Nov 18, 2013 Letter

Drew's Grandma Roberts passed away on Monday, Nov 18, 2013 at 5:43pm. Drew's mission president, President Dester, was very kind to us and let us call Drew to tell him what was happening (this was before she passed away). He was able to talk to his Grandmother (she was unconscious) at about 4:30pm. It was great he was able to do that.

Here is his letter for this week:

¡Hola Familia!

To start off, sorry if my thoughts are a little mixed up today. This week has been super busy and there's a lot to think about and to write! So to help me keep on track, here's a day-by-day summary of last week :)

Tuesday: Today was my last day with Elder Pacheco and my first day living in the new house. The house is big, but a little old. We have water every other day, so we get to take bucket showers when there isn't water. It's going to be hard saying goodbye to my 'Papi,' Elder Pacheco, tomorrow, but I'm also excited to start flying on my own!

Wednesday: Today was what you might call crazy. Perhaps you may even have called it stressful. Whatever it was, I loved it. We traveled to San Pedro Sula today to go to la Reunión de Cambios (Transfer Meeting). I was fortunate to see and talk with Elders Dawson, Daniels, Ta'afua, and more. They asked me to play the piano for the meeting as well as to accompany a sister who sang 'O Holy Night.' Before I know it, I'll be know as "the Elder who plays the piano." I don't mind that too much :) I got my new companion today! His name is Elder Remington and he's from Orange County, California. He's super cool, diligent, and speaks English. I can already feel my Spanish starting to decline ;) We also recieved the two new sisters we were planning for, Hermana Alvarez from Guatemala and Hermana Luna from Bolivia. We spent the afternoon showing them the area, eating lunch, and moving suitcases. I've got a feeling that this transfer will go swell!

Thursday: I now know how Elder Pacheco felt on his first day with me. I basically planned the whole day as well as the whole week because my companion knows nothing of the area. Though stressful at times, I felt the hand of the Lord guiding me. I did things I've never done and said things I've never said. All in all, today was great. We're working hard to expand our pool of investigators. Wish us luck!

Friday: Another day of hard work and lots of walking. Let's hope we find some investigators soon!

Saturday: Today we focused on finding, contacting, and having lessons with new investigators. We've initiated a competition amongst members so that whoever gives us the most referrals wins a free pizza. Let the games begin!

Sunday: I'm tired, but it feels good. I haven't worked this hard in a long time. Though only one of our investigators came to church, today was still great. I love the feeling when we do things to the best of our abilities with no regrets. This is what serving a mission is all about!

Phew! I'm pooped. It's a good thing we have P-days to rest, relax, and decompress, because tomorrow we start right back up again! :)

Today I want to tell each and every one of you that I love you. We never know when our time is up on this earth, so it's imperative that we always express how much we love each other. I know things are difficult right now with everything that's happening, but I want to share with you how I feel. 

I know this gospel is true. Through the grace and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we can live with our loved ones again. There is no doubt in my mind that He paid the price so we can live again. I can't wait for the day when we can all be together once again in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father. This isn't the end. It is only the beginning.

Dad, I hope you had fun at the Miner's Club this weekend! Sounds like the nerf gun fights were super fun as well as the simple company of family and Kenny. ;) I hope you're doing okay all together. Let me know if I can do anything for you. I love you.

Mom, sounds like you had some fun at the Miner's Club. I hope you had some nice relaxing time as well as some fun game time. Can I just say how much I love reading your emails? You always make me feel good and let me know that you're proud of me. I hope you know how proud I am of you too! :)

Just a few housekeeping items:

1. Due to the elections in Honduras this weekend, our next P-Day has been pushed back to Tuesday the 26th. So don't get worried when you don't see an email from me this Monday!

2. I'll be sending pictures next week because the computer I'm at today doesn't fit my USB card reader. I'll be sure to get a different computer next week! :)

Well, I must be off! Have a fantastic, splendid, and adventure-filled week! And last but not least, I love you!

Con Amor,

Elder Roberts

P.S. Send my love to everyone, especially Dad's side of the family. Though I'm far away, my prayers are with you all!

Nov 11, 2013 Letter

¡Hola Familia!

Who would have thought that as a 19 year-old young man I would be renting apartments, moving furniture, and manually fixing household items all while living in a third world country? I sure didn't think so. Yet here I am, living in Honduras as a missionary of Jesus Christ doing all this and more! What a fantastic life!

This week has been bizarre to say the least. We spent much of our time looking for a house, signing contracts, waiting for new furniture to arrive, packing our things to move out of our house, moving into the new house, and setting up the new things in our current house for the new missionaries. Here's the rundown on what's going to happen this Wednesday in transfers:
- Santa Cruz will be split into two areas, north and south.
- The new Sisters will be assigned to work in the lower part of the city in the north and the Elders will be assigned to work in the upper part of the city in the south. This means that the sister missionaries will be living in the house we're currently living in and the Elders will move to the newly-rented house.
- Elder Pacheco will be transfered to open a new area in Villanueva as well as he will be training a 'greenie' again.
- I will be staying in Santa Cruz to help the new Sisters get acquainted with their new area as well as to work in the 'Santa Cruz Sur' Area.
As of right now, this is all I know. We're getting the final details tonight. I'm excited to hear the changes, a little nervous to guide the division of the area, but overall thrilled!

Lilian and Skarleth were baptized yesterday! I can't tell you how happy I am. While the baptism was scheduled for this Saturday, there wasn't water in the church due to a broken pump that pumps water into the church from an underground cistern. After a hectic night Saturday, we were able to have water in the church so we could fill the font and baptize Lilian and Skarleth at 8:00 in the morning before church started. I had the priviledge to baptize Lilian and Elder Pacheco baptized Skarleth. Almost the entire family came to watch them get baptized and confirmed. Now all we have to do is to work hard to help the rest of the family come to Christ. Ready, set, go :)

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit San Isidro again, this time with 21+ members helping us. We took three cars up and divided into 7 groups, each group having 9 pamphlets and a Book of Mormon. The objective was to plant as many seeds as possible and find people that future missionaries can visit. All in all, it was a huge success. In total, after 2 hours, we taught 25 lessons, received 22 referrals, found 22 new investigators, and talked with 53 people. As we ended and got ready to head back to the cars a huge rain storm hit. Luckily only a few people got wet, but the people who did get wet got soaked to the bone. Despite the rain, we all had fun and everyone was smiling when we got home. Missionary work truly is a blast! :)

So the whole time I've lived in Santa Cruz, the stake president's mother, Hermana Amalia, has lived in the apartment next door. She is basically the kindest lady ever. When we aren't home and it starts to rain, she takes down our laundry so it doesn't get wet. Occasionally she'll surprise us with a delicious breakfast in the morning or a snack when we get home at night. She always makes sure we're home on time and that we're in good health. Basically she's like our mom here. :) When we told her we, the Elders, were moving she got super sad. She insisted that we put together a 'goodbye program' so we could share our testimonies with her and in turn she would make us a super delicious dinner. We had a great evening and I'm sure going to miss living next door to her!

Guess what I ate? Okay, I'm pretty sure you'll never guess, so I'll just tell you. :) There's a dish here in Honduras that's called Candinga. It basically consists of all the inner parts of the pig. The heart, the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, and the blood vessels are all included. They didn't tell me what I was eating until after, but it was surprisingly good! It's definitely not something I'll make on a regular basis, but I won't turn it down if it's served to me again.

So, I'm pretty sure the wedding of Family Licona will have to be pushed back a week. Apparently Pastor, the husband, drinks both alcohol and coffee and smokes. While none of these things are habitual, it still is something that he'll have to overcome. I hope and pray that he puts his faith in God and leaves these things behind so he and his family can progress! Right now we're raising money by making orange juice to sell when the men in the ward play soccer Tuesday and Thursday nights. Let's pray everything turns out well!

Dad, I know what you mean. It's hard to come up with creative things to say every week, but don't worry because I love whatever you say even it turns out the same every week :) You calculated right! The next transfer falls on Christmas Day. To avoid the conflicts this may cause, I think the mission has made this upcoming transfer a 4-week transfer and the next one an 8-week transfer to make up the difference. I guess we'll see how things go! I agree that you should move a few of the bushes to other parts of the yard. They looked pretty big in the pictures you sent me! And I hope you all have fun at the Miners Club this weekend! :) And congrats on the missionary experience! I hope you had fun sharing just a little bit of what you love. If there's anything I've learned it's that being a friend is the best way to share the gospel!

Mom, your emails always make me smile. Thanks for making me laugh, cry, and smile all at the same time! You're the best :) Thanks for all the updates on the family and the exciting things that happen every day! I told Callie last week that's it's weird to think that it's getting cold in another part of the world because nothing's changing here ;) I hope you're feeling better every day and that you never stop smiling!

Eric, way to be a stud. ;) Thanks for helping Mom put up the Christmas lights before it got cold. I hope you had fun in the marching band season this year and that you've made some good friends! Have fun at Bingham Ball too! Make Kell's night the best night ever :)

Well, I should get going. We've got a busy night tonight!

I want you to know that I love this gospel. End of story. I will never deny its truthfulness. I cannot deny it, for I know without a doubt it is true. Jesus Christ lives. He came to earth to suffer and die for me and you. I will testify of Him and His goodness until my dying day.

I love you all! Thanks for everything you have done for me, are doing for me, and will do for me! I have the best family in the world. Period. Have a fantastic week!

Con Amor,

Elder Roberts

P.S. Send my love to all the ward as well as a 'shout back' to Bro. Gleave :)

Nov 4, 2013 Letter

Hey everyone! Here is Drew's latest letter.

Also, I think I am going to make this blog Private. That means that in order for you to be able to access it, you will need to register or subscribe to it. Look for a link on the page to subscribe! If you have trouble accessing it, let me know! -Russ

Now for Drew's letter:

¡Hola familia!

Vaca santa. (Google Translate time!) Where has time gone? It's already November! I'm not quite sure where October went, but hey, there's not much I can do right? ;) Thanks so much for your letters and the updates on the family. I love hearing about all the adventures you're having! ¡Definitivamente tengo la mejor familia en todo el mundo! 

Today I'm going to do a day-by-day report of the happenings in Santa Cruz. Believe me when I say that lots has been happening!

Tuesday: "When I grow up, I want to be like Elder Roberts." These are the words that every missionary wants to hear and I heard them today. After our missionary activity last week, the little boy of the ward missionary leader told his mom that he had fun with me and wanted to be like me when he grows up. His mom told me tonight in our meeting with our ward missionary leader. Believe me when I say I can die happy. :) I also had the opportunity to spend the whole day with Elder Hebert, one of the APs. This missionary is the best. He talks with everyone, makes them laugh, brings the Spirit, and smiles all the time. He finishes his mission next week and I am more than grateful that I had the chance to spend some time with him. When I grow up, I want to be a missionary like him!

Wednesday: We spent the whole day looking for a house. Turns out that the amount of houses up for rent in Santa Cruz is minimal. We're still looking!

Thursday: Happy Halloween! Just another normal day in Honduras :) Here's an insert from my journal today: "I'm amazed at how much I've changed. I don't mind talking to everyone and it's hard to wipe the smile off my face. I love the feeling I have while I'm working hard." Tonight Mother Nature picked up the entire Pacific Ocean and dumped it on Santa Cruz for an hour or so. After only 3 seconds outside I was soaked. As we rode home in a member's car, we had to turn around once because some of the streets were practically rivers. What an adventure! :)

Friday: Today I helped a stranger recover from an epileptic attack. The sister we were visiting saw him fall and we ran out to help him. He was convulsing and foaming at the mouth. I'm pretty sure I had a panic attack as I asked who had the number of a medic or if someone knew who it was. Everything turned out okay and he recovered well. Afterwards we helped the sister we were visiting "mow her lawn" with a machete. I still think a lawnmower is easier. I don't get blisters using a lawmower.

Saturday: It's official folks! We have water!  After almost 3 months without water, the plumber finally came and repa[i]red a broken pipe and restored our running water. Too bad that after such a long time of sitting dormant, our kitchen sink and toilet both broke. The sink is fixed but the toilet still needs to be repa[i]red... Also, we helped 4 other missionaries baptize 3 kids today. My favorite part of the day was after the baptism of a young girl, she basically dove under the water and swam to the stairs to climb out. She had a smile on her face the rest of the day :)

Sunday: The ward announced the baptism of Lilian today. The whole ward is helping her prepare for this Saturday, the 9th. One sister even offered to make a cake. Lilian and her daughter Skarleth are getting more and more excited! Her husband and family have told her that they'll attend the baptism, so that was a huge relief for her. We also met with Family Licona today and helped them decide to get married the 15th and get baptized the 16th. Oh happy day!

Just a few fun facts for ya:

- Lick-and-Seal envelopes don't work in Honduras. Turns out that they self-seal because of the humidity. But never fear! I'm creative, so I still make them work :)

- I can't send letters very easily as of right now. I have to wait until I see Sister John which is every 6 weeks at transfer meetings. But I still want to reply! So Callie, Martha, Sister Bradford, and Aunt Valerie, expect your letters in a few weeks! :)

- I love you. Yup. It's a fact. :)

Momma, send my love to the Summers! They're such incredible people. And the new sister missionaries will arrive on the 13th of November. The ward's getting pretty involved trying to find a house for them. We're all excited! And nope, we haven't received authorization yet to visit the reference across the reservoir. I hope it comes soon! I wanna go! :) Thanks for all your support and love. You better expect those 730 hugs when I get home!

Dad, I don't think it took the package a month to get to me after it arrived in Honduras, only the two letters. The package got to me a few days after it arrived in San Pedro, but the letters were delayed for some reason. Who knows? ;) And my height definitely helped me in the volleyball game. Thanks for the tall genes :) Oh and thanks for your email. I love love love (etc.) reading them every week!

Eric, I hope you had fun on tour! Thanks for being such a great example of being steadfast and immovable. You are truly incredible. Keep it up. I'm super proud of you!

You know, even after 23 letters home, I still can't express how much I love you. There are no words. There are no phrases. There are no songs. All I can say is I love you. I hope you can feel it!

Well, I must be off! Best wishes for a fantastic week! Don't get too cold!

Keep being stellar.

Con amor sin fin,

Elder Roberts