Be Kind to Everyone!!

  HELLO! Another incredible week here in London, Canada! I have had so many experiences that have increased my testimony and love for missionary work, His work and the love He has for his children!!  It's very humid and warm here, but we have our random rainstorms that come out of nowhere.  I have learned that I am in a very different part of London. I have come across and taught lots of people who are poor or live in just a single-room as their home. I have met some really crazy people. But all is well! Everyone is a son or daughter or God. No matter who I talk to... They are God's children. That has really helped me to see people as Christ does. I have also learned that sometimes people just need someone to talk to--someone to tell them about a struggle or trial that they are going through. This week we were coming home from an appointment and met a man named Colon. He was super depressed and alone out on the street, sitting down smoking, and looking like he was crying. We went over to him and asked him if he needed anything and he said, "No.  No one can help me.  My child is dead.  He died two days ago.  I don't know why God did this to me. You tell me why... Why did he do this to me?"  As we sat in silence he began to cry.  I then sat down next to him and pulled out my Book of Mormon.  I remembered a scripture I had read during my personal scripture study the day before that I shared with him.  1 Nephi 11:17, it says, "And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." He just fell silent and we sat there for about a minute. I then said something like this, "from being with you for the past couple of minutes, I know that your little son meant the world to you. I know that there is someone else who loves ALL of his children and that is our Father in Heaven. We, as people, don't know the meaning of everything..." I then bore my testimony about the church and how we can be with our families forever and how blessed we are. He took our card and said maybe in the future he would call ..... so hopefully he will call us when the time is right. I will never forget that experience!  It reminded me how important it is to be kind to EVERYONE!!

Now for some good news and bad news. The good news: During our lesson on Monday last week, I invited Alli to baptism and she said YES!!!  I about cried right then and there with excitement!  I kept calm and finished our lesson. She is set for baptism on August 17th and said she will prepare herself for that date. On Tuesday, we met a man named Elias. He is from Egypt and speaks incredible English. We taught him about the Restoration and then I gave him a Book of Mormon and he accepted it!  Now for the bad news: Alli texted us on Wednesday and said that her husband (Jamie, who was baptized at 14 years old in Mexico, and is a member) said that no one can come over for a while... Including us. It was SO devastating to hear that!  We had a "7 day fellow shipping", CTR rings for the kids, and everything planned perfectly.  All we can do is wait and pray for her husband to soften his heart and be open to the gospel!  Next, we visited Elias on Thursday to teach him but that went down hill to. We went to his house and he told us to take back the Book of Mormon, take back our missionary card, and to take back the pamphlets we gave him.  He said he is to old for change and that we shouldn't visit him again.  We tried talking to him but he said we needed to go.  So, we did.  The lesson I have learned with these two events?  That a mission has the highest highs and the lowest lows.  I know that as long as we stay positive and put our full faith in Christ... We can make it through. 

Now to some funny stuff :) The funniest thing that happened to me this week was something Sister Shurtliff and I continue to talk about. On Wednesday afternoon, we left our apartment and were waiting for the bus to go and meet with 4 less actives and former investigators who live quite far away. While we were waiting I was eating my granola bar when all of a sudden, a big wind gust came along and my bus ticket got caught in the wind and flew from my hand! I went running down the side walk chasing my bus ticket. Can you imagine a sister missionary running down the street with her arms stretched out trying to catch her bus ticket? Good news... I did catch my bus ticket!  We were laughing and laughing about it and still do to this day. You want to hear the 2^nd part of this story... I was able to contact a guy from it!  A man stopped me by our apartment the next day and asked if I was the young girl who was chasing my ticket down the street and I said yes.  Well... We set up an appointment from our chat!  

On Saturday, Sister Shurtliff and I were able to attend to an international dinner that was being held for the Stake.  Most of the missionaries in our district went.  It took us about 2 hours to get there but it was great!  Odilia, a lady that wanted us to come, was dancing that night with her Portuguese group. Her sister, Cindi, got baptized recently and now Odilia wants to talk to the missionaries to learn more! So... Odilia is like a golden investigator! All she needs is just to hear the lessons, go to church 3 times, and be worthy for baptism! She is seriously so ready for the gospel in her life!  Unfortunately... She will be leaving for Portugal in two weeks and won't be back until September. It's a bummer... But I know she will be baptized when she gets back. The international dinner was a great success! There was a piñata for the kids, games, food, and dancing from different cultures. They also talked about family search! Sister Shurtliff and I will be teaching her about family history soon! She is super excited. Can't wait for that! 

This week has been great!  Through the rain and heat, teaching very interesting people, catching my bus ticket, inviting people to baptism and to read from the Book of Mormon, and cheering the depressed... I have felt the Lord guiding me each day in countless ways. I am so grateful to know that I have a family that loves me, a place to sleep each night, and to have the knowledge of the gospel.  I feel truly blessed. One scripture that never left my mind this week was D&C 100:12, "Therefore, continue your journey and let your hearts rejoice; for behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end."

My time here on the computer is at an end, so I must bid you all farewell for the day. I love you all and want you to know that I KNOW this Gospel to be true! I know that God lives. I know that Joseph Smith saw God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, and helped in restoring the Gospel again upon the Earth, in these Latter-Days!:) I love you all SOO much and want you to know that I pray for you all daily!  Keep up your happy smiles and love to one another, because I can promise you, kindness makes a HUGE difference in peoples lives!!! I love you all!!!

I invite all of you to write down one thing you are grateful for in your life everyday. Whether it be in your journal, on a piece of paper by your bedside, or even on the family fridge... It will constantly remind you of the blessings the Lord has given us each and every day. Thank you for all of your love and support! Until next week...

Sister Robb

I am in Canada!...In London!!

Where do I even begin?! I guess from the morning I left the MTC in Utah. We woke up at 2:00 AM and were on the bus to the airport at 3:30 AM. Just imagine... 31 Elder and Sister missionaries running through the Detroit Airport to catch our next flight. It was hilarious! I landed safely in Toronto, Canada but... Half of us (including me) were praying that the other half of our bags were on the next flight coming in. We waited for about an hour and a half and sighed with relief that our bags finally arrived. We then were met by President & Sister Clayton. First off... They are absolutely amazing! I love them SO much! Whenever they talk, you can feel the spirit so strong. We were their first new missionaries for their mission since they just arrived about 3 weeks ago. They are like my parents here in Canada :)

We all met at a Hilton Hotel in Toronto for the night to have a nice dinner, meet with President Clayton, and have a testimony meeting. As I bore my testimony, I knew that I am meant to be here. It was the most peaceful feeling I had experienced since being away from home.

 

The next day we were called to our first location and to meet our training leaders! Drum roll... LONDON! I am in London, Ontario! London is about a two hour drive from Toronto. It is pretty up here! It rains quite a bit and is a little humid but it's okay! I can say this... People are interesting here! I have met Italians, Hispanics, Africans, Jamaicans, and many more nationalities. We are a bike and bus area but we walk a ton. OH! You wouldn't believe this... My companion is a red head! Everyone laughed and laughed. I think President Clayton has quite a sense of humor :) Just kidding. I know I am meant to be with her. Her name is Sister Shurtliff. She is from British Columbia in Canada and is quiet in a way. She has been a great teacher! I can assure you that people notice both of us everywhere we go because of our red hair but mostly because of the spirit that we both bring. I have been stopped by people in stores and asked who I am. I have talked to people who want to know. It's amazing.

That first Tuesday after I had dropped of my bags, it was go time. I didn't have much time to settle in but just asked what we were doing tonight, packed my mission bag, and left! I can say this... A mission is hard. Without a doubt. But... I have had some of the most amazing experiences already.

Thinking of you Brother!

My favorite teaching moment was with our investigator named Alli. She is married to Jamie Boez who is an inactive member and is a mother of two children--Anthony (7) & Abby (10). Alli is so interested in the gospel it's incredible. We taught her the restoration the first time we met her and she loves us! Why it was my favorite was because she wants to do this as a family and not alone. I then promised her that "if she has faith in Jesus Christ, has her family with her in this journey... There is no need to fear. Christ is with you and he loves you so much. I know that the gospel has blessed my family so much and can testify to you, that if you try your hardest, repent, and want to be baptized... You will be so blessed and your family will be so blessed. " Her kids went silent. She looked down and thought in silence for about a minute. The spirit was so strong. She then looked up and agreed and smiled. AH! It was amazing. Sister Shurtliff and I are teaching her tonight about Baptism/Confirmation and Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. I will be inviting her to baptism tonight so... Wish me luck! I pray that the spirit is there again like it was last week!

One thing I love about Sister Shurtliff is that she is so dedicated in missionary work. She pushes me to be my best--memorizing missionary stuff, to greet people, and shows me our boundaries and wants me to guide us to the houses—she has truly taught me how to be the best missionary I can be.

One of the funniest things that happened was on the first day in London, first time about to go out to teach, we knelt in prayer before we left our apartment. I said this deep, heartfelt prayer and then stood up and... RIP! I heard my skirt rip! I looked at her and said, "Well... That doesn't sound good..." She then began to laugh and laugh and laugh. It was funny!

My favorite scripture this week is 2 Nephi 31:20, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting up on the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." I know that I need to press forward everyday, every moment, every prayer, every time I teach... With Christ. I have learned and felt so much love for the people of London since I have been here. I hope and have faith in Christ and when I do... I have seen the blessings of Him. EVERYTIME. As I read the scriptures for two hours every morning, feasting on the words of Christ... I am changed. I am becoming like Christ. Yes... My feet are swollen from walking miles and miles a day. My back hurts from the weight of my bag filled with missionary stuff. But.... All of that goes away when I focus on my brothers and sisters here. I have learned to love them. I feel sad when they don't want to hear about the gospel. I have cried with them. I have laughed with them. I bear my testimony to them. I have experienced the charity of Christ for his sons and daughters. It's been incredible... Words cannot describe.

Some stuff I have figured out:

1. Canadians do say "eh"!

2. People in London drink milk from bags

3. They do say words differently like "washroom" instead of "bathroom"

4. They only have sidewalks in certain areas! It's weird! So I bike and walk a lot on the streets!

5. Smarties are chocolates... Not American Smarties candy.

6. And... London people say their "A"s different like bag--the A sound is like pAy... and the O sounds are long... I don't know how to explain it! It's funny.

7. Canadian money smells like maple syrup! Crazy!

I am so grateful to be here. Honestly... I have seen so many blessings on my mission so far. I wish I could type more in.... I will go into more details about my other investigators like the Eastons, Alli & Family, Christina & Family, Courtney, and Kissie & Karim. I have learned to not judge people... TALK TO EVERYONE! No matter where you are at! Whether it be in a food place, bus, walking in the pouring rain, riding your bike to an appointment, or even just walking down the street. Talk to someone you have never met before or do some service for them. I promise you that you will be amazed at what experiences and blessings you will receive and strengthen your testimony in Christ.

I know that the church is true. I cannot deny the blessings, promptings, miracles, love, and strength my Heavenly Father has given me. I know that he is our loving Heavenly Father--he knows us, cares about us, and loves us more than we could ever imagine. The gospel has been restored! I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and through his faithfulness, love, and hardships for the church... We are truly blessed. He is with us every day, every hour, every minute. May we read, ponder, and pray everyday. I know that we will receive so many blessings and be strengthened through these dark times in the world. I know that my Savior lives.

I need to head out now but I want you to know that I LOVE this gospel and I absolutely LOVE this work! Of course it's hard, but it was hard for Him. Why should I expect that this would be easy when it NEVER was for Him? I know my Heavenly Father lives and is leading Sister Shurtliff and I to those who He has prepared for us, and I am going to do my absolutely best out here, every day! I love you all and appreciate your love and support, I truly can feel your prayers on my behalf, every day! 

I love you all, until next week…

Sister Robb

New Address:  45 Pond Mills Road #207

                       London, ON N5Z 4W5

                       Canada

London?? I thought Canada...

Monday, July 14- We enjoyed talking with Kennedy from the Salt Lake airport, prior to her boarding her plane at 7:30 a.m. for Canada.  Needless to say, she is doing VERY well, and was quite excited to arrive in Toronto and begin her mission in the field.

President & Sister Clayton

                                             

Wednesday, July 16 - Received an email from President Weatherford T. Clayton, of the Canada Toronto Mission, telling us of Sister Robb's safe arrival.  She has been assigned to labor in London, Ontario and will serve with her new companion, Sister Shurtliff.  Her current mailing address is:

Sister Kennedy Robb

45 Pond Mills Road #207

London, ON   N5Z 4W5

CANADA 

New Companion, Sister Shurtliff

                                                                                   

Canada Toronto Missionaries - Wow!  What a group!!

                                                 

                             

                

Leaving for Canada

All is well in the MTC! It has been an incredible experience and I have grown so much in the gospel... It's unbelievable! So much has happened in the MTC this week that it feels like a blur. Each day drags on but the week goes by so fast! It's crazy! I can't believe that I will be leaving for Canada and start my journey tomorrow! I am so excited!

This past week has been an experience of teaching. I have had the opportunity to teach two different investigators this week. The first one I will be talking about is Jessica. Monday night was our first night to teach her and the lesson we felt prompted to teach was about the Restoration of the Gospel. Sister Sudweeks and I were so excited to teach someone new! We prayed before we went inside and then knocked at the door... No answer. We then knocked again... No answer. We then peeked inside and no one was there! We then saw a lap top over on a table in the corner of the room and then realized that we would be teaching Jessica through Skype. I can say this right now... It is SO hard through Skype. Jessica is in her mid 20's and was recently married to an inactive member. She lives in Idaho and is just curious about a lot of different religions and wanted to see what the LDS church was about. Unfortunately she was sick and was coughing half of the time and just laying on her couch. It was hard to get Jessica involved to read scriptures because she wasn't in front of us and we couldn't tell if she was taking in the lesson or was even interested in what we were teaching her. It was the first lesson and we prayed it would go better throughout the week. 

The next (progressing) investigator is Tyler. Tyler is in his 20's and has parents with a strong Christian background but he doesn't know if there is a God. He has LDS friends but has been struggling with drug addiction for quite sometime and has been in and out of rehab 3-4 times. After teaching Tyler the first time, I felt the Saviors love for Tyler. It's incredible how much you can love an individual after talking to them for only 15 minutes! The lesson went great! He didn't know much about Joseph Smith and was interested. I can see that he wants to change. Monday was our second time teaching with Tyler about the first part of The Plan of Salvation. The lesson went amazing! When I began teaching him about the atonement I felt prompted to ask him a question, "Tyler... When was there a time you felt alone in your life?" He then began telling us about the struggles of addiction and how he felt alone. I then replied, "Well, I know someone else who has felt alone like you Tyler... It's our Savior, Jesus Christ when he went through the Atonement." He looked down for a good minute to take it all in... The spirit was so strong. We invited him to pray and ask Heavenly Father of his love for him and he accepted! 

The last lessons with our investigators were great! Jessica prayed out loud to us after we sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives! She asked us all about temples and families! She then was able to read the Book of Mormon intro and has been doing great ever since. Tyler's faith in Jesus Christ increased immensely! He has such a strong desire to change and understands the Plan of Salvation and knows that Heavenly Father loves him dearly. We invited him to baptism, he said he wants to, but needs a little bit more time to understand and feel ready. AH! It was such a neat experience teaching them. I was sad that our teaching had to end with them but knowing I will be teaching the people in Canada soon, is a great feeling! 

Tuesday night we were able to listen to Neil L. Anderson at a devotional. He talked about Things That Are Not Seen and shared 2 COR 4:18. One thing that really stuck out to me was that "We can overcome our fears with our faith" and "Get to work! There are souls to find!" I was able to sing in the choir for that devotional and everyone said they saw my face fill up the screen while I sang! Well... I guess I'm famous in the 4 or 5 international MTC's that it was broadcast to! It was hilarious. We sang Be Still My Soul and... It honestly gave me goosebumps. Music is really an incredible way of feeling the spirit and I can testify that I have felt it and seen it for myself since being here in the MTC. 

Lastly, we had In-Field Orientation on Wednesday! It was 8-9 hours long! It was good to learn about how to make goals and being realistic with them but how to be the best missionaries we can be. It was exhausting but well worth it! 

One of the many things I have learned at the MTC is that we cannot force the spirit but we can enforce it! If we don't have the spirit when we teach, we haven't done our job. We teach the people... Not the lesson. I am so grateful for this chance to be a missionary and to represent Jesus Christ. I am changed from this whole experience and I am the happiest sister missionary! I know that this gospel is true and cannot deny it. I have witnessed miracles and experienced the spirit teaching through me. It's incredible how close we can be to the Lord and how much I rely and pray to him hundreds of times a day (well almost).  I cannot wait to serve the people in Canada. I know that there are people waiting for the gospel in their lives and they just need someone to lift them up and help them come closer to Christ. 

Thank you to everyone for your love, thoughts, letters and prayers.  Until Next time...  

Sister Robb :)

I LOVE the MTC!

I want to start off by saying, THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Words cannot even describe the MTC! I absolutely love it! The spirit is so strong here... I have honestly loved every minute of it. I know I am supposed to be here. To be a missionary. Everyone here just makes you smile and I feel like I belong. Everyone here goes by Sister and Elder (of course) and it took me a day to get used to it but it's so natural now. My companion's name is Sister Sudweeks. She is from Idaho and she is shy but I talk a lot so... We balance each other out quite nicely. I know we were meant for each other. The other sisters in our district is Sister Maas and Sister Lundin. They are hilarious and keep us laughing. Overall... The sisters in our districts are amazing and I love each of them. The MTC is GREAT! OH! I have already received a calling...I am Sister Training Leader for our zone! I cannot wait! I'll tell you more about it more next week. Lets just say that I am just a little... okay... REALLY excited to be a leader for all of the sisters! 

I have been told that the third day in the MTC is the hardest... but it wasn't for me. I had the most spiritual experience and will always remember it. Sister Sudweeks and I were role playing in our classroom. She was her "investigator" (a person she knows who isn't apart of the gospel) and we would practice with each other with lessons. My "investigator" was afraid of water and unfortunately did not want to get baptized. I closed my eyes, let my spirit guide me to know what is best for her, and opened my heart to her. I had only known her for a minute and I had already loved my "investigator". I then felt the spirit tell me to "comfort her, know I will be bedside her--if she is faithful, she will rejoice and be happy." I bore my testimony by my spirit. I began realizing that Heavenly Father put the words to my mouth... It was absolutely incredible. The spirit was so strong. It felt as if Christ was putting his arm around me and listening with a smile on his face. I then finished off with a scripture, D&C 100:12, "Therefore continue your journey and let your heart rejoice, for behold, and lo, I am with you until the end." After finishing, I began to cry. My heart was so full and my spirit felt as if it was going to burst out of my chest. Sister Sudweeks was crying too... It was a tender experience.

The 4th of July was great! The MTC has a special devotional for the missionaries. Some things that I never realized was, "Our Savior is the reason we have freedom. Freed from sin. Free from natural man. Free to chose. Free to be with God again." So let us come unto Him... He brought all souls to freedom. Then to top off the devotional we watched 17 Miracles. Lastly... We were able to watch the fireworks! It was such a fun and inspirational night. 

Now to Sunday... Where do I even begin?! It was a very touching experience. It was Fast Sunday and one of the most spiritual Fast Sundays I have ever experienced in my life. Sister Maas woke up sick and had the worst cough and sore throat. She then got permission from our President to allow our elders in our district to give her a priesthood blessing. None of the elders had ever given a priesthood blessing before ever until yesterday. I can testify that the power of the priesthood is real. As the elders gave the blessings... I felt the spirit so strong. The sisters hugged each other and the elders hugged each other. It strengthened my testimony that the priesthood was really restored to this earth and it is such a blessing in our lives. Later, we had our sacrament meeting. It was such a neat experience. Our zone (about 30-40 of us) was able to stand up and bear a short testimony. I am so grateful that we can all go to church each week to partake of the sacrament, ponder on our week, and come closer to Christ. W

e ended off the day by attending a Sunday Devotional where a pianist named Josh Wright came and bore his testimony, not only through words, but through music. One thing he said that stood out to me was, "How much do you love the Lord?" I can say, as Sister Robb, that I love my Lord, my Savior, brother, and best friend. I hope as you ask yourself this daily, that you can draw nearer unto the Lord.

After we watched a video called "Character of Christ" by David A. Bednar last night... it is AMAZING. You need to watch it. There is so much doctrine and insights that opened my spirit to my Savior that I am a changed person. I know and love my Savior with all of my heart. Please, please, please watch it! 

I am memorizing the baptismal invitation, the missionary purpose, and Joseph Smiths vision... But I have also been converted by the doctrine of Christ. I know that the church is true. I not only know it but I LOVE it. 3 Nephi 5:13 reads, "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life." I love being a missionary and serving for my Lord and cannot wait what is in store for me.

Love all of you! Thank you so much for your love and support! Until next time...

Sister Robb :)

MTC Arrival

                                                                                   

    As we dropped Sister Robb off at the MTC on Wednesday, we were so overwhelmed with the Spirit of our Father in Heaven. We are so happy of her decision and willingness to act as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and serve the people of Toronto, Canada. As we drove away, the lyrics of Called to Serve came into our minds and hearts. We knew that, by confirmation of the Holy Ghost, Sister Robb was making the right decision and she was fulfilling the will of the Lord.

We love you Sister Robb!