WEEK 32

This week was pretty good, I had a cold for most of the week an it sucked but we had an investigator at church! Her name is melody vicente and she is married to a less active guy. They finally came to church after two months of Elder Coleman and myself teaching them! It was super cool! Teaching investigators really is the best part of the mission. We are working hard to find more people to teaching and are really gonna hit this one area this week to see if we can get some more investigators. Transfer week is getting close and we have 24 new missionaries coming in, . I enjoy working with Elder Coleman and have really learned a lot from him. The area here in aritao is progressing, slowly, but surely. We are working hard and just trying to talk to people which I actually kind of enjoy now that I can speak the language haha. Less actives are tough cause can take months to build their faith but that is the focus cause attendance is only 32% here. So plenty of work to do. I enjoy working, yes it is hot and sometimes it is really frustrating but getting in good lessons really does make it worthwhile and I feel accomplished. I hope this attitude can apply to after the mission as well, in school, in work, in church callings, in family stuff. it really just does feel good to think at the end of the day that I accomplished something.
Something cool that happened this week. So president was going to Baguio to do a training thing with the senior couples. And our apartment is right on the highway about halfway. So president shows up at our apartment at 10 am but elder coleman and I were already walking to an appointment so they called us back. turns out they brought us krispy kremes! all the way from manila!! Apparently the area presidency brought them a whole lot of them and they in turn gave some to us! they were super delicious! and even better when president was coming back to the mission on saturday he brought us kentucky fried chicken!! Also very delicious and super cool. My mission president is the coolest and the nicest and really has cool things to show you that he loves his missionaries. It will be a sad day when he leaves. But I am excited for the changes to take place. Well thats about all I have for this week.
Mahal ko kayo!
Elder Robertson

WEEK 31

We had a couple of good lessons with a couple investigators. Sister Irene and Sister Melody. They are progressing pretty good and reading the Book of Mormon but haven't come to church yet so that is a big goal of ours. We will contact a couple of more people this week that we got referrals from so hopefully that turns out good. Other than that it really just is day to day. This is an extra long cycle so we still have about two and a half weeks of this cycle left. Elder Coleman and I are working hard and getting along great. We have fun and are teaching really good lessons. March is a month where really not much is happening. Hopefully we can get some investigators close to baptism but i feel that it is not my job here in aritao. I feel like just planting seeds right now and then someone else will come in and harvest all of them. oh well, keep working hard. Might as well right? Well thats about it except I am learning how to make adobo so I will be able to cook that for you guys when I get home to show you what I have eaten for the past year and the whole next year haha.
elder Robertson

WEEK 30

we had some good lessons with investigators this week. We had one with this girl who said she would rather stay catholic and she just wants to know god better and we were kind of caught off guard with that but thanks to the spirit and some discerning we were able to teach her about god's love from the bible and why he sent Jesus Christ for us and why we need to follow the comandments and what not. It might of been the best lesson I've had on my mission and the spirit was so strong because by the end she was crying and I felt the pure joy of the gospel. We also have a couple investigators that are actually reading the Book of Mormon! It's a miracle and we are contacting a sister of a recent convert this week and when we talked to her she seemed really interested and excited to hear about it. Hopefully things keep getting better cause Elder Coleman and I are working harder than ever to get this area really going 

This week we had Elder Hallstrom of the presidency of the 70 was here in our mission and we got to listen to what he had to say. It was really good cause we also got to hear from Elder Teh who is the area president in the philippines also. There talks were good Elder Teh talked about growth in the philippines mostly and how that will effect the missions and everything. Elder Hallstroms wife talked about being patient and enduring trials because the lord does not try us above that which we are able. Elder Hallstrom talked about growth for a while and he said that by the end of this year there may well be around 80,000 missionaries. There will be 9,000 in the MTC this summer which will be just insanity. But he said that the purpose of this is to move forward with the work of course but to also get preparing earlier so the year between 18 and 19 we can save those who may have fallen away if left on their own. Then he also talked about having the spirit and just how important the spirit is in teaching learning and every aspect of our lives. Then he asked us a question that we should ask ourselves before every meeting of the church. What Do I want to get out of this today? It is a very good question and makes meetings much more meaningful cause if we have a question that we want answered then most likely it will be answered whether it's in a sacrament meeting from speakers, sunday school from teachers or whether the spirit just answers itself we will usually have a much better experience if we ask ourselves that question. One more thing I liked that he said was that if investigators cannot keep commitments then there is no chance that they can keep covenants. Very true, its tough cause I would just like to baptize everyone but they have to read the BoM go to church consistently and pray or else it is a guarantee less active here, even then they might go less active but I just try to do my part. He was a very good speaker and I enjoyed learning from him. I gave the closing prayer to haha.

Just one thing that I learned this week from my personal study. In Luke 9:52 where Christ says that "no man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of god." I've been thinking about this scripture a lot this week, as servants of the master it is our duty to teach, to repent, to improve and become like Christ and cast aside our weapons of rebellion. I have been thinking a lot of what I could improve on and have been praying hard to become a more Christlike person. not just missionary cause if I were to go back to the old ways after the mission it would have all been for nothing. I hate that looking back is so easy but I know that perfection is not in this life. I am trying my hardest to get to where I want to be after my mission and have set some goals on what to improve on. So it should be good. I really like that scripture.

Love

Elder Robertson

elder Robertson and elder Coleman at a "grocery store"

a monkey elder Robertson saw

this is the monkey he saw but he said he could'nt get any closer otherwise it would attack him

 

WEEK 29

We had 24 lessons   I have learned a lot about the gospel and the apostasy and last days and what not from 2 Nephi. The last days are here, Christ is coming soon. My job right now is to cry repentance to the people and help them recognize their Savior. It hurts that they reject him so easily. Less actives most of the time know that the church is true they just won't go or won't have the seed of faith they need. It hurts every week when no one shows up to go to church and take the sacrament. Alma's wish "oh that I were and angel...." is so true, if everyone would just listen and take off the blinders and recognize their god who made the infinte sacrifice that we need to return to Our Heavenly Father. It is frustrating but it is also a blessing that we have the gospel in our lives. I can see the change that the gospel makes in peoples lives when they start living gospel principles but they seem to not notice it and refuse to come to the fold. We are so blessed to have been in the church for as long as we have and to have experienced the fullness of the gospel blessings all the way up to a forever family. Yes it is frustrating and disappointing but it is an awesome thing to be doing. It is totally worth it cause my own conversion is deepening and I am truly grateful for that cause deep roots make it harder to fall away. Satan is tightening his grasp but he won't get us as long as we read the BoM everyday, pray everyday, and go to church. That was pretty much my week.

This week we get to go up to Cauayan and listen to Elder Hallstrom of the presidency of the 70 so that should be really good, i will tell you about what he talks about next week. Also I heard about the new 58 missions opeing up. That is crazy! The MTC will be insanely crowded this summer. But it is cool to be out while all this is happening. Next transfer we get 24 new missionaries and there are 7 new areas opening so that will be fun. Also our new mission president was announced today. his name is George R. Rahlf and he is from Ohio. Should be interesting in July with the change.

Mahal Ko Kayo,

Elder Robertson