Week 102 - Last email, see you Friday!

13 I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:

14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. 

Greet the friends by name.

(3 John 1:13-14)

Areas:  Mexico MTC - Osceola - Muscatine - Perry - Iowa City - Muscatine (#2) - Iowa City (#2) - Des Moines

Companions:  Marstaller, Blauer, Jackson, Miranda, Steele, Akaka, Johnson, Gregor, Jackson (#2) Peterson, Hunter, Porter, Broadbent, Marting, Edmunds, Peterson, Akaka (#2)

From this week's branch activity:

Week 101 - The best kind of week, busy & fun!

Today we have some awesome lessons lined up! After P-day we are having dinner with a member family and then we are teach JG! Elder Akaka and I met him a couple of weeks ago. He has completely changed his life and will be getting baptized this Saturday!!! After his confirmation on Sunday I will probably be checked out, but I am grateful that I have had the responsibility to help him into the waters of baptism. It has helped me a lot to stay focused.

Tomorrow I will be going on the departing temple trip in Nauvoo....

Wednesday we have exchanges planned.

Thursday will be a day full of meetings.

Friday we be spent planning and teaching.

Saturday Jose's baptism.

Sunday Jose's confirmation.

So this week will be very busy for us as well and FUN!!

I am feeling great!  I don't need anything in particular, just prayers throughout the week.

See you next week :)

Love

Elder Roberts

Week 100 - So many highlights this week!

This week has been a wonderful week!!

Some of the highlights...

-Helping Jose prepare for his baptism that is coming up!

-Participating in an inspirational zone conference (gave my departing testimony....)

-Helping Edwin quit smoking (so he can enter into the temple)

-Giving a blessing to a baby who was afflicted and whose mother was in distress

-Being surprised with a visit by an old companion and being able to talk about the good times we had serving together (Elder Gregor)

-Having the opportunity to be taught by Elder David S. Baxter; who presided at stake conference and being able to meet and talk with him

-I also had my departing interview with President Jensen on Sunday (due to the number of missionaries who are going home with me)

and last but not least...

-Being able to participate in Stake Coordination and to be able to learn hands on about leadership in the church.

Stake Coordination is a meeting in which leaders from the mission meet with the leaders from the stake they are serving in to discuss the Work of Salvation.

It is truly amazing to see the Lord use the men of the Priesthood as his instruments here on the earth!

I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is led by men chosen by God. 

 D&C 65:2

   2 The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.

In this life we must prepare to return to our Father in Heaven. To return to our Father we must....

  Moroni 10:32-33

     32    , come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

We must act in this life, it is essential! "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also"(James 2:26).

Thank you for all of the love and support

Love

Elder Roberts

Why I haven't lost weight this  transfer:

We came home on Thursday and this is the new ticket on our mail box

Morman Elders.... Really....

Week 99 - Big week

SO this week was great!

We had a couple "close calls" :)  Mom, they sure were "close" 

and that is as much as I should tell you now!

We have gained some amazing memories this past week.

And we saw COUNTLESS blessings!!

Right now we are working with a lot of people that Heavenly Father has prepared!
There were 10 non-members at church this Sunday in la rama quinta and we are helping
multiple people reach the baptismal dates that have been set with them.

Everything is great in Des Moines!

We are working hard!

and

my jaw continues to drop day to day

from the miracles Heavenly Father blesses us with.

Love,

Elder Roberts

Week 98 - Lots of success, crazy month

June is going to be a crazy month but Elder Akaka and I are very excited!!

Elder Akaka and I are doing great we saw a lot of success this week and the area is on FIRE!

We are in the same apartment that I've been in for the last 2 transfers.  Elder A is the dream companion that missionaries want to finish their mission serving with!

And I am doing great right now as I have been able to stay focused on the work and helping Father in Heaven's children find the iron rod.

Love,

Elder Roberts

Week 97 - No time to relax, I love it

So last Thursday the Des Moines 5th branch got 2 new missionaries! I am now serving with Elder Akaka, who I served with in Muscatine for 6 months the first time I served there! I am SO happy to be serving with him!! 

We have seen MANY miracles already and it has just been a few days!

From last Friday till this Friday we will have no time to breath or relax, I LOVE IT! I have said many times on my mission that we have been busy, but this is a new level. With the short time we have had to work/ proselyte in our own area this week, we have been richly blessed!!

This week so far:

On Monday we had a great day playing sports as a zone and getting to know one another! On Monday evening a member family called us and said Elders we are sitting with a family right now that want to learn about the gospel. We were just walking into another appointment but we told them that we would be there in an hour. We entered C and E's trailer and my heart just dropped. They are SO humble in all aspects. They have two grown children that live with them as well. As we testified to them of the Restoration they were so open, C said after we were done, "It is amazing how young you are and how much you know of God and how old we are and how we don't know anything." The member family testified of what the gospel has done for them in their lives and the blessings they have received from the gospel. C and E want the same blessings for their family.

We are excited to see them be baptized one day soon and to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity.

On Tuesday we had Mission Leadership council in Iowa City and got home at about 8:30, so with 30 minutes to work we went and taught J and G about the importance of the Book of Mormon and invited them to be baptized on July 18th! We are really excited for them as well. They are both extremely humble too.

The Lord will pour his blessings upon us if we are pure, worthy, and diligent!

Love,

Elder Roberts

With my new/old comp Elder Akaka:

Saying goodbye to Elder Ganoe:

DS Stake Leadership

With Yordan and Elder A

Transfer meeting on May 21:

Week 96 - Finishing up in Des Moines!!!

This week I feel many different emotions and feelings, but the one that I feel the strongest is an absolute excitement to do the Lord's work! Many missionaries might dread when they hit their one transfer left mark. They might want to pull a mission emergency break to slow things down or they might feel the time goes by really slow. I am excited to put my shoulder to the wheel and push as hard as a can until it is over!! I know the Lord has so much in store for me and my new companion!

My new companion!!! YES... Elder Petersen and I have served together for 2 transfers and have seen SO many miracles. This morning we got a call from President that he will be getting transferred and that I will be getting a new companion. We will be going to Iowa City on Thursday for transfer meeting.

This week the highlights were:

Monday: We met a woman whose name is G. She is a very humble woman. We taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel and she said a very sincere, and beautiful prayer at the end of the lesson.

Tuesday: Was a day full of teaching!! Those are always the best days :)

Wednesday: I almost got squashed while Elder Petersen and I where helping O (a Hispanic man) move his HUGE refrigerator! We also taught L for the first time. She is a single mom with 2 cute little girls!

Sunday: We taught C who is preparing to be baptized on June 6th. We helped her resolve some concerns she had and taught her about the Plan of Salvation and what a blessing it is to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation in our lives.

We are so blessed as the Lord's servants to be serving in the 5th branch here in Des Moines. The members are so incredible and loving.

This week strive to see God's hand in your life!

He lives, He loves you, and wants the best for you

Love,

Elder Roberts

At the Sanabria's:

We got spotted at Panera by a member there on business and she sent this pic to my mom:

Easter Lake District:

Des Moines District: