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24 June 2013

Dear Homefront,

Well, the end is really approaching now.  I got the first installment of my "Trunky" paperwork from the mission office which included a small note from President Perry and my flight itinerary.  My official fly date is 16 July, and I should be landing around 7:30 pm local time.  The thing that I find the most interesting, is that I have no fear in my heart about returning home like some of the missionaries I've known.  I feel comfortable with what I have accomplished and ready to face new and exciting challenges in the coming phases of my life.  I know that those feelings are not my own, but rather come from a loving Father in Heaven who has blessed me repeatedly with feelings of peace in times of upheaval and change.

This week was a good one here in the VRM.  There was a World Wide Leadership Training Broadcast last night about hastening the work of salvation - essentially, Missionary Work!  There are many new changes that are going to happen in the way missionary work is done to keep up with this new age and on the digital frontier.  There is also a new emphasis being placed on the roles of the Bishop, Ward Mission Leader, and on regular member missionaries resounding the calls of President Benson, and President Hinkley.  I'd invite everyone to visit lds.org and see what it means to them.

Other than that, this week was a little slow, but still very good.  We've been spending quite a bit of time working through the ward roster to try and visit everybody, including less active members, as well as working on finding more new investigators.  So far, we haven't seen very much fruit, but I know that seeds are being planted and cultured so that they might grow and be ready for others.

I just can't explain quite all of the feelings I have as I stand at this point.  With all these exciting new changes coming out right as I prepare to return home, I'm yet reminded of a conversation I had with President Perry where he told me that it was not coincidental that I had entered the service of the Lord prior to the "surge" or that I had been where I was, when I was.  The Lord had needed me.  And now I feel that the Lord still has need of me, just in different ways.  I can use the things I have learned here and now and be in his service every day.  Though I will soon no longer wear the black tag, I am still the Lord's servant and can make myself useful in his hands.  I know that is true for us all, if we allow the Lord to use us.

I love you all and am excited to see you.  Stay safe, stay happy.

With love,

-Elder John Y. Roberts

PS:  I'll keep an eye out for the package.

PPS:  I need to talk to Dan sometime about the army.