November 10, 2014 ~ The Final Count Down!

This week was so great!! We went to Petro and it was so wonderful!!
 I got to see some really dear people and had just a really great time being there.  I love that place!  

Also had really great meetings here.  I feel like everyweek I say the same things, but I just really love
the people here so much!  We have a jam packed 2 days to try and see as many people a we
 can before wednesday!  I love this ward!  I didn't serve here very long, but I really love it!

 Yesterday sacrament meeting was the primary program and it was so wonderful!  I think it was the first
primary program I've seen in 2 years!!  Last year the primary consisted of 2 kids, so that didn't happen
 haha and the year before that I was in the MTC...  Those little kids were so cute and had such bright spirits.
  It was so great to see!  Wonderful Strong Spirit there yesterday.  And there were 108 people at Church yesterday!
 So cool cause my first sunday in Russia there were like 8.  What growth!!  (haha don't be too surprised, I started
in a small city and the ward here is in Peter).  Still great to see so many people though!

Now I feel like I should give some sappy the end thing, but I'm not going to do that cause it's so not the end for me!  Being a missionary is great and I look forward to future missionary opportunities! 

Just a wonderful week and such a great way to end!  I am really looking forward to the next few days, its going
to be miraculous!

Until about 40 years from now when I'll be back with Sister Robison whoever that may be,

With love,

Elder Robison

November 3, 2014 ~ Wonder of wonders miracle of miracles

This week was so amazing, we saw soooo many tender mercies and miracles.  One of them being a visit
 from our Area presidency's second counselor Joerg Klebingat.  Many of you probably remember his general
conference talk this past conference.  Oh man this guy is so amazing.  I love it.  He was so inspiring and we had
 a great meeting with him.  Probably the thing that I loved the most was when he told us that we should have
simple faith.  I loved when he told us that we should 'Have faith that the things you say everyday will make a huge difference".  I loved that because sometimes it can be so discouraging to talk to person after person who just is
not interested and doesn't want to talk to you or investigators who just don't keep their commitments or progress.  

After this conference I really tried it out and I can't even tell you how many amazing wonderful little things
happened for us, just because I was trying to have simple faith and go out with the attitude of "it's gonna work
out just perfectly".  So wonderful.  Also opened my eyes to roleplaying which I have not been a fan of since the
beginning,  but he said that when we role play, we are spiritually creating what we want to have happen in real life.
 I loved it.  Basically I left that meeting so uplifted and inspired, more than I have from a lot of other recent meetings.  And
we say lots of wonderful things this week and had some good meetings.  One of our less progressing kinda eternal investigators started showing progress!  That was really exciting.

Also one of the more exciting parts of the week was church yesterday.  There apparently was this big
conference here for Institute of religion and all the student council members from all over russia and ukraine
came and in our ward yesterday were 3 missionaries that have gone home from our mission since I got here,
including Vitaly, my wonderful companion from moscow!  it was so awesome to see him and talk with him again.
  He's doing great!  This whole week was just so miraculous!  There is so much hope and excitement here, it really
couldn't be better!!

Elder Jaynes, Саша Фатеев, Me, Виталий Доносов

And I get to go to Petrozavodsk this week again!!  Oh it's going to be so amazing!  The mission is wonderful and
life is good.

Elder Robison

October 27, 2014 ~ Miracle Meetings!

This week was really excellent!  We had so many great meetings!

We have such amazing members here and really cool investigators!  We got 3 new ones this week!
 We had some really cool meetings and me lots of people with really big potential!  And I think this week
we reached another level of member missionary collaboration!  We had some really excellent meetings with
 members and less actives and really I don't have time to talk about everything.  We were really busy and it
was awesome!  The best was when an active family invited went to visit a less active family with us and then
 invited us both over to their house 2 days later for family home evening (which I repeat I hope you are all doing
cause it really is wonderful) and the less active family brought their non member daughter and she loved it!  It
 was a really wonderful night.

Деревяшко и Печеские

We just had so many wonderful experiences this week, I KNOW that this is Christ's true church!  I know that
 he really watches over all of us and sends us tender mercies all the time to support us and to give us
continuing hope.  I am so grateful for that!

Elder Robison

October 2014 ~ FLIGHT PLANS HOME!!!

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October 20, 2014 ~ First Snow!

This is going to be short, no time and not much to report.

We had almost all of our meetings cancel this week, but we got to meet with a few of the families in our ward.  They are all so wonderful!  And we got to meet with a less active this week and an actve member went with us.  That was really great! 

We had a stake service project and then after wards the american family in our ward took my companion and I to Papa Johns haha.  It was pretty awesome!  I am excited for this week, we have some meetings planned with really cool people!  

Just living it up here!  In the snow!  It snowed yesterday :)

Have a great week!

Elder Robison

October 13, 2014 ~ Tender mercies

Ok this week was so busy and went by so fast, but there was just 1 main thing that I really loved.  

So, we went back to petro this week, and last time I was there, I didn't get to see some of the people that I had worked really closely with.  So this time I really really wanted to.  We went over to their house and I talked with the mom for a little while.  I was there to see Andrew cause I know that he has been having a terribly hard time.  While there we started teaching his girlfriend who then became his wife and then she got baptised and he started being really active again and was stopping drinking.  But apparently a few months later after I left, things started to go downhill and now neither is active and they are getting divorced and he has been drinking a lot.  So sad because there were some of my favorite people I have ever met.  Anyways, we are at andrew's mom's house waiting for him to come home.  She called and he said that he'd be there in like half an hour.  So we went outside and just mved some wood and stuff for her til he got there.  After about 20 min I hear someone say something that sounded like "hey!".  I look over at the gate and Andrew is standing there looking rather confused.  I smile and wave and he does the whole squint thing and looks closer and then he realized who it was and his face totally changed, he opened the gate and just kinda ran up to me and hugged me like a zillion times and said how glad he was to see me and started crying a little bit.  He told me how everything had been going and basically how awful his life has been recently.  I wrote them 2 letters, 1 when I left in which I said that I wasn't sure that I would be able to make it back to petro (cause if you're not serving there, there's not much of a chance that you'll ever end up there) and then another a few months later when I found out that they were becoming less and less active.  He told me that he thought he would never see me again and that he has kept my letters and rereads them a lot.  It was just really sweet, he just told me how much I had done for him and his family and how much they really appreciate me.  He cried a few times and we just talked.  For me that was such a sacred experience.  I just felt so much how God loves him eventhough he just feels like crap and is thinking about signing up and going to ukraine to fight in hopes that he won't survive.  This man is such a special man and he taught me so much as we were teaching him and his wife and it was so awful to see how everything has just fallen apart for him and he just feels miserable.  It was really not fun to tell him I had to leave to go catch a train, but I promised him I'd come back 1 more time before I leave (now I've gotta talk to president and make that happen) and I wrote him another letter.  Just pray for him! 

Андрей and I

I have thought a lot about 'holy places" on my mission and that time with him this week was another one for me.  I am so grateful that I had that experience, that God let me come back and visit with him again.  Obviously there are some parts of missionary work where "results" are obvious.  We see that when we have to report numbers.  And here, we don't have terribly high numbers, in fact, they are really quite low.  Missionaries can often feel really unsuccessful and feel really disappointed in what they have done, or regret that they have held some things back and not given all that they could at many points.  I admit that I have, on occasion had similar thoughts.  But I am so grateful that God loves me enough to bring me back to Petro after 9ish months, and let me meet with the father of a now ruined family that I taught and loved so much, just so that this guy could tell me how much I mean to him and his family.  It's just one of those things that you can't describe how you feel.  And there are no words to thank God for giving you the opportunity to see that all the love and time you put into people really did make a difference for them, even though you could possibly feel like you probably don't deserve it.  Now it would just be even better if they could get things worked out and remember what it was like when they came to church and had all that joy in their lives.  Maybe someday!   

Although it is a really actually sad story I guess, it was a really special experience for me.  I don't know if I really portrayed it correctly, but it was definintely a tender mercy for me this week.

Elder Robison

October 6, 2014 ~ Where did it all go?

This week has flown by so fast!!  I can't even believe that it's already monday again.  And I think/ this week will be even faster.  It's ridiculous.  The best part of this week was when we met with this family we are starting to teach.  We had the most amazing lesson with them and they are just the most wonderful people.  I felt like at hme with them and I can't even really express my feelings as we were talking with them.  They are just so perfect!  We really love them so much.  We had dinner with them and had just a nice conversation with them.  Then the wife asked the golden question "so, why are there so many churches?"  Yes!  So they just listened as we told them about the restoration and they really accepted it so well.  They are just so fun and nice.  We NEED them in our ward.  One of my favorite meetings of my mission.

Андрей и Наташа and I

And we found a cool new guy this week that we met with twice.  He's super cool.  He met with the missionaries like in '97 or something, but this time seems ready.

AND  the super cool kid we met at the beginning of last transfer that was coming to English and we had 1 meeting with and then stopped really answering the phone, well, we met with him again!!  And he is even cooler!  He's been reading the BOM and praying everyday!  We talked about prophets last night and he was totally loving it and saying all sorts of awesome stuff.  And he wants to come to general conference next week!  We are so excited!  We had so many choodas this week!! (chooda - чудо = miracle).  We have been so blessed!  What an amazing way to start the new transfer!  Unfortunately it is going way too fast already..

And this week is going to be crazy too cause we are going to Petro again for 2 days!  And then general conference for 2 days!!  I am really excited for this week!  This is going to be awesome!!

Elder Robison

September 29, 2014 ~ Here we go!

So this week we got transfer calls and we are both staying here, which I am really excited about.  This is it though, the beginning of the last transfer.  It is really weirding me out because things are kinda already starting to get planned (in the mission and wards) for future dates when I won't actually be here... it's really weird to comprehend and try to realize what is happening, but I am really excited about this transfer!  It's going to be great!  But I will take this moment to say not to try and send anything to me from now on cause I might not actually get it.  Could take too long.

This week we had a super awesome zone conference.  Definitely the best one I've ever been to!  It was a super spirit filled meeting and I really learned a lot of great stuff.  We have the BEST zone!!  Every one is just doing so great and working really hard and we are seeing so many miracles!!  This is definitely the best our mission has ever been I think.  Also this weekend, one of the wards here gained a new member (read between the lines on that one).  He is super cool!  Although we didn't really teach him any of the lessons, my companion and I are the first missionaries he met!  We happened to be in the mission office one day when he and his friend waltzed right in.  They have a friend from another city who is a member and he told them to come by.  So we talked with them for a while, gave them Books of Mormon and got their numbers and stuff.  Then we sent their number to the missionaries in the area that he lives and within like less than 6 weeks he's already a member!  So cool!!  The other friend we are currently teaching, but he's a little strange.  I think he could have some sort of a disability - in fact I'm almost 100% sure of it, but he is reading the BOM and enjoying and is really a super nice and sincere guy.  We will have to see what will happen with him.

The rest of this week was pretty good too.  Just the normal stuff - planning, teaching, waiting, and running around from place to place.  It was a pretty great week!  I love being a missionary!

Elder Robison

Our perfect zone

September 22, 2014 ~ Sorry

This is probably going to be the shortest one I've ever written.  I got a lot of unexcpected things to respond to this week and I still haven't finished, but don't have any more time.  So I will say the 2 most exciting things that happened this week.

1.  We found a family!!!  We have really been praying and working for this and the Lord blessed us this week, we are so excited!!

2.  Yesterday was stak conference and just before the beginning, a familiar face walked in and it was Vitali!!  The companion who changed my mission in Petro! (the one from moscow!).  He just decided to come up to our stake conference.  It was super awesome to see him!

Виталий and I

We have another great week planned this week!  Hope you all have one too!

Elder Robison

September 15, 2014 ~ GoGoGo!

This week has been super crazy!  I went on a super cool split with one of the assistants this week (he was in my MTC district) and that was great!  We had 3 meetings in a row which was super awesome!  The first was with a cool young kid, the second was with an old guy who is convinced that he is related to the Royal Russian family that was murdered and that he is destined to be the next Tzar of Russia (he is dead serious about that), and the 3rd was with a rather agressive guy from Africa.  It was a crazy night, but super awesome.

Then on another split we went to visit a new convert who has decided to stop coming to church because he doesn't like the new missionary that came and doesn't want to see him.  Appartently he recieved revelation that he shouldn't communicate with him at all.  It's so sad cause this missionary is one of my favorites and is a really excellent missionary.  But this guy got offended by a disagreement they had over some gospel principle and also thinks that this missionary serves the devil because he has small earlobes...  he's really crazy.  And the missionary I was with, was with this guy when he because a member and he says that he has changed a lot and not in a good way.  

And we found 2 new awesome investigators this week!  1 just from the street and another one is this super cool kid who recently started coming to our english group!  We met with him last night and he is so cool!  Really big desire to read to BOM and seems to really be searching for truth.  

Also before this transfer I never really liked English group but now  love it!  We have actually gotten a few new investigators from it this transfer between us and the sisters.  And this week was especially good.  Usually at the end we have a spiritual thought and we've been going in order of the missionary lessons and each week the spiritual thought is one of the principles of the lesson and this week was the resurrection.  I had like this inspiration on monday that for the spiritual thought we should like sa just a few things about the resurrection and then sing a hymn about it cause what brings the spirit stronger than a hymn.  Nothing!  Anyways so I suggested it and everyone thought it was a great idea.  So we sang "I know that My Redeemer Lives".  We have this super awesome senior couple from Quebec in our district and they sing so beautifully it's ridiculous, so we did the first verse in English, they sang the second verse in French (and harmonized so beautifully with eachother) then we sang the 3rd verse in Russian and the 4th in English again.  It was so awesome we had like all 4 parts going and eerything between the 6 of us in our district, and the spirit was SO strong!  One of the women there was like almost crying.  There was another companionship of Elders in the building for something too and they heard us singing and they said they were both just in awe cause apparently it sounded so good.  I'm pretty sure that there were angels singing with us.  It was such an awesome spiritual expericence and everyone loved it.  I was thinking about the words as we were singing and had just this like overwhelming feeling of gratitude and confirmation that it was true.  I KNOW that my Redeemer lives!   It was a great way to end a great week! 

And we have lots of good stuff planned for this week as well!!

Til next time

Elder Robison

September 8, 2014 ~ Blast from the past

So probably the most exciting thing that happened this week was when we went to Petrozavodsk this week!!  We were there for 2 days and it was so wonderful.  It was so weird getting on the train to go there I just was flooded with all sorts of emotions and memories.  That was such a special time of my mission.

We have really great missionaries there in Petro now, some of the best in the mission.  Things are really moving long at a substantially faster pace than they were when I was there and it is so wonderful to see.  I got to meet with a few of the people there which was so wonderful, I love them so much.  The 2 best meetings were when we went to do service for a less active babushka.  It is the spouses of her 2 children that Elder Donosov and I taught the whole time we were there.  It was so great to be back at her house and doing service there.  When I walked up, she said "Well look whose come home!" and really it did feel so much like just being home.  I loved it.

The other great meeting was when we went to visit one of the recent converts there.  I called to ask if we could meet, but didn't tell him it was me.  So when I showed up he looked really surprised.  We had such a wonderful meeting with him.  I love that whole family so much.  That was absolutely the highlight of my trip there. 

Although the trip was also very kinda heart breaking too.  I knew that one of the families that he had been teaching while there were having problems - the couple who got married while we were there so that the wife could get baptized.  Unfortunately I didn't get to see either one of them while I was there.  I called the wife and she asked who it was and I told her, then she was like "wait just a minute" and then hung up.  I called right back and she immediately rejected the call.  And when we were doing service, I guess she stopped by the house to get some of her remaining things out of the house, the other missionaries that were there saw her, but I didn't.  I had no idea that she was there until afterwards.  She didn't talk to anyone.   And the husband has gotten into drinking again - a lot and is really struggling.  I didn't get to see him either the whole time cause he was working.  That was so disappointing.  It really was hard cause some of the times where I had felt the spirit most on my mission was teaching that family almost everynight.  And those 2 are 2 of the people that I really grew to love and care about most.  And it was just so hard to see how quickly everything is forgotten and how quickly Satan was able to just tear the family to shreads.  But I still have hope for them.  In Russia they have a great saying that "hope dies last". 

So I guess enough with the sad stuff we also had some wonderful miracles this week!  We really despite all of that were so blessed!  Saturday we had an awesome day and had a lesson with a member and her friend from petergof!!  I saw her on tuesday at institute, we just happened to be there and she said that she wanted me to continue teaching him.  So we had a really long and in-depth meeting with him this weekend.  There were some really spiritual parts and some really frustrating parts.  He is just so smart - really loves science and stuff, but it so cool.  He prayed with us for the first time since he was like 4, and it was really cool.  He is such a cool guy, I think  he is not going to progress really fast, but he's really awesome and just wanting to find out as much as he can.

Then we had an awesome english group.  Our group here has just exploded!  It is so awesome and everyone stays for the spiritual thoughts.  I invited a young kid on the street this week and he came!  And is interested in meeting about the gospel!  And this girl who's been coming for the past 3 weeks who is just like an angel, the sisters were able to talk to her and they set up a meeting for tomorrow with her to talk about the Gospel!  Really our area has been so blessed!

Also our investigator came to church with us again yesterday and stayed for the whole time!  And then in the evening went to go visit a less active with us and loved it!  And we are going with him again tonight to visit another member!  Things are just working out wonderfully and the Lord is really blessing us so much!  I am loving everything!

Have a great week!

Elder Robison  

Elder Voorhees and I sawing wood

Me, Ваня, и Мери

Людмила and I

September 1, 2014 ~ Busy Busy!

This week has been so awesome!!  We have been so busy everyday and it's so great!  So many awesome people that we've been meeting and working with!  It kinda gives me flashbacks to my awesome first transfer in Petr when we almost never had dinner cause there just wasn't time for it we were so busy!  Thats kinda how it was this week, we had so many meetings set up that we don't usually have time to come home for dinner!!  I love it so much!  I've never been so glad to be hungry!  (but mom don't worry there are street vendors all over the place so we usually get something on the go).  

We had a really awesome meeting with our main investigator this week.  He has been an investigator for probably almost 2 years and has had a ton on baptisimal dates and has only been to church 4 times.  Well yesterday was number 5!!  It was so awesome!  We met him in the metro and went with him and he stayed for 2 hours!  We were so excited!  That was probably actually one of the best moment of the week when we got off the escalator and saw him walking towards us I was just so happy!  It was like "This is real!  He's actually coming with us this week!!"  

Earlier in the week we had a great meeting with him with a former temple president who is in ur ward and that was really good.  it kinda shook him up a little bit, but it was really good for him and made him think a little more seriously about what all of this means and how imortant it is.  Then the next day we just met with him in a cafe and talked with him and it was really such a cool spiritual meeting.  With him though it really is one of those situations where you would love to take away free agency from him cause he knows what's right, he's just too lazy to do it!  So frustrating sometimes, but he is so great.

Also this week I had my first meeting with an African!  That was pretty exciting haha.  He seemed so sincere and wanting to know the truth and was loving everything that we said and just couldn't wait to get a Book f Mormon that we planned to give him the next lesson.  We had a return lesson set up and a member all ready to come with us and then he called and cancelled.  Said he still really wanted to meet but couldn't.  He's being super flaky now and just keeps telling us he'll call like in a hour but never does.  Super disappointing cause he seemed so genuinly interested and our meeting was super awesome!

We had some other really cool meetings with awesome people this week, but that's all for now.  Basically everything is just awesome here and I am loving every minute!

Also in the hermitage we met a huge group of americans... I am going to really miss Russians haha.  All the Americans were super loud and annoying.  But I like them cause they make me laugh whenever they tell me I have good English.  Haha I guess I also wouldn't be expecting Americans to be the ones standing at the front door or one of the most famous Russian musems telling me to take my coat and backpack off.

Have a great week and do some missionary work!!

Elder Robison

August 25, 2014 ~ God knows best

So as sad as I was about leaving Petergof again, this transfer is going to be so amazing!!!  We have a great area and I probably have the best companion in the whole mission!  He is a crazy hard worker and so fun.  I am loving it so much and it has already helped me a ton.  This is going to be the best transfer ever!

We have a pretty big ward and a few investigators.  I really actually like being in the city again.  It's fun and we don't walk the same roads everysingle day.  In comparison our area is ginormous!  I love it!  And we have been really busy the few days that I've been here.  And we have a really busy week planned!  It's going to be so much fun. 

We had a really awesome transfer meeting.  The whole mission was there!  Even the 1 companionship that didn't get changed.  We had 8 sisters going home and they gave really powerful testimonies.  I really always love transfer meeting because the spirit is so strong and rejuvinating and the departing missionaries give their final testimonies.  So great.

Also amazing news!  The voorhees are coming back tomorrow!!!  The senior couple that I was with in Petro who had to go home a few months ago.  But they are coming back!!  And they are going back to petro and next week we will be going up and doing zone training there!  I am so excited about that!  I can't wait to see them.  I tried to convince the assistants to let me go to the airport to pick them up with them, but I doubt that's going to happen haha.

Anyways I am so excited for this transfer!  It's going to be the best! Missionary work is wonderful!  Thanks to my excellent energetic companion, we have had some really really cool contacts on the street.  I am so excited to see what kind of miracles we will see coming up soon!

Have a great week!

Elder Robison

Transfer day - waiting for the train out of Petergof

August 18, 2014 ~ Transfers Again :(

Well yeah... I'm getting transfered.  I really wasn't expecting that after every week telling President how much I love petergof...  I feel like it's kinda a mean joke.  But I'm going back to the city, so that'll be a change.  I've only been in the city for 2 transfers my whole time so I've gotten really used to serving in the small areas, but I am going to have a really great companion who is a really hard worker and I am really excited for that!! So hopefully this transfer goes well!

This week though we did have a really awesome week! Lot's of cool unexpected things.  We spent like all day wednesday doing service for one of the members which was super fun!

And we met with one of the members friends who was really cool.  Also one of our not progressing investigators this week had his wife on the lesson when we went over so that was unexpected and cool.. She has more potential than him hahah and seems to be more interested and more likely to progress.  

Also we went to a lutheran bible study group (our investigator invited us).  That was really interesting as well.  They were all really good people with strong faith, but I'm grateful for the fulness of the gospel that we have!  It's true and it's the best thing ever!  It provides so many answers to so many questions.  Once again I was thinking about it this week and really, the gospel just makes so much sense.  I love it.

Not really anything else to say I think.  It was a really good last week in Petergof!!

Hope you all had a great week as well!

Me and the local Babushki

Elder's Quorum

Our Lutheran friend

Elder Robison

August 11, 2014 ~ Another Great week in Petergof!

Yeah I don't really know what to call this email so I'm not going to. I'll just get right to the good stuff this week.  In the neighboring area in the city this week they had an AWESOME youth activity "Mini-mini-mission".  Basically they did everything possible to make a copy of the MTC for all the youth and it was awesome!!  We were there to help and to be MTC teachers!  (But we were only there 1 day).  It lasted 2 days and it was so fun!  They were organized into companionships and they had a new missionary meeting and president and sister childs came to speak and they had investigators to teach and they even had sport time like in the MTC.  It was so much fun, kinda made me miss the MTC.  Really it was just a powerful activity. 

We didn't go the next day cause our awesome branch decided to have another picnic!!  I just really can't really get over how much I love this branch.  We had 8 people at the picnic (our whole branch)  and even though none of our investigators could come, we still had a really awesome time!  I love them!

Then there were some really powerful experiences yesterday in church.  Sacrament meeting was wonderful, we had some guests which literally doubled the attendance.  There was just such a powerful spirit there.  There is something so special about these members here, they are some of the strongest and just always filled with the spirit.

Also we recieved news from our family in uzbekistan (members of our branch) that had to go back a few months ago and get new passports, yesterday they sent the branch president at txt that the dad and the son have recieve their new passports and they are just waiting for the mom and the daughters and they will be able to come back!!  I love them so much and so sad cause they've been gone the whole time I've been back and I haven't seen them.  But hopefully they will come back soon!!!

And had a really great lesson on gospel principles second hour with the new convert (from feb) and his brother who isn't a member.  We had a wonderful lesson on Jesus Christ and I just felt so grateful for our saviour and for all that he has done for us.  These 2 are also from Uz-stan and There was just a really powerful spirit as we were able to testify that Christ really is our saviour and the son of God.  I really felt the truth behind the words and It was another little "holy place" for me.  

Really, it just doesn't get better than Petergof!

Til next week
Elder Robison

August 4, 2014 ~ тишь, мир, покой

Well this week was not quite so exciting. Actually it was a rather hard week.  Lots of trials kept popping up, but I really felt how the Lord directly supported me as I prayed and continued to study the scriptures even more.  Like the whole week was just really rough.  But then at the end of the week we had some really nice miracles happen. 

First was this family that we met.  Actually we met the wife in our appartment building and she immediately knew exactly who we were.  She started to talking to us in English and actually speaks pretty well.  We invited her to our english group and she said she couldn't cause she has a baby, but then she was like, you guys can come over saturday evening if you want.  My mouth dropped a little bit.  So we went over there and she and he husband and their 2 little kids were all there.  We had a pretty good meeting with them.  They are 7th day adventists who live in the appartment building right next to ours.  They were so nice and it was pretty cool.  They invited us back over the next week too!  They may have some great potential!!  And it's a whole family!!

Then we quickly went over to the branch to meet this one family from Georgia (the country, not state) that we have been helping weekly with English.  The sisters found them last time I was in Petergof and they have been coming faithfully since then.  So when I came back I decided it was time to stop messing around with them and really try to work more with them and help them see how the gospel can bless their family.  They also have huge potential!  

So I thought about what I was going to say for the spiritual thought the whole week and it ended up going really well.  I felt like the spirit was really pretty powerfully testifying and it was just great.  Then afterwards the mom was like "wow, you just said everything the way it actually is and it really make me start thinking"  (I could kinda tell towards the end that she had stopped focusing so much on what I was saying and looked rather lost in thought.  Oh it was so cool!!  Then she told me after that about 4 times how they remember me from last time I was here and they are really happy I came back.  It made me feel good haha.  Then we gave them a copy of the proclamation to the world and she seemed really excited about it.  I left that lesson really pleased and I really feel like we were able to make some progress with them.  I hope we can actually officially start teaching them the lessons soon!  (I already made them a teaching record:))

That's pretty much it. Really this week I just learned again how Satan really wants to attack us and bring us down at any chance possible, but more importantly I relearned that God is stronger than satan and if we will "cast our burden" on the lord fully, he will strengthen and lead us.  

"И вы воззовете ко Мне и пойдете и помолитесь Мне, и Я услышу вас.

И вы взыщете Меня и найдете, если взыщете Меня всем сердцем вашим"
Sorry I don't  know the actual words in English, only in Russia (I think that's right, I was going off memory) but it's Jeremiah 29:12-13 if your interested.

This scripture has really had a huge impact on me lately and really helped this week.  

Elder Robison

July 28, 2014 ~ Petergof :)

I feel like probably all of my emails are going to have a similar title cause I just really can't get over how much I love this area!! 

Today we are in the city, going to Nevskyi Prospect and so for internet right now we are in some internet club and there are hardcore gamers all around us and I can hear them talking to their other online gaming people through their headphones and it's hilarious.  Mom and Dad thank you for not raising me to waste my time on such useless activities that would make missionaries laugh if they were to ever end up in an internet club with me.

Now on to our awesome week!  I met for the first time the new convert who was baptized in february (he's been working a lot and hasn't been to church yet since I've been here).  He is so cool!  He's 21 and his 18 year old brother was with him and he is super cool too!  We had a nice little meeting with him and he showed us his home and stuff on his phone (he is from Uzbekistan) and told us some cool stuff about his country.  It was really a miracle cause we were able to meet with them twice this week.  We have been calling him and the ward members have been calling him for the past few weeks and he never answers.  But on tuesday he sent us a text and said that he got sick at work and went home after lunch and wanted to meet.  (I only found this out the next day cause I was on a split in Gatchina(!) when that happened.  Then on thursday we were on the bus to somewhere and he and his brother were on the bus, so we met with them again that night!  Right after an interesting meeting with a former investigator.

Also I got to meet one of our investigators this week (finally) and he is super cool!  He's from Belarus and is studying here.  He's a super nice guy who is really open and really wants to know truth.  We had a cool meeting with him last night and the senior couple from Canada.  We got to talk about some cool stuff and he really seems interested to keep meeting.  (I guess this was like the 4th or 5th meeting).  Should be meeting with him Tuesday!

This week I have met tons of really cool people on the bus.  And gained yet another testimony of how the spirit can soften hearts. I got on the bus and started talking to this older guy who was standing right infront of me and when he eventually found out I am from america he started talking really loud and a little bit hostile. (So awkward cause the bus cunductor was sitting literally right next to us).  But after a few minutes he calmed down and we had a really pleasant conversation.  I can't even count how many times that has happened to me, where I start talking to someone and they are not happy about my being there or whatever, but then we keep talking and we usually end laughing and stuff.  I have seen so many times how in the course of just a few minutes people have gone from super agressive and angry to really nice.  It's always so cool to see and I am always impressed with how the spirit is really able to soften people's hearts.

There were lots of really cool things that happened this week besides that, but those were probably the highlights.  

This week is going to be even better!!!

Elder Robison

July 21, 2014 ~ Petergof!

I love being back in Petergof!!  It is so awesome!!  Although we had a really slow week, everyone in the whole area just decided that they were not going to answer our phone calls this week, so all the meetings that we were hoping to have, didn't happen.  But hopefully we'll get them this week!  Apparently we have a few investigators, but I have never seen them before. 

 

I am really having a hard time cause I can't decide which ward of my past 3 is the best cause they really all are.  We had a picnic on Saturday and it was so fun!  The  people in this ward, espcially our Cuban branch President, are so hilarious and fun!  It started raining, but that didn't stop our fun.  We played this awesome game that I stole from the kolpino picnic and everyone thought it was the best ever. 

Then yesterday I finally got to be in church again with them.  It was a little sad at the beginning cause I was used to like 50-60 people in church and when we started the meeting there were 4 members... and 2 came late.  But it was nevertheless one of the best sacrament meetings ever.  Cause I got to speak!  Haha that was totally a joke, I really don't love to speak that much, but yesterday was great.  In felt the spirit so strong as I was testifying and just saying what I was feeling and what the Holy ghost told me and not so much focusing on what I had prepared.  For me, it was a powerful experience.

In case you were all wondering, the topic was testimony.  I gave them all 4 ideas of things that you should do so that your testimony never fades.  I have probably told you all these things a million times before, but I am so convinced that it works that I am going to repeat them again.

1) Pray every day (preferably several times a day AND with a sincere heart)

2) Read the scriptures, especially Book of Mormon EVERY DAY.  I know some of you aren't doing this probably cause I didn't before my mission, so put your excuses away and just do it!  Most likely in your prayers you are asking for things that He has already given an answer to.  You just have to find it, cause He might not waste time repeating something He's already told you.

3) Go to all church meetings every week (and not just cause you have to or it's a habit).  And not just sacrament meeting.  And not just the first 2 hours, but all 3 hours.  They are all important and I'm sure the blessings for keeping this commandment come in 3rd's and you recieve the amount you attend.  Plus a bonus if you attend all 3 with a willing heart!

4) Weekly family home evening.  It does not have to be only on Monday so get that out of your head.  It can be whatever day works best for your family, but it had better be in the plans ever week.

Well that's that.  I am super excited about this week!  It's going to be so great, I seriously cannot get over the fact that I am back in Petergof.  It just makes me happy!  All the branch members here are so special, I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next few weeks!

Elder Robison

July 14, 2014 ~ Summer in Russia

Hello from Pushkin again!(surprise haha)

Yes, I did move back to Petergof, but we somehow ended up back in Pushkin for pday again.  There are about a billion Americans here today, haha.  

Petergof is great, I am so happy to be back! We went to stop by and see some of my favorite members the first few days although we haven't really been there that much.  We got there wednesday night, then thursday we were gone all day (I had my last visa trip - that's a scary thought).  Then friday we had a great day and met a few really cool people.  And apparently we have a few investigators in petergof, which is always really nice hahah.  Then on saturday I came back to pushkin to be here for my special assigment in kolpino yesterday.  And we just decided we were going to stay in pushkin and be here for pday too. 

So about yesterday.  I thought it actually went pretty well.  I gave the lesson during 3rd hour and we talked more about PMG and working with less actives and then we did role plays with them and a discussion about it and stuff.  I really liked it.  But there was a surpirse cause obviously since it was requested that I still be here for another sunday to do the lesson, they had to ask permission from the mission president and surprise, he showed up yesterday to our ward to watch me do this lesson.  And actually it was a double surprise cause the Stake president also decided that yesterday would be a perfect day to show up to the kolpino ward.. great.  It was pretty stressful, but also good cause he gave some really input during the discussion.  Acutally what he said was the most educated and normal sounding response that anyone gave.  Also he gave a killer talk during sacrament meeting!  He is so great!

Then after church one of the members invited all the missionaries and presidnet and sister childs to dinner at her place and that was really great.

My birthday was good.  It was transfer day haha.  There were I think like 9 or 10 sisters that went home and 3 elders.  They gave some of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard.  It was so great and the spirit was so strong!  It was one of the best transfer meetings that I've ever been too.  

This week was pretty crazy, but so great!  Being a missionary is so fun.  I wish that I could really express to everyone how important the gospel is and how they should really take it seriously.  I'm thinking of a meeting that we had with a less active last night who is really frustrating.  He talks really nice and gives all the right answers, but his actions don't match.  Don't be those kind of people!!

Also this week I have been finding a blossoming love for the old testament as I have been reading it for personal study and just finding some really great things.  Also an ever increasing love for the BOM.  Everytime I read it I just find more and more and I really love that book.  It has ALL the answers!  Read it!  Everyday! 

Have a great week!

Elder Robison

JULY 7, 2014 ~ Sometimes Change is GREAT!!!

Well you might have guessed, but transfers are this week and you will never guess what is happeneing to me!  I get to go back to petergof!!!!! I am so excited!! And I will be with Elder Noorda who was in im MTC district!!  I am so excited!  But I am really sad to be leaving Kolpino, the members here are so great.  

Speaking of that, yesterday was probably one of the best testimony meetings I have ever been to.  It was so good! They were all actual testimonies and not life stories and it was really powerful.  I actually thought I wasn't going to have time to get up cause people would jump out of their seats every single time whenever the person speaking said Amen.  It was great.

Also we had been planning this big lesson to go with this program that we have been trying to start and I was supposed to do the lesson on the 3rd hour next sunday, but thought that wasn't going to be happeing since I am getting transfered and won't be there.  So I thought It was all going to be up to my poor companion who is getting a brand new missionary and this sunday would be his very first in Russia.  But during 2nd hour I got a call from the assistants who told be that I would be going on a split Sunday and will be in kolpino.   The guy in the ward who we have been doing this whole thing with (also happens to work in the mission office) called the assistants and told them that it was absolutely necessary that I am in kolpino next sunday.  So they asked the mission president and he gave approval!  So it will be really weird next week haha, everyone thinks that I'm gone but I'll be in church here next week.  And I hope the lesson goes well.

Today we went to the katherine's palace which was cool.  We saw to american couples (members) who were on a tour with the stake presidency second counselor here.  (He is a tourguide).  That was cool.  Apparently they have been in a lot of other cities travelling Europe and have been on the look out for missionaries, and they finally found some today haha.  

Also we had a great week!   Some pretty cool lessons.  I am sad to be leaving here, but so happy to be going back "home"!  

Have a great week!
Elder Robison