Possibly Insightful Ramblings

You use terms like "key indicators." You awkwardly pause whenever someone asks your name You don't recognize your name when you actually do say it to people You speak in Russian to kids and puppies You have a mild panic attack when the person walking with you turns a corner and you can't see her for a split second You quote The District. All the time. You have to actively restrain yourself from stopping every single person you see on campus to engage them in a gospel conversation You feel sad when you hear English spoken You constantly ask, "Is this a consecrated use of time?" You miss drinkable yogurt You are filled with intense joy while eating Little Caesar's pizza because there is no dill or mayonnaise on it  You feel guilty in stores if you're not making conversation with everybody around you You wish you could just hop on a marshrutka instead of walking everywhere You try to stick with a 'companion' as much as possible. Y...

Early Tuesday morning, Sister Dimick, Sister Lewis, and I woke up for the last time in the comfortable bedroom of the mission home. It was quite fitting that we had begun our journey as missionaries together 18 months before, and now were ending it together. It seemed to us that we had just barely flown into country, and now President was driving us to the airport to get on the plane that would take us away. It was a very surreal feeling as we went through security, said our goodbyes, and boarded the plane to Kyiv. My heart was full of emotion as we flew away and I watched the Dnepr river and the streets and buildings I love pass from underneath me. After an exciting layover in Kyiv where we all managed to make it to our planes on time, I had a wonderful conversation on the plane to Amsterdam with a man from Kyiv. He quickly became like a grandpa to me and he shared with me his wisdom from many years of travel (not to mention he taught me the word 'vestibular' in Russian). We...

I gave my farewell talk today. Like, because I'm leaving. On a mission. For 18 months. Yeah, that. And it feels very unreal - there's no way I'm this grown up already. But at the same time, the fact that I'm leaving on a mission seems even more real than ever. It feels even more real than the night I was drifting off to sleep then suddenly realized I had submitted my mission papers and was actually going on a mission. And even more real than the night I opened my mission call and then couldn't sleep because visions of Ukraine danced in my head. Tonight, now that I've said half my goodbyes, (and you who know me well know how well that goes over . . .) my mission seems more real than ever. I actually am leaving. Soon. And I am excited beyond words. I had a farewell. I did. I guess I'm all grown up now.