The Perfect Christmas Holiday Season

For missionaries away from home, holidays can be melancholy times.  As our cabin was being readied and family members were arriving a week in advance from out of town, we thought of them and wished we could be there.  Getting our Christmas letter/blog prepared was good therapy and kept me busy most of the week.  We also were beginning to exchange gifts with temple missionaries and workers.  Small sincere presents given and received helped focus on what we enjoy here and not what we were missing.


We knew in advance that Christmas Eve on Saturday would be a regular day at the temple.  December 24/25 are not holidays in Ukraine but some of our good members came to the temple because they wanted to remember Christ in a special way.  When we got home we had preparations for the next day to make.  And we received a special gift of a small lighted Christmas tree that made us happy!

Sunday morning was clear, cold and dark as we left Kyiv.  We were able to be passengers in a car driven by temple patrons from Moscow who were returning home by way of Smolensk.  So driving north through Chernigov was “on the way” and a place to stop for church services.

It was nice to be able to take our extra sacks of baked goods and food for the dinner in their car and not on the public transportation we usually use.  

It was a frosty morning and there had been fog at night that had frozen onto the trees.  We were able to take some beautiful pictures as the sun was rising.  

As we drove farther north and near the Desna River, the frost on the trees got thicker!

This is the usual sight of St. Catherine's church (1715) as we enter Chernigov, but dressed up in frost!  In the park across the street from our current meeting location is a very old church (built around 1201, damaged and restored after WWII).  I hurried to take a picture in the morning sun.

  

We arrived early and I could sing with other sisters around the key board as we often do.  As we were singing Christmas carols I felt deeply how “perfect” this Christmas was! 

The speakers in the sacrament service were a convert of a year using information from the Ensign on the history of celebrating Christmas, the branch president’s counselor giving a testimony of Christ, and then the branch president.  Since Christmas is celebrated here on Dec 25 or Jan 7 and there is gift giving also on several other days, the holiday season is prolonged for almost a month.  He made the point that it doesn’t matter when we celebrate; it is better to just think of Jesus and giving gifts daily.  He ended his talk with the Savior’s invitation, “Come, follow me”.  Then we all prepared to serve the food that everyone had brought and had a feast. 

This is the serving table before it was completely covered with food for people to eat!

The children were careful to select the most important foods!

As we walked to the bus stop, we went through the city square where the New Year's tree is located.  Amusement rides had been brought in and some of them were operating even though it was a week before the New Year holiday.

We arrived back at our temple block with the display of the first Christmas

In the afternoon we had time to Skype with all of our family members as they were beginning their Christmas mornings opening presents before attending church.  We were also grateful for iPhone pictures.  Here are two examples:

They got up earlier than 7a but could not wait!

They had church early at 8a!  Good job getting ready early

Our Christmas celebration continued through our Monday when we had a wonderful turkey dinner with our temple missionaries.  Unfortunately I was too busy enjoying the good food that everyone helped prepare to think about taking pictures until we were clearing things away and preparing for our program.

JD was part of a reader's presentation

We sang carols and shared spiritual thoughts.  Half of our group leaves this January, so we especially enjoyed this time together.  

We also had a temple missionary social on New Year's Eve, after another week including Saturday at the temple.  There was more good food!

And we played some games--here trying to be serious and not smile or laugh, and later a few rounds of Rook for those few who were interested.  We stayed up until midnight, and then went to sleep listening to many fireworks being set off all around and most of the night.

Sunday morning, New Year's Day, we walked to attend church in a ward about a mile away, passing by a beautiful Orthodox building glistening in the morning sunlight.

Our church meeting place is much less impressive--the second floor of a commercial business building, with the entrance door open on the right end.  But we enjoyed meeting with the members.  Then we walked home and had the rest of the day to relax and communicate with family.  The Orthodox Christmas Day is Jan 7 with New Year's Day following on Jan14, so there are holidays ahead.  We will have patrons visiting the temple because school is out and some have vacation from work.  So we will enjoy our time in the temple.