Dear Home,
5/8 9:50 pm
Oooh! A birthday present! ^^ Thanks, Sariah! I wonder what it is. I'm probably going to open it a week or two early. The rest of my district is almost as curious as I am. And removing all that packaging might make it easier to put into suitcase....We'll see, but no matter what, I'm glad you sent it. Thanks for thinking about me. = ) You, too, Mom.^^ And Ben, and Kelsey, and everyone else who has written to me so far. I really appreciate your love and support. = )
5/9 10:16 pm
Long day. Really tired. Please forgive me. Good night.
P.S. I haven't opened it. Yet.
5/10 10:02 pm
Happy Mother's Day! = )
I'm sorry I wasn't able to call you, Mom. God's timing cheated us out of one of our four phone calls. But I still thought about you. I love you and miss you, Mom. Of course, I love being a missionary and I'm nowhere near being ready to go home, but I miss being able to hug and talk to you and the rest of our family. It's been a pretty good sacrifice, and I know it's been hard on you, too. But I know that God knows our needs and He will bless all of us for our submitting to His will. Elder Kelly is serving so his family will be blessed. They will be. And you will be, too.
5/13 7:00 am
I am on the airplane. I will be flying to Minneapolis. The I'll transfer for a plane for Winnipeg. The phone call just a minute ago was awesome. I loved hearing Mom's, Joe's, and Ben's voices. Mom and I were crying at the end, she's so proud of me. ^^ I sang "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" afterwards to 1) stop myself from crying, and 2) get myself in the mood for missionary work. It worked. ^^
7:26 am
We have liftoff! I'll write more when the plane levels out.
8:17 am
The plane has leveled off and I have had a little snack. I'm thinking about taking a nap up here. We only got 4 hours of sleep last night.
11:13 am
Off of one aircraft and onto another. Didn't get any sleep on the last airplane, but I might get some on this one. The seat next to me is empty, so I'll be able to stretch out a little. But before I nod off, I just want to express how thrilled I am that my best friend in the world is investigating the church. I'm so proud of her. ^^
5/14
I've been in Winnipeg one day, and now I'm leaving it. My new companion, Elder Kirkland of Yuma, Arizona, and I are headed for Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
5/20
(New Pen) It has been a LONG week. Now P-day is almost over, and I need to finish this letter and get it in the mail.
It turns out that we get an hour for Email each P-day. Still, I took up all the time I was given. The notes I had taken during the week were very useful. I'm sure I would've forgotten something without them. I had to leave a few things out though, for time. For example, in Saskatchewan, most people say "Hey" instead of "eh". Strange, eh? also, I have $2.00 in quarters that I didn't get to spend at the airport. What should I do with them?
After Emailing our families, Elder Kirkland and I and another companionship went to Fuddrucker's. It's a different kind of burger place. You buy a plain burger, 1/3 lb, 1/2 lb, 2/3 lb, or 1 lb of meat, and then put the toppings on yourself. I got a bacon and cheese burger, some root beer, and poutines. For you non-Canadians, poutines (poo-teens) are french fries with cheese and gravy. It was HUGE! Much bigger than I expected. I cold only finish half of it. But it was really good, though. Now that I'm not stuffed full anymore, I could go for another one!
Well, I'm out of room again, and I don't have time to fill another page, so I'll end it here. I love and miss all of you! - Hugs everyone - - Hugs Mom and Kelsey again - - Hugs Ben again - Take care. = )
Your Happy Missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts
PS - The return address is my current address.
103-2224 B
St Charles Ave
Saskatoon, SK, CANADA
S7M 5A7
I didn't know it when I sent my email. Nor did I know that mail sent to my mission address would get lumped together and only delivered every 6 weeks. By the time this letter gets to you, 2 weeks from now, you'll have only 1 week to write and send a reply, to make sure it gets here before transfer day 5 weeks from now. Or you could email me, and I'll get it the Wednesday after you send it.
*** note from Mom - Remember what he wrote about snail mail and email on the 27th.
Also, this letter arrived 5/29.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Dear Loved Ones - May 27, 2009
Dear Loved Ones,
It's wonderful to be able to write to you again. ^^ Like last week, I took notes throughout the week, so I should be able to at least touch on everything I want to tell you.
The first thing I want to mention is that I've figured something out about Email. It's much faster than snail mail. Therefore information (questions, answers, updates) should be sent via Email. Eg: Elder Kirkland told me that if a letter gets to my current address after I get transferred, the letter will NOT be lost forever. It'll just have to travel from missionary to missionary until it catches up with me, adding some time to the delay of snail mail. Now uplifted by that knowledge, I asked him what our address is, and put it on the envelope of the letter I sent last week. HOWEVER, if I had merely waited a week (until today) I could've told you my address NOW, and you could send letters directly to me, starting today, rather than next week, when the letter will get to you. Sadly, the envelope is the only place where I wrote our address, and I have now forgotten it. =( The moral of the story is that important information, like my current mailing address, should've been sent via Email rather than snail mail. Please forgive me. I'm still getting used to missionary life, and I don't know everything I'm supposed to be doing yet.
On the other hand, snail mail is a good deal nicer than Email because A) I can take my time reading it and rereading it, and 2) I can keep it to reread it later. Also, snail mail can send packages. I am SO glad Email isn't our ONLY option.
Anyway, Missionary work is great! I love Saskatoon. It's really pretty with all the trees. ^^ The streets are so wide, and Elder Kirkland and I aren't getting lost as often anymore (Though just this week, we were driving on a street called Circle Drive, which we THOUGHT went all the way around the city (Like a circle, right?), only it DIDN"T. And when it ended, we found ourselves completely lost. We had lunch a little late that day).
But the BEST part about Missionary work is teaching people who want to learn. ^^ About a week ago, I was out on an exchange, helping Elder Orton teach one of the investigators in his area about the existence of God as our heavenly father, and his plan for us on earth. It was a wonderful lesson, and I was on a HUGE spiritual high afterwards. I love bearing my testimony. =)
For my birthday, my whole district went to Fuddrucker's for lunch. Fuddrucker's is a burger place when you buy a plain burger and put the toppings on yourself. I got a bacon cheeseburger with plenty of ketchup, and a m&m milkshake on the side. I couldn't finish the whole burger, but I got the milkshake down. ^^ (( Note to Mom: By the way, the chocolate here is a bit darker than the chocolate in USA. The milkshake was great. ^^ ))
After Fuddrucker's, Elder K and I (I don't call him that, but it takes time to type 'kirkland' so often) went back to our apartment and opened my birthday presents. Thank you so much Mom and Sariah! ^^ I'm saving some of the edible treats for when we can celebrate getting investigators to church, and I can't wait to listen to the CD. (( Note to Sariah: There's a rule against burned CDs, but I'm going to have some missionary leader or another listen to the CD and decide if it's okay. I'm sure it will be, since it's just piano. If it had any songs with lyrics in it, they'd have to listen to the lyrics and decide if they're missionary-oriented enough. Anyhow, I know it'll be fine. ^^ ))
This past Sunday was pretty disappointing, though. We had TEN PEOPLE that were going to come to church, but one family went to work/stayed home, one family took a trip to... some nearby city whose name escapes me, and one investigator wasn't woken up on time. But don't worry. Elder K and I know what we did wrong, and we'll do better this week. ^^
And guess what! I got another package yesterday!!! It wouldn't have gotten to me until several (Days? Weeks? Not sure.) in the future, but one of the other Elders visited the mission office and took the mail with him when he came back. I'm rationing the letters... somewhat, but I opened the package immediately. God bless America, eh! =D I just love it! I especially love that there's so much candy in it. I was going to buy myself some candy today, but now I don't have to! THANKS MOM! ^^
Well, time's up. I've got to wrap this up really quick.
I love you all, especially my immediate family. -hugs everyone- -hugs mom again-
Your somewhat rushed missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts.
It's wonderful to be able to write to you again. ^^ Like last week, I took notes throughout the week, so I should be able to at least touch on everything I want to tell you.
The first thing I want to mention is that I've figured something out about Email. It's much faster than snail mail. Therefore information (questions, answers, updates) should be sent via Email. Eg: Elder Kirkland told me that if a letter gets to my current address after I get transferred, the letter will NOT be lost forever. It'll just have to travel from missionary to missionary until it catches up with me, adding some time to the delay of snail mail. Now uplifted by that knowledge, I asked him what our address is, and put it on the envelope of the letter I sent last week. HOWEVER, if I had merely waited a week (until today) I could've told you my address NOW, and you could send letters directly to me, starting today, rather than next week, when the letter will get to you. Sadly, the envelope is the only place where I wrote our address, and I have now forgotten it. =( The moral of the story is that important information, like my current mailing address, should've been sent via Email rather than snail mail. Please forgive me. I'm still getting used to missionary life, and I don't know everything I'm supposed to be doing yet.
On the other hand, snail mail is a good deal nicer than Email because A) I can take my time reading it and rereading it, and 2) I can keep it to reread it later. Also, snail mail can send packages. I am SO glad Email isn't our ONLY option.
Anyway, Missionary work is great! I love Saskatoon. It's really pretty with all the trees. ^^ The streets are so wide, and Elder Kirkland and I aren't getting lost as often anymore (Though just this week, we were driving on a street called Circle Drive, which we THOUGHT went all the way around the city (Like a circle, right?), only it DIDN"T. And when it ended, we found ourselves completely lost. We had lunch a little late that day).
But the BEST part about Missionary work is teaching people who want to learn. ^^ About a week ago, I was out on an exchange, helping Elder Orton teach one of the investigators in his area about the existence of God as our heavenly father, and his plan for us on earth. It was a wonderful lesson, and I was on a HUGE spiritual high afterwards. I love bearing my testimony. =)
For my birthday, my whole district went to Fuddrucker's for lunch. Fuddrucker's is a burger place when you buy a plain burger and put the toppings on yourself. I got a bacon cheeseburger with plenty of ketchup, and a m&m milkshake on the side. I couldn't finish the whole burger, but I got the milkshake down. ^^ (( Note to Mom: By the way, the chocolate here is a bit darker than the chocolate in USA. The milkshake was great. ^^ ))
After Fuddrucker's, Elder K and I (I don't call him that, but it takes time to type 'kirkland' so often) went back to our apartment and opened my birthday presents. Thank you so much Mom and Sariah! ^^ I'm saving some of the edible treats for when we can celebrate getting investigators to church, and I can't wait to listen to the CD. (( Note to Sariah: There's a rule against burned CDs, but I'm going to have some missionary leader or another listen to the CD and decide if it's okay. I'm sure it will be, since it's just piano. If it had any songs with lyrics in it, they'd have to listen to the lyrics and decide if they're missionary-oriented enough. Anyhow, I know it'll be fine. ^^ ))
This past Sunday was pretty disappointing, though. We had TEN PEOPLE that were going to come to church, but one family went to work/stayed home, one family took a trip to... some nearby city whose name escapes me, and one investigator wasn't woken up on time. But don't worry. Elder K and I know what we did wrong, and we'll do better this week. ^^
And guess what! I got another package yesterday!!! It wouldn't have gotten to me until several (Days? Weeks? Not sure.) in the future, but one of the other Elders visited the mission office and took the mail with him when he came back. I'm rationing the letters... somewhat, but I opened the package immediately. God bless America, eh! =D I just love it! I especially love that there's so much candy in it. I was going to buy myself some candy today, but now I don't have to! THANKS MOM! ^^
Well, time's up. I've got to wrap this up really quick.
I love you all, especially my immediate family. -hugs everyone- -hugs mom again-
Your somewhat rushed missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
So much to say, so little time! D=
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Andrew Robarts ElderRobarts@myldsmail.net
Date: Wed, May 20, 2009 at 12:05 PM
From: Andrew Robarts ElderRobarts@myldsmail.net
Date: Wed, May 20, 2009 at 12:05 PM
I don't know exactly how much time I have, but it can't be much. I'm
in my first area right now, St. Charles, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and
I love it! Unfortunately, I don't know my actual address off the top
of my head, and it'd probably be better to send the letters to the
mission home anyway, so nothing gets lost. Email will probably turn
out to be a better form of communication than snail mail after all.
President Morgan is a great man! He and his wife gave us a warm
welcome when we arrived at the airport, and he made sure we were very
well-fed (appearantly he has a reputation of forcing too much food
into his new missionaries. Once you finish eating, he puts more food
on your plate anyway. XD).
The other missionaries were pretty casual around President and Sister
Morgan. I've been told that they're occassionaly hilarious.
Unfortunately, I won't know them long enough to find out. They'll be
released in about four weeks. =(
By the way, there's a rule here that I didn't expect and really wasn't
ready for: no euphemisms. We don't say 'dang' or 'crud' anymore, and
that hasn't been easy for me to master. We also don't use 'cool',
'sweet', or 'awesome' as much. Basically, we have to say what we
really mean, using proper adjectives, but I'll master that soon
enough. ^^
Another thing I'll soon learn is how to talk to people without being
nervous at all. On my first night of tracking, I could hardly get my
name out. But my trainer Elder Kirkland, is helping me break out of
that shell.
Elder Kirkland is the best! He's so smart and inspiring. He taught me
to 'expect miracles'. I can't tell you how many times he said 'let's
tract this street', and we find a new investigator there. He's so good
at following the spirit. I hope I can learn that.
He's teaching me other skills, too, like how to cook, how to keep my
tie against my chest despite the wind, and how to make a good rubber
band ball. He's amazing.
In other news, The food is good. My bed is good. The weather has been terrific! I'm writing a journal again, so I won't be writing so many
letters. Sorry. =( I lost my toothbrush on the roadtrip to Saskatoon
and had to buy a new one. And Elder Kirkland said my knock is sounding
more confident. Go figure.
Well, it's about time to wrap this up. I've been on for almost an
hour! =O -hugs everyone, then hugs Mom again- I'm so glad I'm out here
doing the Lord's work. It's a little tough sometimes, but It's
definitely worth it. ^^ I love you. =) Thanks for supporting me. =)
And thanks to everyone for letting me leave you for two years. This is
the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Got to go! I love you all! Your enthusiastic missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts.
P.S. The birthday presents will wait another two days and I'm
rationing my letters, like you said. It's nice to know I have mail
from you that I can read whenever I need it. ^^
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Can you hear me now?
the email situation is finally straightened out!
Dear Mom and Kelsey,
As you know, there's been some confusion about how we can contact each other via Email. I 'sent' an Email to motherof8@gmail.com a week ago tomorrow, but it was never recieved. This is a test to see what the problem might be, and if the problem still even exists. Kelsey, if you get this Email, please forward it to my Mom. Mom, if you get this, I have no idea why you didn't get the last one I tried to send, unless the problem is at the MTC. If I'm using the wrong Email address, please tell me any way you can, so I can correct my mistake.
Signed, your beloved missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts
P.S. I made it safely to Winnipeg. I'm in the mission house right now. All are safe and all is well.
***
It turns out that he was omitting "robarts" from my email and I was omitting "mail" from his. (Sariah, of course, was right) Thankfully, Kelsey was the successful connection for both of us. (Hooray for Kelsey!)
Dear Mom and Kelsey,
As you know, there's been some confusion about how we can contact each other via Email. I 'sent' an Email to motherof8@gmail.com a week ago tomorrow, but it was never recieved. This is a test to see what the problem might be, and if the problem still even exists. Kelsey, if you get this Email, please forward it to my Mom. Mom, if you get this, I have no idea why you didn't get the last one I tried to send, unless the problem is at the MTC. If I'm using the wrong Email address, please tell me any way you can, so I can correct my mistake.
Signed, your beloved missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts
P.S. I made it safely to Winnipeg. I'm in the mission house right now. All are safe and all is well.
***
It turns out that he was omitting "robarts" from my email and I was omitting "mail" from his. (Sariah, of course, was right) Thankfully, Kelsey was the successful connection for both of us. (Hooray for Kelsey!)
wake up call or near miss at the airport
Brushing my teeth (with an electric toothbrush) at 5:30 this morning,
I didn't hear my cell phone in the next room. Fortunately, I heard the
last ring as I returned to my room, but of course I missed the call.
Area code 801 - Utah! I hit the call back button. Andrew answered!
I didn't hear my cell phone in the next room. Fortunately, I heard the
last ring as I returned to my room, but of course I missed the call.
Area code 801 - Utah! I hit the call back button. Andrew answered!
Benjamin popped into the shower before I had a chance to tell him
Andrew was on the phone. I woke up Joseph to talk to him somewhat
drowsily and caught Ben as soon as he was decent, so each of us got to
talk with him briefly.
They were at the airport, luggage successfully checked in. He made
weight! That's a relief. The smaller bag checked in fine. The big
one went up to 54 pounds (la gasp!),but settled back down to 50.
whew!
Andrew sounds so good!
He assured me that he did get to eat "plenty of ice cream." In their
district there was another companionship with a fast eater and a slow
eater, so they did "splits" (temporary companion trades).
We are trying to figure out the email thing. He emailed home last
week, but I didn't get it. Of course, he has no idea what computer
availabilty he is going to have and it will change with every
transfer, but he gave me his e-address. elderrobarts@mylds.net OR? is
it ElderRobarts@my LDS.net ? I am going to send him an email so that
he will have my address. If you want to email him - remember that his
computer time is going to be extremely limited. P-days are always
busy and computers are not always available. The more time he spends
reading e-mails, the less time he will have to WRITE e-mails. Keep
them short and sweet. (single ladies - not "too sweet"!)
I can hardly remember what we talked about in the short time we had.
It was just so good to hear his voice. I could hear in his voice that
he has grown a lot.
He was happy and excited. He said it's better than getting Eagle.
Soon he will be landing in Canada!
~~
Checked my email on break. The all lower case e-address bounced back:
"Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
elderrobarts@mylds.net
Technical details of permanent failure"
Nothing on the one with proper caps. IF it works, it may be quite some time before we know.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Dear Home (Family and Friends) 4/30-5/7/2009
4/30 - 10:20 pm New Plan! I'll write to you like I wrote to my journal, a little bit every night. .. Okay, most nights. We missionaries get pretty busy. Anyway, I feel bad for writing such a lousy letter. P-day was pretty rushed! But that's not gonna happen again. I'll make it easier for myself by writing something meaningful evey night.
5/1 - 10:11 pm Happy May Day! We had gym today. Gym is, by far, the craziest, funnest, - That's not a word, is it? Let's make that 'the most crazy, fun, and chaotic part of the MTC.' It's great. ^^ I played volleyball, like I usually do. I wonder if they have volleyball in Canada. probably not. Anyway, I got a 'Newbie Care Package' in the mail today. Thanks Mom! I can't wait to share it with my district. ^^
5/2 - 9:58 pm So, wanna know abut my district? District 21D consists of 8 Elders residing in two adjacent rooms. Elder Jons, our district leader; Elder Davidson, who loves the hymns and children's songs as much as I do; Elder Roth,an educationally no, I'll be honest, mentally challenged Canadian with a strong desire to be a good missionary; and elder Lee, who still seems to be a bit disconnected all live in room 335. I'll write about our room tomorrow night.
5/3 - 10:21 pm Or the day after. It's been a pretty long day. My district went to the temple today, and took a few good pictures. Fast and Testimony was good, too. We've got some great missionaries. ^^ We also watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration." It was kind of hard to follow, but we all knew the story already.
5/4 - 10:06 pm Now I don't really feel like writing about the other half of my District. I feel like I'd rather relieve a few concerns that some of you have had, and write about things in general. First of all, I got myself another pillow, so now everything about my sleeping arrangement is as adequate (sp) as possible. Second, I love the letters you've all been sending me. Please keep it up. ^^ The rest of my district is jealous of all the letters I get. = p (Note to Sariah: Your letters have been especially inspirational. I look forward to receiving your talk. (Note to Mom: Please don't worry about me so much. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I'm but I'm fine. The MTC has me well taken care of, and the Lord has been keeping me happy and un-homesick. Yes, I miss you, but I'm also really glad I'm here.)
5/5 9:59 pm Lastly, I love the MTC. I'm learning a lot! And the Spirit is so amazingly srong here. I feel the influence of the Holy ghost every day. I'd write more enthusiastically, but I'm kinda tired. I'll write more tomorrow.
By the way, M. Russell Ballard gave a talk tonight. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve want to say Thank You for letting me come. And so do I.
5/6 - 10:00pm Does Dear Elder have a search feature? If it does, look for Elder Nathan Woodward. He's in the same District, room, and mailbox as me, and I KNOW he has a Dear Elder account.
5/7 - 9:14 am P- DAY! Now a bit of news. Under the direction of my branch president, I saw a dermatologist who recommended a different course of acne treatment. Why? Because while my other acne wash was good against breakouts, it didn't do much about the bumpiness, and we think it was making my face even more red. Therefore, the doctor prescribed a few surprisingly cheap medications which I have started using instead.
5/7 - 2:15pm Guess where I am right now. I'm in the computer lab, sitting in front of a big black email machine! So, why am I sitting here, writing a letter, rather than sending you all an email? You were right. Mom, I forgot your email address. And the Dear Elder letter with your email address on it is clear back at the residence. But don't worry, I'll get another chance to email ya'll while I'm doing laundry at 3o'clock. Pretty soon we'll go back to the residence, get our clothes and my letter, then go down to the laundry room where there are more computers.
**Mom here: I don't know what happened to that plan because I have not gotten an email. Did I give him my e-address wrong? or were all the computers being used? don't know. I will send him my e-address again in case he gets a chance to email in Canada.**
2:31 pm In the meantime, I'll try to wrap up my letter in time for the 3:15 letter pickup. If I can't get this letter in the mail by then, it won't get sent until tomorrow.
In room 337, my roommates are Elder Goodrich, a Modesto, CA native who loves jokes and riddles and burritos; Elder Woodward from Wales, who has a cool accent and a lot of knowledge about the scriptures; and my companion, Elder Kelly, a very friendly Hawaiian guy who seems to know just about half the people here. Okay, I exaggerate, but it seems like he's always saying 'Hi' to somebody.
2;45 Well, that's about all the detail I feel like going into right now, plus I'm running out of time, anyway. I love and miss you all. - Hugs everyone. - Hugs Mom again. - Be good, God Bless, and eat Ice Cream.
Love, Elder Andrew Robarts
5/1 - 10:11 pm Happy May Day! We had gym today. Gym is, by far, the craziest, funnest, - That's not a word, is it? Let's make that 'the most crazy, fun, and chaotic part of the MTC.' It's great. ^^ I played volleyball, like I usually do. I wonder if they have volleyball in Canada. probably not. Anyway, I got a 'Newbie Care Package' in the mail today. Thanks Mom! I can't wait to share it with my district. ^^
5/2 - 9:58 pm So, wanna know abut my district? District 21D consists of 8 Elders residing in two adjacent rooms. Elder Jons, our district leader; Elder Davidson, who loves the hymns and children's songs as much as I do; Elder Roth,
5/3 - 10:21 pm Or the day after. It's been a pretty long day. My district went to the temple today, and took a few good pictures. Fast and Testimony was good, too. We've got some great missionaries. ^^ We also watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration." It was kind of hard to follow, but we all knew the story already.
5/4 - 10:06 pm Now I don't really feel like writing about the other half of my District. I feel like I'd rather relieve a few concerns that some of you have had, and write about things in general. First of all, I got myself another pillow, so now everything about my sleeping arrangement is as adequate (sp) as possible. Second, I love the letters you've all been sending me. Please keep it up. ^^ The rest of my district is jealous of all the letters I get. = p (Note to Sariah: Your letters have been especially inspirational. I look forward to receiving your talk. (Note to Mom: Please don't worry about me so much. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I'm but I'm fine. The MTC has me well taken care of, and the Lord has been keeping me happy and un-homesick. Yes, I miss you, but I'm also really glad I'm here.)
5/5 9:59 pm Lastly, I love the MTC. I'm learning a lot! And the Spirit is so amazingly srong here. I feel the influence of the Holy ghost every day. I'd write more enthusiastically, but I'm kinda tired. I'll write more tomorrow.
By the way, M. Russell Ballard gave a talk tonight. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve want to say Thank You for letting me come. And so do I.
5/6 - 10:00pm Does Dear Elder have a search feature? If it does, look for Elder Nathan Woodward. He's in the same District, room, and mailbox as me, and I KNOW he has a Dear Elder account.
5/7 - 9:14 am P- DAY! Now a bit of news. Under the direction of my branch president, I saw a dermatologist who recommended a different course of acne treatment. Why? Because while my other acne wash was good against breakouts, it didn't do much about the bumpiness, and we think it was making my face even more red. Therefore, the doctor prescribed a few surprisingly cheap medications which I have started using instead.
5/7 - 2:15pm Guess where I am right now. I'm in the computer lab, sitting in front of a big black email machine! So, why am I sitting here, writing a letter, rather than sending you all an email? You were right. Mom, I forgot your email address. And the Dear Elder letter with your email address on it is clear back at the residence. But don't worry, I'll get another chance to email ya'll while I'm doing laundry at 3o'clock. Pretty soon we'll go back to the residence, get our clothes and my letter, then go down to the laundry room where there are more computers.
**Mom here: I don't know what happened to that plan because I have not gotten an email. Did I give him my e-address wrong? or were all the computers being used? don't know. I will send him my e-address again in case he gets a chance to email in Canada.**
2:31 pm In the meantime, I'll try to wrap up my letter in time for the 3:15 letter pickup. If I can't get this letter in the mail by then, it won't get sent until tomorrow.
In room 337, my roommates are Elder Goodrich, a Modesto, CA native who loves jokes and riddles and burritos; Elder Woodward from Wales, who has a cool accent and a lot of knowledge about the scriptures; and my companion, Elder Kelly, a very friendly Hawaiian guy who seems to know just about half the people here. Okay, I exaggerate, but it seems like he's always saying 'Hi' to somebody.
2;45 Well, that's about all the detail I feel like going into right now, plus I'm running out of time, anyway. I love and miss you all. - Hugs everyone. - Hugs Mom again. - Be good, God Bless, and eat Ice Cream.
Love, Elder Andrew Robarts
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
1st Letter from Elder Robarts!
- snail mail - if I waited until work tomorrow I might be able to put up a photocopy of the letter, but we have all waited long enough already. Dinner can wait. ; ) - B
April 20, 2009
Dear Home,
Mom and I have traveled far today. We're in Utah now, staying at the home of Tim and Erin Adair. (They're so nice. ^^) Tomorrow, we plan to drive around Salt Lake City, or rather, take the local transit. That should be a lot of fun. But in the meantime, it's just passed midnight MST, so I should be going to bed.
4/22
Yesterday was awesome. We bought some stuff at Mr. Mac's, toured the Beehive House where a worker asked me to tell the red-headed wife of the Mission President that I met Sister (starts with an S) who liked the red-head's Acura so much that she followed it all the way to the post office. Then we spent the whole day at Temple Square. If you're ever in Salt Lake City, tour the Convention Center. It's amazingly wonderful. Of course, the other places were fantastic, too. Especially the Temple itself.
For dinner, we went to the Larson's house, where I had some great conversations especially with Kent and AJ. AJ perfectly described the way I feel right now: Detached, as if everything was happening all around me, but I haven't quite caught up with it. Kent said that the reality of it all will him me on my first or second night at the MTC. Only time will tell.
4/22
Oh, so much to say! The separation was extremely emotional for me. I went through at least three or four tissues before Mom and I split up. But after that, I was kept too busy or too bewildered to worry about anything.
My companion is a big guy from Hawaii. From only knowing him a day, my first impression of him s that he's rather fast. He finished dinner well before I did (we skipped dessert because he didn't seem interested in the ICE CREAM, and I didn't want to hold him back, and he was in and out of the shower well before I was, too (I didn't even TRY to wash my acne or brush my teeth). Hopefully, I'll get my rhythm down soon, so I'll maybe be nearly as fast as Elder Kelly is, but right now I've got bigger problems to worry about.
I, and every other new missionary, must read 5 pages of the Book of Mormon per night, read the missionary handbook and write a 5 minute talk on the Plan of Salvation by Sunday, and write a letter to our new Branch President detailing which Christ-like attribute I'm trying to develop and what I'm doing to work on it, what I'm learning in Preach My Gospel and the scriptures, what I'm doing to strengthen my companionship, what I'm planning to do to strengthen my companionship, and what I'm doing to try and invite the Spirit, Every Thursday night. Starting tomorrow.
4/23
I'm actually managing to get it all done.
4/30
FINALLY! One week in the MTC, a week and a half since I left home, and now I finally get to write back. But, having spent half the day at the Provo Temple, and the other half in the MTC laundry room, I now have only 20 minutes to write something, put it in an envelope, stamp it, address it, and get to the cafeteria. My apologies to everyone who hoped for an email today.
There is no time.
I'll be brief. (since I have no choice)
I have a pillow and can get another if I want.
The food is good.
My companion: Elder Kelly. Hawaiian. Strong-silent type.
My whole district (21D), 8 Elders (two rooms worth), all going to CAN WIN @ the same time. Cool, eh?
Spirit is strong here. We hear awesome talks all the time.
I'm learning and growing a lot!
The weather has been perfect (save 2 days (light rain)
The mountains are beautiful. took pictures.
SEND ME PICTURES Please. O = )
Kelsey, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Ben, please write to me again. ^^ You too Kelsey.
Mom, you got a what??
Joe, it's cool that you're still thinking of me.
Everyone, I LOVE YOU! Wish I could write more.
Keep your fingers crossed for an email next week. I (heart) MTC.
April 20, 2009
Dear Home,
Mom and I have traveled far today. We're in Utah now, staying at the home of Tim and Erin Adair. (They're so nice. ^^) Tomorrow, we plan to drive around Salt Lake City, or rather, take the local transit. That should be a lot of fun. But in the meantime, it's just passed midnight MST, so I should be going to bed.
4/22
Yesterday was awesome. We bought some stuff at Mr. Mac's, toured the Beehive House where a worker asked me to tell the red-headed wife of the Mission President that I met Sister (starts with an S) who liked the red-head's Acura so much that she followed it all the way to the post office. Then we spent the whole day at Temple Square. If you're ever in Salt Lake City, tour the Convention Center. It's amazingly wonderful. Of course, the other places were fantastic, too. Especially the Temple itself.
For dinner, we went to the Larson's house, where I had some great conversations especially with Kent and AJ. AJ perfectly described the way I feel right now: Detached, as if everything was happening all around me, but I haven't quite caught up with it. Kent said that the reality of it all will him me on my first or second night at the MTC. Only time will tell.
4/22
Oh, so much to say! The separation was extremely emotional for me. I went through at least three or four tissues before Mom and I split up. But after that, I was kept too busy or too bewildered to worry about anything.
My companion is a big guy from Hawaii. From only knowing him a day, my first impression of him s that he's rather fast. He finished dinner well before I did (we skipped dessert because he didn't seem interested in the ICE CREAM, and I didn't want to hold him back, and he was in and out of the shower well before I was, too (I didn't even TRY to wash my acne or brush my teeth). Hopefully, I'll get my rhythm down soon, so I'll maybe be nearly as fast as Elder Kelly is, but right now I've got bigger problems to worry about.
I, and every other new missionary, must read 5 pages of the Book of Mormon per night, read the missionary handbook and write a 5 minute talk on the Plan of Salvation by Sunday, and write a letter to our new Branch President detailing which Christ-like attribute I'm trying to develop and what I'm doing to work on it, what I'm learning in Preach My Gospel and the scriptures, what I'm doing to strengthen my companionship, what I'm planning to do to strengthen my companionship, and what I'm doing to try and invite the Spirit, Every Thursday night. Starting tomorrow.
4/23
I'm actually managing to get it all done.
4/30
FINALLY! One week in the MTC, a week and a half since I left home, and now I finally get to write back. But, having spent half the day at the Provo Temple, and the other half in the MTC laundry room, I now have only 20 minutes to write something, put it in an envelope, stamp it, address it, and get to the cafeteria. My apologies to everyone who hoped for an email today.
There is no time.
I'll be brief. (since I have no choice)
I have a pillow and can get another if I want.
The food is good.
My companion: Elder Kelly. Hawaiian. Strong-silent type.
My whole district (21D), 8 Elders (two rooms worth), all going to CAN WIN @ the same time. Cool, eh?
Spirit is strong here. We hear awesome talks all the time.
I'm learning and growing a lot!
The weather has been perfect (save 2 days (light rain)
The mountains are beautiful. took pictures.
SEND ME PICTURES Please. O = )
Kelsey, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Ben, please write to me again. ^^ You too Kelsey.
Mom, you got a what??
Joe, it's cool that you're still thinking of me.
Everyone, I LOVE YOU! Wish I could write more.
Keep your fingers crossed for an email next week. I (heart) MTC.
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