WEEK 46

Today for Pday I went and lifted at a "gym" for the first time in a year. It will be quite the summer when I get home. I plan to lift a lot. It was a brand new gym that just opened right next to the apartment of my Zone Leader, Elder Smith. He is from Utah and is ripped. He is quite the lifter.
This week was really good, maybe the best of my mission. We taught 30 lessons with a bunch of new investigators all from referrals. We have a baptism on saturday and hopefully another one in a couple weeks. Members are coming with us to lessons and really helping cause more people are now coming to church. Just a good week. I am getting along great with my comp. And we have a dinner appointment every night so yeah life is pretty good in the mission hope I can keep it up.
I was reading in the conference talks this past week and I read the talk by elder kopishcke or something like that. he quoted D&C 97:8 i think. And he talked about how we can be accepted by the lord. It was a really good talk and can help all of us. I highly recommend that you guys reread it. Conference talks always have new meaning when I reread them. I always highlight something new each time I reread a talk. Well that's about it for this week. Hope everyone is having a good summer!Elder Robertson

part of his area

a fish he ate all by himself

elder robertson and a little boy from his ward

WEEK 45

So this week was really good and I really enjoyed it. Tuesday we met President Rahlf, he is awesome! Super nice, super laid back but I feel like he will plug a lot of enthusiasm into the work. He is a photographer so he might have a blog sometime soon. I am excited to work under him. We had a short interview with him and he likes the lakers! haha that was funny cause he is from ohio. He gave a us a message that talked about (from president Monson in the MTC) how it is a great time to be alive and a member of the church and especially a missionary. He talked about how prophets throughout time saw our time and saw the gospel fill the world. Enoch, Daniel, John, Nephi, Moroni all come to mind. He said that we are living in the greatest time in the history of the world cause the gospel is everywhere and especially now the Lord is hastening his work. It was a good message and he encouraged us to continue working hard and watch miracles happen if we try our best and are obedient.

Work wise was really good this week too. We have a baptism coming up on July 20, his name is roberto and he is 18 and is just solid, his cousin is a member and we are working with his sister. We have some good lessons with him and it helps cause the gospel principles teacher at church is a really good teacher and I enjoy his lessons. We have another really interested investigator. Her name is Gina Bacay and her husband is a member but a less active so we are working with him too. They are on and off at church but she has a lot of qustions and seems to be interested especially in the eternal family concept. She hasn't commited to baptism but we are working with her. So on friday we had an interesting experience. We got denied by an investigator saying they aren't to interested so we were alright whatever we have an hour to do nothing so we might as well go tracting. The very first house we try, literally next door is an awesome investigator. She is super interested and always has a question. I think she will be baptized. Her husband is a less active to we found out so even better. She just needs to stop doing the sign of the cross after every prayer haha. Those are the people we are focusing on right now. The work is going good here in Ward 2. We have a dinner appointment every night and I had macdo 6 times last week and have started working out so hopefully I put on some weight haha. I love this area. I love the success we are having. I get along with my comp no problem. Probably my favorite filipino comp. Having fun and working hard. I am really enjoying the mission right now. More so than anytime before!

 Well that's about all for this week!

Mahal Ko Kayo!

an activity on pday

elder Robertson

all cement apartment

WEEK 44

Well I got transferred this week. I went back to close to my first area up here in tuguegarao ward 2. It has been a big difference than my last area. My last area was basically poor and rice fields and mountains. This area is pure city. I have a Mcdonalds in my area and the american grocery store savemore too. What's better is that the ward is awesome! We have a dinner appointment every week and they know better than a branch on how to work with missionaries. We actually just baptized the husband of the daughter of the stake president on saturday. We had a couple referrals and they are solid investigators. Their names are Roberto and Marvic, they aren't related just two separate referrals with a lot of potential. I am excited to be here in this area. It should be a good stay here especially that the members help a lot and I get free meals haha. So a few adjustments this next week. President Carlos is leaving and going home and we will get our new mission president. President Rahlf. Here is his biography thing and a picture at the bottom. He will be my mission president for the last year of my mission and I think he will get here on July first and then do interviews with all of us. It will be an interesting change. Pretty much though business as usual. We'll teach some people. Get a few baptisms and work hard. This last week was pretty much getting to know the area and ward members, less actives and investigators. This week is time to go to work. It should be fun with new motivation and a change of scenery. Well family have a great week! Talk to you guys next week! Love,

Elder Robertson

George Rushton Rahlf, 57, and Lori Chaffin Rahlf, five children, Liberty Ward, Cincinnati Ohio North Stake: Philippines Cauayan Mission. Brother Rahlf serves as a counselor in a mission presidency and is a former stake president, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, bishop, seventies group leader and missionary in the Germany Hamburg Mission. Manager, Product Supply Innovation, Procter and Gamble. Born in Glasgow, Mont., to Frank Robert and La Verne Rahlf.

Sister Rahlf serves as a ward Primary president and is a former ward Young Women president, counselor in a ward Young Women presidency, stake missionary, seminary teacher and adult institute teacher. Born in Dillon, Mont., to Larry Melvin and Greta Mazell Chaffin.

WEEK 43

Not much this week cause I have been in bed unable to move (literally) since friday with dengue fever. It rained all last week all day everyday and the philippines won't win any awards for their plumbing so with all the standing water around the mosquitos were out in full force. I get bit a lot so I guess it was from the mosquitos. Other than that I am transferred this week. Ready for a new area. We had our last zone conference with President Carlos. He talked about how the area presidency is concerned we are not using our time wisely so he stressed on how planners are so important to us as missionaries. He said that in the mission presidents conference in provo a lot of it was about how to use our time better. So he gave us some guidelines and tips on how to use our time better and how to make our planners more effective. Other than that I am just gonna try to get better before transfers on wednesday cause it would be a really miserable trip if I was still sick like this.
Love Elder Robertson

WEEK 42

It has been really hot here this week, no clouds and when that happens it is really really almost unbearably hot. I haven't stopped sweating since last friday. I keep wanting to go jump in the swimming pool but I can't cause I am still on a mission and won't be able to for another year. Patience. The downhill slide has begun. This week was pretty good, we were referred to a family who is part member. Their three kids and the husband and sister of the wife are all nonmembers. the grandma wants us to teach them so she can have someone to go to church with and she forces them to go to church which is kinda funny. They seem interested though, they just live so far away. a ten minute jeepnee ride and then an hour walk across 4 streams we have to cross, a miracle I only fell into one (only my feet got wet haha). So it is a pain to teach them but will be worth it if they get baptized! We also have another referral we contacted who is a sister of a less active and her husband is a member but less active also so we are starting to work with them. Basically I am just trying to leave the area with some progress. Melody hasn't come to church in the last two weeks but is still reading and keeping commitments so we just need to work with her still. The area is progressing I'm just sad I won't get to see the fruits of all this laboring for six months and opening the area too. Oh well, life goes on. Just finishing training my comp strong just this last week (maybe). We go to Cauyan on tuesday for a Zone Conference, President Carlos's last. We get our new mission president in less than a month and everyone is scared to see if he is strict or not. I don't really care cause if you are obedient in the first place what is there to worry about?
It will be interesting to see what he is like though.
Well I finished the New Testament and am moving on to Doctrine and Covenants now. I am sure there are many lessons for me to learn in that book. The first section was way good. The lord basically just says repent or die and listen to his servants. True, If we repent and keep the commandments we have nothing to worry about. My new favorite quote by president monson "life would be simpler if we were obedient" I keep trying to be more obedient and although I fall short, I don't have anything to hide or be worry about cause I am trying my hardest. I feel like everything in the gospel comes back to obey the commandments and repent when you mess up. If we do that we will have the happy life basically. People I teach just can't seem to grasp it. That or they don't try and so they never will find out. Well thats about it for this week. Next week I will know if I am transferred or not!
Love,
Elder Robertson

elder Robertson and a really cool sunset

the long walk to an investigators house

dew pong on pday

WEEK 41

We just played basketball this morning and had a rare treat at mcdonalds. We call it the embassy cause in our mission there are only 5 macdos and that is the most american style of food you can possible get and the most expensive restaurant too. All the americans love it but all the filipinos don't cause they don't serve rice there haha. So this week was actually pretty good. After tons of tracting the past like 3 months, we finally got a couple referrals! One we tried to contact but they weren't at home so we will try later in the week and the other went to church yesterday and was introduced to us by a member and she seems interested so hopefully it will turn out to be good. It took a lot of patience and work but we finally might have more than one investigator we can teach haha. Our progressing investigator right now is Melody and she is on date for baptism on June 15. Thats about all area wise. Mission wise we get a chinese kid from mainland china to our mission in june, no one knows if he speaks english and most likely he will not know tagalog so it will be an interesting experience with him. Weird how we get the first missionary from Bangladesh and another from mainland china (not hong kong).

So in my study of the new testament this week I was reading in James. Usually we just think James 1:5 and thats it. But In my study of the whole epistle there is so much more. A lot of the book is about pure religion. We must me doers of the word and not just hearers only. And Faith without works is dead. Really though the book of james absolutely kills the belief that believe and be saved thing. I guess people think that keeping the commandments is too binding and doing whatever they want is much more fun. But as christ said "the truth shall make you free" and it really does. If we follow the commandments we live a guilt free life. No worries about dishonesty, medical and addiction problems from word of wisdom, no worries about getting caught and the guilt if we follow the law of chastity, and of course the promise that if we follow the commandments we will be blessed "both temporally and spiritually" (Mosiah 2:41, ironic mom mentioned that in her letter today) which I have used in every lesson this week trying to show that be obedient really is just easier. I have learned so much in my study of the new testament and when studying the new testament and the book of mormon both in one hour I really have learned so much more about the gospel. That and reading other books, jesus the christ, the miracle of forgiveness and others. Good stuff.

Love you guys!

Elder Robertson

elder Robertson and elder Taer

elder Robertson cutting a coconut in half

WEEK 40

This week was good, we have been able to teach a lot more people for the first time but the same thing they won't let us in the second time so we are working with that and I don't really mind it but my comp is discouraged that this work is hard. At the beginning of my mission I was really scared to just walk up to someone and start a conversation but now that I know tagalog I don't really have that problem anymore plus as the only white person for miles people are more interested in the color of my skin so I can use guess that to my advantage but I people are more interested in me than my message haha. But we do have melody our only progressing investigator on date for baptism on june 15. She has been coming to church and when we taught her the word of wisdom she had no problems in following it. She is excited to be baptized and really has the desire to follow Christ in her life and her family since her husband is a less active she really is trying to help him come back. Also nanay boots the less active I have been working with since I got here has an interview for her temple recommend on sunday! She really wants to go to the temple and there is a trip in june she wants to go on so she is really working towards that. It really is worth all the hard work and stress and discouragement to see one person come unto Christ and want to be baptized. The promise in D&C is really true when it says that if you bring one soul unto Christ how great shall be your joy. It's interesting the love I have for investigators. I know that they need this and that if they keep their commitments then their lives will improve a lot. It is worth it to see people accept the gospel of Christ and not the missionaries. I read this week in my personal study in 2 Timothy where Paul says that "I press toward the high calling of god" or something like that. Basically just keep going until we are perfect just keep enduring until the end of life. We may not get all the blessings here in this life but the reward after this life is so worth the fight an struggle here. Well that's about it for this week.

Mahal Ko Kayo

Elder Robertson