Hurricanes and Heavenly Father's Guidance

Hello Friends and Family!

Well this week I’ve seen seen miracles, my testimony grow, and a hurricane! Yes, for those of you wondering, Hurricane Irma passed right above LaGrange on Monday, and knocked out our power, and dropped a ton of water and it also came with some really strong winds! We were on lockdown (meaning we weren’t allowed to leave our apartment all day) on Monday, and are just watching to be especially cautious throughout the rest of the week for other thunderstorms rolling in. The rest of our week, however, was super productive and filled with amazing experiences and miracles. There are two really amazing experiences that I wanted to share with you all!

First, I honestly was able to have one of the coolest experiences on my mission (so far) this week. One night, Elder Sorensen and I had finished up all of our appointments, and all of the area we had allotted for contacting (or knocking on doors), and we had about ten minutes left for the night before we were supposed to head back to the apartment. We said a prayer in our car, asking our Heavenly Father what we should best do with His time for the last few minutes of the night. I felt the Spirit so strongly that we should go try a house where someone had requested a copy of the Book of Mormon, and it was a house which we hadn’t had the opportunity to stop yet. When I told Elder Sorensen this, he said that he had felt the exact same way, and was prompted by the Spirit also that we should run by this house and drop off the Book of Mormon they had requested. We drove across town, and located the house, and approached the door. When we knocked, a middle - aged woman answered. We explained who we were, and that we had the free copy of the Book of Mormon that someone had requested from this address. She looked at us VERY confused, and stated that no one had requested a book. We asked her if she was sure, and she said that she was positive that no one had requested a ‘Book of Mormon off of the Internet’. With the Book of Mormon already in my hands, I gave her the copy and briefly explained what it was, and how it had blessed our lives. She took the Book of Mormon, and wished us a good evening and closed the door. When Elder Sorensen and I got back to the car, we sat there in silence for a few minutes just so confused on why we had felt prompted to drive all the way across town to drop off a Book of Mormon that no one had actually requested. We triple checked the address, and we drove home feeling like we had partially wasted the last few minutes of our night. Three days went by, and Elder Sorensen and I had honestly forgotten about the whole experience. We headed over to the local food bank to do our weekly service project, and as we approached the entrance to the Food Bank we heard a man yell across the parking lot to us. He yelled, “Are y’all following me?” We turned around to look at this man, and then looked at each other. Because Elder Sorensen has been in this area much longer than I have, I assumed that maybe it was someone he had met with in the past. However, I knew this must be wrong when Elder Sorensen leaned over to me and whispered, “Do you know him?” I laughed and said I had never seen the man in my life. Now he was walking quickly towards us, and I could tell we were both getting more curious and confused by the second. When we met up, we shook hands, and then the man said, “You look like you have no idea what’s going on. Which would make sense because you’ve never met me before. I’m Kelvin!” I then asked him, while laughing to try and make it a little less awkward, what was going on? He explained and said that we had dropped off a book called the Book of Mormon a few nights ago. It took me a few seconds, and then I asked, “Wait, did we knock on your door at like nine o’clock at night?” He laughed and said yes, and that his wife had taken the book, but since then he had been reading it a lot! He then said, “I was hoping I would run into you both at some point, but I didn’t think it would be this soon!  Could you explain to me the lineage of Lehi and a little more detail about the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith on September 21st, 1823?” As you can probably guess, we literally just stood there STUNNED. There was silence for a second, and Kelvin continued, “Oh, I also really liked the part when Nephi cut off Laban’s head!” Now I was absolutely dumbfounded. We all laughed, and we took a few minutes to answer his questions, and explain to him Joseph Smith, Moroni, and briefly answer some of his other general questions about the Book of Mormon. It was the coolest experience! We were able to get his phone number, and we look forward to meeting with him and his family (did I mention that he has 7 kids?) later this week!  When we inquired a little more about who actually requested the Book of Mormon, he laughed really hard and said that one of his kids was online, saw a mormon.org ad, clicked on it, and requested a free Book of Mormon. Then, when we actually showed up to drop it off, his kid didn’t want to ‘actually confess’ that he actually ordered one. There, on his kitchen table, as he explained, the Book of Mormon sat until he picked it up and began to read it. He also explained that the ONLY REASON why he was at the Food Bank was because a few months ago he had gotten an expensive parking ticket, and the judge made an agreement with him that he could work it off by spending a few days at the Food Bank. Thinking about all of these details, and reflecting back, I formed a picture of everything that had to happen to allow us the chance to meet Kelvin in the parking lot that day. To allow this miracle to have happened, it would have looked something like this: first, Kelvin had to park illegally and there had to have been a police officer to write him a ticket. Second, he would have had to made a deal with the judge, and agree to work off his parking ticket on a certain day (when we met him) at the food bank. Third, one of his children had to have seen the mormon.org ad on the Internet, and clicked on it, AND ordered a Book of Mormon. Fourth, we had to have had that prompting to visit that house that night, and drop off the Book of Mormon. Fifth, Kelvin had to have the desire in himself to actually pick up the Book of Mormon and start to read it. Sixth, Kelvin would have had to actually come to the Food Bank, and Elder Sorensen and I would have had to go to the Food Bank on that very same day. Seventh, Kelvin would have had to have recognized us as ‘Mormons’ and yell out to us, and then tell us everything that happened and his experience so far with reading the Book of Mormon. As Elder Sorensen and I reflected on everything that had to have taken place for this one miracle to occur, we both felt overwhelmed by the Holy Ghost about how much our Heavenly Father loves and watches over us, as well as all of His children. That the Spirit was so strong as we thought about how Heavenly Father had guided us to that home, through the Holy Ghost, in order to plant that seed, and then to be able to see its benefit only three days later. The scripture in 1 Nephi 10:19 has never had more significance, “For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the source of the Lord is one eternal round.” It was such an awesome reminder to Elder Sorensen and I, that sometimes as missionaries we will play the role of the ‘seed planter’, and plant the seeds of the Gospel around us without ever seeing the benefits of planting those seeds to begin with. At other times, however, as missionaries, we have the blessed opportunity to plant these seeds, and then be able to see them come to fruition. No matter which way it is, as missionaries, we always feel what a wonderful opportunity it is to try and bring individuals to the benefits of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This experience has been one of the greatest so far on my mission. Also, reflecting back, I’ve never been so grateful for a parking ticket in my life!

The second story is another awesome experience that helped to build my faith in the power of letting the Holy Ghost guide in all aspects of missionary work. As we were out knocking on doors one night, we saw a younger woman in her early twenties out mowing her lawn. We both approached her, and she quickly turned off her mower and said how ‘HAPPY’ she was to see us! Okay, yes this is the South, and yes there is lots of Southern Hospitality, but this is the first time any individual had said that they were ‘HAPPY’ to see some Mormon missionaries!  Again, slightly caught off guard, we introduced ourselves, and then she said, “Y’all know Troy right?!” We laughed because Troy is one of the young - single adults in our Branch! We said yes, we knew him, and she explained how Troy was ‘her best friend’, and that they had known each other really well in high school also! She invited us onto her porch, and she was beyond open to hearing about our first message: The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Troy had served a full - time mission in Ogden a few years ago, and she said how she had always wanted to meet some missionaries to see and hear what Troy had done for two years. She was not only open, but said how she was ready to find the truth for her life, and to find balance between her morals and her way of living. The Spirit was especially strong as we told her both our conversion stories to the Gospel, and when we knew for ourselves that the Book of Mormon was the word of God, and that the Gospel had truly been restored to the Earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. She said that she would read, and pray, about the Book of Mormon, and would ‘LOVE’ to have us come back next week as well. This little experience was just another testament to me of the power of miracles, and being led by the Spirit where we need to be, when we need to be there. Reflecting back, just as I did with Kelvin’s experience, we had to be led to Troy’s best friend, and be guided to even knock doors in that area in the first place. Then, we had to also have the guidance to talk with her, and to leave our testimonies with her of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Thinking about both of these experiences, if we were just men and were not lead by the Spirit, nothing would ever happen in missionary work. That it is because our Heavenly Father has trust in us, as His missionaries, and because we have been allowed to have the Holy Ghost, that we have the opportunity to teach Heavenly Father’s children here in LaGrange about His Son Jesus Christ.

I know that Joseph Smith lived, and died, for the cause of truth and for the Book of Mormon. I know that Jesus Christ lived, and is Risen from the tomb. I have felt the Hand of the Lord in my life as a missionary each and every day, and felt that truly Heavenly Father is watching over my every thought, foot step, and word. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God because I have seen its power change perspectives, change the light in an individual, and bring someone to a correct awareness of the Fulness of the Restored Gospel.  I know that I will be sealed with my family together forever, and that someday we will have have the chance to account for our actions before our Loving Father in Heaven. I love you all so much! As always, thanks for all the support and prayers you give me each day while I have the opportunity to serve here in the mission field. Until next week!

Elder Robb