Serving the Lord in England

Hey family!

I am currently sitting on a train going to Brighton. The sun is shining, beautiful green fields everywhere, and the London life all around me. So I am pretty content with life right now! I just love England so much, it truly is my home now. I love trains too, I'll miss those when I'm back in America...man. I just love England so much.

Well, this week was full of lots and lots of finding...my least favorite aspect of missionary work...but I find joy in it because I love the Lord and I love doing his work. The way you can know if you have been diligent and worked hard is that at the end of the week you are dead. I feel dead right now, but that's okay, I'm still going! And I'm going to Brighton for pday and another exchange, so that makes me happy too :)

So Monday after pday we went to contact potential investigators. We went to a lady we talked to a few weeks ago who had found a Book of Mormon on the side of the road and read it. We scheduled a return appointment for Thursday, but we went back Thursday and her daughter was there. Her daughter just sat and chewed us out about how we are a racist church because blacks couldn't have the priesthood and something about the government telling the church to let them have the priesthood. Idk. I just sat and stayed quite cause there are some people that you know no matter how hard you try, nothing you will say will affect them. So that was cool.
Then after we contacted that lady, we went to this other potential who lived in a 9 story building. Well, we didn't have her flat number written down, so we were running from floor to floor knocking basically every door again to find this lady. Well, we had no luck, but we found someone who told us to go back in the morning and we could teach them. So we said cool, we'll be there in the morning. We were walking back to the bus stop after that and saying hi to everyone who passed us, cause you know, that's what you do as missionaries. Right as we walked past this door a man walked out and was like "hi sisters" and he looked so familiar to me. Turns out I had talked to him on the bus the week before and he remembered my name and everything. I invited him to church a few weeks ago and he felt really bad that he couldn't come yet. This was a huge miracle and lesson in trusting the Lords timing. When I talked to this man on the bus I didn't have time to get his contact info cause he had to get off, so now we have his address and phone number and will hopefully start teaching him soon! Trust in the lord, and trust in the plans you make by the spirit, there is a reason for everything. Wow, that was only Monday...but that set the pace for this week!

So Tuesday morning, we went back to the 9 floor building to meet the family we had talked to Monday night. We knocked on the door and they immediately said no. Woohoo, the joys of missionary work :) but we now had the potentials flat number we were originally trying to track down, so we went up to her flat and as soon as we got out of the lift she was walking out to go to work. PERFECT TIMING ONCE AGAIN! We arranged to meet with her this week :) those two days just proved to me that we had the spirit with us in planning, because we were exactly where we needed to be at exactly the right time. The Lord is leading us :)

On Wednesday I went on exchange in a place called East Grinstead with Sister Pèrez from Spain. It's so cool how many people from different countries I am meeting! I love it. We went knocking for 4 hours straight and it was Freezing cold, but we survived. We knocked on one door and we were having a nice conversation with the husband, when the wife came down and started talking to us as well. They were a couple in their mid 20's and super nice. The wife told us the only thing she knows about Mormons is the Shaetards. She has been watching them since the beginning of their YouTube channel. SO COOL! So many people know about them over here and they have helped a lot of people come to the church, they are such good examples of the church and what it is. You never know the example you can have on people, people notice how we shine and watch what we do, never doubt that!

Thursday was zone conference as you know cause you got a surprise email! It feels like you are getting those all the time now! Haha. It was good though and president said exactly what I needed to hear again. President talked about knowing that God loves us. He showed us the Mormon message "our true identity" and while watching it I had to hold back tears. It felt like he was talking directly to me. Oh, and we had a thanksgiving dinner for lunch at zone conference...so that was good. I had pumpkin pie for the first time in forever! It tasted good :) and I got to see the new Christmas Mormon message :) perks of being a missionary. It is super good, be ready to share it and watch it in a few weeks! #asaviourisborn it is officially Christmas here too...they turned on the Christmas lights this week! It is so weird seeing Christmas lights but no snow...it doesn't feel right.

Friday was Sister Toomatas bday!!! Thanks for the stuff in the package mum, I got it Thursday so perfect timing! It is tricky surprising someone for their birthday when you have to be with them at all times...haha. But I managed to blow up the balloons and attack her with them in the morning. We then had two DA's so I felt like I gained 40 pounds. But it was a good day!

Saturday we were at a members home doing service for 5 hours. We were cleaning out her closet and folding all her clothes. It was a long service project, but all is well, we were serving and strengthening her so that is good :)

That night we had a teach with a LA couple. Saturday we were able to see them at night so they were both home. We felt we needed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them and focus on how through Christ they can overcome anything. So we read Alma 34: 15-16 (one of my fav scriptures) and they were tearing up, they just looked baffled and said that we could not have picked a more perfect scripture for them. They were planning on coming to church for the first time in months the next day to take the sacrament and that scripture was just what they needed to hear. How grateful I am that I am worthy of having the spirit with me to help these children of God to feel his love. I love being a missionary.

Last day of the week...SUNDAY! I had to speak...again. I got to speak on my thoughts and feelings on the sabbath day observance, it went okay I think...every time I speak I just tell myself it is prepping me to be able to give talks later on in my life. Our couple we visited with came to church! It was good to see them there. The Elders had a baptism after church so we stayed to help with it. I love seeing baptisms, they are so special and the best part of missionary work. The spirit is always just so special there!

So there you have it, that's my week! Sorry it was long, but I figure you like detail, and I have nothing else to do on the train haha. But I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord. I am studying the Stripling Warriors right now, and it is so cool knowing that that is what I am for the church right now. The church needs me, the Lord needs me, and the Lord needs each of you. Calab and Jack, you better be preparing to serve a mission. Brianna and Mallory, you should pray to know if you need to serve, cause I would say you do. And mum and dad, prepare to serve a senior couple mission. Just prepare to always serve the Lord! There is nothing better!

Well, I am now in Brighton, so I'm going to go play :) I love you all so much and hope and pray you have a good week!

Love,

Sister Robison xxx

Wow, where do I even begin. This week has been crazy that I don't even know what to tell you. But here we go.

Tuesday we had MLC which was AMAZING! I am so blessed to have the calling I do where I can go with just a handful of other missionaries and spend the whole day with President Gubler counselling about the mission. It was such a long day, we left Sutton at 6:30 AM to get to Reading for the meeting at 8:30 then we didn't get back to Sutton until 7:30 where we had to go straight into ward council. Talk about a long day of meetings! I was exhausted by the end of it!

But MLC was so good. In all of our meetings as missionaries we now do a Book of Mormon study to invite the spirit. To start MLC we studied Alma 5, which is one of my favourite chapters all about having a change of heart. Looking over my notes I learned so much! We spent an hour just discussing this chapter. We talked about the importance of personal conversion and why the Lord is having us do what we are doing, why we have to strive to be more obedient (even further than the missionary handbook says...so much obedience, but I love it!). Ultimately it came down to how this life is the time for us to prepare to meet God. I need to change and be obedient with a willing heart because if I am going to inherit the celestial kingdom (which of course I want! Read D&C 137 if you want to be pumped about going to the celestial kingdom) I need to love all that God loves. If I am going to become all that he is, I need to be like him! My mission is changing me into someone who doesn't or shouldn't have the slightest desire to do anything contrary to the will of the Lord. I need to love God and EVERYTHING about him and his life, I need to become heavenly here on this earth. This is why I say I want to give everything up for the Lord. The gospel is just the best. But wait, it gets better. Over the past 3 months the mission has been focusing on personal conversion, because we know we can't convert others if us missionaries aren't even converted. At MLC president stood up and very powerfully bore testimony to us of what the Lord sees in each one of us and of this mission. He looked us in the eyes and said he has been talking to the Lord about what the next step is for this mission and that the Lord has told him and he has had it confirmed to him that each of us missionaries are converted and it is time to move on. It is time to baptise. Conversion wasn't the goal, it was a step along the way. But pause, President Gubler just told me that I am converted. How cool is that? To have your mission president see that you have been converted and changed through the spirit. That meant the world to me to hear him say that. We then knelt in prayers as leaders of the ELSM and asked god if baptisms really is the next step, we said not one but two prayers to confirm it. And it is true, we are going to baptise. It won't be easy, in fact I will tell you right now that it isn't easy. My companionship is struggling a lot right now, but all things are possible through the Lord. Yay for missions. Oh and I had to sing at MLC. The APs asked me and sister Toomata to do a musical number...haha I don't sing. But it went okay.

Sister Dollman

Thursday as you know was my ONE YEAR! It has been the fastest year of my life. I realised the other day that I only have 4 more transfers on my mission and it made me really sad, that is like no time at all. But we had district meeting that day and the whole district meeting was focused on remembering. So it was a good meeting for me to reflect back on my feelings right before entering the mtc and how I feel now. It is a night and day difference! I have changed so much. I know the Lord is pleased with who I am now and that is all that matters to me :) that evening when we got back to Sutton from exchanges we went to dinner at our ward mission leaders home, which was good. We don't get fed too much here cause there aren't many members in my area, they are all in the elders area :( so it was nice to have a DA.

Awkward selfie but Happy 1 Year to Me!!

Friday was weekly planning and this is when the whole week got turned upside down. There has been a lot that has been bothering me about our companionship, I don't feel like we are unified or that either of us wanted to take the time or effort to learn how to work together. I kept this all inside me but I had been praying super hard to know what I needed to do and the spirit kept telling me that I need to be completely open and honest with Sister Toomata, so I told her everything about how I was feeling. As I said previously, we are struggling to work together, we have different strengths and weaknesses, but we are getting there. I see so much potential for this area and I want to work so hard. We are just different, but we are talking through it and figuring stuff out. Seeing as we are STL, we can't really help any of these sisters until we help ourselves so keep us in your prayers :) the ZL called us after we had accounted last night about how we were doing and they just laughed at us and quoted scriptures about being of one heart and one mind. It was hilarious, but we need to be more unified! Haha

Oh something else that has totally made me so much happier this week is that for some reason there are fireworks going off everywhere all week! It is some holiday here or something, idk, but there are fireworks everywhere. It reminds me that things will be okay :)

Oh and I did some wallpapering this week...that was a first #lifelessons haha

But that about sums up my week! Sorry it was super long this week, just thought I would fill you in with what's going on :) I love you all and appreciate all you do for me! Keep reading your scriptures, here is something I wrote from MLC "I need a lifelong pattern of immersing myself in the word of God. I cannot and will not survive if

I forget the word of God. Is my scripture reading too casual? I need to step it up. Scriptures are key to success. If leaders will immerse themselves in the Book of Mormon, everything else will improve." Is your reading too casual? It isn't enough to just read, but you need to read with a purpose :)

Love you all!

Sister Robison xxx