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