Week 6 - Leaving for Iowa tomorrow!

I'm so ready to be in the field, we leave for the airport tomorrow at 3am!! I'm not nervous or worried. I'm excited and anxious to get there. I'm all packed! And I did it myself! 4 of us are leaving tomorrow, everyone else has already left. My CCM experience in Mexico, well... it was a time to grow up fast and realize the importance of the gospel and it made me realize how blessed and lucky we are to live where we live. It's sad because most people don't even realize what a blessing and gift we have. Being here has strengthened my testimony so much!!  The growth is so great that it feels like I never had one before, if that makes sense. I've realized that if you put all you faith in God you can  accomplish anything!!! Learning as much Spanish as I have here would have been impossible without His help. Being here has made me realize how important family is. I'm truly grateful for this experience!

Your Elder

Elder Roberts

There are so many missionaries here that they had to add meal tables outside:

Sunday dinner outside:

Me and Brothers Henderson and Draper:

Trying to escape!:

My last breakfast at the CCM:

Ironic sign at the CCM:

A devotional:

Me and Elder Markstaller in front of the CCM bus:

For mom (she requested a pic of me without ducklips):

With Brother Henderson:

Week 5 - Missing home, but doing great

This week flew by, 1 more week and I’m in the USA!! On Thursday we finished all of our language lessons which is equivalent to 6 years of espanol.  Now we are just reviewing everything this week, then going into the FIELD!!!

The teachers are starting to open up and tell personal stories and testimonies, they are the most amazing teachers!! We now have 5 investigators and on Friday we are going to have in field orientation. 

The temple today was so amazing, I understood everything and it was all in espanol. Companions are a very interesting to have with you for 24 hours 7 days a week, especially if you get ticked at each other, but we always work it out.

Sunday I fasted again, it is so amazing how it strengthens you, I love Sundays so much!  Some days are rough when I can’t get home out of my head but I just have a prayer in my heart for you guys all the time. We have the opportunity to be investigators for the younger groups here and have them teach us, it is a crazy cool experience, it gives you the perspective of an investigator.

Please send me stuff I love from home that I haven’t had in Mexico, anything! I survived this long I can make it till Wednesday of next week.

Hermano Draper could tell something was affecting me this week and I told him I was pretty homesick and he said he got homesick sometimes on his mission and he shared this scripture with me D&C 31: 2-3 it helped me a lot. Just wanted to share it with everyone:

2 Behold, you have had many afflictions because of your family; nevertheless, I will bless you and your family, yea, your little ones; and the day cometh that they will believe and know the truth and be one with you in my church.

3 Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation.

Mom, you have no idea how much I miss you. Everyday it’s weird to not have someone who loves you so much she would do absolutely anything for you.

Dad, I miss having someone who will support me in anything I choose to do and always want to talk about anything.

Grace, you keep saying I am example to you. You have always been my example, you would be a much better missionary than me.

Annie, I miss someone who no matter what laughs at my jokes.

Mollie, I miss your laugh and your funny faces.

Sophie I miss how crazy you are and how you always have fun.

Love,

Elder Roberts

Studying for a talk:

Pics of the city on the way to the temple:

Our "one month out" party:

Me and Elder Marstaller in front of the temple:

Our district in front of the temple (every district has two sister missionaries):

Week 4 - Iré y haré

My comp and I got up at 4:30am today to do laundry because if we don’t we have to do it in the afternoon, which isn’t fun.  I’ve been away from home now for a month! It kicked in a while ago that I was going to grow up fast while on a mission and that is exactly what is happening. I’ve grown up here more than I have my whole life, and I’m guessing it will continue throughout my whole mission.

You asked about my workouts here, they are pretty good, there is a decent size gym but I don’t have the urge to get swole here, there are more important things. Elder Markstaller and I are doing fine, we are working really well together with the four investigators we are teaching.

The CCM (MTC) is absolutely amazing, you learn so much in such little time and the environment is like nothing else. I got my package of socks, those socks are a major blessing!  I was in that video about the CCM, I was last in the food line.  I came here from the airport in one of those yellow school buses. This week something else crazy happened, there were two hail storms, I send you the pictures. It’s a little different here than Newport :)

The best thing about the CCM is that everyone has the same goal, and if you don’t then there’s no point in being here. The worst thing the food, I have frosted flakes for breakfast and dinner every day. I´ve definitely lost some weight.  I have no trouble sleeping, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, not joking at all.

Tell the little girls I think about them all the time!!!!  I miss you all so much, have the little girls write me next week as well as all of you. It sucks being surrounded by guys all day sometimes. I think about you and dad too!! I am constantly praying for you guys. I’m headed back to my dorm soon, can’t wait to hear from you next week

My quote for this week:  1 Nefi 3:7 "Ire y hare" (I will go and do)

Your favorite Elder,

Elder Roberts

Pics of the hail storm:

Week 3 - The Daily Schedule

     Hey I put my water bottle filter back on! And guess what, Elder Markstaller and I are not sick anymore! You wanted to know what typical day in CCM consists of so here we go:

6:20 wake up and shower 

7:00 study 

7:45 breakfast 

8:15 study 

9:15 investigator 

10:15 espanol 

11:15 coaching 

12:15 study 

12:45 lunch 

1:30 TALL 

2:30 study 

3:15 investigator 

4:15 language 

5:15 coaching 

6:15 dinner 

7:00 daily planning 

7:40 gym 

8:40 study 

9:30 retire to bed

     All the study times are in the classroom. I started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning the Thursday I got here and right now I am in 3 Nephi 21. Sundays here are so spiritual. We had fast and testimony meeting this week and it was so powerful.  I thought it would be impossible to fast for 24 hours but it actually wasn't that hard. I think I am back down to 180 pounds. I cannot wait for the mission field, every day here I get more and more pumped. I have had some rough days, but the amazing days definitely outweigh the bad. I have a love for the Mexican people, they are so generous and humble. Our investigators are all progressing very well.  We challenged Victor to baptism on the first visit, it was such an awesome experience.  He agreed to pray about it, but wanted to know more. Hector is our other investigator.  He is really shy but we are getting him to open up about what he thinks and wants. Both are going in the perfect direction. How is everything going? Tell the girls i miss them a lot and take pictures and send them to me! I want to hear from them!!! How's your work going Dad and Mom?and Grace?

    This is my conversion story in espanol you won't understand it but I love it!

Yo necesito primera vez yo senti el don del Espiritu. Estaba asistiendo a un campamento para los jovenes. En el campamento termene El libro de Mormon por primera vez. Ore para saber si La Inglesia de Jesucristoestaba verdadera. Ore y senti el espiritu muy fuerte, sabesin duda que la inglesia ere verdad. Senti paz y alegria porque recibi una respuesta. Ese respuesta cambi mi vida, y dejar hacer malas decisiones y enfocado en un viaje a Dios y Jesucristo.

Love your Elder,

Elder Roberts

top pic
top left-my desk in our classroom
top right-my meal after fasting for 24 hours for the first time
bottom left-sacrament room
bottom right-view of the city from my dorm room

bottom pic is what happened to all of the water in the CCM one day!