I ATE IT ANYWAY

Hey Guys!!

Well I'm back on the half workin keyboard in a hot stuffy room. And with a señor next to me watching the latest Nova (sopa opera). I hope everything is going great with my little fam and I hope this week you guys will be able to eat as much pavo and pie de callabasa your stomachs can handle.

    

This week was awesome in so many ways! Well Elder Vazquez is chill, I like him but I think he gets tired of me asking what this is or what that is. Sometimes when I talk he'll just zone out. I feel a little bit like Ponga. It's the same thing during our lessons this week, I've felt the most segregated I've ever felt, kinda almost like a minority, but not to that extreme. I just feel like i'm treated dumb. Just a little bit. So lately I've been really working hard on my accent. I'm halfway finished with The Book of Mormon in spanish!! Wahoo!

So here in Mexico if you have a job to do, you don't just wait around for someone to do it - you do it yourself. For example we just finished a lesson with an inactive family. We were saying our goodbyes when this old lady passed us, dripping in sweat, passing us pushing a wheel barrow full of rocks! I just almost walked passed her. 

Then I stopped and we ending up helping her and the load was about 60 pounds and the lady was about 70 years old and lived about a mile away. Crazy loca. Long story short we were able to help her and she invited us to eat. She was really humble and she gave us some rice con leche... and this soggy bread - it was dripping in my hand, it was so bad. I ate it anyway. We were able to teach the family. They promised to go to church and everything the next day. But they didn't. It is a really hard feeling but you get over it quickly.

Another instance...all our morning our citas fell through. So we were on the corner thinking of what to do. I looked across the street to see a 65 year old guy about the size of Wade just skin and bones doing the tree work that something Dad would do. I felt prompted to go help him. We did and once we finished chopping up the branches and hauling the wood to his house. He (Faustino) was interested in what we had to offer. I barely started to speak when he started to tear up... His story was that he lost everything because of his problems with drinking. We weren't able to teach a full lesson but he promised he would go to church the next day. Well when we passed by at 9 he was all ready to go - clean shaved and everything! Hahah It was Awesome!! Future baptism hopefully.

Well this is all that I got for you this week I love you all so very much! 

You guys are the reasons that keep me goin!

With Love Elder Roberts

Estaban una manzaña y una perra en la termina de autobuses y la manzaña le pregunta a la perra ¿usted de se cuando espera? y ahora y la perra responde ¡yo siempre he sido es perra! 

 

MARTINEZ WOOT! WOOT!

Hey Family!! 

     

Just sitting here munchin on a chile sucker and glad that this cyber has a roof! Because its been practically raining and overcast for the past week. This weeks been long but I'm a happy Elder Here in Martinez!!

    

Monday of last week I said goodbye to all my investigators and new converts. And had a quick little goodbye party with Elder Ortiz. Then I stayed up until 1 just packing. It felt surreal that I was leaving my house again. I really enjoyed where things were going. So thats that.

...In the morning we headed to ADO "siempre primero" (Their busses are kinda like the ones you take to go to lagoon. its what the missionaries take to get from place to place....) I feel a little dirty when we take these because they play movies. So you try to not watch and read your scriptures, or sleep or talk to the person next to you, but in the end you end up watching. Well this time they played The movie Robo cop and a movie about Princess Diana. Ha ha It was 3 hours from Poza Rica to Martinez. I finally met up with the new comp, Elder Vasquez! Pretty much all of Tuesday he just showed me around the area and all. Our house is like a pent house for the drug dealers - really nice and really big. Oh the best part is we have a laundry machine. Woot! WOot! 

(cold morning studies)

The next day was we had zone class in the morning, after that we went as a district to go grab some tortas and tacos. Umm I'm a little intimidated because everyone in my district is Latino. I'm the only one that can speak English. (I don't know if the Pres did that on purpose) But really they are all pretty chill. After that we headed back to our area in placé verde 2. It's a lot smaller then my area in Petromex, more kinda like a Pueblo, a lot of humble, salt of the earth people. In the night it reminds me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland when Kal yelled over to the diners "hey lady! yah you with the beard!" ha ha that scene with the guy on his porch and the fire flies - it's kinda how it is where i'm at. Just peaceful and nice. I'm about 30 minutes from centro in Martinez, but I really like it. Everyone either calls me "quedo" or "gringo..." It's fine by me because it's an easy ice breaker to start a conversations. We don't have a church that we meet in, it's a "casa de oracion" It's still a ward but we just don't have enough Priesthood to have the church build a church.

(Me and Elder Vasquez after the rain)

Elder Vazquez has a lot of time in the mission (esta buen muerto) he has 6 mesas left. He has a couple problems with his comps before and he really never has had the chance to be a Senior comp. So i'm one of the first. But honestly the first time I met him I knew we were going to be great friends. He is a little frito, and he has an awesome attitude and he makes me feel good! I'm pumped for this Cambio. He really didn't have a lot of dates when I came, so this week and last week we've been doing a bunch of contacting. 

This past week it's been freezing cold! I've had to break out the sweaters and put on that Ralph Lauren shirt on under my white shirts. It's the worst to wake up in the morning and it takes a whole lot of coaxing to get out of the warm bed and take a shower. We have no hot water at all so it's like turning the nob in the shower at home all the way to cold and lather up without hot water. I dare you to try it!

These were the Musas ( flirts) that we were teaching in my last area! They were all crying when I told them that I was leaving! hah super funny they all promised me that they will wait for me to go through the temple. 

Well I have a lot to say and I'm not great with words to really describe the world that I'm in right now! but just know I'm a happy Elder here In Martinez!

Keep safe, I love you all!! So very much! Pray for you and think about you all as I drift off to sleep each night.

With all the love from your half Mexican Bro

              Elder Brett Roberts.

SORRY I DRANK COKE

Heyyyy Family!!!

  

It sounds like you all are happy and doing well!! I hope you're all loving little Ro-Ro. Well I'm still getting tan here in November. It is starting to cool down but I can still be going to bed with out my covers and be just fine. It was funny this week I woke up scared to death. I had a dream that I was headed home and I was so sad that I didn't learn Spanish...I kept asking where did the time go!?!

I've never been so happy to wake up with the fan blowing in my face and look over to see my companion doing his weird morning rituals.

    Well this week I really do qualify my best week in the whole cambio and probably my most fav in my whole mish. On wednesday I received a cool tie from Jakers and a letter!... Air mail too it was so cool! It was fun to get a package but I really loved the letter! Jake really is a guys best friend. I am a little bummed this Cambio that we didn't baptize anyone. But I was praying hard because this has been one of the hardest months and a half I've probably ever had in my life. I know God gave me a gift on the last day of the change!

Pues on Thursday...it was a ruff day here in the mish. Prezzy is really pushing hard to have us talk to everyone. We are recommended to not knock on doors, so we just do a bunch of street contacting.

Well when Elder Ortiz and I were walking. We walked past this kid (Elewin) just staring at the water. I thought in my mind talk to him. I said no. We were really late with our other cita. But the thought came again so I did. I joked with him saying "wow bonita agua" the little creek was just all backed up with garbage and everything. The kid laughed. We broke the ice and talked a little more. He liked us and wanted us to pass by the next day. So we did end up teaching his grandma, his friend, his sister, and him. When we were finishing up the lesson on the porch of the house the mom came home. She looked at us and started to cry. Ends up she was a member of our church a while ago.

We planned to come back on Saturday. The next day came back. No one was home except the grandma and she didn't like us (straight Catholic through and through) but for some reason she invited us to sit down on her porch. We talked for awhile. The whole time I was thinking "why are we here...?" So we got up to leave and just then the family showed up... Long story short we were able to teach them in the house Everyone accepted to be baptized! But the grandma straight up said "no, I'm catholic"  (so 7 in total!) probably the best lesson I've ever had. Oh it was such an amazing feeling! 

   
The next day was Sunday... Reality hit when only the wife and the friend of the family ended up going to church. But it was fast sunday. I sat by the mom.

I had a thought go in my head have jacinta (the member mom) bear her testimony... I asked her but she was uneasy about it. I asked her again she said next time. So right when the Obisbo got up to end it. I asked her again... SHE said YES! So we walked up and I was eyeing the Obisbo and he sat down and the Hermana bore her testimony Oh family, it was so Awesome!

Well today I found out that i'm getting CHANGED! Like what!?


Yeah I cried a little. I found out i'm headed to Martinez! I'm going to miss that family that I love, I'll miss Elder Ortiz, my converts and stinky ole Petromex. But I guess I've done all that I could do here in Petromex and the Lord wants me to move out!! Change is good-  i'm just a little nervous is all.

I was starting to call this place home! 

I love you all! Guys.

 God really is there!!

There is this guy with like a organ piano player, he plays uncle rico music every morning right by our house.
Its great!! I'm going to miss that too!

Te amo-    Roberts..... Elder Roberts

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Hey Family that I love so very much!!

    Well this week wasn't the greatest with the #´s but I've had the greatest adventures! Honestly Finn in Adventure Time would be jealous. Okay, Monday and Tuesday was same ole, same ole. Well Tuesday at district class we had a surprise visit from the Assistants and they did a little seminar kinda deal. Once they were done talking they had me do a practice teaching. After everyone complimented me on my teaching and Spanish and kept asking how much time have I had in the mish! So that was a boost to my confidence. Later tuesday night we found out that our luz bill was never paid so we didn't have lights (usually the mission home covers it for us but this time they had a mix up) So to not get frustrated the comp and I told ghost stories - it was a pretty hot night I hardly slept!
Wednesday... found out we still didn't have any luz.

Thursday... We woke up to a phone call from the zone leaders saying that we were going to have intervistas (interviews) with President! Yikes! We still didn't have any electricity. It was 6:30 and our Pres was coming at 10:30 and sorry mom but our house was a mess. So we didn't have any light to clean, any water, or we weren't able to iron our clothes. All the ice in the fridge had melted and made a mess. Oh it was like straight off of "The Best 2 Years " Long story short, about a half hour before prezzy came we had light and were able to clean up nice and put smiles on President Greer's face. The Interview was pretty awesome, I learned a lot.

  

Friday (Halloween)... I really wanted to do something cool like dress up or something so the best I could come up with, without breaking mission rules is switching mine and Elder Ortiz name badges. But at lunch I turned out to be a missionary zombie tambien. We were have la comida and a kid was trying to get this red chile out that was in some plastic. Like the ranch packets at Wendys. It wouldn't come out so he decided to put it in his palm and with his other hand clap down. Yeah that didn't work out so well either. It didn't go anywhere except on my shirt!! haha it was pretty funny the kid and the mom felt really embarrassed. That was Friday.

Saturday, in the morning it was about the same work day... and then about 2 we were headed to the comida. But it we were in llomas and the comida was in Vicent Herrara. Like spanish fork canyon to provo canyon. We asked if there was a road that we could take to cut through the jungle, people confirmed that there was. So we took it, and in the end we got lost for like 40 minutes and found a guy that was startled to see two people in white shirts hiking in the jungle. His dog chased me down and bit me on the leg and tore my pants the little twerp. Finally after hitchhiking and taking a few other roads we got to the food looking like a bunch of beat up missionaries haha. I don't know why we were in such a hurry. It was soup with basically the whole chicken in it. I ate a heart and liver and stuff i'm not even sure what it was. The sweet old lady bless her heart, kept giving more and after three bowls the comp saved me and said "hermana we cant eat anymore." After that we had Conference in the Estaca (stake). That pretty much finishes Saturday and Sunday...

Today we got permission from the Prez as a district to go to TAJIN!!!!!! Woot!

It's like some ancient ruins - really really cool! Ahh it was so awesome!!

I'll tell more next week. I love you all, it sounds like the baby is doing fine and you are all doing great. I pray for you all every night! I'm doing swell here, the comp is great, the work is good, I have a lot of room to grow and it's flying by!

With love, 

Elder Brett Dean Roberts

Tune Raider

Roaning; welcome to the big world little bud you have been born into a perfect family!!
Take care of them for me!!

Love you buddy