Brighton It Is!!!

Hello family, 

     Are you dying cause you haven't gotten an email yet?  Sorry, transfer week we don't have p-day on Monday but we still get email time, but we didn't schedule it until later in the day.  We went up to the Deans this morning for a breakfast with the missionaries because Elder Lam, a Chinese speaking missionary, went home today.  Brighton is just the place to finish your mission.  Maybe I will finish off here to.  Me and sister Ghalkhani are staying in Brighton together :)  I am so happy that I have another transfer here because there is so much work that I can still do here, I don't feel like I have discovered the purpose for me being here yet, so hopefully in the next transfer I will be able to determine that.  President was considering putting us in a Tri, but because our flat is so small we wouldn't have room for another sister.  That would have been super stressful.  So yea, no changes here.  There is only one change in our whole zone too...my district is all staying the same.  That means that I will have served with Elder Green and Elder Williams for 6 months. I am really lucky in that way.  These elders have become my best friends.  They have been through a lot with me and we have all learned and grown together.  I will definitely miss them when we all leave next transfer (we think that is what is going to happen anyways...)

     Well this week was rubbish to say the least.  It may have just been the worst week of my entire mission...it is changing this week though.  It just seemed like nothing was going our way last week.  All of our appointments seemed to be falling through and a lot of our recent converts are struggling.  T still isn't doing good or coming to church, we really don't know what to do with him, it is frustrating.  Some other converts went to the temple to do baptisms for the first time and didn't have a good experience, they didn't really like it, so that was disappointing.  And then just other issues that cause us stress.  I tell you, a mission is so stressful.  I don't think I have ever worried about other people so much in my entire life.  But it is a good humbling experience.  I am learning to forget about myself and worry about others.  You are seriously thinking about other people 24/7.  You can't even study for yourself during personal study time, because your studying for investigators, which is hard for me because there is so much I want to study out here, but I don't have the time.  You are always thinking about the people around you and who you can talk to/what you can talk to them about.  You are worried about ward members and helping them in their callings and getting motivated to do missionary work, you are worried about your companion and how they are doing.  It is so weird how well you get to know your companions; you can really tell if something is bothering them, even if they don't act like it.  You are worried about someone somewhere all the time!  It is stressful!!  But so worth it.  

     Another thing I have really learned lately is that if you ask Heavenly Father to show you your weaknesses so you can improve, you better be ready to have your weaknesses shown to you!   This has been a huge thing for me this transfer.  I loved what you said in your email Dad, about what you wrote in your journal, because I wrote almost the same thing this morning.  I had a very big humbling week at the beginning of this transfer, and since then was able to really grow and improve on my weaknesses, but it seems like once things get better and you improve that you forget about those humbling experiences.  So I am now going through another week where it just seems like every problem I have ever had and every weaknesses is being brought to my remembrance.  But ultimately that is what this life/mission is about, continually repenting.  I have gained such a strong testimony of the Atonement this transfer.  It truly does mean change to me.  I know that there is so much I need to improve on and I have a lot of weaknesses, but I have faith because through the Atonement I will be able to eventually make those changes I need too.  It will not be easy, and this week has been far from easy, but you have to go through the hard times to enjoy the blessings more.  This is the most important work to be done in our lives; it is the work of salvation, so of course it isn't going to be easy.  I truly believe that missions are so much for the missionaries and not for the people we teach.  Yes it is great to bring others to the knowledge of the gospel as we learn and grow, but I have thought a lot about how there is a reason the church sends 18-24 year olds out on a mission, not 40 year olds.  This is a crucial part of our lives, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be out here being refined into who the Lord NEEDS me to be for the rest of my life.  Sorry that was really preachy, but thought I would share a bit about what I have learned this transfer. 

     Well other stories from this week:

     On Wednesday nights the Chinese elders do an English class for their investigators, but we go for Sister G. language study.  For the last half of it, we just have conversations about normal life.  This week we got off on a rant about UFO's and Bigfoot, so that was entertaining.  

     Thursday was the most rubbish day of the whole week.  I forgot the keys to our flat to start it off...we traveled 1.5 hours out to Shoram to visit a fess active member and she did not open the door (we later found out she was just in bed...frustrating), our appointment with 2 investigators falling through, and then to end the night we broke one of our glasses.  Probably doesn't sound too rubbish to you, but it was a terrible day.  

     Friday was bad too...we were going out to Newhaven (the furthest out our area goes) to do LA work before a teach, but we needed to go one bus stop further than we usually do, well little did we know that the bus doesn't stop again until Seaford, which is definitely not in our area.  So we were kind of freaking out cause we were outside of our area, but don't worry we called the District Leader and he didn't care, we just got back super fast.  Then that night we had a talent show with the missionaries and some investigators.  Well I played the piano, The Spirit of God to be exact, and about half way through, the pedal just drops, it broke.  It was so bad.  So then we had all the Chinese investigators taking apart the piano trying to fix it...hilarious.  I took pictures, I will send them.  Don't worry though, we fixed it ha-ha. 

     Saturday I told the Elders I would make them Snicker doodles cause they have done a lot for us recently, so after nightly planning I was sitting in the kitchen making them, when all of a sudden the power goes out, but just in our flat.  So Sister Ghalkhani goes off about if our flat is blessed and maybe there are spirits in our flat and all this stuff, I was freaking out!  It was so scary!  But turns out our energy just got flipped off, it does that randomly apparently.  It was so bad.  Friday night I was kneeling saying my prayers before bed, all the lights were off, and I thought that Sister G. had gotten up on her bed already (cause I switched to the bottom bunk), and all of a sudden I hear rustling out in the hall and walking around and just see this figure walking into the room, I thought I was going to die.  I was so scared, but it was just sister G.  It was so scary! ha-ha

     Well there you go, there are some of the highlights of my week ha-ha.  Brighton is the best I am so privileged to be serving here.  Hopefully I will get to go to the temple Wednesday, cause that is our p-day this week.  That will be really nice.  I am really looking forward to General Conference as well.  I love reading those talks and listening to general authorities, they are the best!

     Well family, I love you all so much!  Can't believe I am on my 4th transfer now!  This transfer will bring new challenges, seeing as this is the first time I will have a companion for longer than 1 transfer, but it will be good.  Sister Ghalkhani and I are really good together; we help each other see our weaknesses and change.  We have both learned and grown a lot together. 

You are the best!  Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Robison xxx 

We went to the pier last p-day with another district, Brighton Pier will always be one of my favorite views in the whole world, it is so so pretty down there!

There is a weird donut shaped thing there...we went and took pictures with it...

Our District after our last district meeting we thought we would have a s a district...little did we know we would all stay this transfer!!!

Our District at breakfast this morning before sending Elder Lam off, so sad seeing missionaries go home!