Missionary work in the Crimea and beyond

Ever since my train pulled into Simferopol at 4:30 in the morning more than seven months ago, I've been praying that I could end my mission in this beautiful city. (Well, perhaps that's an exaggeration - my thoughts that early in the morning were much more focused on how tired I was than on where I hoped to serve. But it wasn't too long after that that I fell hopelessly in love with Simferopol.) So this morning when President vanBruggen called me and informed me that both Sister Esplin and I will be staying here, I was, needless to say, overjoyed. I am convinced that the Crimea is the most beautiful place on the planet and is populated with some of the best people to have ever walked the earth. And it's an honor to get to continue to serve here until the end of my mission. Best ever!

One thing that happens when you live in the Crimea, however, is that you travel. A lot. But we had some really good experiences during the 20+ hours we spent on buses this week. At the top of the list is of course the eight-year-old Ukrainian twin girls. Their father was sitting across the aisle from us, and we struck up a conversation with him. Turns out, one of his daughters had lived in Idaho for a year with a Mormon family while she was on a study abroad. Small world. That family had then visited them in Ukraine a time or two and given them a copy of the Book of Mormon. Part-way through the journey, the little girls decided that the smiles and waves I was sending their way was not enough interaction, so they began writing notes to us. We deciphered their Ukrainian and replied in Russian, a delightful process which continued for an hour or so and kept us all giggling. It brought endless delight to my heart when, at the bus station where we were going to part ways, the two little girls ran up to me and threw their arms around me. Ukrainian children make me happy. I pray that they will continue to read the Book of Mormon and that someday that adorable family can be sealed in the temple.

Tanya is doing great! She never ceases to amaze me. This week, as we were waiting to meet her before our lesson, Sister Esplin and I were standing on the street talking with everybody. After a few minutes of this, a man who worked at the business behind us approached us and asked what we were doing. We talked with him about the Book of Mormon and he asked if he could look at a copy. A few minutes into the conversation, Tanya walked up. Without missing a beat or even saying hi to us, she told this complete stranger, "Take the book and read it! You'll find answers to your questions." I have rarely felt such pride for someone in my life as I did at that moment. The two of them engaged in conversation, and Tanya bore powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon, which the man took with a promise to meet. She's already such a great missionary! She also told us later how her life has changed so much for the better since she started meeting with us. I'm so grateful for her and her desire to follow Christ!

When we were up in Nikolaiv and Kherson this week on exchanges, we saw a lot of miracles, from meeting an Italian couple who wanted a Book of Mormon (plus lots of other people who accepted the book) to teaching our taxi driver the first lesson, to having lessons on the street. It's so exciting to see the work of the Lord moving forward in different cities in Ukraine. I know without a doubt that this is the work of the Lord, and I love it so much! I'm so grateful to be a missionary.

-Sister Nay