May
2, 2016
“Well
this is Awkward…”
Hey family!
This is officially the last email you will get from Sister Robison....THAT IS SO
SAD!!! I can't even put into words how I'm feeling right now, it is all very
very surreal to me that my 18 months is actually up. This has been the fastest
and most rewarding 18 months of my life. Being at the end of my mission, of
course everyone is asking me about the lessons I've learned and how I've
changed on my mission. And boy, I have learned so much and I have changed so
much! Overall there is SO much I could say in this email, I could go for days
with all the lessons I've learned from my mission, but I guess that can wait
for 10 days and you can all stay up all night listening to my testimony :) but
until then, here's a bit of what I have learned the most!
One of my favourite scriptures is Mosiah 3:19 "For the
natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will
be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and
putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of
Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient,
full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to
inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
This is a scripture I have read time and time again on my
mission, but I feel like it describes what my mission has been for me. Missions
aren't easy, nor will they ever be easy, because Satan is trying every possible
way to stop this work from moving forward, but I feel that over my mission I
have constantly been putting off the "natural man" to become the
daughter my Heavenly Father needs me to be. This isn't an easy task, any member
of the church could testify to you of that. It involved a lot of tears, a lot
of heartache, and a lot of asking "why?" But one thing I know
is that as you rely 100% on the atonement, it is possible. I don't understand
the reason why some things are the way they are, but what I do know and
understand is that I have a loving
Heavenly Father who has provided a way for me to return home to him. I am in no
way worthy for that at all, but oh how I am so very grateful for my Heavenly
Father for providing a way for each of us unworthy creatures to return to him
through his son Jesus Christ. Life is often referred to as a "test"
or a "refiners fire" and something I've learned is that the closer
you get to Christ, the harder the test becomes, and the more you are refined,
because Heavenly Father knows
you can get through it. We should take every trial that is placed in our life
and shoot for joy because our Heavenly Father has provided it to us as a way to
continue to put off the natural man and choose to yield to the spirit and work
through things with the atonement.
My overall goal of my mission from the day I got my call was
to return home and simply be Christlike, I wanted to be someone who others
could see the light of Christ through, I wanted to be someone who would act as
he would, and be someone that anyone could tell without question that I believe
and follow Jesus Christ. Now I don't know how well I've done at this, I still
have a lot that I need to work on, but what I do know is that I have gained a
firm conviction that Jesus Christ is my saviour and redeemer. He is my rock and
as I put him and his gospel first in my life I will get through anything. It is
possible to acquire these attributes, but like I said it isn't easy. But hey,
life was never meant to be easy right? I know that the Book of Mormon is the
word of God and is true. This book, as you know, has changed my life. If it
weren't for the Book of Mormon then I wouldn't know my saviour like I do. When
I got to Sutton I made it a goal to start using the BoM more in finding, and
ever since then I have used it every single day and taught hundreds of people
about why it's so important. As a missionary, I have gotten into the habit of
always having a BoM in my left hand whenever we leave the flat. It is just
always there and always ready to use. There have been a few days where I have
forgotten it, or its in my bag, and I feel naked without it in my hand. I feel
like I can't talk to people cause I don't have it to refer to, and I feel
useless. This is very similar to our everyday lives. We have to have the BoM
close by us, we have to be reading it for 30 minutes a day to stay safe in this
world and to keep the armour of God around us. It is what provides us with the
answers to our questions and it helps us to know the purpose of this life. The
BoM is important people!
I have also learned that I belong in England. Seriously, I
feel like I am supposed to be here! I love this country and the people here so much.
I love the food, all those vegetables, gravy, and Yorkshire puddings (yummy!).
It is seriously the best country on the planet and I hope so bad that I will be
able to visit a lot during my life. I think my heart will always long to be
back here. The memories I've made here and the ways I've been changed here will
forever be a foundation for the rest of my life.
You know, it's a sad day to see your time serving the Lord
end. I cry a lot now and kind of go into panic mode a lot...I don't know what
my future has in store for me, but I know wherever it takes me I will be a
follower of Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for all the prayers you have sent
my way over my mission. They truly do help and I know that they have helped me
do the work I have done. As I have pondered my mission and born my testimony of
my mission many times this week I have felt the spirit confirm to me I have
done what the Lord needed me to do. Am I sad? Yes. But at least I can look back
with joyful memories from my mission.
So ya. This is awkward cause I still don't really feel like
I'm coming home next week...but I guess I am...so get ready!
Oh, and this week was really good too! Most of our
investigators dropped us, so that was sad, but it didn't stop us! We had zone training,
I went on exchange with Sister Bills and basically cried the whole exchange
cause I don't want to go home, and then we went to Eastbourne for an exchange
as well (I also cried there cause it's the last time I'll see the English
Channel as a missionary). But I can fill you in on all the details when I get
home!
I love you all, I love my saviour, and I will forever be
grateful for the time I have been able to spend in England serving the Lord and
helping others to come closer to him!
Love,
Sister Robison xx