Week 31

 OYMs, fire, and baptism

OYM. Open your mouth. Talk to everyone. These are things that we as missionaries are challenged to do. To talk to everyone and to relate with them and to ultimately share a message that we hold dear, the message that the Christ's Church is on the earth and that we have living prophets. 

This week is general conference. This is an opportunity for everyone in the world to see, listen, and ponder the words of living prophets. Everyone is welcome! Why? Because their words are not just for us members of the Church, but for everyone in the world. And in a way, you can see for yourself if they are truly men called of God. Something I'll be doing this week is bringing a question to General Conference. I know from past experience that I will receive an answer from God. I have done it before and I will do it again. Last General Conference, I had a particular question. And almost every single talk spoke about and answered my question. 

Life can be hard. Even on a mission, life can be extremely difficult. But when life does get hard, don't shut out the only thing that can heal you. I do this too much and so does everyone else in the world. When clouds cover the sky, the Sun is still shining! Christ's power is infinitely more powerful than anything on Earth. Even when we think we're alone, pray for comfort and peace and you will receive. I recommend reading Moroni 7: 20-27. It has many great verses. I love it when it says that if you have faith in Christ and ask and if it be good, Heavenly Father will answer you. If you are struggling, please, pray and ask for help, believing that you will receive, I promise that you will receive that hope and comfort.

We had lots of great OYMs and we handed a Book of Mormon to this kid named Kahaan, he's super cool and didn't know what it was, but seemed super willing to read it! We were also on splits, which gave the youngman we were with a good experience! Something my comp and I have been working on is being more clear and bold about the message we're here to share. The Restored Gospel! So we've been also studying Alma 26:22. Super awesome!

I also was able to go to the baptism of Jessica! She's a girl I taught in my past area and her foster siblings are also getting baptized in a couple of weeks! So exciting! It was an amazing experience at the baptismal service. The Spirit was super strong.

I would write more, but I must go. I love you all and think and pray about you all. Love you guys!

ロバートソン長老

(And Elder Flammer, if you're reading this, the 5th picture is with your dad's cousin)

Week 30

 Nigeria, モルモン書, and glasses

This week was very interesting. If I'm being honest, it has been rough. I'm still adjusting to a new companion and of course we have our own ways of doing things and now we're trying to put our heads together and find a smooth way to work together. We've been improving alot, but it can be rough in moments. 

Victoria is a lady that we taught this past week, she's from Nigeria and super cool! We taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and discussed all five points of faith, repentence, baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We talked about that and read Matthew and then 2nd Nephi. We talked about how the Book of Matthew says that Christ fulfilled all righteousness and then we went to 2nd Nephi 31 and it talks about how that fulfilled all righteousness. She really liked it and the Spirit was super strong! 

We had lots of take out this past week, which was fun, but having dinnner at members houses is always better! We had Rudy's one night and another night we had sandwhiches and a brownie from a bakery for dinner. This weird stomach bug went around the Relief Society in one of our wards and that is the ward that is feeding us, so lots of sick families right now. 

I had the awesome opportunity to have lunch with my Aunt Deb and Uncle Matt, the Bunkers! It was weird in the sense that it was like another appointment, but it was normal, becasue we only see each other 2-4 times a year, but it was super cool. Thanks again for coming!

We had a good P-day, but it was stressful. Pdays more often than not are just stressful, which they shouldn't be, but that's the way they've been. But we had some fun playing volleyball with a couple other elders. I got spiked and my glasses imploded haha, so I threw them away. My right eyeball still hurts a little bit. We then helped our mission vehicle coordinator get a pallet of water, 40 cases and each case had 40 bottles. It was interesting, but cool! 

I've been studying a lot of the 1st Chapter of PMG and theres actually a lot of awesome stuff in there that I've never read! The two sections are Spiritual power and how to know if I'm a successful missionary. Both of these sections go hand in hand, and it's super sool to see the principles and how they work in our life. The biggest point I've seen in these chapters is that you must trust in God. You must have the faith to simply ask. Ask to meet the right people during your day. Ask to increase your desire to be positive. God hears us and if it be His will, will answer us too! And I've found that to be most of the time--never when we think it'll happen or in the manner that we are thinking, but Heavenly Father is always there.

I love you all! I hope that these emails are coherent enough. And feel free to email me back and I will try my hardest to answer you! 

Love you all

ロバートソン長老

Check out the Facebook story I made!

https://youtube.com/shorts/nzkQyoifw-k?feature=share

With my Aunt Deb, Uncle Matt, Hyrum, Thomas and Rowan

My Dad and Cal on their last night of their cruise to the Bahamas.

Week 29

One week away from 30 weeks 

Haha my pictures have degraded to screenshots from Messenger, this week I'll be taking a lot more! This week was transfer week and it was nuts! This is my 4th transfer and my 4th area. So yeah... I'm transfered around a lot. I can either look at it that President doesn't trust me, he trusts me, or I need to learn a lot. And either way, I've learned so MUCH from each and every companion. Something I've learned is that we choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. And it's a hard choice. It's so incrediblely hard. It's easier to feel sorry for yourself, to be sad, to sorrow. Here are some amazing scriptures talking about the same thing. 2 Nephi 4:17-30

17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.

22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.

23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.

24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.

25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.

26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Why should I sorrow? Christ has already won, He's already felt my pain, payed the debt, won the fight, felt the stripes. We've already been blessed so much with so many blessings. Hard things will always happen. Just because we're on the rock of our Redeemer doesn't excuse us from Satan's temptations or trials of this life. 

Wasn't Christ's life full of temptation, trials, sadness, and death? So if we're trying to follow that example, those things will come. But because of what Christ has already done, we know that He can support us through any trial. That's why through Christ all things are possible, because He's felt every failure and setback. He never yeilded to temptation and was a prefectly loving and obedient Son, but he still felt all of it. Choose to be joyful. Choose to be happy! 

So I can be sad about the transfer and that it's a slower area, or I can be happy and strive for the Lord's will and have faith that He'll bless us! 

We did tons of service this past week! For other missions it might not be anything much, but for the Gilbert Mission, it's alot! We did service for a guy named Bella and he was super cool! He has a 1967ish VW Bug and a 1980s VW Rabbit, super cool! He feed us dinner afterwards and we were actually talking about Japan and how when they surrendered in WWII they actually gave up all their family samurai swords and they 100% gave up. And the Spirit basically prompted me to share about the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's and how they turned away from their wicked ways and turned to Christ. I shared it and he really liked it! It turned into a great conversation about how Christ is the only one that truly changes hearts. The world trys to fit you into a big machine, but Christ will change you! The world fits you into a box, a creed, a group, a classification. But to Christ and Heavenly Father, you're a literally spirit Child of God with infinite potential. Anyway, it was a great conversation and I'm glad I followed that prompting! 

I'm also driving a Tundra :). It's pretty fun. We're the moving Elders, so we help out moving furniture from each mission house and reorganizing extra furniture! So it's been pretty fun. Elder Hafen, don't you have a Tacoma? I have the bigger boy :). Haha, I'm joking, I would love to drive a Tacoma. Anyway, love you guys! Have safe travels where ever you go and choose to be happy, even when you're in bad sitautions!

あなた方をあいしていますよ！

ロバートソン長老

Me with Elder Bodily

Elder Merrell and Me

Me and some of my family--they were headed to the Bahamas on a cruise.  They talked to me while they were on the cruise ship in Miami before leaving the port.

Week 28

Transfers, abundance of blessings, and News!

This week was transfers... I got moved back to the same apartments! What! Not in the same apartment, but same complex, but a different zone! So I was in Liberty and now I'm in Kirtland. My new companion is Elder McMullin! It was sad to leave my past area, I really loved having a great house and a great companion, Elder Merrell. Elder Magnusson and Paul were also in the house and it was awesome! This past week has been packed full of miracles and tons of messages! Near the end of last week and the beginning of this week we had at least 3 nonmembers messages and lessons everyday! Probably the coolest thing was our lesson with the Jordans! Sister Jordan is a returning member along with her husband and we've been teaching her two kids. We've taught the Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, and this lesson we planned to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ! So we go there and we have some great fellowship for the lesson. Previously before the lesson we prayed during companionship study and decided that if the Spirit guided, we would put them on date for baptism, April 23rd. So during the lesson near the end towards the part we give the invitation, both Elder Merrell and I get scared and keep "handing" the conversation back and forth and finally the Spirit just basically constrained me, so I invited them to be baptized, they said they weren't ready after some thinking and discussing. But it was still the right invitation! They need to be thinking about baptism and really grow their conversion! They listen and give answers, but more scripture study and prayer with real intent would really grow their testimonies. With that they would recieve a witness that baptism is right and is needed!

We also just had so many other little miracles of members trusting us with their friends and family members and working with us to best help those in need. We also were able to help a woman that was really struggling due to the death of her father. We helped her move some stuff and talked about how that she would see her dad again and because of Christ, we will all live again! It was a powerful moment and a blessing to be a part of it.

So! The big news! I've recieved word from other missionaries and my Mission President that Japan is now officially processing our visas! They said it'll be around 1-2 months and they said to the mission presidents, "Get your Japanese missionaries ready". And that to me is bittersweet. I've honestly come to love Arizona and the people here. I was sad to hear, but happy to know. So right now I'm focusing my hardest on Gilbert Arizona and giving my all to the Lord. And honestly doing that all the time. I hope I can say I worked my hardest everyday of the mission. I know that I will fail here and there, but I want to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. It doesn't matter if I'm going to Japan in a year or 25 days, I want to work everyday like I'm going home the next. I want to be kind to everyone like I'm dying the next day. I still follow into the trap of, "Ohh! I'm going to Japan now, NOW I need to work my hardest BEFORE I leave". No no no, be doing that already, and if you're not, start right now! The Lord loves effort and He loves it when we turn away from our sins, our will, and turn it towards him. So yeah, that's the big news! I'll probably be heading out before you all know it! My Japanese is slowly improving thanks to Heavenly Father! 

Anyway, I gotta run, but I love every single one of you on this email list. I really do! I hope that today, every single one of us can improve 1%, in any way. Everyday give your best. Christ loves you, perfectly! I pray for you all and hope that where ever you are, that you know that Heavenly Father loves you!

 

 https://youtu.be/PrkyRjWnGHg