Week 37 - A new area and a birthday

My new area is Muscatine, it is a pretty big city (pop. 23,000)! My companion's name is Elder S. He is such a stud. This week was weird at the beginning, saying goodbye to everyone I love back in Osceola, but when I got to Muscatine, it was time to work! We are so excited as a companionship and a district to teach people about the gospel, and help them come unto Christ! 

I am in a huge town and we are in a car share, so a lot of walking and really nice blisters!  I love it.  It is just starting to warm up a bit.

It is so weird to think I will almost be out for 9 months and I am just turning 19 tomorrow.  For my birthday we aren't doing anything special, I just want to work all day and have great lessons, there isn't anything better than that.

This week we have a ton of things to do. There isn't much pause time which is so awesome. I forgot my journal this week and so much has happened so it is really hard to remember what we did.  But the pictures make up for it, right?

Love

Elder Roberts

Waiting in the chapel before transfer meeting:

Walking in the chapel door looking confused:

With my second family:

Saying goodbye to Elder J and Elder M:

Captain America is the cutest:

This sister is one of Jackie Waldron's best friends, they went to SVU together.  Now we are serving in the same ward:

Week 36 - Showing love to the preacher man

So this week was pretty awesome! On Monday we had a district P-day which was sooo sweet! We went down to Graceland College in Lamoni and played sports in their arena since it was spring break for them! It was so fun just being able to hangout with the whole district and just have a good time! 

On Tuesday we tracted all day which was so awesome! We walked a lot and we were really sore from Monday. We had a very crazy showdown with preacher guy on the town square! Whenever we walk past him on the other side of the street he will follow us yelling stuff at us. So this week we decided to walk on the side that he mostly parades on. We pressed the button to cross onto his side and started to walk. Our hearts were pounding super hard. He saw us and started yelling and walking towards us with a cross in his hands. We met him in the middle of the sidewalk and he started telling us all this stuff to try and discourage us. We just smiled and after he was done ranting and raving we told him that if he ever needed anything to just let us know, and that it was nice to meet him and to have a fantastic night. His face was priceless and we just went on our way. We have a plan to teach him and to one day have him enter into the water of baptism!! Everyone needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

On Wednesday we had a pretty normal day and taught some amazing lessons. On Thursday we went on exchanges and we had a great dinner with a family in our ward! We were teaching them how to be amazing member missionaries and after the lesson the husband said "Well do you guys want to go meet some people?" and then he took us to his neighbors and introduced us! Now that is missionary work! 

Friday we had our last weekly planning session together as a companionship, possibly. It was pretty crazy to look back and see what the Lord had done in Osceola within these 2 transfers. 

On Saturday we went out to lunch with Enrique, one of the people we are teaching, and got to know him better.  Other than that we just tried to find more people to teach. On Sunday we had a great church service, and taught a couple of people. 

I have been serving in Osceola for 7 months now and I love it so much. Today we will find out if I am staying or heading to a new area. 

This week I have been studying the Savior a ton, He is the perfect example, and the more I study His life the more I realize how amazing He truly is!!! He is always there.

Love,

Elder Roberts

District p-day

Week 35 - No matter what, He has a plan

This week has been pretty good! The weather was pretty nice this week until Sunday, and today. Right now we don't have anybody really solid we are teaching. 

Tuesday we went up to Truro and visited some members up there and helped one of them take her Christmas decorations to her storage sheds. We also had a lesson with one of the people we are teaching, Pedro, we taught him about tithing and he thought it made a lot of sense. After that we helped with the English class, which is always really awesome. I got sick at night though so after the English class we stayed in for the night

Wednesday I was sick the whole day so I stayed with Danny while Elder M n J went out and visited some people. Wednesday was pretty miserable, I think I drank a whole bottle of Pepto by the end of the night.

 

Thursday we did a lot of finding and a lot of street contacting which is always a blast! We also planned for the upcoming week.

Friday we had a Zone Training Meeting in Osceola, there were 18 missionaries here! After ZTM I went on an exchange with Elder Croxall, which was a super great exchange. We stayed the night in Chariton, while Elder M n J and Olsen stayed in Osceola. 

Saturday almost all of our appointments fell through, but we contacted a sweet family! We got the address of this family from a high school girl, she told us that her friend could really use a visit from us. So once we got the address we typed it in the GPS and headed to her house. It was in the middle of nowhere. Not like some people think the middle of nowhere is. I mean they didn't have neighbors for 5 miles on both sides and all you could see was field. So we parked outside this abandoned looking house and walked to it. We noticed that there was a house that was actually standing about 100 yards behind it. I kept thinking the people who live out here probably live out here for a reason, they don't want to get bothered. But we just kept walking, to the door. I knocked on the door and a twenty year old guy answers the door and strikes up a conversation, and he was just super nice. He said his sister wasn't home but that he would tell her we stopped by. We then walked to the car while chicken and geese were running by us and we got in our car. It was a pretty crazy experience.

Sunday, Bishop Bair got released, and Bro Graves was called to be the new Bishop! Bishop Bair's son, Jacob, got his mission call to the Arcadia, California mission, we are so excited for him!!

This week some pretty crazy thing happened here in Iowa and back home, but I know the Lord watches out for everyone. I know this gospel is true! I know Christ lives! I know no matter what happens, the Lord has a plan.

Love 

Elder Roberts

Picture from the ZTM:

Week 34 - It's kind of warming up!

So yesterday it was like 50 degrees! It was so nice out.  Today for pday we are going to go shopping and then go on a run. It is so nice to be outside without being in pain from the cold!

This week has been pretty sweet.  We have had some great lessons with our investigators, and we also have some new people who are wanting to learn more about the church. Some of our appointments this week fell through, but the appointments we had were very cool. We taught Pedro about the Plan of Salvation and he thought it made sense and he is pretty excited to learn more. We asked him to read a pamphlet we gave him, but instead he went on YouTube and watched videos... he said that was easier for him...so we had to tell him that we don't believe in all the stuff people say online and told him to visit websites like mormon.org and lds.org. 

This week we are really going to try and find a lot of new people and cycle through the people who just aren't really ready to take the step towards the church. We are super excited to see what happens this week. I am so used to Osceola it is going to be weird to leave eventually, it is like my new home. 

We are also really excited to start meeting with a part member family that we met on Sunday they are a really sweet family the have a almost 2 year old little girl and a 9 month old baby boy. The wife is a member, but her husband is not a member yet. On Sunday we just got to know them better. 

I have been craving fruit snacks lately and Del Taco, but I really don't think you should box Del up and send it too me haha :)

By the end of this week I will have been out on my mission for 8 months!!!! Some days it feels like I have been gone forever and some days it feels like I was just home. Out on my mission I have really learned how to rely on my Savior.  He helps me through the rough times, and rejoices with me during the amazing times. I couldn't serve my mission without him by my side! I love this gospel so much, I know it is true.

I love all of you

Elder Roberts

Week 33 - An amazing trip to Nauvoo

My whole week was great.  On Tuesday we had zone conference up in Des Moines from 9am to 4pm which was super powerful and really rebuked us in a good way.  Those meetings always help you realize how much more you can be doing. 

Then on Wednesday we were on exchanges with the Chariton elders.  On Thursday we went on exchanges in Lenox with the Lenox elders.  Friday we had weekly planning and visited a couple people.  

On Saturday we went to Nauvoo and I had one of the most powerful experiences on my mission so far, Danny & Amber were endowed & sealed for time & all eternity. I woke up at 5:30am to get ready and we didn't get back until  9:40 pm.  It was a super long day.  The sealing was fantastic.  I don't think I will ever forget that experience.

Church was canceled yesterday because the weather was ridiculous, -2,  -16 with the windchill. Our mission has been closed to tracting 3 out of 7 days this past week.

I have learned SO much on my mission so far.  I think one of the biggest things I have learned is that no matter what you can always pray! I have also learned that the Holy Ghost will never fail you. I have learned so much about the gospel and how it blesses those who are open to it and follow it.

Love,
Elder Roberts

Waiting outside the Nauvoo temple - it was VERY cold outside:

Statue of Joseph & Hyrum Smith outside the temple:

Over the front door of the temple:

The Nauvoo temple:

Danny & Amber and the missionaries outside the temple:

Elder J and Sister B at Carl's after the temple:

Bishop and Sister B:

Cleaning out the car:

The Des Moines East, Des Moines West, Oskaloosa, Ames, Ankeny and Fort Dodge Missionaries: