Rain in Siberia!

We seemed to stay quite busy here even though there really was not much going on this week.  It is still quite hot and very humid and we often get a light sprinkle of rain with frequent lightning on the horizon.   However, on Friday afternoon during our district meeting we had an amazing thunderstorm!  It was really close, the lightning was right out our window and the thunder was way loud coming right with the flashes of lightning, and it just poured and poured rain, huge drops with some hail mixed in as well.  We looked out our window onto the street below, and it was a river, clear up to the curbs.  It rained about 2+ inches in less than an hour and then it was over.  The elders thought it was great and everyone was taking pictures.  We haven’t ever experienced that kind of rain storm ever – it was pretty impressive.

We have a companionship of three sisters in our district, two who are brand new and being trained by the third sister.  They are doing great, and we really have come to love them.  Last week was Sister Barlow's birthday (she is one of the new ones).  Sister Sanford, her trainer, told her the night before her birthday that she could be in charge of planning the next day, and whatever she wanted to do they would do.  She said she prayed about it and came up with a strong impression, but was a little afraid to tell it to the other 2 sisters.  Finally they asked her and she timidly said--since my birthday is on the 13th, I thought maybe we could try to have 13 contacts!  They kind of gulped, but said okay, we will talk to literally everyone we see today--they also had three appointments to see and traveling from one place to another takes a long time.  That night they came to our apartment, because we invited them for birthday cake, told us this story, and then said—“so guess how many contacts we made?”  They had gotten 15!!!, and  were so excited.  They talked to everyone they saw that day!  They split up on the buses, talked with people in the Metro, and on the street--anyway they were so happy their joy rubbed off onto us.  They are amazing.

Not only did we share Sister Barlow’s birthday but Elder Webb also got a big Happy Father’s Day from all three.  Since we are so far from home and it was only Saturday back home anyway – it made his day to get that special greeting from these three sisters who are just like daughters to us anyway. 

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, filled with the usual daily tasks in the mission office, getting from one place to the other and attending the various meetings and firesides that come along.  This weekend we are going with President and Sister Gibbons to Tomsk, so will have to talk in their church meetings.  We are going to try to do at least some of it in Russian.  Wish us luck.  Everyone have a great week.   

Happy Birthday with Sister Barlow



Lots of Rain



A few minutes later and MORE water



Looking down the street