April 29, 2013 ~ Week 13 - I'm no longer a trainee!!

Well all, this week has been slower than others, although it had some really awesome parts.  We had Zone Training again this week which I love.  We talked a lot about having a sense of urgency.  We don't have a lot of time to waste in doing the Lords work.  They shared a quote, I have no idea where it's from, but maybe all you out there currently slacking in motivation to do home or visiting teaching can learn something from it, and that is that "Satan's angels always do their hometeaching".   Its kinda  a dark thought, but unfortunately true.  He knows that he doesn't have much time to make everyone miserable, but he and his "angels" (if you can even call them that) are certainly working a whole lot harder than I would say a lot of us are (myself included before this whole mission thing began).  Being here, and being focused 100% of the time on helping people come unto Christ has really given me so much perspective and made me wish that I had realized earlier on how important this is.  There's no time to waste!  BTW, I think the scripture they used in relation to that quote was Revelation 12:12,  but I can't remember for sure.  And here's a scary random thought... in 2 weeks, I will have already finished 1/4 of my whole mission.  It's going by so fast and I feel like I still have so much to do and learn!!  Ahhh!

Something kinda cool is starting Mission wide this week.  We are starting our English conversation groups!!  It was something they were doing before, but it wasn't effective.  The Novosibirsk Missionm (siberia) came up with this whole elaborate program and we got permission to use it.  They tested it in 2 of our areas and have seen some really good success!  So for everyone else it is starting this Thursday!! I'm really excited about it, it'll be almost jjust like being back in Gunnison or the Turkey Plant haha - just with the gospel involved.  Should be awesome!

Austin and Elder Holman from the MTC

Then you know how we don't have service in Gatchina (if you didn't know, you do now), but this week we went on splits in the city and their ward was doing a ward service project friday night so we did that and then on saturday there was a stake service project in the city.  I got to go to both of them and it was so fun!!!!!!!!  We had to wear normal clothes (which was super strange) and couldn't wear our nametags for the stake service project.  That just felt weird.  Didn't even feel like a missionary anymore.  But I have to admit it was nice to not have to wear a tie for a little bit.  But here's the best part! We all got to wear those goofy "helping hands" vests!!  The Russian version of course.  My companion and I kept ours haha.  Not sure if we were supposed to but we had to leave a little bit early to get back to Gatchina and do weekly planning which we hadn't been able to do yet... :O  but we did it, so no worries.

Austin's current companion

I guess the only other exciting thing to report was that I saw and almost car fight this week.  Some guy was honking his horn super loud at the guy in front of him, so they both got out of their cars in the middle of the road and started yelling at eachother.  I was hopiing there would be a few punches thrown, but unfortunately not... :(  Maybe I'll see one of those kind in the future haha.

Well I think that's all for this week.  Hope you all had a great week and remember to get out there and do your home and visiting teaching!!!  There is NO excuse!!

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Оля the girl we were helping with English!