2013.12.29 email

What an awesome week!

Some of the highlights: Had a last meeting with an investigator. Prepared guy, let me tell you. He's moving to Seoul, but we've been meeting for 4 weeks, and he's accepted the message of the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ really well. And when it came up that he's moving, He asked Us to introduce him to the missionaries up there. There's a new light in his eyes each time we met. He reads and prays so well, and he told us he felt something different when he prayed with us for the last time. He's so ready to receive the Gospel, we're going to be following up a lot as he keeps meeting in Seoul. His family is still down here, so he plans to visit a lot. Such a great person, we'll both miss him a ton.

Also, there's a program here to help with member missionary work. First off, we always pray for members. We pray for them, and they pray for our investigators. We've so many miracles like the investigator who disappeared for two months and came back. Now we're praying for them. And specifically, we pray with a ward list next to us, and we pray to know who has someone near them that is being prepared to receive the Gospel. If a name comes, talk to them. If not, don't worry. But when we talk, simply share the experience, acknowledge they probably don't know who it is either, but ask them to pray to know who, and how they can invite. So far, we've had two names come to mind. First time, the member brought a friend to church, even before we had a chance to talk to him. Then this week, the name of a less active came to mind. We went to visit last night, and before we could mention it, he said he knew someone for us to visit. Needless to say, we were surprised both times, but it was pretty amazing.

We had a good Christmas, and I've been able to learn a lot recently. One thing about having a district to look after. Makes you think a LOT. This week, my thoughts are on Ammon and Aaron, and some differences in their experiences. Alma 17-21ish if you're interested. Ammon became a servant, and sought for them to become his friends and "brethren" (Alma 17:30). Aaron and some of the others were more simply "contending about the word" (Alma 21:11). At least at first. It changed after they met up with Ammon again. Results changed too.

Last week, the impression that came was that what we teach doesn't help them nearly as much as what they learn on their own. Our goal should always be to help them learn for themselves. Especially through the scriptures.

This week, the impression is that in order to help them do that, we must first be their friends, their brethren. We must love them and want their happiness. That should be more important to us that simply teaching material. Big lesson that I wanted to remember. And it's something we always need a refresher on sometimes.

The feeling is just so weird sometimes. Having ideas of things I need to consider and study, extending beyond myself. As a result, it helps me a lot more than anything else. But I've really come to learn how sacred that time is in District Meeting. It's a time where we can receive revelation. And preparing for it, I've felt that revelation come a number of times. Sometimes through external sources. This morning, I read it in the Book of Mormon, President Shin even mentioned it in the Conference Call with the mission this week. It all confirmed the things I was already thinking about. The spirit truly is a powerful thing.

But it's not just in missionary work. Every week our family has District Meeting. It just goes by the name of Family Home Evening. Every week we have an opportunity to create an environment to receive revelation. And in preparing for it, we can experience those same impressions. When I made that connection, it brought a lot of peace. Heaven knows, I'd miss this feeling if I couldn't have it anymore after my mission. But we all can. That's the beauty of the Gospel.

~~~~

It may not show, but that's been on my mind a lot lately. But in other news, life is good, I love the tie you guys sent me. Everything else is amazing too, but that was something I've been looking forward to. It's nice to look at in the morning. I hope you guys enjoyed the phone call as much as I did. I know it can be stress sometimes with such a short time, but I loved it.

I hope you are all doing well! I love you! Have an awesome week, and remember that God loves you! Happy new year!

~Elder Robarts

2013.12.22 email

New email place, and I'll say this: It has very nice chairs...

Now that that's out of the way... IT'S CHRISTMAS! (Almost)

I love this work. My head hasn't stopped spinning since I got here really. There's always a person to help, a new method to try. Recently, we've been thinking about what we have to do in order to help people come unto Christ. A thought that I've been thinking about a lot this week is follow up visits. I've said it before. This is Korea, and people are BUSY. We're lucky to meet them once a week. Daily contact isn't usually possible. Since there is no time, follow up visits are hard to manage, but we've been thinking about their importance. Lessons allow us to share testimony, but in all reality, these follow up visits are solely meant to Build Theirs. We've been trying ways to include those, including alternating lessons and follow ups each time we meet, and there seems to be a difference. People are making life changing decisions. It helps to give them time to share, without other expectations.

But I won't go super deep into it. That's just one of the focuses for our district recently.

Seriously though, it's Christmas! What a blessing it is to know that a Baby was born to save the world.  To be completely honest, it's hard for me to picture Christ as a baby. I've thought about that time, and I've thought about the time of the second coming, but the most distinct image I have of Him in my mind was during his mortal life. His example and sacrifice. His love for everyone who came to Him. The Atonement. It leaves such a strong impression that it's hard to comprehend that it all started in a manger. But it did. He is the Savior of the World, but He calls no glory to Himself. His desires were always for others.

And for two short years, I get to share it with everyone I meet. That's what I'm grateful for.

So, With Christmas, I suppose there are some things to mention. I'll try to call 10am on Christmas here. That's some time in the evening Christmas eve there. I can't remember what all is necessary for the conference call (might not work with the number I'm using), so I'm guessing I'll have to use separate calls. I'm looking forward to it though. It's been a while since I've heard your voices. Yep, it'll be short, but it'll be good. Let's try not to stress over it though. We know we won't be able to share everything. It's not really what it's meant for. (we can always write letters, right? ^^) It's just to get a chance to talk. A little soul to soul action. 

Needless to say, it'll be good. I love you guys. I've grown to love so many people and places here, but I'll always remember my home. I think about you almost as often as the people I'm working with here, and I pray for you with all my heart.

Coolest thing this week: Taught a woman on the train for two hours last week on the way to the Christmas party up in Daejeon. She used to go to church, but stopped going. We got to talking about her family, and we talked about the Plan of Salvation and the Restoration. She seemed genuinely interested in it, and said she would read the Book of Mormon. Here's the fun part. Turns out she lives in our area. So we said we'd love to talk again, and she said she might come to our ward christmas party. ^^ Keep your arms folded! (Mormon twist on keep your fingers crossed. Sorry, I'm losing my jokes...)

The Christmas party was good. Had a white elephant exchange. Got a santa puppet. Got to see some old friends and listen to amazing music. Good times. Anyway, almost out of time, so time for pictures. Do I even have any? I'll have to check. Love you!

~Elder Robarts

2013.12.15 email

love you guys. It's been a crazy week, but here are the highlights.

Our zone is reading the BoM in its entirety this transfer. We just finished Purification, a self examination of ourselves and letting go anything that takes away from the work. This transfer is filling in those holes with the spirit, especially through the Book of Mormon. Since starting, so many promptings have come of how we can use it. Making time to share things we learn. But even more, a way to use it on the street. Every morning I write scriptures that hit me. Then I choose one or two to share on the street. One thing I noticed. People are /really/ willing to listen when we ask if we can share something we learned. And that leads perfectly into a discussion of the Gospel. Lots of miracles there.

Also, an old investigator came to church this week! He's been a miracle since the day we met him. But after church, we talked with him, and he said he still wants to get baptized. He's spending the week thinking about when he feels he'll be ready. We know he is though. We're so excited for him.

There's so much more to share, but I'm out of time. Since I became DL, emailing president takes a little more time. Discussing needs in Korean takes a while... I love you guys though! I'll try to get back into writing hard letters, but I have no idea when. I'm hoping you'll forgive me. I look forward to hearing you next week! Have a great one! Love you!

~Elder Robarts

2013.12.08 email

Dear Home,

Sorry, not much time this week. First P-day of transfer, we had a service project, and between a couple other things, not much time left. Lot's of news for President too. So, I've got a little time left.

This week was awesome. I invested time in making some cups for teaching the restoration. (They're pretty nice, and they've already seen a lot of use.) I'll send pictures.

Also, that member of my district who was sick is completely better now, and we saw a couple miracles this week. I'm still in 풍향 (Wind) by the way. (Yep, and it sure gets windy sometimes. Not bad now though.^^) Forgot that transfer calls came after email. Not much changed. One sister finished her mission and is heading back to the states, so a new one transferred here, but other than that, no one moved. Not everyday you see that. ^^ But I love this place. The people we get to work with are incredible. And we're meeting a lot of new people recently. We're focusing on BoM and gratitude in teaching, and learning to recognize the blessing the Lord has given us. Should be good.^^

We're hoping that we'll be able to Baptize one person before Christmas, and right now there are two people in mind. One of them said he feels like the church is true, but says its hard to leave the church he's already attending and the people he knows there. The other is a man who has been seeking more faith for years. We met him when I first got here, he's golden really. Says he wants to be baptized, but doesn't always feel ready. He got busy with preparing for tests lately, and it was hard contacting him for a long time, but he suddenly texted us a couple weeks back. He finished his first test, and he wants to meet us again. Planning on this Wednesday. Keep them in you prayers! ^^

I love you all. I love the power of the Book of Mormon. I love the simpleness of the Gospel. I've had the chance to hear a lot of the beliefs of other churches here. Some mislead, some blatantly taking away from the savior, but every time I'm led back to my testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that Joseph Smith, it's translator, was and is God's Prophet. God lives.

I'm out of time, but you're in my prayers. Until next time!

~Elder Robarts

2013.12.01 email

Hello! Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. I'll be completely honest, I forget when it is sometimes. But it was great. I had a good quiet birthday this year, got to partake of the Sacrament. ^^ But it had a couple unplanned surprizes. A member of my district came down really sick. He's still not doing very well, so if you can keep him in your prayers, that would be amazing.

I wanted to mention though. The handwarmers are amazing. (To be completely honest, I guessed what they were. So... When we got a cold spell, I may have opened them early. Hoped you wouldn't mind.) I showed them to a member here and it turns out they sell them here too. At unexplainable places called 문구s. (One stop student shop. Office supplies, fun odds and ends, best places to explore.) Those ones aren't as good quality, but they're a good addition. The ones here have a about a 5 minute lifespan, so they're good flares to thaw out your hand so it still works right. (Not that it's gotten that cold yet.) Wouldn't have found them without the ones you sent, so thanks! I don't expect to have cold hands any time soon.

Other than that, we've been working hard to meet investigators. They're all super busy, so it's hard to find time, but they're doing great. Thank you so much for your prayers! That's been a big topic lately. The one place where missionaries and members can always be united is through prayer. Pray for them, and ask them to pray for your investigators. Such a big blessing, one I've seen a lot here.^^

I love you all. I don't say that enough. Lately we've been seeing so many little miracles, I know this work is true. I may beat myself down a lot because I don't feel enough sometimes, but I love this work. I've been recognizing the power of the small and simple things lately. Gratitude. Prayer. The Book of Mormon. How often do we think of the divine love of God, so powerful that He reaches out to us every moment, regardless of our choices? How often does He forgive, uplift, and sanctify us? I ask people on the street all the time if they've ever thought about God, or the purpose of our lives. I used to be surprized when they told me they hadn't. But it's easy to forget. He's our Father. Jesus Christ is His Son, and our Redeemer. He's shown us the way to return. I don't think we can thank Him enough for that.

It's Christmas season, thanksgiving season. I've been shocked by how many traditions I've been sharing out here. Turns out there were a lot. Thanks to mom for that. I didn't realize just how powerful they were until now. The tradion in mind today is our thankful chain. Thanksfiving to Christmas, writing down the things we're grateful for. Then reading them together. I liked to share Alma 26:8 as we talked about it. One sister we visited said that she'd been thinking about a way she could help her family be more thankful. She was really grateful that we shared it. Turns out the Lord is pretty knowing of the needs of His children.

Awesome week, despite some hardships. Out of time though. I love you guys! Have a great week!

~Elder Robarts

201.11.24 email

Dear Home,

Another week, and boy was a good one. So many miracles. First off, there was a Baptism yesterday that has to be mention. He met the missionaries months ago. Slowly progressed in the Gospel, but Baptism was always just out of reach. Then transfers came, he met missionaries a while, but disappeared soon afterward. Then, a couple weeks ago the other elders meet him suddenly on the street. He agrees to meet, but he's going to military- Tomorrow- and neither of them thought he'd be ready before then to be Baptized. Then we had Stake Conference, the missionary who originally taught him was there, and they were able to talk. Mission President had a two hour lesson with him too. Afterwards, he decided to pray if he should be Baptized. The next day he said he wanted to. So this last Sunday before he leaves he was Baptized and Confirmed. It was my first time giving a Baptismal interview since that short time as DL in the MTC. Completely different. The spirit was so strong. Going in, we were concerned if he might be really ready. He'd had doubts about if God really exists, but we could see the faith in him. I decided to fast the day before the interview, and we saw some cool miracles that day. (later...) But we talk, and it's clear he's ready. We talk a little about Holland's April Conference Talk, and he showed a lot of commitment to follow Christ, even though it will be hard during military service. A really cool experience. And it shows the Lord's timing so well. It never could have happened like this if the Lord hadn't helped. Align them to meet again in the street, talk together at Conference, and soften his heart so that he could receive this answer for himself.

So cool. We also got a text from a former investigator. He was golden. Started as a wrong number. Had interest, progressed, worked towards baptism, then suddenly disappeared. He says he feels terrible for not contacting us. He's been so worried and stressed about an exam he's preparing for his work. But the exam ends in two weeks and he wants to meet again. I think he's ready. Ever since I met him, he's seemed like someone has prepared us to teach. Praying for a miracle. ^^

Met an awesome Korean couple that lived in America and came to visit family. Going back this week, but they said they wanted to learn more about "Mormon." Little seeds. ^^ 

 

Also met with an investigator, loves members, just doesn't get the importance of a one true church. Yet this time he seemed to really take it seriously. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he opened up a lot. He asked him to pray about Baptism, and if he really needs it. He's doing great.

Other than that, lots of wind today. Yesterday too. Leaves EVERYWHERE. It's cool watching them from a window in our apartment. Clouds of leaves carving between buildings. I got a picture from the ground to send, but it doesn't do justice.

I love this work. The more you remember that the only way you find, teach, and Baptize is through the Lord's miracles, the more success you see. I love you guys. Miss you terribly. But I find peace in the power of this message.

Take care! Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for the package! 잘 먹겠습니다! ^^ Time goes so quickly here... I don't want this time to end. But that just makes us push harder. ^^ Have a great week!

 

~Elder Robarts

 

2013.11.17 email

Another good week ended on a high note. We had our Stake's Stake Conference this weekend, and it was amazing. Some really awesome talks about missionary work, and how we can see the Lord's influence in our lives through sharing that influence with others. Also, with so much more instruction from the Brethren on the importance of missionary work and going to the rescue, we've seen a huge change. The Youth is almost the most impressive to me. Almost all of them are willing to visit LA young men together. One of them calls a number of them every week. And they've invited a number of friends to activities here. The love of God is contagious, and it's spreading here. We're still trying to help transition these experiences to opportunities to teach and help them become converted, but the efforts here are moving forward.

We also had a meeting with the Mission and Stake Presidents to train us. Awesome men. The Stake President shared an experience of his youth, wanting to go to church, but having parents that were against it. He would pretend to go out to play soccer, then change and go to church. He decided he wanted to study at BYU so he could go to church, even though he'd been accepted into one of the greatest universities in Korea. The whole time, he prayed for his father's heart to be softened. His commitment to the church and his love for the youth is evident in everything he does. They're so important to him, and he has a fire about him that is incredible to see.

Lately, I've had a lot of experiences that have strengthened my testimony of the Gospel. Investigators who live without the truth of the Book of Mormon, seeking for answers that are so easily found in its pages, but blind to see them because they do not look. Other churches that teach of secrets and shadows, but reject the gift of revelation and a loving Father. This is the truth. God lives, He speaks, and He is a part of our lives. He'll guide our steps as soon as we reach out for His hand. We are blessed to have a living Prophet, and the Restored Priesthood on the earth, through which we can return to live with our Father in Heaven, together with our families. The answers are before us. All that is left is to trust him.

Truly, 2 years is to short a time to share this message.

I love you all. Before I wrap up, a few fun things. Had a funny experience today. So there are kind of bath house things here. 목욕탕. Usually, you go, and there are showers and hot pools and sauna type rooms. But it's full of a lot of naked guys usually. Today we found a really small one near our house, but there was no one there. So, just the two of us. A little weird, but it was relaxing. Been a couple months since I've been to one.

Found a new obsession with index cards with good scriptures that I hide in my Korean Bible I carry. Maybe pictures later, but one of them focused on cross references that connect the Bible to the BoM and restoration. (That one was fun. ^^) Analogies are fun to collect too. One new one recently compares our relationship to God with 정. So simple, but genius. Lots of people don't know much about God here, or how it's possible to have a relationship with Him, but everyone knows 정, and everyone knows how it's formed. With God, it's the same.

Started snowing a couple minutes ago. First snow here in 광주. Winter is on the way. ^^ 

When you can, read D&C 88. We're reading it as a mission for Purification, and it's Gold. You'll find some familiar scriptures, but there's some that are truly hidden treasures.

Outside of that.. I got the package! Halloween and Thanksgiving! The Halloween one was great, we used the decorations for our Halloween party. ^^ And I've started my thankful chain. Not much time, but I'll get it finished by Christmas. You guys are the best. Have a great week!

~Elder Robarts

2013.11.11 email

Okay, so it feels like it's been a long time since I've gotten in a decent email, and lately our time keeps feeling shorter and shorter, but here's some catch up.

So, we're working with someone just plain incredible. We met him on the street, and at first he seemed busy, but we started bearing testimony and he stopped. Since meeting with him, he's opened up more and more, even telling us that he wants the kind of life we live. It's hard for him to leave everything else he's known, especially since he's still going to another church with his wife and children, but he's diligently searching for answers. It's not every day you meet someone like him. People generally have their religion here and they don't change much. Either that or they're so used to other "Revelation" churches (Don't think there are as many in America. They make missionary work tiring sometimes.) that make people distrust what we teach. Lot's of those 'false prophets' like it talks about in the Bible. Luckily there's an easy way for people to find out, but some people aren't eager to try. It's always special when we find someone who will. ^^

We're also doing a 40day fast as a mission to help become more spiritually prepared missionaries. It's been going pretty good so far, today we're fasting. It's amazing how much you can find to improve about yourself if you take time to look. Even more amazing when you can look back and see how you've grown.

It's hard to think of what all's been happening really. Still getting used to new responsibilities, but I love this area. It's got so many veins of gold. Last week we got to do some service with an investigator for a member's family. Awesome family, and they bore an incredible testimony about living prophets. It's such a great feeling to serve. It's been harder and harder to get opportunities really. We've been asked to limit how much time we spend on it because sometimes it becomes hard to stop those projects, but these little one time things are the best.

I don't really know what to write. My mind buzzes with things to share, but it all leaks out before monday. One fun thing: There aren't really squirrels in Korea, but there /are/ cats, and recently I've noticed that they're about the same equivalent here. About the same places you'd see a squirrel, you'll see a cat here. Kind of funny... Also, more experiments with baking. Margarine is a wonderful thing. Butter is insanely expensive here, but margarine is managable sometimes.

I think my head might be slowing down. I can't think as fast as I used to. Or it could be just be juggling a lot more things. You can tell by the journals I've been keeping. Lot's of them, and each have been only scratching the surface. Lately I've been wanting to start one for investigators, and answers we've found to help with their concerns. Also included in that one is a Q&A about the Gospel. Common or difficult questions people ask, and some answers. Fun, but no time to keep it up.  I don't why time feels so short. I need to use it better. I love this gospel. I know it's true. It's hard to really describe how much it helps in life. It makes even the hard days meaningful. Few things can do that. Anyway, I've gotta go. Life goes on, and hopefully I'll have some more news a little later. ^^

~Elder Robarts

2013.11.03 email

I hate to say this, but I may only have 11 minutes to type this...

We tried email at a new place. Library, lots of computers, but it would appear there's an hour time limit. And I spent the first half fighting with a computer that kept freezing. Thankfully, I was finally able to get google chrome up and running. That hasn't let me down much.

Anyway, this week was a super cool miracle week! We met an investigator who is really interested in the Gospel. When we meet him, so often there's another friend of his, or someone who just walks by and asks if he can listen to the lesson. (That was awesome... That person became a new investigator. Doing well.)

This time it was a friend he had an appointment with after us. We talked with him, explained how our church is different, our investigator /taught/ about the Book of Mormon, it was awesome. I know he can accept this message. He struggles with personal revelation sometimes, logic always creates doubt for him. But he feels good about us and our message. To be honest, he's been looking to strengthen that faith of his. Any ideas? He's strongly reliant on the Bible. He knows that's true. So we've talked about how he came to know the Bible and helped him see how he can come to know the Book of Mormon the same way. We also shared some of the parts of the Bible that refer to the restoration and the Book of Mormon. He liked those a lot. I think he'll come to understand personal revelation more as we meet. We've talked about it a lot. And he seems to be opening up to it.

Outside of that, two other miracles. One, Halloween party, super big success. Members brought tons of friends, a lot of which sound like we'll get to see again at either English class or those member's homes. Simple activity, but really fun.

Then we did surprise service for a member who helped us with a lesson. Got to meet two volunteers that we might be able to meet again. Super awesome.

This work is true, I love you all to death, but the clock says one minute, so I don't want to take the chance. Love you!

Elder Robarts!

2013.10.27 email

Well, that was a crazy week. I found out a lot. I've got a lot to learn. District leader is hard.

Essentially, the city I'm serving in is on fire. There's more missionary excitement coursing through this place than I've seen during my whole mission. We hear about other wards that are dealing with lists of people that members have given to missionaries. Here, we're still repairing bonds with missionaries. We've made progress, but it's rocky, even now. The whole stake is pushing for more member missionary work, so there's a lot of pressure on everyone. As is, President Shin has pulled a TON of missionaries into this city. Not many other areas are expanding like this one. Wards that only had one set of elders now have 3, an entire new zone opened, and it's crazy just trying to stay above water. Now we've got zone leaders in my district too, so there's a lot going on. I've got to think a lot more about how we're going to be able to continue to help encouraging members and earning their trust.

My new companion actually was just serving with Elder 조규원, so he had a pretty short move. About ten feet. He's pretty new, but I'm not training anymore. Taking a transfer off while I figure out what this district leader thing is like. A little stressed. Not really feeling prepared for this. But I've had a thought come to me during personal study that's helped a lot. "Don't ever allow yourself to worry so much about being one of the best that you forget to be the Lord's." That's what I want. To be the Lord's. That will drive me to do whatever it takes.

So, we had a lot of miracles this week. Taught a lesson at a restaurant. One of the works came over and asked if he could listen. Turned into an investigator. Met another guy who studies the bible a lot, but has trouble finding a true church. Said he's looking. ^^ Also got to give service again, that was fun. Took pictures.

I wish I knew what I wanted to write. Truth be told, I've been kind of lost in the excitement of things. It's been hard to focus of think of other things. It's always on your toes here. But this week we've got zone conference, a halloween party, a couple other things. I'm expecting a short week.

Love you guys! I hope everyone is doing well. I know there are some major challenges happening there. Try to stay strong. I'm praying for you. Have a great week!

~Elder Robarts

2013.10.20 email

All sorts of craziness. Basically, transfer week and the whole mission got a sneak peak at what transfers are. We're doing a 40 day fast this upcoming transfer, so they sent out a list of when each companionship will do it... My comp was different. Not sure on what's going down, but there's a new zone opening, and lot's of stuff is happening. Our old zone leader moved into our are with another elder, and from the looks of it, I'll be serving with an elder who was already serving here. Basically, the senior comp from the other elders is going ZL (Zone Leader) with our old one who is moving into our area. I'm getting our district leaders old companion and going district leader here, and my comp is getting transfered out of Gwangju.

Kind of forgot what I was going to write about. Haven't even got transfer calls yet and we know where we are going. So yeah... About 99% sure I'm going DL this transfer. And my district is composed of some of the best missionaries in the mission. A little pressure? I feel small here. SUPER small. I feel so inexperienced. And that's /before/ this goes down. Please pray for this area. We're going to need it. The work is great here. I love the members. But I'm scared out of my mind. Not training this time though. That's new. I've almost forgotten what it's like. 

Can't think at all... Mind blown. Life is good though. Conference was good. My comp is amazing. I'll miss him. Now I've got to start thinking ahead. What's going to happen with this area. What do I have to learn?

...I know something happened this week. I honestly can't remember anything... Oh yeah, we had a halloween party. That was fun. Dressed up in traditional Korean clothes. It was a little hectic, but fun. We're working on a smaller ward party to do later at the beginning of next month.

I give up. I love you guys. I'll try to write more next week when my head is better wrapped around what on earth is going on here.

~Elder Robarts

2013.10.13 email

Alright, so the past two weeks have been insane.

We saw so many incredible miracles, and we learned so much. I talked about that one family a little bit, but one of the most incredible things about them isn't just what they do, it's the spirit that is with them. It's incredible... They're just so in tune with the spirit, so hard working and loving. I see it every time we meet them. Remember that man we met after visiting their house? Met him this week. He's a psychologist who already attends church, but has always wondered how he can know just which church is really the best for him. I think he's one of the favorites I've met in a while. He seems to understand the things we teach really well, and he's really willing. We've only met once, but he seems golden. Just went that much further to strengthen my testimony. When we meet together as saints, as members and missionaries, it invites the spirit so strongly. And then we go out and share, there's an additional light in us. People see it. This brother I mentioned said he was busy. Didn't think he'd have time to talk when we first approached him. But he stopped, and there was a curiousity in his eyes that isn't always there. The Gospel is true. The Lord is preparing His children.

 

Elder Jensen and I had a lot of time to talk this week too. We're pretty different. We've got drastically different personalities. He's thought of joining marines or becoming a spy. I dream of being a psychologist and counselor. He likes to keep emotions and personal business off the table, and I've learned that the best way to work as a missionary is when you've got that strong bond as a companionship and are able to share those things with each other. It's been a work in progress to be sure. And with a little bit of a rocky start, it was hard building that trust to work together, but we talked about a lot of it, and I think we're doing pretty good. And we have a lot of fun moments randomly on the street. (Found a cotton candy place together, so we'll get one for each other every now and then.) He's great, and I feel like we're teaching really well together now.

 

And then there was conference! Man, awesome week. How was it? Wasn't it awesome!? I downloaded it... Realized just how little time we've got. I got through 2 sessions before the broadcast here.  But it was awesome. I found a deeper love of the CG prayers. That's the one part I skipped when I listened, so it was pretty amazing to notice the spirit they invite in. There were a lot of talks that I loved. Uchtdorf's talk about why people join and leave the church was amazing, and I loved L Tom Perry's talk on the 13 articles of faith. Bednar was great, Eyrings talk that touched on the Good Samaritan was awesome... They were all amazing.

 

But more than individual talks, I noticed that might notes have been changing over the years. I use multiple colors now. Black for good points from the speaker, red for questions that come to my mind as I listen, blue for impressions or thoughts. Litttle by little, there's been more and more red and blue, less black. It's helped me get a lot out of it. I feel like I had a lot of questions this time. I have to keep reviewing, but I think they all got answered. Go with questions, everyone. God likes to give away freebie revelations during these if you're willing to look. But it's not just CG though. I've noticed that any time there's a meeting that opens and closes with prayer, it opens the door to a revelatory environment. Gathering with fellow saints merely strenghtens that.

 

Truly, I love missionary work. I've learned myself backward and forward and I'm still learning. I've seen miracles everytime I've took the time to look. And I've come to understand with a greater knowledge Just How Much God loves us. I've felt a love for people greater than my own. That's a hard feeling to express, but an easy one to feel. Serve.

 

Love you guys. Might be out of time.

 

Have a good week, read those talks again! Remember your impressions. Don't leave them sitting in a stack of notes. You guys are the greatest!

 

~Elder Robarts

2013.10.07 email

Snap. So, I downloaded conference. (Funny, it practically just ended.. Time warp, my friend.) So I should be able to listen to it this week before the broadcast here. Not guilty. But with that, and an exceptionally long letter to Pres. (Good week this week), I've got... No time.

So, today we did a group hike up to a really cool mountain. Pictures to come. But mainly, we saw miracles this week. Mostly revolving around one family.

I can't begin to describe them. I've felt close to them almost the instant I got here. They're a powerful family. Always doing missionary work. They've introduced some 10 or so people to missionaries already and preparing tons more. Everytime we visit them, we end up talking to someone, whether its a package delivery guy, a restaurant owner... They're amazing. And the spirit is strong there. Every time we visit them, the spirit is so strong, and we see so many miracles on the street after.

Anyway, I'll have to explain more later. But they're the best. And last week, they shared an experience with us. They said that they're really come to trust us as missionaries, and it started through service. They're building a house, so we've helped a couple times there. They said that the way we acted when we served really impressed them. It was super hot weather, one of the hotter of Korea's summers, but we were always happy. Excited to work. The mom said that she had a deep impression from that. She wanted to find more people to share the Gospel with. (They were already pros...) I love that family. They're kids are the best, one of them taught me how to make a snake out of my hands, so we try to eat each other when we see each other. The other is just plain awesome. Does some magic tricks, I showed him some origami. We're buds. But the spirit is a constant thing there. It's amazing. Everytime we've visited, we've found someone on the street we could teach. I know it's because of the spirit we carried from there. It's impossible to describe...

I'll try to talk about this week next week. I'll make notes. But I love you! (You've got prophets for crying out loud, one week without me won't kill you...:P)

Love you!

~Elder Robarts

2013.09.29

Hey guys!

 

So... no nap last week. Probably not one this week. It was our turn for shoping, and we had to stop to get a new frying pan and shower hose. (shower hose washer-thing broke this morning. Pretty considerate really, waited for p-day. That was nice^^) So that took a couple minutes. Luckily in Korea, all the stores are pretty smart. You can find really small basic home repair stores, as well as other mini marts, hygiene stores, that kind of thing really close to the apartments, so not too much hassle. Benefits of Apartments. Everything is the same, so you don't worry about matching parts. Most people use the same style things for other stuff too. I've seen my shaving cream at about a third of the members' houses.

 

Anyway, our apartment has been having issues. Last week a neighbor below us said our washing area floor leaked water. Thought that was fixed, but no luck. So, we moved the washing machine to our patio-thing area instead. Spent last p-day rigging a hose to a drain so it wouldn't flood. Lots of plumbing tape... Also had to rig an extension cord since the patio, dying rack place doesn't have power. Haha.  Fun though. As a side-necessity, our microwave is now above the dresser next to my desk.

 

But that's not the big news. Our Stake President came to mission coordinating meeting and told us to stop being nice and  share what we thought about the ward's missionary work efforts so far. So, we shared concerns about too many voices, no single leader. We found some things we can do, they've been trying to coordinate more. Things are good. This week they launched a new program. Families will be working together to start group FHE's and coordinate visiting less actives. I'm not sure what happens to Home teaching or personal FHE, but since both have been a struggle from the start, they may be hoping this will be able to lead back into it. Not sure, but tonight we got an invite to help with one of the starting meetings. So the games begin.

 

Gotta say, interesting area. I've never had a week that was the same as the one before. So much is bouncing back and forth. Mind blowing. But we're doing well. Still not as many people to work with as my last area, but we've been finding some good people to teach. We're getting there! Elder Jensen is really great. Kind of a quiet, no nonsense kind of guy, but every once in a while you can get him to open up a little. He's got a joker in him. :D And he's a PMG missionary. He knows where he can find answers to his questions.

 

Ah, life. So many little adventures. We helped at an English village in another zone in the city, and we were asked to do the hospital. ...I'm always the hospital. We've done this some 6 odd times now. I suppose I should be used to it. (Since it went well the first time we did it, I guess I've been recommended for it. I wondered how word always got around. I'm thinking of buying a cheap stethescope and lab coat if I can find one though...) Anyway, this time they called a couple days before, so there wasn't much time to find stuff. To be honest, I assumed they had it already. Anyway, we got there and we didn't really have anything, so we had to improvise a little. But it was good. ^^ I've been learning a lot more medical terms in Korean since we started doing this. If I ever get hurt, I feel comfortable going to a hospital now. More or less...

 

Anyway, that's about all the fun for today. Lots of chaos, but the Lord is with us, and I've apparently learned to trust Him a little more now. Need to do better though. Love you guys! Have a great week! And Happy Birthday Jared! I'm so excited for you! I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see it, but I hope your baptism was amazing! In our ward there was actually a girl that got Baptized yesterday. We got to talk with her for a little while, so it was really cool.

 

Love you! Bye!

 

~Elder Robarts

2013.09.22 email

(the mother of another missionary mentioned to me, Elder Robarts' mom, on Facebook that she saw from the pictures that our sons are/were in the same area)

Hey all!

Yep, I'm down south, and I get to see Elder Orr pretty often. He's not in my district (that's just our ward now...) but he see each other a lot at zone meetings. He's a pretty cool. Tell his mom I said hi. ^^

Life is a never ending adventure. This week was a national holiday, so all of Korea was shut down for three days. We had a couple members invite us over to eat with them, but for the rest of it we were in meetings. Teaching practice and training, which was actually really useful. And we saw some miracles too. Two separate people just walked into church buildings during the training looking to talk with missionaries. Found them. ^^ We also had a member introduce us to two of their friends, met a couple other people with a lot of potential. Compared with last time, this holiday was extremely productive for missionary work.  The new people walking into church was especially powerful. I guess that's what happens when you the spirit gathers in one area so strongly. It was a good training.

I love my area. There's so many different things pulling at our attention, everyone seems to have different ideas of what we should be doing. And a lot of different rules are interfering from different people... It's frustrating at times, but we're seeing progress. If we could get on the same page and stop changing ideas so much, there's enough excitement and manpower here to change missionary work for good, but with so much opinion and debate, we're finding that our biggest obstacle is ourselves. As missionaries, we're more united than ever. We're meeting often to coordinate and go over new suggestions, we're dividing the ward area and coordinating efforts more than I've ever seen on my mission, and we're starting to see a change in some of the members. Things are definitely changing here. ^^ But I'm a little tired. Might see if I can get in a nap today. Haven't done that since I hit Korea. My comp likes naps though. He's been trying to convince me that I'll burn myself out. I came close my first transfer here. But so far things are going well. Hopefully we'll find time today.

Anyway, Attempt 2 for sending the sword and fan today. Wish me luck. ^^

I love you guys. Sorry I'm a boring person that's too tired usually to plan out more of what I want to say. There really was some awesome stuff this week. We had a member visit where I felt the message we shared was exactly what they needed. The spirit was really strong. Had a teaching practice where I felt like the "investigator" I was teaching was right in the room. His concerns, how we could help him, it was so clear... That one family I mentioned. Suddenly asked if we could visit, had some friends to introduce. We're arranging to meet again this week. ^^ Then last night we met a guy who seems Golden. Had a BoM but didn't have the chance to read it. Straight up told us he wants to learn about our religion. Said that he would read the Book of Mormon and that he wants to meet again. Just such a friendly person, and he has a lot of desire. Looking forward to this week.^^

Gotta run, Love you! Have a great week!

~Elder Robarts

2013.09.06 email

Dear home,

Hey! So, this keyboard is odd and doesn't accept it when I hit keys sometimes. (Oddly common lately) So if you se anything weird, sorry.

Anyway, this week was awesome. We saw a really cool miracle. There's an investigator we're working with that I'm really excited for. Even the story of meeting him was a miracle. We got a number from doing a survey, called it, and it was a wrong number. But the story doesn't end there. I talked with him over the phone for a while. He said he was interested in meeting and talking more. Next miracle: he lives in our area, which I wasn't expecting from a wrong number. Next miracle: At first we thought he might only be interested in English, but each time we meet he seems to get more interested in the Gospel. He wants to be Baptized, but still isn't sure if he's ready. He's preparing to be baptized in October, and we're hoping to invite him out to General Conference. Awesome guy. He came out to church this week and loved it, even asked for a trible combination a while back when we shared a little from the doctrine and covenants.

Also, lately we've been having trouble meeing people. We meet a lot of good people on the street, but contacting them is harder in this area. We've focused on that a lot this week, and we found a couple cool people we think will do well.^^

Member missionary work is as big as ever. New Elder's Quorum President was called, and he has lots of new ideas too. (LOTS of ideas) I love the people here. They're all thinking about how we can work better. I think the best way we can help at the moment though is to help them be a little more united in their ideas. Lots of ideas, but little coordination between them. Still working on that. But oddly, I learned a little about how they first started getting excited about missionary work. There's been a lot of planning going into a new stake center here in 광주, and as part of that, a lot of the wards are looking like they might combine or change. As part of that, Our ward would get absorbed into a bigger one, unless they're able to get it growing some more.

Even before that, people were big on missionary work. But now they're hoping they can help this ward grow in time to help it stay its own. I know the feeling, it was a big change when our stake back home changed. It all went well, and we got to know so many new incredible people because of it, but it's a scary thought to consider things being different, or losing friends. Not sure what will happen, but they don't feel like they have much time. So, we're helping them. This is their home, and we'll do everything we can to help them.

Never a boring week here. I dare say my letters must get old though. Either way, I love you guys. You mean the world to me. Fun Korean fact: Old people are intense. We did a service project to feed older people at a park (retired kind of thing, not much to do, wanted to give them something to go to), and as part of it, they asked us to help keep the line organized. Not. Possible. They're rather good at pushing and shoving to get through people... Scary. But it was fun. We set up, helped take food to people who couldn't get it themselves (wheelchairs, etc), cleaned up and took down. Good chance to talk with people. ^^ Service is better than candy.

Plus this week is 추석, which means that time is different. We email and shop today because things will be shut down, but our p-day is thursday and we've got meetings before and after because twice a year for 추석  and 설날 all of Korea becomes a ghost town. You can't see Anyone. Makes missionary work interesting.

About out of time, but I love you! Have a good week!

~Elder Robarts

2013.09.08 email

Very rushed today. Sorry. I love you guys a ton. So here comes the rush.

Fun fact. At the moment, I'm serving with greenies. It's temporary, but entertaining. The other senior elder here went to a training for military reserves, so the three of us are working as one companionship this week. Two phones, two greenies, makes for some fun times. But he'll get back wednesday night, just in time for transfers.

I'm staying here with Elder Jensen, so we'll get to finish training here. But lots of other changes. The Elder and Sister that were originally here when I came are both leaving, so within two transfers, this ward has been completely changed. Plus, we're getting another set of Elders this time, and our ward is becoming its own district. Pretty insane.

Also, Summer is finally over. The Sacadas are finally gone (so glad those don't exist in California...), but mosquitoes are getting to be a lot more common, especially in the house. They're smart here. They hide during the day and only come at us at night. Harder for me bug zapper to get them. But we're keeping them at bay for now. Weird though. They don't buzz around your ears like they do back home. A lot harder to notice them.

Haha... Little joys. The weather is perfect though. I was expecting some typhoons, but it's been quiet. I may never see any on my mission.

As for the work, it's moving forward. Lots of leader involvement, the big focus now is trying to coordinate everything and keep our efforts united. As missionaries, with the ward. Pretty much everywhere. We met some awesome people last week that we're trying to follow up with. One of them is a family who saw missionaries a lot before but didn't know much about them. Turns out the father lived in America for  years for school. Pretty awesome. ^^

Anyway, love you guys. Its a really short one today, sorry about that. Three of us, only two computers...

Until next week! Love you!

~Elder Robarts

2013.09.02 snail mail

Dear Home,

Another crazy week, but nothing really all that new to report. We're working really hard to help the Members get excited about missionary work, and as we've been doing that, so many other things have come up as well. Helping them have more FHE, encouraging home teaching, every aspect of the Gospel has been influenced a lot lately.

There's a lot of work for us, but I love it. The Lord's hand in this part of the work is strong. We're going uphill, but we've got the Lord at our backs.

The only really hard part has been working together as a companionship. Because my companion is so new to Korea, a lot of things we're doing is hard. Lots of meetings, lots of talking with members, lots of Korean. But he's handling it great. It's just been hard for me to really think of things that he can help with. So much of it I really have to do alone most of the time. But I need to find a solution to that. He needs the practice and I need an extra set of hands if we're going to be able to keep up. The Stake President is serious about this work. He's met with us a couple times and told us himself. This is our chance. For the first time in who knows how long, every member has their mind on missionary work. If we miss this opportunity, we're not getting it back. That spirit that's here won't last long.

Needless to say, a little pressure at the moment. And we're still pushing. I love the Gospel. It pushes you. It strengthens you. Heaven knows, this work has changed the way I look at things. But I've still got a few things to learn. Especially about working with stress, not letting stress work me.

You guys are the best. Thanks for everything you do. The weather is cooling down, so hopefully we'll be able to get things up and running again soon. It's insane really. Looking at all the people the Lord has called to these areas. They're powerful missionaries. All of them. Makes me wonder how I came to be called here. So often I feel like a child among giants, not fully capable of this. But I trust the Lord. He's never let me down yet, and I can't let Him down as long as I give my all.

I love you! Have a great week!

~Elder Robarts

2013.08.26 snail mail

Dear Home,

Life never really has a normal turn here. Good example: I just got a text from the other Elders asking to bye boxing tape (presumably to fix our fan, which broke today while we were cleaning it...). If we can't fix it, we're down to one fan in a four man house. (DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT SENDING ONE. You guys are great, but seriously. These things cost a fortune to send. The BoM thing was probably one of the most touching things I've seen on my mission, but don't worry about it. With the massive time delay, just trust we'll have gotten it taken care of on our end.) Anyway, the good news is summer is almost over. The WORST part anyway. Traditionally, there's about a month and a half of steadily increasing heat, coupled with indescribably humidity. Then it starts to cool down, then the Typhoons come. We're shifting into that time now. ^^ But yeah, we might have to ask the office if we can look for some fans...

I'm doing well though. Things are moving forward little by little. The main thing recently is that we're working more now with members than non members it feels like. Helping encourage FHE, trying to get the Home Teaching program stronger, trying to help strengthen the ward from within, and helping members feel the spirit of this work through working with us. We met with a really awesome family that said they wanted to start FHE in their family, but they're not quite sure what they're supposed to do in it. When we offered to help them have one, they said that we were the first missionaries to say they wanted to help. Now, I'm not the best at FHE ideas myself, so I'm hoping you guys have some ideas. Luckily we told them while we were talking that it was more about spending time together in a spiritual environment really more than /what/ you do. 

I love this place. This is new for me, but I've felt so many good memories come back as I've thought back to our own FHEs back home. Someone once said that you remember the feeling that you have there more than the lessons that were taught. That's definitely true. But there are so many ways the Lord prepares us. To face the world, to share the Gospel, to raise a family. FHE is one of the best tools He's given us, simply because it helps us grow TOGETHER.

I love my family. Our FHEs may have been simple, we may have missed at times, but I have strong memories of them.

Keep praying for the members here, as well as those we're trying to teach. At the moment we're focusing so much on members it's been hard to find time to look for new investigators. But they're out there. I know it. And we'll help them find what they're looking for, even if they don't recognize yet that it's missing.

Ryan's heading for the MTC already? Tell him congrats for me, and Jacob too! That's a great accomplishment. ^^

I love you guys so much. Thanks for your heartfelt letters, prayers, news. I treasure them more than you know. I really wish I could write all the personal replies I want to, but these bulk letters will have to work until I get time or make time. ^^

~Elder Robarts

Alright, I've had enough fun. I've still gotta write President. Until next week!

Just kidding. I had a few things to ask/say.

First, Hi Sister Patterson! Thank you so much for your note, it made my day! I've gotten some of your family's letters too, thank you so much! I love this work. It teaches so much. Thanks for the example you show me, I don't think I've ever seen you without a smile on your face. It means a lot to me.^^ Every day is a special opportunity to share God's love with someone.

(Quick requests:

Can you try to email some baking recipes? I want to try experimenting again for making things for members.

Also, any ideas on FHE? Maybe a fb post would pull some good ideas. Thanks!)

Love you!

2013.08.18 email

Dear Home,

 

I love you guys! You know how I said I kept having that feeling that I need to be focusing more on family? Those feelings have been expanding a ton out here, in a lot of different ways. To elaborate: Missionary work is changing out here. We're trying to encourage members a lot more than before. To participate in LA work, referring friends, and now specifically FHE. In general, FHE and Home Teaching have had their weak points in Korea, but we're trying to help patch those holes. The biggest problem is people are just so BUSY here. Time is a hard thing to find. So, as missionaries, we're looking for solutions to share. Offering to teach how to run an FHE, or going out with them for HT. Giving the responsibility back to the members, but with our support. It's a slow process. And It'll take TIME. Lots of it. But I see lights beginning to spark, especially in the leaders. There's something exciting happening here. We just need to work hard to make sure we're a driving force behind this work and not a stumbling block.

 

So, I have a few 부탁s, or favors I wanted to ask. First off, I'm looking for recipes. Baked goods to take to members. Ranger cookies didn't work well here without shortening, so I'm searching for other options. Right now that's banana bread, but other stuff would be great too. Could you send the rest of my cookie recipes and any other ones that might be good? Preferably ones that don't use shortening or butter. Margarine or oil is best, as we can usually get that fairly easily. If you could, 감사하겠습니다. I'd really appreciate it.^^

 

Also, If you have any ideas about member missionary work (maybe things happening back home) that we could use, send suggestions! I'm looking to have a brainstorm with as many people as I can. Right now we're pushing FHE and using it to invite nonmembers to experience the church in a comfortable environment.

 

With that said, any FHE ideas? Games, messages, ways to involve kids. I love it all.

 

 

I've got to say, this is by far the most American-like ward I've seen, just in set up. Usually Sacrament is last in Korea, but here it's first like back home. Also, the way they run meetings reminds me a lot of home. It's hard to explain...

 

I love you all! We've been working hard, trying to be patient, little by little we're seeing growth. We've got a couple investigators now, but still not many. A couple have some real potential though. Two we met yesterday. They came to church out of the blue and we got to talk with them. Turns out they'd gotten a flier a couple months back, and just now saw it again. Saw a reference in Nephi and wondered what it was talking about, so they came to church. We shared part of the first and second lesson, answered questions, and arranged to meet again Wednesday. They seem really incredible.^^

 

Little things like that. Miracles we get to see, and simply talking with members and being able to share our testimonies with everyone we see makes missionary work amazing. I'm almost out of time, but Thanks so much. You guys are the best!

 

I hope everyone is doing great. You're in my prayers.

~Elder Robarts

2013.08.11 email

Dear Home,

It's crazy to think about it being half over.. It feels like I just got here. I know there's a lot of hump day regrets, or general not feeling good enough. And I'll admit, a lot of times I don't feel nearly as good as some of the people I've been serving with. They're all super stars. But if there's one thing that has rung true for me, it's that God is real. He called me here and He called ME. No matter how much better I want to be, He'll use what I can give. And I've seen enough miracles to know that He's[not] ignoring me.

This new area is a lot to take in. I've kind of got a quiet companion this time, there's not quite as much talking around the house, certainly not like last transfer, but he's a great missionary. He's got so much vision of what missionary work can be. I can see why he was called to this area.

This area is in the middle of a revolution. A member missionary work revolution. The whole stake is being woken up, so much more effort is being put into spreading the gospel. We've been visiting so many members, visiting LA's with them, inviting them to read "The power of everyday missionaries" (still waiting for a copy in english from the office), and we're excited. The biggest goal of ours is to help the members regain trust and excitement about missionaries. For so long, things have been quiet, Missionaries didn't always interact much outside of dinner appointments or church. But things are changing.

As for being in this new area, fresh start, with everything being new, including how missionary work itself is done... it's intense. I don't know if the Lord trusts me with this or wants me to learn, or both, but it's a big task ahead of us. And in order to do it, we need the spirit. I've focused on that a lot recently, and the first couple things that came to mind was to remember my family. The Lord asks us to forget ourselves in this work, but not our families. I've been so busy with things I haven't been saving time for family. That's no good. I want to try to get writing again. (As soon as I find the post office here, I'll send something. No one knows where one is...)

I'm glad you got the package, it was a bit rushed. I got transfer calls and realized it had to go before I could add anything else. I enjoyed looking for stuff for it though. ^^ I still have the fan and sword, still looking for a box to ship it, but I'll probably send it before leaving here. Some books too maybe. I don't have time for some, and it's a lot to take with me everywhere.

This week has been great. We got to give service! Helping move some filler for a member who's building a house. And this week we're farming. ^^ I've missed service. If nothing else, I've gotten weak here. I need more of this exercise. And milk. But anyway, love it.

Saw some miracles this week too. Met a guy who had a BoM in his house as a kid and wanted to learn more about our church and where it came from. Then met with another guy who a talked to, he was cool. Called a number, it turned out to be a wrong number, but after talking, first off he 1. had interest, 2. lived in our area, and 3. wanted to meet. Turns out he too has met missionaries before.

Priorities are changing for me here. Missionary work is so much more simple. Show God's love and invite others to act. Teach with the spirit and bare testimony. That's it.

I love you guys, but I've still got to email president.  Love you!

2013.08.04 email

I don't even know where to begin...

Well, things are blown wide open now. If I thought I was ever busy before, that is all in the past now. I'm SWAMPED. I just got transfered to a awesome Ward in 광주 [Gwangju] Stake called 풍향 [Wind (?)]. And let me just say, it's exciting. This stake is exploding with new ideas about missionary work. The members are waking up. And it calls for so much new work on our part. Essentially, the Stake President has challenged everyone to introduce people to the missionaries. There's so much of that going around, our mission president is really pushing for more work within the ward. The biggest challenge is adjusting.

Pretty much everything is different than a week ago. Before, I knew every inch of my ward and practically every member. We were working with about 15 investigators and barely had time enough for study, let alone much other work outside. Now things are different. No investigators, no potentials except the ones we found when we got here, and I have very little information about members or the area. From the sounds of it, the past missionaries didn't have a whole lot of Trust with the ward. Possibly why President pulled so many out. Needs fresh people so the members actually feel comfortable introducing people to us like the stake is asking. Not sure, but intense. Things are moving fast here. I dropped in with my new companion, Elder Jensen, fresh in Korea, and I couldn't find a whole lot of records as to who I should be working with. I actually spent most of today organizing records so we could try to head out and tackle some less active work.

I'm not going to lie, it's stretching a little. I'm not used to not having investigators. It's a little scary, especially when I know so little about this area. I want to work with the members, but we need to be finding on our own if we want to show that we're really willing to work. This will be an incredible area though. We'll take it by storm. It may take time, but I'm excited. I am sorry I can't write more. I honestly can't afford to step away from the work right now. Not until I know this area better and I have relationships with the members.

I love you all dearly. I miss you a lot. But I know this work is true. I wouldn't embrace this stress if I didn't know that. Because it's not really stress. It's losing myself in the work. And I can't wait to see what the Lord's play is for this area. We've got to win back the trust of the ward. If we do, missionary work will SURGE. The Stake President sees it. President Shin sees it. Now it's up to us.

Until next time!

~Elder Robarts

2013.07.28 email

Transfer calls again, and I still don't know the verdict. So far, the other Elders here are staying, we're getting a new district leader, and odds are one of the two of us will be leaving. But I usually get my calls a little later. I think the Lord knows I need to stress less, so He's giving me an opportunity to practice. The thing is, I'm happy with whatever happens. For some reason, even though I'm happy with the outcome and willing to follow the Lord, I still feel stressed. Every time.

To make things more fun, I just got a call from the APs. Still no transfer call, but he mentioned our travel plans will be taking us to the headquarters. Could mean anything, but it confirms that Lee and I are getting split up. Man, I'll miss him so much... We've had some crazy times. And our moms are already Facebook friends, so it's been so nice knowing that they'll still get news even if I can't write about it. I've actually been meaning to mention that. If you're interested in our life here, check Elder Lee's Facebook or something. Between the two of us we've got a lot of pictures and stories. His are better though.

Anyway, this week has been insane. English Village, leading into transfer week. Stress, baby. Stress. Meaningless stress? Probably, but I always seem to have it. The village went great though. I've got pictures. And yes, I was a doctor. Elder Lee and I ran the hospital. It was awesome. We've got a couple doctors in our ward (Told you, SMART people place, Yuseong...) so we got to borrow some stuff from them. We also brought our scale, measuring tape thing, first aid kits, faked an eye test sheet, even falsified a medical certificate for our med school degree. Needless to say, it was pretty fun. Also stole some toys and magazines for our waiting room and rigged up fake forms for them to fill out.

After we were done setting up our station, we helped with some other ones. Including the airport. This one is probably one of the best examples of Mormon creativity. Carpet squares, tables on umbrella holders, a set of drawers we stole from an apartment, a conveyor belt leading into a closet for baggage... It was nice.

But it was great! People came, we managed everything pretty well, now we're working on getting other zones ready to copy it and try it in other areas. Probably though we'll be it once every three months.

We've also been focusing a lot on members. With Transfers, and 4 missionaries all of which having been here at least 2 transfers, in my case 5, we knew someone was leaving, so we wanted to say goodbyes. Basically, we made a ton of banana bread in our miniature oven (the thing looks like a Suzy bake oven, but it's helped us a ton.) and went to people's houses to sing to them and leave a little message card. ^^

I love this place. I feel like it's getting close. I'm going to have to leave soon. I don't really want to. I feel like I have so much unfinished business here. I know these people so well... They're so close. But I'm ready. I know there are big changes up ahead. And I'm excited.

Oh yeah, we went to a baseball game too. Elder Lee reminded me about that. Elder's Quorum activity. Brought an investigator out that had never seen a game. Pretty fun. For those who don't know, I worked at a baseball park for a while, so it was pretty cool. Pretty much the same. The main difference was the animelike cartoons that came on for strikeouts or good plays. Dramatic.

I'm so happy. I feel so tired when I think about the things I need to be doing better, but I see everyday that this work is the Lords. And it's moving forward.

Our mission president is amazing. He's set up a regular weekly MISSION-WIDE conference call for Mondays. It's so cool. He's really getting involved in every aspect of this work. He's helped with lessons, he's giving new ideas, it's incredible.

No matter where I am coming this Thursday, this week will be crazy. Last week we lost SO MANY appointment because of English village. Five of them just from Saturday because we were busy and couldn't meet them. So now we've got to get back with all these people, reestablish everything and prep them for transfers, knowing one of us will leave and a new missionary will come in. Craziness... Anyway, for pictures... (on Facebook and Google+)

~Elder Robarts

Transfer Call!

 

I'm training again. And moving to a new area. Should be fun. =D Another big city by the looks of it. Four Elders and Two Sister missionaries, in the area which has historically been the most active area in the mission. Scary. But luckily, I know one of the guys down there already. Elder 조규원, one of my old Companions will be down there, as well as a Sister from my older generation. Powerhouses. Should be exciting. Lots of work to do to hit the ground running. Gotta seal off this area and get it ready to transition, finish teaching the bus routes and what not, then get ready to drop into chaos. I thought training in an area I knew was crazy. It's about to begin. ^^

 

Have a good week guys!

 

~Elder Robarts

2013.07.21 email

Emails are an awesome time. Short, but awesome. Makes my head hurt a little now though. I spend about 40 minutes writing to president, (he gave us 15 extra minutes since we're writing in Korean. I love this mission president...) then I spend about 30 catching up on emails home.

As for who. It's essentially Mom and a couple of missionaries that can't read my emails home. Usually all I have time for is copying the main letter and sometimes adding a little note. Not many though. There's rarely time.

So, this week has been fun. I keep forgetting about that snack supply. But we get that cheap icecream a LOT. not this week though for some reason... I'll see if I can find some things a little more interesting and take a picture for her. ^^

The work here is exhausting, but fulfilling. We witnessed an interesting experience right at the end of the week that really stuck with me. We met a family who loves the Bible. They've probably read it over 30 times. And they KNOW it. We share a scripture, and by us describing it, they usually already know the reference. They have lots of questions, but this time we spent a lot of time going over one of their biggest concerns. They've flat out told us. They're LOOKING for a modern day prophet. The Bible indicates there'll be one before the second coming. But the thing is, Joseph Smith isn't the only person claiming to have received revelation. Especially in Korea. There are so many 계시 교회's here. People usually divide Christian into Catholic or Protestant, but here there's a big third one. Revelation churches. Ones that say that Christ failed and there's a new christ, or ones that claim to be a modern prophet. We've got the answer to knowing which one is true through Prayer and the Book of Mormon, but they're worried about relying on prayer. How do we know that our answers aren't just some fantasy in our head? They trust the Bible because there are prophecies they can see the fulfillment of. Anything else for them is questionable. We've been thinking about them a lot. And a big thought that has come came from PMG. Under recognizing the spirit, Joseph Smith said that "Salvation cannot come without revelation. It is foolish the minister without it." We've been preparing a lot about prayer. They're excited to meet us. They want to learn, and know. This sunday as we thought of how we could help them, we saw a member reading in Aug's Liahona. It had a talk ALL about Revelation.

In essence, God is all powerful. When we come before Him with real intent, He won't let us be deceived. As members of the church, we've felt that witness numberless times. It's impossible to describe, even more impossible to deny.

Anyway, powerful, allbeit at times frustrating experience. It's hard knowing what to do sometimes. Our worldly knowledge is limited. But the Lord is real. He doesn't leave us to be alone.

Also, tons of English Prep this week. The big English activity is this Saturday, and we've been boosting our english class a lot to get ready for it. Looks like it'll be pretty good, we've put a lot into it. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for everything guys. You're the best. Keep praying for our friends. They need this message. We're weak, and can't speak well, but we're sharing the greatest blessing in the world.

Lots of love! Time for pictures and a few fun stories.

~Elder Robarts

Let's see, this week, we ran from a scary lady who bible bashes anytime we see her, went into the heart of babylon to advertise the English Village this week. I hate big shop streets here. There are some shops that need to burn, and there are many. We also saw fox dog. There's this awesome little dog who we see walking around the street here. His owner has a shop around here, and we see them sometimes. Usually just foxdog. But he's SO cute. I want a picture, but we only see him at night.

We had dinner with some awesome families too. I love the members here. Everyone is asking about transfers next week, and I'll admit, I'm nervous. President Shin said he wanted to keep it as much the same as he could this time, but there are somewhere between 25 and 30 new missionaries coming. That tends to throw a lot of change into transfers. I hope I can stay in Yuseong, but I'll accept what comes.

Waiting for the next adventure. ^^

~Elder Robarts

2013.07.14 email

Dear home,

 

I'm glad I have a loving, patient mission president. I just spent about 40 minutes typing a letter for him in Korean, then the computer was silly and left the screen without saving anything, so I had to retype it in English...

 

Anyway, I'm sure he'll understand. But I hate not having time, a seemingly unchanging situation here. I don't know how Elder Lee is writing so much. Korean takes a bit longer, sure, and I keep getting texts interrupting, but still...

 

Sorry. I know you guys look forward to these, such as they are. Just know, this week was crazy. We got a ton of referrals from our investigators, met a ton of cool people, to the point that we're continually losing our study time. Too many appointments. It's gotten bad enough that I brought it up with President. He just said to use my best judgement. Great advice, hard to put in practice.

 

I guess there's been a lot of stress lately. More investigators than I can really manage. So many different needs. And we don't always have study time to do the prep we need. We're looking at dropping probably. I hate it, most of them have potential, but we may have to.

 

Cool news though. We might be famous. We met an author on the street who asked us to help him with his book. Wanted proofreading. So, in about 2 hours? maybe three-- We read through a 400 page language book. Head hurt so much. He said he wanted to hear more about what we do here, so that was cool. Also said he wants to have dinner with us, and that he'd put our names in as editors and give us a copy. We'll see how things go as an investigator, he's a nice guy. Talks fast.

 

Probably my favorite family is doing well too. They've read all the way to 3 Nephi, they study the Bible DILIGENTLY. I say a reference we're sharing and they already know what is in that chapter... Basically, they've looked at a lot of churches, like what we share, and are just waiting for that confirmation. We're mostly trying to help them recognize it now.

 

Too much to write about... No time to do it. Met another cool guy who is a friend of another investigator. Talked about the Restoration. He read a little of the Book of Mormon while we were talking and even was able to help explain it when we got to that part. Smart guy, and looks like he has good potential. Met another family that is interested in visiting America. (English interest, but open to religion) Also we met a really amazing guy while knocking doors. He's slightly mentally disabled, but he asked if we could visit, so we talked with him for a while. He's so amazing. So nice, and so happy. It was odd, even though it was hard to understand him, both Elder Lee and I felt like we knew what he wanted to say. Words would just come to mind in English. He lives with his mom, and she seems like a great person. We want to see if we can visit again and meet them together. We want to meet her too.

 

Anyway, this only puts a dent in what happened this week, but it's all I have time for. I love you. Sorry I can't express it much. If I could get more time, I'd give a lot for it.

Love you!

 

~Elder Robarts

 

Pictures on Facebook

email 2013.07.07

[Benjamin answers some questions I asked him: 

1) How is the garlic salt holding up?

1a) Likewise the vanilla.

2) What other seasonings do you miss?
3) Do you want English copies of the Book of Mormon for English class?]

 

Q&A

 

Seasonings are holding up great. If there's one thing I learned, it's how to ration. I've really only put a dent in them. I only use them for special stuff like cookies for members or whitesause and chicken alfredo. Not super frequent.

I don't know what else I miss... Parsley was nice, or italian seasoning, but italian wouldn't be useful hre. I never make that kind here. I think I'm pretty set. Most things I can make or fake here. Costco stopped carrying chocolate, but I've been holding strong, so it should last me a couple more months. Waiting for it to come back in the fall. (hopefully I don't get transfered first...)

 

Don't worry about BoM. We've got some Eng ones, and we stole some Korean ones during mission tour from another building, so we'll be okay till we get a new supply.

 

Also, bad news. Email time just got butchered. We write to President Shin in Korean, and I type extremely slow in Korean. If if was a text, I'd be set. But the keyboard I'm not used to. I need to buy one for practice.

 

As it is, I'm almost out of tme and I just started. ...Sorry about that.

 

Anything else? Oh yeah, President Shin is AWESOME. But that'll get covered in the letter. (PS: Typing so long in Korean has messed with my head. If I look at the keyboard,  get disoriented because of the Korean. I have no choice but to touch type. [is that right? not looking] I usually do it anyway, but I can't look down to gather thoughts anymore...)

 

Time for the normal letter.

So, this week has been crazy. Mission Tour, second one this transfer, new mission president,and new programs. He's trying to get stake service couple missionaries to work on visiting LA [less actives, not city in California] and he's asked us to commit a day a week to go out with them. Hasn't started yet, but sounds great. There's so much LA work here, and we need those couple missionaries.

 

Also, a new English program. A once a month English camp kind of thing, stake wide. Sounds pretty cool, he's having our zone pilot it.

 

In other news, we have been swamped with investigators. It's gettig hard to manage them all, especially because some of them have trouble meeting. So much texting... Night calls too. But it's good. I like this better than the alternative. Missionary work without investigators is really long...

 

Also, I gotta haircut. Elder Lee did it, so it looks pretty good. He got a picture of it which I'm sure you'll get. Facebook is so crazy. A couple of our members here use it too, so I'll give a shoutout. You guys are amazing! Sorry about the English. It's for the family...

 

Anyway, things are good. Lot's of rain. Lot's of hot. I'm not used to sweating in the rain. But I love Korea. It's still really beautiful here.

 

How are you guys doing? I've been thinking about you guys alot. I might be sending a package home soon. We found out with Elder Lee that packages aren't too bad sending out of Korea, just coming in. So there's a couple things I might try to find. It might take a little while to collect them, but within a couple weeks I'll try to send one.

 

You guys rock so much!

 

Gotta go now, but I'll get some pictures for you. ^^

snail mail received 2013.07.03

[dated] (really old)

Dear Home,

I love you guys.  I'm 6 thousand miles away, but I'm super excited.  It felt a little weird calling home.  I didn't really expect it this time, came out of nowhere.  But it was amazing to hear your voices again.

I've said it a thousand times, it's crazy around here.  I'm in a 4 man house now, and not one of us has been out longer than a year.  These are exciting times to be serving.

Really busy, but in good ways.  One thing I wanted to share is about a member here.  He's in a military hospital, and he's started sharing the Gospel with new people that come in.  He asked us to help, so we've gone there a couple times a week.  Already we've found two people who said they wanted to find missionaries and the church after  they go home. It's such a new way to do missionary work.  I've never had a chance to try it before, but this member is incredible.  I love his desire to serve and share.

Also, we got 김치 (kimchi) recently, and I feel alive again.  I've been so exhausted lately trying to keep up with things. Before there wasn't any 김치 in the house.  The sister's 김치 had gone bad.  (how? I'll never know.  I've never had 김치 in the house that long.)  But I've missed that stuff.  Without it, there's not much energy.  But our Bishop gave us some last night, and it's amazing!

I love my comp, this area, this work.  We visited our Bishop's house last night, played with is kids, sang a children's song with them and shared a message about the 2000 Stripling Warriors.  They're such a great family.  I've often felt that if I did nothing else, it would be worth coming to Korea just to meet them.  Everything else at the same time?  I love Korea.

A lot of things I used to stress over I've gotten more used to.  I'm a stressful person, but that stress rarely seems to help. The thing I've learned a lot out here is that the Lord isn’t just sitting back, He's  engaged in this work.  He helps us so much, it's hard to describe.  But those things I worry over' they don't really matter that much. It's all in the eternal perspective.

A lesson I'm still learning, but I've learned to tame my habit of worrying over things.  Just do it enough that you can problem solve and plan well.  Wit that, things will work out. Too often I look for problems that aren't there.  I almost seem to relish these problems, that stress.  But little by little, you can really see the blessings of faith. One thing, if you stress too much, it makes it harder for God to help out. You kind of get in your own way.

But you see miracles in your life if you take the time to look.  People you never expected to meet.  A phrase that comes to mind, a scripture, that changes someone's life. Even something as simple as a guy giving you a drink on a hot summer day.  I love those everyday things that make life easier.

Right now, I feel like the biggest challenge is simply being patient, keeping the Lord's time.  And methods.  A life-long lesson, but one with many rewards.

If I said the reason for not writing more was being busy with missionary work, would anyone believe it?  Things have been interesting here, but it's the P-Day time being busy that's the problem.  But we've been doing lots of culture stuff.  Good for pictures, and people like those, right?

2013.06.30

Yeah!

So, that was fun. Had a random broadcast at the stake center that I'm sure you all saw. We only found out it would happening a week before. Pretty awesome though. talked a TON about member missionary work. Which, you know, means a lot to me right now. Big moves are happening, that's for sure. Anyway, we've got to be fast today. The sisters just got here and they need to email too.

But anyway, we got the package you sent, it was amazing! The popits were particularly fun. We found a 문구 (odd office supply kind of store. Essentially a store solely for students. But it has LOTs of random fun stuff. Lot's of missionaries get trading cards here.) that has popits, but they're not as powerful as American. Sometimes they don't go off. These ones are the trumps now. (Korea does have Real fireworks at the same store, cheap. But... we're missionaries. Popits are the extent of our capabilities. And they're awesome.)

[Elder Lee's mom asked me, Elder Robarts' mom to ask Elder Robarts for ideas for Elder Lee's birthday] Anyway, as for Elder Lee... I need to do some more digging. I've been trying to find out stuff we could do for him too, but so far I'm still looking. --CHECK that. Possibly one of two things. We haven't been able to find an mp3 player for him yet. And there's a electric dictionary we've been trying to find too. iRiver? She could check it out, I'm not sure. But online could probably find one better that we could. Not sure what else. We've been able to get most of what we need or want.

So, life. Keep our friends in your prayers. We've got a family whose mom is having health problems, another who has been really stressed at work, and one whose life is just hard in general. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful for your prayers. They help a lot on the hard days, I'll tell you. We're meeting a lot of new people, but it's been hard meeting our constants lately. Some of our oldest friends have been getting really busy or otherwise unable to meet. Amazing how many forces you see working in missionary work when you look. from both sides. But the Lord's work is real. And it's powerful.

I love Korea. I forgot what pictures I had for you this week, but I think they're good. I'll be right back.

[see his Facebook page for pictures if the link doesn't work.  If you are not his Facebook friend but want to be, send a friend request, but also include a message.  He's been getting a lot of iffy-looking requests. - Mom]

That's it. Gotta run! But I love you. Have fun! 

~Elder Robarts ^^