Kyiv

Five years ago I was living in Kyiv, Ukraine as an English teacher. When I went there I was 17 years old and had never been away from my family for any extended period of time. It felt like the right choice for me though, and it was the beginning of what I feel will be a lifelong yearning to share the incredible blessings I've been given.

Despite that, the first night I arrived I thought to myself "what have I gotten myself into?!" It was BEYOND cold, everything was so totally different, the place I was living felt incredibly "dodgy"; I was living in an apartment on the 13th floor (though I'm not typically superstitious, my emotions were running high that day and I definitely took it as a bad omen), I didn't speak a lick of Russian, and I had never felt so alone in all my life. My poor host mom was being so lovely and I just sat down on my bed and bawled my eyes out like a child. Looking back, she was probably having serious thoughts about hosting me, but fortunately I was able to win her over once I got my emotions in check. But as for that night, it continued to go downhill... my host family graciously invited me to attend a Ukrainian New Years party where everyone was eating really strange, traditional food and trying to talk to me in Russian. I felt sick, tired, and unbelievably lonely. It was a complete disaster, to say the least.

I felt pretty miserable for the following day or two, and talking to my family on the phone made me feel a bit better and worse at the same time. My attitude was unchanged, really, until I went to church on Sunday. I attended an English branch of my church with the other English teachers, and as I was sitting in the opening meeting, I felt an overwhelming peace. We were singing a hymn, I can't recall which one, and the simple act of singing a hymn I knew all my life made me feel safe and hopeful. It was like the hymn opened a door for God to whisper into my heart "you're safe, I know you're here, I'm watching over you and everything will be okay." And truly, that was the case. My anxieties were calmed, and though they certainly weren't laid to rest permanently, I was able to get a hold of myself and remember why I came, and that no matter my circumstances God could offer me peace. I am confident he helped me on my way and I was overcome by the miracles that happened in keeping me safe while I was there. Perhaps the one I recall most clearly was one evening where a drunk man on the metro more or less stalked and preyed upon me while on my way home, following me from train car to train car. I was absolutely paralyzed with fear and thought I might truly be abused or attacked or worse..... and prayed to God that someone would help me. I couldn't articulate myself in Russian and didn't know how to get anyone to see that I was afraid of being taken or attacked. Almost immediately a gentle young man approached me on the train car and began speaking to me in English. He recognized me as an English teacher from church, and asked if everything was alright. I told him about the situation and he immediately made every effort to make sure I was safe. Miraculously, he got off at the same metro stop and took the same tram as me, and so he saw me safely all the way home. The likelihood that an LDS English-speaker who recognized me would be in the same train car was so unfathomable, it was clear to me that my Heavenly Father had a hand in my safety and the overall peace of mind I was able to gain from that experience.

Besides the several experiences I had where my safety was miraculously procured, I also felt a miraculous connection to and love for the people of Ukraine. Though I lacked  language skills and  cultural sensitivity, I was able to make treasured friends and companions while there. What was at many points the most lonely experience of my life, my time in Ukraine was also one of love and friendship and incredible growth. And so much of that was due to the incredible warmth of the Ukrainian people (albeit under tough skin) and my connection to the church. It was incredible to see that halfway across the globe, the church of my childhood and home of my faith was just as strong and clear. I was privileged to meet and know incredible members during my time there, and one of the hopes they held dearest in their hearts was to see their Kyiv Temple dedicated. It had been announced for some years, but they were awaiting the day it would be built and dedicated. Just last year that hope was realized, and I just discovered the most beautiful clip about the youth involved in a regional culture performance and the dedication of the Temple. It made me emotional watching this film, not only because the Temple houses so many lovely, personal experiences for me, but also because I was able to remember the love that I have for the people in that region of the world. Such a different culture and place, but I learned to love them all the same and I felt that they learned to love me back. The youth in this video are so beautiful, so full of light!



You can see in this video the beautiful culture and wonderful spirit of the people in this part of the world. I was able to attend a national folk dance performance while living in Kyiv and fell in LOVE with the beautiful music, expression, fun, and insight that was a part of every dance. And the way the audience engaged with the performance was unlike anything I have ever seen in the US. It was so fun to see a little bit of that here in this video. I also loved the beautiful testimonies shared by the youth there, in a part of the world where it really is a lonely, challenging place to be a "Mormon." It can be hard anywhere, to be different and constantly have to defend your beliefs and lifestyle to friends, neighbors and critics. But these youth really impressed me, and inspired me to try a little harder to emulate that happiness and peace that comes from living the gospel of Christ.