Dear Fam and Friends,
Yikes it got cold fast! Today we woke up to a very wet snow flurry and I had to remind myself that winter happens on the east coast, not just Rexburg, ID. Nothing like Rexburg snow though. It melts before it even hits the ground, but still comes down in snow form..if that makes anyyy sense. The leaves are falling and skies are getting gray, but hard work we do each day. Had to finish the rhyme.
So we had a great lesson with Zack and Sister Guessford last Tuesday and she is a convert to the church. Wonderful story, hers is. But she was a perfect fellowshipper for him. We talked about the need to stop drinking and other word of wisdom issues. Not to be blunt, but he loves his weed. That will be hard for him to give up. I laughed whenI looked at his shirt as we talked about the W.O.W. An adidas shirt but the symbol was a marijuana leaf and the brand caption was Cannabis. Soo funny. and ironic. We realize that he won't likely quit all that stuff on our time frame, but as long as he has the desire and faith, the Lord will help him. His life is changing so much. And he came to church on Sunday!! We met him in the parking lot and he walked into the chapel sportin' his black cargo pants, baseball cap, and Dale Earnhardt jersey with a scruffy go-tee. But what does dress matter, as long as he is there and feeling the Spirit. Which he did, and he enjoyed it all. He didn't trust us until the 3rd lesson, and now we just have this awesome friendship with him and he told us he'll be devastated if we leave. That's what member friends are for!
Christine is a thinker and talks a million and a half miles per hour, but we love her. And when we stopped by on Saturday, I got another feeling that Satan had been working on her. Sure enough, her first words were "Yeah hey guys, I don't think I'm going to do this whole LDS, book of mormon thing. I just don't feel like God would add to what's already in the Bible." My hear dropped as I thought we had already tried to resolve this concern in the last lesson. But I think the adversary knows that this sweet woman has great potential as a daughter of God, and he just wants to thwart that potential. Gahh! Satan, you are the devil! Ha, I've found myself saying that recently. We really are waging an all out war against Satan and boy do we have to be vigilant. So we invited her to keep reading and try us out at church. Come, join with us as Pres. Uchtdorf so wonderfully stated.
Miracle on Main Street...aka the library. We went to work and find on Facebook as we usually do in the morning. I sat down next to a man that looked to be about in his 20's. He was unfamiliar with the library and computers and how it all worked, so he asked several questions and I gladly helped him work it all out. Several minutes later, he glanced at my nametag and asked, "So what kind of salesmen are ya'll?"
We're not salesmen actually, we're missionaries. But what we have we are giving for free and it is more valuable than anything money can buy. He perked up as I pulled up a copy of the Book of Mormon. We taught him a quick little lesson there, then set up and appt to teach later.
Fast forward to friday, we taught him and his wife the Restoration and asked about their religious backgrounds. Cardin studied Islam, and his wife, Tynequah, grew up Baptist. They expressed an interest in finding a solid middleground religion to raise their two adorable children up in. I grinned at the prospect of having a wonderful family join with us. The miracle is that Cardin had not planned to go to the library that day, but he got a feeling that he needed to go for some reason. He also didn't usually talk to people, but he opened his mouth and talked to me. So it was touching to me to see these two wonderful people brought to us by the hand of the Lord. They accepted our invitation to be baptized that first lesson and Elder Rabe and I left the lesson just beaming with joy. Such people and occurrences make it all worth it.
I have been interacting, discoursing if you will, with many different types of people. Some recently have been very learned and intelligent. And I feel dumb or insufficient in knowledge to talk with them. Then the Spirit reminds me, "Just testify Elder." And you can't deny a pure and simple testimony. Why are different people put in our lives?
I think Jeremiah 18:1-6 has an answer. Christ talks about the broken vessels, which all of us are. He wants to take our lives and reshape and mold them into what He knows they can be. I find so much comfort in knowing that as I try my hardest to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, He can make me what HE needs me to be. Same is true with all of us, if we just let Him. Ponder what you can do to let Him shape you each day of your life, and you will feel a greater sense of purpose. Just as Zack does, just as Jackie does when she prays, or me or anyone who submits to His will. Let us be clay in the great potters hands.
Love you all so much, have a wonderful week,
Elder Jake Robins
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