Coming Home July 2011

"TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON AND A TIME UNDER THE HEAVEN." ECCLESIASTES 3:1

Working on new material for the blog!

It has taken me awhile to decide what to do with the blog. I felt lost not posting pictures of the missionaries and I've felt lost with not having my missionary routine. We are starting to settle into a different routine and I have decided to start blogging again. It will take me a little while to get things squared away but we are rolling into the next phase of our journey in life - recovery from the best experience of our lives ( the mission), knee surgery( Tim's), physical therapy for my back, and the economy with our business. We look forward to continuing our growth spiritually and preparing for what comes next!

My music


To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Girls Camp for the Donetsk District

Donetsk District Girls Camp. These are girls from 9 Branches, their leaders and Priesthood leaders.

The Priesthood leaders put together a skit.

A light thunder storm cools us off.

This is Masha and she is from Donetsk Centrally Branch.

The Young Women District President Sister Lynna in the back.

Yanna a leader from Obedyonni Branch and Nastya from Donetsk Centrally Branch.

President Fry with some of the girls.

Onna is from Donetsk Centrally Branch and Ka-sue-sha, a leader, is also from Centrally.


Lilya is a leader from Petrosky Branch and she served as a mini missionary last fall. In order to serve a mini mission they have to be 18 years and older.

Something's brewing over the fire!

Vladimir and Jeff cooled off in the lake. As a missionary President Fry doesn't go swimming.

This is where they camped. It is really pretty and the lake is gorgious!!

The girls are learning a lot and having a great time.

Marina. She is such a character. She is loved by all and is a great example to all the girls in the district. She is from Donetsk Centrally Branch also.

Sister Fry, Sister Lynna (Young Women's President of the District, which is like a stake only smaller)and Yanna. Sister Lynna is an excellent seamstress and has made some of mine and President's shirts shorter selves. She also made some of the drapes in the mission home. Yanna is excellent at hair and goes to the homes of people to do their hair. I've just started using her and Sister and Elder Mead use her too. I feel so much better after my hair is done by her!!!

Sister Natalya cuttting the cake. The other 2 girls I can't remember their names.

The water looks so good!! These girls have been a delight to visit. I feel at home at girls camp!

What a sweet face! And her hair looks so cute!! (They had a hair contest and they all did each others hair!


Look what I can do!! Look what I can do!!

We are loving camp!! And the water! It is hot, oh so hot!

Girls camp is the greatest!!!

The camp theme this year was Temples "Choosing Righteously". This is the Jerusalem Temple. Look at all the little extras like trees, a pond and bench. It is way cute!!!




This is the the Kiev Temple.


This is a different view of the Jersalem Temple.

Another Temple ( I can't remember which one) but notice the path to it is straight and narrow!


This is "Zion's Temple" as they call it, or the Salt Lake Temple.

Masha, Sister Fry and Jeff. Masha is from Centrally and always gives me a hug when I'm there.




Everyone sitting around the table studying and discussing the gospel.

Donetsk Centrally Service Project

The Centrally Branch in Donetsk(which is the Branch that we live in) had a service project that lasted for several Saturdays. It was painting a fence around a school. This is the RS President, Sister Natalya and one of the young women, Marina.
Another sister taking a break from the heat.

Ka-sue-sha - busy painting. She has just turned in her mission papers!
Ka-sue-sha in the back, Nastya and Elder Mead with his back to the picture.
Katya, Ka-sue-sha's sister. Both of them are very musically talented.
Sister Mead - busy at work and always smiling.
On the left - a recent returned missionary to the Branch. He is now the 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency. Dema, one of the youth. He has been a member for a little over a year.
The Branch President - President See-scotch-a-kov(I think that is how to say his name).

Dema the Elder's Quorm President. No smiles yet from him. Sasha, Dema's younger brother. He joined the Church last November.
Elder Mead - hard at work!

Jeff (our son) and the younger Dema working hard.
Finally a smile from Dema!
This sister comes faithfully with her two children. She is very active in the Branch. She gave a very touching RS lesson about joy and happiness and expressed that the happiest day of her life is when she and her husband were sealed in the Temple. He has become inactive although he came to church the last time we visited the Branch.
Sister Ludmilla ( a recent convert since March). Her daughter joined the church in December and she had to see what it was that made her daughter change so much so she started coming to Church. You would have thought that she'd been a member all her life because she fit right in!
Sister Natalya again. She is so dedicated and a very strong member in the Branch.

Elder Mead. He and Sister Mead have joined right in to the activites in the Branch. It's great!
Nastya! She has served as a mini missionary and she is a great strength to the Church and Branch!
And her little sister Marina is as well. This is one of the many Branches we love!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Kharkov Zone Conference July 2009

3 Very Important Men in my Life right now!!! - Vladimir - Our driver - he is a very important part of what makes the mission function properly. We are so grateful for him and his family for supporting him. When we go to Kharkov we are gone for a week and we know his family sacrifices for us. Jeff our son is visiting and has brought a bit of home with him. It has been so fun to have him here. And the most important man in my life - Moey Mooshj. He puts in long hours and puts his heart and soul into everything about this mission. He is dedicated to serving the Lord.
Elders Ehrisman, Greener, Ketchum, and Eckersley. What's up Elders?
Elders Dietrich, Howard and Green. Great smiles men! Keep up the good work! Zone Conference was wonderful. We talked about chapter 4 in Preach My Gospel - Teaching with the Spirit. As part of my presentation (at the beginning of the meeting) I talked about Pioneer Day and how every country the Church enters has their own "Pioneers." Ukraine is very much still in the Pioneer stages which means these missionaries are "Pioneer Missionaries!" I asked some of the missionaries from other countries to share Pioneer stories from their country or to tell their conversion story. It went great! Then I challenged everyone to memorize the song "Come, Come ye Saints" in Russian.
Elders Green and Howard. Yummy treat for the road!
A great group of Missionaries - Elders Dietrich, Summerhays, Miganov, Elder and Sister Crittenden and Elder Misiurenko. The Crittendens leave the end of August - Boo Hoo!!! Elder Misiurenko is from Kiev and he shared about the Church in Kiev in the 90's. He said the Saints there waited patiently for scriptures to be sent in Russian and when they came, there were not enough so the members took turns reading them. They were so excited when the Hymnals were finally sent too! When he was telling about this - I could just imagine the joy and excitement when the Saints received them. We sure take things for granted in the States!
Elder Stirling and Vladimir. Great looking ties and smiles!! Elder Stirling was adopted by an American family from Russia when he was 15. His family are members of the Church. He talked about his conversion story at Zone Conference. He has the sweetest spirit and he says the Gospel has changed his life and helped him overcome so much. He is so grateful to his family and talks about them with so much love. We too are grateful to his family for finding him, teaching him the Gospel and then sharing him with us!!!
Elders Wright, Tsaturyan and Hyer. I'm telling you - between the ties and the smiles - we've got the best looking missionaries out there!!
Elders Steele, Whitehead and Norman. Elder Norman leaves in August! Another boo Hoo!!!
Elders Richardson and Beus. Zone Conference was great!!! The spirit at this meeting was wonderful!
Elder Miganov, Sister Mark and Elder Mark.
Our son Jeff and Elder Whitehead. Two young men from St. George Utah!
Sister Crittenden, Elder Rosen and Elder Crittenden. Elder Rosen (he is from Sweden)shared about a man from his home town traveled to America, joined the church, met the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, traveled to Salt Lake Valley and was called to serve a mission back in Sweden. He brought the church to Sweden, baptized, and was met with much opposition. A lot of the countries over here in this part of the world are still very young to the church and share much hardship as did the early Saints of the church. We appreciate Elder Rosen in sharing that with us. His message really added to our meeting.
Elder Rader and Elder Greener.
Elders Ketchum, Moore, Hyer and Shipp. Yes! We are as the Army of Helaman!
Elders Howard, Jones and Rosen. They all came out together and they will soon hit their year mark!
Elders Hansen, Putnam, Ehrisman, Miganov, and Nersisyan. Elder Nersisyan shared his family's conversion story. His grandmother joined first, then his father, himself and his mom. His grandmother had a friend that was a member and she could see something different in her friend's eyes and she wanted to know what that was. We talked about the Holy Ghost in this conference and the story fit right in. It was a very touching story and I could feel the spirit fill the room as he spoke.
I was taking a picture of the construction in Kharkov and ran into these fine looking missionaries.
"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." We are so blessed to have great young men in our mission that work hard and give it their all!!!We love our Missionaries!