Every Member a Missionary

I can't believe I have been out for a month now!  I love my mission!!  It has truly been amazing.  The days are long but the weeks are short.  The miracles and blessings I have experienced are endless.  The church is really such a blessing in our lives... I have seen it when I share my testimony with people in the streets, buses, in their homes, and even riding my bike. When you bear your testimony to others who are willing to listen and hear what you have to say, you see a light fill their eyes and can see their hearts touched by the spirit that bears witness of the gospel. It is truly amazing!

Yesterday was a Civic Holiday and no one really could explain to me what it was other than it's just a break for Canadians or something. We didn't have a break for the holiday but worked even harder! Oh before I forget, I am supposed to tell you that my mission has a Facebook page called the Canada Toronto Mission. 

My favorite teaching moment this week was with a man named Richard. Richard is 28 years old and is from Trinidad.  He is very religious and wants to learn more about religions and is very curious. We received his number as a referral from Elders who said he found a website that said the missionaries have free Bibles and would love to give one to anyone that would like one. After we got his number we called him and set an appointment! We didn't know what to expect when we went to his house. After he opened the door, I knew that he was special. We then sat outside on his porch and taught him the Restoration.  He was asking us so many questions! It was a really good discussion and he kept saying that what we were teaching him makes sense. The first lesson went amazing! I gave him a Book of Mormon, which he was excited to read more about!  We left his house floating on clouds.

Fortunately, we were able to meet with him yesterday and teach more about the Restoration and answer his questions about the Book of Mormon. He told us that he would love to do some service projects! Richard is truly amazing! We invited him to baptism again yesterday and he said, "I cannot commit myself to a religion but I will wait till I get that good feeling"..... he tells us the gospel makes sense when we teach him, so it’s a bit frustrating….all we can do is pray, teach him, and put our trust in Heavenly Father.  I cannot wait to see him progress and bloom into the gospel! 

Last week, Sister Shurtliff and I were able to do some service for a lady named Vida Cambell. She is this sweet, old Jamaican lady who just loves company. She is in her mid 70's and sadly has been in a lot of pain recently.  She is so full of love and praise to God. She is less active because she can't get around very much but is so grateful when missionaries stop by and teach her a lesson and especially serve her. We were able to do yard work for her.  We mowed her lawn, cut some of her trees, pulled weeds, and trimmed some of her bushes. I will never forget a special moment I had with Vida Cambell.  She was bringing us out some water since it was a very hot and humid summer day in London, she was having trouble coming down her front porch stairs so I ran over to help her down and assist her.  She then sat down out of breath and in pain and looked me in the eyes and said, "I thank God for all that you have done for me sister, I can't even begin to tell you how much..." She then began to cry and took her shaking hand in with mine and continued, "...how much this means to me. Your service. Your love. Your happiness has changed my life." I then bent down and gave her a hug... She wouldn't let go of me. That was such an amazing experience to me that I will never forget. 

I invite you to go out and help someone this week! Whether it be a simple act, like helping someone carry out groceries, someone who needs a helping hand, or even just smiling and saying hi or even better... talk with them!  Most of the time people just need someone to listen to them.  It's amazing how much service touches people's heart and lifts their spirit.  I know that "when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God." 

The funniest thing that happened to me this week was riding my small bike in the rain. The London weather here has been crazy! One minute you are sweating from the humidity and the heat... The next minute you are drenched from the downpour of rain. The Canadian people here in London say they have never seen a summer like this and it is weird to them. Anyways, last Thursday I was riding my small bike from a visiting some people to come home when it begin to downpour.  Literally, I was riding my bike through several inches of rain on the roads! The rain wasn't going to stop and neither was my bike... I then found out that my brakes don't work on my bike when it gets wet. Don't worry, I'm okay!  Now imagine a sister missionary is soaked and is riding a bike in the rain when and the brakes don't work, interesting stuff happens! While I was riding down this huge hill and my brakes weren't working, I put my feet down to try and stop. While coming down a steep hill, this lady and man came running out to the end of their driveway out into the road.  I finally was able to stop and walked back up to talk to them! They were laughing and said that they have never seen a sight like that before so we all laughed. They then invited us to their porch and gave us a nice warm towel to dry off until the rain stopped.  Their names are Rob and Melissa. They are just very social people and were just happy.  We talked about the gospel, shared a brief message with them and... We get to meet with them again tonight! Hope all goes well, I cannot wait to teach them the Restoration tonight! 

One thing that has really been in my mind throughout this week was this: BE SOMEONE TO SOMEONE.  While on my mission, I have seen and know that we can be that special someone to someone. Don't think that you can't be a missionary because you don't wear a name tag! Every member a missionary! You can make a difference and be that shinning example of the Savior wherever you go if you put your trust and faith in him and have the courage to open your mouth or help those who might need help. I promise that if you do this, you will see and witness so many miracles and blessings in your life and you will experience so much happiness.

Until next time...

Sister Robb

                                        (Poutine-Aka fries with Gravy! I love them!)