"Following The Yellow Brick Road"

Mon 8/25/2014

As a missionary, I've gained a few nicknames.

"Cloudia" followed me to WA, but others emerged. The sisters we live with have a member whom I get along with well. I guess I'm like a daughter to him. Anyway, he refers to me as a "munchkin". I guess 'cause I'm short or something. Well, Bro Conant gave me advice the other night. to "follow the yellow brick road". Never seen the Wizard of Oz, so someone needs to explain this concept to me or something. 

I've also been referred to as the "Latina princess". I guess the sister missionaries and our mission President's wife are a fan of my hair. The sisters I live with call me "Pocahontas", due to my hair.

Oh wait. It gets better!

I got referred to as a "Utah-rd" the other day! YEAH! What is this?! Apparently, people from other states call us that. Go figure. 

As far as a spiritual moment, I had a few good ones. I'm low on time, so this email will be kinda short.

We had Zone conference this week, and it was so good! What I took the most out of it is that I need to be fearless and bold. I know, I'm nothing close to bold, and I'm fine with it. I do need to be with some of our investigators in order for them to commit to the invitations we've given them though. 

Oh, I learned how to say "Elder" in Russian! I forgot how to though, but I learned!

We had a training with Elder Johnson from the Gen. Authority. It was about missionary work, and the importance of hastening it. I realized I shouldn't let a moment pass me by, and that I need to serve with all my soul, heart, and strength!

Member help is also important, so help those missionaries! Acknowledge them! The Lord does his work in his own way, at his own time. This is where patience comes into play. I've gained that a ton out here. I love it.

We taught the Restoration to this investigator, and his kids. He claims he's my "number one fan". It's creepy, but the lesson went well! All the cute kids sat on the hood of his car, and we taught the Restoration. The kids loved it so much! It was the cutest thing!

I gained a 6th sense. Smelling Latinos. We'll be walking around, and I'll smell "Latino" from a house. We'll go, and knock on a door, and a Latino appears! It's a gift (;

Our member's dogs escaped, so we went to the rescue! We chased dogs around the block for a good half hour. i was trying to get a dog to sit, and he didn't respond to anything I said. I sang the hymn "Paz, Calmense", and the dog freakin' sat! Power of a missionary! It was funny though!

Anyway, i love everyone, and I cannot believe Danny began his Senior Year today! He's not supposed to be that big! Can't believe David's in 6th grade now! Stop growing!

Mucho amor,

Hermana Robles

Expuestos al calor del Espiritu

Hermana Walton y yo estamos en la 2da semana de nuestra "ayuno de postre". Lo estamos haciendo muy bien. Estamos tan orgullosos la una de la  otra!

Otro hecho divertido: Acabo de llegar a mi marca de 2 meses como misionera hoy!  Me encanta! (:

Conocimos a una joven menos activa llamada Kristina. Pasamos una casa, y tuvimos la impresión de que teníamos que volver y tocar la puerta. Por supuesto que la seguimos, y tocamos. Allí conocimos a Kristina. Nos enteramos de que ella es menos activa, y que ella había estado orando fervientemente para recibir una respuesta del Señor. Después de hablar con nosotros, ella nos dijo que eramos la respuesta del Señor que ella necesita para ponerse en forma y volver a la iglesia. Ella está haciendo precisamente eso! Es un milagro! Estamos muy felices por ella, y ella accedió a venir a la iglesia con nosotros!

Esa noche, Nos alcanzó una gran tormenta! La mitad de la ciudad se quedó sin energia. Fue una locura. Bueno, estábamos trabajando, y fuímos en busca de investigadores de habla Hispana. El Señor nos bendijo porque esa tormenta causó que todos estén fuera de sus porches. Encontramos dos familias latinas. Y al fin hemos ganado una familia de investigadores! El Señor ha estado contestando nuestras oraciones!

 

Al día siguiente, las hermanas de nuestra zona salimos a almorzar a un lugar, Qdoba.  muy bueno.  Nosotras  8 ordenamos la comida y cuando fuimos a pagar, la cajera nos dijo que todas nuestras comidas ya habían sido pagadas. Otro milagro! (:

Tuvimos otra lección con la familia González. Esa familia es en serio tan especial, y mi amor por ellos es enorme! El Espíritu siempre se ha sentido tan fuerte cada vez que les enseñamos. Les enseñamos sobre Alma 32 y cómo podemos fortalecer y nutrir nuestra fe. De lejos, la mejor lección que he ayudado a enseñar. Fue tan poderosa. Sé que Hugo (el padre), sintió el Espíritu. Toda su familia lo hizo. Me sentí incitado para invitarlos a ser bautizados, y lo hice. Todos dijeron SÍ! Jenny nos envió un mensaje al día siguiente, y nos dijo que ella encontró a su padre leyendo el Libro de Mormón. SÉ serán sellados el uno al otro como una familia. Estoy muy emocionada de ver a dónde se dirigen. Tenemos otra lección con ellos mañana. No puedo esperar. Son una familia para mí, y yo realmente quiero que sepan de la veracidad del Evangelio.

Sábado fue fabuloso. Sé que la mayoría de nuestros miembros envió solicitudes a mamá y papá para ser amigos en FB. Hay un montón de fotos que tomaron de nosotros "en plena acción". Nos pusimos a trabajar con la familia de nuestro Presidente Rama toda esa mañana. Los López son tan especiales. Hermana Lacey López organizó toda esta mañana para nosotros. Ella buscó nuestros vecinos que necesitaban ayuda y programó charlas con ellos. Sabemos que milagros surgirán de ella! Probamos el servicio con toda su familia para su vecino que acaba de ser diagnosticado con cáncer. Nunca hecho tanto trabajo en el jardín de mi vida, pero valió la pena, y un montón de diversión. Eso es algo que quiero hacer cuando vuelvo a casa en unos buenos 16 meses.

 

Después, tuvimos la hermana Mortenson con nosotros, y visitamos La Michoacana. José estaba trabajando allí e hizo un pastel para un baby shower. Fuimos invitados a ella, así que fuimos! Hermana Walton y yo fuimos de compra de ropa de bebé hoy, así que podemos dejarla a la señora que se llevó a cabo el Baby Shower. Estamos muy contentas. Nadie en esa reunión era SUD, así que fue una gran oportunidad misional.
Encontramos a una familia cubana allí. Son refugiados. Ellos nos contaron su historia, y se me rompió el corazón, literalmente no tienen nada, y quiero ayudarles a salir de cualquier modo que pueda.

Nuestros miembros son impresionantes! Ayer, nos enteramos que algunos de nuestros miembros fueron y reunieron un montón de cosas. Nos dejó que fuera a la casa de la familia cubana, y estaban “super” felices. Nunca he visto a nadie tan agradecido antes. No esperaban eso y estaban prácticamente en lágrimas. Papá, no sé cómo pudiste balancear  todo como inmigrante cuando llegamos a este pais hace 13 años. Tengo mucho respeto por ti, y te quiero mucho. Sacrificaste tanto y trabajaste tan duro para mantener a nuestra familia bien y cómoda y segura. Al ver cómo esta familia estaba tratando a través de este, tocado mi corazón tan profundamente!

Conocimos a este hombre, Larry el fin de semana. Él realmente necesitaba escuchar del evangelio. Me sentí motivada a invitarle a ser bautizado, y él aceptó hacerlo una vez que encuentre que este Evangelio es verdadero. Trató de poner sus brazos alrededor de mi compañero y yo, y nos dijo que él estaba tratando de exponerse al calor del espiritu en la presencia del Señor que sentía desprendía de nosotros. Fue tan genial! Estoy tan feliz de que él reconoció la presencia del Espíritu. Ah. Me encanta tanto ser misionera!
Estaba estudiando esta semana en mi estudio de escrituras Mosíah 23:10. Estoy releyendo el B.O.M, y me encanta!
Esta escritura que significa mucho para mi! Me di cuenta de que el Señor me está usando como un instrumento para llevar a la gente a la verdad. Se relaciona mucho conmigo. Esta escritura fue una respuesta a mis oraciones.

Las hermanas de la rama me mostraron algunas de las fotos de la mama en Machu Picchu. Estoy tan feliz de que ella pudó estar allí! Espero que su familia tenga el deseo de escuchar a los misioneros. Sé lo mucho que el evangelio bendecirá sus vidas como lo ha hecho con la mía. Estoy tan feliz de saber que ella tiene que pasar tiempo con ellos.

Otra cosa. Mamá, estoy muy agradecido de que me "empujaste" a terminar mi Progreso Personal. Me ha ayudado más de lo que esperaba. Me pongo mi medallón fuerte y orgullosa. He visto las bendiciones que me ha traído como misionero. Estoy trabajando con la hija de nuestro Presidente de Rama sobre la de ella, y estoy muy feliz de haber completado la mía! Así que, por favor envíeme mi Progreso Personal de vuelta a casa? Te amo tanto, y le doy las gracias por ayudarme a terminarlo!

Estoy emocionado de que los chicos finalmente lleguen a comer comida de verdad, ahora que mamá vuelve a casa. Coman sano!

Los quiero a todos mucho, y ya está todo en mis oraciones. He visto los sacrificios que cada uno ha hecho, y yo realmente admiro. Tienen una gran semana!

Con Todo mi amor,

Hermana Robles

 

 

Basking in the Spirit

This week was CRAZY. So much happened, but I'll do my best to break it down.

Hermana Walton and I are on week 2 of our "dessert fast". We're doing so good. So proud of each other!
Another fun fact: I hit my 2 month mark as a missionary today! I LOVE IT! (:

We met this Less Active named Kristina. We walked past a house, and had this impression that we needed to return and knock on the door. Of course we followed it, and knocked. There, we met Kristina. We found out that she's less active, and that she had been praying fervently to receive a sign from the Lord. After speaking to us, she said we were a sign from the Lord that she needs to shape up and get back to church. She's doing just that! It's such a miracle! We're so happy for her, and she agreed to come to church with us!

That evening, a huge storm struck! The power was out in half the city. It was insane. Well, we were still working, and went around looking for Latinos. The Lord blessed us because that storm caused everyone to be out on their porches. We found two Latino families whom we spoke to. We gained a family of investigators! The Lord has been answering our prayers!

 

 The following day, the sisters in our zone went out for lunch at this place, Qdoba. Good stuff. Anyway, all 8 of us ordered and went up to pay. As we did, the cashier told us that all our meals had already been paid for. Otro milagro! (:



 

We had another lesson with the Gonzalez family. That family is seriously so special, and my love for them is huge! The Spirit is always felt so strong whenever we teach them. We taught them about Alma 32 and how we could strengthen and nourish our faith. By far, the best lesson I've helped teach. It was soooo powerful. I know Hugo (the dad), felt the Spirit. Their entire family did. I felt prompted to invite them to be baptized, and I did. THEY ALL SAID YES! Jenny texted us the following day, and told us she found her dad reading from the Book of Mormon. I KNOW they will be sealed to each other as a family. I am so excited to see where they're headed. We have another lesson with them tomorrow. I can't wait. They're family to me, and I really want them to know of the truthfulness of the gospel.

 Saturday was HUGE. I know the majority of our members sent mom and dad friend requests on FB. There's a ton of pictures they took of us "in action". We got to work with our Branch President's family that entire morning. The Lopez are so great. Sister Lacey Lopez organized this entire morning for us. She sought our her neighbors who needed help and scheduled lessons with them. We know miracles will arise from it! We did service with their entire family for their neighbor who just got diagnosed with cancer. Never done so much yard work in my life, but it was worth it, and loads of fun. That's something I wanna do when I return home in a good 16 months.

Afterwards, we had Sister Mortenson with us, and visited La Michoacana. Jose was working there and made a cake for a baby shower. We were invited to it, so we went! Hermana Walton and I are baby clothes shopping today, so we can drop it off to the lady who held the shower. We're excited. No one in that baby shower was LDS, so it was a great missionary opportunity.

 



We met this Cuban family there. They're refugees. They told us their story, and it broke my heart, They literally have nothing, and I wanna help them out in anyway I can.

 

Our members are awesome! Yesterday, we found out some of our members went and gathered a ton of stuff. We dropped it off at the Cuban family's home, and they were super happy. I have never seen anyone so grateful before. They didn't expect it, and were practically in tears. Dad, I don't know how you balanced everything as an immigrant 13 years ago. I hold so much respect for you, and love you so much. You sacrificed so much and worked so hard to keep our family in good shape. Seeing how this family was dealing through this, touched my heart so profoundly! 

 

We met this man, Larry over the weekend. He really needed to hear of the gospel. I felt prompted to invite him to be baptized, and he accepted to do so once he found that this gospel is true. He tried to put his arms around my companion and I, and told us that he was trying to bask in the presence of the Lord that he felt give off from us. It was so cool! I'm so happy that he recognized the Spirit present. Agh. I just love being a missionary so much!

 As I was studying this week, I came across Mosiah 23:10. I'm re-reading the B.O.M, and I love it!

This scripture was seriously meant for me! I realized that the Lord is using me as an instrument to bring people to the truth. It relates a lot to me. This scripture was an answer to my prayers. 

The sisters from the branch showed me some of mom's pictures in Machu Picchu. I am so happy that she got to be there! I hope the family has the desire to listen to missionaries. I know how much the gospel will bless their lives like it has done to mine. I'm so happy to know she got to spend time with them.

 

Another thing. Mom, I am so grateful that you "pushed" me to finish my Personal Progress. It has helped me beyond what I expected. I wear my medallion loud and proud. I've seen the blessings it has brought me as a missionary. I am working with our Branch President's daughter on hers, and am so happy I completed mine! So, please send me my Personal Progress from back home? I love you so much, and thank you for helping me finish it!

I'm excited that the boys finally get to eat real food now that mom is coming home. Eat healthy! 

I love you all so much, and you're all in my prayers. I've seen the sacrifices each of you have made, and I really admire it. Have a great week!

Con todo mi amor,

 

Hermana Robles

 



"Suga, Suga" (Claudia Robles [claudia.robles@myldsmail.net])

David loves that song. 

Thought it incorporated well with this past week!

If you haven't seen the pictures yet, I gave up sugar. Desserts. Such a big deal for me. Dessert= Life.

Sorta. Anyway, it was for a good cause! Hermana Walton and I have almost hit our 1 week "sugar less". Our less active is so proud of us, and we're proud of her. She's cutting down from a pack a day, to one or 2 a day. We have faith that she'll get it!

This past week was definitely a lot better. We've had the chance to interact and get to know our members better. They are so great. We wouldn't be able to do all this without their love and support. Yesterday, Hermana Lacasse showed me a FB conversation between her and mom. Yeah, I cried. It was so sweet that she reached out to her! I love that our members have been doing that. i think having that picture as the cover of my missionary agenda helped.

We had dinner with the cutest couple! The Mortensons. They remind me so much of my friends back home, but with more responsibilities and stuff. We got along with them so well! They're hilarious, and just have that personality that one instantly clicks with. I'll be keeping in touch with them for sure. Their testimonies are so strong. They've gone through a lot for 30 year olds. They inspire me, and I just can't express how much I love them!

A little miracle.

We've been "hunting" down one of our Less Actives for like.. ever. We bumped into him the other day as we were visiting an investigator, and he took us to lunch! We got along so well, and he remembered the reasoning why he got baptized. He's trying to get work off to attend church. We were so happy! Plus, the burritos he fed us were top notch!

Jose finally got conformed yesterday! 

Long story, but he had an emergency he had to attend, and didn't get to attend church the day after his baptism. A missionary's worst nightmare. He made it up to us by giving us a referral, and bringing a friend to church. *Wiping tears* He's such a good missionary! Funny thing. He can't remember Hermana Walton's name. Each time we call him or see him, he just says, "Robles, como estas?!" Then he looks over at Hermana Walton, and smiles. My poor companion.. He'll get her name soon enough!

The sisters looooooove playing pranks on me. It's cause I'm Latina.. Kidding. Cause I'm a "greenie". Sister O'Very is ALWAYS finding ways to scare me! Well, she loves to creep on me when I'm sleeping. It's torturous. So, I was sound asleep, trying to get some "beauty rest", 'cause missions can 'cause us to give up on our appearances, when I suddenly felt something tug on my leg. I jumped twice my height! Darn Sister O'Very. 

Oh, we got transfer calls last night! 

I'm staying in Spokane Valley another transfer! YEEEEEEAAAAAH! It's like receiving another mission call. We get super anxious, and our hearts drop. I'm staying, along with Hermana Walton. We're comps for another 6 weeks! Good thing I love her soooooo much, and we crack each other up. Did I mention we make music videos? Yeah.. We have to entertain ourselves sometimes. The sisters in the apartment love it. Get this. Sister Walton got called as the Sister Training Leader. I'm so excited for her! Bring on the stress!

Last thing. We went on exchanges this weekend, and Sister Metcalf and I encountered this lady. She told us she's a "C & E Catholic". "Christmas and Easter". I thought it was funny.

Anyway, I love you all so much, and hope all is well back in good ol Dub J.

Have a great week!]

Mucho amor,

Hermana Robles

With our mini missionary, Sister Gonzalez

 

 

 

Sister Haynes and I. We were in the same Math class my Sophomore year! Small world!

 

 

 

 

We made Stir Fry for dinner. So good!

 

Sister O'Very likes my hair.

 

 

 



Jose's big day!!

 

Couldn't do it without the Elders.

Elder Cheney's mom sings in MOTAB with Uncle Israel. Maybe they know each other.?

 

 

Hermana Appleton (Peruvian)

 

 

Selfie with the temple in the background

 

 

 

 

 

Hermana Walton's 1 year! I made her breakfast. I'll make some man happy some day (;

I Stand All Amazed ( 8/14/2014) Taken from Claudia's e mail

Whoever said mission life would be tough was right. It's so tough! However, it's easy at the same time. I know, I don't make any sense.

This past week was the toughest I've had on the mission, and possibly even ever. The stress was real, as Jake Adams would say.

Who knew that Satan worked 5 times as hard when a baptismal date was around the corner. He's a sneaky soul. My faith was tried quite a bit. I did learn that that by trusting in the Lord. we seek to know his will and do what he requires even when he allows for something else to occur. I had faith he'd help me out, and he did in the end. I just love him so much. He's been my best friend throughout my time in WA. 

So, Jose also struggled. He called us the day of his Baptismal interview to tell us that he had bad news. He got a new job offer in a city 3 hours away. He thought he wouldn't be able to be baptized because we didn't have our church located in that city. Luckily for Jose, we have churches everywhere! (But not as much as in Utah!) That part was covered, but he gave us other news. The place he was originally going to live at wasn't going to work out for him, and he had no where to go. We had to find him a new place in less than 3 hours. We were STRESSED. Eventually, a member accepted him in, so we went to help him move a few things there. I explained to him the night before that Satan would work really hard to test him, and make the baptism not happen. The Spirit prompted me to do so, and turns out it was exactly what he needed to hear. The Elders who serve in the branch with us were the greatest help. They went to Jose's old place and gave him a blessing. The Spirit was soooo strong. Never felt it that strong before, and I obviously cried. I'm such a baby. Jose did too, so "es okay". As we all helped him load up his car, we got a text saying that the member's house wouldn't work out. Turns out their single daughter was living there, and Jose would be breaking the Law of Chastity by living under the same roof with a woman he wasn't related to or married to. We were back to square one. We had nothing going. We still had to find talks, and do a ton of scheduling to make Friday's baptism happen. We didn't even know if he'd be able to be baptized because he didn't have a place to go. Interesting how things work out. Jose received notice that the woman living at his apartment moved out with her boyfriend. He also passed his interview! (Making the long story short) 

Friday came along, and we went to visit Jose before his baptism. He's a backer at the only Latin bakery in the Valley. He gave us free bread and all sorts of good Mexican desserts. I thought of David and that sweet bread thing he likes. He was super excited. He was working on his birthday/ baptismal cake.

That evening, Jose was baptized. All of our stress, doubts, and tears were worth watching him immerse into holy waters and start all over. This is why I'm here. To bring souls to our Father. He radiated, and I knew he realized that too.

There's this video Hermana Walton and I love to show our investigators and members. It's called Earthly Father, Heavenly Father. It's basically about our father here on earth, and our father in heaven. I thought about how tough it was for dad to let me go on a mission. I'm the only daughter, and I can imagine letting a child go for a year and a half- 2 years must be tough. I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been for our father in heaven to let his son, Jesus Christ go, and atone for our sins. A father's love truly is infinite. As is our Heavenly Father's. I'm glad I'm taking time out of my life to help others come to our Father in heaven, and to know they're not alone. All their sins and pains were felt by Christ. I love my redeemer, and I know he lives.

Hermana Walton and I went tracting yesterday. We've been so busy with visiting Jose, and members, as well as getting referrals, that we never really got to go around houses and knock on doors without knowing who'd answer. Usually Hermana Walton takes lead, but she had me do it yesterday. It was.. Interesting. No one wanted to hear anything, and I got some interesting responses. My favorite was this lady who opened her door and told us she was doing homework. She asked us if what we had to say was important. We said, "Well, we think God is important!" She slammed the door on us. She'll draw to him some day." She needs Jesus. Actually, we all do! 

We had a mini-missionary with us this weekend. Jenny Gonzalez! She's so cute. Remember how her dad and cousin didn't really wanna hear of the gospel? Well, they did! The Spirit was felt so strong in that lesson! I bawled, and she bawled. Her cousin did too! Everyone in that room felt the Spirit so strong, and I know her dad's a step closer. I love miracles, and eternal families! Yay!

I am so grateful for this gospel, and eventhough being a missionary is tough, it's well worth it. Don't get me wrong, I sometimes wish I could be doing my own thing, but it's not about me, it's about the Savior.

When live gives you lemons, don't let them squirt you in the eyes.

I love you all so much, and I hope you have a great week! (:

Mucho amor,

Hermana Robles