Иисус Воскрес

I can't believe I will be in Ukraine in a week! It's still not quite real yet, but it's becoming more so everyday. I can't wait to get to Ukraine and begin teaching people, but it's also a rather bittersweet feeling because I've forged a lot of deep friendships here that I'll miss. But luckily all of us in my district (sans one) are going to the same mission, so that's definitely happy. Today was/is our final P-day. It was very bittersweet to be sitting in the temple for the last time for maybe a year or so. There's nothing like knowing you're not going to have that opportunity any longer to make you really pay attention and try to get everything you can out of it.

This Easter was incredible. We had a giant Sacrament Meeting with President Packer. I doubt I'll ever be in a Sacrament meeting again where the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is presiding. That was a really neat experience. There were about 65 elders who administered the Sacrament to the 2200+ missionaries, and then we had the wonderful opportunity of hearing from President Packer. He is a wonderful speaker and I was motivated by his talk to become a better person and a better missionary. Also at that meeting, I had the opportunity of singing "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer" in the choir. It was to a different tune than in the hymnbook, and I was deeply moved by it. I am so grateful for my Savior and for everything He does for me. I know He lives and that He loves us. He is the reason I'm here on a mission right now.

Ukrainian Eggs
Photo by Sharisa's Mom

Easter is a huge holiday in Ukraine, as well as the rest of Eastern Europe. (Which is so neat, considering the long time those regions were under forced scientific atheism - it's incredible those traditions and beliefs were kept alive.) The standard Easter greeting is "Иисус Воскрес!" which mean "Jesus was resurrected." To which the other person replies, "Воистину Воскрес!" or "truly, resurrected." So for the whole day, those of us going to Russia and Ukraine exchanged that greeting. There is something so powerful in saying that - and it's true! Christ truly was resurrected, and because of Him we will all live forever. I'm quite looking forward to next Easter in Ukraine and getting to greet everybody I see in that manner. That will definitely also be a great opportunity to teach people about the Savior.

There is this really pretty tree outside my classroom window - it's kind of like popcorn popping. And when the wind blows it seriously looks like it's snowing outside the window because all the white blossoms are falling. And the flowers here are absolutely gorgeous! They make me happy every time I see them. (I suppose you grow to appreciate nature a little bit more when you are in a classroom for most of the day.)

Learning Russian is super awesome! And it's especially fun when we realize we said something we didn't quite intend. The best mishap of the week happened on Monday. One of the sisters in my district was telling our teacher that we were going to miss him. Instead of saying "skuchat," (which means 'to miss') she said "skushat," which means to devour. :) Our teacher was slightly concerned at our apparent canabolistic intentions, and we all laughed super hard when the mistake became apparent. We're still laughing about it, actually. And as nerdy as it sounds, one of our favorite games is conjugating verbs. Sister Busch and I derive endless entertainment from selecting a verb (the longer the better, like "sveedetlsvovat" or "choovsvovat") and taking turns saying the various conjugations. And now that I describe it, it does sound like a boring game - but it's actually really fun, trust me. Pretty sure I've never had quite so much fun with grammar . . .

I know that the Church is true. I'm grateful for the time I've had in the MTC to prepare to serve in Ukraine, and I can't wait to get there next week!

-Sharisa