Utah/Ukraine Connection
 

As I watch news reports of the war ravaging Ukraine, I pray for God's protection over this young lady in Ukraine who I met miraculously when she was a missionary serving in Centerville, Utah in 2018.  She is from Chernihiv, a town in northern Ukraine that has been devastated by the Russian invasion.  The life she knew evaporated overnight.  She hopes to make it back to Chernihiv after the war to rebuild her childhood home for her parents.  

She is independent, optimistic, and strong in her faith.  She speaks of the emotional challenges that come from not wanting to rely on the charity of strangers and from feeling guilt for being in a place of relative safety while knowing of friends & neighbors who are suffering more intensely.  

 

When I wrote the story of our meeting over 3 years ago, I shared it with some people; but until now, I never felt like it was the right time or place to share it with a wider audience.  With her permission, I share it now with the hope it can help her family.  

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The day that I met Lara was a sacred and significant moment in my life.  Leading up to this moment, I had been struggling through a particularly depressing and dark time.  I finally realized I had been trying to do so much by myself but had inadvertently left God out of the equation.  I recommitted myself to reading the scriptures with greater concentration and praying more intently for direction.  I looked for opportunities to serve within my community, and regularly volunteered to sew for the “Days for Girls” humanitarian center near my home.  I felt almost desperate for God to give me direction about what He needed me to do next in my life.  My role as a stay-at-home mom was changing as my children were growing up & leaving home, & I was unsure of what my purpose was anymore.

   
We dropped my daughter off at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on July 18th, 2018.  Within the first 24 hours of saying goodbye, I received an undeniable witness that God was aware of my heartache.  That morning I had an impression that I should volunteer at the Days for Girls center, but I hesitated at first.  My 14-year old daughter told me she also felt we should go and she wanted to come with me.  As inconvenient as the impression was, I felt that I could not ignore it, so we went.  Soon after arriving, I noticed two sister missionaries walk in.  It was unusual for just 2 sisters to be there on a Thursday.  I spoke with one of the sisters briefly, but the little blonde missionary was quiet as I helped them get started.  I had the definite impression that something was wrong.  In my mind I clearly and powerfully heard the words, “Ask her where she is from.”  I was unsure if she would welcome conversation, but the silence was awkward, so I ventured the question.

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      “Where are you from?” 
 

      “Ukraine.”
 

      “Really?  My younger brother went on a mission to Kyiv, but that was a long time ago.   Probably when you were just a baby.”
 

I told her his name, but she did not recognize it.  After a few minutes of reflection, she thought she remembered the name of another missionary, and told me her parents were some of the first converts in their city.  Her parents and two older sisters were baptized in January of 1997, but she was not born until October of that year.  The realization hit me: my brother was gone on his mission when I got married in November of 1997.  Knowing he would have been in Ukraine around the same time that her parents were new converts, I asked her for her parents’ names and what city they lived in.  
 

I immediately texted my brother to ask if he knew their names or if he was ever in Chernihiv.  This was his response:
 

      “Don’t know the name of the family, but I know the city.  It’s not too far from the Russian border.  I went up there for church once in about December 1997.  The branch was tiny, maybe 5-6 members, so I’m sure I was there with her family.  I was brand new in country at the time and didn’t really speak the language yet, so I wouldn’t remember names or anything about the members, as it wasn’t my assigned area either.  But I have a photo from Church that day with some of the members in it.  Here’s the thing:  I think there was a baby blessing during church that day, which is why the photo was taken.  The baby is in the photo.  What if the baby is your sister missionary?”
 

This sister missionary, whose name I learned was Lara, became excited when I read his response to her.  She would have been the only baby in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that city at the time my brother was there.  My brother also recognized the name of the other missionary that Lara remembered, because he was serving in her city during the time my brother was there, and they ended up being companions later in their missions.

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I exchanged phone numbers with Lara so we could keep in contact.  Later that evening my brother found his mission journal with the photo he had referenced earlier.  On the photo above the dad holding the baby he had written his name.  On the baby he wrote a question mark because he did not know the baby’s name.  This was her dad- which confirmed that the baby in the picture was Lara.  He also had a journal entry of her baby blessing, which happened to be the first baby blessing he participated in.  His first mission companion was the missionary who baptized Lara’s family the previous year, which is why they had been given permission to travel to the city for the blessing.  At the time, my brother was a new missionary with his first companion.  During the entire 2 years of his mission, he only visited that city once, and it was for a few hours on that particular Sunday, December 7th, 1997, for this little girl’s baby blessing.  He did not always carry his camera with him, but he had taken it that day because it was a different city and he was not sure if he would ever get back there again (which he didn’t.)  He wonders why he even took the picture, because he did not know Lara’s family or the area.  And he probably would have never remembered it if he had not taken that picture, or if he had not written about it in his journal and immediately labeled the picture.  
 

The most amazing part of the story is what came next.  After sharing this information with Lara, she texted me the following: 
 

     “I just want to say how much I am grateful that I met and I discovered all of those things.  Usually this day is very hard for me.  Eleven years ago on July 19th I lost my brother.  He was 5 and I was 9 and it happened very fast.  I blame myself a lot for this loss.  Today when I met you and we started discovering all of those details it makes me feel loved and that Heavenly Father cares about me and that my brother is watching me and sent me such a big blessing so that I would go through it with joy and happiness!”  

Later she shared with me how her little brother had been killed in a tragic accident.  Her mom was 9 months pregnant at the time and had asked Lara to watch her brother, Egor, so she could take a nap.  Lara and Egor were playing outside, when he stepped into the road and was hit by a car.      
 

As I lay in bed after reading Lara’s message, tears ran down my cheeks as I realized what I had just witnessed: a triple miracle. Heavenly Father’s love for all 3 of us- Lara, my brother, and I- was evident in what had happened.  It was amazing how this single experience was a blessing custom-made for each of us individually.  
 

Above all, it was a tender mercy for this cute Ukrainian sister, who was suffering on the anniversary of her little brother’s death, a loss which has haunted her for years because she blamed herself for it.  God’s timing was impeccable.  Lara was nearing the end of her mission in Utah, and she only served in Centerville for a couple more weeks after we met.  The way our paths crossed was a testimony to her that God’s hand was in it—that He was aware of her and sent her this blessing before she left Utah.  Our Heavenly Father loves each one of his children.  Individually.  Personally.  Intimately.  It is breathtakingly amazing how He does it!  He is aware of all His children around the world, whether it be in Centerville, Utah or in Chernihiv, Ukraine. 
 

As for my brother, he said this experience was one of the biggest blessings to come from his missionary service, and it happened nearly 20 years after he returned.  As a missionary, he often did not see immediate results from his work in Ukraine.  My brother never thought there was anything special about the day he visited her city: it was never one of those “mission stories” he shared with anyone.  As a young, new missionary in Ukraine, so far from home, and not yet fluent in the language around him, he did something that at the time seemed totally ordinary: he took a picture.  But God worked through him and knew that 20 years later that same little girl would need that picture on a day when she too was far from home, having a bad day.  Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally), my brother is 4 years younger than I am- the exact same age difference as Lara and her little brother, Egor.  I believe God worked through another older-sister/little-brother team to get His message of love and comfort from another little brother to his big sister that day.  
 

For me, I knew it was a direct and powerful witness that God was also aware of my aching mother heart.  He knew that I had been yearning for direction and comfort, and this experience confirmed to me that I was right where He intended and wanted me to be. He also knew that I needed assurance that my daughter would receive His careful, divine attention while she was far from home, just as He had given it to Lara right there for me to witness. 
 

Fast forward almost 4 years to today, June 22nd, 2022.  I know this young lady is special, and God knows exactly where she is and will place specific people in her life to give her comfort and help in this time of great need.  I know she has a guardian angel because I witnessed it first-hand.  Sometimes angels are other-worldly, but there are also times when we need to be those angels. 

As I look back on that spiritually defining memory today, it has new meaning.  I know God expects me to do something to help her, even though I am far away from Ukraine.  Our connection to each other from opposite sides of the world is not a coincidence.  What that means exactly, I am still trying to figure out.  But to start with, I felt I should share her story and my song.  I am going out on a limb and have no idea what will come of it all, but I feel better about acting on the impression than doing nothing.  I have wondered sometimes what would have happened if I had not acted on the thought that I should ask Lara where she was from on that particular day.  I would have missed out on an incredible experience to bless not only her life but mine as well.      
 

This memory of the power and individual nature of God’s love keeps me moving forward and motivates me to share His love with others and to do His work.  I believe that God is “mighty to save.”   Let us do whatever we can to be instruments in His hands in this mighty work of saving His children.  As we do, we will see miracles happen. 

If you feel comfortable doing so, please share Lara’s story, listen to my song, and pray for her family and her people.  I will use 100% of the profits from the sale of my first song to help Lara and her family who have endured so much. Thank you for your kindness & generosity.

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With gratitude,
 

Cherise Williams 

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