January 16, 2013 - Week 9... dun, dun, dun!

Здравствуйте! Привет семья моя!

How is everything going for everyone?  This week I think has probably been one of the very best for me.  This week has finally been kind of how I was expecting the whole MTC experience would be.  A week of incredible spiritual learning and growth.  I have spent more time that ever in the scriptures this week, studying and pondering and praying and it has been so incredible.

I heard that Logan can't submit his papers until Feb 1st:( Bummer.  But, Saturday night I had a wonderful dream about that.  I had a dream that the teachers here were going over like a list of the incoming missionaries and I saw it and I saw on the list "Logan Arthur Robison - Baltic States Mission - Russian speaking".   I got so excited!!  That is a real mission btw - one of my teachers went there and there is a guy in the other zone going there too.  Thats like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia where a large number of the people speak Russian.  All I'm saying about that is that it's possible.  I mean I had a dream I was going to Russia... but I also had a dream I was going to Brasil.. and remember how I got 2 mission calls, one to Russia and one to Brasil... weird!!

Another kinda fun thing was last night at the devotional, surprise!  Guess who the speaker was.  Holland! Again!   It was so amazing.  I loved the whole thing.  He talked about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ really needs to be such a part of us, down to the marrow of our bones.  So deep in us that it is like thunder to other people when we talk about it.  So that it causes them to have their own mini earthquakes, like what happened to Alma the Younger, not that we necessarily want them falling unconscious for 3 days as a result though hahah.  He also talked about how "Preach My Gospel" is more of a tool to help convert the missionary, not his investigators.  He spent a lot of time talking about how there is absolutely NO excuse for an inactive return missionary - mentioning that if you eventually become one, you wouldn't want to run into him a a dark alley because he would go crazy on you.  It was just so amazing.  And to top it off, at the end he offered a dedicatory prayer for 3 new buildings on the MTC campus, not that they are new construction, but newly renovated.  It was such a powerful experience to hear him pray, an apostle of the Lord praying to our heavenly father.  It was so incredible.  It was absolutely a beautiful prayer.

So that was awesome.  Then, one of my newer teachers, Sis Kusnetsove, not new to the MTC, but new to me, took almost all of our 2 hr weekly planning session on saturday (not a big deal since everything in the MTC is already planned for you) and told us some of her stories where she had prayed very specifically for something and God answered her prayers.  Some of the things we just absolutely incredible (almost a little absurd was my first impression - the things that you would only kid around about praying for) but they were all answered.  I don't really have time to write them down now, but they are absolutely amazing.  She has more faith than anyone that I know.  After that she encouraged us to all pray more specifically.  I realized that I pray pretty generally sometimes, but I tried being really specific these past few days and the blessings have been amazing.  I would encourage everyone to pray very specifically about things and have a lot of faith and see what happens.  You will be amazed.  Her stories were so powerful and so strengthening to me and really helped me so much in ways that I can't really describe.

District and Elder Neuenschswander

Also this week, I learned TONS about the plan of Salvation.  We taught an absolutely awful lesson yesterday to Irina (Sis K.) about the План Спасения as it's called in Russian.  Afterwards we came back and talked about it for probably close to 2 hours, we just had a big class discussion on it and I learned so much that I had never even known.  The plan of salvation had always been one of those things that I accepted but never really studied too much.  That works for seminary and stuff, but not when you are expected to teach it to people then realize you don't actually know the answers to their questions.  I can't even describe how amazing yesterday was for me.  I loved it!  I have such a greater appreciation for the plan of Salvation and I am so much more grateful for it, now that I understand so much more.  What was also cool, was that after that discussion, Elder Neuenschwander came in (cause he comes on Tuesday mornings) and he talked about the plan of salvation too!!  Oh man it was just so awesome!  Then I got to go to the temple again today just after learning so much about the Plan Of Salvation so that was awesome as well.

That's really been my whole week.  I can't really remember anything else that happened, all I can remember is how much I've learned this week, which I guess is really the important part.  I hope I've been able to convey all of that in kind of a way that makes sense.. a little bit maybe..

I guess another thing was that I got to leave the MTC twice this week to go somewhere other than the temple.  Both to BYU campus - one to the health clinic and one to the laundry place.  One companion needed to get some medical tests and the other needed some pants hemmed.  So that was exciting too. 

Anyways, I hope you all had as good of a week as I did, although I doubt that hahah:)

One last thing:  Happy birthday to Brayden (monday 2 days ago) and happy birthday to the best mom in the world TODAY!!! And anyone else who may have a birthday this week, but is not coming to mind right now.  I just got excited when I realized I got to email mom on her actual birthday!

Ok I lied, I think this is the last thing.  My official departure date, as it stands currently, is Feb 4th.  I'm not sure if you all want to take the day off and gather around Mom's cell phone or something that day -Mom, I hope you'll actually answer your phone then since that happens to be the only number I have memorized, that is the number I will be calling haha.

I sure love hearing from everyone who writes me!  Really makes my day!  I try to respond, but I apologize if I don't, don't be offended, I just don't have much time.

Well, I think that's really all for this week.  It was a fantastic week for me!

Much love,

Старейшина Робисон