WEEK 39

I will be here in aritao for another transfer. I get to finish training Elder Dariagan so it should be fun. Help become a better missionary and what not and help to learn how to be a better teacher. I feel like I have learned more training about myself than he has learned from me. I definitely am working on some christlike attributes and teaching skills to better improve myself. I enjoy training, sure its hard but I am getting the hang of it and its getting better. Almost tried balut yesterday, but the family didn't have it.

So this week I had a good personal study. I was reading in Galatians 6:7-9 and Paul was talking about reaping what we sow. And I read a quote that says "It is dedicated calculated obedience given over time, over years and years, throughout a life, that shows the true measure of a man." Very interesting to me. If I am obedient now on my mission then I am sowing good seeds for after my mission and sowing good habits and becoming the man I want to be. If I am obedient now (willingly I might add) then it will be way easier to be obedient after the mission. I have noticed seeds that were sowed way back when I was like 12 and 13 about doing my duty even though I may not want to or it is hard. A lot of missionaries will flake out just because it is hard to put on church clothes during p-day and little things like that, but I had good priesthood leaders growing up and a dad for a bishop forever it is pretty easy for me just to follow those little rules and do the things I need to do. Also sowing and reaping have a lot to do with the mission. Sowing seeds by contacting people and tracting and teaching. Reaping is the hard part. everyone takes different times to grow, I prolly will have no idea of the reaping going on in my area in about a year so I will try to talk to as many people as I can right now and teach too. Paul has good insights for me about 2000 years after he lived. Scriptures are cool, how they apply to us when they were written anciently. Well thats about it for this week.

Mahal Ko Kayo,

Elder Robertson

WEEK 38

Thursday we had a zone conference called the amazing grace, we got to wear pday clothes and played some games to learn about PMG. I can't remember what I learned cause we had Elder Nielson of the Area Presidency come talk to us on friday and that was by far the best part of the week. He gave us an article to read before he came, here's the link. http://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng then he talked about this article basically the whole time. It is a great article and really delves deeper into the atonement and how it can be used all day everyday.

He made an interesting comment that he learned from Elder Holland. In Mosiah 3:19 when it talks about the natural man and how he is an enemy to god. I usually thought that the natural man meant wicked. But Elder Holland says that natural is like a river. Just flowing it is in its natural state doing no good or bad but just natural. But when we throw in a few dams and a few manmade changes the river can be used for irragation to water crops and which in turn will do good to a lot of people. As natural humans we cannot do good but yet we aren't bad people. The natural man needs to be tamed and changed to become a force for good. He said that we need to find out what the lords will for us is through prayer and then pray to do that and work towards that. He said that we need to be agents to act not be acted upon. He said that by following the example of Christ we can get an idea of just how to follow his will for us. Mosiah 15:7 says that the will of the son was swallowed up in the will of the father. Sometimes times are hard and sometimes trials and challenges come. But like Elder Bednar says in his article that we should pray for strength to change and overcome our challenges not for the situation to change outright. I asked myself two questions during his visit. What do I pray for? and What is the Lords will for me? I am trying to change my prayers and better ask for strength to adapt to circumstances and strength to endure rather than the circumstances to change. He said that the enabling power of the atonement lifts us up, gives us energy, courage, strength, and perseverance to get through life. How true it is. We really can use the atonement everyday. Not just when times are rough and tough but when times are going good to smooth out some edges of our character. I learned a lot from Elder Bednar's article and from Elder Nielson and am trying to apply the principles into my life. Then he said that we need to teach people with cars. He said that we need leaders and people that will actually do home teaching. So if they have cars it will be much easier to make visits. So I will take that challenge and spend the rest of my time here in aritao trying to convert someone with a car haha. The problem is that there are very few people in aritao with a car so I will have to talk to the rich of the rich haha bring it on. Well that's about all for this week. Hopefully we will have a good week this week and get some good teaching in. Have a good week everyone!

Mahal Ko Kayo!

Elder Robertson