"...let us go up...to the house of the God of Jacob;" Isaiah 2:3

Geri and I have had the privilege of visting some very impressive and beautiful places in the world during the last 3 months.  We left our home in Layton, Utah on June 10, 2010 and traveled first to Paris, France where we saw the famous Louvre Art Museum, The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and many other beautiful places in Paris.  

We then traveled to Moscow, Russia where we have seen The Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Novodevichiy Convent, and Cathedral of Christ the Savior, to name just a few.

We rode a high speed train to St. Petersburg, Russia and saw Peterhof, the great castle and estate of Peter the Great, the Church of the Spilled Blood, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress, and took a boat ride on the canals that snake thru the city.

On Friday August 27, 2010 I traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine to attend the dedication of the new Kyiv, Ukraine Temple. Unfortunately Geri wasn't with me on this trip.  How I long to be with her and the family again.

I spent the day touring the city of Kyiv and saw more beatuful Cathedral's and sites of this very old city.  Then on Saturday morning, August 28, 2010, 35 years since we were married in the Ogden, Utah Temple, I had the privilege of traveling to see the Kyiv Temple.  I was excited to see the Temple and my attention was peaked as we came closer.  Suddenly the Temple came into view from the highway. Of all the sights I have seen and places I have been, this is by far the most beautiful and powerful.  For me there is something special about seeing a Temple, and I had not seen one for several months. 

I got out of the car and stepped onto the Temple grounds and felt a powerful and peaceful Spirit that is noticibly different than any of the other beautiful places we have been. Many of the places we have seen, especially in Russia, are sacred in a way, but standing on the Temple grounds I could feel almost a tangible sacredness.  I felt blessed to be there.
I was able to witness the preparation for the laying of the cornerstone which I am standing by in the 2 pictures below.

The time capsule, with many important objects relevant to the Church and the building of the Temple, is being placed inside the cornerstone by 2 Area Authority Seventy, one from Russia, and one from Ukraine.

One of the highlights for the dedication was the cultural celebration held Saturday night.  There were about 4,000 people in attendance.  It was so exciting when President Monson arrived and walked on the stage to say hello to all of the performers from the 12 countries in the Kyiv Temple District.  Most of them had never seen the Prophet before and they cheered and clapped when they saw him.  At the end of the show, all of the performers came onto the stage and were joined by all of the missionaries serving in Ukraine.  The image of the Temple was on the big screen behind them and it was truly an electrifying scene.  A Temple in this land is truly a miracle and there was a powerful Spirit there that witnessed of this great miracle

The Saints in Kyiv and many Church members from Russia and many other countries anxiously awaited the arrival of the Prophet on Sunday August 29, 2010 for the dedication of the Temple.  President Monson finally arrived and put his big arms around two members.  It was truly exciting to see the thrill on the faces of these people.

Geri and I had just celebrated our 35th Anniversary the day before and as you can see in this picture, she was there with me in Spirit.  I am so grateful we were sealed in the Temple 35 years ago - which is just a beginning.

I met this Brother on the Temple grounds.  He is the producer for the Mormon Radio Station and was there interviewing many of the members about their feelings about the new Temple.  He shared with me some stories about how excited they are to have a Temple in their country.  You can probably see and hear and read about it on the radio station.

This is the sign at the front of the Temple which says "Kyiv, Ukraine Temple", in Ukrainian of course.

Here is another sign which says "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in Ukrainian.

When I arrived in Kyiv on Friday, my driver, Igor, picked me up at the airport to take me to the Service Center, the Church Offices, in the city.
Igor is a member of the Church, 35 years old, married at age 30, and has 2 young daughters.  He works 20 hours per day.  While we were riding, I asked him about the Church and the Temple.  He explained what a blessing it is for him to be a member of the Church. He stated he is a living testimony of the Word of Wisdom – because many of his friends are already dead – from alcohol and drugs.  He talked about the Temple and compared it to the birth of a baby.  When his daughters were born he was amazed at the real miracle of birth - he said it is hard to imagine and comprehend the miracle of birth. He said for him the Temple is as much a miracle as the miracle of birth. Having grown up in Ukraine, he cannot imagine how it happened – especially in his country.  To him it is a miracle. 

Kyiv, Ukraine Temple

A Miracle....