Week 34 - Lots of people progressing

Mom, I did get to eat a lot of the bbq. We are warming up the last bit of ribs to eat today! SOOO good. And we are going to cook the cake today I think.. Just because we have some extra time today so that will be tasty! Thanks again for all of that stuff on my birthday, it really was such a treat :)

I'm glad that y'all are on the road to being healthy. I probably should try to do the same as well..But it's so dang hard when all you eat is Mexican food.. And a lot of it! haha. But I'm excited for y'all to get all in shape. That will be a blessing I'm sure!

So this was a good week. We have a baptism coming up on Saturday for Izayah! He's ten and an awesome kid. He is super smart. He is very excited to be baptized. Hopefully his mom will be following in his footsteps. She has a lot of.. problems. She lives kind of a rough life with a rough crowd but is still a pretty good mother to her kids. But she's going to have a LOT to give up before she is baptized. We're excited for the example her son is going to set for her.

Our good friend from Venezuela is still progressing. He's super cool! He just has some doubts about getting baptized so soon. He knows it's all true, it's just taking the final step now. We'll keep working on him! Funny story with him, him and his aunt are trying to set me up with his cousin! They were showing me all these pictures of her last night and telling me how sweet she is! It was quite a hoot! They're so awesome though. I'm excited to hopefully see his baptism soon.

Other than that we have just been trying to work as hard as we can to do what the Lord would have us do. It's been a pretty busy week but nothing really out of the ordinary. Just working our tails off and then crawling slowly into bed and then repeat! hhaha. But in reality I love it!!! I would not want to be doing anything else at all. I love the Lord and this gospel! AND I LOVE Y'ALL!!!

Love,

Elder Robertson

my companion taking pictures of me while we were planning what to teach

Elder Lybbert through the camera lens that wouldn't open all the way haha

Week 33 - Happy 20th Birthday!

[Matt turned 20 on January 19, 2015 and we had a Rudy's BBQ Brisket & Ribs air shipped to him for his birthday.]

OH MY GOODNESS!!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THE RUDY'S!!! And the birthday box! It was seriously amazing getting all of that. The brisket is currently warming up in the oven right now and we had some ribs for lunch I will take some pics and send them next week of us eating all the bbq. My birthday has been wonderful because of all the love I'm feeling from y'all. I love every single one of you so very much and am so humbled and grateful for the wonderful opportunity that I get to be a part of the Robertson family. I really do brag about y'all a lot. It's my little way of feeling closer to  y'all I guess. But seriously thank you for everything!!

So I got to go back to Fresno twice this past week! I got to go back on Friday for a leadership training meeting. I am not currently a leader but there were two very special people from the missionary department from Salt Lake coming (President Donaldson and Brother Tanner) to give a training. President Clark invited me and my companion to come down and some other non-leader personal for the meeting. They said in the meeting that it is because we are prospective leaders or something like that.. so we'll see what all that means. But mom and dad and siblings! That training changed my life. I'll have to send you a copy of my notes or something some time so you can read em over. He just really taught me how important it is to teach simply and to be totally consecrated to this work! It was incredible!

The other reason was just as exciting!!! I went back to baptize Alberto and Leticia!!! I got to baptize Alberto! It was so special. I'll attach a photo. He's going to be a bishop someday. He is seriously  incredible. But it was so funn being back in my old area for a bit. I got to see some people that I missed. Maria De Leon from my last area told me that she would be getting baptized soon and would let me know when!!! SOooooo wooo hoo! I love this work more than anything.

I love all of y'all so much and love this gospel. It's hard to describe all of my feelings right now as I am turning 20. I am now in my 20s and it's soooo weird to say that. It truly is amazing how much I took for granted in my life. I was truly blinded to this amazing gospel my whole life but am so grateful for this eye opening opportunity my mission has been to help me realize more and more exactly who my Savior is and who I am to him and my Father in Heaven. LOVE Y'ALL and have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Robertson

Us popping those poppers to celebrate my birthday!! yeahhhhh

Elder Lybbert and all the stuff he set up for my birthday as I was in the shower. Good companion!

Week 32 - New insight to Word of Wisdom

Buenos tardes familia!

Tengo una cosa lo que es un poquito triste! Me olvido mi recorder!!! Entonces no puedo mandar mis rejistros. IM SORRY! Mandare todos en la semana proxima. Les promito! Pero, puedo explicar mi semana en me correo hoy! Pues encontramos una familia se llaman Davalos! ay corrumba esta familia es increible! Ellos son muy preparados para bautismo. Estoy conociendo las familias aqui mas y mas cada dia. Es increible como misioneros podemos sentirnos comodos en una area en una semana solamente. Definamente es de Dios! Y en martes tuve un intercambio con Elder Lino! El es chitho. Es de Peru y ha sido serviendo por casi el mismo tiempo que yo. La historia mas miedo de este intercambio fue que oimos tiros de balas!!! Enserio!!! Estaba casi casi cerca a nosotros! Que miedo verdad?! Pero aparte de eso no habia nada interesante. Tambien esta semana pasada es lo que recibi concusion durante un juego de basquetbol. He estado infermo por esta semana pasada por esto. Pero todo esta bien horita! No se preocupen. Encontramos muchisimos mas personas a ensenar esta semana! Como tres personas que van a ser bautisados muy temprano!

There isn't a whole lot more to say! But it's been a really good week.  I wanted to share a little thing that I heard/studied/learned this past week! About the word of wisdom. I love y'all so much and want you to know how much this gospel means to me and how grateful I am for this opportunity to serve the Lord.

SO it says in the scriptures that the same spirit that possesses us in this life will be what we will have in the Spirit world which is also interpreted to mean after the resurrection as well. This means that if we are addicted to cigarrettes here then we will also be addicted in the world to come. This goes for all things addictive in this world. But here's the kicker. There won't be any cigarettes or tea or coffee or anything like that in the life to come. So our bodies will literally be getting torchered because they are craving something eternally that they can never have. It's the same reason that God had the cheribum guard the tree of life after adam and eve fell! So they wouldn't have the feeling of guilt and sin for eternity.  So literally god gave us the word of wisdom because if we don't follow it then we will be miserable for eternity because we cannot have the addictive substances that our bodies so strongly desire!

Love Y'ALL!!

Love,

Elder Robertson

Week 31 - Starting a 40-day purification challenge

So this week was great. I am in an area that just has sooooo many lessons that they teach. It's insane and I can't really describe it. but it's crazy. 

My mission president has been telling us that we really need to become the missionaries that we were this last year when this mission reached our goal of 1000 baptisms!! So I am actually doing something called a purification challenge for these next 40 days because I really want to be the missionary that the Lord needs me to be. I am refocusing myself like crazy to try and be more obedient as well. 

It's kinda cool that I am in a small town again. It really helps you stay focused on the work because there is absolutely no other missionaries around to distract you! But my new companion is good. His name is Elder Lybbert. He is from orem utah and was born in payson! Just like me! So that's crazy. We are pretty similar but also very different. I know that the Lord put me with him because he has a lot to teach me. One of those is humility towards the spirit. He is really good at focusing on the fact that the spirit needs to be the one running things so that has been something that I am super grateful for thus far. 

Other than that everything's going great! I love all of y'all so much and am so glad you're taking my challenge to heart.So also, I got my hands on a copy of the Miracle of Forgiveness in Spanish!!!! So I have been reading that. WOW! that is such a good book. LOVE Y'ALL :)

OH AND HAPPY NEW YEARRRRR!

Love,

Elder Robertson

Last picture with Elder Perez

Us and the zone leaders at Olive garden to use the Gift Card you sent for Christmas. But...when we went there some random girl and her mom payed for our whole bill... so i still have that gift card! WOOOO! It was really neat eating there. I shared with my fellow missionaries about how grandpa would always buy us Olive Garden gift cards and it really was sweet.

Me at Ihop before a service for my last day in the Fresno zone!

My new companion, Elder Lybbert, with a street cat.

Week 30 - I'm getting transferred to Chowchilla

Ama!! Tu hablas espanol?! Que glorioso! La verdad es lo que quiero hablar con ustedes en espanol para siempre. No me gusta mucho ingles horita. La mejor idioma en el mundo para mi es espanol! Pero se que todos ustedes son guerros entonces no podemos placticar en espanol. Les amo!! 

So first thing I wanna let y'all know is that I am getting transferred :'( I was really bummed the night that I found out because I truly love this area! I'm getting moved to a little dinky town called Chowchilla where I will be serving in an English ward with a Spanish group. So I am a little bit bummed about that because I won't get to use my espanol as much! But it's all good. I've come to terms with it now and I am excited to go there and see what the Lord needs me to do there! White people here I come! haha So I'm humbled that you have all willingly taken my challenge to apply a Christ-like attribute! It will literally bless y'all's lives so much. So one thing I would add to what y'all are doing is to share what you're learning. I have such strong testimony now of how sharing what we learn is an absolute necessity!! 

So this week was good.. not a ton to really report cause I just talked to y'all haha. Pretty much the only thing is that I'm getting transferred! So this'll be a short email! But it's just cause I just talked to y'all. I love y'all so much and the next time I talk to you I will be in a little secluded town! Have an awesome week! Oh and tell grandma yes I got her letter! I will write her personally, but you can let her know not to worry and that I got it and I am sooo grateful for it :D

Love,

Elder Robertson

The aftermath of presents.. yeahhh

Banana fight on christmas eve at the Hernandez family house

Christmas at the Kuhn's house right before watching Frozen!

A gift from a recent convert in our ward. It's a sweet tie! 

The Juarez family! We ate there on christmas eve

Week 29 - MERRRRYYYY CHRISSTMMAASSS (early)

MERRRRYYYY CHRISSTMMAASSS (early)

It sounds like y'all are just having a wonderful time so far on your christmas season thingys. First thing that I want to say, is that I love all of y'all so very much. This christmas season really has made me realize how much I miss and cherish our home and our family. (Be it known, that it is not unrighteous missing though! I am still very focused) But just know I am thinking about all of y'all a lot this week. 

So this week was really awesome! We have had some really cool things happen this week. So first off, we have 6 baptismal dates!!!!! It's so awesome how much the Lord is hastening his work. 

So the first one is Geraldo! Oh my goodness, first off, he came to the ward christmas party and had a great time. He even danced!!!! (he was still a little shaky from the effects of alcohol for 16 years but he had a great time.) He's still sober and going strong. And THEN! He came to church for all 3 hours!! And he set a baptismal date for himself in two weeks. Oh, I can't explain to you in any way shape or form the incredible joy I have for this man. 

So then also, Maria De Leon came to the Christmas party too! She came with her whole family!!! Even Emma (her 16 year old daughter who really isn't interested in talking to us at alll) And they had a wonderful time. There was a cool dance part and the end of the party, which was really cool. I love the mexican culture so much. It's just so much fun. Their dancing is way cool. But emma loves to dance and just had a great time and opened up. So that was awesome to see. The Lord really is opening doors for us to work hard and bring his children unto him! As well, even though their daughter (Neida) was sick they came to the party and ate some pasoli and mingled. Twas an awesome night. I'll send a few pictures that I took. 

So this past week, I have been studying humility. We had a training in District Meeting to study one Christ like attribute and try to repent and change to become more like the Savior in that one way. So as I studied this I recieved so much personal revelation. I really have been improving in this aspect. Poco a poco, because it's pretty hard one for me to be humble! Pero estoy trabajando! I encourage all of you to do this this christmas season! It has really helped me get closer to the Savior than anything else I've really done on my mission!

I love all of you soooo stinking much!! I can't wait to talk to y'all on Thursday :)

Love,

Elder Robertson

Geraldo at church with Elder Perez

Geraldo after the christmas party

All the mexicans getting their dance on at da fiesta de Navidad

Cool picture of the mountains from outside our apartments

Sooo just two giant bins of rice and beans.. VIVA LA MEXICO! jajaja

Crazy truck full of corn outside wal mart

Week 28 - Remember: "HE IS THE GIFT"

Thank you for all of your letters. It makes me miss home thinking about this time of year, with the holidays and also all of the basketball! But I'm glad that you're all getting to enjoy it for me :) Plus I'm having a pretty amazing time out here!

Dad, I absolutely loved your insight on eternal families it is my absolute favorite thing to teach people because of the pure joy it brings. In fact we have two investigators right now that are probably going to get baptized this month who we had a huge lessons about eternal marriage this week and it was such a powerful lesson. Both of them at the end of the lesson told us that they know the church is true! 

Their names are Alberto and Leticia! They are sooo awesome. They came to church this last Sunday. They were all dressed in a suit and a dress it was so awesome. In Priesthood Alberto stood up to introduce himself saying: "Hola, Soy Alberto Lopez, y esta es mi primera vez aqui. Gracias a ustedes para aceptarme. Y muchos gracias a Elder Robertson y Elder Perez por todo que hicieron para mi." Pretty much thanked me and my companion in front of everyone three or four times. It was really sweet and you can really tell that he is so appreciative of finding this gospel and the happiness that it has started to bring him. So that was absolutely awesome! I totally agree with the eternal family and everything that goes with it! I just love the Plan of Salvation that we have it seriously brings us so much clarity and purpose in this life! 

I hope y'all have an amazing week this week! And remember HE IS THE GIFT. I am so grateful that I get to spend this Christmas on my mission. I get to focus on our Lord and Savior and his wonderful birth. That would be my christmas wish this year! That y'all will be able to focus as much as you can on Christ! I love y'all soooo much. You're all beautiful inside and out. You are da best. Stay sweet!

Love,

Elder Robertson, your son, your brother, your missionary.

Cool nativity outside the temple

Our investigator on our little temple trip to show her what it was! She loved it, and felt the spirit soooo strongly.

Giant cross. Hmmm.

The best mexican food thing ever. Its like a giant bugle but way better and tastier.

Our zone!

My hood companion