Some
scenes from the Temple Open House.
The first picture is in the reception area with Temple President Galbraith and his wife. After the tour, the groups would assemble in the Cultural Hall and discuss whatever. There were Sister Missionaries that would mingle amoung them, answer questions and provide material on the temple or the Church. They were discouraged from distributin the Book of Mormon, but people were asked to fill out COmment Cards and request a return vist from the missionaries who would provide the BofM.
One of the news media covering the Open House is Carole Makita of KSL-5. We enjoyed talking with her an
d spending some time with her and her crew. They will be here for the dedication. She will do a story about a family in Utah and their daughter is serving a mission here in Kyiv. It was fun to introduce her to the missionary as we know her quite well.
One of the nicest surprises was that Dmitry and Olga Chvanov from Moscow came to Kyiv and spent several days. I worked with him on the RAMOS program for years and have spent quite a bit to time with he and his family. In addition to working with Dmitry, he served as our tour guide in Moscow and St. Petersburg when we all made that trip. We were able to take them on a tour of the temple. Although he had been to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, he had never been inside an LDS temp
le. The Russian Orthodox church has temples, but that is just another neam for a catherdral or church. We had a great time visiting with them. Unfortunately we could not spend more time with them, but they really enjoyed thier visit as they had not been to Kyiv before. They told us of all the good places to visit when we have some time. He is a great tour guide. I might have to bring them down again to guide us around.
Dmitry is the one who we took to Grays Lake and had him ride horses with Dad, me and Jeromy. We also went on the 4-wheelers up WIllow Creek, around Caribou and down Eagle Creek. It was one of the most beautiful fall days I had ever seen in Grays Lake. He really enjoyed it. Most of all, they were very surprised at what they saw in the temple. We talked quite a bit about the Church. One of the perceptions he had was that we had an agressive recruiting campaign in the missionaries. I agreed, but said the intent is help better the lives of people, and be a positive influence in each of the contries that have Church members. He understood that from his dealings with SDL over the years. All the Russians we worked with have the most respect for us, and know what we stand for. When he realized that we were not interested in building an empire, but wanted to make life better for individuals and the countries themselves, he was very impressed. He also was that there were no icons in the Temple, and the simplicity, beauty and feeling were unmatched in anything he had experienced. He is a good friend and we will continue to keep in touch.
We were able to take a few photographs during the Open House. It is a beautiful building and really stands out along the Ring Road around Kyiv.
More to come as time permits.
Mom and Dad
