And Life CONTINUES to Happen! What a shocker

You know last week, how I said that life is a thing that happens? Well. This week it certainly happened. Life happened allllll over the place. How dare it. Below is a summed up version of how life came into my diligent missionary life and happened:

On Thursday, I woke up with a swollen ear canal and ear pain. I thought, "meh, no big deal" and went on my merry way. Well, as we went on, the pain increased so I told our Nurse, Sister Crippen. We both thought "meh, no big deal" so I went to the Urgent Care to grab some antibiotics and be on my way back to my work. The Nurse Practitioner at the Urgent Care saw me, checked me out, and wrote me a script for antibiotic drops and a Z pack (oral antibiotic) and said that if I took it now, I would feel much better by the end of the night. Au contraire, mon fraire. (spelling?). I followed the directions, went on my merry way, and for some odd reason, the pain increased and started to move into my jaw. When I woke up the next morning, I was worse. Much worse. I couldn't chew or open my mouth and the ear canal had started to swell some more. Talked with the nurse, and she decided to send me to another Urgent Care, but a different one to be reevaluated. We drove into Riverside, saw a PA, who stated that the person I saw yesterday had given me the completely wrong Antibiotics and that the one's he prescribed would fix it in no time. So, he prescribed Bactrim and more antibiotic drops. Again, I went on my merry way and took my pills like a good patient. :) On Saturday, I woke up and the pain had worsened. The canal had swollen shut, my jaw was useless, I couldn't eat, the base of my tongue and throat had begun to hurt as well, and the pain was well.... insane. We'll just say that. XD Sister Mullen, the mission president's wife, told us that we needed to go to the ER. Sooooo we went to the ER in Riverside, which was a very... odd ER. Nonetheless, I saw another PA who didn't really look at me or touch me because he didn't want to hurt me (semi grateful for that) said that allll the antibiotics were wrong and prescribed different ones and sent me on my not so merry way. After the ER, I told Sister Mullen the drugs that were prescribed, and she told Missionary Medical (the doctors over who monitor the missionaries) who decided to go a little crazy and wanted to know why Intravenous antibiotics were not given due to risk of respiratory stuff and other words I can't pronounce. So a doctor in Irvine was called, who drove down to Riverside and take me to the ER once again and get a second opinion. I was kinda just done with everything at this point, and didn't want to cause a scene or be a difficult patient, but went with everyone back to the ER. I was reevaluated and a different PA thought we were in there for a sore throat and said that I didn't have Strep.... Yeah, I knew that. XD But the Irvine Doctor asked that we see an attending physician and I was put forward to see one, who actually took a ton of notes and did a full exam and everything that you're supposed to do. He concluded that it was likely Otitis Externa that had slowly started to affect the surrounding soft tissue and apparently affected a certain nerve in my face that controls the jaw. He gave me different antibiotics, pain killers, etc and the Irvine doctor was satisfied so I finally got to go home and pass out. :) I'm so grateful for the many many many people who care so much for me. It was a bit of a traumatizing experience, but I know that the Lord was guiding the Irvine Doctor, the mission nurse, Sister Mullen, and the physician I saw at the end. I've been on 2 oral antibiotics and 1 drop antibiotic and my ear is beginning to improve. The swelling is going down and the pain is at a manageable level. :)  The jaw, however, has not improved and I can't really eat, so I get to drink delicious smoothies :) I love smoothies. <3 Even though I was physically and emotionally just done after the first ER trip, I'm SO grateful that my leaders followed the Spirit and made me go again. If I hadn't, I would likely have worsened again due to the incorrect prescriptions. I've gotta learn to be less hard headed and just listen to the Spirit. Heavenly Father is really looking out for me, and I couldn't be more grateful. <3

Well, in regards to the week, that's about it. I'll let you know more next week!

Love,

Sister Roberts 

 What happens when you're on every antibiotic known to man

  Zone lunch from last week (couldn't remember if I sent this or not)

 Breakfast with the Hermanas. :) Hermana Brown made us all french toast from homemade bread! #FrenchToastIsLove #FrenchToastIsLife

#SoCalInlandEmpire #ImMelting

Life. Life is a thing that happens.

Hola mi calabacitas! <3 

As the subject line states, life is a thing that happens. So, I'm gonna tell you allllll about missionary life. Cause, well, that's what I do. 

I apologize for not emailing last week! PDay rolled around, we had all of our plans laid out perfectly. A member had made me a new wallet and so I transferred everything to the new one, including my library card so I could email, or so I thought. We pull up to the library late, and rush in. No library card to be seen. This library is also super strict. They will NOT let you have any of your account info unless you have the 7 digit code that is on... you guessed it... your library card, even if you present ID. Sigh. So I couldn't email at all. But I've been aching to email you all this week! I apologize for not emailing last week! PDay rolled around, we had all of our plans laid out perfectly. A member had made me a new wallet and so I transferred everything to the new one, including my library card so I could email, or so I thought. We pull up to the library late, and rush in. No library card to be seen. This library is also super strict. They will NOT let you have any of your account info unless you have the 7 digit code that is on... you guessed it... your library card, even if you present ID. Sigh. So I couldn't email at all. But I've been aching to email you all this week! I promise that I'll attempt to make up for it. :) 

My trainer, my mission mom, my sister from another mister, my rock, and quite possibly one of my favorite people, Sister Turner, headed home last week. Even though she is only two transfers older than me in the mission, she went home. Let me tell you all a little something about Sister Turner. She's freaking amazing. She has really been a huge example to me of the type of missionary, woman, and ultimately human that I want to be. Despite her amazingness, the Lord has seen fit to put her body through terrible and extremely difficult things which has called for an honorable early release. Sister Meza and I went to her Farewell Luncheon at the Mission Home last week, and as I walked away, I felt a little part of my heart stay there with her. She is now home in El Paso Texas and is doing amazingly well. I know this was the Lord's will for her. And that He has SO many amazing things planned for her. <3 I love you Sister Turner!!!!!!!!!!!! 

This mission has sent home 8 missionaries early in the past transfer due to illness. In the past two weeks, they have sent home 4. It's a testament to me that the Lord knows us all very intimately. He knows our struggles. He knows our pains. And He knows what is best for us to obtain a full and complete happiness both in this life and the next. We need to trust Him. His plan is always, always, ALWAYS so much better than our own. I promise. <3 

Miracle story: Heather, one of our solid investigators, texted us and told us she no longer wanted to take the lessons. We never texted her back because we had no clue what to say. A few days later, I had a prompting to send her a text inviting her to our Book of Mormon class. I thought "Well, couldn't hurt" and sent it. While we were teaching the class, we got a call from her saying she was coming! She came straight from work while picking up her two little boys and came. While there, she requested a blessing. She realized that everything she had been going through was Satan attempting to pull her away from Christ and that she wasn't going to let him win. So, she  asked that we teach her again! We went to teach her, and she stated that she wants to be baptized! So, she's on date to be baptized on July 24th along with her 15 year old daughter Bailey. :) She's doing SO well, infact, that we may be moving the date up. :) #ThereCanBeMiraclesWhenYouBelieve #ShoutOutToPrinceOfEgyptSoundTrack 

The rest of the week/last week was interesting. Both Sister Meza and I took turns being pretty sick. But we were still able to get out there and work :) 

By the way, It's 114 degrees today. All of you Idahoans can stop complaining about your weather. ;) 

We had transfer calls on Saturday! And Sister Meza and I will be staying together for another transfer, for a total of 3 transfers so far, or 4 and a half months. :) We're excited! We've learned and grown so much together and can't wait to continue the work here in Corona together. <3 

That's all folks. LOVE YOU! 

Sister Roberts

 Hermana Madrid on the hike. (We hiked for 3 hours. #FeelingLikeABeast)

  I found California's solution to the drought!!! ;) The only natural water I've ever seen here. 

  Hikes are beautiful. <3

 We went on a hike and found little Newts. I attempted to turn this one into a prince. #DontJudgeMe

  The newt's name is Giovanni. I love him. <3 

 The new wallet. 

 Elder Uasike, our District Leader, heads home . He finished his 24 months! He's been wonderful. :) (Ps, he plays football at USU and is quite possibly the largest man I've ever seen. I shake his hand and it's like an adult shaking a newborns hand. No joke.)

 #NuffSaid

 My favorite part of our apartment. <3 I love those flowers so much. SO PRETTY!

 Sister Turner's farewell. </3 (She's the one to my right, your left)

Us and our favorite investigator, Zoey. She is SO ready to be baptized, but her parents have not yet consented. However, she comes to church every week by herself, has a calling in the Beehive Presidency, and is a BOMB missionary. She always invites her friends to learn more. <3 Love her

The Week of Crazy Hotness

Hola familia!

Not much has happened this week at all. It's been uber slow. BUT! We taught Karen about the Plan of Salvation and she absolutely loved it! We're teaching her tonight as well and will be teaching the Word of Wisdom. :) Hopefully it goes well. Fingers crossed! It got SUPER hot this week. Like. Crazy hot. It was like 110 or something and we were out in it. There was a breeze, but it was a hot breeze. It literally felt like someone was blowing a hot hair dryer on you all day. But alas, we were hydrated and pushed through. :) We teach a Book of Mormon class weekly, and while we were at the church, the Bishop asked us to come into his office, and sitting there was a lady who was not of our faith, who is going through a realllllly hard time and just felt prompted to come to our church and talk with someone. We talked with her for a little bit, and we really tried to help her as best as we could, but some things are out of our reach. But, nothing is out of God's reach. Absolutely nothing. God is always there for us as long as we are willing to even glance His direction. She was a lovely woman and she gave us a hug afterwards. 

Other than that.... this week has been nothing but walking in the heat, knocking on doors where no one answers, and studying the scriptures. I read the Book of Esther (which I absolutely ADORE by the way) and was blown away by her faith and humility. She was willing to put her life at risk in order to attempt to save her people. Not only that, but she didn't lean on her own understanding or talent to do so, but she leaned on God. She fasted for 3 days and invited her people to do so as well. Her automatic reaction was to turn towards God for His strength and guidance. Are we doing that? Are we automatically turning to Him? If we aren't, I invite you to do so. Just give Him a chance. He can do so much more with our lives than we can ever do on our own. If we take His hand, He will lead us to the path where we will be ultimately happy. 

This week, I've been noticing just how much I need to study the scriptures every day. Because of unforeseen circumstances, both Sister Meza and I were not able to do them one day. That day, I was completely off. I just felt so far from my Father. I never want to feel like that, nor do I want any of you to feel like that. When I study the scriptures, I get something from them everyday. There's things that really stick out to me that have never stuck out to me before. There's always inspiration, answers to questions I have, comfort, and guidance. I love the scriptures so much. As I study and feast upon the Words of God, I am filled in a way that I never thought possible. It fills holes in my heart and soul that I didn't even know was there. Take out your Bible. Take out your Book of Mormon (if you have one. If you don't, ask the missionaries. They'll hook ya up). Study from them everyday. Even if it's only a couple of verses a day, do it. As a representative of Jesus Christ, I promise you that you will notice a difference in your life.

Well, that's about it. I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Roberts 

 Part of Corona that I've never been to before. This is the Temescal Valley Ward area, and we were helping them out that day.

 Sister Meza holding Fred that geko. :) He's a cutie and SO mellow and soft! I love the guy. I held him as well. He just chills on your shoulder. :) 

We had Crossfit today. This is Sister Meza and Sister Nai'i. She's from Sydney, Australia. :) Coolest lady ever.

Ohhhh How the Weeks Go By

Hola!

Sorry I didn't email yesterday! It's memorial day and the library where we email was closed, plus the office of computers at our apartment complex was also closed. But alas! I'm emailing now and will do my best to make up for it. :) Most holidays don't mean too much to missionaries simply because nothing changes. We still follow our schedule and still go out and invite people to learn more about Jesus Christ. But I want to say that I'm so grateful for the amazing men and women who have given their lives for this incredible country in which we live. God bless America!

We definitely had a slow week last week. Like.... slower than an old lady with a walker in a marathon. Not even kidding. It was rough. BUT! We had so many tender mercies and blessings! We were able to go to the Temple on Tuesday! It was the most amazing thing in the whole world. <3 It really just... seals the cracks in your heart. The temple is the best place in the universe. As many of you know, I had the privilege of working in the temple before I left as an Ordinance Worker before I left on my mission. Doing that built the deepest love and respect for the House of the Lord. I have a real deep testimony of temples. As you go through the old testament and read about their temples and what was in them, it's amazing to see the parralels and things that are the same. If you haven't looked up pictures of temples (including the inside) you're missing out. It's incredibly beautiful. Like the font. It's placed on twelve oxen (representing the 12 tribes of Isreal), which is found in the temples of the Old Testament. There's a bunch of other things there as well that are the same, but I want you to look it up and learn for yourselves. :) I took a question to the temple and prayed to have it answered. As I was there, I didn't receive an answer. However, about an hour later as I was conversing with a member, something they said hit me like a school bus and I knew it was an answer from Heavenly Father. <3 I am so grateful that we can receive revelation from God in these latter days.

We also were able to do some service at a local elementary! We went in and helped teachers move their stuff from one classroom to the other, since it's the end of the school year and things needed to get set up for the next. I love doing service! Those who work at the school have grown to love the missionaries and understand that we're not just some random people showing up at your door to tell you about Jesus (though we do that. haha) But we're good, Christian disciples who follow Him and His teachings to the very best of our ability, including the mandate to serve our fellow men.

We also were able to go on Exchanges with Sister Moore (one of my last companions) and Sister Pielstick (who I want to be companions with before I die next May)! It was the GREATEST! It's so wonderful to get a fresh set of eyes on your missionary work, your area, your testimony, and your teaching abilities. At the same time, you get to know these incredible Sisters who are pretty much perfect and incredibly hard working, and learn from them and their experiences. It's the best thing everrrrrrr. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I have to improve everyday as a missionary and as a disciple of Christ. Heaven only knows how incredibly imperfect I am, but with His help and His servants, I get to grow and learn everyday. :)

We taught one of our investigators, Zoey, on Sunday. She is so so so ready to be baptized, we're just waiting on consent from her parents. We showed her the restoration video, and we all were tearing up by the end of it. It was a beautiful lesson! I'm so grateful for Zoey and her example to me of a patient, diligent, faithful even when things are hard, person. <3

I have been notified that one of my good friends, Tiffany Maupin, has passed away unexpectedly. She was an incredible person and I am honored that I had the privilege of knowing her and learning from her in this life. If you would like to pray for her family and friends who are going through a tragic time, please do so. <3

On another note, my cousin Forest was baptized this last week by his brother and my cousin/pretty much brother, Kutter! I am so proud of the decisions they've made that have led them to this point in life. I love you both so much, and I'm so so so SO proud of you. <3

Anywho, that's about all I've got time for. Have a wonderful week! <3

Love,

Sister Roberts

 Temple!!! <3

 Zone selfie :) 

 Service!

The Best Week EVER

Hey Guys!!!! 

This past week has been amazing. First off, we got our car taken away so a companionship in Hemet could use it for the week since they blew up their car. Sister Meza and I thought "Well. There goes our numbers and everything for this week. Awesome". But!!! We were super diligent, walked everywhereeeee, and have had the best numbers we've had since I cam to Corona! How amazing is that? We picked up THREE new investigators! They're all AMAZING! And we have super high hopes for them. I don't have a ton of time left, so I'll tell you all about them next week. 

On Saturday, we got to meet.... drum roll please..... ELDER CHRISTOFFERSEN!!!! I cannot tell you how amazing that meeting was. I got to shake his hand and everything. ;) But that wasn't even the amazing part. The Spirit there was INSANE. Sister Mullen announced that an Octet would be preforming for President Mullen a song called Faith in Every Footstep. Little did he know that on the second verse, the ENTIRE MISSION (so about 200 missionaries) would stand up and join. She's been preparing us since JANUARY to do this. The goal was to make President Mullen cry. And let me just say.... we slammed the goal out of the park. :) We then got to hear from 3 Quorm of the 70's members and then Elder Christoffersen. He only spoke for about 3 minutes, then opened it up for anyone to ask anything. So, we all did. Some of the questions were... interesting. Others were amazingly spiritual. My favorite quotes are as follows:

"Q: How can we tell people that families are going to be together forever if some members of the family choose to reject the Gospel?

A: God will not force families to be together. However, He WILL put everything in this life all together for us. All the hangups, loose strings, doubts, fears, etc will all be resolved. We all will have the greatest degree of happiness for us. And we NEED to act as if every member of our family will be with us forever. We cannot choose, decide, or judge anyone. That is not our job. That is God's. Trust and pray that they will return. Trust in Christ. Don't EVER doubt the promises of the Grace of Jesus Christ."

"Don't be offended if you ask God in sincere faith for something and you get a no. You are not the first to get a no. Remember, Christ did as well in the Garden of Gethsemane."

"The only thing that limits our blessings is our own preparation."

"Thy will be done. You cannot demand of God. You CAN say 'I'm ready and I'm willing'. And as you are true to the Gospel and the covenants you have made, the answers and deepest desires of your your heart will flow into your life".

"These things that are in your heart, these deep, aching, desires, God sees them. He knows them. And they WILL come. Stay steadfast. Stay in the old ship Zion". 

"When it comes to our missions and our lives, the Lord may say 'Well done. Now, you're done'. And your time will be over. Give this mission and your life your all. You never know when it may be over". 

Elder Christoffersen is amazing and I'm so grateful I was able to learn from him. 

Today, we get to go to the temple! Ahh! So excited! The temple is like Disney Land for missionaries, except better. <3 

Okay, I'm super out of time. Here's a quote from my friend Sister Smith's email that I thought I would share with you all. :) "Sir Isaac Newton is reported to have said, "In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence."  The thumb alone!  Then think about the fact that the earth departs from its orbit of the sun by only one-ninth of an inch every 18 miles. If, instead, it changed by one-tenth of an inch every 18 miles, we would all freeze to death. If it changed by one-eighth of an inch, we would all be incinerated.  How cool is that?!"

God is real my friends. And he loves each and every one of us. <3 

Love,

Sister Roberts

 It's summer my friends.... #InlandEmpireProbs

 Yep, we're in Corona.

When you run out of food in your apartment, you get desperate, find random things in your panty, and throw it together. Like this. Ramen noodles, no spice packet, Cajun seasoning, sriaracha, lime juice, egg, tomato. Actually, it was divine. not even kidding.

 Elder Christoffersen meeting! All my fave sisters. :) (Yes, I did dye my hair blonde. Sister Meza did it.)

skyping with mi familia! 

Hey Everyone!

Here I am again, forgetting what I've done this past week. Sorry. Plus I'm running super short on time. But, I'll try to whip this out fast.

We had stake ZDM this week and it went really well. Super spiritual. The emphasis was working with members. Members, which most of you are, really need to work with missionaries more. I'm gonna be blunt and not sugar coat it. If you haven't been working with the missionaries to the best of your capabilities and capacity, you need to realign your priorities. I love you all, but I cannot tell you how valuable you are to the missionaries. This is the work of the Lord. You can either be apart of it, or get left behind in the dust.

Alright, since that lecture is over, we saw a super great tender mercy this week. We were out walking and talking, or as it is now known, Seeking with Faith-ing, we were having a super hard time. Everyone was just... rude. It was extremely hot and both Sister Meza and I were feeling dehydrated. We talked to this one guy who I'm pretty sure was from outer darkness (okay not quite, but close) and we were walking away and were going to cut the time short and go home. But, something inside me said "It's okay. Just keep pushing through, and it'll be worth it". So, we did. We were walking by this guy on the phone, so we silently went up to get him a card. He mouths at us "Would you like some water?" and of course, we quickly accepted because we were dying. He then grabbed us ICE COLD water bottles and gave them to us. This probably doesn't sound like much to you guys, but to Sister Meza and I, it was confirmation that the Lord really does know us, our needs, our struggles, and our circumstances. Plus, He works in the smallest details of our lives and loves us more than we can imagine. #TenderMercy

Karen, our solid investigator, got super sick. She was sent to the ER after going to an urgent care, and was placed on Oxygen and they kept her in the hospital overnight. It turns out, she has pneumonia, bronchitis, a sinus infection, and a couple other things I can't remember. She asked for a blessing, so we arranged one for her, and she asked that we be there. So, we went and the Elder who found her originally was the one to give her a blessing. It was one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever heard. There was not a dry eye in the room. Karen was pretty much bawling and said that the blessing said things that touched the deepest part of her heart. It was amazing. God truly does know us. He knows everything. We need to turn to him every chance we get.

Well, that's about it. I hope you guys have a great week. Sorry, no pictures this time.

Love, 

Sister Roberts

Sore Feet and Full Hearts

Hellllllo!

Well, this week wasn't too crazy exciting. I was sick for most of it, so nothing too crazy happened. I got a weird stomach thing where I was nauseous all day, everyday, for 2 weeks straight, and this last week was the worst of it. #VomitingAllNightLikeABoss #GoHardOrGoHome But, the great part is, I lost a total of 10 pounds in two weeks. #Score #GonnaGainItAllBackSuperQuick #MissionLifeIsFlufflyLife

We were able to go out a couple of times, but all of our set appointments had canceled. We're supposed to walk and talk to everyone we see for 7 and a half hours a week. Due to sickness, we only really had 2 and a quarter days to do that. So, on Saturday and Sunday we walked and talked with everyone for over 3 hours straight each day. #MissionaryFeetAreGrossBecauseOfThis #WorthIt 

We talked to some really great people though, and we hopefully have a few potential people to teach. :)

Yesterday was Mother's Day (Duh. If you forgot, you are a shame to your family. Buy your mom something nice that says "I'm sorry for my entire childhood and I will never be as amazing as you" because let's face it, all of that is true) and our ward put together this really great Mother's Day program. At the end, they had all the women ages 18 and up stand up to be recognized and receive a little treat. Sister Meza and I weren't going to stand up, but the speaker looked straight at us and said "Sister Missionaries, that means you too". So, we stood up in all of our awkward "we aren't thinking about having kids for a longgggg time because teaching the Gospel is way cooler"-ness and received a little handmade boutenier and chocolate bar. But I was thinking about it, and you know, there's SO much more to being a mother than just having biological children. I remembered all of the "mothers" in my life who encouraged me, nurtured me, kept me out of trouble as much as they could, loved me unconditionally, and absolutely mothered me. And I've just gotta say, I am SO grateful. I've met women who are true mothers who never had children of their own, and they have honestly changed my life. I am so humbled and honored to have so many incredible women care about me in my life. Another Sister Missionary, Sister Smith, who is serving somewhere in the south (forgive me, I forgot which state), sent the following quote out to everyone and I felt it should be shared with you all as well:

"To all of the mothers everywhere, past, present, or future, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ.” To Mother Eve, to Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, to Mary of Nazareth, and to a Mother in Heaven, I say, “Thank you for your crucial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.” To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth.’” I can pay no higher tribute to anyone" (Behold Thy Mother, Jeffrey R. Holland, October 2013).

And ultimately, I'd love to thank my own biological mother who has put up with me for 21 years now. She has had way too many instances where it would be justifiable to kill me for my terrible terrible decisions, but instead, she still chooses to love me unconditionally and cheer me on. She is my rock, my support, and I know I can always lean upon her for strength. I love you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day. <3

Sister Meza got to skype her family yesterday for Mother's day, and it was wonderful. I would have too, but my family is currently vacationing somewhere cool, so I'll get to skype them in a couple weeks. :) It was so great to see her family and get to know them. As I was watching them, I couldn't help but get super homesick. I just wanted to be done and go home. But, I prayed for help to see me through the day and to remember why I was here. So, we threw ourselves into the work and at the end of the night, I was exhausted, but overwhelmed with just how grateful I am to be here and how much I do NOT want to go home, or really ever leave. Missionary work is the best thing in the world and I will never regret serving. I've officially been out for 6 months, so 1/3 of my mission is done. I have 12 months left, and I am SO grateful to have 12 more months of hard work and dedication, because it literally is the best thing in this world.

I love you all so much! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Roberts

P.S. Sister Meza and I are staying together here in Corona for another transfer! Whoop whoop! Elder Whiting is now my ZONE LEADER (rad) and one of my zone leaders is now Assistant to the President! #CoronaIsAmazing

 What a girl

 When we find our pamphlets while out tracting

Our cute area