July 26, 2010

Dear Home,

 

There are only a few exciting things that happened this week, but those things that happened are exciting enough to blow you away.

 

The first exciting thing is that we talked with a potential investigator who is starting to investigate the church! He's the trucker who said that he'd like to have a Book of Mormon on tape. I know I told you about him, but I can't remember what I said his name was. Anyway, we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he promised to read a chapter of it and pray to know that it's true. ^^ I'm very excited to meet with him again and help him grow his testimony. =)

 

We also met someone else who was very nice to us and willing to listen. We tracted into him and said that we could talk with him for a few minutes, so we did. We all sat on his porch and talked about how God loves all of His children, and that even though mankind makes a lot of problems for itself, God can and wants to help us correct everything that's wrong in the world, including sin, famines, suffering, and war. He was very open with us, sharing his views on his trust in God and his (healthy) lack of trust in man to speak for God. Hopefully, we'll be able to help him understand that while prophets are human, and therefore capable of making mistakes, they're also chosen and empowered by God, so that they can learn God's word by revelation and speak of His behalf.

 

Another exciting thing that happened was Zone Conference, which was really a lot of exciting things rolled into one. First, the mission introduced to everyone a set of Tracting Planners that were first invented by Elder Jons, my last companion. These new tracting books aren't as good as Elder Jons's books (in my opinion), but it's good that the mission now has a unified way of keeping track of everything.

 

Zone Conference also brought us a few surprises, like a new MTC curriculum. I'm not sure I totally understand the new system, but I think it means that, from now on, missionaries will be focussing on specific parts of Preach My Gospel more than others. For example, we'll be focussing more on 'How do I Recognise the Promptings of the Spirit?' more than 'How do I Study Effectively?'. The new system will be starting with the missionaries that are already in the field and, in about a year, when all the missionaries are used to the new way of doing things, the new missionaries coming into the MTC will be taught according to the new system, too.

 

I think the new system will be more of an improvement on what we already have than a change to something completely new. All of what the new system entails is already in Preach My Gospel (or so I'm told), so we'll just be using Preach My Gosel in a more effective way, according to new guidlines. It's exciting, for sure, but it's not as much of a shock to me now as it was when I first heard about it.

 

But something that's still a big suprise to me is that they are going to be reducing the number of missionaries in this mission. There are currently 92 full-time missionaries in the Canada Winnipeg Mission, but by this time next year, there will only be 56 of them. That's almost a 50% cut! The reasoning behind this is that the missionaries in Utah, and other places where the member-to-non-member ratio is very high have too much work than they can handle. Members are frequently giving them more referrals than they can visit, and they cover more wards than they can care for. So, as missionaries leave this mission, fewer missionaries will be coming in to replace them, and the missionaries that would've been sent here will instead be sent to places where there is more work for them to do.

 

What does that mean for us? Besides the fact that the odds of my brother coming to the same mission as me are now cut in half, not much. I, and all of the other missionaries in this mission will stay in this mission until they go home, so there's no fear of me changing my Mission Office address anytime soon. And the missionary work here will go on much as it has this whole time, only now that each missionary will covering larger areas, there'll be twice as much work for them to do. No fear of getting bored, eh? xD But, practically, this is what's best for the mission. There are a lot of areas around here where ther isn't much happening, so now there'll be more work for each missionary to do, so they won't feel like they aren't getting anything done.

 

I hope I did a good job of explaining that. I don't think I did. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that even though it sounds like there will be only half as much missionary work going on around here, what will actually be happening is that each missionary here will now be getting twice as much done.

 

The reassuring thing is that our leaders are inspiried by God, who knows what's best for the good of all of His children. All we have to do is trust Him and do what He asks of us, and everything else will get taken care of. I'm glad that God knows what's going on a lot better than I do!

 

But, now I have to get going. Elder Sheffield has been waiting (patiently) for me to get off the computer for long enough.

 

Love, your faithul missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts

July 19, 2010

Dear Mom,

 

I'm an uncle again!!! =D I am SO glad the delivery went well and that both Ruth and Naomi are here and doing fine. ^^ Oh, I love it when children are born. It's one of those rare, breif moments when anyone can feel close to God. It's so wonderful to know that our loving Father in Heaven is always watching over us, His children. Being entrusted with the care of His precious loved ones is a heavy responsibility for parents to face, but one with infinite and eternal rewards. God is so good to us. =)

 

And they've managed to plug the oil spill, for now at least. That's a relief. I'm wondering though, since so much damage has already been done, what is it going to take to get eveything cleaned up? Will the wildlife ever be able to go back to normal, or will the whole earth burn up before then? I know I'm not the only one worrying about what's going to happen next or wether things are going to get better sooner or later, but I know that there's at least one person who has the answers, and He has a master plan that we can't mess up, no matter what dumb mistakes we make. That's comforting, especially for someone who makes a lot of dumb mistakes! =S

 

You got followed by a coyote?! O_O Where were you walking?? I hope he didn't get to close! I'm glad he didn't try to attack you! Thank goodness he wasn't /too/ hungry!

 

Wow, I feel sorry for you Sacramentans, having to deal with that kind of heat. The weather has been relatively pleasant here. It's never too warm. In fact, we've been getting some rainshowers, which are doubtlessly annoying (especially to those who carry paper planners and pass along cards), but not insufferable, like triple-digit heat is. I wonder how the missionaries serving in my hometown are doing. =/ They could probably use an ice-cold drink every now and again.

 

As for me, I've been doing great. ^^ The missionary work has been a little slow here lately. A lot of tracting. A lot of people not being home. And even a few people who tell me I'm a liar when I tell them that I believe in Christ. The hardest part about being a missionary isn't the hundreds of people who say they're not interested in what you have to say. I've gotten used to that by now. The hardest part is small handful of people who verbally and spiritually attack you for doing what you believe to be right and trying to help them.

 

But Elder Sheffield has been helping me a lot. He is MUCH better at handling those types of situations than I am, and he's been giving me some great tips. He has been teaching me that I don't need to answer every question that people ask me. I don't need to resolve all of the concerns that they have with our church. That's not my job. My job, our my purpose if you will, is to share the things that I've learned are true and good, and invite people to pray about those things so that they can learn from God (not from me) that those things ARE good and true. For example, I know that Jesus Christ in my Saviour. Others might disagree with me. I can't really prove that Jesus Christ died for me. All I can do is ask people to study the scriptures for themselves and pray for God to help them know whether it's true or not. The only way anyone can really know anything is by asking the one person who knows absolutely everything.

 

Elder Sheffield and I are becoming great friends. =) We share a lot of interests, and we spend much of our free time bouncing ideas off each other's heads. Elder Sheffield has LOTS of great ideas, and he's even writing a book! I wish I had the motivation to do that. I have plenty of ideas that I could use. The hard part for me would be to pick an idea to focus on and get started with it. Like me, Elder Sheffield wants to be a writer, but what impresses me about Elder Sheffield is that he has a lot of back-up plans as well. For example, if writing doesn't end up working out for him, he could end up in computer programming or the culinary arts. I wish I had plans like that. I don't have those kinds of skills, though. My greatest strength is my creativity, but I could never be a master pianist (I practice, but only for fun), I'm not the best at drawing things (I'm pretty good, I guess, but my brother is way better), and the trouble with writing books is that it seems that you either make it big, or you don't make it at all, and I don't think I've got the best odds of succeeding at that, either. =/

 

But that's not really my number one concern right now. Or, at least, it shouldn't be. My purpose right now is to invite others to come unto Christ, so that's what I'm going to do. What I do after this, I'll figure out once I get there. Maybe God'll have some pity on me and spell out what I should do in small, easy words, so I can hopefully understand Him, but that's only if I serve Him with all the heart, might and strength that I can muster. I can hardly expect Him to help me if I'm not willing to serve Him. All I know is that God must have some kind of plan for me, and if I follow the directions that He gives me, I'll end up in a good place.

 

Here's hoping we can all follow God's directions and end up in a good place!

 

Love, your God-fearing missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts

July 12, 2010

Dear Mom,

 

How well do you think the alternating paragraphs idea went? In your honest opinion, do you think I should keep doing it, or should I go back to the normal way?

On Sun, Jul 11, 2010 at 10:41 PM, Barbara <motherof8robarts@gmail.com> wrote:

I like your philosophical/spiritual tangents!  Good thoughts! Things to ponder. Keep sharing!

 

(( Spiritual tangents are kind of fun sometimes. And it's refreshing. It's like bearing your testimony. I know lots of people are... apprehensive about bearing their testimony in public, but it REALLY helps! Whenever I bear my testimony, even in a tangent like this, I feel the Spirit and it heals me. It refills the well from which I draw the energy to keep going. And it strengthens me. Like a muscle, my testimony gets stronger as I use it. And I need that. I've never had an amazing, dramatic, faith-building experience, and I probably never will, but I have had many, MANY experiences where I'm having a rough time, and then God shows me something that brightens up my day. A good example would be the Cream of Mushroom miracle that I had a month or two ago. I was having a very rough day. It was raining that day, but by the time we had to go outside, it wasn't raining as hard. Then, when I splattered the soup, it's like God knew exactly what to do to cheer me up: give me something to laugh about and learn from. So, you know what? I might have had what you could call a dramatic, faith-building experience, but that was it. I didn't see a light, or hear God's voice, and my experience definitely wasn't an answer to prayer. It was just a little help. A push in a better direction. Maybe sometimes, that's all we need.

 

I think some people frequently wish that a mountain-sized testimony would fall into their lap one day, and all God gives them is a rock or two each day. They feel dissappointment when they only get a small rock in answer to their prayers. They may feel like God let them down. Then they might get angry at God for not giving them what they asked for, or they may start to get worried that there might not be a God at all, but watch what happens. Watch what happens as they keep praying for a mountain and all they get is a big pile of rocks. If they're patient enough, and observant enough, they may eventually come to see (as I have seen) that their big pile of rocks starts to look like a mountain of rocks. I may have a mountainous testimony already, or it may be a foothill, or a mole-hill, or perhaps it's just an anthill when compared to what it needs to be, but each of those 'little miracles' my God sent me one by one is as solid as a rock. ))

You know I keep easy crossword puzzles in the "reading room"? Well, I just finished one book and reached for the next one, but to my surprise it was not crosswords but sudoku. To my greater surprise I both could do it and enjoyed it - the easy ones, anyway. I found a free sudoku app for my iPod, too. : )

 

(( I like Sudoku. I haven't had time to do it on my mission, but when I get home, I think it'll be a great way to relieve some stress and sharpen my mind. Of course, scripture-study is a better way to relieve stress, enlighten your understanding, and fill your soul with light, but I don't think I want to turn pages of scripture with hands that need to be washed. =S ))

Benjamin presented his project to the Scout Committee. They were impressed and a little concerned that it might be too much. It is big, but he can do it. He might see if another Scout wants to do the benches for his project, but probably not. Sister Schrimp suggested some improvements to his write-up before he goes to the district guy.

 

(( So, my little brother is tackling a project so big that many people wonder whether or not he can do it. Yep, that sounds like something he would do. And moreover, it sounds like something he CAN do. I've learned over the years, especially over the past year, that my brother can do anything. He has the will-power, he has the brains, he has the strength, and he has the persistance to do anything and everything he really wants to do. If he sets his mind on completing this project, he will complete this project. It's that simple. ))

Benjamin was also set apart as the Priest 1st Assistant.

 

(( That doesn't surprise me at all. =) 

 

The only thing I could possibly be worried about with him is the stress. He thrives on stress, as far as I've seen, but too much of it would affect anyone, even him. But luckily, my brother already knows how to handle excess stress: some meditation, a scented candle, and maybe a muffin or two, and he'll be recharged and ready to take on the world. If that doesn't work, pray, and then do the first thing that comes into your mind (unless that idea is obviously wrong). ))

Love you,
Mom

(( I love you, too! ^^

 

 

But this is going to have to be my letter to everyone. I'm out of time. Luckily, I don't have much to report this week. Monday and Tuesday, we said goodbye to everyone. On Wednesday, Elder Jons and I left. Thursday, Elder Sheffield and I came back. Friday, we Weekly Planned (I basically spent the day telling Elder Sheffield what he needs to know about the people we're trying to help). Saturday and Sunday, we said hello to as many people as we possibly could (lots of people weren't home). That's our week in a nutshell. ))

 

Love, your hard-working missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts

July 5, 2010

Dear Home,

I just spent most of my Email time writing an Email to Mom. I don't know if she plans on posting it here, but just in case, I figured I'd better write you something. By the way, it's not her fault that I took up so much time writing to her. I got lost on a philosophical tangent and lost track of time while I was writing. I plan on doing better next time.

NEWS: I am not leaving Flin Flon yet, but my companion, Elder Jons is. He's going to Winnipeg, and Elder Sheffield is going to be replacing him up here. All I know about him (from a breif conversation I had with him about a month ago) is his name, he wears glasses, and he used to follow an anime called Full Metal Alchemist.

Other News: On Monday (last week), Elder Jons and I walked on Flinty's Board Walk again, and this time, I had my pedometer with me. The Board walk trail itself is about 4000 steps long, but it takes another 1730 steps to get back where you started from there. All told, the circle is about 2.71 miles long, with a total of 5730 steps. I usually walk almost twice that many steps in a day, and we have a truck! In a bussing/walking area, I'd probably be taking tens of thousands of steps a day. Hmm... that'd be good exercise in preparation for Half Dome... Maybe I should mention that to the Mission President. Nah, I doubt it'd make any difference. Often, we as humans ask for the things we want, but God gives us what's truely best for us anyway. That's just the way life is. =P

I'm running low on time, but just an update about what Elder Jons and I have been doing up here, there's a lady up here who has been doing some serious renovations to both her front and back yards, with lot's of help from her family and some help from us. It feels good to be useful and to contribute to something good, like a beautiful new yard. There's still some work to be done in the backyard, so I'm gratefully not out of a job yet, but the progress that's been made so far is incredible, and very encouraging. I wonder if this is a little taste of what God and his angels feel when they're able to help someone come closer to Christ. That has got to be some very difficult, spiritually and emotionally taxing work, but I imagine the benefits are unbelievable. I'm glad that God let me volunteer to pitch in a little. Hopefully, I'm doing some good around here. I feel like I am. =)

Much love from your Happy and Helpful Missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts

from the email exchange to which Elder Robarts referrred:

Dear Mom,

I'm going to try the slipping-my-paragraph-replies-in-between-your-paragraphs idea again. Hopefully, it'll be easier to follow (mentally) than the usual way.

Mom:

It's hard waiting for transfer news and not being able to mail. It must be harder for you guys not knowing where or with whom you will be next. Hopefully you are too busy to think about it much. But I guess you need to prepare your investigators so they are not too shocked. Especially in case of a white out.

Andrew: 

(( Unfortunately, we're never too busy to worry about Transfers, though they're usually relatively predictable. This time, Elder Jons had been in the area for 6 months, a normal length of time that a missionary can expect to spend in one area (in this mission anyway), whereas I had only been here 3 months. President Paulson doesn't like moving two missionaries out of an area at once because there's a lot of knowledge that comes from serving in an area for a while that you can't exactly write down in an Area Book, so when it's time for one missionary to move on, his companion usually stays behind. So it's not too much of a surprise that Elder Jons is getting transferred to Winnipeg (his first time serving in a major city for a full transfer), and I'm staying here. My new companion will be Elder Sheffield. I've met him once, but only once, so I don't know a lot about him, at least, not that I remember. I'll tell you more about him when he gets here. ))

Mom:

Andrew, you know that YOU did EARN your Eagle. I hope I helped you, but you earned it through the years. And YOU pulled off the project. I was so impressed that you found a way to get all those books to the Philippines. You truly are an Eagle worthy of the name.

Andrew: 

(( It's true that I did a lot of the actual project work (organizing the scouts, making sure everything was running smoothly, etc.), and I did put forth what little effort it took to Email the ambassador for the Philippines and have him tell me about Books for the Barrios, but making the flyers and putting the Project Book together was mostly you. ....Maybe we should just say 'we did it together', or that 'we helped each other do it', or maybe even 'I did it, but you helped A LOT.' Would that be fair to say?

Maybe it's comparable to how the Atonement saves us from sin. We couldn't be saved without the Atonement, and Christ's mercy does most of the work, but it still takes some effort on our part. Just like that, I couldn't have completed the project without you, and even though you did a lot (probably most) of the work and provided most, if not all, of the motivation we had to finish the project, it still took some effort on my part.

Either way, we succeeded, and neither of us could've done it on our own.))

Mom: 

This week I started taking the Family History class taught by Charlene Hisamoto. She showed us a clip which included this quote (or something rather close to it): "In your reunion you will see in their eyes either deep gratitude or intense disappointment."

Then I thought about our reunion with our Savior when in our reunion we will see in His eyes great love and either glad warm approval or sorrowful disappointment.

Andrew: 

(( Wow, that just gets you right in the heart, doesn't it? =/ It reminds me of when Alma and Amulek were preaching to (the Zoramites?), teaching about how, if we don't repent, we'll be brought to a perfect knowledge of our guilt, we'll dare not to look upon the face of our God, and we'll wish we could command the mountains to come and bury us, to hide us from our Eternal Judge. It makes me shudder to think that this life is a test and, before too long, we'll be held accountable for everything we've done (or should've done), and we may not pass the test.

On the other hand, I think that many of us, at least you and I, are doing a lot better than we imagine ourselves to be doing. Too often, we see our many flaws and ignore our many qualities. We see the mistakes we've made, while failing to see the progress we've made. I think that God is probably happier with us than we are with ourselves. Of course, that just may be one of the 'pleasing doctrines' that the churches taught during the Great Apostasy. I think in Nephi or Second Nephi it talks about doctrines like that: 'If it so be that we are guilty, God shall beat us with a few stripes, but then we shall be saved'. Then again, Hope (specifically, Hope of receiving Eternal Life) is one of the Christlike Attributes that we, as missionaries, are meant to study and obtain. I'm supposed to Hope for salvation, and so are you. Maybe we just need to remember that God is the ultimate judge of our characters, not ourselves.

Note to Self: Stop going on philosophical tangents when you're supposed to be writing Emails home. I'm bad at going off on tangents like that. =/))