I don't know how much more love my little heart can handle!

Family,

My heart is so full. Really it feels like it is going to explode. How is it possible to feel this much love, for people I have only known for such a short amount of time, and sometimes no time at all! God's love is so real and so pure and I am so lucky that I get to feel it for every single person here.

Mom, you wrote me the other week saying I have no idea how much you love me, but "someday" I would. I know you were probably meaning "someday" as in when I have a child of my own I will understand your love for me. But if it is anything like the love I feel for these people I truly am scared that my heart will explode. I don't know how much more love my little heart can handle! Okay I know, I know my heart wont explode, but seriously that is just how I feel. Never in a million years would I have thought that I could love with such a pure love, some random old man sitting next to me on the noisy metro, or our grumpy consiergka that yells at us every morning, or the lady that hands me the perfume samples as I walk by everyday, seriously the list goes on. I LOVE THESE UKRAINIANS! As much as I love the people I see on the street every day as I testify to them in any way that I can that their Heavenly Father loves them, and I know it because I feel it, even more do I love the people who accept His love!

Namely Настия, I have been so beyond blessed to be on this journey with her. I just wish you all could come and meet her and feel her spirit and testimony. She's incredible! I so look forward to every single lesson we have with her. And every lesson is always better than the last. She is growing so much, I am amazed at the spiritual progression that this beautiful fifteen year old girl is having. Meeting with her has strengthened my testimony more than anything else in the world ever could have done. She KNOWS that God is her Heavenly Father! And how much comfort and peace she has found while relying on Him and her brother Jesus Christ. It has been such a cool experience being with her and seeing her transform from a girl who really didn't know if God exists, into truly a daughter or God, who loves her, and she loves Him! I love listening to her pray, every time finishing as tears stream down her face. She has such a strong relationship with her Father in Heaven and it is so beautiful to see. This week we found out she has been teaching her best friend the lessons! Like, she is already a missionary! She is so awesome! So now we are meeting with Hастия and her best friend Настия, don't worry we call her Nessie, so it's not too confusing! Настия came to church yesterday and loved it! She came to conference last week but this was her first normal three hour block of church and I was a little nervous about it. Three hours of church is a long time, especially for a 15 year old girl who has never gone to church in her life. At the end of the block we were talking to her and she just said, "I don't want to leave." She is so sweet. Goodness I love her.
She has decided she wants to get baptized. :) She wants to wait for around Christmas time. Please keep her in your prayers, please, please, her parents are still против and it's very hard on her. When she knows people are praying for her, it gives her a lot of strength.

Okay story time. So once upon a time, I studied at the MTC before my mission, and at the MTC I had a teacher. Brat Hofman emailed me last week with... yep you guessed it a referral! He lived here in my area while he did ILP and lived with this family. He just realized they were in my area and gave me their names and address. On Wednesday night Sister Grandy and I headed over. I was so nervous, ha! I'd never had a referral that was like yeah just go knock on their door and pray that they let you in, but we did it! As we were walking over there I was thinking what I could say to ensure I got in. As we rang the door bell and Natasha opened the door I just said "Hey I know Cees Hofman!" And of course it worked! Haha it was so awesome! We just hung out with them and got to know them and seriously they are the coolest family ever! The parents, Natasha and Dima remind me so much of Kim and Gordie Lapke (how long have I wanted to share the gospel with them!) and their son Misha is just like Simon! Haha It's the best! As they welcomed us into their home I just sat and relaxed and talked to them and I was sitting there I realized I felt at home. I have loved every person's home that I have been in since I've arrived, but never have I felt that at home or comfortable with any family, I guess we now know why I'm still in Kharkivsky :) We met with them once more last night and chatted a little more about the gospel, so awesome. Right now we are trying to work it out so that Brother Hofman can be on the lessons with us via skype, they would love that and it would be so cool to teach with one of my teachers! Wow! Can you imagine? Anyways please keep them in your prayers as well! Like don't pray for me, I'm doing great, I would much rather you pray for all of my investigators!

Friends and family at the close of this email I would like to bear a super quick testimony about the Atonement (I know typical Sister Lee) but, IT IS SO REAL! And it is so NEEDED! And it is such a beautiful gift. I read an amazing talk this week titled The Atonement by Cleon Skousen and it changed my life. Nothing has inspired me more to do missionary work than after reading that talk. Please everyone read it and study it, and know that it is true. How grateful I am for the Atonement and my knowledge of it.

Now I'm going to go tell people about it. You should too.

Love you all more than words could ever begin to say!

All of my love,

Your sister, Sister Lee

The Atonement: A Personal Search for the Meaning of the Atonement, W. Cleon Skousen