Serving like Ammon. . .

As the subject implies, I cut off a ton of arms this week. Really wish people would stop stealing my sheep. Is that too much to ask??

Oh, also, leading up to the arm cutting, we had service projects EVER DAY this week except Sunday.  

Saving Smiles with Puppet

Did Saving smiles 3 more days, and were usually only informed that we were needed there like at 9 the night before. Awesome. But it was again, an awesome experience. We made best friends with our teacher guy named Enrique, who was straight up an animal. So funny and cool. Seeds were definitely planted in him, and
many others. We also served thanksgiving dinner at a nursing home! We have a deaf member that lives there so we volunteered for their thanksgiving thing, and it was so fun. Me and Mary, that's the members name, chatted for awhile, and it turns out she loves Michael Jackson. Deaf people are full of surprises.:)

Digging a Sewer--Ewww!

The last service project was digging a massive sewer hole for this super amazing nonmember who lives on a ranch and is getting up there in years, so that was an adventure. We had to cut the pipe pretty early on, so a majority of
the digging was with soaked mud that weighed a ton, and smelled like, well... So after a 6 cube hole, my arm was basically dead. So of course the next day would be the day I gave my talk in sacrament meeting! It went super well. Very odd to have someone speak everything you sign though. Throws you off like crazy. But it was good fun!
Talked on happiness, and gods plan for us, and it was cool to bare my testimony and feel the difference from when I bore my testimony my first week here! Lord works miracles!

Had many good lessons with families and with Brayden. Also. Heard Elder Packer, President Packers son, speak Sunday! And interpreted for Boekweg for a solid hour! Aka he missed about an hour of what was said... Poor chap. Just kidding. I think I did a good job! And if not, the Holy Ghost has me covered!

Anyway. Love y'all.

Elder Roberts

Bus catching and rain

This week was pretty gnarly. Me and Elder H road the bus, and holy guacamole. That was an experience. Like, downtown Houston? Smells.... . . Great. Lemme tell ya. 

Also, when riding public transit, expect delays of up to 35 minutes for the bus driver to take a smoke break. I will
forever regret not giving her a word of wisdom pamphlet. But it's okay. Because we stopped and ate some doughnuts for lunch and I had my first chocolate milk since I got here, and also feel like I have just
that much more street cred.

We also had 8 week follow up, which is where we meet with President and the APs and go over our outlines for the first three lessons. That is until president gets inspired, scraps the entire agenda, and we group outline a flipping awesome outline for someone with no religious back ground, and very little understanding. Basically a King Lamoni approach. Holy smokes. I've never seen the spirit work as efficiently as it did with president Mortenson that day. Seriously. It was epic.

Saturday we went trick or treating until mid night. Just kidding. We went to a members house for dinner, said hi to our Zone leaders, and were in our apartment by 9. It was a wild night. Lemme tell ya. 

We were actually told to not proselyte after 5. Which I thought was silly. I mean, that'd prolly set records for most answered doors in tracting history.

Other things that happened, we got wrecked with rain. So much rain. It was so awesome. I wanted to dance in it and jump in the lake sized puddles, but decided I'd rather not hate myself after. It was awesome.

Houston is awesome. Also, it's hilarious because when it rains, crap goes down here. We had an appointment to visit a less active with another member Saturday morning, but the one member coming with bailed because there was a flood warning an hour before. I mean, it had stopped raining by the time he bailed. It was pretty funny. And the stop lights all malfunction, which makes the Houston traffic even worse, and it's just epic. Like, everything is bigger in Texas, including chaos. I love it. 

Also. We went to the lesson with the LA without the member, and it went swimmingly. Reading the New Testament stories with her. Super fun. Gets me mega excited for Christmas.

Now. Spiritual experiences! There were a couple! One: on bus day, we got off at one stop in the middle of downtown Houston. It smelled like... I don't actually know. But it was not a smell I necessarily cherish. And we were like oh crap. The bus it tells us to get on next doesn't stop here. Where the flip. And happen, we see the bus we needed on a perpendicular street. And we're like well. And start to run. And the bus stops, about 2 blocks away, and we know we're done for, but run anyway. And the bus doesn't leave. And we run. And the
bus still doesn't leave. We finally, panting because we've both enjoyed Texan hospitality a little too much, make it to the bus and see the drivers were switching!! If we had missed that bus, we would have had to wait for an hour. In downtown Houston. Prolly losing brain cells based on the clearly low percentage of O2 in the air we would be forced to breath. And the last thing I need is to lose more brain cells. So I'm very grateful for that, along with many other, tender mercies.

Another thing, the member who was going to join our lesson, his name is M. C., and he's an animal. He's so funny. Also. He's our neighbor. So we see him a crap ton. And today, he walked into Sunday school, and I was like M.! It's good to see you! And he gave me flack because I see him basically every day. And I was
like it just means I need to see you twice everyday and we bantered back and forth and it was awesome. And then. Happen. He bore his testimony. And GAVE ME A SHOUT OUT. And gave me more flack over the pulpit... But it was fantastic.

Super good week! Thanks for all the prayers. I love you all!

Elder Roberts

Bless My Son - Nashville Tribute Band (Lyrics)

God's got your back

So, this week I've had a couple thoughts tumbling around in my brain. The first comes because of this picture.

Elder Roberts and JFK

When I first got it I was totally gonna make a joke about baptisms for the dead, which I'm sure would have been hilarious. But anyway. One of JFK's most famous speeches is when he basically just declares that America is gonna do all these things like go to the moon and other stuff I forget because I actually haven't seen or read it In, well at least 3 months. But that's besides the point. He says all this stuff and a lot of Americans thought he was totally nuts. Like, go to the moon?!? Ya right. Now, all this leads to somewhere, I promise. Probably the reason this speech is remembered is because of the line "We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard" and I really wish I could type in his accent, because it's a pretty swell accent, (maybe instead of adding 150 emojis Apple should get working on that.) 

That line is what's been tumbling around in my brain all week, and I love that quote. Not only because it got us to the moon, but because it honestly should apply to everything in our lives. We should never choose to do things simply because they are easy. Easy things lead to minimal growth. That's why people serve missions. If missions were easy, and no one struggled and companion always got along, and people swan dived into the baptismal font every time they were so excited, and the language came in a day, etc etc etc. I really do believe that the numbers of missionaries would plummet. Because we as children of God recognize, sometimes subconsciously, our divine identity as children of our Heavenly Father. And so we have this innate desire to grow and develop. My mom had this book that I never read anything more than the cover on, but it was titled "if life were easy, it wouldn't be hard" and of course I was like well no crap Sherlock. But now, without reading the book, I think I sort of understand what it meant. I'm going to change it a little; "If life were easy, what'd be the point?" 

So basically, missions are hard. And I am very grateful for that fact. 

The second thought is much shorter (thankfully) and has to do with me being weird and always doing arithmetic in my head for no real apparent reason. So, the church is about 185 years old, and when my mission is over, it'll be about 187. So me being weird, I wanted to know what percentage of the church's history will I be on a mission.
2/187=0.0106951872. That's about 1% of the church's history I'll be on a mission. Now, if you do more math, a week on your mission is about 1%, in other words, if the history of the church were shrunk down into two years, I'd be serving for one week. Now, out here, weeks fly by. I honestly cannot believe it's already P Day again. So that was a real eye opener for me. And it raises the question, how am I spending my week? My incredibly short period of time that I'm allowed to serve the lord with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength?

This week doesn't have a lot to report! Other than it is official. The stake is buying a very expensive curriculum so that the missionaries can start teaching deaf how to read. Ask me if I feel inadequate. I dare you.

Other than that, had many amazing experiences with crap happening, me being grumpy about it, God fixing it, and me feeling awful about my negative attitude. Trust in God, seriously. 

My MTC teacher wrote in my journal a note that said "Don't worry. Gods got your back." And he was right. And I'm so very grateful for that fact. NEVER FORGET. GODS GOT YOUR BACK.

Oh. Also. I went to NASA last p day. So that was cool. Here are some pictures.

Love ya'll.

Elder Roberts

Alma 7:24 Ponderize for the week

Primary program and knocking on doors

Hello everyone!

So! This week! I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tough. J.dropping mega sucked, and D. couldn't meet, and basically for some reason every appointment we usually have fell through for one reason or another, meaning what?? A lot of going to old addresses of hopefully deaf people and knocking, and not being sure if them not answering means they aren't home, or that they're deaf and don't know we're there. 

So... Lots of long waiting, praying, knocking again, praying, waiting, etc on doors this week with only a very small amount of answered doors. But! I want to share with you not the times my patience was tried, but the times it was rewarded!!

One of the people we were actually successfully able to meet is named R. M., who is an incredible woman. Soooo strong in the gospel and has such a powerful love for Christ. Anyway. We've been reading the New Testament Picture Stories with her, and her husband has always made sure he was not with us when we were there. But on Saturday he joined. And read with us, and even gave the closing prayer, which was very powerful. Heavenly Father does bless those who work hard with miracles. And it may not be in the miracles you want, or in Miracles that most would consider as a miracle, but by Jove, they are there.
First testimony builder of this week.

The other main one was Sunday it was the primary program, and ladies and gentleman, brothers and sisters, boys and girls, I have never been more touched In a meeting. Never. Watching those children whose families I've taught and read with and helped, get up and testify in song and in the best words or signs they could muster about the validity and power of Jesus Christ was the most rewarding thing I've ever been able to gain. I know for a fact that that 45 minute period of those kids explaining the gospel with the simplicity only children can affected the adults and parents there more than 80 lessons with me. It was amazing. I love this gospel. And am so grateful for such a spiritually uplifting thing to end a week like this one!:)

God is good. Church is true. And I'm still kicking. That's about it.

Elder Roberts

A tale of innocence, heart break, and meeting new homies.

So, this week was super bitter sweet. We weren't able to see J. at all, because she bailed on us. Which mega sucked. It's so sucky to see someone so close, and who has such a strong testimony of Christ decide against the truth because of habit. 

For those of you who don't know, I worked at a insurance company for a while before the mission, and people would use "Ah. I would change, but I've been with my current company for so long, I'd hate to bail on em." And I'd always be like "Ya know, I guess that makes sense. Bye." 

And now it's happening here on the mission. And it hurts a whole lot more. I know this church is true, and can bring the most exquisite joy. 

Anyway.Other than that, this week was good, because we found 2 new investigators, almost on accident! We visited a less active on Monday night, and boom, her boyfriend decided to join! Super cool! His name
is B., and he's awesome. We're visiting again tonight. The other is named D., who is super nice, and we get to visit him again tomorrow! Cannot wait. It will be good!

Also, church is quickly becoming my favorite thing ever, because I can talk to everyone, and meet some members I don't usually talk to! There's this one named Z. who I met and went off about how beautiful
my sign name was. And I was like. Heh thanks. (By the way. It is no longer Elder Zebra Apple Laugh)

Also, funny story this week. Once upon a time there was a little Mormon boy who went to Texas. On his way into his home, he found 80 dollars in the parking lot. He decided the next day to take it into the office. When he did, however, they laughed at him and told him to keep it. So now he has 80 dollars that he feels too guilty to spend, and too embarrassed to give it up. The end.

Hope everyone else's week has been awesome!!

Elder Roberts