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:

Week 95 - Great to see the whole family

Sunday was great!! It was great to see the whole family! I am doing good, doing the best work in the world :)

I used my birthday money to buy something nice :) :)

I feel like what I write each week is super repetitive. People don't care what I write anyway, but I will try and do better next week.

Love Elder Roberts

Week 94 - Short & Sweet

We will call you Saturday evening for details for Mother's Day :)

This is me and my friend Yordan.  He is awesome!! He is a returned missionary who served in the California Anaheim mission and has such a powerful testimony of the gospel which has really helped us with teaching the families we are teaching! He knows Grandma and Grandpa Call.

From the Mission Leadership Council on April 14:

Week 93 - Des Moines East, The Beast!

Whelp this week was really interesting....

 

Monday- We taught a beautiful family (C, E, and M) with Y. We taught them about the Restoration and they loved it!

 

Tuesday- We did a lot of finding and found many new trailer parks!!! Some of which we probably won't go to when the sun goes down :)

 

Wednesday- We had interviews as a zone with President and Sister Jensen! It is always such a blessing to talk with them and feel the love they have for us! After interviews I was out for the day with the flu or food poisoning. I had not been sick like that before on my mission and would appreciate if it never happened again! We had appointments that still needed to be kept so Elder Petersen went on exchanges with Elder Guymon serving in  West Des Moines so we could still make them.

 

Thursday- Went on exchanges with Elder Cox in the Easter Lake ward and we had a great day working there.

 

Saturday- We met G who referred herself, because she has been going through a really hard time and saw an add for Mormon.org on Facebook and clicked on it!!! Super cool miracle! We have a lesson with her this upcoming week!

 

Sunday- We taught C and her family and they are excited to prepare themselves to be baptized on June 6th!! They are such a humble and open family who really want to strengthen their relationship with God and follow Christ's example. We love them! :)

 

Thanks for all of the love and support

 

-Elder Roberts

 

With President Jensen:

 

 
Sick:

 

Week 92 - Great start to another transfer!

This week was packed full of meetings, interesting lessons, and to wrap it up a HUGE miracle!

On Tuesday- We woke up at 5 am to head to Iowa City for MLC (missionary leadership council)! We were trained by President and Sister Jensen and the Assistants to the President. We received a lot of revelation on how we could help our zone be even more successful missionaries! We got back in Des Moines around 8pm.

Wednesday- We prepared trainings patterned after the trainings given at MLC that we would be giving to the missionaries in our zone on Thursday. We also had a great lesson with O. He has a great desire to be baptized and wants to come to church, but work is standing in the way right now. We are planning on fasting with him, because we know that if it is God's will, he will be able to get work off, come to church, and enter the waters of baptism.

Thursday- We had our ZTM (Zone Training Meeting) where we relayed the message from MLC. It was so much fun to have the whole zone together and to grow in our testimonies and devotion to the work together.

After ZTM we had a great lesson with A who is now a new investigator, and then we had a lesson with J and his primo.

Friday- We meet J while walking through a trailer park, and invited him to learn about the restored gospel. He accepted the invitation and we taught him and he is now a new investigator as well

Sunday- MIRACLE: As we walked into gospel principles which is the 1st hour of church we go to, in walked two beautiful Hispanic families!!! Elder Petersen and I smiled and looked at the Hermanas serving in our branch. The spirit for the next hour radiated throughout the room as member after member testified of truth. What a powerful 3 hours of church it was! These two families were simply invited by a family in la rama, and came. We then taught them in the Valencia's home later one that evening. The really loved the message and we are excited to continue to teach them!!

I am continually reminded that I am simply an instrument. This work is truly in the Lord's hands. He lives. He guides this work. He knows his children. I know this gospel blesses families as an essential unit in His plan for us.

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support.

-Elder Roberts

Week 91 - Only 2 transfers left, ahhhhhhhh

This week was definitely a different week than normal for us here in DSM!! This week we had lessons with many people whose eyes are blind and hearts are hard. We also had many of our investigators no longer want to meet with us. But...... the Lord's work must not slow down!!! So with this upcoming week we are super excited to find more people to teach. With the many meetings we have this week we are very aware we are going to have to rely on the Lord. We know he will bless us with miraculous miracles!!

Love

Elder Roberts


Elder Cleverley and I ;( he is now home

 My birthday gift from Sister Petersen

The West Des Moines district

Easter treats from Elder Petersen's family