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