It was bitterly cold as I walked through the quiet streets of Kyiv this snowy Sunday morning. There was a light dusting of snow on cobblestones and roofs, and even the birds seemed to be hunkering down for one of the last winter storms of the year. I walked past St. Michael's, St. Sophia's, Taras Shevchenko University and the park on my way to church services this morning.
I attended the fast day services at the Pecherskyi Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which meets at Shota Rustaveli 16 with a small flock of Ukrainian members. The meeting was warm and inviting and I felt joyful in being among so many friendly strangers, singing and listening to the speakers. Fast day meetings include time for individual worshippers to express themselves, and during the meeting I suddenly felt the inexplicable desire to bear testimony in Russian, which I did to the delight of myself and many new friends I met this morning in the meeting. It was an incomparable experience. One of my new friends told me afterward that those in attendance could understand every word I said.
I returned to my apartment by Metro, using the old familiar Lva Tolstovo entrance for this first time this trip.
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