Random Thoughts

We just had the privilege of going to the Helsinki temple for the second time. Being in the temple again was wonderful but seeing my dear friend Ronda was the highlight of the trip. Ronda Groberg and her husband Dick serve as temple missionaries there. It is about a 6 hour drive from St. Petersburg and another hour was spent getting through the border rigamoral. The differences between Russia and Finland are so pronounced, beginning with the landscape. As soon as you drive into Finland you leave the forests of Russia for beautiful but rocky farmland. The temple is built high on a rocky outcrop and appears to me like a fortress of God.

The church members here are struggling to deal with a tragedy in their midst. Two weeks ago an active family was boating on nearby Lake Ladoga when a sudden, violent storm came up. The mother, father and three sons have not been heard from since. Search crews combed the waters for days and have finally found only the body of one of the sons. It is very hard for everyone to understand how this could happen to good people. And the family had not been sealed in the temple. They especially mourn for that. It is a trial of their faith.

Last week we had a baptism for another wonderful, young West African man. There is getting to be quite a group of them in the church here now. They are so receptive and humble.

Our time here is rapidly drawing to a close. We will be leaving for home in a little over two weeks so are experiencing many "lasts" already. We are in touch by email with our replacement couple who are coming from St. George, and I'm writing up notes to leave them to hopefully spare them some of the trauma we have gone through in learning things the hard way. But then I realize that everyone has to learn much through experience. This Russian experience has been amazing. As we walk the streets of St. Petersburg we still marvel that we are even here. The experiences a senior couple can have can be had no other way. I have loved learning the culture of a new country and it's people through the medium of the gospel and to feel that I have had a small part in building God's kingdom here and strengthening the members. There is nothing else like it. The gospel is true and to see it blessing the lives of the Russian people is just a further testimony to me.


This is a beautiful cathedral very close to our apartment where Dostoyevsky was a parishioner.