Elder Andrew Gwilliam: I Saw a Film Today, Oh Boy...

Hey hey hey... it's a great day to be a missionary! It was a really good week. Things are starting to get real good here. Things are moving. I like it. So here was my week: Tuesday we had district meeting. After that we had splits with the district leader and I got reunited with my Papa! Elder Kartchner and Elder Holloway and me. Elder Holloway is a sweet soul. A sweet, sweet soul. Anyways, we were in Avtovo. It was fun. We had a meeting with a less active member and the Bishop that was good. We just talked to him about life and all that good stuff. He needs to fix his teeth because they are really bad, but the quote from the dentist was 3 times his annual salary. So that probably won't be happening soon. Anyways, on Wednesday morning we woke up early to play some soccer which was fun. It felt good to be out in the open air and to just feel good. I forgot how good feeling sore is. We met back up with our real companions and then Elder Saxton and I hit the pavement. Thursday we had service at the Hermitage. It was also Labor Day here, and so there was a cool concert going on outside that was cool. This week is the biggest, most crazy, most alcohol filled week in Russia. Victory Day is on Friday. That'll be fun to see. So yeah, Hermitage then we came home and hit the pavement. Talked to this lady who asked me if God exists. We got to have a good conversation and then she told me that her whole life she has been looking for something more. She is currently a member of a Hindu-type religion. She told me she thought about it and that something more is missing. So that was exciting to me. I gave her a Book of Mormon and our phone number because she wouldn't give us hers. So, let's hope and pray that she calls. Friday we did studies then weekly planning then hit the pavement. Then Saturday was good. We had a lesson with an investigator that has been struggling to come to church. He'll do everything else, but church is hard for him. So we taught him a lesson about the tripod for a strong testimony: prayer, Book of Mormon, Church. It's this new thing that we're trying in our mission, so he's been an investigator for a while but we thought we'd give it a shot. So we did, and it was a great lesson. We commited him to read 30 minutes a day, to pray at least once a day, and to come to church the next day. He said ok and he came! It was the first real investigator at church I've had here in Avtovo, after almost 2 months. It was great. Then we had english group that's always a hoot. Sunday was good. We got to go to church, then we had a good night of talking to people. Got some phone numbers, but all for different areas... darn it. So that was the week.

I've been thinking a lot about the Hymns this week. I love to just read them like poems. It's really cool, and some of them are really powerful. I've started memorizing them in English. I really love "Jesus, the very thought of Thee". It's a good one. So I also wish that I still played piano so that I could just sit down and play hymns and cool classical music. And so siblings and those learning to play: DON'T STOP! You'll regret it if you do. I said that I wouldn't care if I stopped, and now I do care. Don't stop! Anyways, that's it for now. Love you all! Here are some pictures!

Elder Gwilliam