Week 40

 First week in Japan

So... Haha I don't even know where to begin...

May 24th- I left for the airport with Sister Heaton, she also left the same day, but she went to the Fukuoka Mission! While we were at the Phoenix International Airport, we met 9 other missionaries! Five of them were from Japan! They were the first district from Japan that was able to make it to the Provo MTC in person! The missionaries we met were Elders Rasmussen, Takeda, and Suzuki. And Sisters Dyer, Lawton, Robinson, Jensen, Ninomiya, and Matsubara. And then there was me and Sister Heaton. We flew out of Phoenix into LA and we had a short layover, enough time for a small lunch and then we flew to Japan! It was a 12 hour flight and it was hot! The whole time! So that was fun... Haha, but the food was good! They gave us two meals and it was fun to see the presentation of it. We then arrived at Japan! I talked to the two people beside me and they were both going to Vietnam, so I wished them luck! We then proceeded to conduct 2 hours of COVID testing, paperwork, and waiting. We then got through customs and we were picked up! They drove us to the JAL City hotel which was cool. There were 6 other elders there as well! (We flew on the JAL airlines.)

Because of the time schedule shift and the long flight I got there on the 25th and then on the 26th the missionaries going to Fukuoka and Sapporo left at 9:30 and Kobe and Nagoya left at 10:40. So we said our goodbyes and then we split! Us missionaries at 10:40 went on the Shinkansen, a bullet train! The other missionaries with us were all the sisters that flew in with us minus Sister Heaton and Sister Dyer. Only Sister Ninomiya and I were going to Kobe that day. It was a super cool experience to be able to ride a Shinkansen and yes, it's very fast! It took about 2 hours to get from Tokyo, to Kobe! We then got off and quickly found the mission president! President Halvorson and Sister Halvorson are awesome! Before our pictures we spoke some Japanese to each other, simple, but I could understand, so that was nice :). We then got pictures and did bunch of paperwork at the office. 

The next 3 days, I helped around the office with the office elders, Matsumoto and Yamanatsu Choro, the senior couple, the Allens, and the AP's, Sato and Yoshida Choro. It was fun! I helped move things around in this big Japanese vacation home that the church bought. It has a pool, gym, and a sauna in the basement. It's nicknamed the Ghost House.  It's HUGE. I helped teach a lesson with the AP's. I helped set up the smartphones with the office or honbu elders. 

One night, President & Sister Halvorson took Sister Ninomiya and I out to dinner! They took us to a place that specialized in fried food haha. I got fried pork, hamburger, and this fried cream, potato, thing. And lots of salad :). It was very good and I wouldn't have thought I would be having some great fried food in Japan :). 

This Saturday was when we found out who our new companions would be! I saw Elder Bennion as well which was fun! He was an Elder that was with me in my MTC District! We talked for a bit and maybe we'll be in a district together, or companions! And my new companion is Matsumoto Choro! Haha, it was pretty funny and awesome to hear that, as we were working together for the past couple of days. It'll be a great transfer :). 

We had an interesting Sunday! Elder Matsumoto was an office elder, but now he's with me, but the new office elder needs training, so we'll be in Kobe for 3 weeks as that process plays out. Our area is in Fushimi and we cover two wards, the Fushimi and Otsu wards. But since we are in Kobe, our area is a 2 hour train ride away... So what do you do in that situation? Go to church! We left at 7:50 and we missed the train at 8:05, so we had to wait till 8:15. We then took a connecting route to the JR lines. JR lines are the national lines in Japan. We took this train all the way through Osaka and Kyoto. We then took a subway down to Fushimi. We started walking and we got picked up by our Ward Mission Leader, who was also late haha. We then got into church and after the sacrament the Bishop invited both of us up, big rip. Elder Matsumoto introduced himself and I understood that part and then he said something at the end, I think maybe a scripture or something. I knew I needed to talk about my family, where I'm from, and a hobby. I did all of those things, in blockly Japanese, but I did it. In English I literally said. 

Good Morning

I'm Elder Robertson. Nice to meet you all

My family has 7 people. I have two younger brothers and sisters.

My favorite hobby is playing the piano

I am from the state of Virginia.

After that, I had an awkward pause bc I didn't know what to do next so I just bore a simple testimony that Christ is our Savior and that Joseph Smith is a prophet. The Spirit was there and that's what matters, but it was still tough haha. The rest of Sunday went great and we had a long ride back :). 

We tried out street contacting in Japan and it is super different than Gilbert. I think out of the 15 people I said hi to, only 3 said hi back and they were practically running away as they said it too :). Okay, I'm joking, but seriously, it is tough. So I'm still trying to learn more about how it works here.

Pday. Today was nuts! We went to Sannomiya, a part of Kobe and we did some fun stuff there! We went out to eat at this cheese place haha. I got this steak thing and they put steaming melting cheese all over it haha. It was a unique place to eat :). We then walked around and then headed to an island and to this sign that said, "Be Kobe". It was pretty fun and had a good view of the city behind it. It was sprinkling when we left and we went shopping and just put our food in our bags and carried it on the train back home. I bought a train card as well, so now I just have to keep it charged and I can just scan it whenever I go through the line. 

This is probably one of the longest emails I'll write. Maybe not :). But it has been one of the most singularly craziest week of my life. Just wow... BUT, it has been awesome in every single way.

Quick thought. God needs you today, right now. Not tomorrow, today! There are people that love you and want to be part of your life. And the person who wants that the most is your Heavenly Father. He is all powerful, but he cannot control what you choose to do. So when you choose to include Him in your life, you are giving the only gift you can give. Your desire and love. It's ironic, that it's the only gift you can give, but the best gift. So give it! 

Hopefully that makes sense, if not, email me ;). But seriously, I hope that you all have a great week! Can't wait to email you all next week about this adventure.

ロバートソン長老 

Food on the JAL airplane--flight to Japan from LA

President & Sister Halvorson

I'm in Japan!

 Ruth here.  We hadn't heard for a couple days if Clark made it to Japan. We assumed he arrived, and we didn't receive notification that his plane crashed over the ocean... All the same, it was nice to finally get an email from his mission president about his arrival!  I wonder how he traveled from Tokyo to Kobe.  It's a 6 hour drive! We'll get to find out soon. I like to think about the time change--he's 13 hours ahead--and how he's out working when we're going to bed.  Or how he just woke up and it's dinnertime for us. 

Email from Elder Robertson's mission president and his wife:

Greetings to the parents of our wonderful new missionary.…

 

Elder Robertson has arrived safely in the Japan Kobe Mission.

We love him and are grateful for his safe arrival.

 

President & Sister Halvorson

Japan Kobe Mission President

Week 39

The Last week in America, thoughts, reflection

My date has been moved to May 24th! Haha maybe I said that in my last email, but it's been an amazing adventure!

I can't believe that it's actually happening, period. This whole time in Gilbert, I've put Japan far off in my mind. I've put my heart here and that's where it still is, but I know that the Lord needs me there. 

So what have I learned from Gilbert? Tons of things!

Firstly, involve the Lord. When you truly care, you when involve Him. My relationship with Heavenly Father has grown so much!

Secondly, let God guide your life. The harder you try to lead your life, the harder it gets. Let Christ lead it, let Him take the "steering wheel". When you fully rely on Him, that's when you can receive the most peace and happiness.

Thirdly, prayer is powerful and real. Kneel and pray with intent to listen and to act. I have found so much peace and have received many answers through prayer.

So this past week has been nuts really. Getting ready and trying to work the hardest as well! We've seen lots of small miracles and the goodbyes have been frequent :(. But! It's been awesome to know that people are out there for you!

One thing I thought of this past week. We had zone conference and I played a piano piece called "Goin' Home" and it had melodies from "God be With You Till We Meet Again" and "Called to Serve"! It was super spiritual and apparently President and Sister Wright cried ;(. 

I honestly can't think about the last week right now, today has already been so crazy. We went with Sister's Watkins and Heaton and my comp Elder Moore and we went to the Phoenix Airport to get my COVID test! Then I had my last interview with President Wright which was a great experience. I gave him some info so I can come to the mission reunions and such! But yeah, I leave tomorrow morning to head to the mission office at 6, do paperwork, and then we go to the airport at 7 or 8 and then we fly out at 10! So it'll be a crazy day tomorrow, but it'll be an adventure for sure! 

Love you all! See you on the other side!

Week 38

Exchanges and Prep for Japan

Haha, so for some reason I had named this last week in Gilbert, but I'm writing about this past week. I still have one more week in Gilbert thankfully! 

First, exchanges! This past Saturday I went with Elder Boyack and let's just say it was nuts! 

We had McDaily Planning, so we had a lesson at 7:30AM and they canceled so we went over to McDonald's and had daily planning there and a guy paid for our food for us! We then went out and had a super productive morning! We knocked on tons of doors and met lots of new awesome people! We handed 2 copies of The Book of Mormon out and then we had lunch. Our afternoon we handed out 2 more and did more inspired knocking. We met some more people and there was less success in the afternoon, but we worked super hard. We biked farther up and took a water break at the church and sent some texts out. We then planned out our lesson at 4 and then headed out! 

As we were heading down though, there was this huge nieghborhood party for Morrison Ranch. Around May 12th-14th is the "first" day of summer for Arizona and throughout the week, we saw so many people with their boats and going to the lake. Anyways, there was this huge party for the neighborhood and we knocked on the door for our lesson and they didn't answer... Rough. So we met a member family nearby and we felt inspired to go down south, so we hit a couple more doors and OYMed more people (open your mouth). Again, it was very busy that night, bunch of people were at a house and we tried to knock, but they were having a graduation party. So we then left for dinner and had it at Panda Express which was good. 

We then went to a wedding... I know, who just joins a wedding? Let alone as a missionary and on exchanges! So Elder Boyack and his normal companion, Elder Jenkins, helped out this lady the day before and she is getting remarried because her previous husband died, same for the guy she is marrying--his wife had died. They helped them move, and then invited the to the wedding. So we went ;). It was short and sweet and we talked for a bit and then left! In total it was about 20 minutes. We then took some amazing pictures by the pond in Morrision Ranch with the Superstitions in the background. 

We then prayed and felt inspired to reknock some doors and we got no answers, but we followed those promptings! We then reknocked on the person who we had the lesson with at 4. We waited for a bit and then a teenage girl only in a towel opened the door, barked at us, and then shut it... what. It was pretty funny honestly and we just laughed once we were away--it was bizarre to say the least. 

We also were able to help this member family out with shoveling dirt! The wife thanked us for the blessing and to keep them in our prayers! It was cool to see that even though we thought we weren't really doing anything big, it was a big blessing to that family! We went around a bit longer and then we headed to the church building and did language study and D&C Daily. It's where Elder Boyack records himself and his companion and they explain and bear testimony of the Doctrine and Covenants. Super cool!

So since I leave for Japan this next Tuesday, I've been preparing! I've gotten a dental visit set up haha, I have some things to ship home, wrote bunch of letters, and much more! It's been crazy, but I'll talk more about the transtion in next week's email. It'll only get crazier :). It's also been heartwarming and awesome over this past week as many missionaries have called and said their goodbye's to me. Thank you! 

Also I recommend President Nelson's devotional with the young adult's. He talked about labels and how we choose what labels are most important to us. Our 3 most important labels should be...

First- A Child of God

Second- Child of the Covenant

Third- A Disciple of Jesus Christ

Give it a listen. It was super insightful and applies very well to our age and time.

Thank you all so much! I have loved typing and sending these emails to you all! And yes, if you try to send me a letter in the next couple of weeks, remember I will have a new address! I will send it next week!

Love you all!

ロバートソン長老

Week 37

Japan news and helping the youth!

So the news that everyone's been asking. Are you going to Japan? Yes!

I'm going May 26th!

But to be honest, it's bittersweet. I think a lot of people are surprised to hear that I'll miss Gilbert and Queen Creek Arizona. I can't help but be sad that I'll be leaving in just over 2 weeks. BUT, I am so grateful for what I have learned and the people I have met. I will definitely be visiting back here!

Where you serve and love, that is where your heart is. And my heart is here in Gilbert. At the same time though, even with all of that. Even though I don't want to leave. I know the Lord needs me in Japan and I am still unbelievably excited to go to Japan! It's just hard at the moment. But pray for me! I appreciate all of the prayers!

Here's some miracles from this past week!

We were able to help a youth out that was struggling with some doubts and fears about going to a mission. He already has his call to South Africa! But he feels that he rushed it a bit and is having some second thoughts. We talked for about 45min and had a really good conversation about a lot of things. We probably didn't help at all, but I do know the Spirit touched him and helped him have faith in what he does know!

We also experienced another miracle were we talked to another youth that dropped out of high school and isn't sure if he'll go on a mission or not and we invited him to go on splits with us and he said that he might be able come next week!

And to all the mother's out there, here is an amazing scripture!

It's in Alma, chapter 56 verse 47 and 48

47. Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

That is so awesome, for our mother's knew it. Today take the time to express your love to your mother! Thank her for all that she did and all that she is doing now to guide you. If anything, tell her that you love her, say those words and mean them! I love you all, have a great miracle filled week!

ロバートソン長老

Week 36

 Elder Neil L Andersen, Sushi, and driving

Wow! So lets start with some miracles

If you recieve a good thought, do it! More often or not it is inspiration from God. I had a couple promptings this week and I followed them. Most of them lead to a small miracle and some of them lead to what seemed a failure. One time, we went to a person named George who was really nice and talks to us here and there, and I felt prompted to go there, and we ended up not talking to George, but we talked to Tunde! We set up a lesson for this Monday! So that was cool to see the Lord's hand. Another time, we knocked on a guy's door we've been trying to meet, and he was busy, but he said we could come over for dinner on Monday night!

Last Thursday we had a great Zone Conference (bunch of missionaries get together) and our President talked about relying on the Lord even when we don't think we have the resources to do His work. Because in the end, we don't do anything, it's all the Lord. We then had the amazing privilege to hear from an Apostle! So Elder Uchtdorf didn't come (that's what I said last week), but Elder Neil L Andersen came! He talked about three main things:

1. Your influence is much bigger than you think

2. Memorize 5 scriptures that you would die for

3. You are meant to be in these Arizonan missions, you are among the finest missionaries and I'm not saying that just because I'm here.

He talked about these concepts and elaborated more. My favorite thing he said was this:

"You can count the seeds in an apple, but not the apples in the seeds."

What a powerful statement! Even for everyone that isn't on missions. YOU! You have much more influence in your circles and in your private and public settings than you think you do. People do pay attention to you. So what we fill our life with is very important, because it reflects in our example and how we react to situations. What a cool concept! It was espicially amazing to hear his apostalic witness of Christ! You could feel the rightness, just like 1+1=2, it just is right, it makes sense. 

Sushi! So there is a Japanese place about 5 minutes from us and we've been there twice this past week! とてもおしいいですよ！ It's not Japan level, but it would probably be equivalent to okay sushi in Japan. But it has been fun to practice using the chopsticks, I need to practice more! And yeah, I now have my physical visa and passport at our mission office! So now I'm waiting for the Church to give me travel  plans! I won't go right away, because they are spacing missionaries at when they come in, so the soonest I'll leave is 3 weeks. But I will be going soon mainly because I have my visa. 

And honestly, I felt like I needed to put in a third word and I put in "driving" haha. So yeah, we've done a lot of driving, but nothing noteworthy to say about that word. It's a filler word!

And remember, feel free to email me any questions about my mission or any experiences I've had! I would love to respond next Monday!

ロバートソン長老