Pure Eternal Joy

Beautiful, Snowy, Canada!

What a great week! Truly, the work is beginning and continuing to roll forth here in Ajax!  From jump starting people's car, and shoveling driveways, I am grateful for snow. It may sound weird, but it's true!  In doing service for people, we have found a couple of potential investigators! Overall, we were able to find 17 new potential investigators! Through much work, service, faith, and love, the end result is fantastic! So I’m a bit excited about that and cannot wait to see miracles take place in the future!

‪Here is a story that just touches my heart that happened last week. Remember a lady by the name of Sher? The day when I felt prompted to call her and she said, "I am so grateful you called me. This made my entire week. It gives me goosebumps to think that you just felt that you needed to call me. Thank you."  Well, great news, we were actually able to see her! Sher is going through some really hard things in her life: her mom has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only has two months to live, her catering business is not doing well, she is currently going through a divorce and is trying to take care of her 6 year old girl alone.  I loved our visit!  She is so amazing and so spiritual.  We just listened to her, comforted her, and brought her some hope through the gospel.  At the end we were able to go upstairs to meet her mom who has the terminal cancer!  She is a 80-90 year old and is just this frail, bony lady who just loves Jesus J Sher had to go so it was just us with her mom.  Unfortunately, she was in a lot of pain.  It was so hard to see her just pointing to her stomach and saying that she hurts and then would just look at me, with her eyes pleading to help her.  I felt so useless and I couldn't do anything to help her pain.  So, I picked up her hand and rubbed her back while we talked to her. She looked up at me and asked if I could sing to her... So I did.  I could barely hold back the tears while I sang "I Am a Child of God". The spirit was so strong.  It was so tangible that you could feel it. We talked about when Christ visits the Americas in the Book of Mormon and she told us that it was a lovely story. "As long as it's Jesus" she would say. At the end of being with her, you could tell that she was more calm and feeling a little better. She looked at me and said, "You're an angel... I'm not in pain anymore. Thank you, Thank you." As we gave her a hug on the way out, she didn't want to let go of me. What a tender experience it was to be able to be with her and to love and help one of Heavenly Father's children. 

‪We had a lesson with Ogai Abungawo! She was the referral from last year that we visited who wanted a bible.  While there, the spirit was so strong.  We went there--completely guided by the spirit--and taught her. We were surprised to find ourselves talking about the Book of Mormon with her and the Plan of Salvation. We explained the Book of Mormon and how they support one another.  One cool experience was that after dong so, I bore my testimony of how the Book of Mormon answers my questions of what happens after we die and where I will be going.  She asked me what happens!  I was able to tell her and share with her a couple of scriptures... Then she told us that her uncle had passed away a couple of weeks ago and she just wanted to know. What a powerful lesson! We had no idea that had happened to her! She said she will begin to read the Book of Mormon J I walked out of the lesson and I looked and Sister Turley and said, "What just happened?" and couldn't stop smiling. I am truly so blessed to be able to witness the power of the spirit helping me to teach others, strengthen their faith and testimony in Jesus Christ, and not just to share them lesson. What a miracle! 

‪Lastly, Swaney came to church yesterday!! J We called him on Saturday to remind him about church and his ride, he told us he'd wear a suit and he did! He wore this "goldish-matted" colored suit with a purple shirt and tie! Ha-ha, It was so great! Everyone welcomed him so nicely and he was answering questions in Gospel Principles about the Gathering of Israel, It was awesome.  He told us in the end that church was a bit different, but that he liked it!  He should be coming to church next week and we will continue to teach him.  OH! And along with Swaney, we will be teaching a lady named Ruby who we have been keeping in touch with, who is a co-worker of a member in the ward! It's so great!  

‪Last week was full of little blessings that I can't put all into a letter.  It's hard to explain, I felt like I was getting glimpses of what pure 'eternal' joy is J I know I am here for a reason and I have seen so many changes come to me as an individual. I have seen it countless times in other people's lives that I have come in contact with.  I am changed! The gospel has truly opened up my mind and myself spiritually.  It's true that when you loose yourself in the service of others, you find yourself.  I have found myself, linking arms with my Heavenly Father on my side.  It's so great! 

‪I love this quote from Neil L. Andersen, who said, "If you're not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart--painted, as Paul said, 'not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.' " How true that is!  I know that I'm not going to be a full-time missionary who wears my badge all of my life sadly, and I can't believe that I have been serving for almost 8 months now, but no matter what, I am so fortunate to have the gospel in my life.  How sweet is my joy and the truth of the gospel that it brings!  It's sooo joyous!! We have the glass full of water always in front of us that we can drink from daily, so when we have the chance to help other people find water, Do it! Those who "wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it" (Amos 8:12). The gospel is RESTORED! We have the knowledge! Let us share the water with those who are needing it and searching for it J Maybe they don't even know that they are missing it.  Please don't be afraid, I promise and know that Heavenly Father will bless you. I have seen the Lord's hand in all that I do! Most people are afraid, so try telling Heavenly Father about it! He hears and answers prayers and will help you overcome your fears. The gospel is true because I have prayed to know for myself if these things are true.  Indeed it is J Sorry for the ranting, but I just felt that I needed to say this!  Can't wait for another amazing week!

‪Until next time...

‪Sister Robb

Sisters To The Rescue!

Sacpase! (Hello in Creole)

HAPPY FAMILY DAY!!  That's right!  Here in good 'ol Canada, they actually have a family day!  How great is that??  I now wonder why America doesn't have this splendid holiday.  Why not?  I mean, we celebrate mothers, fathers, and grandparents day, so why not the family as a whole, eh?  Yesterday this holiday was celebrated and that is why P day is today instead of yesterday.  It was a great day for us missionaries, because as we did some tracking, we found almost everyone home with their family!!  So we have Family Day! A time to spend with our loved ones. What a great holiday!

Testing a "snowfort" at a members house,
-18 degrees, Yes, skirt and all!!

The weather has been frigid and bitter this past week. It got down to about -25 degrees Celsius and with the wind it was even colder!  The elders have called us twice to jump start their car since it's been so cold.  When we saw them we proclaimed, “Sisters to the rescue!” People thought we were crazy while we were out and about teaching and keeping our appointments, but I have been called by a prophet of God to share what I know... I know that the church is true (even in the freezing cold)! J 

There were a few funny moments this week that I thought I would share:

*Sister Turley asked whose door we were knocking on and I said, "His name is Steve." 10 seconds later a man opens up the door and I said, "Hi Greg.....Oh I'm so sorry. Steve!" We had quite a fun laugh all together.  (It’s important to be able to laugh at myself.)

*We were visiting potentials and saw the name Chris on our list.  We decided to make a visit. When he answered the door, he was Chinese!  He just sat there and only spoke Chinese!  I tried giving him a Book of Mormon but he doesn't read English either. While walking away I told Sister Turley, "I should have prayed for the gift of tongues!" We had a good laugh and then the very next person we met spoke Spanish!  I love being a missionary J  It's great to reflect back on the week and just think of small moments that make life so great!

Louis and Faye received their patriarchal blessings on Tuesday! When we saw them, and right when Faye saw me she gave me a giant Filipino hug.  She said that she couldn't stop crying during her patriarchal blessing and felt that Heavenly Father was laying his hands on her head. She is just the cutest!  Louis said that he had a tender experience as well. What a great joy it is to help someone progress in the gospel. They are both excited to go and do baptisms and to receive their endowments on March 5th. They will not be getting sealed until October 1st because they need to be legally married for one year.  Overall, the joy I feel is hard to explain. I know that Heavenly Father truly does love his children and I feel so privileged to see glimpses of it throughout my day as a missionary. 

I realized this morning in my personal study that our Father's Plan is so much bigger than we can presently see. It's so much bigger than simply living commandments, it's bigger than merely not smoking, or not drinking, or keeping yourself pure, or paying your tithing. It's all for a reason and it's all a part of His plan. Not one of us is less important in His Plan than another, there's just different responsibilities, each one tailored specifically for us and our personal growth. I would invite you to utilize that growth! In doing so, you will have accomplished that which the Lord had intended you to become from that experience. I testify that our Savior lives! He suffered in pain, emotionally, physically, spiritually, for who knows how many people so that we might live. Let us not leave that precious gift untouched!  I testify that Christ died for you. If you do not believe that, then, at this one moment in your life, don't think of the person next to you or in the other room, but look in the mirror, look at you.  Let the reality of the Atonement of Jesus Christ sink deep into your soul and know, without question, that Jesus is the Christ, your Savior and Redeemer! Satan would have you believe that Christ didn't die for you, that you're just not good enough. But that is not true!  He surely died for everyone!  This is for ALL, especially for you!  When you know that yourself, then are you able to share it with all, and bless their lives deeper than you ever thought possible. This is the Plan of Salvation, the Plan of Happiness, the Plan of Peace, the Plan of Truth, the Plan of God! There is no other way, and although it's hard, although it's bumpy, it's still straight! Continue on the path and angels will watch over you, I testify to that from experience! There is so much reverence in my heart to my Father in Heaven and His Restored Gospel, and in Him trusting me, as imperfect as I am, to be a mouthpiece here in Ajax, Ontario, Canada, and you in your respective assignment!

I love the gospel with all of my heart.  The Atonement is real and I am so grateful I have a lifetime to study, to learn and to live it!

Until next time...

Sister Robb

It Has Been An Exciting Week!

Walking up our stairs from the basement and
the snow reached my knees!

What a week and what an exciting next transfer this is going to be!  I am staying in Ajax to finish training Sister Turley.  We have so many good things happening that I am excited for what's in the future!

Louis and Faye are doing so good!  They are both super excited to be getting their patriarchal blessings on Tuesday.  We had a lesson with them last week which was truly inspired. Afterwards, Louis and Faye were so kind to thank me personally for sticking with them since November.  It was a really tender experience as they poured out their heart and bore testimony of how much they have grown in the gospel and what they know to be true.  It was a moment for me that I knew my Heavenly Father is pleased with me, a moment where I recognized his hand in my mission and this is what He wants me to do and I am so blessed to see the miracles that have come from it.  They are getting so excited to go to the temple in March to do baptisms, special ordinances, and be sealed for eternity J

Sister Turley and I have been in the steps of finding people to teach and I got an idea and prompting that we needed to select some members from the ward and talk to their neighbors.  As we knocked on doors, we introduced ourselves and asked if they needed help with anything or would like any service performed for them.  We then explained we are friends of their neighbors and asked if we could come back another time and share a brief lesson. We got a couple of appointments lined up from doing this! So that was something fun and new to try!

I convinced Sister Turley that we should ride the bus on Saturday during rush hour and try to talk to as many people as we could. The last ride back home, we met a man named Swaney who is Jamaican. He was just humming away all by himself in the back of the bus and Sister Turley was able to talk to him.  She forgot to grab his number but thankfully gave him a pass along card.  He called us 10 minutes after we had gotten off of the bus and gave us his number.  We then set up a time to meet him at the library and brought a member to come teaching with us.  It went really well and he even asked us in the end what he should specifically pray for before we even invited him to pray!  He is awesome.  We are excited to continue to teach him and will be seeing him tonight.  He said that the reason why he wants to meet with us is because he saw the light of Christ in us as we talked to people. That was soooo cool to hear!  He was touched and told us that people don't talk to each other anymore. What a great experience J

With Mavis at her baptism!  Such a spiritual day!

Yesterday, Mavis was baptized!!  She is Jamaican and one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met! I knew her from Whitby.  When I served in that area, her daughter was in the ward and was less-active and now is attending church. When we went over to share with her lessons, Mavis would always sit in.  THEN, while Sister Turley and I were going through our area book, we found a list of four names of potentials in Pickering, which was very odd.  We sent the information over to the Pickering Elders and guess what?!  Mavis was on that list!! I didn't know she lived in Pickering!!  She was taught for the last month and was baptized yesterdayJ  What a beautiful baptism it was... Mavis just looked up, closed her eyes and began to sob after she was baptized.  She then sang an old Jamaican song after she was baptized and almost brought the room into tears followed by her sweet testimony.  She said that she is so grateful for my missionary work and touching her heart while I was in Whitby.  While hearing our messages it stirred up the spirit and she was prepared for the Elders to teach her.  I was so grateful to be able to witness her baptism and see the happiness that has filled her life.  

I was also blessed to hear that Pamala (the lady I taught in London) was able to enter the waters of baptism yesterday.  I am blessed and so humbled for the experiences in which I have to see my brothers and sisters making that sacred covenant with our Heavenly Father.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day!  I would love to be able to send you all a note, but time does not allow for that.  Your support, prayers, and love mean more to me than you know, so a simple thank you will have to suffice.   I KNOW that the same Gospel taught by prophets of old and our Savior, Jesus Christ, has been restored to the Earth today through a living prophet. God has worked in this way since the days of Adam, why would He change now?  I testify that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He has called another prophet to head His kingdom upon the Earth at this time and has restored the priesthood authority for His children to receive the necessary ordinances to bring to pass the salvation of His children.  

The gospel is true. "Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: "I know that my Redeemer lives!"

Until next time...

Sister Robb