A Stone Cut Without Hands

 As the events of this past week have unfolded, the prophecy contained in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream recorded in Daniel 2 has repeatedly flooded my mind: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold: the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” (Daniel 2: 44-45).  This stone cut from the mountain without hands (the latter-day kingdom of God) will one day fill the whole earth.  This prophecy is unfolding in our day, and a wonderful example of that is found right here in Ukraine.

We spent most of two days in the sacred Kyiv Ukraine temple reviewing ordinances and participating in them.  It is quite an experience to participate in Russian, and the process of having to think deeply about what was taking place gave me new insights into the endowment we receive in holy temples of God.  The Spirit is always strong in the temple, and we felt a special one as Colleen joined us in the Celestial Room.  It was also a thrill to meet with temple missionaries and with local members serving there.  We ran into members from Minsk (Belarus) and L’viv (Ukraine) who recognized their former mission president and were anxious to visit and relive their conversion stories.  What a treat to see the spiritual maturity of these members who were once babes in the Gospel! 

Our meetings with Kyiv Mission President Kenneth Packer, Kyiv Temple President Frank Trythall, Kyiv Stake President Kirill Pohilko, and Area President Elder Bruce Porter were so very uplifting.  We felt blessed that they took time to meet with us amidst their busy schedules and thankful for their direction and support for what we are doing here.  They were so gracious, welcoming and encouraging!  These are the heavy lifters moving the work forward here at this time.

A very important event this week was a two-day conference celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of the religious studies program in Ukraine under the direction of Anatoli Kolodny, who founded and directs the Department of Religious Studies of the Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences.  It was no coincidence that this department and program was established in the same year that the land of Ukraine was dedicated for the preaching of the Gospel, as both occurred in the year that Ukraine became an independent nation after the fall of the USSR.  Professor Kolodny and his wife, Professor Luidmyla Filapovych, have been wonderful and important friends of the church. They were critically important in getting the LDS Church registered in Ukraine, and later in getting approval to build a temple here.  

Howard was asked to write a scholarly paper that was published, along with others, for this event, and he and I were asked to present it on the second day of the conference.  The paper is entitled “Toleration of a New Faith in Ukraine: A Study of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”  In it, Howard relates the historical events that occurred (many of which he witnessed and participated in) and analyzed the factors (from a political science point of view) which made possible the freedom to blossom here that the church has experienced in the past twenty-five years.  

In the second day of the conference a whole session was devoted to the LDS Church’s jubilee anniversary.  The head of the Department of Religion & Nationalities in the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, members of the Church Public Relations Department, President Pohilko and others attended the session devoted to our church.  Professor Kolodny gave the most amazing talk about the church and its doctrine.  I have never heard someone who is not a long-time member of the church demonstrate such a grasp of the doctrine – and such a defense of it.  Professor Filapovych gave a heart -felt talk about the goodness of the people of the church and how they have touched her life.  She, later that night at the 25^th Anniversary Concert, gave a tribute to the church on the stage of the Opera Theatre. 

Later that night, the Ukrainian Latter-day Saints celebrated their Jubilee Anniversary in a Gala Concert held in the Opera Theatre.  I wrote an article for the Church News about this, which follows:  

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Ukrainian Saints Celebrate 25^th Years of LDS Church Membership

On the evening of September 17, 2016, Latter-day Saints, their friends and Ukrainian government officials gathered in the famous Opera Theatre of Kyiv to celebrate the dawning of gospel worship in Ukraine just 25 years ago.  The building was filled to capacity.  Attending were Area President Elder Bruce Porter, Kiev Stake President Kirill Pohilko, members of the LDS Public Affairs Office, the Head of the Department of Religion & Nationalities in the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Kiev Ukraine Mission President Kenneth B. Packer and his family, Temple President and former mission president Frank Trythall and his wife, Nancy, former mission president Howard L. Biddulph, former missionaries, current missionaries, members from Ukraine, Belarus and surrounding countries.  The program was organized by Katerya Serdyuk and consisted of outstanding performances by a professional orchestra and LDS members and missionaries.  Featured performers were Igor and Vesna Gruppman, world renowned violinists.  Vesna is a native of Serbia in what was then Yugoslavia; Igor is a native of Kiev, Ukraine, and is principal conductor of the Orchestra at Temple Square and Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.  The next evening the Gruppmans also gave a fireside.  One hundred ninety-six missionaries participated in the concert.  Local members also gave outstanding professional quality performances.   Projected images of the church’s history in Ukraine accompanied the music and dance numbers.   

From very small beginnings has come a mighty work of joyous salvation, including temple worship in this land where Christianity was first introduced by Prince Volodymyr the Great in 988 AD. The first LDS baptism in Ukraine (of Valery Stavichenko by Elder Ivan Stratov) occurred in the icy Dnieper (Dnipro) River in November 1990 during the time Ukraine was part of the Austria Vienna East Mission headed by President Neuenschwander.  Several baptisms followed and a small branch of about 40 members existed on September 12, 1991 when the land of Ukraine was dedicated for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a service conducted by Howard L. Biddulph, mission president of the newly formed Ukraine Mission.  Offering the dedicatory prayer was Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve; also participating in the event were Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander.  Today there are 12,500 members in Ukraine; 3 operating missions, a Stake in Zion – the first stake organized in the former Soviet Union- and a Temple – the only temple in east Europe and the former Soviet Union. 

Deeply involved in the year-long celebration is Kyiv Mission President Kenneth Boyd Packer, grandson of President Boyd Kenneth Packer who dedicated the country.  As part of this year’s celebration, President Packer gathered missionaries and local members at the base of the statue of Volodymyr I and recreated the original dedication.  Sister Crystal Close, Purchase Award Winner of the 2016 LDS art competition, and current missionary in Kyiv, used this reenactment as an opportunity to create a painting of the event.  President Packer is has deep personal feelings for the people of Ukraine stemming from his grandfather’s many involvements with the region.  He and his wife, Cari, feel it a great blessing to be called to preside over the mission during this momentous time in the history of the country.

Also deeply involved in the celebration is Kyiv Stake President Kirill Pohilko, one of the first members of the church in Ukraine.  He serves as the Ukrainian Public Affairs Director and as Temple Recorder, as well as Stake President. 

The lovely Kyiv Temple was dedicated in 2010 and is serving members of the church in nine Russian speaking countries.  It is currently the only temple in the former Soviet Union.  This temple is part of the specific prophecy of Elder Boyd K. Packer when he dedicated Ukraine to the Lord 25 years ago and is a great symbol of the faith, dedication and spiritual maturity of the Latter-day Saints of Ukraine.

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This posting wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the uplifting fireside we attended last night given by Igor and Vesna Gruppman.  What wonderful examples they are!  They spoke of the Lord’s love, His miracles in their lives and the privilege we all have to be instruments in the hands of the Lord.

Yes, the church has grown so much here in just a short twenty-five years.  It is miraculous and has happened according to the prophecy of Elder Boyd K. Packer in his dedicatory prayer and the prophecy quoted at the beginning of this post.  Just think of the kingdom that fell, allowing Ukraine and other countries to become independent nations where the Gospel is spreading.  Yet, there is still much to be done before it fills this land and the entire world.  We, who are blessed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, have the amazing privilege and opportunity to participate in the great work of the Lord unto the complete fulfillment of prophecy wherein the kingdom of God will fill, not just opera theatres, but the entire world.