Week 59

October 27, 2013

Hello Family!

How is everyone! Things are going good here in the Philippines. Still hot but it is kinda cooling down. I don't sweat at night with my fan. We had transfers this week and the meeting started late and so nothing happened until about 7 and the meeting was supposed to start at 2. what a nightmare. Then on friday we had a ward activity from about 3 until 8, there were all sorts of games and like a minute to win it kind of competion put on by yours truly. I killed it, I was the hit of the activity. Duck duck goose was the hit of the whole party, a simple game but they loved it. They are planning to have another activity at christmas time. I prolly won't be here though. I will be transferred at the beginning of december. Still have six weeks to enjoy it here though. We are still in the finding stages, we have a few people who may be interested so hopefully they will turn out this week. It was a busy week with transfers and the activity and we had stake conference all saturday and sunday. But I am looking forward to getting back at it this week. The area president will visit our mission next week so looking forward to listening to him in a zone conference. That's about it for this week. I promise to have more next week.

Love, Elder Robertson

Elder Sogari, Zone Leaders, Conner

These are the Sisters Conner and Elder Sogari serve with in the ward

Week 58

October 20, 2013

TO GRANDPA: Well gramps, I did it. I hope you are happy cause you won. I ate balut. And let me tell you, it was nasty!! It was like eating a hard boiled egg that was crunchy and hairy. The taste was like salt but the texture killed me. It was the worst thing ever. My comp ate it and threw up all night but I held it down so there was a little bird in me for a while. There were 9 of us at a dinner appointment.....9! and most of us hadn't tried it yet so they bought a whole bunch and so we all ate it. I took video but I can't get it to fit on the email so you'll have to watch the video when I get home. So there, I am andrew Zimmerman now haha. I also had cow tongue this week too. That was really chewy meat, tasted good just took forever to chew. So I hope you are happy haha.

 

Hello Family!

How is every one this week?  And speaking of pumpkins, I eat squash now like its nothing haha. I'm on a roll. Kelci emailed me today and asked me why I don't have more to email cause she has so much to say. I guess I just take a lot of the little miracles for granted. I can't say how many times I have had a random thought pop into my head. Whether it is something to say in a lesson or a push to talk to this person. Just little things like that happen everyday but only if I am in tune to listen and willing to act. I watched a DVD by Elder Holland from his new book (I borrowed it from an elder) and he said about spiritual promptings that if we listen to promptings then we will get more and the reverse for if we don't listen. So I am praying to have more promptings and asking for help from him to help me recognize them when they come and I am trying to follow them and be more willing them to follow them. It's hard though. But Holland also said that salvation is not an easy experience. We all have to struggle and our struggles will go through a little of Gethsemane and go up to Calvary but he was very adamant about the fact that when we suffer we always need to remember that god loves us and is there for us. The scriptures are there to help us because every story in there is about suffering. So taking that view of the scriptures can help with problems too! I also learned when he was talking about families and wayward children that when the parents keep their covenants that the blessings of staying true to those covenants can pass to the children. He talked about vicarious blessings and all that good stuff and so parents keeping temple covenants can bless the children. That is true and it was reinforcing to read about mom's experience at the temple. We have been really blessed to now have two missionaries and a tight family. I hear all about less active siblings and others going off the deep end and realize we are blessed to not have that. I guess bball and golf help too. Gives us a hobby and something to do rather than get into trouble. The area is good, we went tracting this week a lot and were able to teach a couple people. Hopefully they turn out to be some good investigators. Transfers are this week but I am staying here with Elder Sogari so I will get to have thanksgiving here! Fun stuff. Well thats about it for this week! Have a good week everyone!  Mahal Ko Kayo!

Elder Robertson

Week 57

October 13, 2013

Hello Family!

Ok so reading Kelci's email from her first week she is a way better missionary than me. I don't write that much. Sounds like she is doing good though. Getting the "first transfer" missionary look out. I can see it on all the new missionaries. They have just this shocked look about them. They just don't expect the mission to be what it is. But it is good to try new things. I can't remember who said it in conference but change is good! Very true (as long as it is for the better)! Conference was great! I learned a lot from it. Some of my favorite quotes/talks were Elder Bednars about tithing. President Uchtdorf and his Come, and Join Us. The talk that was about basketball where he said it takes Determination, Perseverance and Self-discipline to play basketball at a high level (the new theme for my life). President Monsons talk about Home teaching which could just as easily apply to missionary work if we change home teaching for missionary work. I can't wait to go back and study the talks more in depth. This week was a weak week work wise (lots of W's haha). We had to go to Ilagan to get fingerprinted to renew our visas and then we had to babysit a missionary at the hospital on thursday cause they were sick and then saturday and sunday were conference so not much work was done this last week. I am ready to get back at it this week. Hope everything is going well!

Mahal Ko Kayo!

Elder Robertson

Week 56

NOTE:  Sister Rahlf (mission president's wife) said to send Christmas packages for missionaries by the end of October.

Hello Family!

How is everyone this week! How is good ol Tri-Cities doing? Still hot here.  Not much happened this week. We tracted a lot. The teaching pool is taking a hit now since the area split. I don't know what else to do other than tract and share with members and ask referrals. There aren't many members in my area though so that plan is almost done with. We should have a couple baptisms in November though. One is the nephew of the bishop here. He is living with them while at school and knows he should get baptized just doesn't quite want to commit yet. The other is a 13 year old kid of a less active who is returning. We are trying to get that whole family to come back and the wife of her other kid to start listening too. Other than that not much else is happening. There is a new rule here that foreigners have to get finger printed every three months so we have to go to Ilagan on wednesday to do that. Transfers are a few weeks away and I get to watch conference this weekend. thats about it! My personal study has been reading a chapter of the book of mormon and then the New Testament along with Jesus the Christ. James E. Talmage really does go into depth about the life of Christ. In my reading i've noticed that although Christ did all those miracles the people still would not accept him because after hundreds of years of the same things in the law of moses they were scared to change because change is hard and more was expected of them. How it is in our lives. Sometimes we are scared of change even if the change is for the best. Christ offers us change. the change of putting off the natural man and becoming a saint. People are scared of that. I've learned that submitting myself to his will and changing little by little day by day can really add up. A new mormon message I watched by Elder Christoffersen that talks about daily bread is great. It is a three part series and is really applicable. Line upon line day by day we can put off the natural man and become a saint. Its the exact same thing as working at sports. Practicing everyday to us may seem pointless cause we don't get much better but little by little day by day we do get better. Then after a while we see just how far we have come. Can't wait to apply this lesson when I get home. Christ will help us every day if we allow him to by doing the little things we should every day (reading the scriptures and praying.) I have learned so many lessons on my mission and am still learning. I got the muddy buddy package this week. I love those things haha. That's about it for this week!

Mahal Ko Kayo!

Elder Robertson