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Hello everybody. I hope you have had a great week. I have no time to write a weekly this week but I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday worshiping our lord and Savior. I'll write more next week.
-Elder Robbins
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ELDER TYLER ROBBINS - Oregon Salem Mission
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
April 23, 2019 No Time
April 15, 2019 Dad, I got a picture of the goat
| This past week was another crazy busy week but we saw lots of miracles. To start off, this email I want to share a big one. We have been working with a couple who have a variety of different struggles but incredibly strong faith in Christ. They have been doing their best to overcome all their troubles but the big one was the word of wisdom specifically for her. She has been cutting way back with smoking and then stopped cigarettes and started vaping to get the nicotine out of her system slowly. Well as we go over there, we always have very spirit filled lessons with them and blessings get brought up often so she asked us if we could give her one and of course we said yes. So before the blessing we will usually tell them what we will be doing and the process of how things work and then the spirit pressed upon me to talk about her quitting smoking all together and getting rid of the vaper or whatever you call it. So I did and I committed her to get rid of all of it. |
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On Thursday we had our Zone Conference, it was all the way in Keizer which is almost 2 hours away so we slept in Dallas for the night and then drove the rest of the way in the morning. It was fun because I got to drive right through my last area and see the different places I went. Zone Conference for me is usually a spiritual feast and I feel so invigorated afterwards from all of the things pertaining to missionary work I had just learned but this one was a little bit different. At the beginning, President Tateoka talked about President Nelson's conference talk to the priesthood brethren on repentance and how that is a key factor in our own conversion to this gospel and receiving the Holy Ghost more fully in our lives. In a way it was kind of a chastisement in a good way for the things that I have been struggling with. He talked about how many of the people we work with think of repentance as a negative thing and how it makes us feel bad but in reality it should do the exact opposite, it should lift us up knowing that Christ took our mistakes away from us. It should make us feel better knowing that we have someone as mighty and powerful as Christ on our side always willing to help. Throughout the whole Zone Conference, I just kept on hearing perfect yourself so you can perfect others. I know I won't be perfect during this life but I sure know that I can do my best to improve.
Other than that, we have just been packed busy with lessons which is great and then we catch ourselves falling asleep when we have a little bit of down time because we are so spiritually dead from all of the amazing things that are happening. The Lord truly is hastening his work and if we aren't willing to keep up then we are going to be left behind! I'm grateful for this gospel and that through Christ we can work through any of our trials and seek forgiveness for any of our wrong doings. I’m grateful for the spirit that the Book of Mormon brings and the knowledge I receive from it.
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Monday, April 15, 2019
April 8, 2019 Welp... That was crazy
| Well I'm not really sure what to say from this past week. We were packed busy all week long and so I'm having a really hard time remembering anything lol. Main thing that happened is General Conference and running alllll over the place to help all of the people we can to watch it. General Conference was amazing and there was so much knowledge and wisdom to be gained. One of my favorites was Elder Callisters and he talked about Jesus Christ and his atonement and how it literally covers every aspect of redeeming our wrong doings and our mishaps but not only that, it helps us get back up off of our knees and make us better than we ever could make ourselves. |
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We had quite a few lessons. We had a lesson with a lady named Mary and we taught her all about the temple and how that is what she needs to keep her eyes on. We showed her the virtual tour video of the Rome Italy Temple and the entire time she was mentioning how strong the spirit felt. So there should be good things to come with her.
This past week we read from the Book of Mormon with so many of our people and it is amazing the power that it has to persuade people to change their lives around and become a better person. As we learn of Christ and discuss his life and divinity, people ask us all the time if this is how we always feel - then follow that question up by saying something along the lines of because this feeling is way better than any drug I've ever tried. The power that God can bring into our lives is amazingly strong and if we are willing to rely on him he can help us to become amazingly strong. I would encourage you if you are not currently reading a little bit from the Book of Mormon daily to do so! It will change your life. Also read the conference talks, the Lord speaks through his servants. Amos 3:7- “Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the prophets.”
Sorry for the lack of pictures this week. I will do better this upcoming week lol.
-Elder Robbins
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Wednesday, April 3, 2019
April 1, 2019 - I Got A Goat!
| Another week has flown by but it felt like the longest week at the same time. Nonetheless I'm glad for it to be p-day because I'm ready for a break. This past week has been pretty stressful due to how much we had going on but it was so worth it at the same time. This past week in the evenings we have started going to members’ homes and teaching them quick lessons. From 8-9 pm there is nobody out and so it's much more productive to go to work with members! Well on Sunday night the members we visited have a giant farm and the lady walks away and after a minute comes back holding two baby goats, she said they had been born within the last 24 hours. They were so cute and so little! The baby goats were soft but the older ones aren't. We have been working with an inactive member and his family a lot recently. We did a ton of service for them and then Sunday evening they fed us and it was an amazing dinner. A ton of super good ribs, huge potatoes and then baked beans. It had some salad but that's not as good lol. Anyways we watched Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration film as we ate and we had to keep on pausing it because he had so many questions which is great! I'm just grateful that my white shirt stayed white throughout the whole movie and didn't get a ton of stains. |
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We are working with a couple named Anthony and Rose. They are super cool and he is very very knowledgeable when it comes to the Bible. Anyways they both have a testimony of the Book of Mormon but as we have begun reading through it with them and they have read on their own their testimony has only gotten stronger and stronger. It is so fun to see! Well this past week Anthony calls us and starts telling us about all of these different things he has been finding in the Book of Mormon and how they correlate perfectly with everything he knows and it even explains some of the deep knowledge he has even clearer than he has been able to find in the Bible. As we go over and talk with him, a lot of the stuff he describes he describes using Hebrew characters so I have been picking up a bunch of Hebrew and the meaning behind the symbols it’s been super cool.
After district council on Friday, we had exchanges. I got to go with Elder Gutierrez who I have served around but never really got to know him. Well it turned out that he had never seen the ocean so he got to see it on the exchange and smell the beautiful salty air which is one of my favorite smells. We also burnt some giant spiders that we found in the apartment so that was fun but made it smell bad. I'm glad they are gone though. Our drive back to Dallas to exchange back was nice and quick but the drive back home took forever. There were so many people going to Lincoln City for the weekend and for spring break it was absolutely crazy how many people were going there. It took us over 2 hours to get back when it is normally about an hour drive it was ridiculous.
This past week I was pondering a lot on the scripture Ether 12:27 which talks about how Christ's grace is sufficient if we humble ourselves before him and then he will make our weaknesses into strengths. I was thinking well how does his grace do such a thing and how can I better enable it in my life because I have many weaknesses as does everybody. Well I got thinking, Christ's grace comes only because he is the atonement for all mankind so it is really his sacrifice that can help to make our weaknesses into strengths. So as we learn more about Christ and his sacrifice for each of us in whole and individually, it compels us to have compassion towards him and what he did for each of us personally. It urges us to stretch farther than we thought possible because of the depths of pain the Savior went through. It motivates us to work harder to make it back to him as we gain a greater understanding of who he is and his divinity. So as we use this motivational factor of the Savior’s sacrifice and compassion towards the Savior, we strive to become better day by day and his grace and love is what enables us to get up time and time again and have the peace that as long as we keep on getting up our past mistakes will be taken care of through his sacrifice.
I love you all! I do have pictures but will send them next week my internet sucks right now and I can't download them lol.
-Elder Robbins
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March 25, 2019 - Why you yelling!
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Hello everybody it's me again from the sunny beautiful coast. In case if you are wondering, yes I still love it here in Lincoln City. And no I am not looking forward to this upcoming week because rain is coming! But that is beside the point. I am now with Elder Fish. Elder Nelson has headed off to Bend. Elder Fish is great. He and I have a ton in common because we both raced mountain bikes together. Not really together but sort of because we raced for the same league. He is a great guy though and we have a ton of fun together. He is from Orem Utah and this will only be his 3rd transfer. It seems like he knows what he is doing out here better than I am lol. He keeps on commenting on how beautiful it is here and how much he loves it. I must be getting used to it because I forget how blessed I am to be here for all the time I have been able to spend on the coast. |
Saturday seemed like the longest day in a long time. We only had one lesson set up and it fell through so we were on foot all day long talking to as many people as we possibly and knocking on as many doors as possible. Talking to people on Saturdays is tough because so many of them are from out of town and don't want to talk because they are trying to enjoy their weekend. Or they are on spring break from Idaho and already members. But it is all good. At one point we saw this lady and she was on some hard drugs and just all over the place and yelling at cars as they went by, so we crossed the street away from where she was at. She noticed us and started yelling at us although I couldn't understand what she was saying. I thought that she was going to run across the street and attack us or something but luckily she didn't. We didn't have a ton of luck that day but then the next day we got a referral! So it wasn't all for nothing and the Lord still blessed us. That night we were both super tired and we fell asleep with all the lights on. Half way through the night I woke up and was "too tired" to turn all the lights off so I turned off the light in our room and closed the door so I didn't have to worry about the other lights haha.
Recently I have taken an interest in apostasy or a falling away from Christ and his true teaching. It is interesting because without there being an apostasy this church wouldn't exist. Well I was studying in preach my gospel and it gave me an idea to write what would be a news article about apostasy and I wanted to share it with all of you!
Apostasy is all around us. Apostasy is a rejection of a certain affiliation or religion. People all over the world claim to have the true doctrine of Christ but who is right? They all look towards the same God but have different beliefs on how to get back to him. Let's take a look at Christ's original church. Paul describes Jesus going about doing good. There is much good from all churches. The Bible describes Jesus giving power and authority to his Apostles so that they too could go out and do much good in his name. Jesus Christ then went out and worked mighty miracles among men who despised and hated him. These wicked men crucified Jesus Christ but three days later he overcame the bands of death and showed his resurrected perfected body to his disciples. After Jesus Christ ascended into heaven his disciples went about all the land and spread the good news that Jesus Christ had risen. They taught and preached their gospel to all they could. Many believed in their words and looked towards the savior but even more fell farther away from the teachings. Like Christ the twelve Apostles took their faith and knowledge of Christ to their last breath of this life all of the acts of the Apostles is the disciples going about the people trying to correct the teachings of Christ that had been corroded by men's teachings. Men changed the original precepts and teachings of Christ to fit their needs and desires. They did this searching for power and wealth, not to go about doing good as we saw Christ and his Apostles do. There are many people who tried to get back to Christ's original teachings but the power and authority was lost with Christ and his Apostles. The teachings and precepts of men are all around us. Who can we trust? Where can we search for the truth? Which church is Jesus Christ himself head over? To figure this out we must get back to the original teachings of Christ only found in the scriptures. The true church of Christ must believe in angels and visions. They must have the same church foundation as Christ's original church. They must believe in modern revelation and that the heavens are open. They must believe that they must go down to the waters of baptism then receive the gift of the holy ghost by someone who holds authority. They must covenant with the father of our spirits to always remember Christ's name and to wear it proudly. Where is Jesus Christs true church today? Where is the power and authority? Where are the angels, visions and revelations? And how do we get back to Christ's original church? There is only one way, through a restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A reformation of his church wouldn't be enough. The power and authority has to be restored through one who already holds it. The angels, visions and revelations must be restored. The fundamental foundation of Christ's church must be restored, this can not be done through man alone but Christ himself must be in charge of this great restoration. He is the only way, he has been from the beginning and he will be until the end. He must be head over his church.
-Elder Robbins
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