¡Feliz Navidad! It seems like
just last year that we were celebrating this exact same holiday. Oh
wait... ;) Well, here's to another Merry Christmas to all! Cheers!
This week was fantastic. It was full of adventures,
challenges, and frustrations. I guess that's what makes it so great.
Every day I get to overcome difficulties, make decisions that will
affect not only me but those around me, and grow spiritually. I love it
so much!
Our new area is wonderful. It's absolutely massive,
but it's great! We have lots and lots of work to do here. We hope to
have a few baptisms in the upcoming weeks to help the ward reach there
goal of 50 baptisms by the end of 2014. It's up to start off on a good
foot so the missionaries that come after us will have success!
About a week ago, 2 more missionaries moved in with
us. They were taken out of their area for security purposes and they're
working temporarily in our area. One of them has the same time in the
mission as me, and the other has 22 months. The older missionary is
ready to go home. He's, what they call here, 'baggy'. He likes to listen
to rap music in the morning and stay up until 1 o'clock
in the morning. The past few days they haven't done much. It makes me
sad to see someone who's worked so hard just give up before the finish
line. It's helped me to make a promise to myself that when I only have a
few weeks or months left in the mission, I'm going to work harder then
ever. I will never slack off just because I'm about to go home. It's not
an option for me.
Guess what? I got your Christmas package! I opened
it up after lunch last Tuesday. You have no idea how happy I was to see
all the goodies, letters, notes, and decorations. You sure know me well
:) I love you all so much and I'm so glad I've got an amazing family who
loves me and supports me.
This past Wednesday we had a Mission Christmas
Devotional with 4 of the 9 zones in the mission. We sang every Christmas
hymn in the Hymnbook from beginning to end. I felt the Spirit so
strong, especially when we sang 'Noche de Luz,' or 'Silent Night.' I can
only imagine how peaceful and still the night was when Christ was born.
After our sing-along, we watched It's A Wonderful Life together
with President and Sister Dester. As we watched, we ate brownies and ice
cream. I think that was the happiest I've been in a long time. I almost
forgot what brownies taste like! ;)
I got to spend a day with a new Elder this past
Friday. His name is Elder Baird and he's from New Jersey, but lives in
Clearfield. He got here last week so he's still struggling with Spanish.
As we visited the houses of members and investigators, I remembered my
first days in the mission. Though it seems like yesterday, I've grown so
much. I can speak Spanish, teach a good lesson, and enjoy it while I
go. Thanks to my Heavenly Father, I've become a better person than I
ever hoped I'd become. I thank Him every day for the blessings I've
received.
So the other night we were visiting a bunch of
people with a member family by the name of Familia Osorto. As we were
headed back to the house to end the day, the youngest girl that's about 6
years old started to cry. When her mom asked her what was the matter,
she said, "I want to keep visiting people!" After her dad said that it
was late and we couldn't visit anymore, she started crying harder. "I
want to visit more people!" It was the cutest thing ever. Talk about a
future missionary!
It sounds like you've all had a good week. You're
always in my prayers, especially with Grandma being sick. Keep telling
her that I love her and I'm so grateful for everything she's done for
me. What a blessing it is that she's always surrounded by family in her
last minutes on earth.
Dad, thanks for the pictures! Looks like a pretty
good snow storm! I sure do miss the snow. I guess I'll just have to make
an extra big snowman when I get back ;) I hope you get feeling better
and that you enjoy the upcoming Christmas week!
Mom, you're so amazing. Keep being strong. I love
you so much. Do you know why you have such an amazing family? It's
because we have such an amazing mother who taught us so well!
Eric, thanks for your help around the house. Keep helping Mom
and Dad. You're such a stud. Love you around the world and back again
:)
So...I'm super excited to call you Wednesday! I'll be using an account that I made with [removed]. I plan on calling sometime in the morning, since Mom said that would work best. Plan on around 10:00 AM Honduran time, so about 9:00 AM Mountain Time. Don't fret if I don't call you exactly on time. Who knows what technical hiccups we'll encounter ;)
Well, we'll talk more in a few days! Love you bunches and bunches!
Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Roberts
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