Best church attendance excuse "It's too muddy"

It's been a rainy week and it's been lots of work. We were able to teach the nurses 2 more times this week and they have continued to read the Book of Mormon. They have told us though their concern is the ripple that would come from them joining the church, their family is all very catholic. We will bring some cool members to work with us this week that can help them with that. 

Mud and more Mud

Just an example of some of the people we run into here. We were trying to talk to this older lady who was just standing outside her house, and we asked if we could come in and teach, she waiting for a few awkward moments and then said, "it's too muddy".  Haha we don't know if she couldn't come up with anything better but we took the hint and just said bye. 

We are teaching some cool people but we are still really working hard to find new people, a lot of the people we are teaching right now are having a hard time coming to church, mostly just because they don't want to. Too many excuses. So we are always working hard to find. 

Elder Cooper wondering how to pass the mud

My awesome comp.

We also have this new investigator who drew this painting of El Nido, a town here in Palawan. 

In one of our areas this week these kids thought it would be fun to follow us around, the kids pretty soon picked up on what we were doing and tried to do it for us with their own twist on it. They would go up to a door before we got there and say "Tao po" (People), it's like the equivalent of knocking at a door, then all 3 kids would say, "Mormons" haha. It was so funny, then we would walk up and take over from there. But the kids here are actually really helpful in finding people the Elders used to teach, or they will warn us if there are crazy dogs at a house or just things like that haha. The kids are like 5ish and 6. But they love being our "helpers" 

This week we had a birthday dinner with President Mosquera, the district president, walked through ankle deep mud for days. and loved it all.  Thanks for all your love and support!

Elder Roberts 

Everything is SO GREEN

It's a good thing our eyes do the best with the color green. Things are very green here! Everyone in your emails have shown concern for the recent tyhpoons.  We are especially lucky here in Palawan, the typhoons come in from the other side and not this way so that really helps for sure.

We went up to Roxas this week for exchanges and a district coordination.  That's where we meet with the district president, like the stake president, and we report the status of each of the branches. And we had a zone meeting so things are very busy.  In Roxas, it is so muddy up there, but that makes it fun, it's lots of tracking up there and lots of good hard work. Here's a pic of us trying to take a shortcut. . . I don't think so.

We haven't had a ton of time to work in our area this week with how busy everything has been. In addition, to all the usual things, we have a Sister who just got Dengie Fever, the only Sister who is always with her can of bug spray. Oh Dear!   But we have a good hospital here so she will be fine after a few weeks. 

We were coming from a lesson with a less active and starting walking a way we usually don't walk. We decided to track at these nicer homes. We were able to get in and teach a younger couple, they are both nurses and really enjoyed our message. They are married as well!! That's something we often struggle with peoples marriage papers or something like that, birth certificates and stuff. But they invited us back, and we have a return appointment for dinner and to learn more about our message! We are very excited for them and hope they have read from the Book of Mormon. 

We went back to a man named Raymond this week, he lives very humbly and is shy about his bamboo home and was a little hesitant to let us in. But he let us now and we have taught his family 3 times. They are baptist but are really starting to understand and like the idea and importance of the Priesthood Authority and he has been reading in the Book of Mormon by himself, and to his son. It was a great feeling and he has such a good spirit to him! 

Cute little guy

We also were walking to a part member family when we saw these little kids carrying these huge bags of bananas, the boy was maybe 8 and the girl 11 or 12. We told them we would carry the bags but I really was surprised at how heavy they actually were! So we carried them down this mud hill and to their house where they would help their mom boil them and then sell them the next day. When we got their house to talk to the mom, we found out the moms parents are members in the mountains down south of where we live, way south, but they don't go to the branch down there because it's too far. But it was a good connection to talk to that mom and we will stop by there more often. 

The Book of Mormon is drawing people closer to Christ everyday, including me. I love the Book of Mormon, I love reading it, I love sharing it. I know it's true

Elder Roberts 

Holy Typhoon

We had a good typhoon come through this week. But luckily we could still travel back to Puerto. It just rained . . .  a lot.

I love seeing all the faithful saints across Palawan... The branch up there is doing really well now. It was just recently a group but is making great progress. People up there have had their religion for generations so it's hard for our church to really take root. We are getting there, slowly but surely. We met an old grandma while

we were there who just told us I know your church is true but I plan on going into the next life Catholic... It's a very religious place up there and it's also got lots of rice farmers.

I also got to work in the mainland this week. In Baclaran. That place is the like the city in Hercules, I think it was called the city of thieves? That's what it reminded me of. We were swimming through people going through the market, everyone is yelling and trying to sell you things. We had a great lesson later that night to a boarder from the province. Heavenly Father is always preparing people, it's rarely ever an accident to run into somebody. It was a very powerful lesson, I don't think he was expecting it to be so powerful but the message really hit him hard and he is very thankful for the Book for Mormon. 

The work in our area is going all right... We have lots of part members in our area and lots of less actives. We are working really hard to get people motivated to become active so that they can be sealed to their families. 

This was from our exchanges from up in Tatay... This is a newly formed branch ... It's really... Jungle there haha. It was an incredible time up there. We almost didn't come back yesterday due to the typhoon but we still made the 5 hour journey back over the mountains, but President was watching the weather for us and said we could go for it. It rained really hard but we made it back safely. The picture of the house looking thing is their chapel. The work is on fire up there! 

They just rented out an internet cafe yesterday to do family history and families are being found for baptism.


I love you all, Elder Roberts

All the Conference talks point to the Savior

What a great general conference! The spirit was so strong and I felt I was just in the same room as the Savior. 

All the talks truly pointed to the Savior and coming closer to Him.

I had the blessing of conducting a baptismal interview yesterday. A younger woman who was so humble and
truly had a broken heart and contrite spirit. She was so emotional and it was hard for me to not be as she
talked about looking forward so much to a "new life" with baptism. It was definetly a spiritual highlight for me to
see someone so excited to enter the waters of baptism. 

At the airport waiting for my companion to arrive a man approached me and we talked, we discussed our
living Prophet and I invited to come watch him speak, well he came and told us he thought it was.... Long,
that's what he said for us after he watched conference. I thought it was going to be something crazy amazing coming out of that but he just thought conference was long haha. Everyone is at different stages and Heavenly Father is aware of them all. 

We were able to get into the house of a part member family this week. The mom is a member but is  less
active because if she goes to church the dad get abusive. But we were able to get in and teach the dad
(who had an evil feeling to him) and had a very spiritual lesson about the restoration... HIs countenance
softened even if it just a little. We got a return appointment for next saturday. 

I love serving here and the members here are so strong in their faith. The Lord is progressing His work.

Elder Roberts

This guy is louder than he looks

Cute Little Turtle

I'm with Elder Cooper again!

Let's just start off with the weirdest thing I've ever seen.  This is a "horseshoe crab."

It's been a great week... Lots of tracting and looking for new people and working with the ones we have... 

We had a typhoon come through so it rained quite a bit... 

I had a weird feeling to carry an English Book of Mormon instead of a Tagalog one on Tuesday, which I never do. But I sat down on the Multicab (jeepney) and I was next to a woman who wasn't responding to me when I was speaking to her. Turns out because she couldn't understand me, she was Japanese. So we were able to talk in English then I was able to give her the English Book of Mormon I had... Who knows what will happen there... 

Stray kitty looks just liike Mittens

I'm going to really miss Elder Dela Cruz

Elder Dela Cruz is being transferred and I will miss him so much! He was really funny and we have really built up the area... Okay...... YOu are not going to believe it!!! My new companion is.... Elder Cooper!!!!!! He gets here on Wednesday.... Hahahahaha can you believe it?? I was so surprised. I can't wait!!!! IT will be so fun but the odds of that are just ridiculous... He was the Elder from Las Vegas and I flew over here to the Philippines with him and Elder Monson and we served together in the same apartment in Coron.

City of Roxas

Elder Schaeffer in the jungle

My spiritual experience this week was having less active family come to church yesterday... We have been trying so hard to know how to strengthen them and help them on their journey back to the church. We just couldn't figure out what was keeping them from coming to church. Turns out the mom was offended that her name was spelled wrong in the church records... Well the Branch President said he would fix that and the next day she and 4 of her kids came to church again with a nonmember cousin! The smallest things.... 

All the missionaries in Santa Monica First

I miss that nice fall weather back home, I can almost feel it through my sweat.  The work is moving forward, more and more branches are being created here in Palawan... More people are going to the Temple of the Lord. Puerto Princesa will soon be a stake... The church is true, NOW is the time to labor, NOW is the time to be found living the gospel. It's very exciting here (and really hard work)! 

Love you all,

Elder Roberts 

p.s. I can't wait to see conference!!! WE get to watch it this Wednesday!!!!