Week 70

January 12, 2014
Either it was a slow week for Conner or after 18+ months on your mission you feel you don't need to email your parents anymore.
He is good though.  Actually, his comp got a foot infection and was laid up most of the week.

Week 69

1-5-14

Hello Family! 

2014 at last! It should be a pretty good year.  Its getting hot again. This week was tough work wise. First, new years literally everyone was drunk so not much was done. Then the rest of the week people were planting rice. The way they do it here is they get all their friends to help them so like everyone is in their fields planting from sunrise to about 5. then they all go to bed at about 8 so we have like a three hour time window of good solid work. Other than that we just walk around and try to find people at home. Or go visit members if they are home. It will be like this until february i guess from what people tell me. I would like to help them plant rice but it is against the mission rules to because elders would get sick and nasty infections back in the day. But We'll work with what we are given. New years was crazy, it sounded like war. Fireworks here are like sticks of dynamite cut into different sizes then either wrapped in wrapping paper and lit or launched into the air. bombs. It was loud. Other than that just life in the philippines. My birthday is this month, weird I will be 21. Thats about it for this week. Have a great week everyone! 

Love, Elder Robertson

Week 68

12-29-13

Hey Fam!

It was nice talking to you guys over skype! That will be the last time before I come home! Other than that Christmas was kinda boring. Shout out to Gran and Grandpa and Stuart and fam and Laurie and fam and Bonnie and fam for the packages!! Me and my comp basically just snacked on some good ol american junk food all week haha. Then we went to a few parties and that was it for my christmas. Looking forward to next year. It didn't feel like christmas at all cause it was hot. coulda been hotter but it was cloudy which was nice. I guess we are in full on winter here. 

Work wise, we started teaching a family! This is the first legit investigator family on my mission. All the others have been part members. Their last name is Franada and more to come on them as they progress. The branch is willing to work with us and we have a lunch appointment every day! then whoever feeds us will go out and work with us for a couple hours so excited for that. 

 

Oh yeah, last week we had lechon baboy for pday! That is roasted pork haha. We killed the pig and then roasted it on a stick over a fire. It took all day and we had to wake up at 4 am to get everything going and get the pig killed and ready to go and then we had to build the fire in the rain and make apple pies (expensive here) then ate about 4 pm. A lot of work but it was the best pig ever! kalua pig may top it though...the meat was so moist and tasty and the skin was crunchy like a potato chip and so good cause we sprayed it with sprite every half hour. Well thats all the time I have so have a good new years everyone! 2013 is over! (can't believe that, waayy fast)

Love,

Elder Robertson

Christmas Packages

 The finished product on a stick

WEEK 66

12-15-13

Hey Grandpa!!

Guess What! After a year and a half and almost giving up hope I finally met someone that I think you know from your mission! Her name is Judith Mariano Obungen but I think the last name is her married name. She said that you helped her with her mission papers in Hong Kong and that she served her mission in San Pablo. She says hi and and wants to know how you are doing. I was sitting outside of church yesterday greeting people and she comes up to me and says "robertson....you don't happen to know the robertsons who served in Hong Kong?" I freaked out! I thought is was hilarious and crazy cool at the same time. She just married our branch president last year and now they have a little baby. It was the coolest thing ever. She thinks the world of you and grandma and that helps me haha cause now she loves me. I thought you would like to know that. She says hi and hopes you are doing well!

That was a cool thing that happened this week! We also had a baptism and it was a great one. It was short but good. Her name is Jenny and she is 16. She is the only member now in her family but there are a whole bunch of members that live close to her so that helps with fellow shipping. We also got a couple referrals from the members. And the investigators came to church, thats how we got to know them! So now we know they have desire so we can work with them solidly. The members here are pretty good. They have great desire to help. Just no amazing template in this country to go from so we are helping them. I would love to say more but here are pics from the week. Next week is xmas so I will skype yall and you can ask questions then haha. Thats about it then. Have a great week everyone!

Love, Elder Robertson

 "This is Judith. Look familiar?"

"the Baptism.The old dude in the hat is a stud. He works with us all the time" 

"Reminded me of the trek"

Week 65

12-8-13 

Hello Family!

How is everyone this week? Well I was transferred this week and now I am in my new area. Mallig Roxas. Its the area theSshaners were in when they were on their mission. Let me tell you. It cannot get anymore third world than this. Basically it is farmers who work in their fields all day and and are very poor. There are a lot of people to teach but they are all less actives. The branch has about 60 active members and the meetinghouse is nothing special. just a tiny little house with a church sign on it. Every family here is part member families so there are plenty of opportunities to get investigators, everyone just wakes up at 2 am to go to the bukid and then they get home at 5pm then they all go to bed at 7pm so teaching is a tough but we do have a baptism this week. Her name is jenny and she is 16, she lives next to a bunch of members so they help her go to church and what not. Mostly here the women are active and teenage girls. Almost all our teaching appointments are old nanays and teenage girls cause the men are always working. So tough but staying positive can help haha. Roxas itself is not bad there is just nothing here and the internet is not good. It's just really third world. I guess God is trying to teach me a lesson in humility. But life goes on. Luckily I have been in the mission for a while so I am used to the country. If this were my first area it would be terrible.  Love to here from everyone! Well have a good week everyone!

Love, Elder Robertson

WEEK 64

Hello Family!

Happy December! The Philippines is getting ready for xmas. The way they do it is by caroling for money on the streets and shooting off firecrackers. Yeah I'm glad its my last xmas here. The weather though has been great! It has been cloudy and windy all week! Like 65 degrees haha. It has been great except the water in my bucket shower is really cold haha. Other than that it was a pretty good week. We did a lot of contacting and mostly tried to help members get over their fear of sharing the gospel with their friends and family. There are a lot of part member families here in the philippines and so the best way to get referrals is by teaching peoples families. But the members are so scared to share the message because their family might not like it. So we try to tell them not to worry at least they are trying and the worst that can happen is that they say no. It's kinda working cause we have a few names we can contact. It all depends on the missionaries. We have to be more assertive or we will never get referrals. I am looking forward to it in my next area. I am getting transferred this week so I will be in my fourth area next week! Other than that it was just a week of work again. And everyone here is so sad that the guy from fast and furious movies died, they love those movies. probably because there is no acting, just car chases.

I did read a cool talk this week by Elder Christofferson called "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" he gave it at BYU and there are three mormon messages that are basically the talk and are really good to. I feel like this is a good New Year's talk. It is all about life a day at a time. He talks about how sometimes during trials it is easier to take life a day at a time and not think to far ahead. He also talks about repenting and becoming christlike and how progression is a day at a time and if we are a just a little better than we were yesterday then it is enough. He says that a lot of almost imperceptibly small changes over time equals a very large change. Conversion really is a long process. But we should not get frustrated because perfection will come. It was a great talk for me to read especially going to a new area and with a new year coming up. That's about it!

Love,

Elder Robertson

WEEK 62

Hello Family!

Well It was kinda a slow week, basically we went tracting and around to members to ask for referrals but with no success. I had an interview with president and he really helped me learn about what I need to do in the slow times. Sometimes we hit a wall and we feel like we can't go anymore and feel burnt out. . Investigators are slow in coming and the area isn't really progressing. It has been hard to stay obedient and work hard and what not. But president said that these times come and times like this are to test to see if I can be obedient and work hard so I can take the next step. Progress is like a staircase and sometimes the stairs are easy to climb like at home sometimes the stairs are like scaling a wall. I am reminded of Ether 12: 6 "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" I guess I am at a wall to scale. With the lords help I have been able to be obedient and work hard. Just keep going. I read a talk called "His Grace is Sufficient" a talk given at BYU a few years ago. It is a great talk that really helps put the atonement in perspective. Here is the link: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966 I recommend reading it sometime this week. Very enjoyable talk and I learned a lot about what I need to do to be a better missionary and a better person. Well thats about it for this week

Elder Robertson