November 18, 2013

I got your package!  With the beef jerky!  Thank you so much!!!!!!  It was all great... was.... its all gone now:)

But I have bad news, it's going to take a long time for packages or letters to get to me for awhile....

This week has been good.  I feel kinda bad because Elder Parsons, I think, was pretty sure he was going to leave but it turns out he is training again here and I'm leaving!!!!!!  It's crazy, I am going to Punta Arenas!!!!!!!!  I'm so excited, I can't wait.  I have heard only good things about it.  I fly down there Wednesday!  My new companion's name is Elder Sanchez, a native from chile! Guess I have to learn spanish now.

 

Mom, in your card you asked about bon o bons.  Yes I have had them... imagine eating heaven :) that's a bon o bon they are so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love them a ton.

We do a ton of contacting and we find a ton of people but usually we can't find them home or they aren't really interested when we go back.

That's crazy the bishopric is changing!  Bro. Glover will do awesome!  Glad everything is good in the ward and home.  That will be cool learning the piano!  I don't think I could learn to play an instrument, Ellie is going to learn them all it sounds like! :)

This week was good we found some new people, that will turn into something.  We had a super awesome lesson with A______ so I think he will start to come around again.

Not much else has happened this week I've been packing.  I just dropped one of my suitcases off.  It will be shipped down to Punta Arenas, so that will take 2 weeks to a month.  We talked to a lot of drunk people this week. ha-ha  We were contacting this house and a naked drunk opened the door, that was surprising.  We didn't stay for very long!  I'm excited today I'm going to a little town on the beach that has a big fort.  That should be fun. 

(FYI - As far as we know, Punta Arenas is the furthest south proselyting city in the world!  It is on the Strait of Magellan and is only about 800 miles from Antarctica)

November 11, 2013

This week has been good.  We taught a lot.  Saturday we had a family night set up with _______ and _______ (the young couple with 3 kids).  They are really cool.  The family night fell through and we weren´t able to teach them.  We just thought they had not really wanted to share with us anymore.  But we went over yesterday and found out it was ________ mom’s b-day so they weren´t home because of that.  So we talked with the wife for just a little bit and we were leaving and we just said we will stop by later. We started to say bye and leave but she just said, “Wait, when are you coming back?”  So I’m pretty sure they are really interested we just have to get them to church!  We taught a lot this week but didn´t find anybody too interested.  Yesterday a menos activa came to church we have been working with since I got here!!!!!!!! I was happy.  The guy we helped with his field, we haven´t talked to him since then.  We are going to try again this week.

Sunday is elections so that should be interesting; I’ve heard it gets pretty crazy.  It’s hilarious how many posters and stuff there is for all the candidates.  It’s people running for office :) every couple of feet on the streets and sidewalks and everywhere!  Something I forgot to tell you the past couple of weeks is that in Chile people just throw their trash everywhere.  And so the city has a company thing and they just go around picking up all the trash.  They have been on strike for the past 3 weeks so I’m pretty sure there is more garbage then ground ha-ha gross!!!!!!

Spanish is good, I’m learning.  I can speak ok and it just depends on the person how well I can understand.  Chileans pretty much have their own language; they have their own slang words for just about everything so understanding is really hard.

I don´t really know what I want for Christmas ha-ha, maybe American food!:) like super buttery popcorn :)

I hate the Rams (they beat the Colts on Sunday).

The Philippines sounds crazy!!!!! Did you know Nathan Watson.  That’s where he is!

The weather was really nice but the past couple of days have been super stormy!  I’m bummed :) I like the sun.

Ok, now funny/cool story.  About a month ago I left my umbrella in a collectivo.  Collectivos are how we get around, they´re a mix between buses and taxis.  When you leave stuff in them it’s gone forever!  Elder Parsons left our phone in one when I first got here ha-ha.  So we were walking back from a doctor’s appointment when a collectivo pulled over and waved us down.  We were kinda creeped out ‘cause that doesn´t happen.  So we walked over and he was like, “Hey, I’ve been looking for you.  Did one of you leave this in here a while ago?” ha-ha  It was my umbrella.  He has been carrying it around looking for us!  How awesome is that!!!!! :)  I’m still laughing about that!  This week has been really good.  This is my last week of training.  I can´t believe how long I’ve been here already!  I’m really excited if I stay here for another cambio (transfer).  I’m pretty sure I’m going to have some baptisms! Thanks for everything and keep doing what you’re all doing!  I don´t have time to write Dallin or Ellie so tell them sorry.

Love you tons!!!!!!!!!!!

Élder Robertson

November 4, 2013

This week has been awesome!  We taught 30 lessons!  We count investigators as anyone who wants us to come back.  I've been talking about progressing investigators.  They are people with a baptism date and who are keeping commitments and stuff.  This week has been busy.  We had a specialized training all about stress so I got to hear from the mission president, it was good. 

I did an intercambio (exchange) with the zone leaders, that was really fun.  I also did another one with the other elders in the district on Saturday.  But I ended up getting a migraine so that ended fast.  It was a pretty bad one too!  I couldn't see and my arm and mouth went numb.  I have the weirdest migraines, ha-ha, oh well it went away I'm all better now.

We are going to try really hard this week to have a baptism at the end of this month so I'm excited for that.  It has been so hot!!!!!!!!! it's crazy.  Today or next p-day I think we are going out to this small town on the coast so I'll take lots of pics.  I bought spider spray and I took extra money out just because it costs to do it, I wanted to make it worth it.  I sprayed a lot and I haven't seen any spiders.  Except one we have as a pet, ha-ha, it's between our sink and oven.

I can't believe I have two weeks and my training will be over and I'll probably have a new companion!  It's weird, I'm pretty sure I just got here yesterday.  Spanish is coming along alright I guess.  My Chilean isn't though :)  This has been a super busy week so i don't have a ton to write.  It's been work work work!  For christmas I want to buy a couple of study manuals from store.lds so if you could make sure there is a little money on my card that would be cool. Not really sure what to ask for, you could send me some short ankle socks, I miss those!  What did you guys ask for for christmas?

Glad your work is going good mom!  How is teaching going, dad?  Thanks for the updates on football, now I'm almost positive the Colts are going to win the super bowl!  Sorry dad, there is always next year for your Broncos.  Well, things are good here thanks for all you do.

October 28, 2013

This week has been great!  Something I forgot to put last week was that I’ve given a couple blessings!  It’s really cool, I love it so much.  It was really a neat experience!  We did even better this week then last week.  But it’s still frustrating, we don´t have investigators!  But we are teaching a lot so that’s good.  We have so many citas with people but they usually fall through.  We do have a couple that we teach, they are really cool and I’m positive they are going to get baptized they just need understanding and time!  The husband works everyday so we can only teach him Saturdays.  They are 22 and have 3 kids!  So super young but really good parents just trying to figure the world out still.  They read the book of Mormon everyday it’s just hard for them and they don´t understand it.  Good thing we have the truth and we have the spirit!  I don´t know how you´d teach someone sin el espiritu (without the spirit).

This week should be fun; I’m doing two intercombios (working with a different missionary) on Tuesday and Saturday. I’m excited they are really fun.  Yesterday was funny, we had a meeting with a ward leader but at those meetings he just messes around and doesn´t get anything done so we just figured we could be late.  So we went contacting on a street and got swarmed by 5 or 6 dogs, ha-ha, it was funny.  We went to the meeting, I took it as a sign.

I didn´t feel the earthquake, still waiting! ha-ha Thanks for the updates I love hearing about football! 

The package thing doesn´t matter a ton, it’s expensive.  Some elders get a lot others don´t get any.  You can send stuff whenever you want but don´t feel obligated.  That’s a word right?  You don´t have to though.  Things of the world are awesome and really nice but don´t matter. 

Funny story; I need money to buy spider spray.  Earlier this week we were getting ready to go chop wood and it was pretty early so it was chilly.  I was wearing my shorts and I had my Utah State sweater on and, just to be safe, I threw on another jacket.  So we were ready to leave and we were by the door ready to pray and I kept feeling something on the back of my leg.  I just thought it was my shorts but I looked down anyway..... ha-ha  It was the biggest spider I’ve seen in Chile so far!  It was about the size of a 50 cent piece!!!!!  Then I realized the giant web all over my jacket.  During the night it had made a web all over my jacket and when I put it on it crawled all the way down me!!!! ha-ha I’m proud to say I did not scream like a little girl :), I waited patiently for it to crawl off and elder parsons brought it outside (he did let me kill it). I’m pretty sure I had a heart attack and a stroke and all of the other major trauma to my brain and heart that’s is known to man.  That was scary, so I’m going to buy spider spray and spray our house!

It’s a bummer grandma is so sick. I’m glad she is doing better though.  I’m excited to send you pics!  I hope I get the SD card reader soon.  Just put pictures of Mary and baby Jesus on the package, I’ve heard people won´t steal it if you do that.

Me and elder parsons get along great.  We work really well together.  We’re good about talking about stuff and not keeping it in.  My training will be finished November 16, I think, and the next combio is November 30 so he should leave and go to a new sector and I’ll get a new companion but you never really know it’s all different.

Last p-day was really cool, we went down to the river and saw sea lions and walked through this huge open market with fish and all sorts of things it was really cool!  To email, there are a couple internet places we go to, it is super cheap.  It’s about a dollar and a half for the hour I’m on.  It’s really weird, I have no idea where October went!  It’s crazy.

October 21, 2013

Super glad everything is going good!  I liked your pictures from the ward Halloween party.  The colts are probably going to win the Superbowl, I think!  ha-ha.  How is Andrew Luck playing?

I still might get the package but who knows!  It might slip through.  It's weird not seeing planes all the time in the sky.  I could probably count on one hand all the planes I've seen, its weird.  I'm glad everything is going super great!  Everybody sounds happy.  I was worried about grandma but it sounds like that went good.

I like Alma 37 a ton!  I also really like 1 Nephi 18, we use it a lot.  And I like 3 Nephi and 2 Nephi 31...  I just like the whole Book of Mormon!  It contains the fullness of the gospel like 20 times. ha-ha

It's weird being a missionary because people think I'm a lot more than what I am.  People have asked us to interpret dreams and stuff.  Not sure what to do there, I just tell them to read the scriptures and pray for guidance.

This week was great!  We taught a ton of lessons and found some new investigators.  It rained one day this week but, other than that, it's been super, super sunny and hot.  One family we are teaching is really awesome they are around 22 years old and have 3 kids!  They are super awesome and receptive so I'm excited to teach them.  We have found a few other people but haven't had the opportunity to teach them for a while.  

It's funny we haven`t taught _______ for a couple weeks.  Our last lesson was the super awesome one I told you about that he got super close to baptism.  I'm pretty sure we scared the heck out of him.  He talks to us all the time but he is always busy when we go to teach him.

There is a lady in the ward who is super awesome but her husband isn't a member and he kind of hates Mormons.  We have been helping him mow and rake his field so he is way more friendly.  It was awesome because he kept asking me if i had ever lived on a farm or if I worked out in fields and stuff before because I was trying to work super hard.  He didn't really believe me that I haven`t.  Thanks for teaching me to work hard!  It helps a ton.  Thanks for everything you and mom are awesome and I love you tons!!!! 

Elder Robertson

p.s. GO COLTS!!!!! ha-ha and tell everyone in the ward I said hi and to be obedient! Obedience helps just a little bit! :)

October 14, 2013

This week was good; we had 6 lessons on Tuesday. Everything else the rest of the week fell through, that was a bummer.  Lucas moved so we don`t have anyone committed to baptism again.  I’m bummed about Lucas but we found some more people to teach so I hope that works out.  Things have been pretty good around here. I hope grandma’s surgery is good.  I think she is in surgery as I’m writing this so I hope that’s ok.

No package yet, hopefully tomorrow.  That’s when our zone gets together so I’m hoping the ZLs (Zone Leaders) have it.  The mail is pretty good here it will just take time to get to me.  It really warmed up this week; it was really hot the past 2 days. 

For Christmas I can Skype.  So what I was thinking is have you and dad set everything up like my account and all that and just send me the login and password.  Then when it gets closer we can set up a time and then if that doesn`t work for some reason I’ll just call.  It’s not too expensive. 

The thing I have found out about less active members is they usually have 1 problem holding them back.  If you solve that, with lots of love, they`ll come back.  And then you just have the super angry people.  They are harder :)

My stomach is off and on I think it’s just certain foods that do it.  Glad nana is doing well.  Everybody is having surgery.  I got the pics, I’m glad she is ok! I think it will be at least another week before I send my card we found this dirt road that’s super, super pretty that goes way far out.  We found some super, super huge houses.  We want to go hike out there ‘cause its super pretty.  We were going to today but its super cloudy and a little rainy we didn`t want it to get worse and then we're stuck miles out in the wilderness.

That’s crazy the priest’s quorum is so big!  ha-ha  You should definitely focus on preach my gospel.  Get all the priests super familiar with it and how to use it.  That will help make them awesome missionaries.  Football sounds awesome!!!!!! I’m glad Utah teams are doing good this year!  Utah actually won a game that mattered!!!!  That is so cool!  I hope the colts do good this year they need it!

I can get anything in packages but fruit, vegetables and meat. So no raisins, nuts, or beef jerky or anything :( ha-ha oh well.  I can`t think of anything I need but if I think of anything I will let you know!  Actually I thought of something... graham crackers!!!  ha-ha those sounds good right now. 

Thanks for everything.

October 7, 2013

Conference was awesome!  All the gringo elders got to watch it in English!  It was so good!  I learned so much.  All the talks were awesome but I really loved Elder Holland’s and my favorite was Monson's talk Sunday morning.  I think the package will take a little bit to get out to me from Osorno but I’m hoping Wednesday because that’s when cambios (companionship changes) happen so there will be elders coming from Osorno.  I’ve heard the mail is really reliable.  I did get some letters from some people in the ward and that was really cool not sure who sent them all because it was from different people.  But it was really nice I liked it! 

Here a few people have cars but most people walk everywhere they can. It’s a bummer the weather is getting crappy!  It had been getting so nice!  There have already been a couple days I’ve worn just a short sleeve shirt!  It’s awesome!!  I got super sick Sunday but it went away when conference started. The food is all really good but some of it doesn`t like me very much.  I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say I’m not going to get fat here! :)

I hope grandma’s and nana’s surgeries go well!  Make sure they get blessings.  I hope they can help Aunt Carla too.  I hope it’s not too serious.  Make sure she gets a blessing also.  Things have been good here. I’m going to take a bunch of pictures today and then send my SD card home.

Chile is beautiful!  This week we hiked way out into the country side to where some super super super rich people live and it was awesome.  It’s all rivers and streams and beautiful swamps, it’s so green! Elections are coming up so there are signs everywhere for politicians and stuff!

Teaching has been good we have been doing a lot more contacting and that’s helped a lot. We taught a young couple that was really nice.  Familia ______, I’ve told you about them, they have a 10 year-old boy that lives with them that we committed to baptism at the end of this month, that was cool! Fam. _______ is really starting to turn around it is so cool to watch!

Did you ever find my house on Google Earth?  If not, try adding “Fundadores” on the address, that’s my neighborhood.  So the address is something like Felix Garcia 965, Fundadores, Valdivia, Chile.  Lots of streets have the same names and stuff.  It’s really confusing but I’m starting to get a hang of the area!  I can`t believe I have been out for 6 weeks already, it’s flying by so fast!  6 more and I’m done with training!

Your prayer really helped, we found some new people to teach this week!!!! Thanks!  Our numbers are getting better every week, it’s been awesome.  I try to do a lot but I can`t really so I have to rely on Elder Parsons sometimes!  Ha-ha I’m at a point that my head is so confused with Spanish and English that sometimes I can`t think of words in either!

Chile is awesome and I love it here so much, I can`t believe how fast time is moving!!!!  Glad everything is going well, I pray for you all a lot.  You better all stay safe and healthy! :)  I pray about you guys a ton!