Fleming Island, FL
Dear Family & Friends~
It is hard to believe the time is nearly over...the time has been so long and yet so short. Over the course of two years there hasn't gone a day past that I haven't remembered each of you and the love I have for you and the great love you have given me. Up to this point, it has been the most rewarding two years of my life and the hardest. But I am forever grateful for the opportunity I've had to serve the Lord by going on a mission. He has done more to bless me than I could have ever done to assist Him in His work.
Our baptism and confirmation went very well....
...I've learned from each of you that we are to love people for who they are inside, not for what they do or say. I've learned that patience and love and forgiveness are the way to hope and happiness. I've learned that endurance to the end means more than just never give up, but it means to always press forward. On my mission I have come to realize that many of the things that I naturally seem to do are not because of me, but because of how I was raised from the beginning. You and Dad are my examples, and I love you both so much. I'm thankful for who each of you are and I'm thankful to have spent this time away from you so I could realize just how important you are to me and ho much you've affected my life for good. Life isn't easy, but because of the things you have taught me, I know that there is always hope and that Heavenly Father is always there watching over us. ...I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. ...I know that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet and was sent forth to preach the gospel to all the earth and to prepare the world for the time we will meet our Heavenly Father again. Because of your faith, I have faith. Because of your testimonies, I have gained my own testimony. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to happiness and that because of Christ we can change and learn to be happy and live happy lives. I know that because of Jesus Christ there is always hope, and that we can reach our potentials and even surpass them. You have taught me without words how to live the gospel and to live the right way. None of us are perfect, but we're all striving to be our best. God is always with us, I know He is. I have a testimony of the power of reading the scriptures. I know that they are the word of God. I know that as I have studied the scriptures I have come to learn the greatness of God and His wonderful plan for each of us. I know that by reading the scriptures and by praying about them we will always be led back to our Heavenly Father. I know that the Book of Mormon has the power to change lives and bring us closer to God than any other book. I've learned that it is the keystone of our religion for a reason. I know that it was written for our day and inspired by God to be a testimony to all the world that He is gathering His children for the last time. I know that if we are faithful to our covenants, at the last day we will receive eternal life in the kingdom of God and that we will forever be a family. I know that eternal life is more than just a fable, but that it is a reality that we are striving to attain and which has been made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that the price of eternal life may seem hefty at times, but that every affliction and suffering and sacrifice it costs to receive such a great reward will never surpass the greatness of the joy our Heavenly Father intends to give us. I know we can make it. I know we can help others make it. I know we have been sent to the earth for a purpose and that by our faith we can help many receive the gospel. I know that there is no greater joy on earth than to bring others to a knowledge of the Savior and enable them to make and keep covenants that will bring them eternal life because of their faith in Christ. The gospel truly changes lives and truly gives happiness to all who accept and live it. I love it. I am thankful for it. I love this work. I love each of you. We are a team. We are also on the winning team, with the Savior at our head. I hope and pray that we will always remain true to the Son of God, even as He has always remained true to us. My prayer is that we will strive forever to increase our ability to live the gospel and keep the commandments of God and the He will forever remain the center of our lives. In the grand scheme of things, I realize that this life is only a blip in eternity, but it will forever affect the outcome of our eternity. But we have nothing to fear and nothing to lose, only everything to gain and we can do it. I love you so much and look forward to seeing you this very week. I leave you my final mission email and final testimony as a full time missionary, in the sacred and holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Love~
Elder Robbs
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
One more week to lay everything on the line!
9.19.11
Fleming Island, FL
Dear Family & Friends~
This is the last full week of my mission and I can't even believe it. It has been the fastest and longest two full years of my life! But let me tell you, this week is going to be busier than them all! On Sunday we were blessed to have a solid 18 people at church, ranging from non-members, to less-actives and recent converts--people just kept showing up to church yesterday and it was amazing! Granted, not all of these people did we necessarily invite to come to church this week; however, we have spent time working with each of them in some form or another of the past month(s). it was a great Sunday, that is for sure. It goes to show you, as long as you love the people and treat them like people, and build them up and encourage them, eventually they will make the decision on their own to come back and be blessed. I couldn't have been happier.
Well...I've got to get going, but I want each of you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. I look forward to next week with great anticipation! But before I do, I've got one more week to lay everything on the line! I can't wait to do it!
"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."
-Doctrine & Covenants 68:6
Love~
Austin
Fleming Island, FL
Dear Family & Friends~
This is the last full week of my mission and I can't even believe it. It has been the fastest and longest two full years of my life! But let me tell you, this week is going to be busier than them all! On Sunday we were blessed to have a solid 18 people at church, ranging from non-members, to less-actives and recent converts--people just kept showing up to church yesterday and it was amazing! Granted, not all of these people did we necessarily invite to come to church this week; however, we have spent time working with each of them in some form or another of the past month(s). it was a great Sunday, that is for sure. It goes to show you, as long as you love the people and treat them like people, and build them up and encourage them, eventually they will make the decision on their own to come back and be blessed. I couldn't have been happier.
Well...I've got to get going, but I want each of you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. I look forward to next week with great anticipation! But before I do, I've got one more week to lay everything on the line! I can't wait to do it!
"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."
-Doctrine & Covenants 68:6
Love~
Austin
We are all important to our Heavenly Father
9.13.11
Fleming Island, FL
Dear Home~
I'm happy to hear from each of you the past few weeks. All the letters and emails have meant a lot to me. Being able to hear about of you has uplifted me and has given me courage to work even harder these next few weeks and to finish this mission strong. I love each of you very much.
Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing from Elder Per G. Malm of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. He was a very calm and confident man. Each of us were able to shake his hand and look him in the eyes and to feel of the power that God had given him to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. He said that he was so pleased with our mission. He said that every one of us looked him squarely in the eyes and didn't try to look away from him. He said that we were worthy missionaries and that he was grateful for our faith. It strengthened my faith so much to hear those words, especially since I know I am imperfect, and in many instances fail to live up to my potential--but when he said that we were worthy missionaries, it made me know that Heavenly Father was pleased with my efforts, as well as all of our efforts.
He spoke much about life prior to birth. He asked each of us how old we were. A simple question, we thought. But he emphasized that our lives did not begin at birth, but we lived for eons of time before our lives began here on earth. "As a missionary, you may find times that you do not feel confident, or capable. But why should you fear? You were taught the gospel before you were born. You probably taught the gospel before you were born. You were chosen to come to earth at this time to preach the gospel here and now. How old you really? 607,345 years old, maybe? Who knows...but the point is, you've been around the block a few times. You ought to be confident. Never underestimate the power that is in you to fulfill what God has commanded you to do." (paraphrasing some of his thoughts and words)
It was profound to me when he said, "Do not underestimate the power that is in you." In my heart I felt it was true. We have much more power than we give ourselves credit. We hide ourselves because of our fears. But as we are obedient, Elder Malm taught, our fears will be dispersed by and replaced with our faith. We won't hide ourselves, but we'll shine and illuminate the world with the light God has given us to shine.
He also talked about the gathering of the house of Israel. He asked us if we ever knew why it was specifically called the "gathering of Israel". "Can you gather something that isn't created?" he probed. And he went further, "why is it important to know that we are gathering, not creating Israel?" "Did we not all exist with God prior to our life on earth? When was Israel first created? Who are the ones on earth with bodies now?" Boiling it down, we learned that each of us were "yes-sayers" to the Plan of Salvation once before. Every single human on earth said YES once before. He then asked, "Of what benefit is it to know that every one of us said YES before?" Think about that! Our spirits are eternal, and our spirits know the truth. If we said YES once, should we not therefore be able to say YES again? He spoke about expectations. In life we live up to expectations. We do the things that are expected of us because that is what is required to be happy and succeed. To come to earth, he taught, we were required to live up to certain expectations. to be here, living and breathing on earth, we once lived up to God's expectations of us so we could be here now! Next question, "If we know that everyone lived up to God's expectations in the pre-existence, what answer should we expect from them when we ask them to live the gospel now?" "How do we help them to recognize the knowledge they once had before?" Big questions to ponder, I would say.
Perhaps as you think about some of those things, you'll be able to be taught by the Spirit some of the things we learned yesterday and have the same experience we were able to enjoy. At least that is my hope. :)
Coming to understand our identity is such an important and powerful thing. It really changes your outlook on life and gives you great confidence to fight through every obstacle that interferes with with your life. It gives you confidence to live the gospel and to share the gospel. Since we're chosen before we were born to do what are now doing, what must we have been like before we came to earth? What must all of us have been like? :) We are all important to our Heavenly Father. If there is anything I learned yesterday, it is that.
On a different subject, our past week went well. We are continuing to work with members and non-members in our area. We helped another individual set a goal for baptism on the 24th of this month. Hopefully we can work with them to be prepared for the big day!
Please tell everyone thank you for the birthday cards and letters. It has been wonderful to hear from everyone. I'll be home soon enough to give each of you a big hug! I love you and thank you very much. :)
Have a great week everyone! I'll talk to you soon!
Love~
Austin
Fleming Island, FL
Dear Home~
I'm happy to hear from each of you the past few weeks. All the letters and emails have meant a lot to me. Being able to hear about of you has uplifted me and has given me courage to work even harder these next few weeks and to finish this mission strong. I love each of you very much.
Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing from Elder Per G. Malm of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. He was a very calm and confident man. Each of us were able to shake his hand and look him in the eyes and to feel of the power that God had given him to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. He said that he was so pleased with our mission. He said that every one of us looked him squarely in the eyes and didn't try to look away from him. He said that we were worthy missionaries and that he was grateful for our faith. It strengthened my faith so much to hear those words, especially since I know I am imperfect, and in many instances fail to live up to my potential--but when he said that we were worthy missionaries, it made me know that Heavenly Father was pleased with my efforts, as well as all of our efforts.
He spoke much about life prior to birth. He asked each of us how old we were. A simple question, we thought. But he emphasized that our lives did not begin at birth, but we lived for eons of time before our lives began here on earth. "As a missionary, you may find times that you do not feel confident, or capable. But why should you fear? You were taught the gospel before you were born. You probably taught the gospel before you were born. You were chosen to come to earth at this time to preach the gospel here and now. How old you really? 607,345 years old, maybe? Who knows...but the point is, you've been around the block a few times. You ought to be confident. Never underestimate the power that is in you to fulfill what God has commanded you to do." (paraphrasing some of his thoughts and words)
It was profound to me when he said, "Do not underestimate the power that is in you." In my heart I felt it was true. We have much more power than we give ourselves credit. We hide ourselves because of our fears. But as we are obedient, Elder Malm taught, our fears will be dispersed by and replaced with our faith. We won't hide ourselves, but we'll shine and illuminate the world with the light God has given us to shine.
He also talked about the gathering of the house of Israel. He asked us if we ever knew why it was specifically called the "gathering of Israel". "Can you gather something that isn't created?" he probed. And he went further, "why is it important to know that we are gathering, not creating Israel?" "Did we not all exist with God prior to our life on earth? When was Israel first created? Who are the ones on earth with bodies now?" Boiling it down, we learned that each of us were "yes-sayers" to the Plan of Salvation once before. Every single human on earth said YES once before. He then asked, "Of what benefit is it to know that every one of us said YES before?" Think about that! Our spirits are eternal, and our spirits know the truth. If we said YES once, should we not therefore be able to say YES again? He spoke about expectations. In life we live up to expectations. We do the things that are expected of us because that is what is required to be happy and succeed. To come to earth, he taught, we were required to live up to certain expectations. to be here, living and breathing on earth, we once lived up to God's expectations of us so we could be here now! Next question, "If we know that everyone lived up to God's expectations in the pre-existence, what answer should we expect from them when we ask them to live the gospel now?" "How do we help them to recognize the knowledge they once had before?" Big questions to ponder, I would say.
Perhaps as you think about some of those things, you'll be able to be taught by the Spirit some of the things we learned yesterday and have the same experience we were able to enjoy. At least that is my hope. :)
Coming to understand our identity is such an important and powerful thing. It really changes your outlook on life and gives you great confidence to fight through every obstacle that interferes with with your life. It gives you confidence to live the gospel and to share the gospel. Since we're chosen before we were born to do what are now doing, what must we have been like before we came to earth? What must all of us have been like? :) We are all important to our Heavenly Father. If there is anything I learned yesterday, it is that.
On a different subject, our past week went well. We are continuing to work with members and non-members in our area. We helped another individual set a goal for baptism on the 24th of this month. Hopefully we can work with them to be prepared for the big day!
Please tell everyone thank you for the birthday cards and letters. It has been wonderful to hear from everyone. I'll be home soon enough to give each of you a big hug! I love you and thank you very much. :)
Have a great week everyone! I'll talk to you soon!
Love~
Austin
Golfing and a good attitude
9.5.11
Fleming Island, FL
Dear Family~
I'm glad to say that we had a pretty good week this past week. We had one of the families we've been working with be reactivated yesterday and they seem happier than ever. Little by little they are coming around and it is very rewarding to see them come together and receive a greater portion ofthe gospel in their lives.
Today we went to a stakewide activity and we had some food and whatnot, but I spent the majority of my time going around talking to everyone I knew. I wasn't too hungry so I skipped out on most of the food. I was glad to see so many familiar faces, nevertheless, there were still some names I couldn't remember, but I guess after such a long time it is to be expected that I'd forget a few names here and there.
The golf game was a lot of fun. I shot a 53, which is okay for not having played golf since I left. I only lost a couple golf balls too! We played nine holes total and afterward we went to dinner. I wanted to go golfing each day after we finished it was so much fun... but I had to put it out of my mind so I could stay concentrated. I learned quite a bit about myself as we played, however. I realized that the mechanics of a golf swing are important, but after having not played in so long and then jumping right into a game, you learn quickly that golf is much more mental than it ever was physical. My very first swing I completely missed the ball... but I smiled and laughed, then I got back up with a nice and easy swing and hit a solid drive right down the middle of the fairway. Most all of my shots were fairly solid. The biggest thing I noticed was that when I allowed my mind to push out any negative influence that tried to enter in, and only focus on the purpose of the game, and the fun it is, I played exceptionally well! I think that is how life goes... you kick out the negative thoughts, and you focus on the good and positive ones, and you'll always be successful (even if you fail).
Well, I look forward to the next couple of week. We should get a lot of work done and by the time it is all over, I think I will be about ready to drop dead, exhausted! But that is what we want... "it ain't over till it's over".
I love each of you and wish you a great week! Thank you for all the Happy Birthday's! I'll talk to you next week!
Love~
Austin
Fleming Island, FL
Dear Family~
I'm glad to say that we had a pretty good week this past week. We had one of the families we've been working with be reactivated yesterday and they seem happier than ever. Little by little they are coming around and it is very rewarding to see them come together and receive a greater portion ofthe gospel in their lives.
Today we went to a stakewide activity and we had some food and whatnot, but I spent the majority of my time going around talking to everyone I knew. I wasn't too hungry so I skipped out on most of the food. I was glad to see so many familiar faces, nevertheless, there were still some names I couldn't remember, but I guess after such a long time it is to be expected that I'd forget a few names here and there.
The golf game was a lot of fun. I shot a 53, which is okay for not having played golf since I left. I only lost a couple golf balls too! We played nine holes total and afterward we went to dinner. I wanted to go golfing each day after we finished it was so much fun... but I had to put it out of my mind so I could stay concentrated. I learned quite a bit about myself as we played, however. I realized that the mechanics of a golf swing are important, but after having not played in so long and then jumping right into a game, you learn quickly that golf is much more mental than it ever was physical. My very first swing I completely missed the ball... but I smiled and laughed, then I got back up with a nice and easy swing and hit a solid drive right down the middle of the fairway. Most all of my shots were fairly solid. The biggest thing I noticed was that when I allowed my mind to push out any negative influence that tried to enter in, and only focus on the purpose of the game, and the fun it is, I played exceptionally well! I think that is how life goes... you kick out the negative thoughts, and you focus on the good and positive ones, and you'll always be successful (even if you fail).
Well, I look forward to the next couple of week. We should get a lot of work done and by the time it is all over, I think I will be about ready to drop dead, exhausted! But that is what we want... "it ain't over till it's over".
I love each of you and wish you a great week! Thank you for all the Happy Birthday's! I'll talk to you next week!
Love~
Austin
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