Wow, This is a week a never thought would come on my
mission! I remember back when I first got my call looking at the calendar
and figuring out my hump day and birthday was the same week and it looked like
forever away! But here it is...and it freaks me out. Honestly the
last 9 months have been the best 9 months of my life, I don't know how I
survived before my mission...I didn't know anything and I wasn't truly
happy. I am just full of gratitude for the time that I have had to serve
the Lord.
As I read through your emails it seems that you can all
recognize how much my mission has impacted my life...but let me just tell you
in case you forgot everything I have said over the last 9 months.
My testimony of this gospel is so strong now, it is amazing
and I know it can carry me through everything. I truly have a LOVE for
the gospel that I have never had before. Yesterday while doing study with
Sister Bills we were reading through a bunch of scriptures we use in lessons
and the spirit touched both of our hearts SO strongly and we both just were in
awe of how amazing the scriptures are and how true they are. I got
thinking about what my life would be like without the Book of Mormon, and I
don't even want to imagine that. I have come to know my Savior so much
over the past 9 months, he truly is my big brother and I know I can turn to him
and rely on the Atonement when I can't continue. No these past 9 months
haven't been easy, they have been probably the hardest 9 months of my life, but
that is why I am so happy. I have learned to grow through my trials and
trust in the Lord that I can make it through anything he asks me to do. I
am just so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve, I can't say that
enough. And I am so grateful for all of you and your amazing examples to
me. I am so grateful for the upbringing I have had that has led me to see
the importance of family life and the gospel. Life is hard, but through
the Atonement you can overcome anything, I can promise you that! And I
really hope these next 9 months don't go as fast as these 9 months have
gone...because if so that means I will be home in a blink of an eye...and sorry
but I don't want to be home. Missions are so hard, but I can't think of
anything else I want to be doing right now. They are miserable joy as
Aunt Pat says haha.
This week Sister Bills and I have been able to increase our
faith so much and recognize the Tender Mercies of the Lord. One of my
favorite phrases in the scriptures is 1 Nephi 1: 20 "But
behold, I Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over
all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even
unto the power of deliverance." This scripture truly describes my
week/mission. I know that there are tender mercies everyday, but we have
to look for them and have faith that we can have them. Diligence, faith, and obedience are my
3 favorite parts of missionary work. Being exactly obedient, always
diligent, and full of faith you are able to see tender mercies. This week
we have been finding all week again, and we haven't seen too much success from
it, but we know that the Lord sees our efforts and is pleased with us and that
miracles are coming as we continue to be exactly obedient, diligent, and have
faith.
One miracle that we did have this week though:
So back in my first
transfer with Sister Dimond we met this amazing girl, who is so
prepared for the gospel. We met her at a bus stop where she had been
waiting for 2 hours for the bus, only for the bus to come 10 minutes after we
got there, obviously a sign from God that she needs the gospel in her life
right now. She has struggled a lot in her life and we know this is the
time for her to "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him".
Well Sister D. and I met with her once, she accepted a baptism date, and then
she kept flogging our appointments so we weren't able to see her again. A
few weeks ago we were getting on the bus that we met her on and Sister D
turns to me and was like, 'hey wouldn't it be cool if we saw her on this
bus?' and guess what, she was on the bus! Obviously another sign from
God...so we talked to her that bus ride and she has been reading the Book of
Mormon and wanted to meet with us. But then we couldn't get a hold of her
again. It made me so sad because I knew she needed the gospel right
now. Well I had been telling Sister Bills all week about her and how
badly I wanted to teach her again and I had been praying that we would run into
her. We were sitting on a bus going to Bridgewater (which is a 45 minute
bus ride) and guess who got on the bus! I was in shock when I saw
her at the bus stop getting on, truly a miracle! Well we taught her an
awesome lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the bus and extended a baptism
date again, and she said yes. She just kept saying how good and happy she
felt every time she was with us. She is so amazing and we are now
preparing her for baptism on August 28, please pray that she will keep her
appointments and commit to this, because I know and she knows as well that this
is her time given from God to join the church. Miracles happen if you
believe they can.
You have been asking how things have changed with a new
mission president and also with me being a trainer, and more than anything with
both situations my faith has increased. I love President Gubler SO much,
he is such an amazing man and has already helped me so much. The mission
is really focusing on having Faith right now that miracles can and will
happen. You should all read Hebrews 11, it is a great chapter on Faith
(another way my life has changed in 9 months, who would have thought I could be
quoting scriptures and stuff? haha missionprobs...). But being a trainer
has really made me rely on the Spirit in teaches and I have felt the Spirit
more this week in every aspect of the work then possibly my whole
mission. It has made me go back to the basics and focus on PMG.
Seriously, Sister Bills is so amazing, we have just had so many amazing
experiences together. I love having the spirit with us everyday, and like
I said I know that this is coming from exact obedience, diligence, and faith.
Missions are the best.
Well family, sorry my letters are getting so preachy
now. I am just finding so much joy and happiness in serving my
Lord. I am in my mission and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Although it is hard to think that this is my birthday week and that I can't
really do anything fun for it...that is okay because what better joy will I
have at the last day then the joy from saying that I served the Lord fully?
okay sorry, that was super weird and preachy and totally not like me
hahahahahah.
I hope that you all have a great week! I love Sister
Bills, we are seriously just laughing all day. Life is Good :)
Love you!
Sister Robison xxx
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