A Blessing or Two...

Tue 2/17/2015 12:22 PM

So much has gone on this past week, that I don't know if I'll even be able to type all of it! 

I'll just start off, and my email probably won't be well structured.

So last P-day we decided to do what? Shopping! Yeah, I know. It was relieving. So as we're walking, this man stops us and asked us if we had food or money to spare him. We told him we didn't and that we were so sorry about it. We found out his name was Scott. Poor homeless Scott. He asked us to pray for him so we did and we talked a bit about the gospel. He told us he was so grateful for Christians who share messages about Christ with the world, and ran off. I felt SO bad. Extremely bad, so I told Hna. Whipperman that we needed to do something for him. I always have crazy ideas come into my mind, so before I knew it, we were in line with a loaf of bread, and I found myself paying for it. We ran EVERYWHERE looking for Scott. We even got in the car and drove around for half an hour in hopes of finding him, pero nada. I felt so much regret for not asking him to wait. Even though we spent a ton of our P-day looking for Scott, we realized how much it filled us. Sometimes it is that thought that counts, but how I wish we had found him! 

We had exchanges this last week, and I had Hna. Booth (Hna Boman's verdecita) with me in my area. We had a great exchange. Volunteered at the food bank and everything. I had this feeling that we needed to try this potential. So we went and knocked on her door. A man walked up to us and told us that no one was home, and that he lived there. We spoke to him anyway. As we're speaking to this man, I saw a girl about 11 years old walking and struggling with carrying a heavy bag. We stopped, and asked her if she needed help. She told us she didn't, so we kept talking to the man. After talking to him and inviting him to a branch activity we had that upcoming weekend, the little girl came up to us and asked for our help. She was trying to get that big black bag into the trash. I tried to carry it, but the bag was too heavy for my own little self to carry it. I out the bag down and asked her what was in it. She looked at me, smiled and said, "poop". I jumped back and asked, "WHAT KIND OF POOP IS THIS?!" (Hna. Walton and I had a horrible experience with offering service and having to clean human poop once) She told us it was stored cat poop. Sister Booth and I were dying of laughter. It was hilarious. I tried to swing the bag of poop into the dumpster, then in the midst of it being thrown, the bag ripped and it all fell out. We screamed. We just looked at it, and I randomly pulled out the B.o.M and talked to her about the gospel. Long story short, I asked her if her fam. would be interested in hearing more about our message. She asked us if we wanted to meet her aunt. We went in and met her. We just found out she had several deaths in the family and how she just had another funeral for her sister. The poor woman. We realized, "Plan of Salvation!". We taught her about it, prayed, and testified. She was super interested, and asked us to return. We invited her to be baptized, and she said if she knew this was all true. Since they aren't Latinos, we have to pass them on, but as we left, the little girl came up to me, gave me a HUGE hug and asked me to come back soon. It was so darn cute. We then saw her and her aunt attempt to clean up the poop. Who knows, a baptism could occur thanks to cat litter.

 

Valentine's Day! So that day, we decided to "heart attack" Our members and investigators. We made cookies and cut out heart shaped paper and tape them to the doors writing down what we love about them. We did it for 3 members. It was so great to watch their reactions after we did it, and doorbell ditched them. Their reactions filled our hearts. They deserve to feel loved (:

 

That day, we also drove around, and I told Hna. Whipperman to roll down her window and scream "Jesus loves you" to pedestrians. Hahaha she totally did it.

 

So, here's my BIG miracle for the week. There's this family of formers. The Evaristo's. They're Catholic by culture, but don't really "live it". They have this issue with not liking new missionaries, and we somehow changed that for them. They told us that they told the previous missionaries that after they left, they weren't accepting new ones into their home. We won them over (: We had originally planned to teach them the into to the bom, but as soon as we did what we call "How to Begin Teaching", we discerned their need! We applied doctrine to their need. Bro Evaristo had expressed how he felt a few weeks ago that he needs to lead his family to a correct path. So that they can have eternal salvation. He asked so many questions about life and what would happen to us after this life and on the purpose of life itself. I don't know what happened to me, but I was able to follow the Spirit and give him the exact answers he needed. he turned to me and said, " Hermana Robles, out of all the missionaries who I've asked these questions to, you were the first who was able to answer them, and I do not doubt a single thing you said." Holy cow. The Spirit was soooo strong. We had a great conversation of the Plan of Salvation, and  they begged us to return. They also invited us to their daughter's Quinceañera, so that's how we knew we were in (: I testified to them that this and eternal life is something they can have. That their family can be together for eternity. They loved it. They even cried. The Lord led us to a family who is ready, and they know they're ready. Such a miracle. I know that the Lord indicated that I'm doing my job and am worthy of this miracle due to that experience. We have an appt. set with them Thursday, and we're stoked.

   

I'll leave you off with my favorite quote for the week. This one comes from one of the conversations I had with one of the Marshallese Elders in my District. Yo: Elder Jally..Like "Jally Rancher"? E. Jally: "Sister Robles.. Like, you need to get a robe, 'cause you're "Robe-less"." 

 

Boy do I love the mission.

 

I hope you all have a week filled with tender mercies. They indicate the Lord's love to you!

 

I love you all! Have a great week!

 

Con amor,

 

Hermana Robles

"A Blessing or Two"... Una Bendición o Dos... ( In Spanish)

Tue 2/17/2015 12:22 PM

Tantas cosas  han ocurrido la semana pasada, que no sé si voy a ser incluso capaz de escribir todo!
Voy a empezar, y mi correo electrónico no estará bien estructurado probablemente.

Imaginense que decidimos hacer ayer por día de Preparación ? Compras! Sí, lo sé. Eso alivia. Así que mientras estabamos caminando, un hombre nos detuvo y nos preguntó si teníamos algo de comida o dinero de sobra. Le dijimos que no y nos sentimos tan mal por ello. Nos enteramos de que su nombre era Scott. Pobre de Scott sin hogar. Nos pidió que oraramos por él,  y así lo hicimos y nos habló un poco acerca del evangelio. Él nos dijo que estaba muy agradecido por los cristianos que comparten mensajes acerca de Cristo con el mundo, y se fué corriendo. Me sentí tan mal. Muy mal, así que le dije a Hna Whipperman que teníamos que hacer algo por él. Siempre tengo ideas locas que vienen a mi mente, así que antes de darme cuenta, ya estábamos en línea con una barra de pan, y además me encontré en la caja pagando por ello. Corrimos a TODAS PARTES buscando Scott. Incluso en el coche y recorrimos durante media hora con la esperanza de encontrarlo, pero nada. Sentí mucho pesar por no pedirle que espere. A pesar de que  pasamos una gran parte de nuestro P-día en busca de Scott, nos dimos cuenta de un sentimiento lindo que nos llenó. A veces, es que lo que cuenta, pero cómo me gustaría que lo hubiesemos encontrado!

Hemos tenido intercambios esta última semana, y tuve a la Hna Booth (verdecita de Hna Boman) conmigo en mi área. Tuvimos un gran cambio. Servimos como voluntarias en el banco de alimentos y todo eso. Tuve la sensación de que teníamos que intentar con una familia potencial que tenian. Así que nos fuimos y tocamos su puerta. Un hombre se acercó a nosotros y nos dijo que no había nadie en casa, sin embargo El vivia allí. Hablamos con él de todos modos. Al estar hablando con este hombre; vi a una niña de unos 11 años de edad aproximadamente, a pie cargando y luchando con una bolsa que parecia muy pesada. Nos detuvimos y le preguntamos si necesitaba ayuda. Ella nos dijo que no, así que dejamos de hablar con el hombre por un momento. Después de hablar con El é invitarle a una actividad de Rama que tuvimos ese fin de semana pasado, la niña se acercó a nosotros y nos pidió ayuda. Ella estaba tratando de conseguir poner la  bolsa negra grande dentro del contenedor de basura. Traté de tirarla, pero la bolsa era demasiado pesada aún para mi propia persona. Yo dejé la bolsa en el suelo y le pregunté ala niña lo que había dentro. Ella me miró, sonrió y dijo: "desecho". Salté hacia atrás y le pregunté: "¿QUÉ TIPO DE DESECHO es esto ?!" (Hna Walton y yo tuvimos una experiencia horrible al ofrecer servicio una vez, y tener que limpiar desecho humano).  Ella nos dijo que se trataba de "desecho" de gato almacenado. Hermana Booth y yo estábamos muriendo de la risa. Fue muy gracioso. Traté de hacer pivotear la bolsa de desecho en el contenedor de basura, entonces al lanzar, la bolsa, esta se desgarró y todo el desecho se cayó. Gritamos. Nos miramos, y luego atiné a sacar el Libro de Mormón y empezamos a hablar con ella sobre el evangelio. Haciendo esta larga  historia mas corta, le pregunté si su familia estaría interesada en saber más acerca de nuestro mensaje. Ella nos preguntó si queríamos podríamos conocer a su tía.
 Entramos entonces y la conocimos. Acababamos de descubrir que ella tenía varios familiars recientemente fallecidos en la familia y que ella recientemente tuvo otro funeral, el de su hermana.
 Nos dimos cuenta, que debíamos compartir el "Plan de Salvación". Le enseñamos al respecto, oramos, y testificamos al respecto. Ella estuvo muy interesada, y nos pidió que regresaramos. La desafiamos e invitamos a ser bautizada, y ella dijo que si sabía que era cierto y lo haría de  seguro.
Debido a  que no son latinos, tuvimos que dar la referencia a los misioneros del Barrio Americano, pero cuando nos fuimos, la niña se acercó a mí, me dió un abrazo enorme y me pidió volver pronto. Fué así de lindo para nosotras  luego vimos que, ella y su tía intentarón de limpiar el desecho que se había esparcido. Quién sabe, un bautismo podría ocurrir gracias al desecho de esos gatos...

Día de San Valentín! Ese día, decidimos poner en marcha la operación llamada "ataque al corazón" para nuestros miembros e investigadores. Hicimos galletas y cortamos papel en forma de corazón y los pegamos con cinta adhesiva a las puertas  escribiendo lo que nos gusta de ellos. Lo hicimos para 3 miembros. Era tan grandioso el ver sus reacciones después de que lo hicimos, tomamos el timbre y nos fuimos. Sus reacciones llenarón nuestros corazones de gozo. Ellos merecen sentirse amados (:

Ese día, también al manejar por los alrededores, sugerí a la Hna. Whipperman que baje la ventana y gritar "Jesús te ama" a los peatones. Jajaja  y ella totalmente lo hizó.

Así que, aquí está el GRAN milagro de la semana. Hay una familia de investigadores que ya habian escuchado las charlas. Los  Evaristo. Son Católicos por cultura y tradición, pero en realidad no "son precticantes". Ellos tienen como  problema  que no le gustaba nuevos misioneros, y que de alguna manera tratamos de cambiar eso de ellos. Nos dijeron que les dijeron a los misioneros anteriores que después de que se fueran, NO estarían dispuestos a aceptar otros nuevos misioneros en su casa. Pero nos los ganamos (:!. Habíamos planeado originalmente para ellos el enseñar en la lista de topicos, pero tan pronto como lo hicimos empezamos a, discernir mediante el Espiritu su verdadera necesidad.
 Hemos aplicado la doctrina a su necesidad Hermano Evaristo  expresó lo que sentió hace unas semanas que necesita llevar a su familia a un camino correcto. para que puedan tener la salvación eterna. él formuló muchas preguntas acerca de la vida y lo que sucedería a nosotros después de esta vida y de la finalidad de la vida en sí misma. No sé lo que me pasó, pero fuí capaz de seguir el Espíritu y le dí las respuestas exactas que necesitaba. El se volvió hacia mí y dijo: "Hermana Robles, de todos los misioneros que a quienes he preguntado estas cosas, Ud. Ha sido la primera que fue capaz de responder mis inquietudes, y yo no dudo ni una sola cosa que dijiste. "¡Caramba!. el Espíritu era tan fuerte. tuvimos una gran conversación del plan de salvación, y nos rogaron que regresemos También nos invitaron a quinceañera de su hija, por lo que es como nos dimos cuenta de que estábamos en lo correcto con ellos y que nos aceptarón (:. testifiqué a ellos que esto y que la vida eterna es algo que pueden tener. Que como familia pueden estar juntos por toda la eternidad. A ellos les encantó. Incluso llorarón. El Señor nos ha llevado a una familia que está lista, y ellos saben que están listos. Tal milagro. Yo sé que el Señor indicó que estoy haciendo mi trabajo y soy digna de este milagro debido a esa experiencia. Tenemos una cita para el jueves con ellos , y estamos muy contentas.

 Wow!!!  Me encanta la misión.

Espero que todos ustedes tengan una semana llena de las tiernas misericordias del Señor, las cuales. indicant su amor por  ustedes!

Les quiero a todos! Tengan una gran semana!

Con amor,

Hermana Robles

Cuando Hay Amor...

Mon 2/9/2015 12:30 PM

P day came by so quick this week! I feel like we just had it less than a week ago! It's weird how quick time is going. The thought of hitting my halfway mark soon makes me cringe. But aside from that.. We had a great week!

 

Hermana Whipperman is such an amazing missionary! I am so impressed by her, and by how quick she is picking everything up! She's the daughter I wished to have! (On the mission). Ha. We have so much studies to get done, so that really cuts into our proselyting time, but when we go out, boy do we work. Our mission's rule is to talk to everyone. That's our companionship rule. We fear no man (; nor their dogs. Well, sometimes I fear their dogs, but we'll still go and talk to them! We've had great Gospel Conversations, and i find it so adorable how my companion thinks I'm this hero from doing well what a missionary should do. I noticed how much of an impact I have on her and her mission. How I set the example of how a missionary should be and what this mission is about. Therefor, I'm even more motivated to work harder and to do everything right. To use my best judgement and be the missionary I want her to be. We've learned a lot from each other, and our personalities are pretty alike. We have a great time together spreading the gospel. 

 

My testimony of the Book of Mormon had grown so much. I love this book with all my heart. I learn something new each time. Lately, I've really gotten guidance on what kind of daughter, leader, missionary and person I should and want to be. It's amazing the guidance I receive for my area, companionship, and life I receive. I wish I had focused even more on it before I became a missionary.

 

Something huge I've come to know is how much I've changed. It's weird to notice it about myself, but I have. I've strived to be more Christ like and do as he did. That is what we covenant or promise when we're baptized. To follow Christ's example. That means to do as he did and be as he was as well. I've let the Atonement change me. I may not be perfect, but the Atonement makes it sufficient. I've seen people with a different mindset and with different eyes. With more love and concern. I want to help these people out, and that's what I do as a missionary. 

 

Funny experience for the week. I love to ask people if we can help them or if we can do something for them. I asked a man this and he said, "Well, you can marry my son." So yeah. That was awkward. I had a good laugh about it, but I realized he was serious, which made it more awkward! Oh the life of a missionary!

 

So we won't have P-day until next Tuesday since Monday is a holiday.

 

I invite you all to go out of your way and do something nice to express your love for someone. Whether it's your spouse or self. Christ was the perfect example of love, and charity.

 
Happy Valentine's Day!

I love you all! I'll be spreadingthe love of Christ that day!

 
Con amor,

 

Hermana Robles

Becoming A Mother

Mon 2/2/2015 12:30 PM

Okay, so this week was filled with stuff.

I met my "baby". From the moment I saw her, I just loved her to death! I knew she was going to do great things and that she would make a big impact on the Spanish work out here.

 

 

I'll tell you a bit about her.

Her name is Hermana Whipperman. You should hear the Latinos try to pronounce her name. It kills me. It's a great one! She just graduated Summer of 2014, and she's from good ol' SLC ,UT. Si, another Utahn! She has red hair if you haven't seen already. I don't know what's with the Lord and giving me red-headed companions, but I love it! It's grand. She is such a hard worker, and I'm so glad that the Lord answered my prayers and gave me a diligent companion. She reminds me of Hna Walton in the sense that she has the greatest desire to learn Spanish and that she's also super spunky and also a dancer. Just like her "grandma" (; Oh, and she's a U of U fans it's meant to be!

 

I am so excited to work with her. She has blown me away as I've trained her! It's like she came pre-trained! She sure beats me from when I first came out. This last week was her first week, and she has been on fire. She's absorbed everything, and I am just so impressed. I know that we'll do great work out in the North. We've both been trying so figure this area out together, and we're slowly getting the hang of it. I learned the importance of a companionship even more. Sometimes, I just have to shut my mouth and hand things over to her. She may be receiving revelation for the area that I may not. Our companionship is about becoming one.

 Something so cool happened. So we were at dinner at a member's home this past week. The Womacks. Bro Womack and I were talking, and somehow we led to the topic of his mission. Get this. He was companions with my cousin Farid!! It was insane to find out! Such an awesome experience. We talked about how great Farid is and whatnot. I felt a little closer to home. 

 

I found out that grandma is doing the BOM challenge with mom and I. I hope that it gives her the desire to listen to the missionaries! Such an awesome miracle! I am so stoked and filled with love!

 

 

 We had a lesson with this family. The Lopez. Their girl, Krystal really wants to be a missionary. She introduced us to her friend and she bore her testimony. She's 9. It was so cute!

 

Hope you all have a great week! Love you!

 

Love,

 

Hna Robles