LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Hey Family!

Well it was awesome talking to you guys on Christmas! It's crazy just how much so much has changed in just a little amount of time. It really felt like a dream talking to you guys. There was a lot more things we could've talked about...I really just got caught in the moment! haha

(This letter is going to be more of a journal entry que nada) Really this Year 2014 has been probably the biggest year I'll have in all of my life. I got called to serve in Mexico, Graduated Highschool, left everything behind to go on my mission, had my first Holidays away from home. I really feel like I've done it all. But when I look back on it and if Father Time gave me another chance to live it again, I totally would! Just because of the things I've learned since I left and this year I gained so much knowledge that I have received here on the mish, I could do it so much better now. I could say one theme that would go well with this year would be "Live in the moment!" A regret that I have is that I let things come and go without too much thought or care. High School treated me well, but I really wish I would've taken more pics, fought less with the parents and took more opportunities. Laur and Wade, don't get caught up in the drama or stress. Live in the moment. I remember when I got my call, that day I was angry with mom for no reason. At the time I felt nervous and I didn't want to grow up. I had my future in my hands. Now here we are kicking 2014 away and opening the door to 2015. 

  My first night in the MTC I knelt down to say a prayer for you guys for the spirit, so forth so forth. But one thing that I asked for is for the chance to remember these times that I have and not to have it all go by so fast. Well ha ha I don't think I've recieved my answer yet! It's sad I'm kinda now a viajito (old man). Another thing I've learned here on the mish is that you are only new once. I'm kinda now to the point where the mish is still new but I really don't get the benefits of being the new guy. There is no going back. 

I'm excited for what 2015 has for me and for you! Hopefully she teaches me life lessons and blesses me with Baptisms. It's kinda crazy because I was planning during my young primary life that in the year 2015 it would be the year of me going on a mission. I still remember singing that song, loudest one in my class ha ha. I remember thinking that It would never get here. ha It's funny how time flies. It just seems like yesterday Laur and I were play Crash Bandit in the Lake Shore house. Or mom was singing Disney songs to make us go to sleep and jumping on the bed! Or taking you all to Peteetneet and Wade and Kal almost breaking their necks on the huge jump! Soon we will be all in at home with our own families in the family living room with the whole family there laughing and watching my kids grab the toys and hit Lauren's dog in the face! Those will be good days to be looking forward to. But live in the moment! Dad would always say!

   I love you guys! I'm going on my six month mark! I feel better then ever. I've found that same desire to share the gospel as Enos did when he knelt and prayed! 

We will take what ever you have for us 2015!! 

With love-

Elder Roberts (don't forget me Jimmy)

(Taking the Ado in to Teziutland) 

(made cookies! wahoo, they turned out great!)

(I found this melon in the street and thought it would be like a water melon. but I guess not, it tasted gross!) 

#GRINGOLANDIA

HI fam, this will be short because I get to talk to you in just a few days! It sounds like everything went well with River's dancing and Kal's singing Quincy's boyfriend sitch and Canny's practicing his ninja moves ha!

I'm so pumped to be able to talk to you guys this Thursday! wahooo! Write questions down because I am so ready to respuesta su preguntas. 

I'm hoping that Santa will come to my house but we will see! Sometimes he doesn't get this far south. haha I love you guys, I hope you're good so you don't get coal.  And Waders, ask Blinky to give you silky pj's- they are the best! ha

Well I love you all so much

Elder Roberts ( best friends with rudolfo)

#gringolandia

¨Pic with Elder Nordy He my ZL super chill


The ward Plaza verde gave us gifts it was actually pretty nifty. Socks and a new tie Booyeah. 

All the missionaries in the stake of Martinez. 

(In Veracruz they put their trees outside. A house of one of our investigators)

The fiesta posada for our branch!

(My fav family. Hermano Pelone and his daughters)

LOCOS BATOS

Hey My lovely Family;

Well, another one bites the dust. My my third combio passed and everything is staying the same. Same area and same comp. I'm actually pretty excited because this week we have been working really hard on finding new investigators. The reason is because 11 De Enero. Our president wants to have a buatimission and that means our whole mission baptizes on the same day. So I was a little stressed out this week. But yeah everything worked out and we had all our investigators go to church yesterday. So mission accomplished! If everything goes smoothly we will be able to baptize (knock on wood)

So to accomplish our goal of finding newbs, Elder Vazques and I decided to do a lot of service. For example I helped mix cement and seal a well, painted gates for an old lady, swept up hair at this salon, shoveled dirt into a dump truck etc. Haha some people would really light up after we helped them and ask who we are and why we are helping and then others not so much.



Our main focus right now is this guy name Moises. He will probably be our baptism for 11 De Enero - but he has a big marriage problem. Right now he's living with his girlfriend and their baby. She's a member but he is not and they just live together. He was married to a girl in Poza Rica and they were separated but were not divorced. So to get him baptized we need to divorce him first and then get him married and then baptized. Yeah we are going to need a miracle. Pray for me!!

Well I kinda had the same experience that mom had at Walmart y todo. It happened yesterday. We were at the stake house waiting for Angels baptism to start.

 

I was with Angel y his little brother playing the piano. When Elder Vazques came and asked me if I had 10 pesos to give to a lady that needs it to buy milk for her baby. I said yeah let me go check. I went in the other room where my back pack was. Well I looked in my wallet and all I had was 200 pesos (como 20 dollars) I thought for a minute wondering if it was something right. And I felt like it was the right thing to do. So I rolled up the 200 and gave it to the lady waiting outside the gate with her little baby. When I did she started to cry gave me a huge hug and wouldn't let go. I got really embarrassed and kinda spaced out because I suddenly hated all the attention. The lady was still crying and started telling me that I was invited to her house and that it was my house now and God bless me and everything. Well after that experience, one of the elders here was giving me a lot of grief about giving her the money. He was saying that he doesn't have food in his house and yet I gave the lady so much money and how the lady could use this to go by drugs and do what ever. So I felt a little bad about the situation, and should've been more responsible and will be in the future, but after reading your letter mom, I feel pretty great about helping out and I have faith that this scrawny little girl used my money to buy herself a good meal or something.

(decorating a members tree)

Well I love you guys cant wait to talk to you! The members treat us well and always invite us to eat and kinda watch out for us. Sometimes I do get trunky while i'm taking a shower, but I just need to work harder. I love you guys sooo very much

Sorry about my bad grammar and writing. I'm jumping back and forth from Spanish and English in my head!!

I love you Laur Kal Quiny Waders River Canny Ro Mom and Dad

Love, Elder Roberts

WAZZ YOO NAME?

Hey Mom! I got the package! All the elders were teasing me that it was a flat screen TV. I'm going to wait till Christmas to open it! woot woot! 

Hey Family!!

 Well Really the Christmas season has really begun. The coke bottles have changed their labels and the people are more cheery, and the elders are trunky. Yeah it's Christmas time alright. It's funny though, the weather is perfect. It still feels like it's the end of August or something. Like I could go hit the pool right now and It would be awesome! I've been praying for snow here in Mexico but I'm thinking it won't happen. It sounds like everything is going good on the home front. Baby blessing, Christmas Parties, it sounds like everything is going great.

Well lately I've felt like the minority here in Plaza Verde, Martinez. I'm the only American for 50 miles. But I enjoy it. My Spanish is coming along I just have to work on my accent. For example we will be walking in the street. And people call us guedos. Blue eyed, white guys. They think gringo is offensive. like NEGRO. Or I'll have kids in broken English be like "wazz yoo name" ha ha I'll use times like these to break the ice and contact them. So I guess there is a benefit to everything.

  Well here in Veracruz everyone has a problem with the idea of getting married. They think that just living together is enough and when they want to get separated they separate. So every time we find families we have to get them married to get them baptized. Well last monday we found a family through a reference of a member. When we walked in to the house it was like already a Mormon house. They had family photos idk it was just a good feeling. Well long story short, they have 3 kids, they both work but not on Sundays and they have been married for 6 years. Perfect family!! future baptism.

    On Wednesday we had like a ward family home evening. We invited different families to the house of the bishop. Elder Vazques y Yo did an object lesson of a egg and the family had to create a protection to keep safe the egg. It was really fun. After we had this sugar cane tea, and tortas it was a good night. Well after we were talking about a phrase and they were teaching me of what is cool to say. So I started to saying them and I said 

"que tal animal" to the bishop. Everyone suddenly went quite. And then they all laughed. It turned out to be a strong word that you would only say to the people that you have confidence in or that are romantic with. 

Haaha funny right.

    Another awkward moment. From the phrases that I've learned durning the noche hogar. On saturday we went to one of our investigators house to remind her about Sunday. She is pregnant and there a phrase in espanol saying "su domingo siette" meaning oh she got pregnant quick, and again you say it only to the people you are really good friends with and I didn't know that. So I ask the hermans so domingo 7? thinking its just another way to ask. Haha my comp looked at me with eyes like "i'm going to kill you beo!" I realized it was wrong so I corrected saying "oh Hermana domingo and mannana es la 7?".. haha worked out great.

   Well the work is doing alright. Elder Vazquez is chill. We have a baptism of Angel this next week hopefully. 

I love you guys I'm scared to look back on what I just wrote to read over my grammar and other mistakes. I love you guys! Everyone has to find their own personal conversion into this church. Even the ones born into it.

I love you all! Hey kids! you better be good Santa is watching...and the Missionaries have an in with the big man himself (Santa)

with Love Elder Roberts

GUARD DOG

Hey Family!

Well last week I started feeling sick, sick after everything that I ate. It wasn't pretty ( sorry for the grossero)  haha! 

I started to feel better but during the comida on Wednesday, I was just feeling out for the count when we arrived at the house. The smell and the coke and the heat and everything was making me nauseous. I barely got down the first plate and an Elder in my district who is kind of a punk and is biased against Americans said loudly "Elder Roberts, you want more?" "oh Hermana Elder Roberts would like some more!" The sweet old hermana asked me and I didn't want to hurt her feelings and I couldn't say no. So about half-way finished with the other plate (rice, chicken with chile sauce drizzled all over it) I had the urge to throw up. We were in the corner of the room and only a curtain separated the kitchen and the bathroom. I barely made it to the bathroom area and was able to shut the curtain. With me throwing up and everything. I finally opened up the curtain ready to face the humiliation thinking everyone had heard me. But it wasn't the case - the TV was on and everyone was watching the futbol game. So I was safe. After that, the rest of the week I was fine. 

(During study time our vecinos (people that live by you) 

have a dog he just come and lays by me like he's keeping guard or something)

(Study time in the yard with the homie David)

     Okay I don't know if you guys understand how missionary work is in my mission. Our president has a goal for every missionary to baptize every week. So this is what we have to do. We have to find 2 investigators cada dia. And then every lesson we teach we have these goals for our investigators. They have to read, go to church, and get baptized. If they accept all this they are an investigator. So about every week we have about 7 investigators with a good week. And every Sunday we pass by them to go to church. We need 5 assistants to have our investigator to be baptized. If that makes sense. 

(found this beut in the street. My homie David really humble joven. 

When on splits to pass by for our investigators on Sundays)

Well this week was a pretty bad week. We hardly found new people to teach. And all of the people we did have didn't go to church. So basically this week we are starting at square one. It's good it's a new month. I'm going to work hard on service and you guys can too. I even made a little personal promise to go out of my way to help pregnant ladies and basically women with children. (kinda like Mary) Well that's just a quick rundown of how my week was. Sorry this is so short, I ran out of time. 

Everything is great here in Mexico. I love you guys all so much. You're in my prayers every night, and in the mornings.

With Love Elder Roberto (by the way, Santo lives In Mexico)

   

(I tried taking a pic with this cute little girl and she got shy and ran away.)

(This little guy here saves me from freezing my head off in the cold shower)