Letter 4/26/10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I hope that you have a great birthday. I can't believe I have been here 3 weeks already. The ward is really cool, very nice & they all help me with my spanish. Yesterday was Stake Conference and a member of the 70 was there. He was great. My companion is awesome. He leads the mission in baptisms and he is a great example to me. Our investigators are neat and we have 4 baptisms this saturday! I'm way excited. I live just outside of Centro and so it is bigger than I thought it was going to be. There are mountains everywhere and the people here are really nice. I am fine and I don't need anything. Thank you though.

The picture that I've enclosed is some of my district in the MTC at the Provo Temple. Just a random picture to share. The pictures that I sent last week are of Elder Gil, Alizian (young boy that was my first baptism) and the food pictured is NOT Tacos al Pastor! ha ha It was something that I ate but have no idea what it was. It was very good though! I'm glad you've researched Tacos al Pastor and found a recipe. Let me know how you guys like it. I will send more pictures next week.

Hey Sis (Dilla-haha)- That is cool that you are working hard to earn money for Girls Camp. Where is it at this year? Yep, that one picture does show my sunburn-lol! You are very observant! My companion, Elder Gil, is really funny and tries to speak English... it's pretty funny. And in all fairness... I'm sure he and others think it's funny when I try to speak Spanish at times. I love you sis.

Hola Tanner! Como fue su Semana? Yeah, I remember that family and it's good that you guys are friends. You will receive blessing for what you have done to help him feel at home. That's so cool that you are bearing your testimony every month. I have bourn my testimony every month since I received my mission call. I love to bear my testimony even though my spanish isn't perfect... I know I can bear my testimony in Spanish. That is crazy that the OKC Thunder is doing so good. I hope that they win it all!!! Where did Bradford & Gerald McCoy go? What do you want to know about the food? They eat a lot of chicken, meat, fruit and juices. I love the food. Congrats on being called to be 1st Counselor! That is awesome! I can't believe how fast the school year has flown by for you all. You're basically in High School now. Yep, my hair is pretty long now and I have to part it too! ha ha! I'm doing great. The people are really cool and it's not a quiet town... it is loud in the city and quiet outside the city. Love you bro.

Hey Dad- I love serving a mission for the church and I love and appreciate all you and mom have done to teach me about the gospel. I'm so happy to hear that President and Sister Hansen wrote you about my accent! ha ha! I love you so much Dad!

Tyler- That's cool that Ryan is home and you guys get to hang out before he leaves for Brazil. I'll bet he is excited to leave and serveno. We received a call from one of our investigators saying that she didn't want to get baptized because her husband didn't want to. So, we went to their house but before going into the house we prayed for the Spirit to be with us and with this special family. We were talking inside the house and invited them to church. They went to church and they are getting baptized on Saturday. The power of prayer is amazing. I have such a testimony of it. Love you bro.

Colton- You are going to have a blast on your mission! I can't wait to figure out where you are going! I know that wherever you go there are people especially for you. I think you need to talk to Bishop Hawkley and President Bean about the mini-mission as a Stake. Those are really helpful and I loved gaining an appreciation for the missionaries, the work they do and it also gave me the will to serve my mission. That was a great thing we did in Reno. The other thing that you should do is go out and teach with the missionaries in the ward. They can help you so much. I love you and can't wait for your papers to be sent in!

Mom- I loved your email about the comment left by President Hansen. He is really awesome! I'm so glad that so many family members, ward members, friends (members and non-members) are following and sharing my mission experience! Please tell Barry & Leola hello. I was so happy to hear they were reading it also. I love them. It is a blessing to attend church and learn and grow spiritually. I love you and hope that you have a wonderful birthday. I love you so much.

I love you all so much! Talk to you next week!!!
Elder Robertson

Letter 4/19/10

Dear Family,

It has been raining everyday since I arrived here. I really love this area! We do a lot of walking and I have taken some beautiful pictures of Teziutlan. I actually like walking but we don't walk all the time... we also take buses and vans places. On Friday, we have la conferencia de zonas in Xalapa. I will be able to see Elder Tobler and Elder Carpenter so that will be fun. We are teaching a lot so my spanish is getting better and better. I am thankful for my companion, Elder Gil. He helps me a lot. I have enclosed a picture of him and I at the baptism a few weeks ago. I absolutely love the people here. They are very nice and humble. A lot of people stop and stare at me because I'm so tall! It's pretty funny! I am eating a lot of fruit. I have had fish, chicken, pork and steak habanero which isn't that hot and is very good. My favorite thing so far has been Tacos al Pastor. On P-Days we do our laundry, write home, play a sport and then at 6 keep working. I have not played soccer here yet. I've just played basketball. There are actually 2 wards here and we have Stake Conference next Sunday. I'm looking forward to that. Our baptism last Saturday went well.

I was pretty shocked that the 7-11 lady asked about me and how my mission was going. That's actually pretty cool! Just keep talking about the gospel to her and try to explain what I'm doing. I remember telling her about it on several occasions when I went in there. She likes our family. You never know... she might be waiting for someone to teach her the gospel.

I am doing great! I cannot express to my brothers and the young men enough to turn off the TV and study Preach My Gospel! Colton, are you doing that?!? I love you all. I am thankful for all you have taught me and most importantly your example. Please tell everyone (family, friends, ward family) hello for me and to write! Enjoy the pictures and know that I love you and this work that I am doing.

Love,
Elder Robertson

OK... after reading how much Elder Robertson loves these "Tacos al Pastor"... the search was on to find the recipe. I found one & can't wait to try it!
http://blogchef.net/tacos-al-pastor-recipe/

My First Week in Mexico... And My First Baptism!

Dear Mom,
Yep, everybody knew it was my birthday! ha ha! It was a pretty cool birthday here in Mexico! My first week in Mexico was great! Time flies as I can't believe I've already been here a week. My companion is Elder Gil and he is a Native from Mexico. Yes! I was able to meet Elder Tobler. He is Elder Carpenters companion- ha ha! The world is really small. The Baptism on Saturday was awesome!! I was able to baptize him (in total spanish) and it was such an amazing experience for me! You'll never know what a powerful experience that was! I love the area that I am in. It is hot and also rains a lot. The members here are really nice and so are my investigators. They are great, loving and humble people. President and Sister Hansen and all of his Assistants picked Elder Carpenter and I up at the airport. We then went to the mission home and after ate at a restaurant where they had the best tacos! Yes, I am taking lots of pictures. President and Sister Hansen said to tell you all hello. Sister Hansen has your email so she will keep in touch. The Mission here is different than anything in pictures. It's different to see everything made out of concrete. I love you Mom and I'll answer more questions in the next email. Oh, we have another baptism on Saturday! I'll let you know when I receive Aunt Cari's package. It should be in a couple of weeks! Love you!

Tanner- The first baptism went great! I baptized the boy and it was incredibly awesome! That's so cool that you are doing baseball with Garrett! Keep in touch. I love hearing from you! Love you.

Colton- I loved the picture of you & Sara. You both looked really nice. So glad that you both had a fun time at Prom. It's good to hear that your mission papers are almost completed. I can't wait to hear where you will be serving! Colt, you are going to have a blast! No problem helping you out... you're my brother! Keep in touch. Love you.

Cassidy- Wow! A 3 pointer!?! haha! Everything is going good here. That's so cool to hear that Jordan Lee is going to Washington DC! My companion is great! He helps me a lot with Spanish. Love you sis.

Tyler- I love my area! It is cool! And I love my companion. The baptism was awesome and I got to baptize him! I laughed so hard when I read your letter! hahaha- The missionaries "tried" to play basketball! McGill cracks me up! That is good that football is going great. I was happy to read how excited you are to serve your mission. It will be the best thing you ever do in your life. Keep working hard. Love you

Dad- You were RIGHT! I had my first baptism my first week! It was amazing! And I did it in complete Spanish! So glad that that you guys now get BYU/TV. I loved conference. It was awesome! I think it was my favorite out of all the ones I have seen. Colton will get over eating picky. I don't know half the things I eat here, but I still eat and they are all great! Obedience is the key to a great mission! I am being totally obedient and I will throughout my mission. I love you Dad!

Thanks everybody! Can't wait to receive the family letter next week! This worked out great! Tell everyone hello and thank you for their support. Especially the grandparents!

Love,
Elder Robertson

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Elder Robertson!
We miss you but know you are loving life serving the people of Mexico! So thankful for you and your example.
Love,
Mom & Dad

I'm Here!

Dear Family,

I made it to Mexico fine. The airport was pretty crazy! I am serving in a city called Teziutlan, in the State of Puebla, which is the farthest mission North. I am in the mountains. Our P-Days are on Monday so I will write you then. Sister Hansen has your email and she will write you if anything comes up. I am excited to finally serve the people of Mexico! We have a baptism Saturday, so that will be fun. I can't wait! I love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Love,

Elder Robertson