Brother and Sister Blau's Arrival in Ukraine (June 2021)

We arrived in Kiev, Ukraine on May 29, 2021. We first were called to Latvia, (Baltic States) Mission in Oct. 2019 for MLS (Mission Leader Support). That changed in Nov. 2019 to be Humanitarian Welfare Specialists in Belarus. We arrived there toward the end of February of 2020. We were there 2 weeks and then sent home because of COVID-19. We worked from home in Utah during that year and into 2021. Once things let up we were called back to the Europe East Mission to be Humanitarian Welfare Specialists involving the countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Turkey, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. Only 2 couples are right now in the Europe East Mission in Humanitarian and Welfare for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Because of COVID all the missionary couple's apartments had been closed, so for now we are staying on the temple grounds in the temple apartments. The picture to the left is our backyard. 

On our walk to the market stands a neighborhood Orthodox Church. There are churches everywhere. What amazed us most was the dome shape. So unique to us. The beautiful colors and the gold on top. Most of the churches inside are one mass room with very ornate decorations depicting Christ and Apostles. It is amazing that the churches are nestled in among the tall apartment buildings. Each neighborhood has a playground for children. Some apartment buildings have grocery stores (markets) on the bottom floors. We have about 7 markets within walking distance, 2 McDonald's, a Home Depot type store, and an open market for fresh vegetables and fruits. We found that Uber (Bolt, and Uklon) was our choice of travel to get to and from town or the malls. Uber is very inexpensive here and mostly convenient. Some drivers are aggressive and we just close our eyes, and some are patient with the crowded streets and get us to our destination in safety. If you order a "Comfort" Uber you get air-condition...a little more money, but worth it. 

Our neighborhood is totally apartments. There are some nice big homes also, but for the most part there are a lot of apartments. There is an area we like to walk to where there are many families. Most families have 2 children. Each apartment building has a playground. There are many preschool buildings here too. Downtown there are taller apartments. Some are total concrete while the newer ones are modern and colorful. There are many parks around Kiev and we have yet to visit some of them. We did go to the Botanical Gardens here and climbed a hill that overlooked the city and the Dnieper River.

 Once we got over jet lag and had a few meetings downtown, we settled in quite comfortably.