June 28, 2010

 

Dear Home,

 

There's been a lot a confusion on the topic of writing letters, but one thing's for certain: We're getting our Transfer Calls on Sunday (or sooner), so if you send a letter to the appartment where I'm staying within this week, I might be gone by the time it gets here. That's not very 'certain' though, is it? =S

 

The mission has been making a focus on our purpose lately. Our purpose is not just to teach people or to baptise people, but to invite them to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His attonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. For this past year, I've been feeling the gospel more in my life. I've been feeling the Spirit more. And for the next year (well, slightly less than a year), I now have the privilege and the obligation to share the Gospel with others. Learning more about God's plan for my happiness has made me what to teach others. I wonder how many people still don't know what faith means, or how they can repent. I wonder how many people still need to be baptised, and how many people don't know what the pressence of the Holy Ghost feels like. I wonder how many people need more help from others to have the strength to endure to the end. Hopefully, there will be fewer of those people by the time my mission is over.

 

Before my mission, I didn't know what faith meant. I'm still not sure I fully understand. As for repentance... I'm still working on that. I probably will be for the rest of my life. I surely was baptised before I left on my mission, but I had no idea at all how to recognise the Holy Ghost. The only part of the Gospel that I can confidently say that I understand is enduring to the end, consistantly living the gospel throughout your life. But living the gospel throughout one's life is much easier said than done, and we could all stand to learn more. That's why I'm in Canada. It's why I'm on a mission. I still have a lot to learn and to teach. The Gospel truly has helped me to live a better life. Maybe now I'll be able to help someone else.

 

At the start of my mission, I knew that I was going because I wanted to help people, and I felt that I could help people by sharing the gospel with them. Now I know what the gospel is, and I know that all people are best helped as they accept and live it. I pray that I'll be able to live the gospel and help other people to accept and live it also.

 

Love, your God-fearing missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts.