12/1/14

Before everything else.
Christmas.mormon.org
Go there and watch the video. Explore this website and see how you can #ShareTheGift.
This website is part of the church's Christmas initiative this year and it is something we have special emphasis to be using this month. What the main goal is to invite others to remember and come unto Christ this Christmas season. To remember the first gift of Christmas, from our Heavenly Father to each one of us. His Son, Jesus Christ. We have special pass along cards:Inline image 1
just for the Christmas season. It has that website on the back along with Discover the Gift, Embrace the Gift, and #ShareTheGift. Everyone who receives a printed copy of the Ensign will also receive 9 of these cards. We are challenged to give out 10 a day and invite people to learn about the restored gospel at the same time. Use the hash-tag and share your testimony, or just share the video and your testimony. On December 7 youtube's homepage will be advertising this and nothing else.
This last week we set a baptismal date with a boy named Chase. He lives up in Cove, (oh how a car makes work in Cove easier and happen more often) he is 15 and he has been coming to the basketball on Tuesday nights. It is set for the day after Christmas. We shared with him and his Mom, who is a member, that Christmas video the same day we set the baptismal date. So far what we have seen of the Christmas initiative has been a blessing to missionary work, and helping others to come unto Christ. I hope you all remember the Joy of Jesus Christ this Christmas season and share with others how the first gift of Christmas has blessed your lives.
Love,
Elder Roberts

12/1/14

Before everything else.
Christmas.mormon.org
Go there and watch the video. Explore this website and see how you can #ShareTheGift.
This website is part of the church's Christmas initiative this year and it is something we have special emphasis to be using this month. What the main goal is to invite others to remember and come unto Christ this Christmas season. To remember the first gift of Christmas, from our Heavenly Father to each one of us. His Son, Jesus Christ. We have special pass along cards:Inline image 1
just for the Christmas season. It has that website on the back along with Discover the Gift, Embrace the Gift, and #ShareTheGift. Everyone who receives a printed copy of the Ensign will also receive 9 of these cards. We are challenged to give out 10 a day and invite people to learn about the restored gospel at the same time. Use the hash-tag and share your testimony, or just share the video and your testimony. On December 7 youtube's homepage will be advertising this and nothing else.
This last week we set a baptismal date with a boy named Chase. He lives up in Cove, (oh how a car makes work in Cove easier and happen more often) he is 15 and he has been coming to the basketball on Tuesday nights. It is set for the day after Christmas. We shared with him and his Mom, who is a member, that Christmas video the same day we set the baptismal date. So far what we have seen of the Christmas initiative has been a blessing to missionary work, and helping others to come unto Christ. I hope you all remember the Joy of Jesus Christ this Christmas season and share with others how the first gift of Christmas has blessed your lives.
Love,
Elder Roberts

11/24/14

This week we received a great blessing. A car. Now we can go to Cove more often and accomplish more work up in that area along with down here in Union. traveling to district meeting will now be easier too and doing things on P-day, not to mention not having to ride our bike's in the snow and rain and wind. So it will be a boon for sure.
The investigator that we talked about last week. Nick, has decided he doesn't particularly want to learn anymore and he never came to church. We think there may have been some negative feedback from his wife or others. Because he seemed turned around in a weird way. We also learned he has Alzheimer's. So we would love to help them in anyway we can but we will just have to see. Another lady we have met, because of one the members, has been reading the Book of Mormon. She has been going through a hard time as her daughter has had a that passed away, and she is having another child that is on the verge. And reading the Book of Mormon has brought her peace and love. She knows that God is with her and want to help her. She is going to pray and ask if the Book of Mormon is true. I love how the Book of Mormon along with the Bible transcends all people and backgrounds. It can touch all those who wish to learn more. The spirit is available to all who seek it and truly desire it. Another young boy, Chase, has been coming to basketball for awhile and has accepted the invitation to be baptized. He is a foster child and his Mom has said he could be baptized. She is an inactive member with a desire to return and it sounds like things will be very good for them. They are going to read the Book of Mormon together. He is very into religion and  is excited to continue to learn and he think everything we are teaching makes sense.
I love you all and I love the gospel and this wonderful opportunity to share it with all those who I come in contact with.
Be on the look out for the Christmas Initiative. Christmas.mormon.org
Discover the Gift
Embrace the Gift
#Sharethegift
Love,
Elder Roberts

11/17/14

I have very little time today. Lots of things to do. But this week has been a pretty good week. We have been able to teach a couple new investigators week and we have seen some cool things. We met a new investigator on Thursday, just knocking on a random door I felt like we should, who wanted to come to church. His name is Nick and we shared a Book of Mormon and made an appointment for Saturday. But it turns out we were going to a baptism on Saturday at that time, so we invited him to go to that baptism and he gave us a ride over there for it, because it was in La Grande. He enjoyed it and wanted to come to church the next day. He didn't end up coming but he wanted to. We invited him to be baptized at the baptism and he said that it is something he would want to do. He really enjoyed it.
We also taught the lady who helped lay sod for and buck some hay.Her name is Sherry. Her husband just passed away about 2 weeks ago. She also had a surgery last week.  While she is recovering she said that it would be a perfect time for us to come and visit and teach her. We have been able to teach some great lessons with her and she has a pretty open heart and mind to the things we are teaching. It has been snowing and making life  pretty exciting. We don't mind the cold so much because we have pretty good clothes for it, but the wind and the ice are making life harder. We have both had our share of our bike flipping out from under us. It is fun stuff. Slow going either way. I love you all. Remember Jesus Christ in all you do.
Love,
Elder Roberts

11/10/14

Over the last couple days we have had a few cool and sad experiences.
I will tell you about one of the sad ones that becomes null and void after the happy ones. Susie, one of the previous investigators I have talked about has seemingly disappeared for awhile. She is the one who read the first 16 chapters of 1 Nephi but had to stop reading because the good feeling she was getting was making her cry too hard. And that every lesson we had with her afterward was so filled with the spirit. Last Thursday evening we stopped by her house as we normally do, with no avail. But this time she came to the door. She was not very happy, in fact kind of angry. She got on our case a little bit and ended up closing the door in our face. We walked away disheartened and I told Elder Clark that I had no idea what to do at that point. I didn't know if we should come see her or not, but after all the experiences we had had with her I didn't want to stop trying. But the next morning we got a text from her. She was apologizing for not seeing us for awhile and for how she acted. She asked that we would please forgive her. She asked for help for her roof and for us to come over later that day, so we could talk and help her with her roof. We still haven't seen her yet because of extenuating circumstances, but we still have contact with her and she still wants to meet with us.
Also Samara last week, she came to church last week and loved it. She told a member friend at school she wanted to keep coming and take the lessons, but her mother said that she could not. Andrew, her older brother that we had originally made contact with has been interested for awhile but we lost contact with him for awhile because he was busy with all sorts of stuff and the number we had for him was incorrect. But on our way home from putting Susie's trash can last night, we were riding along the main road. Now after about 8:00 pm there are never car's on the road. And if they are, they are for like thirty seconds and turn off to a side road. We were riding and this red car is coming toward us from the other direction. It slows down and stops in the middle of the road. I look in the window and see Andrew and we stop and talk and he gives us his new phone number so we can set up a time to meet. All while in the middle of the road in the dark and we weren't disturbed by any other cars. It was great and I am so glad we made the decision to put out Susie's trash can. It is amazing how the spirit works in such simple ways and how finally making recontact with these two has brought so much joy to me and to my companion who had not met either of these two yet.
Ether 2:22-3:5 pages 491-492 How does this scripture apply to us, in our desire to follow God and do missionary work? To Hasten his work? What did the brother of Jared do when the Lord asked him he question? What must we each do to know how to accomplish missionary work in our own lives?

Union... and eating

Dear Everyone,

First week in Union is over. It is a small quaint little town with a few people. Most of the members in the area are less active so lots of reactivation to be done and we have some potential investigators and actual investigators. Elder Lagunzad is very nice and humble and really loves to eat. (both of my last two companions love to eat, maybe there is a message trying to be sent... nah!) My stomach has grown 3 sizes larger since the mission began... Painful and not fun for one who does not like eating but I do it anyway, or as much as my stomach will allow.

One of the coolest experiences I have had over the last week was when we were at a lady's house who has been an "investigator/potential investigator" for awhile. She has had a Book of Mormon for awhile. She had heard that our church has a program to help people to quite smoking so we told her a bit about it and said we are trying to start up a class but we only have 2 people who potentially would want to join. She said she would want to join so that she can overcome that addiction. We then shared Ether12:27 about how through humbling ourselves before Jesus Christ we can be made strong in our weaknesses. The spirit truly touched her at that moment, because she expounded on the scripture and brought up how in Revelation it says not to add to it, and she finally understood the correct Interpretation, and that we can have more scripture today. She then said she knew of 5 other people who like to quit smoking and that they would be willing to join the class if we could get it started up. This could bring about much fruit and I hope it does, as this area needs it.

The Book of Mormon is amazing and I can not restate that enough, as we come to know it is true, we learn so much more than just that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that there are prophets on the earth today, but more importantly, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that through Him and following His example we can return to live with our Father in Heaven and have everlasting Joy and happiness.
Love,

Elder K.J. Roberts

P.S. Pictures: Me and Elder Lagunzad serving at a Senior meal. The front end of the Chapel with the podium behind the choir seats and the organ, and our church building... the coolest most interesting LDS church I have ever seen.

A letter from another

Hello Sister Roberts,

I just wanted to let you know that we enjoy having your son over for dinner and to hear of his sweet testimony. I felt the spirit the first time he bore his testimony in fast and testimony meeting. He is a very valiant and humble missionary. He is doing great!  We are so glad that we have the opportunity to get to know him and have him serve in our ward. He's a wonderful young man!

Have a fantastic day!

Sister Tammy Mahler :0)

I attached pictures of them in our house and knocking on our door. Awesome Missionaries!