Zone Conference, Jodene, November 23, 2015

This last week we had zone conference, and it was powerful. We learned more about the significant role the members of the church have to play in the work of salvation and how important it is that we get them involved and doing missionary work. And we had the opportunity to teach a lady named Jodene. We taught her the plan of salvation on tuesday and the gospel of Jesus Christ on thursday. There is a much brighter light in her now than ever before and she really wants to get baptized but will have to wait awhile for her probation. She is excited though and wants to work toward it. She came to church as well and she loved it. She is feeling good and her boyfriend came to church as well and has sat in on the last couple lessons. He noticed a big change in her and the light that she has and he wanted to know what has changed her.
I know that the gospel is real and that it really can help us overcome all struggles that we face and get us through the hard times and the painful times. As we rely on the atonement of Christ all things can be made right. This life is just a small part of the eternities. But our eternity includes now. The way we choose to live now the person we decide to be. I am grateful for the power of the atonement and how it changes us. But we can not allow Satan drag us back down, even through just the appearance of evil. We must cleave to light and to all that God wants us to and do not Wink at sin. Christ never did. Remember Him.

Elder Haws, MLC, Book of Mormon November 16, 2015

So this last week has been good. For some reason the first week of transfers as a zone leader always feels like it goes on forever, probably due to the amount of meetings we are in and prepare for. There is a lot of planning that goes into it. Mission Leadership Council is always powerful and it was largely centered on the Book of Mormon this transfer. It rekindled my love for the Book of Mormon and that was the central feature of our training for the zone meeting. The Book of Mormon plays a huge role in our conversion, but is also a huge source of strength and power, as well as it teaches us so much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It helps those who read with a sincere heart to know how to develop faith and to repent. As we do so we are able to become more like Christ and be able to feel more of His love and share it more as well. It is awesome to see the power of the Book of Mormon work in people's lives, missionaries and investigators alike. The Book of Mormon can change people's lives as people are willing to experiment upon the word. As we do God will magnify us and we will see the fruit's in our lives.
We got to go to an appointment with the Bishop of the ward yesterday, he is the people's home teacher and he hadn't met them yet. We were teaching the second lesson. The people's names are Loren, Cherie and her daughter Boston. Boston is 9 and not baptized and Loren is not baptized either, but they are both sincere in their desire to learn and eventually be baptized. Cherie was raised in the church but due to different circumstances at different times she has fallen away. Also a less active father that we have been teaching his Mom and his daughter destiny, decided without prompting from us to read the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year. His desire is to baptize his daughter and son and to become active in the church again. He is staying on track so far in reading what he needs to, to finish the Book of Mormon. And he is getting a lot of it too because he has been coming to us with questions.
Elder Haws is great! Truthfully I feel like I have known him forever and that we have already been serving with each other for a long time. Things just click. Inline image 1
This picture is out in front of our house. We also got some snow yesterday. Elder Haw's being from California doesn't like the cold, so snow is a bad sign.
This next week we have zone conference so we will be having a whole lot more opportunity to work, because we won't be having to go to district meetings almost everyday. It will be awesome!
love ya!
Elder Roberts

Power and Authority November 2nd, 2015

So I think I mentioned this last week in my email, but the Assistants had a meeting with us about the weight of our calling and the power and authority of it. It has been cool to see the change I have seen in myself and the work in our area just in this last week since then, but also the potential it has to be changing the zone, starting with the district leaders. I feel the district leaders are starting to recognize the significance of their roles more and more, as missionaries and as mission leaders and in leading their district. It is pretty awesome. Also, just how the Holy Ghost makes us feel when something is being done right. Things just feel good and right after they were done to the full measure expected, or even just to an improved measure. The Assistants to the Mission President are now expecting a bit more from us in what we report, and it felt good reporting, also when we talked to the district leaders we expected more as well, and after all of the reporting it just felt good, and it makes me look forward to doing it again this next week. Seemingly simple, but the Spirit confirms to us when we are doing the right thing in the right way, and it just feels good.

We have felt a lot of difference in our work, we have been a lot more bold and at the same time we have felt the Spirit and the love of God working through us. Sadly we still have fallen through appointments, of course, and some of the people who wanted to learn were kind of shot down by family members, but we are seeing good things happening. We cover a branch called Pine Valley out in the farther parts of our area and we taught the family the last lesson they needed in order for the daughters to get baptized. They will be going out to central Idaho for the baptism though, because there is family out there who would not be able to make the trip out here.
I went on exchanges with Elder Anien from the Marshall Islands this last week as well and that went great. He is a pretty shy Elder and doesn't really know how to go up and talk to people, which truthfully I still feel not great at. But I shared with him a lot of the things that my trainer Elder Morse had shared with me and taught me in doing so. I thought it was good because I could really relate to him in that and I wanted to help him to be able to do it as well.
I don't know If I mentioned that we started getting into family history about a week ago and now we are starting to use it more in our proselyting. We will be having a few people coming to the family history center this week to learn how to do it. It is pretty great and it brings such great joy and peace. We are hoping to see some good things from those coming to do it with us.
love,
Elder Roberts