Please don't give birth while we're here. . .

This week has been great!! Sorry I haven't been giving good weekly emails recently. Weird things come up. I have had some great experiences over these past few weeks regarding the priesthood. The first one was with a little baby who had a really bad fever. The parents were those 2 younger people that I took the picture with. I think I sent that a little while back. But their son was really sick and we gave him a blessing. The next day he was great!!  Their family was able to make it to church where they had a great experience there! Because I'm in a different area now I won't get to hear updates on them but I look forward to hopefully seeing them get baptized. Another experience was with an investigator in the international ward. He has been struggling with smoking but after we gave him the blessing he said his desire for it is gone. He has been working on stopping for almost a year now, but now he is doing great! So last week we were talking to this guy on the street and he was holding his little grandson in his arms. When we were done talking to him he wanted me to lick my finger and wipe it on the babies foot. That wasn't something I was super excited to do but my companion said it's a weird superstition thing and that I should it. So I did. I asked if that was something that was common he said it just depends on where you are from in the Philippines. We have been really working on getting our investigators to church. It's been a focus for the whole mission actually. To get people coming to church! After being in the office until around 4 or 5:00 pm,  Elder Monson and I get to work in the evenings which is kinda primetime for working/tracting so that's okay! Last night we followed up with this drunk man that invited us back to his house and we had a great lesson at his house! He is a professional gambler so that should be interesting but he wants us to come back and is looking forward to coming to church with some of his friends! His name is Banjo, we look forward to working with him and his wife is also very nice. They have a 12 year old son and a 9 year old daughter.  We are teaching quite a few people but are trying to   filter our teaching pool to people who will be willing to come to church and keep commitments. But we are finding them and it's amazing to see. Driving is still weird but it's okay now. Here’s my MTC buddy and I’m proudly clinging onto my gray van.  It’s surprisingly feeling second nature to me now. Being chauffer is kind of fun I'm going to love working in this ward they really are starting to get excited about missionary work. They all are watching out for each other and if people don't come to church they will stop by and stuff like that.  I looooooooove the package!!! Oh man Cliff bars were genius! That's perfect because we don't have really any time to sit down for a meal or to even make one so that is super amazing!! Yes, I'm slowly getting the hang of things here in the office, coding, technology, preparing slides, helping with transfers, taking people to the airport, picking up missionaries from the MTC, setting up things at the chapel, kind of everything.   Elder Pickford is now gone home from his mission back to Australia. He will be missed. Elder Monson is seriously one of my best friends, it is so fun to work with him and we are super similar. Oh man...The mission is really really flying by now. I'm scared it's going too fast. I love my mission right now things are just great! Turns out Dane got baptized!! I don't know if you remember him from Coron but when we talked to him he just quit smoking and now is baptized!! He is so cool. We are teaching a lady that is due this week so Elder Monson and I get scared to visit her because we know she will have the baby if we are teaching her, we don't want that to happen while teaching her!!  She’s seriously just going to pop.  She's anxious to come to church but it will for sure be AFTER the baby.  haha Thanks for all your prayers and for everything that you do.... I listen to my Ipod filled with Mo Tab alllll day!!! And in the car and before bed, the whole apartment is so grateful!!!  I love you all and I can feel your prayers, Elder Roberts

There is no "right of way" haha

Hello everyone! 

You asked if I eat much fish now that I don't have a native companion.  No, i don't eat much fish any more. Lots of chicken, lots of vegatable dishes and of course rice. Here they have lots of little places to eat and stuff like that, like just in neighborhoods. Super yummy. Yeah Elder Pickford is awesome. He lives below Sydney in a rural place. He is so cool. He is 24 so is way older than me but we have a really good time together. Yeah we are also all in the same apartment.

Elder Pickford

Cockroach relaxing on his back

No, I wasn't hungry at the MTC at all. I ate a ton haha. Yeah driving here is absolutely crazy!! I actually love it though it's super fun. You don't really stick to lanes and the rule of "right of way" doesn't apply here haha. No GPS,  just a big map book. haha We have already gotten lost. Everyday is an adventure. I get my "license" this Wednesday. The office is kinda far away from the mission home. Maybe 40 minutes? I got super sick yesterday. Food poisoning. It was miserable to be honest. We were out Proselyting and I just started throwing up in the drain/gutter. Then I didn't stop throwing up until really early this morning. I'm good now just tired. I ate lots of green beens that I think had pesticides. But I'm good now.

Ponderizing

We did a church tour today with 2 Chinese people who came in.  They are on vacation.  They were super receptive!  It was a really cool experience.  China is going to be the place to be when it opens up.  Today's email is a bit short because we can go anywhere in the mission in the van for P-days, and we are planning an outing. We had a cool experience yesterday, though.  We were talking to a couple of people who were not really interested and right as we finished with them, someone walked up to us.  He told us he was a member.  He was in his 20's and wanted us to give a blessing to his wife because she is pregnant right now.  He has been less active for a couple years it sounds like.  He said he's been waiting for missionaries to come by again.  We gave her a blessing and shared a little bit with their family.  It's amazing how the Lord works.  I'm so grateful that our Heavenly Father is over this work.
(Recently Luke and his companion Elder Monson were mentioned in the weekly email that the mission President sends out to all the missionaries in the whole mission, I highlighted that below)
"I want you to know that our office elders are trying their best at this as well. Even though they are handling mission business all day for 5 days of the week (plus many other times), they are opening their mouths and sharing the gospel. Recently some of the elders went to the Philippines Area Office to take care of some business. Because of their goal to talk to everyone, they even talked to some one who was waiting in the lobby. Surprisingly, he was not a member of the Church, AND, he lives in their area AND agreed to receive the missionary lessons! I invite you to begin now to reach the mission standard of 190 contacts per week (except in some remote areas of Palawan that have slightly lower goals)."
I love you all, thanks for your love and prayers, I can feel them,

Elder Roberts

Busy Busy in the Office

Yo Yo YO Everyone. This is your busy son Elder Roberts. You asked about the van, actually I'll drive the van everyday!! To the office, to run errands, to pick people up, post office, etc.  And we drive to our area as well. Right now we are in a 3some. With Elder Pickford and Elder Monson. 

She wanted a pic with us, because I interviewed her for baptism. She is so awesome!

Elder Pickford is the Australian. He is training me in the office. So pretty much my job is really hard to explain. But I do lots and lots and lots of things. We often don't have time to eat. And yes sleep is scarce. So President will send me emails or Sister Ostler with things they need done. My job is kinda the glue of office. But yeah I also replace phones, make slides for Missionary leadership meetings, update Presidents transfer board, I send refferals to the right areas and to other missions. I just do a million things everyday. It's stressful but I love it, it's a great opportunity. Oh man, Elder Monson is the best it's so fun being with him. We are super good friends, we are just so similar.  On transfer days,  we will be waking up at around 4:00am  on those days. The time around transfers are nuts for us!!!!  Yes, so I do also pick up new missionaries at the MTC and drop departing missionaries off at the airport. I arrange their hotels and who their companions will be with. It's nuts. 

 So you heard Elder Bednar while in St. George?  Wow, looks like you picked the right ward to visit. Dang you are so lucky! How cool is that? Next week my email will be longer I promise!! It was a great week. I have lots to learn here in the office. I love the new area! I'm still here in Makati, so lots of my mission will have been spent here in Makati. Good thing I love it here! Lots of miracles this week, real miracles. Regarding the priesthood. I know the church is true. I will right more next time. 

This is a super cool family I just started to work with before I got transfered.... I never got to say goodbye... I really love them. Very young couple with a kid. and the girl on the far right is Alma a recent convert :) 

Me, Monson, Pickford and the AP's

So my ward is Makati 2.  I was in Makati 3, but now I'm in Makati 2. There are 6 missionaries for the ward. The 2 sisters used to be in my district so I know them super well haha. I love them. The other Elders are the Assistants to the President. The others are auxillary leaders.

It was a great first sunday! I will love the ward. It will be a great 5 transfers haha! I should really know the ward well haha. 

LOVE YOU ALL,

Elder Roberts

Where am I for the next 5 transfers?

Hello, small group email this week!! Sorry. I got called in to be an office elder.  So I'm being trained here. I will be driving a van everywhere!  I'm not sure how it's going to be here.  It was a really big surprise to be put here.  I am in charge of technology here in the office.  I work with the President for the transfers as well.  He gives me tasks and then I do them.  I'm surprised.  But President interviewed me and told me he is bringing his best baptizing missionairies into the office on the advice of the area presidency.  I've mixed feelings but I will go with it.  Wish me luck.  I will be in a different ward at transfer time (two weeks). For now I'm still working in my area at night but am here at the office training in the day. John Loyd and Jasper will be baptized next week on the 20th!! I really can't wait. It's been a blessing to teach them and I love them so much. Fred will be in March and so I won't be there for that. Bummer. But I love him and am proud of him too.

Giving a lesson :)

Turns out Dexter got baptized!! (one of my favorite teenagers in Coron). I saw that today while I was in the office! Haha I can't believe he finally made it... I'm so happy for him! My new companion will be Elder Monson. Bishops nephew. I really can't believe that. I always knew we would be companions at some point so I'm  excited for that.

Ran into this guy Bro. Bradley at church from Connecticut.  He's in my Uncle Chris's ward!  Small world!

Also turns out I will be in the office for about 5 transfers... That's a long time. But it will be a good time. It's not what I would have ever guessed but I will love it anyway and do my best! But I'm excited for my calling.  President Ostler said he felt really inspired to put me here.  So I don't know what this will be like but I will go for it.  We still get to teach and have an area and stuff. But we have to finish all the stuff in the office first. So we often get out around 4:30-5. But 4 is the goal. We got to go bowling for district activity which was great!

Love Elder Roberts

   

I have a good line up for Grandpa Hicks haha

This week has been great! We had a service project at a members house this week. She is 96. She is also the piano player for the ward. She never married but the ward has adopted her as family. We went over to her house with our ward mission leader to visit her. She is like grandpa Hicks for sure. She fed us  and told us stories. She told us that Makati used be a swamp area. Her name is Molina. We love her. She is still so good at the piano! So we visited her to see how things are going and also helped fix her house. She lives alone and she was so grateful we came to say hi. Things are still rolling along here in the work.

The sunsets are gorgeous here!

   We are finding lots of people to teach but it's hard to find people that will progress. But they are out there. We have been working with John Lloyd and Jasper. Two brothers we have been teaching. Their parents don't live anywhere near and so they are kinda on their own. They have been reading the Book of Mormon and love the story about Nephi and they love the Book for it's adventures. They also love the way they feel when they read. Jasper is 18 and John Lloyd is 14. They will be great future missionaries! It's so fun to teach people that enjoy the gospel. 

So funny expressions I am able to say are like, buhay pa rin... if somebody asks how you are doing and you say that, it kinda means, still alive. But it's just so funny to hear from the mouth of a forienger. hmmm what else. Halika kain tayo. Come, lets eat... haha it's another funny one. There are soo many. oh ya another. If you trip you can say, parehos kaliwa ang paa ko, meaning, oh dang I have two left feet. 

      Yeah so in that pic last week, I was in the other room and I heard my companion wake up because everything fell off his face haha. He laughed, he thought it was so funny. He is so great. 

Spencer is famous in the apartment... his pictures of him at the Hawaii temple are so cute that everyone just wants to stare at his cute smile haha. 

   Amy is doing well. But her parents told her she is not allowed to join our church... but she is an adult... so that's awkward. The zone leaders area is so different from mine.  Last week I went on splitz with them and holy cow.  Their area has 69,000 people living in it and it's about the size of skyline high school (soccer field too). People are just on top of each other... It's truly indescribable. For district activity today... I'm taking all the Sisters Bowling haha. Good idea huh? I can't wait. That will be later today. 

Love Elder Roberts