Happy New Year's!

Hello my dear friends and family!

What a year it has been. To think this time last year I was doing the same thing almost! :) haha. I was reflecting on the year and turned open to my journal from this same time last year. It was really interesting. It honestly feels like it wasn't too long ago. This next week will be my last week in the office, I probably won't know what my new area is gonna be yet until next Sunday, but they've already let me know that I'll be leaving. This week is gonna be pretty crazy, though. We found out who the new assistant is gonna be today, he'll come in on Monday, a week before the transfer is over, and there's gonna be a special conference so that all the people that are going home can share their final testimony with us; there is also a news conference which happens the last week of every transfer, it's basically return and report, where they come back to the mission home, share what they've learned together, and receive some more training. I'm just writing this because it's my 4th and last time, so I wanted to remember. :) haha. If you had asked me a year ago what I saw myself doing in a year, I would never have guessed this. But I am pretty much way pumped to get back to the field and work for the whole day again. It'll be kind of a break, honestly, and it will feel so amazing to dedicate the whole day to my new area. So, you can be looking forward to that news!

I was looking through old PowerPoint trainings and talks and videos that this mission has used previously, going as far back as 2010 maybe further, but that's as far as I looked. And it's interesting to see that even though the methods and the focuses change, the work has always been the same. And I also have seen a similar pattern amongst the missionaries as we see in the Book of Mormon. I suppose it's a cycle for everyone, personally, maybe as families too, I'm not sure. But it is the pride cycle.

What happens in the Book of Mormon is that they are humble seekers of truth and so the Lord blesses them with all kinds of temporal and spiritual things, they then begin to forget who gave them those things and begin to become puffed up, they lean unto their own understanding, they gradually stop doing the little things, and they are no longer worthy of His divine help and so, they fall. 

Amongst the missionaries the same thing happens. They go to the conference and classes prepared to learn, and with a thirst for knowledge and light. They follow the counsels of their leaders, and they feel successful, and they are successful. They begin to drop things here and there, they begin to feel pleased with the work they are doing and take the credit for themselves, and little by little they, too, lose the guidance of the Holy Spirit and fall, and wait for the next conference or class to be lifted back up again. 

Then we see people like Nephi and Lehi, the brothers in the book of Helaman who are highly blessed and favoured in the eyes of the Lord and unceasingly serve Him, give thanks to Him, and humble themselves before Him. I wanted to share this today because it is my New Year's resolution. And I invite you all to make it yours as well.

The Lord blesses us unceasingly, He watches over us, His hand is in every detail of our lives, and I believe that Nephi and Lehi knew the secret to falling into the pride cycle. To serve Him constantly. To recognize His work in every part of our lives, or even to recognize that every part of our lives is His work, and praise His name for it.

I hope you all had a happy New Year! I love you all a freaking ton and am looking forward to another wonderful year!

Con todo amore y cariño,

Elder Robinson

P.S. We found out who the new mission president is gonna be. He will come around the first of July. Here is a link that will take you to some pictures of him and his family.  https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9nCKnBTL9xRalR2NU1WcUtFaWs&usp=sharing