The dream is over

I'm going to stray from the usual pattern of things. As for what we did this week, it sufficeth me to say that we had some meetings set up and we had the same amount of meetings fall through. The two real highlights of the week have to be the ward activity on Saturday at our investigator's dacha (the father of the former branch president... we found him again and have a meeting with him on Tuesday). A lot of the members that I know well here came and it was just a good time. We talked, we had chicken, we ate fresh berries, all was well. It was a grade A sendoff by the branch. Sunday was also a highlight. I gave a talk about unity, that was a good end to my mission. I felt that I really have become one with these people. I didn't really notice it until I started thinking about it. As for this next week, Tuesday is packed with meetings and goodbyes and tears and stuff and Wednesday at 6 AM we head to St. Petersburg. We've got to be there by 1, that's when we check out of the mission and all that stuff.

This is such a crazy time. I honestly was walking to the bus today, and there was an argument going on in my head. I don't feel like I'm leaving, but the reality of it is starting to set in. I felt totally normal and that I'm starting another week as usual, but at the same I know that It's almost over.

I'm so glad that I served on a mission. The things that matter most in life and eternity really came to my attention since I've been here. I'm of course not perfect and even far from it, but thanks to my mission I have a deeper understanding for the gospel and for the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us. I love you all! Have a good week!


Elder G

That's a lot of honey

That's a lot of birds

That's a lot of food

Let's sing and dance to mother nature's song

Hello hello! It was a good week. Here's the recap! Tuesday we had to resolve the problem that we found in the audit a few weeks ago, so we were here in the branch going crazy looking at all of the financial records and trying to find discrepancies. We found some! At some point, the last branch president must have added some of his own money to the church money and never gave himself money back. So we'll take it off the card and donate it as fast offerings to the branch. That's the protocol I guess. We had a lesson that night with a less-active, one that we have been meeting with weekly. We had him open up his scriptures (that have not been opened in a while) and he was having a fun time flipping through them and seeing verses that he had underlined and notes that he had written. It was a good lesson, and we hope that he opened up his scriptures a few more times this week. Wednesday we had district meeting, that was good. We then went to Lenta (a store here... comparable to Walmart) to get some lac for painting some wood at the service babushka's apartment next time we go. Turns out it's not as cool as Walmart and they don't have that kinda stuff there. So we just went to a hardware store... probably where we should've gone in the first place. The Novgorod Elders came down here for a split and we met them at the bus station then went home. Thursday during the day, we were on splits. One of the Elders had been in Pskov before and wanted to meet a few members, so we set up meetings with them and he and my companion went to them. My exchange companion and I did contacting until the bus at 3. The bus ride was by far the most interesting and comfortable of all bus rides... there was a fight between arguing women (uppercuts and headbutts... it was intense) and there was even air conditioning (it was hot out and usually they don't turn on the A/C). The police met us at the stop to investigate the fight.. but the instigator of the fight lied and said that she would be going all the way to Novgorod, but got off right before really fast before they could stop. But they stopped anyways, and there was another confrontation. That's when the headbutt was. We got to Novgorod, walked and did some contacting before time was up and walked by the church to find in covered in obscene graffiti. Lovely! So we had to take care of that. Oh, by the way we went to Novgorod. Friday was Zone Training. It was a good one, there was one part about Doctrines, principles, and applications that got me thinking (yes Dad, it's from Elder Bednar's book that you're reading). That was really interesting and now I can't read or hear anything related to the Gospel without saying to myself "Is that a doctrine or a principle? How do we apply that doctrine? It's fun. After zone training, we took a bus home. Saturday was great. We cleaned the branch, did our weekly planning, then went to some less active members. We tried to find them. None of them were home, but we talked to some fun people. There was also some kid (maybe my age) who kept riding his bike by us and trying to knock my Book of Mormon out of my hands, but I always moved it out of the way and made him look silly. There were a few babushki who really liked how we were dressed and were just in love with us. There was also a nice drunk man who approached us for some smokes, but we ended up talking about how he could quit instead. That's how it usually goes. It was funny. He said they weren't for him, but for a friend. He was nice and said he would never drink again. Sunday... Sunday was the day! The day of Miracles! Our good investigator, the father of the former branch president, reappeared at church! I was glad to see him. He even walked from his house (that's 2 hours away) to make it on time. He's usually 5 minutes late because of the bus schedule. He is doing well, we're going to have a ward activity at his dacha on Saturday. He had gotten drunk and fallen off the map, now he's back. I hope that on Saturday we get a good chance to talk to him about that and see if we can't help him out. If not, I'll make a good chance :). Also, MY PAL CAME TO CHURCH THE ONE THAT HAD A BIRTHDAY LAST WEEK. It was sooooo meant to happen, our meeting last week. He met the branch president, and the branch president set up the interview with him for this last week. They talked for 3 hours, he got some things off of his chest, and he CAME! I was happy! I was so happy! I will leave 100% happy. It was a good day. A member also brought us pies with rabbit meat in them. It wasn't half bad. I also had a testimony increase of the importance of meeting as saints on a regular basis. I just felt better after church and I realized that was why. Surrounding yourself with people who share your beliefs and values is important. In Utah, it's mostly all the time and I think we take that for granted. Here I've really learned that it's so important and vital. We had another miracle... the young Ukrainian kid came back here for a day, and we got to talk with him yesterday. He changed his phone number and the missionaries in the city lost touch with him. We restored the contact! Sweet! It was a good week.

I'm glad that I am able to be here with these changes for the better that are going on here! It is a sweet end to my nearly 11 months of labor in Pskov. But I've still got one more week! What will happen? Stay tuned....


Elder G.

p.s. I don't want this feeling to go away

p.p.s. picture time

Who's in that tower?

Kremlin

Rocky you met your match

Hello! It was a good week. Here's your update: Tuesday had another skype district meeting, this one went better than the last one. We had a change in district leader and the new one really pushes us to do our best and checks up on us regularly. He taught a lesson about weaknesses and had us make a plan to overcome our weaknesses. It was a good, refreshing district meeting. After that we hit the streets and did some contacting. This week was pretty rainy so there weren't masses of people on the streets and in the parks like there are sometimes. My companion and I made a tasty soup (I mostly just contributed an onion and watched what he did, he likes to cook). We had a meeting with a less active that missionaries had lost contact with about six months ago, so it was good to see him again and talk to him. We're planning for a temple trip in the branch for the end of the year, and we're trying to get him to prepare for it. He has never been before. He doesn't come to church because he sleeps... so we'll obviously have to tackle that one before we move on to the temple. But he's a really fun guy and I like him. Wednesday was a branch day, but in a different way than usual... we went out with the new branch president and tried to locate less active members. He has the feeling that our branch won't grown until we know what's going on with the members that we already do have, so that's going to be our focus for a while here. We've already had some success, with a few people opening up and willing to meet. We really spent literally the whole day with him doing that. Thursday we had branch presidency meeting in the early afternoon, then after that we did some weekly planning. I'm really excited for what's going to happen here with our new branch president. I was honestly hesitant at first when president Childs wanted to call him, but it will be awesome! That night we stopped by another less active and found another one that's been off the map for at least 3 or 4 months. He's doing well but just like the other one is sleeping instead of church. Friday we had the dreaded branch audit. It took three hours to do, but it went pretty well. A few things that we'll have to fix, but it won't be too bad. My companion had to get some new pictures for his new visas, so that was the next thing we did. This weekend was a holiday weekend, Paratrooper day, and we recieved a command from up high in the mission (President Childs) to not be out after 6 on Friday-Sunday. So that's what we did next. Went home. I won't repeat that for all the days, but that was it for the evenings this week. We did some language study and moved some of our other day time activities to after that time. Saturday we cleaned the branch, had a lesson with an investigator who has depression. The lesson was not so good at the beginning, but by the end we had him smiling and kinda laughing so I think it was a success. It kinda went from a lesson to a chat about why he was depressed, and we finally got down to it. He quit drinking and without that his life is boring. He really likes to paint, so I showed a lot of interest in his paintings and he got happier. He said he's going to paint a lot this week, so I hope he's feeling better next time we can meet. Before we went home, we had a skype training with President Childs and the councilors in the mission presidency and the other branch presidencies in the mission. It went well, but we've got to get the technology working better. There was a miracle that day... so as we were walking to the branch, we ran into a less active (the one who got baptized right after I left the first time... the one person I've taught that has been baptized! That I know of) on the street. It was his birthday. I was praying for the chance to wish him a happy birthday and for the words I could say to him so that he could feel of our love for him and how we'd like him to return. I was planning on calling him, then I SAW HIM. He said "I'm free, where are you going right now?" And he got a cake, changed into some nice clothes, and came to the branch and ate it with us and the branch president! They have a good relationship! I will leave more happy just because I know he at least likes the branch president. He has a hard time with missionaries he doesn't know. Yesterday was good. We really just had church, did ward council (which was great), finances, then sent the money off to the church. Then it was time to come in.

It was a good week! This next week will be busy with splits and exchanges. We're going to Novgorod again for zone training on Friday.

It's really cool to see how things just fall in place when you do what you should be doing and you work hard. That's one of the biggest things I've seen here, is that the Lord takes care of us if we do what we should. It's often very hard to see how a bad situation or trial can turn us for good, but as we just work through it and have faith in Him everything turns out. I'm grateful for the many small miracles that I saw this week. Have a good week!

Elder Gwilliam