Week 45 - A Language of Faith, and The Christmas Season is Upon Us!

                                                                                                                                  December 14, 2015

147 Richard Street Apt #4

Bracebridge Ontario

P1L 1J3 

Hello hello hello :) I love you! 

I hope you have had a good week! This week felt and seemed pretty uneventful. Still trying to get to know the area. Still trying to get to know the ward. But, it has been great! Sister Meleisea count ourselves very blessed! Still no snow for us! Everyone here is shocked, and are all afraid it is going to come all at once! We like to joke that Sister Meleisea and I brought all the warm weather with us :) 

A major highlight of the week was the day we spent in Brampton!Wednesday night we made the 2 hour and 15 min drive down to Brampton, spent the night with other Sisters there, and had our Christmas Zone Conference the next morning! It was a wonderful meeting filled with the spirit! One of my favorite instructions given was on a language of faith. That is one of the things Elder Perkins felt strongly that our mission could use and improve on. Coming to this new area, with a new companion, I have been able to see just how influential and important a language of faith can be! Sister Meleisea is such a happy person! It is hard to not be laughing while with her! This plays over into our contacts. When we talk to people, we are happy! We are smiling, and enjoying ourselves. I believe that as we are this way, others are able to actually see the light within us. They are more easily able to feel the spirit, and this will lead to them desiring what we have! One Brother made the remark in our Ward Council meeting yesterday that we have in our lives the Fullness of the Everlasting Gospel! What more could be better! And yet, when we come to church, and go about our lives, we often don't show it. But, as we have a language of faith, as we show our light, as we look for the good, other are going to see that. They are going to desire that! Helping others come unto Christ is going to be simple and easy! I am excited to continue to implement having a language of faith into my work! I know that we will see blessings come from that! 

It was a great Zone Conference. We sang many Christmas Carols, and enjoyed time with other missionaries and President and Sister Clayton. I got to hear Sister Maas' dying testimony- sad, but it was wonderful! She gets home on January 13th! 

The best part about it all is that our entire zone got to go to the temple after the Conference! Warmed my heart. It was a great Christmas gift! The Sudbury zone never goes to the temple because we all live so far away, so it was a major blessing!!! I loved it. We made it to the 5:15 session which meant we got out closer to 7:30/8 ish. Just in time to grab dinner, and head back to where we stayed the previous night! It was a great time. We were both exhausted the next day, but wouldn't trade it for anything! 

In comparison, the rest of the week was not too exciting. Just normal missionary stuff. We were able to do some service in a small town called Baysville. They had a Christmas Community dinner that a couple of our members were heavily involved. It was a great way to get into the community and show them we are here to serve! We also helped put out our Ward Christmas Party! Dad, you would be so proud of me! We were in charge of setting up the Projector and A Savior is Born Video, and since my companion is unfamiliar with a lot of the equipment, it was left to me. I am glad to say I did it successfully! It was a nice touch to the end of the program. 

We spent most of the day yesterday inside. Sister Meleisea had a major migraine. We were able to make it through Ward Council, Sacrament Meeting, and Sunday School before coming home so she could rest. It gave me a nice Sunday to read my scriptures, study conference talks, and get caught up on some other things around the apartment! Althouhg, by the end of it, I was practically just wandering around the apartment looking for other things to do to keep me busy and productive...She is feeling a little better today, and we are hoping that she will continue to feel better and better so that we can go out and work tonight! 

Well, I love you all! Hope you are staying warm! The Christmas Season is just around the corner! I would invite you all to check out the website if you haven't already, and share it with your friends! :) 

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/purpose-of-a-savior 

Love you! Merry Christmas!

Sister Robison 

PONDERIZE: Alma 7:10

Week 44 - Moose Meat, Bikes, and Mustaches!

                                                                                                                                December 7, 2015

Good Morning! I hope this letter is finding you all well! :) 

This has been a great week! We have worked hard and have had lots of fun while doing it! Bracebridge is a beautiful area! It kinda reminds me of a cross between Idaho- Island Park area, and Midway! Strange, but that is what comes to mind! It is a rather large area with even smaller towns. Welland had approximately 53,000 Bracebridge has 16,000. Finding new investigators is going to be fun since my companion has only been here for 6 weeks and it already sounds like she has worked over the entire town and the other small towns as well. But, I am excited. The Lord always seems to put prepared people in our path! 

This week, I had a lot of firsts! To name a few, I ate moose meat, I rode a bike in a skirt, my companion and I wore mustaches for our district meeting, we skyped in for district meeting, I am doing language study, and the list goes on! :) 

People up here eat moose. It's a regular occurrence... It tasted pretty similar to beef, but a little different.. haha! A Returning member apparently hunted the moose and then gave a ton of the meat to the missionaries! Once we get our oven fixed we are going to try and cook a Moose Roast! :D 

Our area is pretty big. I believe it would take at least an hour to get from one side to the other. Our Ward Mission Leader lives about 50 kilometers away. So, with that being said, on those days we stay in Bracebridge, we walk or ride bikes as much as we can. Save the K's! 

Sister Meleisea and I are the only sisters in our Zone. So, when we skyped in for district meeting, we couldn't help but wear some mustaches so we could fit in! :D They all got a good laugh out of it :) (We skype because for all of us to get together, many of us would be traveling for hours... So, mom and dad, there is a good chance I will be skyping at Christmas!)

Sister Meleisea is such a goof! She is from originally from Samoa. At age 17, she was adopted by a family in California who are members, and that is how she came to join the church! Her English is really good! She didn't learn much in California because her mom and some of her family there spoke Samoan. But, we have fun! She is always singing, doing something silly, or telling me funny stories. I love her! This will be her 4th transfer in the field. She has such a powerful testimony, and is a hard working missionary. I am really excited about this transfer. Our two companion ship goals are to work hard and have fun! So far, so good! 

I was able to talk to my mission president briefly at transfers. We were able to talk about my companion. She is now in a Tri in a very busy area where the work is going really well. I am sure that is going to help her a ton! We talked about my last area a little and he reassured me that next transfer, if not the one after that, missionaries would be heading back to it. And until then, some neighboring missionaries would be continuing on the work there. Then we talked about my sickness, and he gave me a blessing. He rebuked the illness and commanded my systems to all work together for my good. He blessed me with added strength to go out and do the Lord's work. It was a really special experience. I don't think I have ever had so many priesthood blessings in my life... I think I had 4 in 1 transfer... 2 from my mission president, and 2 from my zone leaders! But, after the blessing, pain and sick feeling from my stomach subsided and went away. I checked my throat the next day, and the white dots were gone! I was still experiencing some pain in my throat throughout the week though. However, this morning, I woke up and it was gone. I know that is because of the prayers and fasts that were said for me. Thank you so much. I am so grateful for this gospel. It is true. The Priesthood is real. Fasting is real. God loves all of us! He loves me, and he loves you! :) The last thing President Clayton said to me before I headed out the door to find my new companion was hat what I did this past transfer was hard, but now he just wants me to work hard and have fun! That is exactly what we are doing, and what I plan on doing for the rest of my time on the mission! Time is going to just fly by! That is a scary thought... but good at the same time! 

Know that I am really happy! I love my area. I love my companion. I love feeling better and being able to do the work! I have not heard from Dr. Opper yet and don't really know if I will. But, things are going well! The ward is very loving! They have tons of activities throughout the month so I will be able to get to know them well! It is great! The amount of people might be somewhat small, but their hearts are big! Get this, our bishop is only 30 years old! So young! Its great though! 

Thank you for everything! I hope you all have a good week! Have fun, read your scriptures, and laugh lots! :) Love you! 

Uso Ropeni

(Sister Robison in Samoan! :D) 

PONDERIZE 3 Nephi 18:24

Week 43 - Be Careful What You Pray For.......The Frozen Chosen!

                                                                                                                   November 30. 2015
So, this week was good and weird and fun and strange and so on... :) 

A note to the family! I love you! I am so glad you had the missionaries over for Thanksgiving dinner! It is so nice when we get to join a nice family for their family holidays! Makes it actually feel a little like a holiday! To be honest, even with all the festivities, I don't feel like I am that Homesick at all. There is too much for me to do and think about here to be worried about or thinking about being home and doing all that great stuff! It is a good thing! :) 

So, Transfer News! I will be moving to what I believe is the Northernmost zone in the mission! Sudbury Zone! BRRRRR!  I will be in Bracebridge with Sister Meleisea! I believe she if from Tonga or Samoa! I am super excited! It sounds like it is going to be fun! The Welland Bishop laughed at the idea of a Las Vegas girl way up North. :) (We have had really good weather here in Welland lately! It has only dropped below 0 cel a handful of times!) Sister Edwards, my companion right now, will be going to Cambridge in the Kingston Zone in a trio with 2 other wonderful Sisters! We are excited. The hardest part was finding out that our area will be closed for a while due to lack of missionaries to fill areas... It broke our hearts a little... It's sad, but I know that God has a plan, and this is probably just what the Welland ward needs right now! The members here are absolutely wonderful! I have grown to love so many of them over the past 5 months, and it is going to be hard to leave! I just hope that I have done what I needed to to help them all learn, grow, and come closer to the Savior! 

Last Sunday, we participated in a car fast! This meant we were on foot or getting rides everywhere! With that being said, we decided to walk to church and be obedient and do our best! The idea behind it was that we would talk to people we saw along the way. We walked for an hour and half, and talked to 5 people... :) But, the neat thing was that the next day, 2 new investigators literally fell into our lap! We loved it! J and G. J has been meeting with missionaries for about a year! At one point, she was actually baptized, but never confirmed.... Anyways, she came to visit her boy friend for a few days and ended up getting kicked out of her place, loosing all her stuff, and long story short, they are now living together and engaged! G is super sweet. He wants to join the US Marines! He claims he doesn't believe in God. We think it's more that he doesn't want to admit there is a God for various reasons. None the less, they are awesome! We were able to have a few visits with them throughout the week, then Friday, they came to the Ward Christmas Party, and stayed to the end! They also came to all 3 hours of church on Sunday, and G even borrowed his brother's suit! And then to top it all off, That evening they came to a Why I Believe Fireside! This has been awesome! This has also given the ward a great opportunity to get to know them, and love them, and now take care of them! 

As for my illness... Well, this week we drove out to Brantford to be seen by a Dr.Opper! He is a member, and while he is not working and doing what he does, he sees sick missionaries! I got some blood work done this morning, and we are waiting to hear back from that to know what the next step is. If it is Mono, like he think it might be, then I will just work through it as best I can! (If I go home now, I will never get back out!) If it is not, then I will most likely go to an ENT and see what else can be done. ... Regardless, I am learning how to go about using the atonement in a very different way! I have to rely on My Savior for help and energy to get through parts of the day and still function. It is a little frustrating feeling like I am not able to give the work my all, but I have come to realize I still am, my all right now just isn't exactly where it was a couple months ago. Hey, God answers prayers! I prayed to be humbled. I just didn't think it would come like this! :D 

Anyways, I love you all! Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for me! I hope you have a good week! Here I go, off to be one of the truly frozen chosen! :) 

Much love! Sister Robison 

Week 42 - Revelatory Experiences and Miracles!

                                                                                                   November 23, 2015

Hello family, and friends! 

I am glad to say this week was really good. We saw a lot of miracles, felt the spirit, and learned a lot! 

We had the wonderful opportunity of hearing from Elder Perkins of the 70 on Wednesday. I am so grateful. This was just what I needed at this time! It was wonderful to hear from him, his insights, and testimony. The meeting was full of little miracles that I would love to tell you about! 

We had spent Tuesday night in Hamilton with our Sister Training Leaders so there was not quite as long of a drive the next day to Kitchener where the meeting would take place. As I was driving there in the morning, I started to feel sick once again. Just an over-all unwellness. As we sat down and the meeting began, the feeling only worsened. I was so frustrated! I could hardly focus on what was going on because I just wanted to curl up in a ball, lay on the floor, and cry due to how I felt! Finally, after about a couple hours or so (I'm really not sure), we went into a brake. At that point, I turned to Sister Edwards, relayed to her how I was feeling, and then started actually crying. I just didn't know what to do! I wanted to be involved in the meeting, and learn lots, but that was not happening. Thankfully, a Sister I am pretty close to came over, saw what was happening, and took control of things. A few minutes later, I was sitting in a room with the Zone Leaders getting another blessing for my sickness. As soon as they laid their hands on my head and started speaking, I began to feel better! Peace entered into my heart, I felt the spirit, and the sick feeling went away! Even better, it stayed away for the rest of the meeting. I am so thankful for the priesthood and for that blessing! 

The meeting was just what I needed! We talked about building faith in our investigators, and in our selves. We talked about teaching simply, asking inspired questions, our purpose as missionaries, the Doctrine of Christ, and many other important missionary things. One of my favorite things that Elder Perkins talked about was receiving revelation in meetings. He talked about how he wishes he could eliminate the word meeting from the church! Often times when we think of meetings, we think of something long, potentially boring, that we have to attend. He then went on to say that he wishes he could replace the word meeting with "Revelatory Experience." When we go to a meeting, and expect to be inspired by the speaker, we are going to be acted upon. We never find answers or learn through this way, and meetings are going to continue to be boring and long. It is our own responsibility to make meetings a sacred place where we can receive revelation! In order to make a meeting a revelatory experience, we need to come with questions. As we have questions, we are acting. We are then searching for answers through the spirit, and we will be able to have those testimony building experiences that God answers our prayers and that He loves us! I loved his insight! I would invite you to always attend all future meetings with 1 or 2 questions in mind. I know that as you do, you will be able to get answers, and allow the spirit to work within you and help you! 

I could go on forever about the things that I learned. It was a special experience for me, and it became even more special when I had a moment to talk with Elder Perkins at lunch, and indeed found out that he served as Dad's assistant when Dad was first starting his mission! That was another miracle! :) 

I was grateful for the long ride home to Welland after the conference. It was pretty silent due to how spiritually worn out we all were, but it was good. It allowed me a long time to ponder on everything that I had learned and the work that I am involved in right now. Somewhere in the past couple of weeks, I had taken upon myself a "Wo is me" attitude. As I realized this, I realized how dumb that is! I was able to continue to receive revelation in the car as to what I could do to change and better this work and my attitude. 

The conference was a real turning point for me for many different reasons and I am grateful! 

Another thing that I am grateful for was the chance to ponderize "Count Your Many Blessings!" This was a great way to open my eyes and help me to change my attitude towards things. I have so many blessings, I just need to make sure I stop, take a moment to look around and notice them! I hope you had just as wonderful as an experience pondering upon the words as I did! :) 

Yesterday was also a great day. We had the chance to hear from Elder Perkins again! As well as President Eyring and others at the Montreal Temple Dedication! And, Elder L. Whitney Clayton gave the dedicatory prayer, so that was neat for us! We love the Clayton Family! I love temples and cannot wait to go more when I get home! :) 

The week continued on, and we saw some great miracles! One being another member referral! These members do a wonderful job at living and leading by example. An older sister in the ward called letting us know that her son's friend wants a church and wants to meet with us! We gave him a call, and will be meeting with him on Tuesday! We also received a referral from SLC! We will be meeting with that gentleman later tonight! Miracles happen as we endure with love and patience and diligence. This I know to be true. Welland is starting to go places, and I am very excited about the work! 

I am still feeling a little sickish... I am on medication number 4, and we will see where it takes me! I am just getting to know the people at the Walk-in-clinic very well! :) The work goes on though, and so will I! Perseverance brings blessings! (Don't worry mom, I am not pushing myself more than I am able!) 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving (don't worry, we will be eating an American Thanksgiving meal with a family in our ward. More Turkey!) And stay warm! :) Much love! 

Sister Robison 

PONDERIZE: Alma 34:31

That time last week where we went out and worked despite the less than 
dismal weather. But hey, we were happy! :) 

We both got something in the mail on the same day!  It was a happy day! 

Week 41 - Family and Friends

                                                                                                                   November 16, 2015

Hello hello! 

What a few couple of weeks it has been! I have definitely been learning lots. 

For the most part, this week was pretty good. We have gone out and worked more this week than we have in a little bit! This week our zone had a huge focus on inviting people to church! We decided collectively that each day from 4-5, we would all go out and invite all that we saw! This was good for both of us! It gave us a set time to OYM and as well, a great reason to talk to people! In the past few transfers, contacting and talking to people has become my favorite part of the day! I love finding time, and I have definitely felt withdraws from not being able to do much of that each day, so it was so nice to be able to get out and open my mouth!  

A large struggle of the week has been my throat (as well as some other symptoms). Of course, my throat decided to act up the same time the weather decided to act up, and all at the same time the zone decided to do this challenge! I reassured Sister Edwards we were going to work through all the rain and wind and cold for the hour each day! It was going pretty well until the weather on Thursday got kinda nasty... We lasted for 40 minutes before my throat hurt pretty bad, my ears ached, and Sister Edward's legs and face were numb... Then we called it good for the day. The worst part was waking up Friday morning... I am sure I looked pretty miserable at district meeting that day... :) But! That is okay. We found some wonderful potentials- many of which have been looking for a church! We are looking forward to working with them in the future! And, don't worry, we decided to take it easier the rest of the week. We went to our appointments, and filled up the remainder of times with other productive things in doors. But! This week looks like it is supposed to be much warmer, and my throat should be better by the end of the week! So, hopefully we will be able to keep trucking on! :) 

We had a really neat lesson with one of our newer investigators Kim this week. It was our second time meeting with her. She is a chatter box, and loves to talk about all the things she has learned and seen throughout her life! It is a bit of a challenge to keep her on topic, but, we did it! We were able to talk to her about the Book of Mormon, and shared the first vision as well as Moroni's Promise (Moroni 10:3-5) with her! She SOAKED IT UP! She loved it! The spirit was strong, and she was just waiting for more! She quickly agreed to read the Book of Mormon, as well as to be baptized if she came to know it was true! It was one of those lessons where everything was good. Happy day! :) 

This week, we had the chance to participate a lot with the young womens! Sister Edwards and I were invited to speak at the Young Womens of Excellence night! We both spoke on specific virtues as well as some of the experiences we have had throughout personal progress, and how it has helped us in our lives thus far. I had the opportunity to speak on Divine Nature. As I was looking at the Divine Nature Value, I realized that that was quite easily one of the most important and influential values for me. That is the value that challenged me to improve my relationship with Kelly! Our relationship went from rocky to solid, and part of the credit is given to that, and the other to my parents. I am so grateful for it though. I wouldn't trade my friendship with Kelly, or any of my other family members for anything! Anyways, it was a great evening, and we were grateful to be there to support the young womens program in the Welland ward. Though it may be small (4 active girls), they are great! Sunday, we were able to teach a lesson in young womens as well! The Young Womens President asked us to speak on President Nelson's talk, "A Plea to My Sisters." (I was excited when I heard that Bishop Yamane spoke on that talk at the Summerlin Young Womens of Excellence night as well! It is such a great talk!) I would invite all of you to read it. 

All in all, a good week. A better week! And, it looks like we have a good week coming up. On Wednesday, we will be headed to Kitchener for a Zone Conference with Elder Perkins of the 70! We are very excited and look forward to learning from his remarks and instruction. 

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. I love you all and am so grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for me! :) Have a great week! Loves! 

Sister Robison 

PONDERIZE: This week, instead of doing a particular scripture, we are 

going to do a Hymn! Hymn number 241, Count Your Many Blessings. 

I am excited and hope you enjoy! :) 

PS mom and dad, I will get a pic for you next week! and, if you are planning on it, don't send a chirstmas package until the 29th. Transfers are coming up and there is a good chance I could be leaving! If you want to send it early, you can send it to the mission office 

Week 40 - I love Daylight Savings

                                                                                                                              Nov 2, 2015

Hello! I don't have much time! We spent the morning at Niagara Falls! 3 times with 3 different companions, and going strong! 

This past week was a little bit of a rollercoaster for many different reasons! We had Exchanges on Wednesday which was lovely! I spent the day in Hamilton with a wonderful sister from Germany! It was one of those days where nothing goes as planned, but you have fun and roll with it anyways! It was much needed. I learned so much from her!  

The middle of the week was a little slower.. But, by the end of the week, with some help from some other missionaries, we found 5 new investigators! This is huge because the past few weeks, I don't think we found any! Miracles are happening! 

I hope you had a fun Halloween! It looks like Kara and Justin did! We were in by 6 pm working on various things and weekly planning.

We had a really cool contact yesterday. We went to drop by a potential. At first, we were pretty blunt about asking if and when we could share some more of our message with her. She pulled back a little. We then spent about 20 minutes just talking to her and loving her, and getting to know her. Eventually we turned the conversation to Christ and the Book of Mormon. We taught and testified to her all about how the Book of Mormon helps us to learn and draw closer to Christ. By the time we were done talking to her, she became a new investigator! She could see how excited we were about our message, and she wants to know why and how it can help her! It really taught me that first we need to love these people, then we need to testify and share what we know to be true. Love people. That is the key to everything! 

Well, I hope you have a great week! I love you! Keep reading your scriptures, and if you like, 

Ponderize 2 Nephi 25:26! 

Much love! 

Sister Robison 

Sister Edwards and I at Niagara Falls

America is So Close!

Week 39 - Ahh! Time is low!

                                                                                                               October 26, 2016

Ahh! I was responding to a lot of emails and forgot to make much time for this email! My apologies! 

To be honest, this week has been a little rough! We are working hard and as far as investigators go, we seem to just keep loosing them! Between getting deported, moving to other parts of Canada, or just a new found lack of interest, they all seem to be disappearing! It is a little rough. But, we are continuing to extend our faith. As we do so, we start to see miracles in other phases of the work. For example, last Saturday night, a Recent Convert (of a couple years)/ Less-Active member that has been on the ward focus list since before I even arrived in the area, texted us asking about times for church. She has tended to be pretty flaky, so we didn't have a ton of hope. But, much to our surprise, she and her daughter showed up to church! And then, they proceeded to stay for the remainder of the meetings! They did leave the 3rd hour early- her daughter was not feeling well, but made sure to let us know how much they loved being there later that day via telephone. We set up a time to come down and teach them a lesson, and once again, they surprised us by really being home! We were able to reteach them the restoration- explaining to them that as we re-teach them the missionary lessons, they will be able to re-build their faith. By the end of the lesson, we found that the previous weekend, she suddenly had a great desire to go to church. So, she came. And, while we were there with her, she gained a great desire to go to the temple. Next lesson, we will be inviting her to think and pray about a date to go to the temple to participate in Proxy baptisms for those that have passed on. In preparation for the temple, we will be re-teaching her all the lessons and re-committing her to all the commandments. It has been so neat to work with the newer and less active members of the church. You can see the change the gospel is making within them. It is humbling! 

As far as other highlights, I found myself back at the walk-in clinic with a new throat infection! Yay! haha... this time around I got some stronger antibiotics that should knock it out! We also made quite a few trips to the auto shop this week as we had to have them check and eventually replace our car battery so it would keep dying on us.. So, that was fun! :) All the leaves are starting to basically fall off the trees... Fall is coming to a close and winter is well on it's way. Time to start bundling up! 

Well, I am sorry but that is all the time that I have for today! Thank you for your emails! I really love your thoughts and stories from the week previous! It makes my week being able to hear from all of you! I love you and look forward to your emails next week. Have a good one! Lots of love! :) 

Sister Robison

59 River Rd #23 

Welland, ON L3B 2R7

PONDERIZE: 2 Nephi 16:8 (It is my new favorite!) 

PS, David Day, the LeRoy family says hello! (You were in their top 3 of fav missionaries). 

PPS, HAPPY HALLOWEEN and day light savings! The only time you get to sleep in as a missionary!

We got front row seats to a passing train!

We made cookies with oreo's in them!

The Beautiful Leaves of Fall!

Week 38 - Things are on their way up!

                                                                                                                       October 19, 2015

Hello everyone! 

It seems that the farther I get into the mission, the quicker time goes! Days and weeks are just flying by! Ahh! But, that is okay. The work is certainly going, and generally in the right direction! So, that is always a good thing. :) 

This week was a little bit of a challenge for us for various reasons. Sister Edwards has been struggling a little the past few weeks, but especially this week. Adjusting to missionary life is hard and can take a toll on you. I would love it if you could keep her in your prayers this week! She truly is a wonderful missionary. She is full of the spirit- even though she doesn't always recognize it. She is an amazing teacher. She knows how to be herself. These are just a few of her wonderful qualities. I just wish she could see this all in herself! 

Transfer calls came last night! Or I guess I should say they did not come last night. We are both staying in Welland for another transfer! I am grateful! I love this area, and I love my companion! The work in Welland is slow. But, we are confident that things will be taking off soon. We have begun to work with more and more returning members (less actives that have expressed some interest in coming back). This is cool! Before a ward can receive new members, it needs to take care of the members they already have. It is all part of the cycle. And, as these returning members return, often times they bring their non members friends along with them! And honestly, the effects continue on, and the Lord's work builds! But, you have to start somewhere- so, that is where we are! The beginning. 

We are working with this really neat returning member her in Welland. She recently moved from a city up north where she was not active. She joined the church a little over a year ago and didn't feel much love or support from that ward so she stopped going. She strayed from the path and made some mistakes. But, she moved here for a new beginning. She immediately  contacted the missionaries for help with unloading things, and we haven't left her alone since! ;) But, she comes to church every single week. She is reading her scriptures. She is studying the lessons for Sunday school and Relief Society. She comes to all the church events. She is repenting, changing, and setting a wonderful example for all of those around her. She is so cool! I also found out this last week that she is Kara's age. When I learned that, it made it even a little more special for me to be working with her. She is a single mom with 4 adorable kids who are learning to love Jesus. I know she is one of the reasons why I need to be here in Welland! It's so neat to be able to help people come unto Christ. :)  

Sister Edwards and I did have the wonderful opportunity to go to the temple this week with all of the other missionaries she came out with and their trainers. I love the peace that lies there in. Mom and Dad, I would acutally love it if you could maybe send me two or three family names so that I could take them if I have the chance to go again! There is a wonderful spirit that comes in family history! :) 

Well, I love you all! I think you are grand. Don't worry about me. I'm no longer sick. We are working hard! Praying no more snow will fall for a while (as we did get some Saturday evening... but don't worry it all melted!). and striving to do the Lord's work! 

Have a great and warm week! 

Much love, Sister Robison 

Ponderize: Mosiah 2:41

Week 37 - Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

                                                                                                                       October 12, 2015

Hello hello! Once again! It is Monday and time to write all of you lovelies! :) 

This week was good! We had a really cool experience at the beginning of the week. We were going to contact a referral we received from a 10 year old daughter in a member family we were teaching. After we taught them, we asked who the spirit had indicated to them might be in need of this message! The daughter told us we should go talk to her friend and his family. The next day, we made arrangements to do just that! We had parked a few streets over, and were making our way towards the house. We decided to take a slight detour to talk to a couple gentlemen coming down the street. One was not interested. However, the other was! He explained that he didn't have time to talk now but really wanted to know more about our faith. Later that night, he actually sent us a text like he said he would, and the following day, he became a new investigator! The actual referral we were given was not interested. But, we learned a lot from this experience. Always open our mouths. Sometimes the person the spirit directed isn't who is ready. But rather, we need to be in that area to talk to someone else that is there! 

We had a good short meeting with our Bishop and Ward Mission Leader Thursday evening to talk more about the Mission Vision and how we can implement it here in the Welland area! One of the cool things Bishop Glanfield talked to us about is that He knows there are over 2000 people here in the ward boundaries ready to be baptized. Apparently, when he was Ward Mission Leader here about 20 years ago, he received revelation that over 1,000 people were ready to be baptized. When he went to  talk to the Bishop at that time about it, the Bishop replied and told him it was actually 3,000. Our Bishop went on to explain that the church came out with a statistic that about 3% of the population in any given area is ready to be baptized. The trick is the members need to be ready to receive these people. Our Heavenly Father needs to know we can take care of them and help them to nourish in the Gospel. The last thing He wants is for His children to make covenants and then leave because they were not being taken care of. I love the mission vision, because it will help our ward to change which will help the missionary work to change which will allow us to help more of God's children! This is what it is all about! :) I love it! 

I guess I should say Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Sister Edwards and I have had a good time celebrating Thanksgiving in the middle of October! It is kinda strange, but it definitely feels like fall so that makes it better! For the first time in my life I feel like I am actually experiencing fall! It is wonderful! The leaves are changing and it is really fun to watch! We have fun looking for great leaves as we walk around and talk to people! We are beginning to have a collection of pretty red maple leaves! No wonder they have it on their flag! 

Thanksgiving here is similar, but also different! Instead of just being one day, it is more of a weekend thing. For example, we had Thanksgiving dinner with a lovely family Saturday night, then again Sunday night with a different family, and will again Tonight with another family! Lots of Turkey!! Canadians all celebrate at their own convenience. It is kinda fun! It is cool to see everyone's various traditions and different recipes. :) 

But, let's not forget about the most important part of Thanksgiving, giving thanks! President Clayton, more than anything, has taught me how to be grateful and count my blessings. As we count our blessings, we are able to see God's hand in our lives. I have enjoyed being able to say many gratitude prayers this week. When thing are hardest is when we need to be most thankful. That is how we will receive the most comfort and help in our trials! Counting our blessings is truly one of our greatest blessings! 

The only downside about Canadian Thanksgiving being a long weekend things is that I may or may not have strep throat and all the walk in clinics are closed until tomorrow... I have great timing! Do not worry about me though. We have toned things down a lot- waiting for tomorrow to come when the offices will be open. The throat dosen't hurt too bad- more the stomach. But our Ward Mission Leader made sure I drank a lot of carrot juice and Hot water with lemon. I am on the road to recovery! 

Well, I love you all! Have a good week! Count your blessings! 

Much Love, Sister Robison 

PS, karly, you are too young to drive! Kara, you rock! That tough mudder looks like fun! Let us do it! mom, I love your giving thanks quote! Kelly, I love your face! Dad, work hard! Nate, you never email me so ... 

Week 36 - General Conference, What a Delight :)

                                                                                                                         October 5, 2015

Well, wasn't General Conference wonderful?! We had a wonderful weekend filled with the spirit! 

On Friday, we had a Zone meeting to which President and Sister Clayton randomly showed up to! At the end, President Clayton offered some wonderful advice that really hit home. Patience is everything. So many changes are taking place in the mission and it is key for us to make sure we are patient in all things. He asked us to stop looking at our feet, and to look at the sky. In other words, look at the miracles that are taking place around you! There are so many miracles. We just need to look up and see them! If we don't we will miss them and what is the fun in that! 

To go along with this, perspective is also everything. I have been striving to find even more joy in the work. As we choose to be happy and turn the rest to the Lord, attitudes change, and the work changes. Instead of choosing to stress over the work, I have decided to do my very best, do all the small things, and then let the Lord worry and work out the rest. I am here to accomplish His will and this will happen as I turn more over to Him and change my perspective! 

I personally loved the Saturday sessions of General Conference. My particular favorite, at the moment, was from Larry R. Lawrence. The Spirit is one of our greatest tools in our eternal progression! I am so grateful for the gift of the spirit in my life. He has helped me to become a better me. I know that we can receive answers to our prayers through Him. He will help us as we seek out His guidance and help. 

I also loved ponderizing a verse of scripture! My dear family, if you would really like me to, I would love to choose the scripture for the family each week! :) I was going to start with Moroni 10:32, my mission scripture! I am excited to be uplifted by various verses each week and to grow closer to Christ as I do so. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the scripture this week, and if you have any scriptures you wish to ponderize, then please, let me know! hehe :) 

The work this week was a little slow, with lots of appointments sometimes comes lots of cancellations. But, the ward is supportive, we will be working closer with the ward council, especially with our Ward Mission Leader, and I know that it will help the work here! Something we are really coming to understand is that it is not just our work. It is the Welland ward's work! We are just here to assist and to teach. How great is my calling! 

I love it. I love missionary work. I love the gospel. I love serving. I love going about and doing good. I love being His hands and His instrument. I love doing His work and His will. There is no greater calling. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! Make sure to stay cool, and I will make sure to stay warm! 

Loves

Sister Robison

Week 35 - Hello, Hello, Hello!

                                                                                                                   September 28, 2015

Hello family and friends! I love you all dearly! This week has been crazy! So many great things, and some hard things, but such is life in the mission eh? 

Dad! I can't believe you went to Timmy's! (Tim Horton's) That is cool :) I like their donuts and muffins. Yummm! 

Things of this week seem to be a blur! We have enjoyed some beautiful weather! All in preperation for fall, the Canadian harvest, and Thanks Giving in October! It will be great! 

Highlights of the week! Our New and Returning Members are doing so well! We met with the Bolibrucks again- the returning member couple that told Sister Maas and I they want to get sealed in the temple! We were hoping to see them at church yesterday, but they were unable to make it. :( But! We are excited to see them at General Conference! They are progressing well. This week, we will be teaching them and helping them to remember what the Plan of Salvation is all about! It's going to be sweet. We also met with the Sager's! Sister Sager was baptized this March, and Brother Sager is a returning member! They are great! They set a date to do proxy baptisms! November 7th! We are so excited to help them with their family history and get them to the temple- both for the first time ever! They were both at church this past Sunday. It was great to see them! Especially because Sister Sager hasn't been able to make it for some time now. 

Another Highlight! I received an email from Mariyam *formally* Tooba! Her and Raman are officially married! I am so so so happy for them! They are both wonderful! I can't wait to see them again and give them both large hugs! :) I am grateful for them in my life! 

For the past few weeks, Sister Edwards and I have been struggling with finding New Investigators- and many of our investigators seem to be a little flimsy. It has been a challenge. Saturday afternoon, we were out talking to people before the broadcast, and got yelled at a few times by various individuals. It was a rough day. Luckily, we were able to head off to the broadcast, and enjoy the safety of the spirit and sisters in the ward! It has been a rough patch, but I have and still am learning lots from it! The Lord knows what is going on. As we continue to do all that we can, blessings will come! 

This next week is going to be crazy. We have so much going on! We are excited! There is, of course, General Conference to be excited about! As well, between Investigators, and New and Returning members, as well as active families, we already have 16 lessons planned. We are going to be running around like servants of the Lord with their head cut off. Basically, it will be a party! :) 

I am excited! 

Patience, Diligence, and Endurance in all things! 

Love you lots! Have a great week and remember to take a few questions into conference!!

Much love, 

Sister Robison 

Week 34 - Listen to the Holy Spirit in all things

                                                                                                                   September 21, 2015

Hello! Hello! 

This has been a wonderful week, full of lots of tiny miracles! We have had a plethora of great experiences! We had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders, as well as Zone Conference! More than anything, I have learned, once again, how vital it is to have the spirit with us while laboring in the Lord's vineyard! 

First thing first, I will let you know a little more about my dear companion! Sister Edwards is doing well! This week we focused on teaching the Restoration. She does a great job teaching in simplicity. We also focused on OYMing, to help her feel more comfortable with talking to strangers! It has been great to see her improve in her ability to contact! She is becoming more comfortable with it as she is doing more of it! The biggest thing is just reminding her to be patient with herself! Focus on only a few goals at a time, and the rest will come! It is interesting to be reminded of just how hard or intimidating things seemed when I first came out! I never thought I would have been able to train another missionary! But, over time, we all learn, grow and progress! I was reminded of how much I have grown once again while I spent the day with Sister Maas in Welland! 

I just love Sister Maas! It was so fun for us to spend some time together in this marvelous work! She is doing so well! She only has about 4 months left- crazy how time goes on eh?! It was kinda weird for both of us to be with each other in a car area... my oh my how we miss the beloved buses! But, Sister Maas and I had a wonderful day where we were literally running from appointment to appointment! We saw lots of miracles though. 

Not too long ago, one of my previous companions and I started doing service for a LA (Less Active) couple. We offered to come help them with a few things, but only if they would allow us to "practice" teaching a lesson on them each time! This week, after the service (gardening and mowing the lawn! ... pretty sure it was my first time ever mowing someone's lawn:)), we began to share our lesson. The spirit was so strong, and by the end of the lesson, the couple began talking about how they wish to be sealed in the temple! Sister Maas and I were both overcome with Joy! What a wonderful experience! We are now working to get them back to church, and so on! I am grateful for the work of salvation! A reactivation, and helping someone(s) to get to the next ordinance is just as important as a baptism! 

A little later in the day, we were headed to another appointment. We were already running a few minutes late. When we stepped out of the car though, this random lady off the street invited us into her house! We were there for around 10 or 15 minutes, what the! She didn't become a new investigator, but, we did leave there with a Gatorade each, and 3 referrals! :) I am so grateful! 

The rest of the exchanges went very well! We had fun, and I believe we both learned a lot! 

The rest of the week was a little slow. But, Sunday was awesome! First, I just have to mention that Sister Edwards and I had a crazy Sunday. We both sang in the choir, the Sister Edwards gave a talk, then we taught the 12-18 year old Sunday School class, and then to top it off, we taught Relief society! Crazy. But, we had an appointment fall through later in the day. So, we were able to go for a finding walk, and came away with some great experiences, contacts, and some solid potentials! The Lord really does bless us as we follow the spirit. But, in order to follow the spirit, we need to make sure we have the spirit! How can we have the spirit with us? Pretty simple, obey the commandments, and live the gospel! I know that as we do this, we are able to have the Holy Ghost with us! He is essential in helping us to live, grow, and learn! I would be so lost without his subtle promptings and gentle nudgings! 

Well, I am afraid that is all I have time for! But, I love you! I hope you have a wonderful week! Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts, it makes a difference! God hears them and answers them! 

Much love! 

Sister Robison 

Sister Vance and I

Sister Simon and I and our "this is our awkward pose!" picture! 

Sister Edwards' first time at Tim Hortons! :) Had to get that on camera!