Three weeks ago (082510)...

One of James's secret goals during the trip was to make people smile. It's just not Slavic nature, especially "on duty." During the night, James made a border patrol officer very excited when he gave him a $1 bill as a souvenir. He was almost giddy.

On Wednesday, August 25th, we arrived in Kharkov, Ukraine---my old stomping grounds!

Again, we arrived before the metro opened, so we sat outside the train station in a park on a lovely morning. (After we were attacked by the "vultures"...again.) We ate what we had left of our night's provisions, watched the stray dogs, and the man next to us feeding the pigeons.

Train station 1998

Train Station 2010

When we arrived at the center square, a large cobblestone square with a statue of Lenin at one end, it was a disaster. August 24th is Ukraine's independence day and there was a BIG party the night before.

Center Square 1998

Center Square 2010

Center Square 2010

We found our hotel and once again discovered we were in a room with no AC and there were no other availabilities. (One of the disadvantages of booking online is you can't always note your preferences. We also discovered the walk-in price is usually a few dollars less than the online price. But, I guess you aren't guaranteed a room that way.)

We had a time and place of the get-together scheduled that night combining the branches that I served in. The day hours were the only I had to hunt anyone down or see my areas. So we were off to my first area which had a metro stop constructed since I was there. That would have been nice. When we surfaced there was one very familiar landmark:

Soldier Statue 1998

Soldier Statue 2010

but so much else had changed.

Kids home from school, more later.

(continued 092010) We walked along the road I walked so many times. Saw the bus stop where I got on once when the bus was so crowded that when the doors shut my backpack was on the outside of the bus!

Enough had changed that I wasn't positive which building I lived in but we think we found it. And the building sign said "internet here"!



This caught our attention:
Talk about the power of music. It says, in English, "Rap, Sex, and drugs. That's all for me."

This was a familiar sight:
Fresh Milk (most likely with fresh tuberculosis)

We also saw the open market where I did my first grocery shopping.



It was no longer really "open" as every table had its own roof, unlike formerly. When I went my first time to go shopping on my first p-day, my companion informed me not to buy any fruits or vegetables that were unusually large because they might have radiation from Chernobyl.

This was a photo we took in Kaliningrad, but this is also what you'd find at an open market.

That's a pig head in case you can't tell.

I saw my favorite cleaner, Dax (my brother's name).

In 1998

In 2010

Then we took a bus to the outskirts of my first area. They are actually in the process of completing another metro stop to that area.

This was our apartment then in 1998. We lived on the 15th floor and I was only there for a month and a half, but the elevator never broke! We were so grateful. I once got stuck in an elevator when in was between floors. We had to pry the doors open and jump down onto the floor from 3 or 4 feet up.

In 2010

We also saw the school house we used to rent for church. It was frigid in the winters and sultry in the summers. It was were I was when the construction of the Kiev Temple was announced in 1998.

Bird's eye view, 1998 (U-shaped building at left. Taken from our 15th story apt.)

School House 2010

We tried to find the mother and daughter, Tatiana and Oksana, with whom I had my very first discussion and who were eventually baptized. With the new telecom locks we weren't even able to get into their stairwell.

We headed for my second area, Saltovka.

We caught a bus from the metro that had the name of the street of a lady with whom we worked with as a less active. She lived in a house which was uncommon. She was a school teacher and had a beautiful garden out behind her home. She was soft-spoken, but intelligent and spiritual. When we got off the bus, we were at the wrong end of the road, a long road. The houses were numbered in the upper 200s and we were looking for 48. To make a long (frustrating) story short, it was a looonnnggg, hot, dusty walk that was more like a hike because the "sidewalks" are very different in the areas where there are houses as opposed to apartments. We finally came to #48, but a large dog prevented us from entering the gate. Having come this far, I wasn't about to just leave. So I yelled for her. Her Dad came to the gate and said we just missed her. He's not a member, but James warmed him up and we left our info. in hopes she'd try to make contact.

For those who may want to know, it was Lyudmila Kydlai I was looking for. This is her Dad.

So after two strikes at trying to find people I was a little discouraged and coaxed James into just getting a taxi to our next try. It was so worth it! And, we found Antonina and her family, with whom we spent extensive time as missionaries.

In 1998 with Antonina (front center) her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. (Look, it's you Heather, since you are probably the only one who has stuck with this lengthy post.)

In 2010. The teenage girl sitting next to me in this picture is the toddler I'm holding in the picture above.

Boys home again and I'm still not done.

(continued again)

We then visited the building where I spent the most time as a missionary.
It's not much to look at but just as the people of Alma loved the land of Mormon because "how beautiful [it was] to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer," likewise I feel about this building. This is the window I would sit at every morning while my pail of water warmed on the stove to study the scriptures. Here is where I felt the Spirit teach me daily like never before. Here is where I would look down from 5 stories to the passers-by and wonder what it was that determined my birth into a righteous LDS family in the United States of America when so so many knew nothing of these matchless blessings. A humbling thought daily.



1998 Where I'm standing was an open dirt area. Every day the merchants would set up shop. At night, when my companion and I would return home we would walk across the bare dirt singing, "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?" Sometimes we would be walking across several inches of ice---in fact, every night from Nov. through at least February. My favorite was when it was so cold that the moisture in the air would crystallize and the surrounding lights would reflect off the crystals and it would be "snowing" glitter. It was also in this area that I saw a dead man on the ground with a chalk line around him.

2010 Now, the area has more permanent buildings. Including a donut kiosk. Yum.

These were the only donuts we had. You buy them by the kilogram and often, they are still warm.

I was sure that one sister with whom we worked would not make it to the evening's gathering. She was elderly 12 years ago. Elderly, but amazing. She would pay her tithing on her allotted pension even when she didn't receive it. She also fasted although she had serious problems with blood pressure and diabetes. I often think of her when I think about true faith.

We found Dyucye. Although she now suffers from dementia and didn't remember me, she was kind. By the end of our visit, she said she remembered me but I'm not sure. I'm so glad we found her.

Dyucye 1998

talking in her apartment

2010

We then headed to the church building, the thought of which boggled my mind. It was a wonderful sight.

2010

There we were warmly welcomed by faces that had faded into dreams, but were as real as ever. They had a whole program for us complete with a tap dancer. Many spoke of their memories of the time I served. I shared with them my love and testimony. James had them laughing. I was so grateful to be there with him. For him to meet the people I love, and for them to meet him.



It really was a joyous reunion.

We headed back for the hotel...and we found a pizza place. It was so good. I had mine gone before James even got done with his facebook post.

And so, by the length of this post, you can see, it was a very long day. One I had been looking forward to for a very long time.

Approximate Total Miles Traveled: 7962