Sister Amanda Robertson: Week 48: An Instrument In Thine Hands

I can't believe we have all been on our missions for 11 months already! Time flies. Right now we are all training. :)

Where do I even begin? This week has been jam packed full of conferences, meetings, lessons, and kokans (companion exchange).

Kokan

We have been busy busy busy. But it has been so much fun. We don't have a ton of time to email today, but I wanted to share an experience that we had on the way to Kobe for Trainer Trainee Training on Tuesday. We had planned to go to Kobe with the Elders in our area since they were going too, but we ended up thinking that we were meeting at a different train station/line, and so we went on our own. We made it to Kobe, and we weren't squished too badly on the way in the middle of rush hour traffic, so that was nice.

We got on the bus, and found a seat towards the back. When we got on there weren't that many people on the bus. We got to a stop, and a couple from America got on the bus. The wife smiled at me and so I said hi. Then we started talking. They were visiting her parents because her dad was really sick. She shared with us how hard these last three weeks have been for her, because she is not sure if she will ever see him again. As she was talking I felt like I should tell her about what we believe. She had said that they knew a little bit about the church (her husband had worked on the stained glass for the San Diego temple), but because she was going through such a hard time, I didn't want her to feel like I was trying to preach at her. I just really wanted to help her, so I just listened while she talked, and confided in us. At one point I felt prompted to tell her about my mom's parents. I told her that they both died when she was 20/22, and I can't even imagine what that would be like, especially with me being 22 right now. I told her that I had no idea what she was going through, and that it must be so hard. We talked for a little while, and then I felt prompted again to share with her that she could see her dad again. I said that I didn't know how much she knew about the church, but that we believe that families can be together forever. We promised that she could see her dad again. We talked about how it is through this gospel that we find peace and comfort when we are faced with challenges. It is through the gospel that we can make it through the hard times. I don't know how much that helped her, but she told us that maybe one day she will want to learn more, she doesn't know what to do, or where to go, and she just feels lost and confused. I hope that we were able to help her in someway. That experience really made me grateful for my Heavenly Father. He places people in our paths everyday that we can help. "He will lead you to them, or He will lead them to you." I am grateful that we were able to be in the right place at the right time, so that we could help one of Heavenly Father's children who needed to feel His love. To know that she was not alone.

There are many other experiences that we have had this week when we were able to be instruments in God's hands. Sometimes it was just a simple thing like being at a train station at the right time, and being the only other people that spoke English, so that we could help some lost tourists find their way. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve my Heavenly Father everyday. I love this gospel. I know that it is true. I know that God loves me, and that He loves each and every one of His children.

I love you all so much, and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Love,

Robertson Shimai