass of the Greek Catholic Church. This service was a combination of the liturgy of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The mass started at midnight (January 7^th) and lasted for five hours!  Our legs gave out (standing for most of 2 1/2 hours) so we left half way through.  Our dear friends who had invited us stayed the entire time!  We admit wholeheartedly that it was a very interesting cultural experience.   The robes and pageantry were beautiful and impressive.  The incense was fragrant.  The a cappella choir was very good. I didn’t understand much of the liturgy, but I could make out the Ukrainian words for “Lord,” “God” and “glory” which were repeated over and over many times.  Howard understood much of it, which was done in Ukrainian, Greek and Old Church Slavonic.  We were impressed (but not converted).   

This experience brought fresh appreciation for the simple and humble way we have been taught to come unto Christ -- having faith in Jesus Christ, offering broken and contrite hearts as we conform our ways to His, being baptized by immersion and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then living our lives in such a way as to allow the Holy Spirit to remain with us always.  We love that we can petition directly our Heavenly Father through personal prayer, not needing an intercessory except for Jesus Christ.  We love that we can renew our commitment to the Lord each and every week – and even sit reverently while we do it.  The truths of the Gospel are beautiful and simple – simply beautiful – but they are not easy.  It’s living our lives in a way that shows our discipleship that seems to be so difficult.  Thank goodness for new beginnings each and every week as we renew our promises to the Lord and He promises His help! 

Ring in the new!

Pechersky Ward Christmas party

Carol singing in the metro tunnel

Kutya

Our Ukrainian Christmas

Hallelujah!

When I was a senior in high school, three friends and I drove into downtown L.A. to attend a Christmas concert - Handel’s Messiah performed by the Southern California Mormon Choir and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. As we stood for the Hallelujah Chorus, the Spirit bore powerful testimony to me of the divinity of our Lord and the tears streamed down my face.    Since that evening, each time I hear that stirring chorus my heart feels that it will burst with joy and gratitude for the life and love of our Savior.

Of course, I am a normal person in that I love, love, love the Christmas season.  It seems as if people are friendlier and more thoughtful as they prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.  I have really enjoyed the “Light of the World” initiative done by the LDS Church.  This was presented to the missionaries at the Thanksgiving Day zone conference we attended.  He really IS the light of the world and as we emulate Him, we become that light on the hill.  Our light becomes a reflection of Him.  The world is better and so are we.

For us, Christmas this year was devoid of shopping and gifts.  We decided instead to spend the money we would have normally spent on gifts for our family on a dinner for Ukrainian Latter-day Saints who first made a pilgrimage to the temple, traveling by old, rickety buses from Kyiv to Freiberg, Germany in the years of 1992-3.  We invited 68 persons, of whom about 60 were able to attend.  Elder Jeff and Sister Kathy Anderson (on a two year hiatus from the Orchestra at Temple Square to serve a mission as mission doctor and his best assistant for several missions in our part of the world) blessed us with beautiful violin music accompanied by another great senior talent - Elder Don Wood.  As we projected pictures of the first 3 temple excursions, people shared their memories of the trips.  The Spirit was very strong as our guests recounted the miracles that allowed them to travel to make covenants with God.  These wonderful people made great sacrifices to receive their temple blessings.  One example recounted was a sister (since deceased) who rented out her apartment (becoming homeless) for an entire year so that she could have the money to make the trip to Germany. 

The best part of our evening was the excited expressions of agreement when Howard asked our guests to go with us on another temple trip – this time to the Kyiv Temple.  It was a thrill to us to see such a positive response especially from those who have been less active in recent years. We have set a date far enough in advance that all can have recommends ready.  We’ve worked with our new temple president, President Gerold Roth, to schedule a special baptismal session, endowment sessions and sealing sessions for our group.  Each “traveler” to the upcoming temple trip is to bring with him/her the name and story of at least one late family member for whom ordinances will be performed. In the meantime, we will be planning family history classes and temple preparation classes to be ready.  We hope all of those who were baptized during Howard’s tenure as mission president (1991-1994) will participate in some way.  We believe that the reason that the Lord has so far preserved Ukraine as an independent nation is the temple.  We also believe that as temple attendance increases, the protection afforded by those on the other side desiring their temple blessings will also increase.  We expect these pioneers who began the tradition of temple worship in Ukraine to inspire an upsurge in temple activity among all of the members here.

The dinner we hosted took place on December 19^th, the Ukrainian “St. Nicholas Day.”  I love it that Ukrainians separate Christmas itself from St. Nicholas gift giving.  For me, that would mean a more Christ-focused Christmas.  However, I have yet to see what actually happens on Christmas, as the official day for that is January 7^th.  At least January 7^th is the Orthodox Church’s Christmas (that is most of the population).  Catholics and Protestants celebrate on December 25^th, which is to say there are two Christmas days here and some celebrate them both!  Additionally, New Years’ Day is a big celebration too.  During Communist years, celebration of Christian holidays was frowned upon and New Years’ Day was made into a big holiday, complete with Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), who has a long white beard, wears a floor length blue fur coat and gives gifts.  The change in regimes, did not negate the celebration of the new year.  Ukrainians brighten the dreary winter months by celebrating everything! 

Although we didn’t personally spend all month shopping, baking and decorating, it seems as if we’ve celebrated the Savior’s birth all month.  It started with a family home evening shared with the senior missionaries serving here wherein we enjoyed a Christmas program and good food.  We then enjoyed the First Presidency’s Christmas Fireside, which we saw twice (how wonderful is that!?).  We then were completely blown away by the Sacrament Meeting program presented by our ward Primary children – all ten of them.  We were amazed at how well they spoke and by how well they sang.  The entire room was filled with their clear voices.  If one’s eyes were closed, one would have thought there were 30-40 children singing.  I couldn’t resist going into the Primary room to congratulate them afterwards, I was so impressed.  There they were, eating well-deserved treats.  We have listened to Handel’s Messiah over and over, along with other Christmas music that we have on CDs.  A great highlight of the season was the Stake Christmas concert.  Have I mentioned how musically gifted are our Ukrainian brothers and sisters?  So many of them are unusually talented!  We commented upon how the wonderful program was produced by just one stake.  And then we thought of the concert we attended in the Opera Theater in September to celebrate 25 years of the gospel in Ukraine which was produced by this very one and only stake.  Wow!  And finally, Christmas Day consisted of Sacrament Meeting, dinner with just the two of us and visiting via telephone and Skype my four and Howard’s five children plus my mother.  More is yet to come, as our ward family will be celebrating at an Ukrainian Christmas party on January 5^th. 

As you can see, we have thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas season, in spite of being away from home and without the normal dinners and gifts.  What we have most enjoyed is the focus that we have been able to put upon the true meaning of the holiday, precisely because we have been away from our normal routine.   We have had time to “Be quiet and know that I am God.”  We have felt the love of God expressed through the awe-inspiring gift of His Holy Son.  We love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts.  We are grateful for His love, strength, support, inspiration, healing and forgiveness.  We are also grateful for how much more that we are because of His power and willingness to enhance the gifts with which He has blessed us.  We are so grateful for the hope that he gives us that we will live again to see those we love so much in this life!   He truly helps us to comprehend the love that our Heavenly Parents have for each of us.
  

Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! 

These (3 pics) are some of the people who went on the first three temple trips to Freiberg, Germany.

What a great reunion of the first travelers to the temple in the early 1990s! They have changed just a little in 24 years.  We hope we didn't miss anyone! 

Yevgeniy took the pictures of the temple trip gathering, and so he wasn't in any of them! He helped us organize the event.  He is pictured in front of our grand tree.

Slava and Zoya Gulko also helped organize our temple trip event.  Here they are pictured (at a different event) with their delightful daughter, Kyra and her family. Kyra was sealed to her parents on the third temple trip. 

Kyiv Stake Christmas concert.  It was spiritually moving and very beautiful. I have many more pictures but not enough room to post them.

Primary children of the Pechersky Ward.  What great singers!

Do you think visions of sugar plum fairies are dancing in his head?