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

First lessons outside, meetings, October 26, 2015

This last week was a pretty good week. We met a kid named Junior, who we had knocked on his door because of a girl we had met walking down the street. We shared a pamphlet with her and asked for her address about a week and a half ago and she gave it to us. When we knocked he answered and we talked with him and we just felt the prompting to start teaching him the first lesson. We gave him the Restoration pamphlet, and then we asked questions about some of the pictures and taught him about it. As we were going through we all felt the spirit, most specifically at the first vision. Afterward he told us that he felt that it was true because of the spirit. He already has a degree of understanding about the Holy Ghost. We set up another appointment for tomorrow and we are looking forward to it. He has a very open heart!
Another lady that we met yesterday is from the Philippines and her name is Lila. She was raised Methodist over in the Philippines and moved here and then became Catholic. She we were talking to her over her fence in her backyard and she was watching her grandson. We talked about the restoration and she ended up bringing up some questions she has. She started talking about how the Bible only talks about the middle eastern area, it doesn't talk about America and Asia. So we talked about the Book of Mormon. She also asked some questions concerning confession and repentance. After that we talked about baptism and she asked how we do it, and how old we are when we do it. We talked about how we believe it is done by immersion and at an age that we can choose for ourselves, and she expressed that she agreed with us. She doesn't know what the rest of her families feelings are about the church, but she said we could come back. We are looking forward to seeing her again! Those were some great experiences trying to teach just immediately as we find people. We are making it a goal to teach the first lesson at least 5 times a week. And we started Thursday last week. So we are hoping it goes well. So far it has been great.
Also we had a meeting with the Assistant's to the Mission President this last Saturday and it was great. The biggest thing that we were talking about was the weight of our calling and power and authority. It was a powerful meeting and it is something that we needed I think to help us recognize the power that we can have if we so desire it. And now we are going to try and take that to our district leaders and help them with it so they can take it to the missionaries. We are trying to just elevate all of the things we are doing. Put power behind it. Things are going good. I love you all!
Sincerely,
Elder Roberts

Interviews, Exchanges, Delays October 19, 2015

This week Damion got interviewed by President Cannon and the baptism is going to be delayed for a couple months. Damion is on top of things and President just felt that it would be best for him to prove to himself that he was ready and prepared. He is doing great! We also had our own interviews with President Cannon just reviewing what we are doing and how things are going in our area's and where we are in our progression. It is great and I enjoy them.
On exchanges I went down to Weiser, Idaho with Elder Hanny. I had served around him awhile back and he is one of the district leaders in our zone. It was kinda funny, we tried this house where a former investigator lived and he wasn't home, but he ended up going and knocking on about 5 houses around him. three of those five said we could come back. two of them didn't answer. It was pretty awesome. Then we were able to find him at his house. And he isn't particularly ready for the gospel. It was a good day. Our area seems to be kinda different, just like in the previous area, I feel like God is trying to get us to focus in a different direction again. Trying to help us focus on helping the members in their work. That is what we have been pondering over and trying to figure out again now. Not too much else happened this week. Yesterday we met a guy outside with his family and he shared with us a lot of his beliefs. He is a Christian and has a lot of interesting perspectives on a lot of different things, not particularly of any denomination. But he has studied with missionaries before and said we could come back. Normally, I would be worried he is trying to convert us, but he has a very open mind. He is into Philosophy and getting a masters in it right now. My worry in teaching him now is mostly just talking around in circles without the spirit. He has had spiritual experiences in the past and we just need to help him remember them and feel the spirit again. He is looking at things from too logical of a perspective. He places his authority in reason. We hope to be instruments in helping him and his family feel the spirit again.
love,
Elder Roberts

Up in Baker, Talk October 12th, 2015

Hello! I had the opportunity to give a talk yesterday in one of our wards on this past General Conference, which I recognized that I did not talk about at all last week. It was great and a spiritual feast as I have seen it to become more and more over my mission. And it is so sad that it will be my last. Time flies by so fast. I particularly liked, well most of the talks. But a few of the ones that I talked about were President Eyring's about the companionship of the Holy Ghost and What Lack I yet? by Elder Lawrence. My talk was largely based upon the Holy Ghost and the role that it plays in helping us to become more like Christ, in elevating our observance of the Sabbath day, and in the work of salvation. As those were a lot of the things that had stood out to me in conference. I ended up taking a long time, and unlike before my mission, I think I am now likely to go over on time due to the things I would like to say.
Damion just got out of the rehabilitation center and he will be having an interview with President Cannon this week about baptism. He is awesome and dedicated to following God. He just recently had some hard things happen for him though and it is tough. But he is still working toward it.
We also just had the opportunity to start teaching a lady named Cherie, her daughter Boston and her boyfriend Loren. They are super awesome. She has just recently gone less active but wants her daughter baptized and we shared the Restoration with them. Loren really liked it and said that it made a lot of sense. He said that as he knows it's true he will be baptized. They want the blessings of the gospel for their family. It is cool to see how open of a heart that he had hearing about the church and gospel for the first time. So many people have a lot of reservations and things that hold them back, and he has such an open heart it is awesome. I hope that this next week is a good one for all of you.
Sincerely,
Elder Roberts

Transfers! Back to LA Grande Zone September 28th, 2015

Hello Everybody!
It was transfers this last week and I am now in Baker City, which is about a half an hour away from Union and 2.5 hours away from Nampa. I am still serving as a zone leader, just over a different zone. My new companion is named Elder Knighton from Clinton, Utah. This is his last transfer and he was in my district back in the beginning on my mission. It is pretty crazy to be serving with him now. I learned so much in my previous area and with my 2 companions there, and with just everything, so it was pretty hard to leave. But continuing to look forward with an eye of faith. He is now going to be companions with my MTC companion Elder Hulet. So we had a few particularly cool things happen last week! We were finally able to get in contact with Danielle again. While on exchanges, Elder Halverson and Elder Goodsell went over and helped Danielle's mother in law move out. She had been creating a certain amount of tension in the home that was making it hard to be able to see her and teach her. They made awesome contact and helped her move into her new place. We were then able to see Danielle the next day. I was able to get a picture with her and her son and their emails. We found out where she is in her spiritual progression.
The 36th ward is now getting pretty active in missionary work. The ward mission is essentially creating a mini mission in which the ward missionaries will be assigned to specific areas of the ward and the members and sometimes the investigators. We want to make sure the right investigators are with the right people, but the work there is about to take off. It is super awesome and I am excited to hear back more from what is happening there.
Things are a whole lot slower pace up here on p-day's, just because there are so many less people up here. It has a calmer more peaceful feeling. Here is a picture and I will let you all know more as I know more.
This is me and Elder Knighton at the Baker transfer spot. I remember all the previous times I had been there. It will be funny how close I am to Union.
I love you all, talk to you later!
Elder Roberts