Last week for Thanksgiving we did service at an investigators dacha cutting firewood with the other Elders. We then came home and I baked a chicken in the oven while we talked and Elder Rasmussen made some potatoes. Simple but nice. I'll try to send a picture, but usually the computers here doesn't let my camera send things... Elder Rasmussen and I have had the Christmas Spirit last week and we made a fake tree in our apartment from Christmas lights which I got last year, and some string that is suspended from the ceiling in the shape of a cone like Christmas tree. It's as close as we'll get and we love our tree. :) Sounds like Meleea is getting ready for Christmas too. Ha ha. She would go to Target on Black Friday. :)I bet the bike will work for KB. She is tall for her age, and she'll grow into it.
Our house and yard are going to be SO different with all the changes and hard work that is going on there... Do you have pictures of anything you've done so I'll be prepared when I go home? ha ha.
The weather here is crazy and bipolar. It has been raining this last week instead of snowing, but it's super cold. No snow and muddy everywhere and wet. Everyone says that this is reallly weird weather for Petro, but guaranteed January will be a super cold month, they say... OH YEAH! Bring it on!
Well here was my week:
We had a really good meeting with an investigator this week. He had a baptismal date once, but it fell through, so we read with him in 2 Nephi 31 and talked with him about it. He said that baptism is scary for him, but wouldn't tell us what is scary. We continued to read the chapter with him and had a really good talk about repentance. Maybe he is scared to repent of some things. We challenged him to talk with Heavenly Father about his concerns to find out more about them, because he says he trusts in the Lord. We also met later with this same investigator and talked with him about revelation and how to understand when we receive it. Read the story of the brothers Nephi and Lehi, and how when the people heard the mild, yet powerful voice. He really enjoyed it and was deep in thought. We can see his desire to change, but it's hard to get him to do commitments. He's so shy and scared... But he is opening up to us.
We also had a great experience this week with an inactive member. We had called this family at the first of the transfer and the daughter answered and said they didn't want anything to do with us. A few days ago, Elder Rasmussen was calling people, and not realizing that it was the same family and called them again. The dad answered and said that he wanted to meet, and so we went over to their house yesterday after church. We got to know him, and while we were talking to him, the daughter came in and said, "Don't know why, but I want to listen too." Through the process of getting to know him, he opened up to us that he doesn't go to church now because he feels like he doesn't believe in God anymore. He had a hard divorce a while back and slowly lost his faith. The Spirit took over our conversation and through Elder Rasmussen and I, bore a testimony to this family that God lives and loves them, that they've just forgotten that, and He's waiting for them to come back. Through His Son, we can return and know God again, and we can feel the JOY we once felt, and learn from our pains we experienced. We testified that Christ knows exactly what they went through, and is just waiting for them to chose for themselves to accept it. Probably one of the most spiritual experiences of my mission. The daughter was bawling her eyes out during our conversation, and the dad also shed a few tears. When it was time to go, their countenances were changed and they said we could come back anytime. We left the meeting very grateful that we could have that special experience. We quickly found a quiet place to thank the Lord in prayer, that we were able to be a part of that experience... The Church is True!
Those were the highlights of our week. The rest was us working with less actives, and trying to meet with investigators who wouldn't show up to our meetings.This week we will be going to Peter... again... after a split up here with the Zone Leaders in our area. President Randall K. Bennett, Second Counselor in the Europe East Area will be here for a conference Saturday and Sunday. It will be a good opportunity to hear from a member of the Seventy, but it's a pain to leave our area again. Usually it's not this way, but the 2 transfers that I'm here will be that way due to conferences and Christmas. I think I sent you President's letter about all the details, so you'll know.
Well, I've gotta jet. Thanks for everything! I love you guys!
Love
Blake
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