We have been in Kiev for almost two weeks now. Time has flown by as we have been very busy. We arrived (as most of you know) in the middle of the night on Sunday morning, September 2nd. The temple had been closed for cleaning for two weeks and opened back up on Tuesday, September 4. We spent that day being trained (or oriented) and then were put to work. We have the afternoon shift--which means we begin at 3 p.m. and serve until 9 p.m., except Saturdays when we begin at 1 p.m. and go until 7 p.m. We serve Tuesday through Saturday. Our assignment for this period of time (which may be 2-3 months--we are not quite sure) is called a "floater" or something like that. I don't remember the word they use for us. It just means that we are put wherever they need us most. We have done most of the things that need to done and most of them have to be done in English (for lack of ability in Russian). There are a few things we are able to do in Russian and we hope that will get better as time goes on. We are still determined to learn and spend some time each day working on the language.
We have appreciated the Blacks. They have taken us shopping on the marshukas (small buses), regular buses, and on foot. There are a couple of stores within walking distance but they are not our favorites. We've also shopped at the rynoks. They are markets and are quite a fun place to shop. They are located all over the city and are little shops that sell anything you can think of. That is the very best place to buy produce. Speaking of produce, they have great fruit and lots of fruits and vegetables. Breads are plentiful and they are very inexpensive. You can purchase a large round loaf of bread for under one U.S. dollar. We are having a hard time wrapping our minds around the money. There are 8.1 hryvnia for $1. We buy something and it seems very expensive until we stop to figure it out. We got 1000 kryvnia from the teller machine and it was only $123.46. It is difficult to get a lot of money out at any one time. You have to make several transactions--which of course means a charge for the machine.
Our apartment is quite spacious, new and clean. We have TV (which we didn't have at home), wi-fi, and all of the modern conveniences except a dishwasher. The laundry room has 5 washers and dryers and a big folding table for laundry. It's nice to be able to get all the laundry done at once. We have no complaints. Everything is great and we are happy. We love the people. We get to meet people from all over.
Our temple district covers 9 countries and 13-15 missions, so it is fun each week to see new groups coming. The patron housing is in our building, so we are able to interact with the people as they come and go. Our facility has two large kitchens for the patrons to use to cook their meals. The big refrigerators have individual little compartments in them with locks for people to refrigerate their food. They sleep upstairs in dorm-like rooms, the men and boys in one room and the women and girls in the other. It is a nice set up and very inexpensive for them. Most of them come at great hardship. If they live far away it may be the only time they come. Different units and missions are assigned their week a year in advance. So far, we have had groups from Romania and Russia. This week it is the Moscow Stake. It has been a smaller group--only about 35-40 people. They love the temple and keep us busy.
This morning Dale and I went over to the temple to attend a session. When I went upstairs to the dressing room, the morning shift-coordinator grabbed me and told me I couldn't attend the session. They were having a special (extra) session at 9:15 and they needed me to help with it. It turned out to be about 14 couples who were in the Europe East Area as humanitarian missionaries. The session was in English, so that was nice for them. However, the few Ukrainians who came to that session had to wear the headphones. That really isn't too unusual for them, however, because when a visiting group comes, if they don't speak Russian, they will run the session in the language of the visitors and the Russian speakers use the headphones.
I've rambled this morning but did want to bring you up to date. We'll get some pictures posted soon.
We hope to have you contribute to the blog or at least make comments. We love you all and know you will be cared for by our Heavenly Father. We are thankful for this opportunity we have to serve, to live in a wonderful land that is new to us, and to be able to struggle to learn to speak with the natives. God lives and loves each one of us. We will find true happiness by following His plan.
Love,
Mom, Grandma, etc. &
Dad, Grandpa, etc.
