The unexpected exit of a dear friend is jarring, disorienting. So please forgive my delay in conveying the news of the loss of Luda Yarovenko. She passed away on March 10 due to multiple medical issues.

Luda and I met on my first trip to Minsk in 1992, and from the first moment, we both knew we wanted to know each other. Who knows how or why these things happen, but even without a common language, or knowing anything about each other, we knew we were kindred spirits. For years now, we have called each other “sister” — not in a casual, trendy way, no. We were, are, connected on a soul level. That’s the way she was; always reaching beyond the superficial, looking for the source or the meaning of whatever she encountered. She was the most spiritual person I’ve ever known.

She was also integral to New Thing’s work in her country. She was our eyes, and ears… our hands and feet between the visits that Doug or I would make to Belarus. She solved problems, often before we knew they existed. She handled every request, no matter how mundane or unusual! Even when her health presented challenges in the last few years, she was always ready to find information, or run an errand. She never complained.

When we visited, she took care of Doug and me and the kids as if we were treasured family. No matter what the need — calling a taxi, preparing meals on a jet lag schedule, or a giving a strong hug after a day of emotional stress — she made the flat on Karl Marx Street a haven, because she was there.

She didn’t ask for anything in return. Any praise was brushed off with the phrase, “You just love me.” She was right. I just loved her. And I always will.

—Kristina