January 31, 2011

Dear Home,

I'm staying here! We got our transfer calls last Saturday, and I'm spending my second-last transfer staying in Regina. Elder Higginson is getting moved to Winnipeg, where he'll be serving with one of my favorite companions for that missionary's last transfer, and I'm only 6 weeks behind him. Only three months left. The End of April is only three months away. Scary.

I think I've had a good mission. Lot's of fun experiences and learning experiences. I've met a lot of great people. I'll be serving with Elder Roth now. He was in my MTC group, and we'll be going home at the same time. Our missionary apartment will probably close around the same time that we leave, too. Since the mission is down-sizing, we won't need as many apartments to house the smaller number of missionaries, and the apartment I live in now is one of those apartments that we're not going to need anymore. From here, it looks like Elder Roth and I will serve together for our last 3 months, and then the apartment will stop being inhabited by missionaries. We've got a lot of junk to throw away. =S

But it'll be alright. I've been around Elder Roth quite a few times already, and I think we'll get along fine. I'm sorry to say goodbye to some other missionaries that were serving here in Regina, but I bet we'll keep in touch. If we happen to lose contact with each other, we can find each other again on Facebook, so no worries.

The only thing I DO worry about is how well the area is going to do now that Elder Higginson is leaving. He was so good at remembering everyone we talked to and everything that was said. Often, he would say 'Oh, we need to call so-and-so.' and I would say 'Who?' and he'd say 'You know, that Filipino lady, in her 30s, she has a son in Australia...' and I'd still have no clue who he was talking about. My memory is
terrible. I guess that's why they have missionaries write everything down. I would be completely, hopelessly lost without my planner. And our area book is vital, too. Man, if we didn't have those records, A LOT of people would fall through the cracks. =( I wonder how God keeps track of us all...

I've got a long way to go before I can even comprehend how amazing God is. He is, by far, the best. And I'm really grateful for that. I don't know how God knows and loves each and every one of us; I just know that He does, and that's really something. More than that, He wants us to be happy, and He knows what's going to make us happy, so He reaches out and lovingly, patiently guides each of us to where He is. I find that incredible. To think that God knows everything, absolutely everything... Wow. That just blows my mind.





Now my time should be about up. I don't want the other Elders to have to wait for me, so I'd better sign off.

Love, your cold hands, warm heart missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts

- note from Mom - Andrew attached some pictures but I cannot put them on now from here at work.  Hopefully, we can get them up later.