Until The Last Door
Hello
Friends and Family!
I
cannot even begin to explain how absolutely happy I am. Georgia is so
beautiful, and the people here are fabulous. I'm currently in LaGrange, Georgia
(and will probably be here for at least the next 12 weeks or so)! LaGrange is
right by the Georgia/Alabama border, and our area is massive! If we were to
drive from one end of our area to the other, it would take us about 2 hours (at
least)! That seems so overwhelming because there are so many awesome people to
teach, and it feels like not enough time. This week my companion and I were
able to commit 3 of Heavenly Father's Children to baptism (two for September,
and one for October), and find 8 new investigators! However, it really isn't my
companion or I that commit them - but the Spirit. We are just the instruments
in the Lord's hands.
To
begin, I cannot even describe the number of miracles I, and my new companion
(Elder
Last
Sunday, August 6th, the day before I left the Missionary Training Center, all
the missionaries were able to hear from Elder David A. Bednar following one of
his previously - filmed devotionals on the Character of Christ. All of the departing Elders and Sisters were
in one room, and after the film was shown, we were asked to remain seated
(there were about 400 of us). About thirty seconds later, some
doors at the front of the room opened and everyone stood suddenly. I followed
and looked at who we were standing for. My
eyes quickly settled on, and realized, that Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles had entered the room. The Spirit and feeling of the room changed so
quickly, and the room went up in a gasp. He took the stand and began taking
questions regarding the Gospel. The Spirit testified so strongly to me that
this man was truly a prophet of God; I began to cry as the Spirit testified of
the truth of this Gospel, to me. He quickly made a statement that I was drawn
to, and the Holy Ghost testified to me that I needed to hear it. He said,
"If you keep your covenants and strive to always be better, are working
and be obedient, you will be okay." He gave everyone in that room,
including me, an Apostolic blessing that as we have the Holy Ghost, we will be
able to continue in our work of the Lord as missionaries of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Spirit not only testified to me of how true
his blessing was to me and everyone there, but that he and the First Presidency
truly love the missionaries. He not only gave his best regards from the Quorum
and the Prophet, but continued to testify deeply as missionaries asked him
questions.
Perhaps
one of the strongest moments of my entire night, regarding the Spirit I was
feeling, was when a Sister missionary stood and asked how we can best develop
Charity, as a Christlike attribute. As the Sister began to weep while asking
her question, I could feel of the Spirit so strongly that Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ truly love all of us as their Children, and that he loves us even
as we strive to seek answers for ourselves (just as this Sister was asking in
Faith, hoping to receive an answer). Elder Bednar’s response was that as we
have the Holy Ghost, and press forward in our work, that Heavenly Father will
grant unto us this gift of charity, along with all other gifts as needed, as
Heavenly Father desires it to bring His children to their Savior. That Heavenly
Father’s ability to give us these Spiritual Gifts, as with anything else before
our Lord our King, come as these gifts will bring others to this Gospel. Elder
Bednar continued to testify through the night, with tears streaming down my
face, that as we strive to never give up and follow every prompting of the
Spirit, the Lord will always be near us, to guide us where we need to go.
Throughout the rest of the night, Elder Bednar never ceased to recognize that
this work, or serving our Savior Jesus Christ, has absolutely nothing to do
with us. That missionary work is completely done through the Spirit and the
Holy Ghost as it touches others. The challenge he gave to every missionary was
to totally (TOTALLY) give up ourselves and every thought of the natural man,
and to draw closer to Jesus Christ by giving our will to slowly match His own
will. That as we match our will with His, every thought and deed we have will
be from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I share my testimony with you, that I
know my Heavenly Father lives and is a perfected and exalted being, in total
perfection, with a tangible body of flesh. That in fact Heavenly Father is our
literal Father in Heaven, that we are His children, and he is perfectly aware
of who we are and our situation and what are deepest desires are. I testify
that the Spirit and this Holy Ghost not only brings us to be a witness to all
these things, but is able to unveil the mysteries of our God. That the Holy
Ghost is the witness of our Father and our Brother Jesus Christ, because it
allows us to understand more fully how we can truly return on the path to live
with our Father in Heaven again. That as I sit here, I am able to feel my heart
turning to match my Savior’s heart. That I have never been more excited to give
myself totally to this work, just as Jesus Christ gave himself totally to me.
That I will give my best everyday to Him, and He will always qualify me to this
work. I know that Thomas S. Monson, and every prophet before and after him, are
in fact the true prophets on the Earth today. That we have been given prophets
to not only direct us and our path to our Heavenly Father, but to support us
and this generation whenever we struggle with whatever situation we may be in.
The Spirit I felt as Elder Bednar spoke is beyond description. That words will
never begin to describe the Spirit in full, which is frustrating, but as we
strive to live the words of the scriptures and the prophets, we can feel of
this same Spirit in our lives everyday. I am so excited to simply serve Jesus
Christ by trying my best to bring others to Him everyday. Then, like all
mankind, He will raise me up to be someone I could have never imagined. I know
that to find ourselves, we must truly lose ourselves in the service to others.
I do love this Gospel, I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, and cannot
wait to serve every single individual placed in my path through Jesus Christ. I
have never been so happy, and will always strive to never care for myself or my
feelings, but only care for what is needed to match the actions and thoughts in
my life with the Will of the Father. True happiness is never found in worldly
possessions, but in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and by always increasing our
testimony.
The
next day, I was able to leave the Missionary Training Center at 3:50 in the
morning to head for Georgia! After landing in Atlanta, and heading to the
mission home, I was able to meet my Mission President: President Grayson. He
and his wife were so sweet, and it was just another confirmation to me that in
fact I am in the right place, at the right time, fulfilling the Lord's destined
work. The next day we got our new companions! Like I mentioned above, Elder
Sorensen is from Logan, Utah and is amazing! We have already bonded so well
together, and we have been learning so much from each other. We have not only
learned more about our Savior Jesus Christ together, but we have also learned
how to better, and more easily, communicate with one another regarding those
who have been interested in the Gospel. After arriving in LaGrange, I knew
immediately this place was for me. I can testify that our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ is real, and that I was able to feel that so many times in my life. However,
almost no feeling touched me deeper than when we drove into LaGrange that day.
Life is a miracle, and the Spirit told me that it is time to give my whole self
to the Lord’s work and to bring His children unto Him in all things.
Our
first appointment together was with a lady by the name of Dorthy. The
missionaries have been talking with her for quite sometime now, and she seems
to hold so much potential. We were able to teach her (through the playful,
loving distractions of her children) of the power of the Book of Mormon. We
were able to teach her of Prophets, and I was blessed to be led by the Spirit
to explain to her that in fact her Heavenly Father loves her and wants her to
feel at peace. One of the concerns that she voiced is that she was not able to
find peace in her life through all of her daily hassles. Not only did I feel
prompted to explain to her how to pray, and the blessings of prayer, but guided
her to be able to find a quiet place to be able to pray and told her that if
she would but focus on how she is feeling after the prayer, and focus on
herself, that she would feel at Peace and have the Holy Ghost in her life. The
Spirit was strong as I bore testimony that Heavenly Father knows that where our
hearts are, there will our treasures be also. I explained how she treasured her
kids (as we all could tell), and so there her heart is. I then was also able to
testify to her that if she but treasure the Book of Mormon, and would try to
pray and read it every night, that she would be able to feel peace and the
truth of it. She committed to do these things, and her eyes began to swell
slightly with tears (from feeling the Spirit) and she realized how much she
treasures her own children. The Spirit was strong in my first investigator's
meeting, and there is no other way I would have wanted it to go. Reflecting
back, I am able to realize more fully the Christlike love that exists between
all those I have, and will teach. That in fact, I love Dorothy and her two kids
even though I do not know them in the least. The Spirit of Love the Savior
offers is truly incredible; and he offers it to everyone. After this, we began
to knock doors. This was my very first street I was to go knocking-doors on,
and the reality of my situation became so real. The Spirit, like it has been
aiding me the whole time, comforted me beyond expression as I walked down North
Greenwood Street in LaGrange, Georgia. To think I have come all this way is
incredible, and I know that the only reason I have come all this way is through
the mercy and Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Perhaps the
coolest experience of the night for me was the very last house we hit on the
way to our car. As we were walking back down from some other houses we had been
knocking on, there was one last house before reaching our car. The lights were
on, and I felt the Spirit touch me that we should knock on this one last door.
We did so, and a high-school aged teenager answered. We explained who we were,
and that our purpose was to bring others to Jesus Christ. He seemed receptive,
and we offered him a Book of Mormon. As soon as we gave it to him, he looked at
us and said, “My brother would love this. He is in the shower right now.” As we
continued to talk to this young man at the door, we again testified of the
truth of this Gospel, and we said we might check back another day to talk to
his brother. As we turned around and my feet hit the last stair to head back to
the road, I heard a voice behind me say, “Hey! This is him he just got out of
the shower!” Turning around, I saw James (his brother). We went back to the
porch, and I felt the Spirit the strongest (compared to the whole day) as I
testified to him and bore my testimony that the Spirit prompted me to come to
their house for some reason. I literally saw his eyes light up and we explained
what the Book of Mormon was, and I bore my testimony of the truth of this
Gospel, and that his God and Heavenly Father are very aware of him and his
individual situation. He told us that we could return to him tomorrow, and we
asked him to read the introduction and first Nephi in the Book of Mormon. The
Spirit was strong, and I will never forget the look in his eyes when I first
mentioned who we were and that I (through the Spirit alone) was guided to knock
one last door. His door. As I reflect on this day, and my four weeks out in the
mission field, I can testify that the Spirit and God work in mysterious, but
beautiful ways. That this Gospel and Jesus Christ is not some myth or made-up
story. That instead, this Gospel is about love, Jesus Christ, and who we may
become. I testify to all who may read these words, that I know my Heavenly
Father is my God, he is my Almighty, and will forever be my Eternal Father. I
know that I am on a mission for a reason, and that, in fact, I am and will try to
always put my best foot forward every week to draw as many people as I can to
the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have been
able to meet with him a few times since, and the Spirit has guided both Elder
Sorensen and I in all of these lessons. During our second lesson, the Spirit
was so strong, and we were able to commit him to Baptism for September 16th! He
just kept saying how he had been searching for something more in his life, and
I will just continue to pray every night for him that he may continue to feel
of this Spirit.
There
are literally so many stories, just like this one, that I feel like I could
tell. However, I'll only tell one more. At the end of the day Saturday, after
meeting with people, teaching lessons, and knocking on some doors, Elder
Sorensen felt prompted to go to one last door, and try to go visit one of our
progressing investigators. His name is Allen, and we had only been able to talk
with him once before during the week. He has been so concerned about the
direction of his life, and lost as to who (or which religion) speaks the truth
of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. We prayed in the car before we went to
knock on his door, not even knowing if he was home or not. Of course, because
of who our Heavenly Father is and how much he loves us, he was home. We talked
with him, and eventually the conversation got into how guilty he felt in life,
and that he has felt an increasing desire to change recently. I felt prompted
to bear my testimony, and then felt strongly to commit him to baptism. I
I could
continue with stories just like this. Of miracles, of the Spirit, and of the
reality of our Heavenly Father and this Gospel. But I will close by simply
stating that this Gospel is about change. It is about being able to become
someone we could never imagine becoming. That this Gospel, and the entirety of
the Plan of Salvation, is completed by the mercy and Atonement of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. I wish I could fully describe to all of you the joy I
feel, have felt, and know I will continue to feel as I go throughout another
week serving the people of LaGrange, Georgia. However, words can never fully describe
the Spirit. If words could actually fully describe Godly experiences, there
would be no point in trying to feel it for ourselves. I pray that each of you
may find comfort in the Holy Ghost, and feel of how deeply your Heavenly Father
and Savior Jesus Christ love you, and are deeply aware of you and your trials.
Thanks
for all your continued support. Love you all! Until next week, and until the
last door is knocked.
Elder
Robb
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