Monday, August 25, 2014

LIKE TACO BELL BUT MORE AUTHENTIC

AUGUST 25th, 2014
Hey Madre y Padre y Mi familia!!

Olé Everything is doing swell here in mexico! Well as good as it can be.
Mind my errors everything is wrong because it's not in spanish. I love hearing about everyone. How's Jake? I was wondering if I was the only one having struggles. I worry about him and I pray for him everyday! I'll escribo a quick letter.
The mission field is hard, there has not been one day that I havent thought about you all individualy and what you're doing right this moment. Especialice durante lecciones. I have a lot of time in my head thinking about things while my Comp Elder Hernandez takes the wheel and directs the lessons. I'm getting better at throwing bits and pieces in here and there but even with my broken espanol Elder Hernandez has to translate and explain what I mean. Really chill! He will be my comp for 12 weeks! 
So right when I stepped off the plane in Veracruz the humidity hit me, it felt like I carrying the world! President and Sister Greer are super chill. President Greer says all the jokes some on the iffy and Hermana Greer always hits him and says "president ahhh." First day they picked us up and we stopped by and ate at subway at the airport after that went and slept at the house of his assistants! I was beat so I went straight to bed it was so hot (the fan is your saving grace in this mission) 
The 2nd day went to training where we had a little orientation of what's going on. It was not boring except it was all in spanish. Me and this other elder were the only ones that were called to Xalapa- Except there is a handful of mexicano Elders and Hermans! I got my comp and my area (my comp speaks decent english and likes to work hard pero likes to rely on members alot) My area is Posta Rica, hottest place in the mission! 6 hours away from Xalapa! After the orientation we had food that hermana Greer cooked, really good. In the Morning I took a bus there on the 3rd day ( I got food poisoning from Subway and threw up on the bus but I haven't gotten sick since) 

Mexico is a weird place! The drivers are soo crazy, taxis everywhere and people in the streets, people living in the streets. Finally I got to our house. Its pretty bad. The house at grandpa's shop is nicer, but i'm not complaining. The bathrooms smell like the honey buckets at the Fair. Cold showers and hand washing dishes- a good place for turning me into a house wife. 

The food is not too bad. Its like Taco Bell but more authentic! We eat at a members house everyday. My first meal we had this corn soup that looked really good but was really watered down! My sunday dinner was the best (frijoles, tortita, some meat, really good) Oh I tried this taco called GRINGO a vender sold it off the street really rico sooo good!! 


I forgot my blueberries for Mexico! (Fantastic Mr. Fox reference) There are dogs everywhere! 




Everyone has dogs or if you didn't you could grab one of the street and claim it as yours. 
Have you seen those Gatorade commercials where they are bent over with sweat running off their face? Well that's what its like here, you walk a little and you start sweating! I dont think i've felt dry once since I stepped of the bus. It's cooler more in Xalapa but here it's crazy hot! 

Oh we taught a lesson at the Springville dump! Really cool though. There is this family that we are baptizing on Sunday that basically have tarps set up for their house and the husband (Hermano Lopez) collects garbage for a living. This family basically has nothing but they are still so happy! I think we are going to play the Don't Eat Pete game for family home evening!



I love you all thanks for the prayers! The living is hard and everything about it here is by the sweat of my brow! But I know i'm supposed to be out here for a reason - I'm not sure yet but it will come in time!

Hey Laur: how are the football games? Have you been asked to Homecoming yet?

Wadie Boy: You need to be the hard-to-get guy! haha Have you raided my closet yet?

Rivey J: I'm teaching this family with a daughter that reminds me of you! but really no one can compare with you!

Kallers: Tell me some of your new hobbies? Are you reading any books?

Quiny Quiny: there are a lot of mexicans here that are "gettin kinda chubby"

Canny Boy: I love you bro! don't grow up okay?

Dad: Thanks for the letter it helped me out I think about you all time saying to myself, okay what would Dad do?

Mommers: I love you so much. Miss you and sometimes I want to give you the biggest hug because I didnt take advantage of it when I could! It's been difficult mom, but I think of the new baby everyday. 

I love you all and pray for you everyday!!!

With love Elder Roberts
( American at Heart)

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

LIVE FROM XALAPA!

AUGUST 19th 2014

Hey Family!! Everything here is doing great.


Last night I slept with the Zone leaders in Xalapa! It's truly Gods country! sooo colorful and beautiful! Really humid! We left from Mexico City got in like a 12 seater plane it had propellers! so that was awesome!! Right when we got off the humidity hit me I felt like i'd been sweating for days!! And they say Xalapa is the coldest in the mission. Today will be training! I will also be bussed to where im going and then also find out who my trainer is. It will most likely be a Mexicano! I can't understand anything. Everyone talks soooo fast!! I had trouble ordering my subway sandwich before in english, think about doing it in Spanish! but I love it here everything is going soo great Wednesday will be when I start the work! On mondays will be my pday!
The drivers here are loco on the roads they fit as many wide sometimes three rows of cars with motos in el middle! I love President Gree, really great guy!! They picked us up from the Veracruz aportadera! Then ate and then met the missionaries that I was going to sleep with!! woot it was a very long day of travel! everthing is great though!!
I've got to go but I know this is the place where i'm supposed to be!!


with love
Elder Roberts ( future mexicano)

Friday, August 15, 2014

JUST A PHONECALL

AUGUST 14th 2014

**I wrote to Brett just before he was to fly out to Mexico and asked him if he wanted us to meet him at the airport for a quick goodbye since he would be flying out by himself, he wrote the following;

Hey mom, my brain is telling me yes, let's do it! But I don't think I could take it...maybe just you and Dad...ahhh I don't know! It's such a hard decision. I want to hug all of you, but I seriously don't think I could take it. I know I'll regret not seeing you guys but I'm wrestling in my mind and I feel like even calling you might be rough. I wake up on Monday early and have to be ready to go on the bus at 4:30, and arrive in SLC at 5:30. My flight leaves at 8:37 I think then I head to Arizona, then to Mexico City and then to Veracruz and then a bus to Xalapa. Don't take this as like I put you guys out of my head, but I actually kinda have to. I want to see all the smiles on your faces and see and hear the words from  your own mouths. I want to see Quincy's curly long locks of hair and Canyon running around the airport in his batman cape and I want to grab Kal and give him the biggest hug I can because I really didn't do it that often before. I want to have Lauren put me on her snapchat story but mainly just touch a phone because I haven't updated something or scrolled through a touch screen just for fun for 6 weeks. I want to kneel down to eye level and amuse all of River's stories face to face and see if any of her teeth have grown in. I would love to see you guys and I probably wouldn't be mad or sad if you guys showed up, but to have you come just wouldn't be a good idea. To hear it coming from me I would like to stick with just the phone call. I love you,  Elder Brett      



Wednesday, August 6, 2014

KINDA LIKE JAY GATSBY

AUGUST 6th 2014


Hey Fam -

Gosh its crazy I got my first haircut here at the MTC. It's been that long here in the ccm that I needed a haircut. I love you so much. I love the little packages. I love the little drawings on it! The letters that come with it! I try to take it all in.

I get distracted during the day thinking about what you guys are doing...if my prayers affect your day? What are you guys did to close down the summer? What teachers do the kids have? How's Wade's love life?  How you personally are doing if the baby is behaving? If you''re becoming stressed out with me being gone and if its not helping you stay healthy? How's Dad with his 41st birthday this Sunday? I can't help it but compare myself to Jay Gatsby with that darn green light. Meaning i'm so close to being with the people I love. Yet I have a purpose to be here and basically there's that light that's so close and reminds me of everything of my life before. I'm so close that I can just reach out and grab it. Yeah really difficult, but I know i'm growing mentally, psychically, and spiritually.

This week has been a little difficult being the DL! Elder Crawford still has that gloomy spirit about him and just how Dad described his first companion. I feel like Elder Crawford fits him to a T. I hate it because everything I do is wrong in his eyes. So I ask Elder Haskel the ZL to watch over him so I don't have to. 

Well remember on Monday when it rained. With something new everyone from the district ran out in the rain and messed around. So after a little while I figured I needed to have everyone come back in and  plan. Well when I did that Elder Crawford was like "okay mother." Elder Haskell overheard that and stuck up for me and then Elder Crawford called him a Smart A. Long story short it blew up and they probably would've thrown punches if I didn't intervene. So that was the hype of my week, but I guess if you stuff 12 kids with testosterone pumpin through a little fights are bound to happen. To resolve it I sat everyone down told them all that I loved them but we needed to work harder. I think they took it well because yesterday everyone was working hard so its was good.





        Honestly I'm so pumped to leave i'm trying to live in the moment but its hard keep loving you favorite song whens its on reply everyday. I love the devotionals and we sing prelude hymns and I'll never forget that feeling when 2,000 missionaries are singing "Called to Serve" Es Muy Bien.


       The doctrine is coming. The language is coming. I'm trying to work hard everyday not even wanting to waste one minute even though I want to sit and sleep or just day dream about you guys, future wife, Xalapa Mexico, if president Monson is coming to the next devotional, etc. 

I love you guys and hope you all are not growing up at all and ever thing's great. I'm pumped I only have 1 more week left!!

with love 
Elder Roberts Mexican Cowboy



Hey! oh mom I got a letter I'm headed to the Vegas Consulate to pick up my visa on monday!!


We fly out at 4:30 on monday and then get back that night or early tuesday morning.
I'm travel leader a couple others are coming.

with love 
Elder Roberts