The Adventures of Elder Robbs in Lake Butler

Lake Butler, FL

Dear Mom, Dad, Aaron, Billy, Kendall, Family & Friends~

After my long weekly introduction...I'm glad to hear the first couple days of school went well and that everyone is having fun. I am also glad to hear that Aaron is enjoying practice, Billy is having fun at Cottonwood, and that Kendall is making new friends. I'm sorry to learn that Isaac lost his hearing and that his knee is hurt, but at that, I am also very grateful that he can still listen with one ear, and can still walk, and can still control the muscles in his face, as well as the rest of his body. I know he will be able to come out on top and that soon enough he will be able to overcome all of his injuries. I'm grateful that he is alive.

The mission roles onward and my number of interesting experiences increases. This week I have so wonderfully subjected myself to the joys of singing in public. Ena, our investigator who is set for baptism, was having difficulty praying in front of us at the end of our lessons--and so, under the direction of our Area Seventy, Elder Anderson I believe, told us to sing to help them have the courage to pray. I don't know that I would ever do such a thing, but I did. And in fact, I was the one who made us do it. I don't know why, but suddenly, I wasn't afraid of what anyone thought and decided to give it a try. We sang the opening verse of "I Am A Child Of God". Needless to say, Ena concluded the lesson with her first public prayer. I thought it was a neat little experience. As for the next miraculous event in the adventures of Elder Robbs in Lake Butler, we were asked to sing in front of the Priesthood & Relief Society during the 5th Sunday lesson (which our Ward Mission Leader had us help teach) with the help of the Young Men and their leaders. We sang "Called to Serve". It went well; however, I still don't know that I love the idea of public singing...but I guess I am capable of dealing with it.

Mom, I have some favors to ask of you. I have been making sure to let everyone in the ward that we have dinner with know of your excellent cooking skills and of the many delicious desserts and treats that you can make (mom here: I have NOT paid him to say this AND I thought missionaries were always supposed to tell the truth! hahaha!)! Not only that, but many of the people who aren't already members have shown interest in your recipes. Number one, the Relief Society President, Jenny, would love to have the recipe you used to make Oreo Cake Balls. She has, apparently recently, discovered how amazing cake balls are and as I saw her making them, I asked if that is what they were and she said yes. So I told her that you also have made them before and that you had made Oreo Cake Balls. She thought that sounded really good and told me to get the recipe! Secondly, we were at Sister Shannon's sister's home, Erin, and she had made some really good cookies which slightly reminded me of the Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies you make and I couldn't help but share how good those cookies also are. She said she would like the recipe and so I told her I would ask you :) Also, one of the people who works at the library, her name is Stephanie, would like to exchange recipes with you! She tried the Skor Bar Cake and really liked it. I told her they were your recipes and so she said she would love to send you some recipes from the South. I wonder if you realize how famous you are becoming out here in my mission, Mom ? :) Anyways, I'll probably give each of them your email within the next week or two and then you can talk with them!

Both the Shannon's and the Dicks' as well as their other relatives that live within the [Lake Butler] boundaries are also very much like our family. I think it is neat to be able to meet people so far away that resemble my family. On my birthday next Monday, one of the ward members signed up for us to have dinner with them and I think they are going to fix me a birthday cake. I thought that was really nice of them. Their names are the ...Bell's and they have two young children, both boys 3 and 2 years old. They are a really nice family as well and they too remind me of home. Lake Butler is filled with good people and I am grateful to be able to work with them. I know one day we'll have to come back as a family and visit everyone I have come to know and love.

As far as alligator stories go, I don't have any yet. I have spotted an alligator in the distance, but that is as exciting a story I can share. If I so happen to stumble over the top of one as I am out tracting in the swampy backwoods, I'll let you know. :)

One thing I thought that was neat that you said in the email was that Kendall is learning how with a change of attitude she can totally change the perception of others about herself and gain more confidence in herself. It reminded me of what Elder Nelson told us when he came and spoke to us in May. He talked about how when he was in the airport getting ready to fly out to Florida he thought he would try a fun little experiment. Every person he saw and made eye contact with, he would smile at. He shared with us how peculiar it was that each person he smiled at, also smiled back. It sounds funny, but it's true. When you smile, people tend to smile back. :)

I love each of you and hope you have a wonderful week this week. I look forward to hearing from you next week! Talk to you soon.

Love~

Austin

Lake Butler, FL

Dear Family & Friends~

I can't believe school has already started again. Wow. Billy, a sophomore?! Kendall, a ninth grader?! Aaron, HOW ARE YOU IN COLLEGE ALREADY?!! How strange...I would agree it is also weird that I have almost been gone for a year now and even more odd that I will be 20 two Mondays from today.

...It is kind of neat to think of the unexpected things that happen on your mission. You truly never know what is going to happen. Experience has shown me, especially these past few months, that in life it is necessary to expect the unexpected. One of the very first things that was said to me when I showed up in Lake Butler was that as I allow the Spirit to be my guide, I am setting myself up to be on one wild roller coaster ride. You could be out doing the most random of things, and all of a sudden a window of opportunity will open up that you never knew existed, and all because you were listening to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. Not only does the Spirit lead us to where we need to be before we even realize where we are going, but He always helps us to be provided for as we travel on our journey. Whether these provisions may actually be physical, or mental, or even spiritual. He is always giving and sharing, especially when we accept the gifts he so lovingly attempts to give us. This scripture has centered itself in my mind these past couple days:

"And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."
1 Nephi 4:6

Yesterday, just before sacrament meeting I received a phone call from one of the counselors in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and he asked me to give the lesson in class since he was going to be absent. I accepted the assignment, but unfortunately, and fortunately, we had many people come to church with us, and so I didn't get a chance to read the lesson at all. In fact, the very first time I even looked at the lesson was right as I was supposed to give the lesson. It was on Developing Talents, found in the Gospel Principles book. Honestly, as unprepared as I was, I felt 100% confident that the lesson would work out. I think by the time the lesson was finished, it ended up being one of the best I had ever been asked to teach. The Spirit led every word. I was amazed at how well it went. One of the people in the class said maybe I should be teaching every week! I thought that was pretty cool! Nevertheless, I knew it wasn't anything that I did that made the lesson so great, rather it was the fact that the Spirit was guiding our meeting. However, I will say this, I don't know that I had ever been so confident in teaching a lesson in all my life, especially in one I had not studied for. It reminds me of what Grandpa MacKay told me once, seeing as how he gets asked to teach lessons at random quite often, and always manages to pull it off--he told me that every day you prepare for giving a lesson, whether or not you are planning on teaching, and that when the time comes for you to stand in the spotlight, the words just come. Grandpa also says it is always fun to see what words are going to come out of his mouth as he goes, and I think I finally understand what he means.

We went to the temple on Saturday and were able to do a session and not just baptisms and confirmations. I was grateful to be able to go and even more grateful for the Spirit that has been with me ever since. I have come to realize that if I want to make it in this world, I am going to need to spend time at the temple throughout the rest of my life. We never did go to the bookstore, however, but the temple itself was good enough.

Elder Brown and I are working well together and I'm sure over time we'll be able to work better together...he is an awesome companion. He is fun to work with and we make sure to have a good time as we go. I'm grateful to serve with him and I'm sure we'll be good friends even after the mission.

Lake Butler is definitely a small area, however, it is large enough that I still need to wear my regular attire each day and growing a beard is most likely out of the question. The closest missionaries live about twenty minutes away, in Starke.

President Barry is quite a bit different than President Newman, but he still manages to keep in contact with us although not in person quite as often. We write him each week and he writes us back a short message each week. As far as missionary work goes, when it comes to the new rules and whatever else, President Barry expects us to be reading from our "white handbook" of missionary guidelines each day. We are to hold ourselves accountable for living up to missionary standards. Preach My Gospel is what we are to study from every morning. As we do these two things, and more especially apply what we learn, we will successfully be able to be our own "mission president's" of the area. It all goes back to that scripture I quoted earlier, our goal is to become missionaries (as well as individuals) that are led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which we should do. We take action and the Spirit points the way. We go forward and the Spirit takes care of the rest. It is a lot of fun the more you allow yourself to be led by the Spirit--if everyone only understood this, all people would do it. I still have much to learn, but I think I am finally getting a taste of what it is actually like to be a missionary who is led by the Spirit.

I love each of you and hope you have a great week and a great new school year! Good luck with work, Dad! I'll talk to you next week and until then, I'll look forward to hearing from you :)

Love~

Austin

Men Are That They Might Have Joy

Lake Butler, FL

Dear Family & Friends~

I'm happy to see that Isaac is up and walking around (Mom interjecting: his cousin, Isaac had a nasty fall in Yosemite National Park and spent several days in the ICU). His neck and body brace seem like a whole lot of fun to wear, but at least he is out of the hospital and doing well. I saw the picture of him playing video games and grew slightly jealous, especially because I recognized it as a game that I definitely wanted to play before I left; however, it can wait and so can I. Tell him that I wish him the best and that I'm glad to know that he is okay.

Just yesterday I finished reading JESUS THE CHRIST. I'm definitely glad that I took the time and read it rather than give up a quarter of the way through like the last time I started. As I read through it, I came to understand a little more of what it means to believe in Christ. The only way I can compare it or give an adequate idea for my thoughts is this: sometimes in a very dire situation, such as one dealing with sports where one team is down with a few minutes remaining in the game, yet they are the team who so greatly desires to win and they have a player on that team who has always come through and helped the team to gain victory. You believe in this individual and even if there are only a few seconds left in the game, you trust that this person is going to make a difference and help your team to win. You never give up on this person or their team. You have the ultimate faith that no matter what happens, they are going to come out on top. As I pondered the many events in the Savior's life, I began to see Him as the one that always came through and as one who turned every seeming loss into an incredible victory. As all odds were set against Him, He overcame the opposition and won. Through Him, nothing is impossible.

Ena is doing well and she continues with her studies and still has great desires to join the Church. We need to continue to support her and I feel that if we do she will be able to be baptized next month.

Last thing, which I have found to be somewhat odd, especially considering my exhausting last few weeks, was something I found as I was studying Preach My Gospel the other day. Going off of the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:25 where it says that "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy", Preach My Gospel said that God said our purpose while on earth is to have joy. We are to be joyous. Our purpose here isn't to be sad, or negative, or down-trodden all the time (although we do experience these things regardless), but our purpose is to be joyous. The only way to truly be joyous is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, through Christ, we can always have joy.

Mosiah 2:41

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Mosiah 4:11-12

"And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and His goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel."

"And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of Him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."

I love each of you and hope you have a wonderful week! Talk to you next week :)

Love~

Austin

"Freakin' Einstein"

Lake Butler, FL

Dear Home~

Missionary work in Lake Butler is going good. We have quite a few people who are progressing toward baptism and a possibility of several others. It seems as though we are being led to the right places at the right times. We have a baptismal date set for the 5th of September, for a woman by the name of Ena. She absolutely loves to read the scriptures and she really enjoyed coming to church yesterday. She has a daughter and two grandchildren who are some of the others that we think may be ready for baptism, if not now, then soon. We have another individual named Marla who also is very faithful in her studying and praying and she will be baptized next transfer. It would seem that the only real work that Elder Brown and I are doing is being present during our conversations with these individuals and families. I know that the conversion process is completely out of my power, and really, the only thing I can do is continue to study and continue to work hard and to keep myself worthy of the Holy Ghost so that Heavenly Father can work through me as His messenger. I had a neat realization yesterday as I was reading JESUS THE CHRIST, I am near the end of the book, and so the chapter I was reading dealt with the Last Supper and the garden of Gethsemane. In the Savior's last prayer with His disciples, He said something that stuck out to me:

"And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." (John 17:19)

Jesus kept Himself worthy so that through Him His disciples may be blessed. I thought it was a neat example and something to take time to really ponder. It goes to show you that when you do what is right and keep Heavenly Father's commandments, He will not only bless you, but those whom you love.

I am sad to hear of Isaac's fall, but I am confident that he will be okay. Grandpa MacKay sent me a picture and it took me a few seconds to figure out who it was, but I soon realized it was my younger cousin. I am amazed that he fell so far and I am even more amazed at the fact that he is courageously fighting through the pain. To share something that I thought was very unique and special, two days ago we gave a blessing to a nine year-old girl; she suffers from epilepsy and due to the seizures she also has memory loss. As the anointing and sealing were finished, the young girl was left in tears and as she sat in the chair a few moments all of her lost memories returned and she shared them with all of us in the room. The next day when we came over to teach her grandmother (Ena) she shared with us her experience and told us what happened as I placed the consecrated oil on her head. She told us that as the oil landed on her head she found herself walking in the forest. As she was walking, two individuals came up to her and began to speak with her about her life and asked her how she was doing, and so on...She didn't tell us any more than that, but Elder Brown showed her a picture of the First Vision and asked her if these two beings looked like the ones in the picture, she said yes. How special a thing to know that she spoke with Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son as we gave her a blessing. I know that with all the prayers that are being given on behalf of Isaac, that he will be able to make it through. Heavenly Father knows each of us and so does Jesus Christ; They won't leave Isaac comfortless, but They will be with him, just as they were this young girl.

About Elder Bagley, I thought pretty much the same thing about him (from Wendy: his mom sent me an email saying how much Elder Bagley enjoyed his time with Austin). In fact, the very first day of the transfer, I wrote how I felt he and I would get along and work well together in my journal. I know he'll be successful the rest of his mission. He is a good example of someone who cares.

Tell Aaron to read the scriptures if he wants to be a "freakin' Einstein". Here is why he will become smarter as he reads the scriptures:

"He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words light and truth. And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers." (Doctrine & Covenants 93: 28,36,39)

The more light and truth you fill yourself with, the smarter you'll get. As you are obedient and keep the commandments, you gain more intelligence. The less light and truth you fill yourself with, the less intelligence you'll have. Even worse, as you are disobedient, you lose intelligence. So there is the secret to life. :) I for one, know that there is no way I could know any of the things I know were it not for the continual study of scriptures. Prayer enhances study. The things I write are things the Spirit teaches me. If I can be taught such things, so can you! I dare you to try! One more thing:

"If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether or not it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:17)

So if you give it a try, you will be able to know whether or not what I am telling you is true. What do you think? Will you do it? The best part is, if you don't want anyone to know, you don't have to tell them--you can choose to do it on your own, away from everyone else. I promise you'll see a difference in the way you think, speak, and act. You'll be raised to a higher plain of thought and you'll know more than you ever did before. I love you, Bro, and I know you will be okay. You are very intelligent as it is, you just haven't realized it yet. Try this experiment and I promise you will know.

I love you all and I pray for each of you daily. Tell Grandpa Harold that I hope he is doing well and that he is in my prayers as well. Tell Isaac I am rooting for him and that he also is in my prayers. Thanks for the package, Mom...Tell Dad that if he hasn't bought me any socks that he doesn't need to worry, I went to Lake City Mall and got some UA socks for buy 1 get the other half off (mind you I just so happened to be at the mall the only week they were putting UA socks on sale--pretty cool!).

I love you and I'll talk to you soon,

Austin

Giving and Receiving Gifts

Lake Butler, FL

Dear Family & Friends~

The first thing I wanted to say today is a scripture that reminded me of something Grandpa MacKay always says, "He answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25). You can read the context later, if you so wish. The main reason I decided to include that in my letter is because of the many experiences which I am having that are causing my eyes to be opened, helping me to see even more things than I have seen or known before. I'm unsure what it is that is different in my life, but I feel as if knowledge is absolutely being poured down upon my head, and I'm unsure as to whether I have room enough to contain it. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much and I am very happy to know the things that I know. Life can sometimes be too difficult to bear, and even at this time it seems even so; yet, despite my troubles the burden is lightened, and I do not feel the weight of it pressing down on my shoulders. Last night as I continued my study of Jesus The Christ, I learned of the importance of giving and receiving gifts. I spent well over an hour writing down my thoughts and went to bed after midnight. However, the things which the Spirit taught me will stay with me forever. I think one of the most interesting things to think about, and perhaps one of the most important and fundamental, is the concept of giving and receiving gifts. Oddly enough, as I was reading and pondering, I learned a lesson about myself that I hadn't ever understood before, and I came to a knowledge as to why I often act and behave the way I do--and perhaps many others. Naturally, we as humans need the acceptance of others to feel at peace in this world. The happiest and most joyous of our experiences lie not within personal achievement or amassment of wealth, but rather in the relationships we build one with another. There is no replacement for a positive and loving relationship, whether it be with family or friend. Money cannot buy such things, and it never can or will. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings families together and so much of it is centered on the idea of giving and receiving gifts. The Lord, speaking to those who would inherit Telestial Glory rather than the higher glories said this:

"And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received."

How interesting it is to know that Heavenly Father is so loving indeed that He gives all His children that which they want most. We are not too different. I know, from my own experiences, that we tend to surround ourselves with those whom we feel most appreciated. Generally speaking, that is why we love our families so much--they love us for who we are and choose not to worry about what our faults and defects are, but instead choose to love unreservedly. Our friends are those too who accept us for who we are, and the more they accept us, the more effort we are willing to put into the relationship. Giving good gifts is something each of us enjoy. We love to see the smiles it can bring and the positive difference it can make in another's life. How pleasing is it to know that the person to whom you selflessly gave a portion of yourself is grateful for that portion which you gave them? The joy it brings them causes you to want to give more! I know that I am most happy when I am surrounded by those who appreciate what I have to give them, because I know that they would gladly accept me for who I am, rather than what another's selfish view might expect me to be. I find it very difficult to be near those to whom nothing is good enough, that when you share something meaningful to you (as in your gift), rather than receive, they mock or disregard. It is one of the most hurtful of experiences to give a sincere and heartfelt gift to someone you love or consider a friend and then to have them deny your gift rather than graciously accept--the ingratitude that shows itself in those who deny the gifts of others can be like a sharp sword, one that pierces even to the very center of the soul. It is so deflating and damaging that it can be often hard to recover from such experiences. For me, at this point in my life, I can compare it to those whom I teach (cut me some slack with the use of the word "whom", I know I've clearly overused it, but I can't think of any other word), when the individual is receptive and truly wants to learn, I give them more to think about and to study; when they deny or refuse to accept that which they have been given, it is impossible to give them more. no matter how great the gift may be, you cannot force someone to accept that gift. It may be hard to deal with; however, that is how life works. To them that receive, more is given, to them that refuse, nothing is given, and eventually all is taken away. How much more light does this shed upon the Savior's gift to us; the Atonement? Through Christ and His Atonement we can gain eternal life! It is the greatest gift that God could ever give any of His children, yet how many refuse the gift?! Heavenly Father truly gives all His children that which they most desire, and if that thing is not eternal life, then unfortunately, that is what they will be given. As it can be easily discerned within the scripture above, God will satisfy the needs and desires of His children by giving unto them the things which make them the most happy--and if it be less, so be it, that is what will bring some the most joy. What makes Heavenly Father happy is to see His children happy and so He will give us those things which make us happy. Again, are we not so different?

As far as missionary work goes, I am staying in Lake Butler another transfer with Elder Brown. I am glad to stay because the people in the ward are very kind and they have helped me to grow so much. One of the women in the Relief Society told us yesterday (and she specifically told me to tell you she said this Mom & Dad) that our parents should be proud of us for the young men we are and for being worthy of the calling we have and the priesthood we hold. Her name is Susan Child and I think she is related to Don Child. I thought that was very nice of her to say. I think she said what she said because after church we were asked to take part in several priesthood blessings for some of the sick members of the ward. It was a very neat and touching experience.

I love you Mom and Dad and am grateful to have you as my parents. Thank you for sending me on a mission, knowing full well how hard it would be. I have grown so much in this first year and I would never know what I know had I stayed home. Tell the rest of the family thanks for all the emails and packages, thoughts and prayers, and most of all that I love them. Tell Grandpa MacKay that the 93rd section of the Doctrine & Covenants is becoming one of my favorites as well :)

My last favorite scripture, which I have recently come across, is this:

"Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea." (Jacob 4:6)

And that goes right along with this one:

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things: I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not; for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6)

Can you see the pattern in these two verses? Belief leads to faith, faith to a witness of God, a spiritual witness leads to hope, and hope to greater faith. The cycle continues onward and upward. Now consider these last verses:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)

Love you all~

Austin