December 23, 2014 ~ С Рождеством!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!  This week was pretty good.  We met with tons of less actives (this branch is really struggling - the attendance goes down almost everyweek and has been for a while actually) who were great!  They are all so cool, I just am not really sure why they don't come to church. However, we do have a less active who we are meeting with and she is totally on fire!!  She's coming to church and wants to go to the temple and she's volunteering to do things in the branch to help out and she is trying to get like all of her friends to meet with us and the best part is that her husband is an investigator and doing really well!  We do service with him sometimes.  Awesome family!  They are going to be the strength of the branch!  It's really interesting, I haven't noticed this problem in other branches, but most of the members are actually married to members, but only one of them comes to church every week.  None of them come as couples.  Either the husband is active and the wife is not, or the wife is active and the husband is not.

Oh!  Another miracle!!  We finally met with a less active this week (the less active husband of an active wife) and it was awesome!! He's been less active for 13 years and my companion said that he tried for 5 transfers to meet with him last time he was here and never was able to, but this week we did!  And  it was awesome!!  he was asking questions and actually saying things that were kind of in testimony form and totally wanted us to come back!!  Such a miracle!  Also he agreed that he would read the BOM everyday with his wife!  BTW that is something that my companion challenges every couple to do and I really like it.  Therefore, I challenge you all to read the BoM every single day with your families!  I won't really have an effective way to check up and make sure it is happening, but I just assume that you all will be doing it.  That is another thing that I really have learned from this companion, is checking up with investigators AND members, active and less active about the assignments we give them.  He even asks them over the phone when he calls, but it's never in a naggy way, always in kind of a "hey this is only going to benefit you" way.  It's great!  Then he always reminds them do it.  It's a really great example. 

Yesterday was wonderful!!  We FINALLY got the conference liahonas!!!!!!  I've been waiting so long for them and they finally came!!  I've already reread most of the morning session on saturday and they are just as good as I remember them!!!  Read them!! Don't just read them though, apply them!!  Make the decision before you read them to change whatever you need to in your lives to exactly follow the counsel if the General Authorities.  Don't wait until after you read them to decide if that is a gospel principle you should put forth the effort to apply in your lives.  I promise you are only denying yourselves blessings if you do that.  In addition to reading the BoM as a family everyday, doing the things our leaders ask us to do, they only ask us to do because it will benefit us. 

On a funny note for the week I guess, I'm not sure what it is, but this is the slipperiest city ever.  I've started a little count in my planner because I have slipped about every other day since the beginning of the transfer, sometimes twice a day.  And my companion hasn't fallen once.  I was actually due to fall yesterday, but didn't so well see what today does to me haha. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!!  Everyone go and watch Elder nelson's talk from the Christmas devotional this year.  We watched it in church yesterday and I LOVED it!!!  It was so good!!  How grateful I am for our Savior Jesus Christ!  I am so grateful that he gives us the opportunity to change and become happier people.   Our branch President said something yesterday that I really liked.  He said a sacrifice is a gift to the one we love.  When we live the Gospel and keep ALL of the commandments, sometimes it ends up being a sacrifice, but that sacrifice is really just our gift to the One who gave us an even greater gift. 

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Robison

December 16, 2014 ~ Crazy Week

This week was so crazy, but awesome!!!  On Tuesday, my last night in Petergof, we ended up having 4 lessons!!!  That was super awesome!! Then we had transfers on wednesday and I got a nice bob-cart for my suitcase cause one of the wheels isn't very cooperative.  Then we had to stay in the city until night to wait for our train, which is the next awesome thing!!  I rode on a night train!!  Like Harry Potter style where you have your own cabin and stuff.  It was pretty cool, I slept really well haha.  And we pulled into Petro (Petrozavodsk) about 6:40 am.  Then from there the craziness started.  One of our investigators picked us up in his sketchy mercedes van from the 60's and we helped him move some rusty pipes out from the basement of the branch building.  Then we had to go to the dentist for some reason then I forgot what we did that night, but I'm sure it was cool.  This area btw is super pretty!!  I love it here!  Saturday we went with a member and met with a few investigators.  We've also met with a few really cool less actives (not sure why they are less active).  Also my companion is great!  Speaks English pretty well and always helps me with Russian.  Its been cool.  And this is his 7th transfer here I think so he nows everything super well and is really good friends with all the members.  He's a pro at setting up meetings and stuff.  He's been really great!  I've already learned a lot from him (not just language) and I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot more.  I'm really excited! 

 

Also we have a senior couple!!!  I love it, they are so hilarious!!!  We have dinner at their appartment on sundays and yesterday I was in the bathroom there and I heard them talking and I think I heard them say that their names are Bob and Sue...  I didn't ask, but I thought that was funny.  Also a sign that another Bob and Sue that I know and love should think about getting their papers put in...:)  Seriously.  Senior couples are the BEST!

 

I think that's all for this week.  Its really all been a blur we've just been running from appointment to appointment with all sorts of people.  I've been really enjoying it.  This transfer is going to be awesome!!!

 

Have a great week!!

Elder Robison

December 9, 2013 ~ Mixed Feelings.

Well despite the fact that this was probably one of the best weeks of my entire mission, I do have some mixed feelings about this next one.  We got transfer calls on Saturday and I am being moved to

Petrozavodsk...  and I will get another native companion!  He's from Moscow and actually its funny cause I was on a split with him my first transfer and it was so fun!  He's hilarious and I'm really excited that I get to serve with him (this is his last transfer).  Also since we are really far away from the city (9 hour train ride north ish) there is a senior couple there too and I am so excited!!! I've never been in an area with a senior couple, but everyone says its the best so I'm really looking forward to it!  So those are the good things about this next transfer.  However I know that I've only been here 1 transfer, but I am absolutely heartbroken to be leaving this branch.  I love them so much!!  I can't even express it enough.  I think that was probably one of the hardest things I've done on my mission so far was saying good bye too all those amazing members.  But President and Sister Clark were there and President asked me over the pulpit while he was speaking if I wanted to come back.  Of course I said yes and he said he would try to get me back here.  So It's not the end, but still not fun.

Anyways, we had the most ridiculous night of miracles ever on friday.  We had a lesson set up with an investigator and a member was there to help us then right after that lesson another lesson with another investigator set up.  The first investigator couldn't make it, he was going to be really late so we had about 45 min with our member before the next lesson.  So we decide to go contacting with him!  That was interesting haha, he is so passionate and agressive about it.  We saw this lady carrying some heavy bags and we asked if we could help and miracle # 1 she said yes! (that never happens even if she's like the frailest babyshka ever and she's carrying a ton of bricks - they like to do it themselves).  Anyways we talk to her all the way back to her appartment (how convenient that she lives right behind the branch) and ended up giving her a BOM and then she wanted to come see the branch that night.  So as we walk in with her, our other investigator shows up (our miracle guy from the thanksgiving party last week). We give them both a tour then drop off the lady we contacted in the relief society room with the RS president who happened to be there and went to another room and had a lesson with this other guy (I know it sounds like we ditched that woman which we kinda did, but I promise it didn't offend her nor was it weird cause its Russia and nothing here is normal).  Then our member and guy investigator leave to catch the train back to their city (they live in the same city and thus rode the train together (perfect!) and then the other lady promised to come to church on Sunday.  Fast forward 2 days and we are siiting in church and none of our investigators came and President and his wife are there (awkward) and then as president is making his little closing testimony we hear the door open so we run back there and its this woman!!  However she came because she felt bad that she promised to come and then didn't and also to return the BOM claiming that she was going to stay orthodox.  Boo.  But she came in and sang the closing hymn with us and stuff the the sisters pounced on her right after the close (we told them about her and to be ready) and she said she'd stay for the 2nd 2 hours cause she was already there.  So long story short apparently she really enjoyed it cause the sisters have a meeting set up with her Thursday and she took back the BOM she tried returning to me!!  This is such a miracle area!!

Another huge miracle!  We met with one of our investigators this week who was found right at the end of last transfer, but has not really been progressing.  She brought her own BOM to the lesson and had finally started reading AND underlined some of the parts she really liked!  One of the verses she underlined was 1 Nephi 3:7 for all you scripture mastery people out there.  I was so happy and what was even better was that you could see the change and growing testimony that was starting to take place with her.  The spirit was so strong.  Petergof is full of miracles waiting to happen.  Something huge is going to happen here soon, I know it.  And hopefully I'll be back for it!!!

So funny story.  We were trying to take a district picture with a self timer and stuff so I started it and ran to try

Oops...

and get in the picture and slipped and slid all the way across the room and smashed into the wall which put a huge hole in the drywall of the branch... awkward.  one of the sisters cameras caught it so perfectly it is an amazing picture, but yeah.  I put a hole in the wall of the church...  I called the branch president that night and told him and told him that I'd pay for it and everything and he was like "eh whatever we'll get it fixed" and I show up to church yesterday and there were tables and chairs moved in front of it.  Still totally visible, but I guess its not that important haha.

Also last thing.  This morning we had some time before the library opened so we stopped into a pravoslavny temple cause I've always wanted to see what it's like and they were doing a service some sort of something.  They were all holding candles while the priest was jingling bells and some smoke or something was coming out of it while he was chanting.  It was really interesting, actually just like in the movies or like I pictured it.  The only thing is that it was just so dark in there.  They had like no lights on, only candles burning. As we were walking I was thinking about that in comparison to our temples where everything is bright and white and there is so much  light all around. Really interesting experience.  I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and all the light that it brings.  Not physical light of course, but light and happiness!  Such a blessing!  I love it!  

Have a great week!

Elder Robison

December 2, 2013 ~ День Благодарения - праздник чудес!

Well this week was thanksgiving apparently (for some reason I thought it was last week).  But for thanksgiving dinner my companion and I made щи (Russian cabbage soup) which we learned how to make at a members house last p-day and it was delicious!  So that was fun, then on Saturday there was a branch activity for thanksgiving even though it is not a russian holiday, the members here just love any reason to get together and they love the missionaries so they wanted to do thanksgiving for us.  It was so awesome!!  We had basically everything there to eat that we do at home with a Russian twist.  I loved it!  And it was such a miracle cause as it was starting there wasn't really anyone there which was disappointing, but people all trickled in and turned out to be 33 people there!!! Huge miracle!  I know you all are probably thinking that it must have been the lamest activity ever with so few people, but lets keep in mind that in this little miracle branch, there are 7 active members.  And we felt pretty good about ourselves cause we had 5 investigators there between the sisters and us and 3 less actives!! One of the investigators was a huge miracle that I'll try and not forget to tell you about.  Funny though, because we (the elders) made jello cause what is Thanksgiving/ a mormon party without jello and apparently Russians have absolutely no concept of what it is.  They were all putting it on top of their pie as some sort of a topping.  We had a good laugh about that.  Afterwards when we finished cleaning up, the branch president (have I mentioned before that he is from Cuba?) told us that that was the best Thanksgiving activity they've ever had (they do this every year)!  We were pretty happy.

So now about this miracle investigator.  Friday night we decided to stop by this family's appartment who have been meeting with the missionaries on and off for about 10 years, and we just wanted to get to know them and introduce ourselves.  They are super nice, but then as we started their son (who honestly I thought was like 14 but I get he's older) just starts blasting us with all sorts of anti information and questions and just keeps going on and on and doesn't give us a chance to say anything.  Anyway, we told them that we had to go and catch our bus to go back home (cause we did, it was getting late) and this other guy that was there too (but never said anything the whole time) left at the same time as us.  So we told the family we'd call and come and see them again cause aside from all that they are super nice and love the missionaries, and we leave.  And so does this other guy and when we got outside and he looked like he was waiting for something so we say goodbye and start walking away.  Then we notice that he is awkwardly following us and so he catches up and I start talking to him and turns out he is the friend of this family's son so we invite him to the thanksgiving party (the next day) and we also invited this family earlier (but ended up praying for them to not come, which they didn't - God answers prayers both ways!!).  Anyways this guy came!!  And enjoyed it and we got his number and agreed to meet with us!  Huge miracle that came out of a disaster lesson! 

And kind of along the same lines (the disaster part) I have to tell you this hilarious story that happened in church yesterday.  So this guy comes into sacrament meeting towards the end and he's been there before, but totally not interested in the church (branch president told me that he thinks that he alone in the world is fighting against evil) but he every once in a while shows up at church to ask for money to help him start some eco project (not really sure).  Anyways We start singing the closing hymn and I hand him a hymn book and he asks me for a Book Of Mormon that he can take.  So I was all excited (after being bummed that none of our investigators came to church) thinking that was finally wanting to start investigating (he was also at the thanksgiving thing).  So of course I gave him one then after sacrament meeting he goes up and asks the branch president if he can make an announcenment (so of course I'm thinking great!  He's going to announce that he's going to get baptized!).  Lets just say that's not what he wanted to say.  He gets up there at the podium and starts talking about how God's greatest creation is the earth and how we need to love our neighbor cause that is a commandment of God and then holds up the Book Of Mormon and says that it breaks God's commandments because there are wars in it and we as a church are breaking commandments because we don't love our neighbors cause we won't give him money for his own church and projects and stuff and says some other weird stuff that I don't remember and them branch president gets up and stops him and they kinda start arguing a little bit and our branch president was like "umm have you ever read the old testament, there are tons of wars in it, and besides that, the Book of Mormon...." I can't remember what he said and then is like "This is Christ's church and we preach His gospel, not the Gospel of man, but if you want to go and start your own church and preach what you want to people, go ahead, but not here".  Of course I was concerned about how all of our members were reacting cause all of them in this branch (active at least) besides the branch president, have been members for less than 3 years (although they are some of the strongest and most dedicated I have ever seen in my entire life).  I look around at them and I have to say that Russians really show no emotion and keep really straight faces in public even when funny things happen, but I looked around and they were all kinda just smirking a little bit and rolling their eyes cause they know this guy is crazy. I was relieved and also relieved that none of our investigators were there to see that. 

This area is so funny.  There really are the weirdest people here and I love it!  

Our biggest problem with people is getting them to read and to come to church and as I've been reading more my testimony has grown so much and I know that book is true!  I love it!  I was watching a talk by President Hinckley yesterday and he said, talking about the Book Of Mormon, something to the effect of "I cannot understand why the whole Christain world does not readily accept this book, which testifys as a second witness of Jesus Christ."  It was way better than that, but something like that, I can't remember exactly, but I 100% agree with him!  It's such a gift!  Read it!  It's true!  have a great week!