The One Year Mark

So I am in Nampa covering the 2nd and 18th wards. I am down in the hub of the mission now. I don't know surprisingly very many missionaries because I have been hiding out most of my mission. My companion is Elder Rogers from Gilbert Arizona and he has been out 6 months. And I was made district leader. I have had the opportunity to do a few baptismal interviews for the zone leaders. Those were pretty cool and it was great to see the people's paths as they are making their way into the church. And their challenges as well as the things that pushed them forward. The first day I got out here I was sent over to a little girl's house named Kassidy and she wanted to get baptized on the 31st. But we didn't have enough time to all the things we needed to so we needed to set the date for the seventh. Because she hasn't come to church the last couple weeks we've needed to push it back to the 21st. But she is excited. There is also another guy named Matt and he moved into the area I believe in mid December and he is getting baptized the same day. This is Kassidy and my companion Elder Rogers.

Things are going pretty well with her we just need to make sure she gets to church.
Also this week is a pretty crazy milestone. It will be hump day/my year mark on...... (yes a milk jug expiration date)

it is absolutely terrifying to think I have been out a year now. It feels like it has only be a couple months. And it has been such an amazing journey so far. I can only hope it continues to be as great as it has been. So filled with the spirit and joy and peace that it brings. At transfers I got to see the other missionary I trained just as I was finishing with Elder Clark so we all got pictures together. And one of the assistants to the President decided to photo-bomb it. I am so glad he did cause he is such an amazing Elder and he is going home this transfer. Elder Brimhall is his name. Elder Bushell is from Sandy Utah also so I will get to go to his homecoming which will be so great!

One more cool thing before I go. We were informed this last week at zone meeting that Elder L Tom Perry is going to be coming to speak to our mission on February 28th! It is going to be so cool! I love you all and have a great week!
Love,
Elder Roberts

Real Quick

I got transfered to Nampa 2nd and 18th wards with Elder Rogers! I and I am the district leader. Elder Rogers is from Gilbert Arizona and he has been out 6 months now. I gave a district training this last week on repentence and it seemed to have gone pretty well. Also my first day down there I went on splits and set a baptismal date with a girl who wanted to get baptized this weekend, but it was too early so we had to set it back to the 7th of Feburary. I'll send a picture next week. Our ride's here and we gotta go.
Love,
Elder Roberts

Now in Nampa

Hello everybody!
I was transferred to Nampa. I cover the 2nd and 18th wards of Nampa. I was also just made district leader, which means that every week I will be in charge of giving a training to missionaries in my district. Also when somebody is getting baptized in our district I will be in charge of doing the interviews to make sure that people are ready to make the commitment. It is exciting. I have spent most of my mission out in exile, or banishment. And so now I am coming down to where there are a lot of other missionaries. So most people have no idea who I am. I hope that I can have a positive impact on them and that I can learn from those around me as well. I am excited for the changes and sad to be leaving Union but the Lord has a purpose for all that he would have us do. Elder Clark is staying up in Union will Elder Eliason. Elder Rogers is my companion and he from Arizona. Where specifically, I don't know yet, but I will let you know. I love you all and I'll send more info next week!
Love,
Elder Roberts

Tough guys and little girls

Sorry for no email last week. We went up into the mountains with our High Priests Group Leader up here and had an adventure. We helped set a few bobcat traps and also Elder Clark made a snowman. That was last p-day. We had interviews with our Mission President this last Friday and President Cannon told me and Elder Clark in our separate interviews that they were transferring me out of Union. So if anyone is planning on sending me something. Send it to the mission office.
Elder KJ Roberts
Idaho Nampa Mission Office
1008 W Sanetta
Nampa, ID 83651
We gave him a present that we had been working on for him and his wife on p-days and while were planning and in the evenings. They really liked it. Is an etched/sandblasted piece of glass. One of our investigators has been wanting to show us how to do a million different things, welding and that being a couple of them. We didn't want to create any problems and be obedient so we didn't weld. this was mostly drawing and cutting out with an exacto-knife and then sand blasting it.

We also had a good lesson with Bob and Anita (Bob is the one who wanted to show us this stuff) right before we starting teaching, he brought up a concern of his and was like "God talked to Moses and and Abraham and all of the prophets, a long time ago, if God did it then shouldn't he do it now?" And that was exactly what we had come to talk to him about that day. So that was really cool. He also shared his feelings with us, which I think was really hard for him being a big tough guy. I told him I was going to be leaving and he was very sad about that. And that is when he expressed him feelings and thanks to us for the impact we have had on his life. He doesn't want to go to a church anytime soon, but he has been glad to learn and see our perspective as well as present questions for him to think about. While he isn't moving forward very fast, he has a desire to learn and it is great to see that in those we come in contact with. His wife is still reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. She knows it is good because of some challenges it helped her overcome.

There is a little girl we are teaching named Hailey. Her dad is a member but not particularly active. He wants her to make the decision for herself if she wants to be baptized. He wants to come back to church himself but has a hard time being motivated to do so. She is working toward being baptized on February 7th. We had a lesson with her on Saturday and while her Dad didn't come some of the members went over and picked her up and she was at church! I was sooo happy to see that.
I love you all and I will let you know where I am next week.
Love,
Elder Roberts

12/29/14

This one will actually have what we did on Christmas in it. Christmas was a non-proselyting day. So we largely went to members houses and played games with them and such. We learned how to play a really fun couples games called BANG! and Sequence. And we played some scum and headbanz. We also got to skype our families which was great. Elder Clark got to kind of talk to his brother who is on a mission in Mesa Arizona. His brother called his parents while they were skyping, so that they could set up skype.
Also Sherry, left down to Arizona this last friday which we are sad about but we know that she has good member friends down there that will continue to help her on her path. We got a lot of snow these last couple days and we have been riding bikes to save miles for the end of the month. We still have 70 miles to drive for district meeting this wednesday. It sounds like New years may be another non-proselyting day for entirely different reasons. But I don't know for sure yet.
There was a lady we were referred to a couple weeks ago at senior meals (a place we go do service at most every week where we serve a lunch to senior citizen of the community) whose name is Heidi. She had been having some weird experiences in her house that sounded connected to spirits. So we went over and talk about how that goes and read some scriptures about prayer and fasting. We came a couple weeks later fasting and blessed her home. She was very happy that we had come over to do that. After we blessed her home she asked if we just wouldn't be coming around anymore and we told her we can come and teach her if she liked and she said yes. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she wanted to start at where Jesus is coming into play and where His birth is. So she is starting in 3rd Nephi. But she excited to have us back and excited to learn more. She also wants to feed us dinner soon. It is cool as we were referred by non-members to other non-members because of the service they had seen us doing in community. And she (the lady who referred us) said she wanted to send us because she knew we lived our religion and were followers of Jesus Christ. It is always kind of scary but cool to know people are watching us, and very cool that people can see that we are trying follow Jesus Christ the best that we can.

Inline image 1
This is Elder Clark making a snow ball for me (as in with the purpose of throwing at me) taking pictures of him. He doesn't like it when I do that.
And this was a cool rule we found in somebody's house that I thought would fit well in the Roberts house. We just would need to take the 2% and the first rule out.Inline image 2
Love,
Elder Roberts

12/29/14

This one will actually have what we did on Christmas in it. Christmas was a non-proselyting day. So we largely went to members houses and played games with them and such. We learned how to play a really fun couples games called BANG! and Sequence. And we played some scum and headbanz. We also got to skype our families which was great. Elder Clark got to kind of talk to his brother who is on a mission in Mesa Arizona. His brother called his parents while they were skyping, so that they could set up skype.
Also Sherry, left down to Arizona this last friday which we are sad about but we know that she has good member friends down there that will continue to help her on her path. We got a lot of snow these last couple days and we have been riding bikes to save miles for the end of the month. We still have 70 miles to drive for district meeting this wednesday. It sounds like New years may be another non-proselyting day for entirely different reasons. But I don't know for sure yet.
There was a lady we were referred to a couple weeks ago at senior meals (a place we go do service at most every week where we serve a lunch to senior citizen of the community) whose name is Heidi. She had been having some weird experiences in her house that sounded connected to spirits. So we went over and talk about how that goes and read some scriptures about prayer and fasting. We came a couple weeks later fasting and blessed her home. She was very happy that we had come over to do that. After we blessed her home she asked if we just wouldn't be coming around anymore and we told her we can come and teach her if she liked and she said yes. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she wanted to start at where Jesus is coming into play and where His birth is. So she is starting in 3rd Nephi. But she excited to have us back and excited to learn more. She also wants to feed us dinner soon. It is cool as we were referred by non-members to other non-members because of the service they had seen us doing in community. And she (the lady who referred us) said she wanted to send us because she knew we lived our religion and were followers of Jesus Christ. It is always kind of scary but cool to know people are watching us, and very cool that people can see that we are trying follow Jesus Christ the best that we can.

Inline image 1
This is Elder Clark making a snow ball for me (as in with the purpose of throwing at me) taking pictures of him. He doesn't like it when I do that.
And this was a cool rule we found in somebody's house that I thought would fit well in the Roberts house. We just would need to take the 2% and the first rule out.Inline image 2
Love,
Elder Roberts

12/22/14

This last week we drove down to Nampa for a Christmas conference! It was a great conference where we got to hear a lot of cool Christmas musical numbers along with a few Christmas messages. We watched some of the old church Christmas classics. We did a giant white elephant where I got a little slinky for the group. I ended up with a coconut from Hawaii 2001, but someone wrote idaho nampa mission 2014 on the back of it there was also a little stick, spoon, but not either, thing that came with it that had Santa painted on it. someone else got a toilet seat, my comp got a sombrero and we traded.

Elder Morse (standing to my right) trained me, the person to his right Elder Ojeda and the other person with glasses Elder Summers. Both me and Elder Summers are training. We are from a long line of trainers. It is pretty cool.
Yesterday was also a Christmas Cantata that we invited a million people to,and we had 1 show up! Which was an amazing blessing. A cantata is a story that is told through music and we didn't know that until two days ago. It ended up being great. Had narrators and the choir and duets and it was wonderful and spirit filled. Sherry, the investigator that came to the cantata is leaving down to Arizona for the winter, this week. So we are sad about that, but she says that she is going to keep learning and searching it out when she gets down there. She is sad that likely neither of us will be here when she gets back though. A lot of the people we have met because of the Christmas initiative are having a hard time working out time to see us. It's Christmas time so what do we expect. We are still trying to make contact with them and find a good time.
I opened up dinosaurs I had received in the month or two of mission and made a nativity out of them this morning.

Lastly here is a cat that jumped up on my bike all by itself. Sorry for the blurry picture. Had to get it fast!Inline image 3
I love you all and have a very Merry Christmas.
I hope you know that my testimony of Jesus Christ has grown this Christmas season and that my love for both Him and My Heavenly Father has increased, because of the gift that our Father in Heaven has given us through His Son.
Love,
Elder Roberts