May 13, 2013

Well this week was a full one!  First and foremost, we bought a new washing machine this week!  Finally after 3/12 weeks can stop washing our clothes in the bathtub.  I don't know what to do with all my free time in the evenings now haha.  Just kidding, there's always something to do.

Last week as we were grocery shopping I past a woman pushing a cart and just happened to glance down at what was in her cart and can you guess what I saw?..  her dog.  At first it didn't really register cause I've just gotten so used to seeing strange things like that happen, but then I realized that is not normal!  Nor is it probably very sanitary.  I love Russia.  Reminds me of when I was in a different store a few weeks ago (grocery store) and I just saw a cat wandering around there.  That was strange cause it wasn't even with an owner or anything.  It was just walking around the store by itself and no one did anything - as if that is just a normal thing to have animals strolling around the grocery store.  So funny.

This week was Russia's second biggest holiday  - День Победы (Victory day).  It is a victory from WWII.  It's kinda a big deal here.  It was kinda fun to be able to see although everyone was so drunk!  Well, not everyone, but the vast majority.  Also, fun fact (or not so fun fact) related to WWII, apparently in Gatchina there was a concentration camp and some testing grounds for new weapons.  Apparently Hitler really liked the big palace and park around it so he told his guys to leave that alone, but basically all of Gatchina was destroyed during WWII.. Interesting.

We had the first official English meeting this week and it was really good!  7 people came (which sounds tiny, but is really good) and they all really enjoyed it.  Unfortunately only 3 of them stayed for the spiritual thought at the end which is the most important part.  Hopefully we can get that changed around.

We visited Оля and her mom again this week and found out a little interesting Russian superstition/tradition.  It had been a thunderstorm earlier that day and we learned that apparently after "3 thunders"  (thunderstorms I think that means) you can go swimming!  Intersting.  This morning we woke up to the 2nd thunder.  1 more and guess who's going swimming!  Юлия (Оля's mom) - not me hahah -that happens to be нельзя for missionaries.

We had some cool contacting miracle this week! One was a guy that I just stopped on our way home.  He talked with us for a while and as we were about to say goodbye and what not, but he asked us where we were going and said he'd walk with us. We basically gave him the entire restoration lesson as we were walking down the street. So awesome, and he seemed to be really engaged in it. He asked if he could borrow the Book of Mormon and of course we gave it to him. We invited him to English as well. He was a reluctant to give us his phone number, afraid we would call all the time even though we said we wouldn't - he said he'd call us. Ususally we know how those kind of conversations end - with them never calling - but he did! And he came to english and really enjoyed!! Huge miracle!  I can see some real good things ahead with this guy!!

Then the other one was a taxi driver that was standing outside his car smoking stopped us and talked to us a little bit and we just told him we are here to help people and then he immediately led us over to one of the other taxi drivers sitting in his car and said "this guy needs help". We talked to him for a long time actually and he was super nice and sincere. We gave him a plan of salvation pamphlet and invited him to church on Sunday. Then I think a day or 2 later we walked by and he was there in his car again so we stood there and talked to him in his car for a long time. He had read the pamphlet and liked it, but had some other questions too. We were able to discuss them with him and after we got back home I was still thinking about some of them and looked some stuff up on them to share with him. Haven't seen him there since then, but hopefully we'll find him again. It was just a really nice thing for me, being able to finally help someone - or at least prepare to. Hopefully we can get somewhere with him! 

So everything else is just ok.  Transfers this week which is always exciting.  Apparently this is going to be a huge transfer meeting.  13 missionaries going home and 14 coming in.  There is only 1 companionship who will not be at the transfer meeting (so basically it's a mission meeting haha) and that one companionship is Elder Eady (my first trainer) and Elder Noorda (my good friend from the MTC).  Should be an exciting week!

Have a great week!

Elder Robison

P.S. С днем матери yesterday to all you mothers!