"Pearl of the Black Sea"

Vivian and I made a trip this last weekend to Odessa -  the "pearl of the Black Sea"; 275 miles from Kyiv. This is the 3rd most populous city of Ukraine with over 1 million people.  It is a major tourist center which was on full display during our visit.  It is also a seaport which is also home to ships of the Ukrainian Navy.

We had a great weekend.  We combined our meeting with local Church priesthood leadership regarding training on financial and audit matters with a little sightseeing of a very beautiful city.  We did visit Odessa in February so the pictures included in this post include some from February as well.

A note on our travels.  We travel by train.  It affords us an opportunity to see a beautiful countryside of small cities and villages, farms and local gardens, cows, goats, horses, sheep, dogs and cats and even chickens and roosters in a small cornfield by a small house near the train tracks.  We get to see it going 85 miles an hour as it whooshes by the window.  I've tried to capture some of this with my camera.  Of course it's always better in person.  A picture of a sunflower field is something I really wanted and I got a picture of it...going 85 miles an hour past it.

Our train departed from Kyiv to Odessa very early in the morning.  It seems like all the trains we take to wherever in Ukraine leave very early in the morning.  We have a driver, Andrey, who picks us up at our apartment at 5:00 am and delivers us to the Kyiv train station for a 6:00 pm departure to Odessa.

Driving on the main street to the Kyiv Train Station.  It's old monolith with modern fast food restaurants around it.  There's a McDonalds just to the right of the station but can't be seen in this

shot.

Outside view of our train car No. 8...the Russian word for this is translated as "wagon".

Inside look of our car...lots of leg room.  This is a first class car...only two seats in a row, wifi access for free ( but very slow) and electrical outlets for our electronic devices.  A must as far as I'm concerned.

Disembarking at the Odessa Train Station after a 7-hour trip.  Our first time at the station..  Vivian is walking with Gennadi, our driver, who met us at our train, took our luggage and drove us to our hotel.  He is on the left of Vivian who has her back to the camera.

I liked the architecture of the station.  The blue banner translates to "Welcome to the city of Odessa Heroes".  I believe this is in reference to when Odessa defended itself as part of the Nazi invasion in
World War II.

According to Wikipedia it says:  "It was one of the first four Soviet cities to be awarded the title of "Hero City" in 1945 ( Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odessa)."

Our hotel, "Ayvazovsky" had a very European feel (what else).  A few pictures below. The hotel is named for a very famous Odessa artist who specialized in maritime art.

Now comes the vanity photo...and before you say it.  Yes, my clothes no longer fit me.  A circus clown comes to my mind.  When I leave Ukraine I will be donating most of clothes to a needy group.  There is no Deseret Industries in Ukraine.

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 Sidewalk dining...how European!  We had lunch with Elder and Sister Anderson from Alberta, Canada serving in the Dnepropetrovsk Mission as CES missionaries.  This is their second mission having previously served as office missionaries in the Baltic Mission.

This is my Ukrainian pose on the left.  I noted Ukrainians are very serious about

having their pictures taken.  They really like to pose.  The women look like models.  This is my impression of the men I've seen posing.  On the right...the real me.  I love this promenade.  It is tree-lined as you can see and runs parallel to the shoreline of the Black Sea.  It overlooks the sea.

The Odessa Central Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is on this main street near the Odessa Opera House.  This is where we did our training on Saturday evening and attended Church on Sunday morning.  There are three floors in this building and all three floors are used.  The gables on the third floor includes a kitchen and foosball table among other things.  When the branch has a social in the winter time this is where they hold it.  Also, the young adults use it as a gathering area.  When the missionaries have their Odessa Zone Conferences, this is where they are fed lunch.  The floor off the street is where the chapel is located and is where Sacrament Meeting is held.  When we attended the meeting there were over 50 in attendance.

The plaque on the building to the right of the door says:

Це́рковь Иису́са Христа́ Святы́х после́дних дне́й

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

This is the presidency of the Odessa Ukraine District - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  President Vitaliy Chernega and his counselors President Vasilii Vozniuk and President Sergei Glukov.  I work directly with President Glukov - he's the District Audit Committee Chairman; and he and President Chernega attended the training meeting we held Saturday evening.

Here are the missionaries of the Ukraine Dnepropetrovsk Mission currently serving in Odessa in the Central Branch.  The young man on the right is Elder Archbold, one of five missionaries transferred from the Ukraine Kyiv Mission on June 27th as part of the realignment.  Elder Archbold's companion is Elder Rawson.  I am sorry but I didn't write the sister missionaries names down and I don't remember them  The sister on the left is a Ukrainian from Vinnitsya.  The other sister did the translating of sacrament meeting on Sunday and did a very nice job.  The other couple are the Andersons with whom we had lunch on Saturday.

A view of the chapel prior to the beginning of Sacrament Meeting (Sunday Service)

 Courtyard outside the window of the chapel

Various pictures taken on our sightseeing trip on Saturday

Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater.  One of my favorite sights in Odessa.  In February Vivian and I attended our first professional ballet, "Swan Lake", in this theater.  It was great!

This was the tour "bus" we took around the historical area of Odessa.  We were the only English speaking people on the tour.  The rest were Ukrainians so the tour guide spoke Russian and occasionally translated a summary of what she said.  We enjoyed seeing the buildings and hearing about the history of Odessa.  Vivian is sitting in the cart on the last row facing forward.  She's in the shadows.

 Statue of Catherine the Great of Russia.  She founded Odessa.

 This is one of the smaller parks in the city but very beautiful and within walking distance of our hotel.

This statue is of Duc de Richelieu.  He was a French statesman who was governor of Odessa, 1803-1814.  He designed the layout of the city.  This statue is facing to the Black See at the head of the famous Potemkin Stairs down to the sea.

 Above is Primorsky Boulevard.  I love this walk.  It goes from the Opera and Ballet Theater to the Potemkin Stairs or Steps.  The shade of the trees and the breezes from the sea make it a pleasant walk.  We took a walk along it before church meetings on Sunday.

Above right is looking down from Primorsky Boulevard.  There is another level you can walk along.  I just liked the pretty flowers.

Right, the Black Sea and a lighthouse.

 To the left - Ukrainian Navy ship.  The weekend was celebrating the anniversary of the Ukrainian Constitution - June 28, 1996.  Above - Ukrainian sailors who consented to my request for a picture.

This is the Hotel Londonskaya on Primorsky Boulevard facing the Black Sea.  Our tour guide this this architecture was of Italian origin, maybe Medici if I understood it.  I wasn't a Humanities Major at BYU so I'm not sure of stuff like this.  I liked the look of though and Vivian and I thought we might come back here as tourists sometime.

The Potemkin Stairs/Steps.  Very famous.  A bit of trivia from Wikipedia:

"The stairs were so precisely constructed as to create an optical illusion. A person looking down the stairs sees only the landings, and the steps are invisible, but a person looking up sees only steps, and the landings are invisible."

Back to Kyiv

 The Odessa Train Station from the front.  A beautiful afternoon for a train ride - 7 hours of beauty.  Left at 2:52 pm and arrived 9:54 pm.  A driver met us at the train, took our luggage, drove us to our apartment arrived by 10:30 pm.  No muss, no fuss.

SIGHTS ALONG THE WAY

If you got this far in the blog...thank you.  I know this was a long one.  I hope you've enjoyed our experience in Odessa.  There is a good and a not-so-good thing about traveling by train.  We are able to get out of the city into the country; we don't have to drive; no traffic; we get to see a lot of different things along the way; including my sunflower field.  But...it is difficult to take pictures.  As soon as you see something you'd like to capture...whoosh, it's by you!   If we were in a car, we could stop and look around and take pictures.  Oh well.  Here are a few of my shots taken from the window of the train, both going and coming back.

SUNFLOWERS!!!

So close, yet so far.

SUNFLOWERS...UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

My good friend, Elder Steve Haldeman...in a sunflower field.  Now this is what I'm talking about!

LILACS ARE IN BLOOM...

On May 4th Vivian and I went with another senior couple, the Humphreys, to visit the National Botanical Garden in Kyiv.  These gardens sit up on top of a main hill that overlooks the Dnieper River and what is called the Left Bank of Kyiv.  From the river you can see many of the iconic cathedrals and other monuments that line that hill.  You can also see the gardens from river.  

The garden covers 1.3 km² and contains 13,000 types of trees, shrubs, flowers and other plans from all over the world.  We didn't see all of the gardens this trip.  The blooming lilacs at the end of spring are popular in the central garden and this is the reason we made the visit.  It was a beautiful day and afternoon.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Red poppies are a favorite in Ukraine

Looking back up the hill to the entrance to the Garden.

Essentially "Keep of the grass"

 These pictures show the Humphreys and the Foleys with Sister Chemezov.  She is one of the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Ukraine.

As we were strolling through the Garden we came upon her enjoying the day.

The previous Monday she and her husband shared their journey with the senior couple missionaries serving in the Kyiv Mission and in the Kyiv Temple.  It was nice to talk with her some more and learn a little more of the history of the Church in Ukraine.

 One of my favorite things in Kyiv is seeing all the families out and about.  The children are so cute.  Here are three little ones we came across as we strolled in the Garden.  You can see in the background baby strollers. 

Throughout the Garden we saw lots of artists taking advantage of the great weather and the beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees.  I talked with a few of them and found out most of them are art students.

This view is looking from the Garden across the river looking at the high rises on the Left Bank. 

The building is the Vydubchi Monastery.  It is run by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.  It was established between 1070 and 1077 by the son of Yaroslav The Wise.

MISSION CONFERENCE - KYIV, UKRAINE - 6/03/18

It is a rare event when the whole mission comes together in one place.  This happened last Saturday in Kyiv.  This was permitted because of a visit by Brother and Sister Tad Callister, Sunday School General President and Elder James B. Martino, Of the Seventy and President of the Europe East Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Elder Martino was accompanied by his wife, Sister Jennie Martino.

What a treat it was to have these two brethren teach us all how to be effective teachers in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to His children, especially here in Ukraine.  They inspired us as they spent over two hours teaching the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It was wonderful. 

The picture below is of all of the missionaries in the Ukraine Kyiv Mission; young elders and sister missionaries as well as senior couples assigned to the mission, President and Sister Kumferman and their daughter, Maggie.  I really like this picture and wanted to share it with all of you.

I am so very happy to be serving as a missionary and find growth and development each day.  I know my Savior lives, he loves us all and wants us to be happy.  This happiness comes through His Gospel, the Father's Plan of Happiness with the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, the central core of this plan.  I hope for this kind of happiness for my family, friends and acquaintances. 

The three men in the  first row, center are Brother Callister, Elder Martino and President Kumferman, president of the Ukraine Kyiv Mission along with their wives.  

Waiting to eat after the conference concluded.  Elder Clawson is on the left and Elder Uchytil is on the right.  Both of these young men are fine missionaries and very fluent in the Russian language.  I look a little sick because I am.  I was having what my grandmother called a "dizzy spell".  Medically it's called "vertigo".  I still enjoyed the conference.

I love this picture of my wife.  Vivian (Sister Foley) with Sister Vogelsberg.  Elder Voglesberg was taking the picture.  A couple of real beauties.  The Vogelsbergs return home on June 20th.  We will miss them.

BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE...

Early this month Vivian and I took a trip to Dnepropetrovsk to provide audit training to the priesthood leadership who oversee the Church in eastern Ukraine.  We rode the train which followed the general direction of the Dnieper River only a little inland from the river itself.  It took over 5 hours to travel 280 miles (about 450 kilometers).  The train ride was pleasant.  But the best part of the ride was the wonderful countryside we saw as we traveled the route.  Here area pictures I took with my iPhone along the way.  I hope you enjoy the beautiful countryside during this wonderful spring season.  I know we did.

A village along the way...

I included this one because of the cow.

It's Been Awhile

Botanical Gardens

When I set up this blog last year my plan was to post something every week.  Well, for those of you who follow this blog you know that hasn't happened.  It's been over a month since I last posted something.  My plan now is to post something at least every two weeks.  The problem is not that I don't have anything to say but that I'm technically challenged in getting pictures from my iPhone to the blog page just the way I want it.  So, like a lot of things in my life I'm so focused on the process, I miss the bigger picture (no pun intended). 

So...with today's post I'm turning over a new leaf.  I'm foregoing the need to be artistic with the want to share with you our experiences.  I have a least 5 blogs to write to share with you of our past experiences and try to keep up with current happenings as well.  I hope you enjoy them.

NOW...ON WITH THE SHOW

The weather in Kyiv has really changed over the past few weeks alternating between spring conditions and summer-like temperatures.  Almost overnight the streets we've walked during the winter full of snow and leafless trees have transformed into beautiful green canopy over the sidewalks which are lined with beautiful flowers and bushes.  They reflect the joy we have in our Heavenly Father's creations.  The Ukrainians love being outside and enjoy their gardens.  I hope you will enjoy these pictures as much as we enjoyed being in them!

A group of us senior missionaries after stake conference in April.  Visited the A.V. Fomin Botanical Gardens in the center of Kyiv.  It is part of the National University of Kyiv.  It was a wonderful day to walk around the gardens and enjoy what spring had sprung.  From left to right - Elder and Sister Humphreys, Vivian and I and Elder and Elder and Sister Haldeman.  Unidentified Ukrainian with back to camera.

Magnolia trees in full bloom.  The garden was filled with hundreds of these trees.  There were hundreds of people enjoying them and taking pictures of themselves with them.

Elder Haldeman and I testing our "selfie" skills (or lack thereof)

Elder Haldeman is a great guy and a lot of fun to be around.  He and his wife are serving as Humanitarian Aid missionaries.  They are doing a great work in Ukraine.  Also, it's a small world.  Elder Haldeman's brother-in-law, Sullivan Richardson, was a missionary companion of mine when I served in the Finland Helsinki Mission.

One of the walking paths in the gardens.  Very old steps.  

We had a wonderfully happy day!