November 18, 2013 ~ Adventures on the Electric Train

Well all, I don't really have a whole lot to say this week, except for how much I love this branch so much!!!  The like 10 active members here are absolutely 10 of my favorite people in the entire world I love them so much!!  

This week we met with a few people - all really interesting people.  Also hahah while I'm thinking about it, we got this really weird txt from a potential from like a transfer or 2 ago and we looked up who he was on the potential list and there was quite a lengthy description.  The other Elders met with him once or twice before they found out that 1 (this is my own assumption that this man is crazy) 2) well, for the sake of some readers, he turns out to not be the safest of people to be hanging around.  So, we ignored his txt.  Then throughout the next few hours he sent us 2 more and wasn't happy that we didn't respond, claiming that is txts were a lost souls cry for help and we denied it.  So we decided to text him back and ask if he wanted to meet.  Then he said to call him in a few days.  We will be calling tonight.  I'm pretty sure this guy is legitimately crazy.  But a meeting with him could make for an interesting story, however we aren't stupid and will only be meeting with him during the day, in public somewhere. 

Anyways yeah, met with a few interesting people - none of them are super progressing, but they have potential!  Just have to help them find the desire.. that is really one thing that seems to be lacking here is the desire to know truth and then act upon it.  We really have been blessed though.  This is the smallest area I've been so far I'm pretty sure and we've had more meetings than I have any transfer before.

Also funny story.  So we usually get back and forth to Peter on the electric train and on one end of the line is St. Petersburg and on the other end of the line is Kaliche.  We get off about in the middle of it.  So this week we decided to go all the way to the end and see what was there (since it's in our area still).  We get there and people seem to be super confused as to who we are (also lets keep in mind that this city is probably bigger than other 4 "cities" (all 4 right in a row and we are there all the time cause they are so tiny) in our area combined  so of course we are just so excited cause there is comparatively so much here.  And then I remembered how when I was in Sestroretsk (on the other side of the finnish gulf - we can see it from our area) and the big Island was in our area, we went there to go check it out and then found out later than that city is not open for preseliting yet (but don't worry, I got right on that and asked president to do whatever he needed to to get it open - and it did open right after I was transfered out...) so the same thought flashed across my mind in this city.  So to be safe, we called the office Elders and asked them and they said they'd call us back if there were any problems.  Then a little while later we get a txt saying that that city is not technically part of St. Petes and we are not legally allowed to be there (my question then - why is it shown on the map as in our area?...).  I think Russia has some weird laws about going to other cities.  You have to be registered to be there.  Not just us, but all citizens, its weird.  Anyways, Our fun was cut short and we came back.  But found a potential when we came back so that was good.

Also this week I have really been noticing how the spirit really does talk through missionaries and put words into your mouth.  I had that happen to me a few times this week where I was thinking to myself as I was talking "what am I saying right now? Where did that come from?"  It is such a wonderful experience to be a missionary and to have the chance to be so close to the spirit all the time.  I really am grateful for that.  And I feel like I am learning so much all the time.  Like Sister Lawrence said as missionaries we really are living a higher law and because of that, we have the ability to gain more light and knowledge faster than most other people because of the standard of life we are living.  It's a huge blessing!  I love it!

Have a great week!

Elder Robison