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Showing posts from October, 2017

Nearer my God to thee

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Ok its time for 100% honesty the last two weeks have by far been the most difficult time of my life! I can also see how they are for my benefit! Someone told me my future children are watching me right now and that made me think about how these struggles aren't just making me a better missionary but a better future father and husband! I'm going to split up the stories from this week again.   1. Patotoo (T estimony)  : A story about me bearing my testimony 2. Lumalakad (G oing) : How I travel 3. Pagkain (Food): The food here 4. Mga bagay maliit ( Little things) : The story of going shopping last week Patotoo (T estimony) OK so me and my comp are teaching a lesson to an investigator who we will just call Sister Investigator.  So I can't speak alot of Tagalog because the language is so difficult! (I'll start telling you guys more about the language in another email).  Anywhooo so a lot of the lessons consist of my comp teaching and me bearing my testimo

Week 1 in the Field

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Ok so there is so much to email about so I decided to break it up into 5 different subject headings and will tell you what order you should read them for the sake of time. 1. Stand out: Just funny stories about how big (literally) of an oddity I am here 2. B-ball : This story is pretty funny 3. Number 2: This story is hilarious but do not read if you don't like potty talk or plan on dating me after I get back 4. Jungle hike : This story is mostly just crazy and pretty cool. 5. The people : Mostly telling of the faith and generosity of the people here. Stand out  OK as I expected I stand out a ton! What I didn't expect was the reactions of the people to how much I stand out. To explain this I'll tell you about one of the lessons I taught. Ok so me and my comp were teaching a lesson to this family of about 10 people and at the end I say do you have any questions?  (Yeah not my best move) Suddenly all the kids start yelling "Bakit puting ka?

Family Home evening lesson for Adam's family

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Tagalog Hymn: Kailangan Ko Kayo (I Need Thee Every Hour)   Tagalog Hymn: Ako ay Anak ng Diyos (I am a Child of God)   Fasting: Philippines Widow Alberto One in a Million, OIAM, The Friend (1:53)    

Mission home and into the field

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Pres Koster, Elder Roberts, and Sister Koster! Elder Roberts and his trainer Dinner in the mission home Training meeting and Greeny's with their trainers Elder Lumanog and Elder Roberts ready to serve

Dear to the heart of the shepherd

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​My time here in the Philippines has been the best, saddest, scariest, and most eye opening week in my life!  The poverty here is so real. I cannot express to you enough how truly without these people are.  I was proselyting in the slums of manila and holy cow basically imagine combining a city, a maze, a junk yard, and a tunnel all into one and that's where these people live.  As I was walking through the slums I could see so many faces so hopeless and many more looking for relief from their pain in all the wrong places. I was told the biggest problem in the Philippines was the amount of addiction. As I walked down the streets I could see just how true it was. I felt so much sorrow for the adults but the real sad thing was the children. literally everywhere I looked there were just so many kids that clearly had no future. Their cute little faces broke my heart I won't go into details but seeing the poverty of these children at the time didn't make me cry at the time

Made it alive!

I know you guys are all asleep back home but just emailing to say I love all you guys and that I'm doing well and I made it to the Manila MTC! love you all so much! will send an email with tooonss of pictures on Tuesday,  I believe! Ingat po! (take care)  Mahal kita! (The Tagalog word kita has many different meanings and pronunciations. In the phrase Mahal kita (I love you), mahal means “love” and kita means “I to you”. )   -Elder Roberts

SLC to LAX to Hong Kong to Manila-- WHEW!!

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Hong Kong Airport Manila MTC So leaving SLC airport at 730pm today and arriving in Manila on Friday.... WHEW

Actual last email in the States

So because I won't have a T hursday this week we are allowed to email today. I love you guys so much! I know that this church is true! A lot of Elders in my district keep jokingly saying "this is our last chance to leave because once we fly out its way more difficult". All this talk along with the culture lesson we got (talking about the food) really made me consider the choices I had made. It made me consider if I actually knew if this church was true. I've never said my testimony more in my entire life than in the last 6 weeks but suddenly I doubted everything I had said. One thing made me know that all I had said was true and what I am doing is right. It wasn't an angel or God descending to talk to me or a beautiful vision. Instead it was the memory of all the times I had seen the Lords hand in my life. My amazing loving parents, my amazing grandparents, my difficult but still loving siblings, my great friends, my supportive ward members and leaders, b

Last email in the states!

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Yes as the subject line suggests this is indeed my last email before I ship out to the MTC in the Philippines. I got my flight plans earlier this week and could not be more excited! but also pretty scared! Although these past 5 weeks I have been hard core studying Tagalog and repeatedly practicing preaching the gospel, the reality of me leaving didn't sink in till I got my flight plans. I didn't have time this week to take a video again so sorry! Not any pics this week but I promise you I'll make up for it with next weeks pics in the Pines. Mahal ko kayo! - Elder Roberts    

Look who Matt met at the temple today!!

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Hey everyone! Things are going so great here in the mtc. Elder Tune is no longer my companion as of yesterday because he got a Filipino companion who didn't come till now because he already knows Tagalog. Yeah so back to just me and Elder McQueen. Anyways things are going great! mahal ko kayo! Not much else to report.​​​​ I'll send you a video of me speaking Tagalog next week didn't have anytime this week to record anything. Elder Roberts​   Get a text from Matthew today. "Guess who I accidentally ran into on my run today." I think hummm who could he run into? Then I think . . .Oh My!! Maybe . .