Week 35

Mission reflection, more Japan news, and exciting opportunities!

Wow! So much news to announce! So this Saturday we are going to have a meeting with all 5 missions based out of Arizona and Elder Uchtdorf will be speaking! That will be an awesome experience! It'll be such a privilege to be there and listen to a Apostle of the Lord speak! I'm so pumped to hear from him! 

More exciting news! I received news that my Visa and passport are getting to the mission office this week! :O So that's super exciting! I don't have a date yet, but I could possible leave May 5th. That by no means is an exact date and I haven't heard that spoken to me, but some other missionaries are leaving then, and my passport is already approved and done. So I might leave then, or later, but I will be officially leaving the Gilbert Arizona mission sometime in the next 2 months :(. I have loved it so far and I look forward to the time I still have here. 

This past week we've had lots of cool miracles! The coolest miracle was one I had on exchanges with my DL, Elder Jenkins. It was about 7:00PM and we were spiritual finding. That's were we pray and seek the Lord on where He wants us to go. So we're walking around, trying to find a person to help. And we prayed and sought His will. So we're going down this one street and we could either go straight or left. I saw a car coming towards us and I was like, "Hey that's the sign, lets go straight!" And as I said that, the car turned right onto the street left of us and then Elder Jenkins was like, "That's our sign, let's follow the car!" So we went and we met a lady named Tishana! We had a really cool conversation and we discussed missions, taught from the Book of Mormon, and we talked about and testified about were we go after this life! We handed her a Book of Mormon and 2 pamphlets and she said she was going to read them soon! She then asked us why we came on our missions and we testified of our personal conversion and how we want to help others come unto Christ. She then asked me to bear my testimony in Japanese and I bore a simple testimony. It was the WORST Japanese I have ever spoken, but she asked me what I said and I told her. We friended her on Facebook and said goodbye! Elder Jenkins then told me that the Spirit was super strong during the Japanese testimony and that to me is a testament of the gift of tongues. Even when you don't speak a language perfectly and it doesn't make sense to native speakers, the Spirit works through that, the Spirit will teach, as long as we are willing to strive for it at all times! 

I gotta run, but we had a fun pday! We did pickleball, went to a Lego store, and a fun zone activity with board games!

Love you all!

ロバートソン長老

Week 34

 Focus, craziness, and Stake Conference

I'm going to change this up a bit. 

So something that really caught my attention this past week in my personal study was this scripture in Alma. Its in Chapter 34, verse 31.

31: Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

I love that it says "immediately". Answers to prayers may not come at the time we think, but the plan of redemption will come, right now. Healing can come, right now. 

But that's been an awesome strength to me this past week. Why? Because this past week has been stressful! Transfers, Japanese visa's, etc. My companion and I had a good talk however and we are hopeful for this transfer! Stake conference was amazing and it was very spiritual! Lots of prayers answered this past weekend and many comforts given. Know that the Lord is very concerned what is going on in your life and that when you look back, you will see Him in your life. So look! My challenge is to write down things you are grateful for and how you've seen miracles in your day to day life. You will be more happier and have less stress. Sorry it's a short one this week, next week :). Love you all!

Elder Robertson

Week 33

Japan, Transfers, and work work work! 

This past week and a half has been a roller coaster and completely nuts!

So transfers... This transfer for our mission was crazy short, only 5 weeks. Time is already flying by and it's only 5 weeks, so this past transfer was as quick as a blink. Over this transfer I have learned so much! I have learned how to focus more on others and how to be more bold! I've learned to pray more fervently and to always be looking for people to talk to and serve. AND I broke the curse! My whole mission I've been transferred every 6 weeks, but I stayed! And it was honestly a bit weird not to be packing up the night before transfers. But I got a new comp and his name is Elder Moore! He's from Tennessee which is fun because I lived there for 3 and a half years! Even though this area is hard, I've learned so much about Heavenly Father's love for everyone and the love He has for me. I've also been working on focus and where that is--I've seen improvements! We also worked so much this transfer. We always could have done better, we tried our hardest and other times we didn't. And it takes time, to learn to work hard and to do that everyday. So I've been learning patience with that, learning to accept failure and keep trying. 

So transfers, Elder McMullin moved down to Queen Creek and Elder Moore came here. Elder Nelson and Anderson (Elder Anderson lived in my first house!) came up to our apartment as well and Elder Hill and his greenie (someone fresh new missionary off the plane) are in the downstairs apartments. We've shuffled the apartment quite a bit and we are making it awesome ;). We've had a busy pday, but good! We went shopping and did transfers. We cleaned out a lot of garbage as well. I also had an amazing conversation with my mom and we talk for 30 minutes before a concert while she was in the middle school hallway haha. I then talked with my dad for 25 minutes as well. Since transfers are today, I call home today, but Wednesday's are pretty busy for my family, but it ended up going really well. Shout out to my parents for being awesome!

So Japan. I turned in my visa application! I got the email last week and they needed my papers to be turned in urgently, so I got my stuff gathered and got my booster shot and then filled out my application! It was pretty crazy, but I sent it to Salt Lake last Thursday! Then today, it got to the DC Embassy! The visa process is rolling! It's bittersweet really, I have loved the people I've met here and the many experiences and lessons I've learned. 

Spiritual thought. Mosiah 18: 21, 22

21. And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.

22. And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God.

I've been studying on how to become a Child of God. We are all already children of God, but how do you "become" one? It's by letting Christ lead your life. By letting Him be your focus. When you let His Grace change you and become the central focus of your life, you "become" a child of God. You become more like Him and start living more like Him. You still mess up, we are all imperfect! But when we strive to apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ everyday, we can have joy and strength, even when we do mess up. 

So when you do mess up, don't fear, so did everyone else except for Christ and He provided a way to save you! 

I've had an interesting past week and p-day. But I've prayed for strength and I know that you can too!

I think about you guys a lot, thanks for keeping me in yours too!

ロバートソン長老

Me and Elder Moore

Week 32

 More Miracles! And General Conference is awesome!

Just scheduled my appointment to get my booster shot. It was a 23 minute call, rough! But it will be worth it. I need to get it for Japan so the sooner I get it, the better. 

So this past week, my companion and I have strove to apply Alma 26:22 to our lives and it has been awesome! We've been able to talk to so many people and from so many different backgrounds, it's been truly amazing! 

We picked up two people to teach which was awesome and our district set a goal to find 9 people to teach and we found 10! Wow! It's cool to see the blessing, or the witness after the trial of our faith. And this week we have the opportunity to increase our faith and find more! Even if we don't, we work and show that we are willing to find even when we don't. That's what matters. Consistence, daily faith and devotion. 

General Conference was amazing! I loved the messages of trusting in God's will and daily experiences of faith and repentance. I don't have a lot of time this week, but those were some of the ideas that popped out to me. I loved especially (that's spelled wrong, sorry, don't have auto-correct) President Nelson's list of ways to "eliminate" contention in our lives. So inspiring and cool! I love you guys, I will make more time for you all next week! 

ロバートソン長老 

A package from my mom