FEAR IN MY EYES

Hey family!!!

I hope everything is good in the hood!!

It sounds like school is passing by fast and everyone has their gimmick or hobbies! And that's great! Keep up the work team! Keep watching out for each other and don't be too hard on los padres! I want to get back with them not having too many grey hairs.

Well the training with Elder Duran is actually really fun! My comp is pretty awesome! He knows a lot so he helps me in those times when I really don't! I feel like master wishu in Karate Kid! I sing the song from Mulan every morning "Somehow I'll make a man out of you" ha ha it's great!

Well this week the scripture rang true to my ears. Saying "many are called but few are chosen" "muchos son llamados y poco son escojidos"

Elder Duran and I really put fire to the stones this week. We found 2 families Saul y Rosalba. They have five kids! Two of them have their husbands so a huge family! It was awesome. We had a lesson like a family Neves or family Roberts gathering. With all the kids and the parents. We taught the Plan of Salvation. It was one of the best lessons i've ever had! Well Saul and Rosalba are for sure getting baptized! But i'm not sure about their kids!!

 (even the cows don't want to listen)

(A great member family) 

(Helping get water at an investigator's house)

 (we dunked our heads in the well for three minutes. seconds later, our hair was dry.) 

 (throwing blocks at the Bishop's house. I got my work out for the day)

The week kept going strong and we found like two new families about everyday! So it was awesome! We found a old guy who smells like really strong aftershave and he combs his hair to the side and he is surprisingly not crazy! He's one of a kind here in Mexico! But he loves me! He doesn't want to listen to anyone else but me. Like when my comp tries to talk, he talks right over him directing questions a mi. He gave me a name Espanol Roberto!

Then sunday came.

So when we went around Sunday morning to pick up our investigators they all were going to chill at the Carnival! So it was pretty sad. Well this weekend Martinez they have a Carnival when everyone drinks and goes crazy (back story). We even passed by with one families who are really cool but were just not ready. But they invited us to drink Pineapple with beer. He like used a weird name that I didn't recognize. So I was like ya why not. But my comp told me what it was. Good thing we didnt drink it or I would be ariving to church drunk!! ha But Saul and his family came so that was great!!

One of the scariest things happened to me yesterday! Well after church, we went to the house of Marisol to ask why she didn't go to church. When we got there, we knocked. She came out the side of the house and looked like she's been crying. She said it wasn't a good time for us to come and told us that we should come back tomorrow. Well their house is made of tin and in through the wall I could hear her husband yelling. Well the hermano told me to come in the house to talk to me. I ignored him. He finally came out side yelling at me, having a little trouble walking. Obviously drunk, but still fiesty. He had his shirt off. He about the same height as me but more thick. His body was covered in tattoos. So he came around to the front of his house with his finger pointed saying "I want to talk with Tu" He said he only wants to talk with me. Just me. I was kinda freaking out. Well I couldn't help myself but I said something. My comp was giving me looks like i'm crazy. But I took a step forward and said that he doesn't see fear in my eyes that's why I don't want to talk to him.

Well long story short. I got him to calm down. I even got him to tear up. He we are going to teach them today! Hopefully he hasn't been drinkin. 

I've got to go but I love you guys!!

Elder Roberts

THIS IS TRUTH, THIS IS TRUTH

Well family, 

It feels like a lot of time since I've written you guys! Ha ha everything is Pertner Perfect. LAst week I went to the mission home in Xalapa to pick up my kid. Well my "kid" Elder Duran or Duran Duran or Kevin Duran how ever you want it...he is awesome he's from Guatemala. He really reminds me of the guy that Michael hates from The Office, umm I don't remember his name. But Duran talks like that guy and is a little slow going like him. Ha ha I'm a little overwhelmed to be training him. I really don't know what the President was thinking. It will be a great chance for me to learn more. I'm really excited also that i'm going to stay a little longer in my home Plaza Verde.

Last week I'm happy to say goodbye to E. Celaya he's a good guy when he's a way from me ha ha. I'll kinda miss my little arm rester. Well we baptized Francisco. I'm a little bummed because he is actually a really cool guy but it's just that he was more like a number then a convert because I didn't have much time with him. So I'll be passing by a little more time with him to make sure he is converted. Francisco is really funny, really sarcastic which hardly any of the mexicans understand.  

 I've been thinking a lot lately. I'm coming up on my 9 month mark! It really kinda puts a slug in my gut. To look back and see if I really disfruted those moments that I've had and if I'm doing all that I can to be a great missionary.

                                             

Umm this week...well Monday of last week I went to Xalapa to pick up my kid. It was a cool experience because I rode the bus ride alone. And then when I got there no one was in the terminal to pick me up. So I took the opportunity to eat alone and think. Then I took a taxi to the mission office. We spent the whole day there and they talked to us and everything and got a little red carpet treatment. They fed us and it was actually pretty awesome! Oh and we watched "Meet the Mormons" I'm surprised that it didn't get an Oscar! 

We left Tuesday morning and got home and just started to work. Well this week was great, It was just a little hard to find new people to teach. Right now we have Marisol- we baptized her kids Sunday (yesterday) but she can't get baptized yet because her husband doesn't want to get married. We found a new family though...their life is like Job in the Bible because they have been married (Casados) for 14 years but they just barely were able to have a baby. So it was so cool that we were able to teach them the plan of salvacion. All while I was teaching, the husband kept saying to his wife "this is truth, this is truth!"

I'm doing great. I really know that God gives men 2 chances in this life, I found my wallet!!! Someone turned it in to the police. The money wasn't there but all the cards and everything were still there!!!!

I love you Mom Dad Laur Wade Riv Kal Quin Canny Ro Ro oh and happy birthday Bolt!!

The church Is true.

Elder ROberts

BRING ON THE DOVES

*NOTE: We did not receive a letter from Brett last week or this week. He sent a small note just today saying he was actually sent to Xalapa (six hours away) to be a trainer. And that's literally all he said. So next week we're hoping for just a few more details - if not, I'm getting on a plane ;)

 -  -  -  

March 2nd 2015

Well family i'm just sitting here at my computer sucking on coconut juice. And really disfrutando my missión.  Today we went as a district to see the waterfalls in Talpacoya. Wow they were so amazing! It was like the Indiana Jones movies mixed with Avatar mixed with Suits on the Loose! Ha ha - It really was one of the most naturally pretty places I've ever seen. It was an awesome thing to kick off my week.

Well this week kinda pushed me to put my game face on. We have two marriages planned for this week. And by the skin of our teeth and crossing our fingers and praying like crazy for me and my comp, everything will turn out fine. 

Okay i'm going to lose my temper... well when?...now...when? RIGHT NOW!!! ha ha

This is so frustrating! To get some one married here, you need the license and the birth papers and they have to be 18 or older and if they don't have kids, you have to bring all these hospital documents. Well here is Plaza Verde, they are hard workers when in the field and cutting oranges...but to get married, they'd just rather not bother with it. They are making us do it ourselves.

Ha ha well this family we are working with, Alejandra and Juan... they had just a few problems. Juan is from Puebla and he just has a copy of his license because he lost the original and his birth paper isn't certificado (every year you have to get it checked) well he hasn't for 15 years! So to get this all fixed, he has to go to Puebla to pick up the papers. And to get a new license, he has to wait until after the votes which is at the end of July! So the odds were really against us. Oh and it didn't help that Juan was being a mommy's boy saying that he has to go to his home in Puebla and ask for permission from his mom (well that's actually not a bad thing right mom?) but anyway he had a lot of excuses. 

Well on thursday we went to their house really late in the night. Probably a little too late. The family was all awake actually! It kinda felt like they were just waiting for us. We ended up talking to them and really working through their concerns. Juan put his big boy pants on and said well you guys are doing nice things for us, so yeah, why not! Let's get married!

So check that, we got the permission of Juan. We all went to the registro on Friday. My comp didn't want to talk to the clerk. He's a little afraid of rejection so I mustered up the strength to ask for what we needed. Well I pulled a mom and did all her tricks and jigs. Well we were blessed because everything passed without a problem. 

So bring on the doves and start the organ because we are going to have a marriage and a baptism!!

I'm learning a lot and growing and figuring things out. One thing that I'm learning is the art of making decisions. When a decision needs to be made, you make it just go for it and make it work no matter the problems you face. People usually like someone to lead out. 

So when making decisions just go for it don't doubt, just do it.

I love you guys!! 

This week is so busy.

I'm doing great. 

Love you Elder Brett