Hello!
Feliz Pascua! How was your Easter?! I hope it was good! We had a good day yesterday even though it didn't really feel like Easter. Haha. When your on the mission and holidays come around, it just doesn't feel like the holiday. I do love the time that I have to focus on the true meaning of the holiday though. The world has made holidays a way to receive presents, candy, and to focus on material things which makes it easy to lose focus of the true meaning. I love being able to truly focus on the significance of why we celebrate the day though.
Watch the video!http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#his-sacred-name-an-easter-declaration
Our Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to this world so that we could all have the opportunity to live with God and Jesus Christ again after this life. He sent His son because He loves us SOOO much. We will never be able to comprehend His love for us. I was so happy and excited to go to church! Because we had General Conference last Sunday, it was my first Sunday going to church here in Napa. It's a pretty small branch here, but I love it! After serving in Vacaville, I have a whole new appreciation for branchs and wards. Haha. (I LOVE the group in Vacaville though.) Every time I am transferred and go to a new area, I never cease to be amazed at strong members of the church who devote their lives to building up the kingdom of God. Their examples to me make me want to be better, make me want to be stronger. We have been working a lot with less active members and it makes me so sad to see these members struggling in their testimonies. I want nothing more for them than to feel the peace and happiness that comes from living the Gospel.
We had a lesson this past week with a boy named Raul who is a member, but he's less active. He is SO cute! He's 9 years old and reminds me of Chandler. As I am around these beautiful people, I can't help but feel so much love for them and want them to do good and be happy. Maybe it's because I have a little brother who is about that age and so any little boy that age just touches my heart, I don't know, but I feel a strong desire to help them, to be there for them, and to love them. He came to church yesterday and I was so happy as I saw him walk into the church with his mom.
I pray for all of you so much. As I sit here and write this email today, I can't help but be full of tears because of the love that fills my heart for each and every one of you. I want so bad for all of you to be happy, to have peace and comfort in your life & during your challenges, I want you to be able to have the blessings of God that He is so anxious to give us as we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our life.
I hope that you were all able to go to church yesterday and feel of the spirit of Easter there. Jesus Christ lives. Jesus Christ knows us personally. When we do all that we can to be more like him, we will be happier.
Faith is like a seed, we must constantly feed it and nourish it so that it can grow. As I have been on my mission, I have recognized how important it is to read & study the scriptures DAILY! Pray! Go to church! Love those around you and look for ways that you can serve them. Please, do those things that will help your faith grow because just like a seed, if we do not nourish it everyday, if we do not give it water or sunlight, it will die. Keep your seeds ALIVE! :] Read Alma 32 as a family this week, it talks about our faith being like a seed. I love the chapter! I will ask to see how you liked it next week.
I love you all so much! You mean so much to me. Thank you for your love and support.
I am SO blessed.
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
Sunday, April 15, 2012
04-02-12
Buenos Dias!
My first week here in Napa and it feels like I've been here for a lot longer than a week. Haha, missionary time is crazy. I love Napa! I feel so blessed to be serving here and I LOVE Hermana Ordonez. She has been our for 5 months and I am learning so much from her. She is an AMAZING missionary & is a good spanish teacher (she is from Ecuador). Haha. She teaches and helps me with my spanish and I teach and help her with her english, and so it's perfect!
We are teaching a lot of lessons and I am meeting a lot of wonderful people! It never ceases to amaze me that within a few minutes or even seconds you can feel the love of God for that person. Missionary work is a beautiful experience and I am so thankful that I have this wonderful opportunity. I am so thankful for your support and your love for me! I will never, ever be able to express my gratitude enough. There is this cute little family that we are teaching: Rubi, Nayn, and the little girl Jessie. Nayn is a member and Rubi is not. They are not yet married, but they now have their marriage license and so we hope it will be soon. Rubi wants to be a member of the church and as soon as they are married, she will be able to be baptized. On Saturday night, we were able to teach them about the temple. I felt the spirit so strong and we taught them about the sealing ordinances and that in the temple we can be sealed for time and for all eternity as a family. I look at that beautiful family and it makes me so happy that I get to witness their journey of becoming an eternal family. I am so thankful that we have the knowledge that we can be together with our families FOREVER!
Saturday night we came home and our power was out. We were like ahhhh, what do we do?! Haha, I don't know where my flashlight went and so Hermana Ordonez was the only one with a flashlight and then I was using the light of the cellphone which wasn't too convenient. We were trying to plan for Sunday with the little light we had and it wasn't working out too well. We were comparing it to the parable of the ten virgins and that 5 of them were prepared and had oil in their lamp, but the other 5 weren't so prepared. Of course, I was the unprepared one, haha. It goes too show, though, how important it is to be prepared. I have been thinking about that a lot and after watching General Conference this past weekend and feeling the spirit so strong, I realized that one of the things we must do to be prepared is listen to the words of the Prophet, or really, the words of God. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2012/04?lang=eng (watch it!!) The Lord gives us so many resources so that we can be prepared when Jesus Christ comes again. He has given us a living day Prophet! We are so blessed to be able to hear from President Monson and I hope that we all listen to the counsel that he has given us as well as all of the other wonderful leaders of the church. He has given us scriptures to read and study, so that we can be strengthened spiritually to face the challenges of life each day. We are able to pray, to talk to our Heavenly Father at ANY time and ANY place. He has given us the church, so that we can take of the sacrament and be cleansed of our sins and renew our covenants. We have been given so many ways so that we can be PREPARED. I love this Gospel! I am young, I don't know a lot of things, but I know with all of my heart that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. We have a Savior, Jesus Christ, and He lives! Joseph Smith restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. I know that families can be together forever through the ordinances of the temple. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and we can feel of the love of God more when we read it everyday! We can learn ways to overcome our challenges, find comfort and peace, and we can come closer to God through reading it daily.
I am so thankful for all of you. I love you so much!
Have a wonderful week! & watch general conference!! :]
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
My first week here in Napa and it feels like I've been here for a lot longer than a week. Haha, missionary time is crazy. I love Napa! I feel so blessed to be serving here and I LOVE Hermana Ordonez. She has been our for 5 months and I am learning so much from her. She is an AMAZING missionary & is a good spanish teacher (she is from Ecuador). Haha. She teaches and helps me with my spanish and I teach and help her with her english, and so it's perfect!
We are teaching a lot of lessons and I am meeting a lot of wonderful people! It never ceases to amaze me that within a few minutes or even seconds you can feel the love of God for that person. Missionary work is a beautiful experience and I am so thankful that I have this wonderful opportunity. I am so thankful for your support and your love for me! I will never, ever be able to express my gratitude enough. There is this cute little family that we are teaching: Rubi, Nayn, and the little girl Jessie. Nayn is a member and Rubi is not. They are not yet married, but they now have their marriage license and so we hope it will be soon. Rubi wants to be a member of the church and as soon as they are married, she will be able to be baptized. On Saturday night, we were able to teach them about the temple. I felt the spirit so strong and we taught them about the sealing ordinances and that in the temple we can be sealed for time and for all eternity as a family. I look at that beautiful family and it makes me so happy that I get to witness their journey of becoming an eternal family. I am so thankful that we have the knowledge that we can be together with our families FOREVER!
Saturday night we came home and our power was out. We were like ahhhh, what do we do?! Haha, I don't know where my flashlight went and so Hermana Ordonez was the only one with a flashlight and then I was using the light of the cellphone which wasn't too convenient. We were trying to plan for Sunday with the little light we had and it wasn't working out too well. We were comparing it to the parable of the ten virgins and that 5 of them were prepared and had oil in their lamp, but the other 5 weren't so prepared. Of course, I was the unprepared one, haha. It goes too show, though, how important it is to be prepared. I have been thinking about that a lot and after watching General Conference this past weekend and feeling the spirit so strong, I realized that one of the things we must do to be prepared is listen to the words of the Prophet, or really, the words of God. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2012/04?lang=eng (watch it!!) The Lord gives us so many resources so that we can be prepared when Jesus Christ comes again. He has given us a living day Prophet! We are so blessed to be able to hear from President Monson and I hope that we all listen to the counsel that he has given us as well as all of the other wonderful leaders of the church. He has given us scriptures to read and study, so that we can be strengthened spiritually to face the challenges of life each day. We are able to pray, to talk to our Heavenly Father at ANY time and ANY place. He has given us the church, so that we can take of the sacrament and be cleansed of our sins and renew our covenants. We have been given so many ways so that we can be PREPARED. I love this Gospel! I am young, I don't know a lot of things, but I know with all of my heart that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. We have a Savior, Jesus Christ, and He lives! Joseph Smith restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. I know that families can be together forever through the ordinances of the temple. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and we can feel of the love of God more when we read it everyday! We can learn ways to overcome our challenges, find comfort and peace, and we can come closer to God through reading it daily.
I am so thankful for all of you. I love you so much!
Have a wonderful week! & watch general conference!! :]
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
03-26-12
Hola!
Crazy changes happening here in the mission. Week of transfers is always crazy because you are wondering if you'll be leaving and where you may go, but trying to stay focused and work as hard as you can to do the things you know the Lord needs you to do for His precious children. We make our transfer predictions before it comes and we were sure Hermana Fenn would stay in Vacaville and we were pretty sure that I would be leaving. I could stay here forever and be happy, but it was likely that I would be going. I told her "the last thing that will happen here is that we willl be white washed with Elders". Which means that they will take us both out and spanish Elders will come into the area. Transfer information came Friday night and we were both shocked because we were both leaving and being white washed out with Elders, haha. Sister Monson (who we live with) said: "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Haha which was kind of the case in this situation because we were NOT expecting that. Hermana Fenn is going to Santa Rosa and I am going to Napa. It's a lot of work when you are both leaving because you have to organize and make sure the Elders will have all that they need to take charge of the area. We have been trying to get everything organized and make notes for everything so they kind of understand what's going on here. I am excited to go to Napa! It is an area that I have wanted to serve in and I know it is where the Lord wants me to be. I am very sad to leave Vacaville though. It's amazing how a place just becomes home to you and then when it's time to leave it's like leaving home and family because it is how it feels. I have learned so many things here in Vacaville that I could have never learned otherwise. I am so grateful for this chance to have been here and met all the people that I have. Like the quote from Dr. Suess "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." And so my new direct address will be:
1260 Trower Ave.
Napa, CA 94558
And I am excited to be with Hermana Ordonez, I've met her a few times and she's way cute! She is a native spanish speaker from Ecuador and so I know that it will be a new, fun adventure. I am very sad to leave my mom (trainer) Hermana Fenn, but she will forever have a special place in my heart. We've spent three transfers together and have seen each other through ups and downs. I love her so much!
On Friday, we had a wonderful lesson with a lady named Maria and she has two cute little kids who love my stickers of Jesus Christ and will just keep asking for more and more, haha. She read the chapter we gave her to read in the Book of Mormon (yay!) and had some questions. She had a question about the age we are baptized in our church. We flipped open the Book of Mormon to Moroni 8 where it explains that small children are innocent and don't need to be baptized. We then discussed baptism and invited her to be baptized. She said yes and that she would prepare herself to be baptized on April 30th. After leaving the lesson, we could feel the spirit so strong and knew that we had been instruments in the hands of the Lord. I love sharing the gospel with others and I love helping them come closer to Jesus Christ.
Guess what's coming up this weekend!?!? General Conference! And I am SO excited. I can't believe that General Conference is already here again, I feel like it just happened. We are so lucky to be able to listen to servants of the Lord speak to us and tell us of the things that God would say to us. There is nothing like it, we are so blessed to have a modern day prophet and I hope that you all make the time to watch it. One thing I am doing that I did last time and it's AMAZING is writing down some questions I have in my life and then as I watch conference, think of the questions I have, and I promise you they will be answered through the talks that are given. Try it!
http://www.lds.org/church/events/april-2012-general-conference-dates-announced?lang=eng
Thank you for everything you do! I love you so much and you are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. Today we will be visiting the people we haven't been able to see yet before we leave, packing, and getting things ready to head to our new areas tomorrow. the next time I write to you, i'll be in Napa. It's a beautiful area and I know there are people ready to accept the Gospel!
Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
Crazy changes happening here in the mission. Week of transfers is always crazy because you are wondering if you'll be leaving and where you may go, but trying to stay focused and work as hard as you can to do the things you know the Lord needs you to do for His precious children. We make our transfer predictions before it comes and we were sure Hermana Fenn would stay in Vacaville and we were pretty sure that I would be leaving. I could stay here forever and be happy, but it was likely that I would be going. I told her "the last thing that will happen here is that we willl be white washed with Elders". Which means that they will take us both out and spanish Elders will come into the area. Transfer information came Friday night and we were both shocked because we were both leaving and being white washed out with Elders, haha. Sister Monson (who we live with) said: "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Haha which was kind of the case in this situation because we were NOT expecting that. Hermana Fenn is going to Santa Rosa and I am going to Napa. It's a lot of work when you are both leaving because you have to organize and make sure the Elders will have all that they need to take charge of the area. We have been trying to get everything organized and make notes for everything so they kind of understand what's going on here. I am excited to go to Napa! It is an area that I have wanted to serve in and I know it is where the Lord wants me to be. I am very sad to leave Vacaville though. It's amazing how a place just becomes home to you and then when it's time to leave it's like leaving home and family because it is how it feels. I have learned so many things here in Vacaville that I could have never learned otherwise. I am so grateful for this chance to have been here and met all the people that I have. Like the quote from Dr. Suess "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." And so my new direct address will be:
1260 Trower Ave.
Napa, CA 94558
And I am excited to be with Hermana Ordonez, I've met her a few times and she's way cute! She is a native spanish speaker from Ecuador and so I know that it will be a new, fun adventure. I am very sad to leave my mom (trainer) Hermana Fenn, but she will forever have a special place in my heart. We've spent three transfers together and have seen each other through ups and downs. I love her so much!
On Friday, we had a wonderful lesson with a lady named Maria and she has two cute little kids who love my stickers of Jesus Christ and will just keep asking for more and more, haha. She read the chapter we gave her to read in the Book of Mormon (yay!) and had some questions. She had a question about the age we are baptized in our church. We flipped open the Book of Mormon to Moroni 8 where it explains that small children are innocent and don't need to be baptized. We then discussed baptism and invited her to be baptized. She said yes and that she would prepare herself to be baptized on April 30th. After leaving the lesson, we could feel the spirit so strong and knew that we had been instruments in the hands of the Lord. I love sharing the gospel with others and I love helping them come closer to Jesus Christ.
Guess what's coming up this weekend!?!? General Conference! And I am SO excited. I can't believe that General Conference is already here again, I feel like it just happened. We are so lucky to be able to listen to servants of the Lord speak to us and tell us of the things that God would say to us. There is nothing like it, we are so blessed to have a modern day prophet and I hope that you all make the time to watch it. One thing I am doing that I did last time and it's AMAZING is writing down some questions I have in my life and then as I watch conference, think of the questions I have, and I promise you they will be answered through the talks that are given. Try it!
http://www.lds.org/church/events/april-2012-general-conference-dates-announced?lang=eng
Thank you for everything you do! I love you so much and you are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. Today we will be visiting the people we haven't been able to see yet before we leave, packing, and getting things ready to head to our new areas tomorrow. the next time I write to you, i'll be in Napa. It's a beautiful area and I know there are people ready to accept the Gospel!
Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
03-19-12
Hello! Happy Monday!
This past week has been an adventure, but so it is with every week out here. I have been contemplating, meditating, and pondering about who I am and who I want to be. This life is a time to improve, a time to progress. In the Alma (in the Book of Mormon) chapter 34: 32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
I love that in verse 33 it talks about improving our time, improving our life here on this Earth because that is our purpose. I have been thinking about what I want to be. I want to be full of love for others. I want others to feel good, edified, and uplifted when they are around me and I know that isn't always the case, but I have that desire. And desires do count for something! I am thinking about the ways that I can become who I want to be and I know that the first step is in prayer. I have been praying to the Lord to help me be more filled with His love for all of those that I come in contact with. I know that it is through Love that we can help others change their lives.
This is the last week of this transfer and we are going to go out with a BOOM of LOVE, haha. I don't know what this next transfer has in store for me. I may stay, but I may leave. Hermana Fenn may leave or may stay, I just don't know! I do know that I love Vacaville with all my heart. I love our investigators. I love the members. I love my companion. I have learned so many things that I couldn't have learned otherwise. I know, though, that whatever happens is what the Lord wants, so you know that song "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go Dear Lord"? It rings true for transfers because it's not always easy to leave what you know to something different and strange. We will see what happens, though, and you will all know next Monday!
We had a Zone Conference this past week and it was so good! I am so thankful for the people I have met on my mission. I am so thankful for the missionaries in this mission, for President and Sister Bunker. They are amazing! President Bunker was talking about how it's important to "choose faith over worry" and to know that if we trust in the Lord, everything will be okay! I was reading an amazing talk by President Uchtdorft this morning "Your Happily Ever After" http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-young-women-meeting/2010/03/your-happily-ever-after?lang=eng&query=your+happily+ever+after and there is a part that says:
"Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.”
I know that is true. We have to have faith, we have to be strong and face trials knowing that the Lord will help us if we allow Him to. I am so thankful for the times in my life where, yes it was hard, but I knew that the only choice I had was to rely on the Lord and He helped me through them. How blessed are we to have the knowledge of a God, of a Savior who loves us SO much.
The other day we were talking to two teenage guys and one of them didn't believe in God, he was telling us that he doesn't know how someone could believe that there was a God. We testified that through prayer we can come to know God and feel of His love for us. That day was a rainy day and it was raining pretty hard. After we had talked to them, the rain cleared up suddenly and there was a BEAUTIFUL sunset. We were driving to visit one of our members and I pulled over the car, so that we could take a picture of it. Even the camera couldn't grasp the full beauty. I then was thinking to myself and expressed to my companion "How can someone see this and not believe that there is a God?!" I look around at this beautiful world and at the blessings we are given and I know with all of my heart that there is a God! In the midst of all of His beautiful creations, worlds, and universes, He knows us personally. I know that He knows each one of you personally. He loves you so much.
Thank you for your love & for your examples. Thank you for your support!
I LOVE YOU!!!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
This past week has been an adventure, but so it is with every week out here. I have been contemplating, meditating, and pondering about who I am and who I want to be. This life is a time to improve, a time to progress. In the Alma (in the Book of Mormon) chapter 34: 32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
I love that in verse 33 it talks about improving our time, improving our life here on this Earth because that is our purpose. I have been thinking about what I want to be. I want to be full of love for others. I want others to feel good, edified, and uplifted when they are around me and I know that isn't always the case, but I have that desire. And desires do count for something! I am thinking about the ways that I can become who I want to be and I know that the first step is in prayer. I have been praying to the Lord to help me be more filled with His love for all of those that I come in contact with. I know that it is through Love that we can help others change their lives.
This is the last week of this transfer and we are going to go out with a BOOM of LOVE, haha. I don't know what this next transfer has in store for me. I may stay, but I may leave. Hermana Fenn may leave or may stay, I just don't know! I do know that I love Vacaville with all my heart. I love our investigators. I love the members. I love my companion. I have learned so many things that I couldn't have learned otherwise. I know, though, that whatever happens is what the Lord wants, so you know that song "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go Dear Lord"? It rings true for transfers because it's not always easy to leave what you know to something different and strange. We will see what happens, though, and you will all know next Monday!
We had a Zone Conference this past week and it was so good! I am so thankful for the people I have met on my mission. I am so thankful for the missionaries in this mission, for President and Sister Bunker. They are amazing! President Bunker was talking about how it's important to "choose faith over worry" and to know that if we trust in the Lord, everything will be okay! I was reading an amazing talk by President Uchtdorft this morning "Your Happily Ever After" http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-young-women-meeting/2010/03/your-happily-ever-after?lang=eng&query=your+happily+ever+after and there is a part that says:
"Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.”
I know that is true. We have to have faith, we have to be strong and face trials knowing that the Lord will help us if we allow Him to. I am so thankful for the times in my life where, yes it was hard, but I knew that the only choice I had was to rely on the Lord and He helped me through them. How blessed are we to have the knowledge of a God, of a Savior who loves us SO much.
The other day we were talking to two teenage guys and one of them didn't believe in God, he was telling us that he doesn't know how someone could believe that there was a God. We testified that through prayer we can come to know God and feel of His love for us. That day was a rainy day and it was raining pretty hard. After we had talked to them, the rain cleared up suddenly and there was a BEAUTIFUL sunset. We were driving to visit one of our members and I pulled over the car, so that we could take a picture of it. Even the camera couldn't grasp the full beauty. I then was thinking to myself and expressed to my companion "How can someone see this and not believe that there is a God?!" I look around at this beautiful world and at the blessings we are given and I know with all of my heart that there is a God! In the midst of all of His beautiful creations, worlds, and universes, He knows us personally. I know that He knows each one of you personally. He loves you so much.
Thank you for your love & for your examples. Thank you for your support!
I LOVE YOU!!!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
03-12-12
Good morning!
I have been so ready to write you and let you know how much I love all of you! I am happy to hear that the wedding went well! I am sure that it was beautiful and wonderful. I want to hear all about it and more pictures would be nice too. :] I am happy Jennica is now an "official" part of our family, she always has been my sister, though! Family is so important and I am so happy to have all of you in my life. You are AMAZING. Never forget that!
On Wednesday, we went to Oakland to hear from Elder L. Tom Perry (apostle) with all of our mission and then also the Oakland/ San Francisco mission. It was amazing! With all of the missionaries together, I felt like I was back in the MTC and it's an amazing feeling. Being together united with tons of missionaries brings a spirit that is beautiful. There is a spirit of unity and purpose among us missionaries of the Lord, representatives of Jesus Christ, that cannot be felt elsewhere. Elder Perry is so awesome! He is funny, he is genuine, he is a man called of God. A few things that he talked about was how this is the greatest time since the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ to be a missionary. He spoke of all of the things that are going on in the media with the "Book of Mormon" play in New York, Mitt Romney running for President, and all sorts of other things. He told us that we are here to bring the truth unto God's children. We are the messengers of the TRUTH. He bore a strong, powerful testimony that bore witness to me again that Jesus is the Christ and Joseph Smith did see God and Jesus Christ & that they did call him, a humble, young boy to restore The Church of Jesus Christ.
What is truth?! Truth is something that can't be imitated. Truth is real and genuine. Truth is something as it really, actually is. We talk to many different people everyday and do you know what our message is to each one?! Well we first share about the Restoration, or The Plan of Salvation, or about a living day Prophet that guides the True Church today...but whatever "truth" we share, we then invite them to read, to study it, to ponder it, and then to pray about it. Each invitation is an invite to seek for themselves the TRUTH. God, our Heavenly Father is the source of all truth. We can know the truth of all things from God, from praying. He will NEVER lead us astray. Every time, which is dozens of time a day, that we invite someone to pray and find out for themselves the TRUTH, I can't help but feel the spirit. I know that what the Lord is guiding us to say is the truth.
There is a scripture in Moroni 10:4-5 lets us know that if we honestly seek out the truth with faith, a sincere heart, and real intent, the Lord will tell us the truth of all things. I know that is true. How?! Because I've prayed, I've seeked it out. Why am I here sharing the truth with others?! Because it is the truth. I know with all of my heart that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ leads and guides this church. I know that God loves us. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know that we are here for a purpose and that is to be HAPPY. How can we be happy?! We can be truly happy by knowing and following the TRUTH.
I love you so much! Have a wonderful week. :]
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!
I have been so ready to write you and let you know how much I love all of you! I am happy to hear that the wedding went well! I am sure that it was beautiful and wonderful. I want to hear all about it and more pictures would be nice too. :] I am happy Jennica is now an "official" part of our family, she always has been my sister, though! Family is so important and I am so happy to have all of you in my life. You are AMAZING. Never forget that!
On Wednesday, we went to Oakland to hear from Elder L. Tom Perry (apostle) with all of our mission and then also the Oakland/ San Francisco mission. It was amazing! With all of the missionaries together, I felt like I was back in the MTC and it's an amazing feeling. Being together united with tons of missionaries brings a spirit that is beautiful. There is a spirit of unity and purpose among us missionaries of the Lord, representatives of Jesus Christ, that cannot be felt elsewhere. Elder Perry is so awesome! He is funny, he is genuine, he is a man called of God. A few things that he talked about was how this is the greatest time since the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ to be a missionary. He spoke of all of the things that are going on in the media with the "Book of Mormon" play in New York, Mitt Romney running for President, and all sorts of other things. He told us that we are here to bring the truth unto God's children. We are the messengers of the TRUTH. He bore a strong, powerful testimony that bore witness to me again that Jesus is the Christ and Joseph Smith did see God and Jesus Christ & that they did call him, a humble, young boy to restore The Church of Jesus Christ.
What is truth?! Truth is something that can't be imitated. Truth is real and genuine. Truth is something as it really, actually is. We talk to many different people everyday and do you know what our message is to each one?! Well we first share about the Restoration, or The Plan of Salvation, or about a living day Prophet that guides the True Church today...but whatever "truth" we share, we then invite them to read, to study it, to ponder it, and then to pray about it. Each invitation is an invite to seek for themselves the TRUTH. God, our Heavenly Father is the source of all truth. We can know the truth of all things from God, from praying. He will NEVER lead us astray. Every time, which is dozens of time a day, that we invite someone to pray and find out for themselves the TRUTH, I can't help but feel the spirit. I know that what the Lord is guiding us to say is the truth.
There is a scripture in Moroni 10:4-5 lets us know that if we honestly seek out the truth with faith, a sincere heart, and real intent, the Lord will tell us the truth of all things. I know that is true. How?! Because I've prayed, I've seeked it out. Why am I here sharing the truth with others?! Because it is the truth. I know with all of my heart that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ leads and guides this church. I know that God loves us. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know that we are here for a purpose and that is to be HAPPY. How can we be happy?! We can be truly happy by knowing and following the TRUTH.
I love you so much! Have a wonderful week. :]
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!
03-05-12
Buenos dias mi familia!
This week is a big week, for all of you and for me! I hope that EVERYTHING goes wonderful with Clark and Jennica's wedding. I know that it will and I know that it will be beautiful! I will be thinking about it! I received the announcement last Monday actually, and LOVE it. It is so cute! Enjoy it!
On Wednesday the Santa Rosa California Mission which means ME, haha, and the Oakland/San Francisco Mission get to meet in Oakland and hear from Elder L. Tom Perry, an apostle of the Lord. Yay! We are all so excited and I know that it is going to be a wonderful experience! It is always a powerful and spiritual experience when hearing from a general authority. I will tell you about it next week!
Life is beautiful. I love this opportunity I have to be serving the Lord. You all know that I am a type of person who loves setting goals. Sometimes, though, I am so focused on doing them and achieving them that I forget to live in the moment. It is something I have struggled with for a long while now and I think a lot of people do. Well, I know a lot of people do. It is something I am working on though, and the beautiful thing is that with the Lord's help it is possible! Saturday, was a beautiful day, the weather was beautiful and it really wasn't different than any other day other than I was really living in the moment, I was enjoying the beauty around me. We went into a lesson and had a really good lesson with a lady named Juana. It went good, we taught her the first lesson, taught her about the Book of Mormon, and gave her a chapter to read. We invited her to read it and to pray about it. We bore testimony of the powerful effect of the Book of Mormon in our lives. We made a return appointment and we were able to meet her beautiful little girl. It was a good lesson and I enjoyed every minute of it. Afterward, my companion was saying how it went good, but was saying a few different things that we could have done better. We are working so hard to be the best instruments in the hands of the Lord that we can and what she began doing is the very thing that I always do. I always walk away from a lesson saying the things that I wish I could have done better and the things I can do better next time. I was surprised that I wasn't feeling that same way. I realized though, that I had loved every minute of the experience with Juana. We had done our best and we had been following the spirit. I was very happy with how it went. As we were talking about the lesson, I began telling her that we did good. We had done our best and followed the spirit. As I did so, I realized that this was a little abnormal for me. I realized that I had asked the Lord for help to live in every moment and enjoy the day. I know that it was the Lord helping me, I know that the Lord had heard my prayer and my desire. I don't want it to sound like I'm not enjoying my mission or enjoying the experiences because I am! I do realize, though, that I think we get so caught up in life, the things we have to do, that we forget to enjoy the journey. Now, we always should evaluate our teaching, we should always look for ways to better ourselves. I think, though, that it's good to be happy with what you did do and be happy when you know you did your best and followed the spirit.
Yesterday in the Spanish group, I bore my testimony about enjoying the journey. It is so important! I thought that there had to be a scripture about that and of course, there is one! The scriptures have ALL the answers. REALLY. Haha. There is a scripture found in Psalms 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." I love it and I think it's going to be my new motto for a while. :]
This isn't something new, but I guess I realized that even when we are having a few difficulties or the work is hard, we CAN find happiness. We can find peace, and we can live and enjoy every moment.
Life is beautiful. ENJOY it! Thank you, thank you for the love you constantly show me. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being YOU!
Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
This week is a big week, for all of you and for me! I hope that EVERYTHING goes wonderful with Clark and Jennica's wedding. I know that it will and I know that it will be beautiful! I will be thinking about it! I received the announcement last Monday actually, and LOVE it. It is so cute! Enjoy it!
On Wednesday the Santa Rosa California Mission which means ME, haha, and the Oakland/San Francisco Mission get to meet in Oakland and hear from Elder L. Tom Perry, an apostle of the Lord. Yay! We are all so excited and I know that it is going to be a wonderful experience! It is always a powerful and spiritual experience when hearing from a general authority. I will tell you about it next week!
Life is beautiful. I love this opportunity I have to be serving the Lord. You all know that I am a type of person who loves setting goals. Sometimes, though, I am so focused on doing them and achieving them that I forget to live in the moment. It is something I have struggled with for a long while now and I think a lot of people do. Well, I know a lot of people do. It is something I am working on though, and the beautiful thing is that with the Lord's help it is possible! Saturday, was a beautiful day, the weather was beautiful and it really wasn't different than any other day other than I was really living in the moment, I was enjoying the beauty around me. We went into a lesson and had a really good lesson with a lady named Juana. It went good, we taught her the first lesson, taught her about the Book of Mormon, and gave her a chapter to read. We invited her to read it and to pray about it. We bore testimony of the powerful effect of the Book of Mormon in our lives. We made a return appointment and we were able to meet her beautiful little girl. It was a good lesson and I enjoyed every minute of it. Afterward, my companion was saying how it went good, but was saying a few different things that we could have done better. We are working so hard to be the best instruments in the hands of the Lord that we can and what she began doing is the very thing that I always do. I always walk away from a lesson saying the things that I wish I could have done better and the things I can do better next time. I was surprised that I wasn't feeling that same way. I realized though, that I had loved every minute of the experience with Juana. We had done our best and we had been following the spirit. I was very happy with how it went. As we were talking about the lesson, I began telling her that we did good. We had done our best and followed the spirit. As I did so, I realized that this was a little abnormal for me. I realized that I had asked the Lord for help to live in every moment and enjoy the day. I know that it was the Lord helping me, I know that the Lord had heard my prayer and my desire. I don't want it to sound like I'm not enjoying my mission or enjoying the experiences because I am! I do realize, though, that I think we get so caught up in life, the things we have to do, that we forget to enjoy the journey. Now, we always should evaluate our teaching, we should always look for ways to better ourselves. I think, though, that it's good to be happy with what you did do and be happy when you know you did your best and followed the spirit.
Yesterday in the Spanish group, I bore my testimony about enjoying the journey. It is so important! I thought that there had to be a scripture about that and of course, there is one! The scriptures have ALL the answers. REALLY. Haha. There is a scripture found in Psalms 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." I love it and I think it's going to be my new motto for a while. :]
This isn't something new, but I guess I realized that even when we are having a few difficulties or the work is hard, we CAN find happiness. We can find peace, and we can live and enjoy every moment.
Life is beautiful. ENJOY it! Thank you, thank you for the love you constantly show me. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being YOU!
Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
02-27-2012
Good morning familia!
I want to say how thankful I am for each & every one of you. Thank you for your love and thank you for your support. I wake up every morning and can't help but feel so grateful for all that I have. And, of course, at the very top of that list is my family, my beautiful family.
A "miracle moment" if you will, took place this past week and I want to share it with you. I was on exchanges with Sister Thomas here in Vacaville from Friday night to Saturday. As we were going about visiting a few of our investigators, I caught a glimpse of a lady with her son at the park not too far away. Sister Thomas hadn't even seen her and so I insisted that we go talk to her. As we approached her, we let her know who we were and that we wanted to help her find more peace and happiness in her life. We began to tell her about the Book of Mormon and that within the Book of Mormon we can find solutions to problems, peace in times of difficulties, and comfort when we need it the most. From the beginning, this young mom gave off the vibe that she wasn't really interested. We continued, though, and as we were bearing testimony about the Book of Mormon, we noticed that she was crying and I realized that she was interested, very interested and was listening. I felt spirit so strong. As we talked to her more, she began to tell us she is in a place in her life where she doesn't know what to do anymore. She expressed that she knew that we were sent to her that day and she was excited to read the Book of Mormon and learn more about the church. I felt the spirit SO strong because I knew that we were being instruments in the Lord's hands. I felt so much love for Laura, even though I had just met her. I wanted to help her, I wanted to do anything for her and her son so that they could have a happier life, so that they could have the spirit of the Lord in their lives and in their home. As we walked away, I couldn't help but cry because there really is nothing greater than being an instrument in the Lord's hands.
It is these moments that make a mission. It is these moments that I will forever cherish.
Yesterday as we were standing at the chapel doors, waiting for people to arrive we were both feeling very stressed. We had a recent convert there with his wife and no one else was there (the leaders were going around picking people up). He was looking around wondering what was going on and we were feeling the effects of that and then people not being there. We have been working so hard and then come Sunday, it appears as if we hadn't done anything. As we were waiting for the leaders to arrive with some members, Hna. Fenn started saying these she was grateful for. She asked me what I am grateful for and even though it didn't take away the stress and my headache was still there, I knew that I was blessed. I am so blessed. We are so blessed. In our life, we are going to have times of trials, we are going to be stressed, we will feel defeated, but we always have something to be grateful for. So right now, I want to take a minute and share with you what I am grateful for this beautiful day:
I am grateful for the Gospel in my life & that through the Atonement we can be completely healed.
I am so grateful for all of you. Thank you for everything you do for me! I will never have words adequate to express my gratitude and love for you.
I am thankful for my mission and all of the many people I have met, all of the many experiences I've had that have changed me.
I am thankful for the Book of Mormon. It is my favorite book in the entire world.
I am thankful for President and Sister Bunker. They are amazing! He is the best Mission President. Really though. Haha.
I am thankful for my companion. She is such a great example to me. I love her so much!
Yes, there are hard times. Yes, there are challenges. Yes, things don't always turn out how we would have planned, but I can promise you that if we do our best, the Lord will do the rest. I am 100% confident that when we do what is right and that when we are faithful, we can be sure that the Lord will take care of us and comfort us.
“Do not expect that all will go smoothly throughout your life. Even for those who are living as they should, it sometimes will be just the opposite. Meet each of life’s challenges with optimism and surety and you will have the peace and faith to sustain you now and in the future.
For those who do not yet have all the blessings you feel you want and need to have, I firmly believe that no experience or opportunity essential for redemption and salvation will be denied you who live faithfully. Remain worthy; be hopeful, patient, and prayerful. Things have a way of working out. The gift of the Holy Ghost will guide you and direct your actions. I invoke a blessing upon you that life will be full and that you can find peace. If you look forward with hope and desire to do that which the Lord would have you do, that is all that is expected.” -Elder Boyd K. Packer ("Truths Most Worth Knowing").
I love you and am thankful for you. Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
I want to say how thankful I am for each & every one of you. Thank you for your love and thank you for your support. I wake up every morning and can't help but feel so grateful for all that I have. And, of course, at the very top of that list is my family, my beautiful family.
A "miracle moment" if you will, took place this past week and I want to share it with you. I was on exchanges with Sister Thomas here in Vacaville from Friday night to Saturday. As we were going about visiting a few of our investigators, I caught a glimpse of a lady with her son at the park not too far away. Sister Thomas hadn't even seen her and so I insisted that we go talk to her. As we approached her, we let her know who we were and that we wanted to help her find more peace and happiness in her life. We began to tell her about the Book of Mormon and that within the Book of Mormon we can find solutions to problems, peace in times of difficulties, and comfort when we need it the most. From the beginning, this young mom gave off the vibe that she wasn't really interested. We continued, though, and as we were bearing testimony about the Book of Mormon, we noticed that she was crying and I realized that she was interested, very interested and was listening. I felt spirit so strong. As we talked to her more, she began to tell us she is in a place in her life where she doesn't know what to do anymore. She expressed that she knew that we were sent to her that day and she was excited to read the Book of Mormon and learn more about the church. I felt the spirit SO strong because I knew that we were being instruments in the Lord's hands. I felt so much love for Laura, even though I had just met her. I wanted to help her, I wanted to do anything for her and her son so that they could have a happier life, so that they could have the spirit of the Lord in their lives and in their home. As we walked away, I couldn't help but cry because there really is nothing greater than being an instrument in the Lord's hands.
It is these moments that make a mission. It is these moments that I will forever cherish.
Yesterday as we were standing at the chapel doors, waiting for people to arrive we were both feeling very stressed. We had a recent convert there with his wife and no one else was there (the leaders were going around picking people up). He was looking around wondering what was going on and we were feeling the effects of that and then people not being there. We have been working so hard and then come Sunday, it appears as if we hadn't done anything. As we were waiting for the leaders to arrive with some members, Hna. Fenn started saying these she was grateful for. She asked me what I am grateful for and even though it didn't take away the stress and my headache was still there, I knew that I was blessed. I am so blessed. We are so blessed. In our life, we are going to have times of trials, we are going to be stressed, we will feel defeated, but we always have something to be grateful for. So right now, I want to take a minute and share with you what I am grateful for this beautiful day:
I am grateful for the Gospel in my life & that through the Atonement we can be completely healed.
I am so grateful for all of you. Thank you for everything you do for me! I will never have words adequate to express my gratitude and love for you.
I am thankful for my mission and all of the many people I have met, all of the many experiences I've had that have changed me.
I am thankful for the Book of Mormon. It is my favorite book in the entire world.
I am thankful for President and Sister Bunker. They are amazing! He is the best Mission President. Really though. Haha.
I am thankful for my companion. She is such a great example to me. I love her so much!
Yes, there are hard times. Yes, there are challenges. Yes, things don't always turn out how we would have planned, but I can promise you that if we do our best, the Lord will do the rest. I am 100% confident that when we do what is right and that when we are faithful, we can be sure that the Lord will take care of us and comfort us.
“Do not expect that all will go smoothly throughout your life. Even for those who are living as they should, it sometimes will be just the opposite. Meet each of life’s challenges with optimism and surety and you will have the peace and faith to sustain you now and in the future.
For those who do not yet have all the blessings you feel you want and need to have, I firmly believe that no experience or opportunity essential for redemption and salvation will be denied you who live faithfully. Remain worthy; be hopeful, patient, and prayerful. Things have a way of working out. The gift of the Holy Ghost will guide you and direct your actions. I invoke a blessing upon you that life will be full and that you can find peace. If you look forward with hope and desire to do that which the Lord would have you do, that is all that is expected.” -Elder Boyd K. Packer ("Truths Most Worth Knowing").
I love you and am thankful for you. Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Robinson
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