Somewhere behind the houses, dawn breaks through, the city is quiet and calm, the air is fresh and transparent. I took Lena by the arm and said: Lena! For two years I went to this church, first because of you, then out of curiosity, and now I come because I believe. And I begin to talk about myself. I speak, I talk and speak, but in my soul the Paschal service still sounds, Christ is risen!

Lena walks silently and listens, and I look at her and still continue to talk. We walk along the streets, alleys, boulevards, not noticing where we are going. Probably, there are passers-by, but I don't see them. Now I am all in the Paschal service that has engulfed me and, there is nothing to hide, I am full of joy that I am going with Lena. Everything is surprisingly good today. Easter, life, mood and the fact that I am with Lena! It seems to me that I have been reborn. I go and tell Lena about Easter, about faith, about my life and about herself, Lena. She walks, leaning on my arm, listens and is silent, only occasionally looking at me. I feel restless and frightened by her silence, and I, squeezing her hand, say, lost and panting: Lena! Do you know, Lena? You know what I want to tell you, I am starting for the third time and I cannot finish the sentence to the end.

She does not pull her hand away and does not push it away, but only looks at me with large dark eyes, then lowers them and says quietly: I know!

Passers-by are probably surprised to see the big guy on the corner of the lane hugging and kissing the girl, and perhaps there are no passers-by at this early hour.

Yuri! Lena says. I knew you were still in church, now it would be our common church.

I don't answer, yes, I just hug Lena, and we move on, and the church from which we left after Mass appears in front of us again, in which the second Mass is going on.

Enter. Slowly we go to the icon of the Mother of God, venerate, pray and leave.

Lena said: Let's go to my mother, she is waiting for me after matins.

That's how I came to church. Everything else is clear to you even without my story.

About Fr. Arsenius. Two years ago, we came to him for the first time through Lena Mother, and now I go and go, each time taking away from him the incomparable joy of comprehending the faith, instruction and guidance on how a believer should live in our modern society.

I wrote my story to you in one long evening, I wrote it, forcing myself to remember the past, although it is not so past, Lena and I have been married for only four years. Yuri

KORSUN-YERSHI

In 1932, I, Yulia and Sonya were arrested. In those years, they mainly took believers, or, as they called it then, churchmen.

The three of us came to Fr. Arseny as girls, at the time of my arrest I was 23, Yulia and Sonya were 24 years old. They were friends and were everywhere together in church, on visits, in theaters, trips, museums.