LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES

Hey Nerds! ( sorry mom)

Okay well this week has had it's ups and downs. Which first let me tell you the downs.

Um well it just that in our district all we have is 6 elders! Well 2 of those elders are having problems so the president is going to close the area of theirs and send them out as junior companions. It's like a little bit of a turf war within our district. Elder V and I are in the middle ground. Which is nice. It's just that I think I have been put in this district for a reason i'm like the white light in the group. No really i'm like the only white one out of them all. So the shake up this week is the downer.

Now the Good! The ups!

So this week has been a little different! Let's start in the lunes pasado. We (elder V and I) made brownies in the Casa de Hermano Rosario. Really cool family. One of my favs!! We finished and took them around to our investigators and converts! I dont know what it is with the Mexican culture but they don't show emotion very well! So that's been hard to get used to but the families were happy! (I think) haha! Then on Tuesday it was a good day because we did splits with Elder Adalma and his comp! I went with E. Adalma and I was Senior comp for the day! It was an awesome day because we convinced Juan and Prex to get married! So wahoo!! 

(brownie project)

Wednesday was a little different! umm we were going to have district class but We didn't because the APs were having a secret meeting with the ZL and DL. In the morning we were teaching Francisco "nuevo" and the esposo to a hmna that just barley got baptized. Elder V got a phone call. It turned out that the AP wanted to to splits with us! I was super nervous! It was like President going out on splits with us. Ha well Elder Larsen's comp has converts in Martinez so he wanted us to spend a day here! Elder Larsen was the old comp with Elder V so he wanted to hangout with him. I learned a lot. He said my spanish was a lot better than his was when he had the same time out as I do. So that's a confidence builder!

Made "healthy" pizzas with my main gurl Casi and Moses and his wife!

Ha umm Thursday was just a work day. We have been trying hard on make sure our Investigators are investigators for real. It's hard to drop them if they're not progressing because you develop a love for them and see how much more blessed they are if they receive the gospel. (missionary talk)

(Thumbed a ride from Manatiales to Martinez)

Friday was a marker for me. It started to get cold again! In the night one of our investigators was going out in the cold and in the rain the same time we were! So I decided to give her my thing for the rain, to have cover but before I was mad at Elder V because he was just reading a magazine about body builders while I was talking to Moses and his wife. I was helping them out washing dishes and he was just sitting there. So we left. Me without cover for the rain. I was stubborn and I walked ahead of elder V to the next visit. It started to rain and rain and RAIN!! I just kept on going and thinking. I was actually pretty sad because our day didn't get better. So while walking I said a little pray, for comfort. I felt warm inside and a desire to apologize to Elder V. So I did. I felt more love and warmth. It turned out to be a good night. Our last 2 visits turned out to be one of the most spiritual lessons even while I was dripping wet.

Well I love you guys sooo much! It sounds like all is well in the Home Front! I'm doing good - This week is a big week because I want to find a family that I can Baptize in the first week of march. For president because we have Stake conference that week and the president comes. So pray for me! Also combios are next week so it feels like the Hunger Games just before the buzzer, you never know what's going to happen!!

I love you! And I pray for every single one of you!!

Elder Roberts (big brodur)

ORANGE YOU GLAD I DIDN'T SAY NARAJA?

Hey Lovely Family!!!!!

After reading mom's letter it sounds like everyone is doing great, loving life! It is really hard to believe that the time is going by so fast. cha cha cha! ha ha 

I've never in my life eaten as many oranges than I have here in Martinez! It really is for breakfast, lunch and dinner! (I think of Grandpa Roberts singing that song "beans for breakfast beans for supper" so on so on) Everyone uses oranges in everything from juice to orange squeezed over tacos to pastries etc. It's just because well that's how Martinez runs. The jobs mainly here are: to grow oranges, to cut oranges, or work in the factory to make orange juice, or you're a taxi driver! Thats pretty much it hahah! 

           

Martinez is really pretty, Martinez it reminds me of Spanish Fork - not too big, but not too small. Like a little mining community but for oranges. It's surrounded by ranches of oranges or lemons! The corrteros well they leave in the morning and cut in the fields and carry these huge baskets on their heads or on their shoulders and end up filling a big bulldozer truck of oranges by the end of the day. And once they finish they ride on top of the truck because their isn't enough room in the front. When they come back in the evening a lot of them are in muddy rags for clothing, and they are worn and tired. Every time I see them I think of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Ha ha just the look of them gets me.  

           We have a little Pueblito in our area its called Manantiales. We have just been starting to proselite in that area its just so small and its 45 mins away by bus. So it's a waste of time if we don't have plans to teach someone there. On these days I spend a whole day just knocking doors, and before I leave Martinez I would like to start a branch there! Sometimes we don't have enough money to pay for the bus or we just don't want to so we hitchhike our way! I feel like the missionaries of old! #grandpaneves #parleyppratt!

      This week had it's up and downs! Elder Vazques is a good guy Lequiero but he only has 2 and half months left of his mish! soooo this week we struggled a little but we still had miracles! Umm I had an experience that I'll never forget. We went to our dinner appointment at 2 but the hermana wasn't ready. So the 6 missionaries were just waiting for the food. I asked if there was anything I could do, but the mexican ladies are really protective of their kitchens so the hermana "shood" me out. haha so instead of talking gossip with the other elders about the mission. I decided to play with the kids of the hermana. So I did, she had like 4 kids and 2 cousins living with them. Long story short I had all the kids in the circle playing with me the Frog game. (when you slap hands in the circle and last player with it loses.) I don't remember the song  We sang a song with the tune of rosie posies. Ha ha it was fun and all the little kids loved It! It was a cool moment because everyone ended up playing and it took the stress off the hermana! 

                                             (playing Don't Eat Pete" with one of my favorite families)

Umm Juan Carlos turned out to be our investigator of Oro. He and his family had only been the ones going to church with us. One night I was really humbled by an experience with his family. It was late and we had just finished up the lesson and it was about 9. So we were headed home. It was probably one of the coldest nights yet here in Martinez. We were around the corner of the home of Juan Carlos and I looked back to seeing the little boy of Juan Carlos (Jonny) about Kal's age running after us. He said, hey my mom invites you guys to have dinner with us. So we turned back to go inside. So we came back to the house and the wife, Prexilis was out in the cold trying to start a fire to cook some dough to make Gorditas (kinda like a scone with beans) I ended up talking to Juan about how he met his wife and soon dinner was ready. While eating, I looked up and noticed the family just watched us. They were not eating, just us. It was a really humbling moment. I know this family is blessed with their sacrifices. Today we cooked brownies to go take to them!

Also with our contacting we found a old guy named Jose Sith (first time I thought he said Jose Smith) funny guy that can still smile without any teeth. He didn't go to church though.

   We found long lost members. So Saturday felt like a long unsuccessful day. I was tired and a little onery because we didn't find anyone home. So on the way home we passed by a boy struggling with a box. I felt like to turn around and go back and help him. Well we did. He let me help him. We walked to his house lives clear on the other side of the area. Finally we made it to his house - He invited us to come in and have a drink of water, so we did. We talked for a little and introduced us to his family and then we said "have you ever talked with missionarys like us before?" and the family just started to laugh and they said that they once were baptized members but they had just moved houses and never went back to church after that. So we are now working on reactivating this whole family!

I'm doing great! Happy as ever! I just need to work harder, and study more doctrine and spanish. I know that with the spirit my words don't matter. I just have a goal to be the best gringo spanish speaker in the mission, no biggie! Wahoo!

Well thanks for the Love! I ´pray for your guys safety everyday. 

With love

Elder Santiago Guzman Roberto 

BUCKETS OF RAIN

Hey Lovely Family!

Okay I had a really awesome letter all ready for you guys because from this point on I'm going to try a lot harder to do better on my letters, especially for mom! ily...but anyway, when I was in the middle of my train of thought, the computer just shut off! The power is out in this part of the city and went out for no reason. So it took us forever trying to find a cyber that wasn't jam packed full or had the power out. So right now i'm writing on a dinosaur of a computer! so bare with me - so let's start with my week!

This week has been full of miracles! and full of rain. Yesterday was the first time I saw the sun in about a week and a half! Rain, rain and more rain. But for Monday (last week) we didn't do much - usually on Mondays we just have noche hogars and then finish up our day on mondays. So we met with a family that we are trying to teach the dad. It's just really difficult hard because he is a taxista and so his work schedule is crazy. So it's been hard to find him home. We taught him and his daughter and his wife. It all went so well!

On tuesday (boxing day for los mexicanos) was dia de los tres reyes! So the gente believe that the kings that came to Jesus on his birthday were late so then they celebrate like a week after. It's almost bigger than Christmas. The kids get gifts in the night and cut Rosca. It's the bread that is in an oval shape and has the baby Jesus! ha ha It's fun because when you are eating the bread you'll find the baby and it kinda hurts like a plastic figure kinda thing to chomp on. And if you find the baby (toca la muñeca) you have to take tamales to a family on the 2 de Feb. Yeah so it was hard to teach that day because a lot of our investigators were gone or headed out. So we did what we could. In the night one of the members, family Rosario brought a rosca over and we ate it with hot cocoa! It was a good time.

Wednesday! We had classe de Zona! Every first of the month we will have class of zone and every martes we will have class of district. Everytime we have zone class our district goes out for tacos after in Centro. Super Tacos ahhhh they are to die for! Wednesday was just cold cold cold (like 50 degrees) but everyone thinks that they are going to die. They all have the huge winter coats to go skiing haha. Oh to back up backin up backin up. In the morning when we were headed to class, we were stopped by a homeless man. We have helped him out before and we gave him a bag full of apples for Christmas. He wanted to talk to us so we put a cita for later in the tarde. Well, we finally found him in a unfinished house living in the dark. I barely could walk in without gagging! We bought candles and clean water and saltine crackers for the feller. We talked a little and he told us about his story. It's kinda sad! He was driving trunk before and then got robbed, and he ends up here homeless! We want to help him out but not spend too much time on him. So stay tuned to hear more about Alejandro!

Thursday wasn't as cold but just rain rain rain. In the mornings we leave the house about 11. But usually all our firm citas are in the afternoon after the comida. But today was different. Elder Vazques didnt want to leave the house because it was cold and rainy. So I promised him today would be different. And it was. We planned to go contact a guy named Simplicio. Well we did and he was at his home or I guess his hut...the same ones that Jake and Dallon and I built when we were boys, just about the same workmanship too. The difference of the house here in mexico is that it's cement! When we entered the house it was like in as like Winnie the Pooh during the rain with all the buckets and pots everywhere. There was more rain falling through the holes than things from blocking it. The lesson went well but they just didn't want to accept the gospel right then. So I felt to ask them for refrencias. Well he gave us some names of his neighbors but that was a bout it. So we said the prayer to close and then after a minute I felt like to ask one more time for a reference. He said no but then thought a little and then finally answered saying I don't remember the name of this lady, but I'll take you to her. So he did. She lived clear on the other side of the town. AND she was home! Her name is Yesenia...she was busy but asked for us to come back later in the night. We did! She IS CHOSEN!!! Well long story short she said was praying for help to be a better mom and to be a better wife and guidance the other night. So it turns out that we were answers to her prayers! Thursday was a good day. 

Friday we had interviews with our president in the stake center. It was really good and I just can feel the love that he has for me!

Saturday was a good day, and we felt successful when we could pass by all our investigators and make sure they could go to church the next day. Juan Carlos, Prexiles, Jonathan and Carlita (a family perfect, much humility! they will be baptized for sure)

Elizabeth and her mom went to church, they are new but they like to learn through the things they get online about Joseph Smith that he was married and he went with other women ha ha. They tell us like its news.

Juan (our main homie who is a little rough but he wants to change)

Alejandra, Victor, Izedro, Viatriz, a family that we are baptizing, the two Izedro and Viatriz but we are just waiting on Alejandra and Victor to get married! 

Well thats just the glimpse of what I'm actually doing and seeing here in Mexico! 

I love you all so much! You are all in my prayers. 

Elder Brett Dean Roberts

ROCKIT LIKE A CHOLO

Hey Lovely family!

It's kinda sad the holidays are now ending. It's back to the same ole work but this week went by just as fast as the last ha ha. 

   

The 31st is bigger than Christmas here in Mexico. So on New Years Eve we ate at a members house and had carne ensalada (steaks) ha ha. Oh it was sooo good with the guac and everything.



After our bellies were full we went out to set off fireworks. In Mexico they don't really have rules for fireworks. And if they did, they don't follow them! The fire works are like the huge ones from Disneyland, and they also have the one that are like a terrorist bomb and if it blows up in your hand, then you're going to be handless. Although, it has confetti inside so its pretty cool!


Yeah well, that was about it. We basically counted down the seconds in our house, just me and Elder Vazquez and it kinda felt like it went about the same as with you alone with Ronan mom. I'm sorry about the baby being in the hospital mom. I'm excited for 2015! I have a feeling that this year is going to fly by!

I really feel like our area caught on fire this past (but we didn't start the fire) ha ha! We have been really working hard with contacting people in the street and just making sure that everything we do is done with a purpose... saying that we are missionaries and that we have a message to share.



It has been hard this past couple of weeks because around the holidays everyone turns Cathlico ha. But this week we have found the light to our struggles. The other day we contacted Juan Carlos in the street. He acted really interested. He gave us directions to his house and everything. It ends up he lives in the goma of our area. It's a house built out of plywood and tin and one piece of concrete. When we came to teach the 2 youngsters were running around out side. The family was just barely starting dinner. They invited us around back of the house where they were cooking beans on an open fire. We ended up teaching them. The wife just barely had her baby, like just three weeks ago. They accepted everything. They are a young, humble family and I love them so much already. They were a blessing from God. Sunday came around and we passed by for Juan. It was raining so I was doubting that he would be wanting to come to church with us. It ends up he was sleeping and was a little embarrassed but he got up and was really humble and said sorry and then hurried and got ready. I was thinking it would be just him that would come to church, but the wife, Prexicless wanted to come also! I was really worried for her health, but she came anyway. It was really awesome Sunday! Also our marijuana dealer who was also named Juan came and the big guy came with him and they want to change. So all together we had 5 investigators in church on Sunday! So I was happy!!

It was a good way to start out the year!

Rivy! Hey Dancer Queen! I hope you are just happy and bright as ever! I love you and stay sweet, I love you more then food right after you fast!

Kallers! hey party dood it sounds like you had a good break! Work hard, stay in school, son't drop out and say hi to all your friends for me! How's your reading? I love you more then the Lamanites like to sin.

Quiny! Hey cutie, how was school? don't work too hard. It's alright to sometimes take a nap at your desk haha! I love you more then Nephi says "And it came to pass."

Canny boy!! Hey buddy I hope you are stuffed full of treats!! I love you dood more then Brother of Jared's stone collection!

Lil Ro! Get better bud!

Lauren and Wade, I wrote you guys emails.

I'm doing great guys, I miss you and think about you all the time.

Well I love you guys! I hope you are all staying warm and studying hard and making mom and dad happy!

I love you all - Elder Roberts

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