First off, I want to say... NO
EFFORT IS EVER WASTED!
I just received an email from my
trainer, Sister Shurtliff, telling me that she talked to the sister missionaries who are in London
(my first area) and told me that John Reis (remember, the 89 year old
Portuguese man) will be getting baptized! He went to church every single week
when we left, received all of the lessons, passed his baptismal interview, and right
before he was baptized he decided he should wait until his wife (who is in Brazil)
gets to Canada in the next few months and they can get baptized together! Just
like John always told me, "It's NEVER too late to change!" I will
always remember when I first met him, I was carrying a Book of Mormon in my
hand while walking down the busy street and I knew that I needed to talk to
him! I am so happy for him to get baptized and even happier that he is waiting
for his wife so they can get baptized together J
Other great news, Johan Muntz is
getting baptized! He was one of my amazing investigators in Whitby (my last
area). I remember that we couldn't teach him for the last two weeks before I
left because he was gone and told us that he was sick and needed to think about
it for a while, well…. he called up the sisters two days after I left and said
that his prayers were finally answered, met up with them, set his own baptism
date, and couldn't be more excited to be baptized in a couple of weeks! I am SO happy for Johan and jumped for joy
when I heard that from the sister missionaries!
Even though I personally haven't
been able to see or be to a baptism of the people I have taught and love so much, it has
reminded me that no effort is ever wasted. I have learned that my
role on my mission so far has been to help mend wards together, to serve members as well as others, to reach out to those inactive members, to help bring about miracles, to talk to everyone to plant many seeds, and to help individuals come closer to Christ.
Sister Poettcker and I have been
trying our hardest to find people to teach and haven't had much success. On Friday night during planning I told her
that we ARE going to ride buses tomorrow for half of the day! She couldn't believe what I was saying! I truly miss being in a bus area where I can
talk to 50-100 people each day. So I
planned out a route, bought tickets, and talked to as many people as I could on
the bus J
I was able to meet a man in the back of the bus, give him a Book of Mormon, and
grabbed his number. He said that he has
"never heard of anyone being in the Americas before Christopher
Columbus!" I was able to show him in the front of the Book of Mormon the
picture of Christ visiting the Americas and bear my testimony. Hopefully we can meet with him sometime this
week! Do you want a good laugh? I want to tell you a funny story about
another man I met on the bus named Tony. Tony is from Jamaica and in his 30's. He looked at us when we got on the bus, got
up, followed me to the back of the bus, and sat down next to me, no one ever
does that so it seemed odd. We began to
talk and I began to teach him. I
remember saying something to him and he said "Amen Sista'!" I
remember grabbing my planner to write down his number and he then reached over
and tried to hold my hand! I didn't know
what to do, so I quickly pulled the cord to get off the bus, got his number, and
got off. When we got off the bus we
laughed and laughed at what had happened. We began walking down the road and a lady
pulled over and asked if we were Jehovah's Witnesses and I told her,
"No, we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints." She then said, "Well,
I'm a Jehovah's Witness and thought you two were also. If you were like me I
would give you a ride but I have to go, sorry!" As she took off, I looked at Sister Poettcker
and told her, "See... You never know what to expect when you ride the
bus!" We laughed and laughed J
.JPG) |
| I was able to take a picture of the beautiful Toronto Temple while at zone conference. I can't wait to go someday!! |
One thing that I have been
thinking about lately is in Doctrine Covenants 100:5-8. I call this
section the "CANADA" section J This is when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon
are heading up to Canada to preach the gospel and were comforted by Heavenly
Father's words while they are going away and leaving their families behind. The
scripture reads, "Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices
unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you
shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour,
yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say. But a commandment I give unto you that
ye shall declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness,
in all things. And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this
the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever
ye shall say."
I love that! I love my mission J I know that when I lift up my voice, bear my testimony, and speak to Heavenly Father's children, I have seen so many miracles and blessings. NO EFFORT IS EVER WASTED!!
With the approaching Christmas
season, I hope you have all had the chance to view "He is The Gift" video. It is amazing! "Christmas is a time of reflection on
what we can become because of God's sacred gift. As we discover the gift,
we learn of the immeasurable love of God and our absolute need for a Savior. As
we embrace the gift, we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, and desire
to become more like Him. As we share the gift, we follow in the Master's
footsteps, who invited all to hear His message" [Elder Russel M. Nelson,
December 2014 Ensign]. It's going to be an amazing Christmas. I can't wait to share with others the true
meaning of Christmas, centered all around Christ. He is the Light and is the greatest gift we have been
given! I am grateful for my Savior and
Heavenly Father's love to send His Son. I
am so grateful to be able to share this beautiful message this Christmas season
as a missionary J
Until next time...
Sister Robb
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