Week 96 - My new release date is May 25

I have some big news. I talked with President Clark this last week after a meeting we had. Him and I counseled together on some things about my release date. As it was, i was going to be going home alone and a week early in the transfer due to the things that happened at the MTC. This would mean I'd miss out on some of the meetings that we have at the end of our missions with our mission president. As well I'd be missing Tyler as well. Him and I both felt that it would be best if I didn't end up extending. So I'm actually coming home on May 25th. It stings because that means I have one transfer left :( which we find out this Saturday where I'll be for that last transfer. BUT I'm super happy that I get to come home and be with the whole family for a little bit before Tyler leaves! I hope this doesn't throw a wrench into any plans or anything that y'all have. So.. I'll see y'all in a month and a half now.

This past week was amazing. I love conference. It's amazing to me how sweet of a thing conference has become for me. It has gone from conference bingo of the Sunday morning session. To the priesthood session and then still conference bingo of the Sunday morning session. To priesthood session and watching the sunday morning session. Finally, to my mission where I watch every session of conference. 

I remember my first conference in the mission. I remember thinking that it was a super long weekend. Don't get me wrong! I liked the talks and loved hearing them. I just wasn't used listening to 10 hrs of doctrine. Well this conference was 100% different. I couldn't get enough. this weekend seemed to fly by sadly. I watched it all in Spanish this time which was really cool. I love the language so much. I learned so much from everyone. I loved Elder Christofferson's talk on Fathers as well as Elder Ballard's talk on family councils. I loved them all really!! The reason the father talk stood out to me so much was, well first off, cause I love my dad so much and look up to him a ton. So I could just see how he has done such a good job of setting an example for me. As well because I have seen, my whole mission, the effects of not having a father in the home. It's been extremely rare that I've known the father of the people I teach. Most homes don't have the dad in it. And if they do.. they're not really actually present. It's taught me a lot.

This past week we found a new family!! The Bravo family. Which consists of Brother and Sister Bravo, Reina (17), Bryan (15), Enrique (8), and Fredrico (4). I'm so excited for them. They seem super interested in what we have. We ended our lesson with a prayer which we did kneeling down. We all went to the living room and kneeled down and it was beautiful! They were all gathered there as a family and Brother Bravo offered the prayer. He asked in his prayer to help his family grow in the gospel so they could be stronger as a family. I'm super hopeful for them!!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be ending in Hanford. I'll find out on Saturday. But I'm going 100000 mph now. My mission got cut by a month... it's been the weirdest thing ever for me. I feel like I have 0 time left now. I'm doing everything I can to just give everything. I'm falling short sometimes but I know the Lord is helping me pick up the slack. I loved conference and love how it strengthened my testimony. Yo sé que este evangelio es verdadero. Yo sé con todo mi corazon que Jesucristo vive. Suplico cada día que puedo vivir mi vida en una manera que es honorable para él. Amo a él. Estoy tan agradecido por todos de ustedes! Les amo mucho. Se cuiden. 

Love,

Elder Robertson

Using the IHOP Gift Card y'all sent me. Thanks!

Elder Roberts and I heading out to preach the good word.

Week 95 - Happy Easter

[Matt's brother, Tyler, received his mission call to the Dominican Republic, also speaking Spanish. He also learned that he will leave on his mission 1 week before Matt gets home from his. So, they will miss each other by a week.]

SANTO DOMINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey that is sooooo exciting! I'll have to tell Elder Perez as well (that's where he was from). That's so exciting that he's learning español. Everyone in the family should just learn it now :D might as well!!! I'm so bummed about the missing him by a week but I'm sure the Lord will figure it all out. Tyler is going to love it in the DR. Everyone who I've met from there are the nicest people and say their country is beautiful. There's lots of really cool fields of just sugar cane! But yes... they do speak really fast. That's actually where I learned a ton of my Spanish was from Elder Perez so I actually still have a bit of an accent from him. They don't say really any of their 's's (not sure how to write that. They don't pronounce the letter s often). It will be a learning curve for sure but he'll get it!

This past week was a really amazing one. We had 7 people at church!!! It was super amazing. Granted it was Easter Sunday so it might of had a little bit to do with it. But we're hoping to keep it going for the next week so that we can help some of these amazing people enter the waters of baptism soon!! They're was a baptism this last week for a young 8 year old named Mesha. It was through the ward but we helped the ward by preparing her for baptism and helping their family continue to come back to church. They were less active before. It was a beautiful thing to see her be baptized and then to be able to confirm her was such and honor. She totally reminds me of Elise!! I've come to the conclusion that pretty much any little girl just reminds me of my little sisters... haha I've realized that I say the words "oh, your daughters remind me so much of my little sisters" I think it's just because I miss my sisters so dang much!!

Oh my goodness.. Y'all a sealing is an amazing thing. Especially when it involves two people you love so much!!! Ricardo and Vanessa got sealed this last weekend and it was the most amazing thing ever. It was so amazing to just see them but even more than that to be able to see them in their temple clothes making covenants with each other in order to be married for all time and all eternity. I seriously had no idea that I was going to feel the spirit as strongly as I did. I was just overcome with joy during the whole ceremony. I'm pretty sure it might have looked ridiculous but I had a huge smile on my face the entire time!! It was a huge testimony builder for sure that the power of priesthood and the sealing keys really are here on the Earth and our found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Just a little response as well to y'all's Easter comments. I loved this past Easter. I'm not sure why but the whole day was just amazing. I felt the spirit so strong. I don't remember it being that amazing the last Easter but it very well might have been.  Our ward had fast and testimony meeting due to general conference so it was an interesting Easter meeting. It was a meeting all about people's testimonies on the Atonement which was really neat. I went to the Spanish sacrament meeting as well which made it really awesome as well.

I shared a scripture form Alma 7. It was in verse 11. I love that verse so much because of what it talks about in relation to the Atonement. It distinctly talks about how Christ suffered death so that we could be resurrected and then it talks about how he suffered all of our infirmities so that he could succor us. So that he could come to us and understand us. I just love that. This part isn't doctrine that I've read or anything but in my mind I picture that part of the Atonement something that he didn't have to do. Maybe he did. But to me it seems like he went the extra mile to suffer all of those things just so he could more fully understand us and better help us in this life. Over all it's just amazing to me how much he loves us and how much we really can feel that love every day.

I love my Savior so much. I know that he lives. I know it. I get to go out and tell the whole world (city of Hanford) that He lives. And because he lives we will live again and we can live in this life happy. I love y'all and am so grateful for everything that y'all do and for all the support. I hope that you have an amazing week!!!!!

Love,

Elder Robertson

Giant Easter Basket 

Mesha's baptism

Ricardo and Vanessa's Sealing

Some investigators we met

Ready to go out and do some work

our carpets got cleaned today so this is literally our entire apartment fit into the kitchen... haha

Week 94 - I have a new fire this past week

The area is picking up though so that is super exciting. I have a new fire this past week to seriously just work a ridiculous amount. I love it. I am just going 10000000 miles an hour. If it would be practical and would help at all I would run everywhere I went. But I don't think that it would help a whole lot and I think I'd freak some people out. But everything short of that is what I'm doing! I just love my mission. It's amazing to me that no matter where I've served, I just absolutely love it. It's amazing how no matter where I am the Lord seriously loves all his children the same.

Ricardo is getting sealed this week!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!! It's going to be so amazing. On Saturday, I get to go to the sealing of Ricardo and Vanessa in the temple. I seriously can't put into words how happy and excited I am. I love that family so much and am so proud of the step they're going to take. It's going to bless their lives so much. I'll take pictures and send them to you next week.

I've been working really hard lately on making sure that I'm doing the same thing here in this area that I hope is being done for all of my recent converts in other areas. I'm working really hard on trying to help them come to church and continue to just absolutely love the gospel. There's really no point in this whole missionary thing if they don't stay faithful!! (paraphrasing President Hinckley). So I'm working really hard to make sure that we are focusing on finding like crazy and helping people learn about the gospel and be able to enter the waters of baptism as well as helping all those who have already done so be able to stay faithful and find all the joy that they can in this wonderful gospel.

I love y'all so much and hope that y'all have a great week. I'm super excited to hear about where Tyler is going! I can't wait.

Love,

Elder Robertson

Week 93 - You never go home

As far as my release date goes, it will still be June 29, 2016. The extra week will not effect me since I had already extended. So I will be leaving a week early from that transfer. That is super exciting that Tyler is going to get his mission call! I'm super stoked to see where he goes! I'm really hoping for Spanish speaking so we can hablar en espanol mucho!!! jaja.

I had an awesome exchange this past week with one of the Assistants, Elder Checketts. He's from Utah and a great elder. We had a great exchange and I learned a lot from him. He was a great example to me about how to just talk with every creeping thing out there. No matter if it is a little inconvenient. So that was really nice and super helpful for me to apply to my work. As well, it was cool to go to their area. They work up in Clovis which is the nicest part of the mission. There's a lot of homes there that remind me of Austin and the people are super similar as well. It's always cool to go up there cause I feel like I jive well with them.

We had a zone meeting this last week, which was awesome! The training we gave (Elder Roberts and I) was one of my favorite topics. It goes well with your advice dad. It was titled "Leave Your Nets". It's based off of a talk from Elder Holland which he gave in the MTC. It's an incredibly powerful talk. We basically trained on how we are to follow the same admonition that Christ gave the Apostles which was to "leave their nets" and to follow him. We talked about how this is going to be hard but ultimately it's just going to be a decision that we make.

I'm not sure if I ever shared this with you but I received a similar training about a year ago or so when I was up in Chowchilla. I remember still a quote that Elder Holland said that changed my mission. He said, paraphrasing, "Peter, you never go home. When I called you to be an apostle it was forever" and then he continues and turns it towards the missionaries and says "when I called you to be a missionary, it was forever". I remember thinking in my prideful snarky mind.. Oh well that doesn't apply to me because I obviously get to go home! But at that moment I remember the spirit teaching me a lesson I've tried to apply ever since. And that is that "I" never do come home. I'm sorry to say it but it's true, if I've served my mission right. I realized that Matthew that left June 4, 2014 better not be the Matthew that comes home June 29, 2016. If it is... Then I did something wrong. And that truly changed my mission. Ever since that moment I've tried my best to change and to become better. I'm still working my best at it but I know that I'm changing. I can feel it and I love it. So that's what we tried our best to do to teach our zone. That that is what their shooting for. To be changed. To become more like the Savior through dedicated and consecrated service to him.

So it rained here as well! It actually stormed a little bit which was the first time I've seen any form of heavy rain since being here so that was really cool. The valley really needs it too so that's nice. I've had a bit of allergies this week. They're pretty rough but nothing I can't handle. It's just annoying cause the medicine is so stinking expensive but I have to get it so that i can just function... I have  a feeling that in life, I'm gonna try and find somewhere to live where I'm not deathly allergic to the air hahah.

So I'm trying my best to eat healthy and do things the best I can food wise! It's expensive! I'm definitely learning how to budget better as well haha. On a serious note though. I love y'all. I'm so grateful for everything y'all do for me and all the love and support I feel. It's amazing to me the family that I have been blessed with and I try my best to show my gratitude the best I can. Y'all are incredible. I hope that y'all have an amazing week! I'm excited to hear where Tyler is going!!

Love,

Elder Robertson

Week 92 - Be your best

This past week was really awesome. We found a good amount of new investigators. One of which is an entire family with 5 little girls! They are the cutest thing ever and remind me a ton of my sisters. It's fun being over there! They're always happy and energetic so it's fun to play with them and teach them the gospel. It's always amazing to me how little kids just understand the gospel so well.

Elder Roberts and I have also been trying really hard to be the best zone leaders we can be. We are really working hard on making sure that the zone feels our love and support. It's been really inspiring to work alongside him. He is a spiritual giant and just is overflowing with love. It's quite amazing. I'm learning a ton from him. We were also able to teach a lot this past week which was really fun! It was amazing to me to see how when we work hard for the Lord we always see the blessings of it. It's a principle I always want to remember in my life.

So just to share a little something from my studies recently. I'm not gonna share anything too specific but more of a pattern that I've been seeing lately. It actually is something that goes back to the beginning of my mission. Something that my zone leaders said in a meeting. One of them said, "Satan will have good men do good things to keep them from doing great things". That hit me hard. It made me realize how often I really did fall into the temptation of mediocrity. How often Satan got me to say.. well if i just do the bare minimum I'll be able to get by and even look pretty good... which always kept me from pushing myself and trying to be the best I can be.

Well the Lord has kept teaching me that throughout my whole mission I feel like as I've received various assignments and gone into new areas I've seen that mentality creep in as I get content. I have realized that all the talks and a ton of the scriptures i've been reading have had the same theme. "be your best." That's really what I want to strive for. I think I've been scared most of my life because I felt that if I did my best and somewhat failed... well then I basically just suck! But, I've realized that it truly only matters on God's scale. And my best literally, because of Jesus Christ, can never fail. I might not always get the exact results I wanted but I did get the results that God wanted for me so that I can grow adequately enough to be able to be who God wants me to be.

I've been trying my best to truly apply this principle of "be your best" in every part of my life as to establish good habits. I've done it to my exercise to my diet, to my studies, to my work, even down to the paper work I do. I want to do it to the best of my abilities. And boy is it hard! But it always helps me to rely on the Savior who helps me truly have the strength to do it. I absolutely love it!!!! It's made me feel amazing. And don't get me wrong.. I've actually failed quite a few times at things.. Activities I put all my heart into just go array.. But I know that the Lord is happy with me and I just learned a whole lot of things not to do the next time! It's a liberating feeling when you start to try and find all your value and worth in the Lord :D.

Sorry my letter is a little short today! But know that I love y'all so much and hope that you have just the most amazing week ever. I love this gospel and know that it is true.

Love,

Elder Robertson

Week 91 - I'm loving Hanford

Great week this last week. I love my new companion, Elder Roberts. He's already taught me so much. He brings a new perspective but with the same goals and such so it's been super cool getting to work with him and learn together. It's been super cool. I'm not really working on the website right now since Elder Speer is gone so we've just been able to do all work! It's been super awesome. I've loved teaching so much. I feel like a full blown missionary again. I felt like one when I was working on the website it was just kind of like I had a little thorn in my side that's all!

Elder Roberts and I are really working on focusing on finding families that can be sealed in the temple. It's an approach that I've never taken in missionary work before but that I'm excited to try. We are, of course, going to continue to talk to everyone and help everyone as best we can but we are going to make sure we are focusing and trying our best to be able to find those prepared families and help them progress. I'm excited as well because I feel very strongly that Elder Roberts is going to teach me a ton about how to continue to become converted. Something that I have been praying for and working really hard at. It's amazing how the Lord really does answer prayers!

Not a ton to report on other than that. I'm loving Hanford! The ward is amazing and the work is really starting to pick up. I love y'all so much and loved hearing all about y'all's week. It sounds like it was a great one! I hope this week is awesome as well!!

Love,

Elder Robertson

The new companion!!

Week 90 - Hello, this is Elders Roberts and Robertson

So transfers this week! I am staying in Hanford and getting a new companion. His name is Elder Roberts.. No joke haha. It's gonna be a little crazy..... When we answer the phone, "Hello, this is Elders Roberts and Robertson" hahaha. He is a new zone leader so I'll be running around teaching him everything as we go. I'm a little nervous cause I still feel like I'm barely getting the hang of things but I know the Lord will help me out. I'm super sad to see Elder Speer go. I learned a ton from him. Seriously a ton. More than from any other companion. I'll miss him a lot. Plus we had a ton of fun together. It'll be cool seeing him after the mission and catching up. We're not quite sure what we're going to do about the website though.. haha. We're super deep into it and on the final stretch of things but now going to have to do it all over the internet or something. Who knows! We'll see how it all goes.

Ray is doing well. He is stoked to get baptized next week but is feeling pretty lousy since they put the catheter in his chest as the input for the chemo. It's knocked him out pretty good especially with the medication he is on. But he is still working super hard to repent and prepare for his baptism.

This week was kind of a rough one. Everything fell through... I mean everything. We had 10 set appointments just cancel this week.. THAT'S UNHEARD OF! haha. It was weird but I was able to learn the principle of diligence and faithfulness even in the sight of nothing really happening in that moment. I'm excited to see what this next week has in store as I keep that diligence and things work out a little more as well.

I love my mission a lot. It amazes me how much I really do love it sometimes. We were eating dinner with a couple last night who are former mission president and wife. They were telling us a story about a group of missionaries in their mission who did some dumb stuff. The whole time they were telling us the story my stomach was in knots. I can't imagine doing something like that with the Savior's name on my chest. My name tag would burn a hole right through my chest. I realized in that moment how precious my mission was to me. It was kind of an ah ha moment if you will. I realized that I would never ever do anything to jeopardize my mission. I love my Savior way too much and understand that truly he is the one who called me. I love the Lord and I love this gospel. I love y'all a ton and hope that y'all have an amazing week!

Love,

Elder Robertson