The Southern Spirit

Hello Friends and Family!

This week has been awesome. I have honestly never been happier, or more grateful, to be anywhere in my entire life. I LOVE THE SOUTH. Not only do I love the people, but I love their culture (trust me, the culture down here is so real) but I love their deep, general, devotion to God, and always wanting to know more about Him and our Savior Jesus Christ. It especially hit me hard this week thinking about all the ways that you have each touched my life, and have been able to bring me closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as well. Thank you for all your support, emails, prayers, and letters. They have meant, and continue to mean, so much to me. This is the hardest part of my week! Where to begin (sorry, yes I will say that every week)? I think for today I will just tell two stories. These two experiences have been the highlight of my week, and have brought me so much joy, and have certainly brought me closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.

The first story is about a woman named Candi (said like candy). If you can't tell by the name already, we have gotten along GREAT. Anyways, we met her Sunday night while knocking on doors. As usual, IT WAS THE LAST DOOR WE KNOCKED ON. There is something incredible about enduring to the end, and knocking and reaching out to every last individual that we can. We both felt prompted early that day to go to this neighborhood we both had never been to before, and knock doors. As we were knocking, we weren't having much success, and then we saw this last house. The Spirit spoke to us BOTH so strongly at the same time that we needed to go knock on that door. Elder Sorensen and I both looked at each other, at the house, then back at each other, and Elder Sorensen said, "You felt that too?" It was safe to say that Heavenly Father, through the Spirit, really needed us to go knock on this last and particular door. A thirteen year old girl (as we found out later) answered, and Elder Sorensen asked if anyone would be interested in hearing a message about our Savior. She said, let me ask. Then her mother, Candi, came to the door. Candi is a forty year old mother, and she came onto the porch. We had barely asked if she would be interested in our message, when she began cry and tell us about her experience with getting close to our Savior. She stated how she had a disabled son, and one daughter, and how her husband had left her not to long ago. She explained how a few years ago (three days after her husband left her) she, and her daughter, and her disabled son were in a massive accident. They were hit by a truck that was the size of a dump truck (coming back from a work site) in an intersection. She says how the truck their were all in had slid 75 feet, but luckily it didn’t roll. She then explained how it was a miracle that all of her kids were okay, and she was still alive. She stated how, on that same night as the accident a few years ago, the City of LaGrange had experienced almost four tornados and they weren’t able to fly the medical helicopter with their son Austin (with the disability) to Atlanta for treatment. However, the ambulance was able to take him all the way there and he was still alive on arrival (which, with tears in her eyes, she stated was a miracle). She explained how his skull had almost collapsed,, but the doctors were able to induce a few comas on him, and he left with a brain injury, but was still alive. By this time, Candi was already very moved emotially, and the Spirit was so strong as we could sense how much she truly cared and loved her family. She said how, looking back on this experience, how her husband never came back to help (even after the accident), and it confirmed to her that she was never supposed to be with him. She explained how God, no matter the trial, is always preparing us for something better. Candi explained how that tragic experience for her, and her two kids, had prepared them for many hardships they had been experiencing the last few months. The Spirit was so strong. We both felt so compelled to bear our testimonies that we knew that Austin will someday sit at the right hand of God, and that all those with disabilities will be allowed to live with their Eternal Father forever, in complete Exaltation. As the Spirit grew even stronger, we stated how this was our last house for the evening, and Elder Sorensen and I had felt drawn to it. That their was something special in this house that we were to know of. I realized in that moment how much Heavenly Father loved this woman. That she was a single mother, with a disabled son and a daughter, and that she was still looking on the bright side of life. As Elder Sorensen bore his testimony about how he knew how deeply her Heavenly Father loved her, the Spirit touched us all even more and the Spirit was so strong you could have cut it with a knife! The Spirit was so powerful, and we told her that we know that there was a life before this one, where we lived in the presence of the Father, and we were assigned to families.  At that time, we were allowed to see some of the trials that we would face, and that Candi had accepted those trials. We felt the Spirit so strongly. This whole encounter lasted almost an hour, and literally it was the greatest experience on my mission so far. Truly, I just felt so quickly the love that her Heavenly Father had for her, and her entire family. I know that this Gospel is true, and that Heavenly Father uses us as instruments in His hands to gather those he has prepared through the refiners fire. We were able to set up a return appointment, and right as we were about to leave, Candi explained how she had no idea why she felt so compelled to open up to us (as two strangers to her) like that. Elder Sorensen and I both knew that it was because of the Spirit, and because of the recognition that she had towards us as carrying that Spirit, that caused her to open up to us and let us bring our testimonies of this Gospel to her. Truly, this is not just the Lord's Church, but this is the Lord's work in all forms. It is ONLY because Elder Sorensen and I were able to feel of the Spirit, and that Candi was as well, that this experience was able to occur. Everyday, with moments like this (and the one below), it just confirms to me (through the Spirit) of how true this Gospel really is.

The last experience that I wanted to share with you all, before I close, is about another

individual we knocked into. We ran into her last night. Again, not only was the Spirit the teacher (like it always will be), but Elder Sorensen and I were truly guided by the Spirit to her, and to finding another one of Heavenly Father's children who need to hear the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Sorensen felt prompted that we should return to that area we had been knocking doors earlier that afternoon to try the last few homes that we missed on that street. So many spiritual experiences that we have in life, we will only realize afterwards, that they were in fact spiritual experiences. This, looking back, was truly the Spirit guiding us back to this street. After about 30 minutes we eventually reached a small little home and a 20-25 year old answered. Her name was Meshia, and she quickly let us in to hear our message. She let us in before even fully hearing who we were and why we were there, just besides asking her if she would like to hear a message about Jesus Christ and the restored Gospel. She later stated that she felt the Spirit as she opened the door, and, "Knew that she had to listen to us." As we taught her the Restoration lesson, the Spirit was SO STRONG. She said how she believes that there is more truth out there, and spoke so softly and was so attentive to our lesson. I truly feel that this was one of my first interactions with someone that had been fully prepared by God to hear our message. Not only did she recognize us as the Lord’s servants, but she said that she felt a special Spirit was with us. Like I said before, we as missionaries are never the teacher. It is the Spirit that allows us to get into homes, and more importantly, into the hearts of those we teach. As we taught her about Prophets, Apostles, and the Book of Mormon, she said how she had been 'searching for the truth', and how she had recently been diving deeper into Doctrines, and that she wanted to be able to start a program for children and youth to draw them closer to God, as well. She said that she would not only follow through with all of our commitments to her, but that she would truly read, and pray, to know if the Book of Mormon was the word of God restored to the Earth. I knew, very quickly into our lesson with her, that she had been prepared by our loving Heavenly Father, and that we had been guided by the Spirit, to her home to give her this lesson. She said towards the end of the lesson how she was open to knowing the fuller truth, and that she didn’t believe in coincidences, and that she truly did believe we had been led there for a reason. Honestly, this was by far one of the most amazing experiences of my mission so far (with the experience of Candi, as well). It has been amazing to see our Heavenly Father is putting more prepared individuals in our path to teach, as he is learning to trust us as a companionship more and more. I can’t even describe to you how prepared Meshia is. When we asked her to pray at the end of the lesson, she said a prayer by beginning on calling on our Heavenly Father (like we are taught by the Spirit to do), and closing in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. The Spirit was so strong, and I know that if she really does read, and want to know for herself if this book is true, that she will receive a witness for herself of the truthfulness of this Gospel. I know that if we all want to receive this witness for ourselves, we can all do this exact same thing as well. 

To me, these two experiences both have one thing in common: they were experiences based around the Spirit, and around the love that Heavenly Father has for His children. I gain a more firm testimony each and every week, as these incredible experiences happen to me, that the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ himself.  That as we read the scriptures, and as we follow the teachings of the Prophet and Apostles, that we will realize this truth for ourselves.  I, again, have never been happier and more grateful to be serving a mission.  Time is FLYING BY SO FAST, and it is beyond crazy to think how I have already been in the mission field for more than a month.  I know that everyday is a blessing, and everyday is a new day to witness a new miracle.  That is just the joy of the Southern Spirit, but more importantly, that is the joy of living as a member of the Restored Church on the Earth today.

I love you all so much,

Elder Robb