A real American rodeo!

Bogdan, Galya, and I had a fantastic time at the Fiesta Days rodeo in beautiful ol' Spanish FARK, Utah.
Sadly, it was almost over by the time we finally talked out way in (apparently the rodeo always sells out), but we stayed til after 1 A.M. watching some of the preliminaries for the next day's rodeo. Up close, turns out most of the cowboys were surprisingly hot. I have no idea why I'd never noticed that before. I mean, I watched "8 Seconds" and Luke Perry, obviously, was hot, but I had no idea that all cowboys were similarly attractive. Does this mean I should start listening to country music?

Angel Moroni!

I can't believe it's finally happened! Yesterday, Angel Moroni was placed on top of the temple in Kyiv.

This photos is one of my favorites. Notice the huge apartment buildings built during the Soviet Union era?

Members of the church in Ukraine have been waiting for this since the temple was first announced in July 1998. The members there have waited anxiously for nearly TEN YEARS. Ground on the temple was finally broken in June 2007, but construction has been slow. There is so much red tape to go through, it's taking much longer than anticipated. The dates for dedication have changed so many times already, it's been discouraging. The expected date is now fall of 2010. As you can see from the photos, the temple is not nearly completed, but putting the angel on top is a major step.

If you speak Russian, and maybe even if you don't, you'll love this video showing the statue and some of the members, sharing their testimonies and feelings on this important day.

I wish I could have been there to feel the spirit as the members met in the church building next to the temple and sang hymns. I wish I could see and feel the excitement my brothers and sisters must have felt as they watched the angel take it's permanent position atop the temple. This is truly the beginning of an entire new generation for the church in Ukraine. I am so happy for them.