Christmas in Crimea

We were in Simferopol during the Christmas of 2001. We were planning on doing a regular zone conference with the missionaries in the area. When we woke up on the morning of the 25th, Sister McQueen and I started a discussion about what we should do during the zone conference. Both of us wanted to do something different, we didn’t want to make this just another day in the life of a missionary. We didn’t want a regular zone conference with just training and talks and testimonies. So we decided to just sit down at the table in our room in the Moscow Hotel and search the scriptures about the birth of the savior. There was a neat view out of our hotel window. The ridge line just out of the window had snow on it. It was cold outside but we were warm and comfortable in the hotel room. We had nothing to worry about and no time constraints. We all sat down and started with Luke Chapter two and moved on to the Book of Mormon and all the passages surrounding the birth of the savior. If I remember right, we had a question and answer period. If we couldn’t answer the question quickly we spent time looking it up and eventually finding an answer that satisfied all of us. It was a very quick four hours of Bible study. It was also one of the most spiritual experiences of our mission. The feeling in that room was intense. The spirit was undoubtedly there. I don’t remember much about our discussion but I can remember the feeling of love, peace, and joy that was in the room. I think the main reason for this feeling was the single focus we all had to make ourselves into better missionaries and people. Some missionaries only had a short time left on their missions and they wanted to finish strong. The younger missionaries could see what they could accomplish on their missions and were glad they didn’t have to worry about going home. Sister McQueen and I were filled with huge emotions – six months left and how were we going to close out our mission. We knew this was our last Christmas in the Ukraine - our final Christmas celebration with missionaries. It was a tough time for us. I don’t think any missionary who was at that zone conference will ever forget the room, the conversation, the meal or the spirit. What a choice moment, our Christmas in the Crimea.