May 19, 2014

Buenos Dias,
Man I cannot believe it is P-day already. It literally felt like I was
here only a couple days ago emailing you guys. This week passed by so
fast looking back on it now. During the week it didn't feel so, but it
really did fly by. I think it felt like if went by slow because it was
super hot. We hit temperatures in the low 100's for 3 straight days
and it was super hard. But we endured through and now the week is
over.

Sounds like you guys did have a super crazy weekend. I agree with mom
it is awesome to see how smooth the transition is between church
leaders. It was super cool reading how it all works in dad's email, it
definitely is a revelatory experience and amazing to see how the Lord
directs His church. I am with mom, I really don't know President Price
or President Diderickson. But I am super excited for President Godderidge, he is an awesome leader and will do a lot of great things a
the first counselor.

Thanks for the updates for track. Kyler told me that Tyson beat my 800
record. Sounds like it was super competitive this year which is
awesome. I don't have Tyson's email address so you will have to send
him a congrats through my facebook or something. Thanks for sending
that stuff so fast, I wasn't expecting it to soon, but thanks :) To
answer your question my companion and I don't have a car, but if I do
get to use a car soon I will have the thumb drive to listen to music
and talks as well. It is just weird that we can use thumb drives but
not iPods.... Quien sabe.

So this week like I said was just super hot and was very hard to stay
focused on the work. It started off a little slow, but like always it
picked up after Thursday. A theme we have as a zone this transfer it
talking with everyone that the Lord puts into our path. The past few
district meetings and zone meetings have been about this. To be honest
this has been one of my biggest weaknesses on the mission. But slowly
I have been getting better. I have been studying Chapter 9 of Preach
my Gospel pretty thoroughly and it has helped my increase my faith
that God is preparing His children to receive the Restored Gospel.
I did exchanges with our District Leader Elder Gonzalez on Saturday
and we made it a goal to focus on contacting during our exchange. It
started off with a super good personal study in the morning in Preach
my Gospel and the Scriptures. Two scriptures stuck out to me: D&C
24:12 and D&C 60:2,7. Both really just opened my eyes that it is a
commandment that as missionaries we need to talk to EVERYONE, and how
God will give us the strength, courage, and words to share with His
children. After that we went out and started working, passing by a few
potentials and members. Well in just 2 hours we talked with 11 people!
By the end of the exchange we had talked with 15 people that day. It
really increased my faith that there are people waiting to receive the
Gospel and how they are truly searching for the truth, and that is why
I am here: To bring the Restored Gospel to those searching for the
truth.

I know that this is God's work in the Earth. I am so grateful for His
guidance in this work and the help I receive every day. I am so
grateful that He is helping me overcome my weaknesses and I strive to
improve and do my part to improve as well. I know that it would be
very difficult to make such changes without His help and the help of
my leaders. I am so grateful for Elder Gonzalez and his love, and
desire, to help others improve.
Thank you for everything you do for me. Hope you all have a good weekend!
Love,
Elder Roberts


P.S
I was going to put this into my other email, but forgot.
While on Exchanges Elder Gonzalez and I contacted a family doing some
yard work, so we stopped to offer help and ask for some water. Later
we saw that they had a giant turtle just wandering their yard. So we
got a couple pictures with it.

I was going through my pictures and found a few more that people
might enjoy.

Picture 1.
This is what happens when you get 8 missionaries together after our
missionary correlation meeting. We stuff ourselves into a 2013 Toyota
Corolla

Picture 2.

Ya that's right we contacted a Pirate :)

May 12, 2014

Hi everyone,

I won't lie it is kinda hard to know what to write about after we call
home. I had the same problem when I called home for Christmas, the
following p-day I had no idea what to say. But I will try to mumble
off a few paragraphs. Forgive me if I just start rambling with no
purpose.

Well this week was kinda full of ups and downs. The week started a
little slow, and I know why which I will explain later, but after a
super bomb zone meeting and weekly planning session Thursday, things
just took off. Overall we found 3 new investigators and found several
of our less-actives in our area. It was a super good week, and I
really learned a lot about myself and this great work in which I am so
grateful to be apart of. The biggest fundamental of the Gospel that I
learned this week was Obedience brings Blessings (D&C 130 20-21).

So to start this week I was having some pain in my shins due to
breaking in new shoes. So I decided I would just take a week off from
running and exercise in the apartment doing body weight exercises.
Well Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning came and I stayed in bed
for an extra 30 minutes after the alarm went off. I did not get up to
exercise and I was just groggy, and tired for the entire day. Even
worse I was disobeying mission rules, constantly thinking about how
tired I was, and was not entirely focused on the work. Due to this I
know we weren't working as effective as we could have and I felt super
guilty.

Well like I said, after our zone meeting and weekly planning session
Thursday things just turned around. We made some specific goals to
work as hard as we could, and to be exactly obedient to every rule
including exercising in the morning. As we started to act on our goals
the Lord truly did guide us in the work. It was then when we found 3
new investigators, found several other people interested in the
Gospel, and overall I felt much better. I felt like I was more guided
in our planing, in what to say to the people we contacted, and more
happy.

I know that obedience and sacrifice brings the blessings of heaven.
Sometimes we might not understand exactly why we need to be obedient
to the smallest rules. But I know that is how we exercise our faith in
our Heavenly Father, put our trust in Him and our Savior Jesus Christ,
and push forward with faith in this life. I know that God will bless
us for our obedience, He will give us the strength to be obedient, and
help us understand the "whys" of His commandments. I am grateful for
all the blessings our Heavenly Father has blessed me with, and for the
experiences and trials He has given me.

Well I am going to end here. Thank you all for your love, support, and
prayers. I know the Lord is blessing you; keep seeking Him by being
obedient to His commandments as given through His prophets. His Gospel
has been Restored! I know it, I live it, I love it.

Love you all,

Elder Roberts

May 5, 2014

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the all caps email. Just wanted to make sure you all know what is happening. We found out last Sunday that we could use Skype. My companion and I will be at a member's house using their iPads to skype home. Should be fun and exciting. I agree with mom it really doesn't feel that long ago that I called home for Christmas. Haha Elder Lloyd brought up the point that the next time I call home for Mother's day I will only have a week left in the mission. CRAZY!!!! But still alot of time till that moment.

So as far as what happens with transfers, nothing happened with our companionship. Elder Lloyd and I will be staying together for another 6 weeks in the same area here in Cerritos. We are pretty excited to be together again and can't wait to just hit the pavement running. We have several good goals planned out for this transfer and we can't wait to put them into action.

Some sad news though Elder Lund will not be our District leader. He got upgraded to a zone leader and moved zones. We are pretty sad to see him go, but excited for the missionaries he will influence in his new zone. So far he has been my favorite District leader and I learned alot from him. Basically take the comments he gave about me, times them by 50 and you have Elder Lund. He is such a good Elder and I learned alot from him. He really does know how to follow the Spirit in all situations, and do things the way the Savior would do. I am going to miss him for sure.

This week was all right. Super hot though. On Tuesday and Wednesday I got burnt more than a burnt cookie. I eventually broke down and broke out the sunscreen so it wouldn't get any worse. I think the heat kinda spilled over into my attitude about the work this week. We had such a hard time finding people to teach, finding our our investigators, and we had to help the mission prepare an apartment for some sisters to move into this friday. So we had alot of distractions this week and we didn't have the greatest week.

So ya that was pretty much our week. Like I said earlier we are excited that we will be working together for another transfer and are super ready to work hard. Slowly but surely I am learning how to trust in our Heavenly Father to do His work in the way that will be effective and powerful. I know He does help us everyday, and I am really going to be striving to seek His help every day. I know this is a powerful work that is happening in the world right now. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be His missionary and bring the world the truth.

Love you all and see you all on Sunday.

Elder Roberts

April 28, 2014

Hi Everyone

This past week was awesome, and just amazing! Super hard, but just finished with indescribable joy. I honestly felt like Alma the younger when we and the son's of Mosiah met together, just full of joy and happiness. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary for our Savior Jesus Christ and for this time I have to help His work reach all the people here in California.

So if you saw the pictures you might have an idea what I am talking about. Yes, to answer mom's question: La Familia Berriel se bautizo ayer!! It such an amazing day, and just spiritually filled. I am grateful to our mission president to have made the rule that we could return to old areas to see investigators we taught get baptized. I was so excited to just be at the baptismal service. But, as you can see in the photos, I am dressed in all white. Yep Julia, the mom, asked me to baptize her and I was very grateful for the opportunity to do so. They are just an amazing family, and to see them take this step of faith was just incredible. What was also amazing was the support of the ward. I kid you not, over half of the ward showed up to the baptismal service for this family. La familia Berriel are in good hands, and an amazing ward to support them. I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for them, and He is already making plans for them to enter the temple one year from now. Thank you for the prayers on their behalf, I know that the Lord answered you prayers and I am so grateful to you all for you support for this family. Thank you!

So that was by far the highlight of this week. Other than that it was a good week. On Saturday, we got to change out our proselyting clothes for service clothes, as well as wear the famous "Mormon Helping Hands" vest. The city of Lakewood, which is covered by our zone, did an all city service project that we were able to take part of. The missionaries and members from our ward helped an older lady by painting her window and door frames. That was a lot of fun,it was a great time to get to know the missionaries and the ward members while providing some very solid service. 

Other than that nothing too crazy happened during the week. The work is a little slow in our area right now, and we are just struggling trying to find new people to teach. But after the baptism on Sunday, my energy levels just got filled to the max and I am just super pumped for this week. Also because this is the last week of the transfer. We had to have a 5 week transfer to make up for the 7 week transfer we had in January. I don't know why they did it that way, but it is the same amount of time to work in the Savior's vineyard. So I really want to end this transfer on a high note. Should be a good week, I am super excited.

As far as calling for Mother's day, I have no idea if we will be using Skype or just a regular phone  call home. I still have the address for Skype so don't worry too much about it. I will let you know soon what we will be doing.

So ya that should wrap things up here in Cerritos. Thank you all for your support and love. Time is passing by fast, but just means I need to be working just as fast and just as hard. I know this is the Lord's work here on the earth, and I know that He is guiding us everyday. 

Love you all,

Elder Roberts

P.S. Thank you all for the gifts, they all will come in handy.

April 21, 2014

Hi everyone,

First off thanks for all the Happy Birthday wishes! Kinda weird turning 20 years old, especially on the mission and not at home. But its all good, I am just glad my birthday fell on a p-day so I can do most of the things I want to do. But ya I made another loop around the sun... YAA!!

So this past week just started off a little slow, but picked up tremendously. First off I did exchanges with our DL again, I worked with his companion Elder Brock who actually was in my MTC District. It was alot of fun working with him, he is such a hard worker and a great example to me. I remember how nervous he was starting the mission, but now I think he is the best missionary from our district. He has worked so hard to learn the language (He pretty much is a native), and does such a good job teaching simply, asking questions and loving those he teaches. It was a great exchange.

Then on Saturday we had our Zone Conference which was BOMB!! We received trainings on effective planning especially to find, the role of prayer, the role of the Book of Mormon, and teaching simple doctrine. Unfortunately President Tew was having some health issues and wasn't able to come to our zone conference, but the Assistance did such a great job teaching the last two trainings. It actually is something really hard to do: To take all the lessons we teach, every specific point, and simplify it down to the simple, basic Doctrine. As part of the training we were to pick a specific part of a lesson, for example prophets, and teach it in one sentence followed by an inspired question. Man it was pretty hard I can tell ya. This is what I did for Prophets,

"Prophets are God's servants on the earth to help His children return to live with Him. How do you feel that God has given you prophets?"

It is pretty hard to sum up everything into one or two sentences, this took me about 15 minutes to create. I remember trying to sum up Christ Ministry into two sentences and it took my 40 minutes of my personal study to do. It is hard; but I remember when we practiced this in our zone conference, how strong the Spirit was, and how much better I knew those I was practicing with: their needs and concerns, how well they understand and accept it. There is a quote in Preach My Gospel by President John Taylor that says,

"It is true knowledge to take something as big as the Gospel...and teach it so simply a child could understand it."

I know that teaching simply is an important key in missionary work. To simplify it so simply that others can understand, feel the Holy Ghost testify of the truthfulness, and help they find answers of their own. It takes alot of study, alot of patience, and being in tune with the Spirit to do so. But I know that it works, and I can't wait to put it into practice more and more here in our area.

Sorry that was a little longer than I thought. Things are going super good in our area, last week we found 4 new investigators and were able to set another baptismal date with one, se llama Edgar. Elder Lloyd found him with Elder Lund when we were on exchanges. But he sounds super cool, and I can't wait to meet him. The Lord is really helping us in our area, just like He did when I was in Whittier. I know that this is His work, and He is guiding us every day. I am grateful for this opportunity to be His servant and to help His children understand His Gospel, the basics truths for happiness. This work is amazing, and I am loving every opportunity I have to help His children come closer to Him.

Thank you for everything, and I hope all is well.

Elder Roberts

"Missionaries [and members] who pray for missionary opportunities will see missionary opportunities every where. Missionaries [and members] who don't pray for missionary opportunities will not have such experiences, even though they will encounter the same people in the same scenario." - President Tew

April 15, 2014

Hey everyone,

 

If you are confused why I didn't write you all on Monday, look at the pictures and it will explain everything. First picture is with my companion, Elder Lloyd, and the second one is with my fellow cache valleyite Elder Lunds. Sorry if it looks like I am crying or grimacing, it was super smoggy when we got done with our session and just hurt to smile.

 

That is so cool that you ladies had a girls night out and saw Les Mis. I agree with you caption: you all are a good looking bunch. I cannot believe how much Amanda has grown, I think she will be taller than everyone in that picture. Pretty jealous of you all, but glad you had the opportunity to go.

 

Sounds like you guys did have a pretty busy week. I can agree with you that the week did fly by crazily fast. We did exchanges with Elder Lund this past week, and I think that made the week just fly by. Then this week we went to the temple today, then have zone conference on Saturday. So this week will also just fly by, leaving only 2 weeks left in the transfer which is also very crazy. But hey that is the mission life I guess, lose yourself in the work and let the Lord guide you in His work.

 

So nothing too much happened this week. We picked up 2 new investigators that are completely opposite in personality and interest level. The first one is named Humberto, and no lie, he literally has a testimony that the Catholic Church is the one and only true church. He has talked with missionaries before, about 8 months ago, and has received almost all of the lessons and come to church twice. He has not, however, read the Book of Mormon and has not directly ask if it is true. However when we passed by him, he explained how he felt uncomfortable and nothing when he attended our church the two times, but felt extremely happy when he attended His church. So therefore he has a "testimony" that the Catholic church is true. I am not sure how much longer we will hold onto him, but we will see.

 

The other investigator we found was an old referral never contacted named Maria. Her son was baptized into an english ward, and she has really seen the blessings that come from the changes he has made. So she accepted to take the lessons, and learn about the changes he has made. Well we shared the first lesson about the restoration, and when we went back she explained how she had shared the same message with her family and her co-workers only because it was something new. Prepared? I think so :) So we followed up with her reading in the Book of Mormon, and (Wait for it........) she accepted a baptismal date for May 4th!! Also she later expressed that she would like her whole family to be involved in the next lesson tomorrownight. So ya comlete opposite for Humberto, and super prepared.

 

So ya that was most of the highlights of our week. So far this week is looking pretty good. We have several lessons set up with old formers, and a few potentials we have found. The Lord is truly leading us in His work in our area. I know that this is His work, and it is an eternal work. It was actually really cool because when we got to the temple today, a temple worker mentioned to me how unique experience I have to do missionary work both on this side of the veil, and the other side. Think about it: How often can you say that you are doing missionary work on both sides of the veil? Just goes to show that God loves everyone of His children, and how great of work He is doing to "Bring to past the immortality and eternal life of man."

 

Thank you so much for you love and support. I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ. (By the way if you havent' read Elder Calister's CES Devotional talk, I would highly recommend it). It is the only church established on Apostles, Prophets, and priesthood authority. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, and His love to put these things on the Earth for us to partake of. It is true, and I love it.

 

Elder Roberts

So I forgot to update you guys on something. You remember la familia Berriel in my last area. Well I get a call from our zone leaders tuesday night with some very exciting news: La Familia Berriel will be baptized on April 27th!!! Plus, in our mission we have a rule that if a person/family get baptized the transfer after you get transferred, you get to go to the service. So ya on April 27th my companion and I will be taking a little road trip back to Whittier for their BAPTISM!!!

 

So ya I am a little excited for them, and am praying for them every day. They are such a great family and have already seen the blessings from the Gospel in their lives.

 

Sorry for the short email, just thought that you would be interested. Que tenga una buena semana, que Dios le bendigas.

April 7, 2014

Hey guys,

Guess I will first off answer your questions about the new area. So I am serving in a city called Bellflower, the zone is called Cerritos. I am serving in a Spanish ward, Cerritos 2nd ward, with 8 other missionaries. My companion's name is Elder Lloyd, and he is from Sandy Utah (I don't know why I always get stuck with companions from Utah) and he has been out about 14 months. Then you will get a kick out of this: My district leader is Elder Lund, the grandson of the Lunds in your ward right now. Yep I found him and we are super excited to be serving in the same ward together. Our area looks very similar to downtown Logan. A lot of stores along the main street with houses and apartments as you move away from the center. We live in an apartment inside of our area, and we do not have a car so we have been using bikes and walking. Our area is pretty small, only about 6 miles by 1 miles big so not too crazy. With the ward, there isn't a set system for giving dinners to the missionaries. Usually the missionaries set them up on their own, so this past week we have not eaten with members. But we are going to try to change that so we can get to know the members better. Whew I think that answers it all, if not you will have to wait another week for more details.

This week has been hard and different. It always is difficult when you get moved to a new area and you just have no idea what is happening in it. For our area, it is very similar to my last area in Whittier: We have little to no investigators, several less-actives, and several pages of potentials that other missionaries have contacted. So it is going to be very similar to the past 3 months: pass by these potentials and try to start teaching them, street contacts, and member referrals. I know that the Lord will help us because He helped us when I was in Whittier with Elder Awerkamp. I know that the Lord has a plan for us here in Cerritos in our area. I know that He wants as many of His children to come closer to Him, and it will be through us that we will help His work progress. I am excited for the challenges that lie ahead, and for the guidance of the Savior to overcome these challenges.

I am glad to hear that you all had a fun time down it San Diego. I got an e-mail from Kyler Olson that he saw you guys in San Diego. I don't know if you saw him, or if he just saw you guys from a distance. Thanks for all the updates, and hope everything goes well for you guys these next few weeks. Sounds like you all are going to be pretty busy.

General Conference was BOMB!!! So many good talks and a lot of great counsel from our leaders. I agree with you both: Elder Uchtdorf's talk was awesome about gratitude, along with Elder Bednar's talk about spiritual load and that through the Atonement of Christ, we can have a positive spiritual load. My question for you all is: Do you think this was President Packer's last conference? His talk was so spiritually packed, and his testimony was soooo strong. I hope it isn't his last conference, and we can have one more chance to hear him speak. I was thinking about listening to the conference is Spanish, but decided that it would be better if I stayed with English. Maybe next time I will be more confident.

Things are going well here. After conference I just feel more spiritually strong and spiritually fed. I can't wait to go back and study the talks again. I really like how most of the talks were about faith, and courage to stand for what we believe. I absolutely love it, and am so grateful to be a missionary at this time. To carry His gospel to all the world, and to stand up for what I believe. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, and we are all His Children. I know that Christ came to this earth and atoned for our sins so we do not have to carry the heavy load of sin. I know that He lives, and guides His church here on the Earth. I know that through the prophet Joseph Smith, His church was restored with all His teachings and the priesthood authority. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is His prophet, and that he is truly called of God to lead us. I know this is true, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" I love you all, and am so grateful for the blessing of families. I know that the family is ordained of God, and the greatest blessing we can have in our life. Thank you all for your love, support, and teachings. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Roberts