Grandpa Gibbons - Letter 1

Dear Caleb,
We were able to read your first letter from the MTC and were so thrilled that you are having a great experience. Your spirit was wonderful and if you keep that spirit throughout your mission, you will have a great experience with your mission and will be a fantastic missionary. I'm sure you know that you will have days and experiences in the field that will challenge the best within you. You may get a companion like I did, who sits on the bed and cries every night because he wants to go home. He would not get out of bed according to mission rules and he was unwilling to go out and do the work. It was a challenge for me to have any kind of spirit. But I decided that I wouldn't let him dictate the kind of mission I was going to have. (Yes, he was my first companion and was supposed to be my trainer) So I worked extra hard to learn all of the discussions and scriptures that I was supposed to memorize. I finished those in half the expected time and then just dragged him out the door and we tracted because I didn't know what else to do. I was shy and it was hard for me to do the door approaches but it was me or none at all so I gutted through it. I look back now and can see that I probably grew more spiritually, emotionally and socially during the three months that I was with him than at any other three month period of my life. I can tell you this—you could compare a mission in some ways to the cafeteria food in the MTC. There is a great variety and some is better than others. A mission is like that. Some days will be better than others. Some companions will be better than others. Some investigators will give heed and some won't. But through it all as you stay faithful and obedient and prayerful, you will come to learn that each experience will give you experience that will make you a more complete missionary and person. So love every experience. (obviously, some more than others) and cherish the blessing of being able to serve your Master. He loves you and will be with you—always! If times come when you wonder about that, just remember that you also have an adversary who hates the work of salvation as will do all he can to stop it and discourage you in the process. When those times come, remember Joseph in the grove as he prayed. The adversary came with all the power he could muster and it was real. But Joseph records that "calling upon God to deliver me….I saw a pillar of light…." Stay close to Him through prayer and you will always have his blessings.
We love you and pray for you in all our prayers. Have a great week and may God bless you in all you do.
Love,
Grandpa and Grandma