The Week of Christ's Birth and Transfers

Hola!! 

How is everyone's Christmas?? I heard it snowed quite a bit up in Idaho. It was an even 66 degrees or so here in Hemet :) It is probably the warmest, nicest, loveliest Christmas weather I've ever experienced. Not going to lie, I enjoy having a warm Christmas more than a white Christmas. You don't fall on your bum when you walk to your car. :) 

Christmas for us was amazing. Two days before, we had our Christmas Conference when all of the missionaries in one half of the mission gather and President Mullen (our mission president) talks to us. It was an incredible devotional. There was a testimony meeting and some of the missionaries who are going home bore their testimonies. They were AMAZING. We talked about Christ's birth and what we loved about studying the New Testament these past few weeks. They fed us breakfast (and even put together a vegetarian quiche for me!) and watched a slide show about this last year in the mission. They then gave us our Christmas packages and sent us home. 

On Christmas day, Sister Turner woke us all up early to open presents. I'm not a morning person in the slightest, but was able to get into the Spirit pretty quickly. We opened our presents and I'm SO grateful for everything that everyone sent me! Thank you SO much! There was SO much stuff that I needed/wanted and I couldn't be more grateful. 

After that, we went to the Kiselburgs home to have breakfast and skype our families. They're a family in our ward and we love them SO much. They do so much for the missionaries. I got to talk to my family, and let me tell you.... I love you guys. It was amazing to see your beautiful faces and hear your amazing voices. I love you all so much and I hope you know that. I think about every single one of you every day. 

After skyping, we played Banana-grams (super fun). We then had lunch, which consisted mainly of junkfood. We had a linner (lunch dinner) at 2 pm at another member's home, called the Pauls. They're amazing too. We love them. 

After, we headed back to the Kiselburgs for Christmas dinner, which consisted of homemade mac and cheese and crossaints! It was SO amazing. I died. We had all eaten so much that day, so we were full and dying. They gave us our Christmas presents which consisted of Cookie Butter (Hallelujah!) and truffles from Trader Joes. We have SO many sweets and things in our apartment right now, it's not even funny. We've decided to eat all of it before New Years day and then eat healthfully from New Years on. But we gotta get rid of all that temptation first.... ;) 

Our ward family here is amazing. They do so much for us. I've lost count of how many families gave us Christmas presents or cards and who feed us on a regular basis. They love missionaries and love our investigators. Members are ESSENTIAL in missionary work. They are the ones that help investigators feel welcome in a ward. They help with the transition process and help them feel loved and welcome. If you have missionaries in your ward, please, help them. Go on splits with them, feed them when you can, and keep them in your prayers. It means more to them than you think, trust me. 

We got transfer calls the day after Christmas... guess what.... Both Sister Roberts 1 and Sister Ogden are being doubled out. Sister Turner and I are taking over their area as well as maintaining ours, which means we've just doubled our number of investigators! We are SO excited but so nervous at the same time. Our work load just doubled and it feels like we were barely handling the work we already had! But I know that Heavenly Father asked us to take over the ward for a reason. He knows we can handle it, so I have no doubt that we can. It'll be hard, but it'll help us learn and grow. Sister Ogden is being doubled into her new area in Lake Elsinore. Being doubled in means that they took the Elders out and put two new sisters in. Neither her or her companion know anyone there, nor do they know where they're going. Neither of them have ever been there, but she will do AMAZING! Sister Roberts is being doubled into her area in Paris Menifee as well! Paris Menifee is known for being even more dangerous and poor than Hemet, so Sister Roberts is SUPER excited. She loves working in dangerous areas because you find the most amazing, humble, incredible people. 

We have a busy week ahead of us, but I know that we will be able to handle it all just fine. Please keep sending me pictures! I miss you all so much! And you can email me directly to sydney.roberts@myldsmail.net :) We have permission to email friends, you just can't live in my area (which none of you do, so we're good). 

I miss you all so much! Keep up all the hard work that you do on a daily basis. Stay amazing! 

Love,

Sister Roberts

 We found some mistletoe at a members home... I found my true love... #SisterRobertsPlusCatsEqualsLove

 We had Christmas Eve dinner at a members home. This cheese... you open it and it's the most pungent smell ever. But then it melts and it's delicious :) 

 My mom got Sister Turner and I each these stockings... HOW FREAKING CUTE?? I love them! Thanks Mom <3

 Sorry it's flipped, I can't figure out how to fix it. But it's a mini hymn book with my name! Thank you!!!! 

Sister Turner and I with the cuttest kitten around. #OldCatLadiesForLife

The Week I Bought More Drugs Than Food

Hello beautiful friends and family!

How are all of you?? I hope you're all well and healthy! This week is Christmas! How insane is that?? Have you all had a chance to watch the video "A Savior is Born"? If not, do so! Here's the link! https://www.mormon.org/christmas 

It definitely puts everything into perspective.

This week has been.... hectic. Lets say that. The other Sister Roberts and I were put on antibiotics and steroids and were doing really well. I was also put on like a billion other prescriptions to make sure my lungs don't die. Pretty sure I bought the entire pharmacy. Then on Thursday, we were both hit with another wave of sickness. We've both been sleeping a LOT (it makes us super lethargic) and coughing up really gross things. We've been ordered to go to the doctor again today to make sure it's not anything more serious, so that's what we'll be doing after we're done emailing here. But before I got sick again, Sister Turner and I were able to do a lot of really awesome stuff. We visited Tua this week. She's a wonderful Samoan lady who fed us Thanksgiving dinner. She's not a member, but has family who is. We visited her and she told us how merciful Heavenly Father has been to her lately. She's had a lot of anger toward God because of things that have happened in her life, but she continues to pray everyday. She and her family barely make it by, but these last few weeks, she's had so many tender mercies. Her husbands boss came by to look at Tua's Christmas lights (she goes all out) and brought a ton of groceries with them. Then, her landlord gave them a Christmas gift with a ton of money inside of it. She teared up as she related the experiences to us, and we let her know how much her Heavenly Father loved her and was looking out for her. Her heart has been softened so much.

We were also able to visit Jade this week. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and it went super well. It went so well that she has committed to being baptized on January 17th! We are SO excited for her. She is an amazing woman. Jade has so much compassion and love for everyone around her. She's an incredible mother and is so giving to everyone she knows. The lesson was going really well and Sister Turner looked at me with her eyes all huge saying "invite her!" but silently with her eyes. She gave me "the look". So... I invited her, and she accepted! She's super excited and is working so hard to be ready by that date. I know that Heavenly Father will help her prepare as she dedicates herself to following Christ, just like He helps all of us in the same endeavor.

Sister Turner and I taught Janet this week as well. We pretty much had a "come to Jesus meeting" with her. We were bold, honest, and serious about her and her commitment to quit smoking and gambling. It went wonderfully. At the beginning of the lesson, she was saying "I want to try to quit" and at the end of the lesson she said "I WILL quit!". We were with a member, Sister Kieselburg. She was amazing. She testified through the whole lesson and the Spirit was so strong. She does so much for us, it's insane. She went and got Janet an e-cigarette. She told Janet she got her the one with nicotene in it to wean her off of the actual cigarettes. But just between us... she purposefully got the one with no nicotene. All it is is water vapor with flavor. And Janet says it's been working! She uses that instead will be quitting that soon too. Placebo effect for the win. :) I'm so proud of Janet. She made a contract with herself about quitting and signed it, then Sister Kieselburg lamenated it for her. Fingers crossed everything works out. If it does, she and Jade will be getting baptized the same day!

Earlier this week, all of the missionaries in the area volunteered with the Salvation Army! It was AMAZING! We passed out Christmas gifts for kids who's families are struggling and full Christmas dinners! The need was staggering. But you could definitely feel the Spirit as different faiths pulled together to help those who really need it this season. That was probably my favorite thing this week. It warmed my heart and brought me to tears a few times as I realized just how incredibly blessed I am. Both to have the family that I have, who have raised me the way they have, and to be on this mission. It has helped me see just how fortunate I am and how much faith in Christ changes lives.

We've gotta head out, but I hope you all have an amazing week! Read the story of Christ's birth this week! Have a merry Christmas, but remember to take a moment out of this hectic holiday to cherish Him who's birth we celebrate.

I love you all!

Your favorite missionary,

Sister Roberts 

 Sister Turner's amazing art skills :) (I'm the one in the glasses)

Our bikes!

Our tree!!

 Advent Calendar for the win :) 

 Our Stockings :)

California grows citrus like weeds... Members gave these to us since we're sick. :) 

The Week All Our Appointments Were Cancelled Because We Were Sick Because Satan is a Jerk Face

Hello beautiful friends and family!

How are all of you?? I've heard Idaho has gotten pretty chilly. :) It's actually kinda cold here sometimes. The weather is super bipolar and it's freezing and raining some days and 80 degrees on other days. I wasn't expecting the cold weather, so working has been interesting... But a member of our ward gave me a super nice NorthFace coat! HOW NICE IS THAT?? It's super warm and works wonders :) #Blessings I didn't even say anything, and she was all, "Hey this might fit you". It's a little big, but I'm super grateful so I'm not dying of chill anymore. ;) Anyways, like the title of this email states, everyone in the entire apartment except Sister Ogden is sick! Literally, we've been on our deathbeds all week. Now we know why our investigators were canceling last week. There's a bug going around Hemet and it's literally wiping everyone out. So we were sick all week, until Friday. We decided to go out walking on Friday and got caught in a rain/hail storm. The next day, I woke up feeling like I got hit by a bus and the other Sister Roberts was really sick again too. We ended up spending 4 hours in an Urgent Care, getting put on antibiotics and steroids. But since we've been taking those, we've been feeling a lot better. :) 

We were able to visit a few less actives and recent converts. They're all really great, and one less active family, the Almida's, came to church! We were SUPER excited. The dad has PTSD (former marine) and large crowds kinda freak him out. The mom has anxiety. But they did AWESOMELY! I was so proud :)

We taught one of our investigators today :) Her name is Jade. She's amazing and I love her. We were going to teach something completely different than what we did, but the Spirit directed us to teach about prayer, and it went amazingly well. It was definitely something she needed. Her husband got a really good job so she can quit hers, which means she will be able to come to church on Sundays! They have 3 beautiful children. We read some of the Book of Mormon with them and talked about how prayer leads us to a stronger bond with our Heavenly Father. She really wants a stronger family bond, so we talked about how family prayer can bring peace to our families during really chaotic times and strengthen us together. I know that as we pray both individually and as families that we will be blessed in ways that we can't predict or imagine. Prayer has brought SO much peace into my life, for which I am extremely grateful.

I finished reading the New Testament assignment given from our Mission President, and let me tell you... AMAZING. Please, please, please read it. I think the book of John is my favorite. I was reading it and I could just feel the love Christ has for His disciples, for His Father, and for us.

Tender Mercy Time! While we were sick, we got to watch a church movie. We have little DVD players in our apartments with approved movies to watch when we're sick. So we kept trying to get this dang DVD to play, but each time we hit play, it just restarted the main menu. It was getting super frustrating. But I decided to say a simple and quick prayer asking for help, then try again. We tried again, and it worked the first try! God hears and answers prayers, guys. Even simple "Please make this DVD player work" ones. Lean on your Heavenly Father and Christ. They LOVE you. They love you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. They love to hear from you. So talk to them. Thank God for your blessings. Ask Him questions for understanding. Pray for comfort, peace, safety, etc. I promise that as you do, He will not only be listening, but if you pray with sincerity, He WILL answer you (just in His time and His way).

So there's a member of our ward from Britain. He drinks this awesome drink called Postem. Basically, it's Mormon coffee. He drank a lot of coffee before converting, and this drink tastes EXACTLY like coffee (except less bitter I think) and is made from barley and is WAY better for you! He made me a cup and I fell in LOVE! It's like drinking a warm cup of happiness, cheer, and joy. It warms your soul. The only place you can get it here is Winco which is out of our area. Postem is the only thing I want for Christmas. The hunt is on. :) I keep praying that we'll find it in our local grocery store one of these days, because they put out random stuff all the time. Fingers crossed!

Well, that's been our week. Sorry it's super slow, we've been dying. No biggie. ;) I love you all! Read John! Pray! And keep being your amazing selves. LOVE YOU!

Your favorite missionary,

Sister Roberts 

Sorry my hand writing is so terrible, but it says "He was born so I can share His light and truth with the world".These papers are on christmas.mormon.org and I encourage you to print them out, fill them out how you will, and post them to social media using the hashtag #ASaviorIsBorn :) Remember, you can touch people's lives in ways you don't know or understand. Everyone needs the hope and light of the Savior, especially this Christmas season. <3

The Week Everyone Got Sick and Canceled Their Appointments Because Satan Sucks

Why hello everyone!!!!!!

I've made it through another week. How crazy? I'm already over half way through my first transfer. There's 13 transfers in a Sisters entire mission, and I'm already halfway through the first. WHAT?? 

So my companion's family is the best. They're German, so they sent us gifts to put in our shoes for St Nick! Cutest. Thing. Ever. They also sent us stockings and stocking stuffers! My companion is doing all of it, so I have no idea whats in there, but they are seriously the sweetest. <3

I had a migrane yesterday, but my companion Sister Turner is a rockstar and gave me medicine and tucked me in bed. She's been sick with a virus all week, and I woke up this morning with the same symptoms she has. But no more migrane, so I'll take the sore throat and tired-ness over that any day. ;) I'm drinking lots of peppermint tea with honey, so I'm all good. But care packages are always accepted. ;) Our investigators are all sick too, so almost all of our appointments with them were canceled. #Frustrating

We got to go to the temple this week!!!!!! IT WAS AMAZING. One of our very favorite members, Dodie Pearson, took us. She has us call her Grandma, which is pretty accurate. She's like our grandma and we all love her to pieces. She's the sassiest, sweetest, spunkiest old lady. I want to be like her when I'm old. :) She took us to the temple and to Cafe Rio after. The. Temple. Is. AMAZING. SO in love. I miss being there every week. The peace was incredible. Just what we all needed. :) It's the tiniest little temple, but amazing. Ahhhhh. Love it. Can't wait to go back.

A lot of our time is spent teaching less active members. We recently picked up Valry, who is coming back to church after over 30 years. She has a lot of questions, which we love attempting to answer :) Such a sweetie. I know she's going to probably be a challenging person to work with, but I'm so prepped and ready to work with her. She has a lot of the same issues I used to have, and so I'm really happy to be able to work with her. We're also teaching a few other inactive members, all of who love us so much. And we love them. Maybe I'm on my mission not to convert people, but to reconvert people. Which I'm totally okay with :) We all need to be converted everyday. It's not a one time thing. There's a LOT of Jehovah Witnesses here. The apartment next to us is actually JW. They try to convert us regularly. haha It's kind of like two competing gangs. The Mormons and the JW's. We pass eachother on the street a lot, and instead of shooting eachother, we smile and wave. :) We're nice competing gangs. ;) They always say that they appreciate us spreading the good word. lol One of our less active members is now studying with the JW's... most awkward conversation ever. But she was sweet about telling us to go away.

We also visit active families, show them the A Savior Is Born video, and train them how to be missionaries. It's really fun actually. That video never gets old. It's children from around the world quoting Isiah and it's beautiful. If you haven't watched it, please do. Share it with everyone you know :) Everyone needs to feel the love that the Savior offers to us this Christmas Season. Life is REALLY hard sometimes. Being here in Hemet has taught me that. Some of the people here are struggling with things I've never had to worry about, like where their next meal is coming from, or if they can afford to keep the heat on during the cold nights. But no matter what any of us are dealing with, the Savior can heal us. I'm serious guys. Anything. ANYTHING. He took on ALL of it. Not only our sins, but our infirmities, struggles, fears, sicknesses, etc. Everything. Every bad thing you've ever had to deal with, feel, whatever, He's felt it specifically for you. Lean upon Him, because He's the only person who perfectly understands how you feel. I am SO blessed to have that knowledge. It's seen me through the hardest times of my life when I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone needs that. Everyone needs a perfect foundation upon which to build their life. Everyone needs that support of the ultimate best friend who understands it all. You never know who you can touch. So share the video on social media, with your friend at school, whatever. Just share it okay? Here's the link: https://www.mormon.org/christmas

Our ward had our Christmas party this week, and it went so well. We had a few of the less active families that we've been teaching come to the party. <3 I'm so happy they came! It was fantastic. The little kids all dressed up as angels and performed Christmas songs for us. <3 Lots of food, fun, laughter, and kindness all around. I love the Christmas season. People get nicer, more neighborly, and loving. Remember to keep that Spirit all year long.

If you haven't been writing me letters, please read Alma 60:6. :)

Love you all so much! But not as much as Jesus loves you :)

Your favorite missionary,

Sister Sydney Lynn Roberts 

Agency Is Irritating

Well hello again!

I made it to another PDay. It's a miracle. ;) The days seem like weeks, while the weeks seem like hours. It's weird. Everything about a mission is weird. But wonderful. :)

This week was CRAZY. Thanksgiving was amazing. We had it at Tua's house first. She's not a member, but one of her daughters is. She's Samoan. I tried so many WEIRD but delicious things :) Chop Suey, Taro in coconut milk, curry, etc. There wasn't one thing I didn't like. And since a few of you have asked, I'm now a 75% vegetarian. All of my meals at the apartment are vegetarian, but when members (or Tua) feed us, I just eat whatever they give me. I don't want to be a pain, or make them feel bad, or be rude. The meat has been hard to get down, not gonna lie. lol It's so heavy. But alas, it's all for Jesus. ;) After we had all eaten, we shared the Spirit of Thanksgiving video from a few years ago. We took the opportunity to let everyone in the room (close to 15 people) state what they were grateful for. Tua was misty eyed as her daughter bore her testimony of the Savior, and finally began to cry as her daughter expressed the gratitude that she had toward her mother. We all were crying by the end of the discussion, and hopefully Tua felt a little bit of the Spirit that was there that evening. She's had a hard life. She's pretty angry at God right now. But I feel like the mini testimony meeting we had touched her heart.**

This week we picked up two new investigators. One of them is named Jade, and she has a crazy story. She and her family have been homeless for the past couple of months. But they've recently purchased a home and she's just started a job while her husband continues to search for one. We taught her the Restoration, and she had so many questions! Sister Turner and I took turns resolving her concerns, and I bore my personal testimony to Jade and the Spirit was so powerful. She committed to coming to church that Sunday... Which ended up not happening. All is well, however! We will try harder with her:)** (Hence why Agency is Irritating)

Our other new investigator is named Crystal and wow our lesson with her was one of the most awkward I've ever experienced. We were knocking on her door, and no one was answering. We were ready to turn back when she pulled into the driveway with her family. We greeted them and offered to help them take things into their house for them (they had just returned grocery shopping). They said they were fine, so we kind of just stood there like awkward penguins. They file into their home, and as the door is closing I shout, "Is this a bad time?" The door closes. And then it opens! "No, come in!" We walk inside and it's just Crystal, Sister Turner and I standing in the door way. She stands there. And stands there. I didn't want to impose and sit on the couch a few feet away, so we started a quick lesson just standing there in the door way. Oh my gosh she didn't say anything. "What did you like about the Because He Lives video?" Shrug. "How has your faith in Christ helped you and your family?" Shrug. "Can we come back and teach you more?" She must've said something because we're going back this week**

Sister Turner and I's companion unity is amazing. We have a deal going where I wash all of her dishes and she makes my bed in the morning. #Winning (I hate making the bed. Our bunk is super awkward and I end up hitting my head like 10 times). She makes me want to be better everyday. Her positivity is infectious! Whenever I get down and frustrated, she's there to lift me up. She's pretty much the best human ever. I'm with her for 12 weeks atleast, and I couldn't be more grateful. She's the most rad person ever.

We get to go to the temple tomorrow! YAS!!!!!!! I miss working in the temple SO much. Being an ordinance worker is probably the biggest blessing ever. Being a patron comes in a close second though. ;) Can't wait!!! It's the Redlands temple. I can't wait for the edifying and the peace and the amazingness and the ahhhhhhh <3 Love. So excited.

As I've thought about what I'm grateful for this week, these are the things that keep popping up. First and foremost, I'm grateful for my Savior. It's only through Him that I get to try again everyday, because unfortunately, I also fail Him everyday. He's the reason I can be made new. He is my rock and I can't imagine my life without the healing that comes through Him. Secondly, I'm insanely grateful for my family. You. Guys. Rock. I love you all so much. I can't even express that love in words. You have all been here through everything. The ups, the downs, the diagonals, the loopdeloops. All of it. Even when I most certainly did not deserve it. You are the reason I push forward everyday, to make you, my Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ all proud of the person I am and am becoming. This family extends not to just my parents and my sister, but to aunts, uncles, cousins, best friends, coworkers, and people who are family because they choose to be, not because we're related. I love you all so much. Seriously. I can't even. Third, I'm grateful for my companion. She's lifted me more times than she should have to. She is such an example of the person I want to be. And I know she's my companion because Heavenly Father knew I would need her to make it through all of this craziness called a mission. Fourth, I'm grateful for this mission, as difficult as it is sometimes. It's hard. But I love it. I love teaching. I love testifying. I love serving. I don't know how this mission is going to go, or how many lives I can change through Him, but I do know that the life that is going to change the most is mine. And for that, I'm incredibly grateful.

I love you all so much. Keep being amazing. Push forward. Watch the "A Savior is Born" video. It makes me tear up every time. Share it on social media. Show it to your friends, families, coworkers, etc. You never know the lives you can touch.

Giving them Heaven, 

Sister Roberts 2.0 

** Excerpts from Sister Turner's email. It's easier to have one person write and copy and paste. ;)

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll do better next week!

California Love

Hi everyone!!!

I'm in California!! How weird is that?? Like... it's all official now. I'm a real missionary. Say WHAT?? I flew in on Tuesday and met my mission president, President Mullen. His wife, Sister Mullen, knows I'm a vegetarian and made me an awesome veggie dinner on top of the full meal she prepared for all the new missionaries who flew in with me. She's an angel. I love her. We spent the evening getting to know everyone and doing training. Some Sister missionaries picked us up and we spent the night in their apartment. The next morning, we spent most of the day in the Stake Center doing a New Missionary Orientation where you learn all the rules of cars, bikes, missionary life, etc. That's when we had a little ceremony where you meet your trainer and find out your area! No one except the President knows where your going and with whom. Not even the trainers know. It's like the Hunger Games. ;) I was assigned to Sister Turner! She's amazing. She's 19, 5'2, and the tiniest, cutest, little fairy human I've ever met. She went to BYU for a year before coming here and wants to be a kindergarten teacher after her mission. She's like sunshine in a tiny human form. She radiates adorableness, sass, and joy. We get along GREAT so far and I'm SO happy to be with her. President Mullen was super inspired when he put us together. :) The area we're assigned to is called Hemet. It's a little town outside of Riverside. It's super ghetto, super poor, and super amazing. The missionaries all say "Hemet is heaven", because the people are super humble and amazing to work with. There's police/ambulance/fire truck/etc sirens quite a few times a day, no matter where you're at. My apartment..... has character. Let's say that. XD The fridge leaks brown water that smells terrible. The carpet is this old brown color, and it's a super old apartment. Built in the early 70's. I live with my companion and one other set of Sisters, who's names are Sister Ogden, and wait for it..... Sister Roberts! There's two of us! That gets confusing but also fun. :) My name is now "Roberts 2.0" ;) So when you send me letters/care packages (hint hint) please address them to the below address like this:

Sister Sydney Lynn Roberts
5900 Grand Ave

Riverside, CA 92504

When you put my full name, the mission office knows who to give it to. So please make sure to do that. :) That's the mission office address. My apartment has an address, but like I said, it's a super poor and fairly dangerous area, so mail gets stolen a lot. Someone from the mission office brings us our mail and delivers it into our hands, so no theft worries.

After Orientation, we went to work! We went to a members home, had dinner, and taught a lesson. She made lasagna and it just happened to be homemade veggie lasagna *blessings*. She is the SWEETEST. Her name is Sister Shoemaker and she is about 85 years old. She served a mission, so she lovessssss having the Sisters over. :) The new church Christmas video is coming out next week! I've seen them both already.... they're amazing. Made me cry, not even kidding. Share them with your friends and family! After Sister Shoemaker's home, we dropped by a few less active member's homes, but no one was there. So we called it a night.

The rest of the week was pretty crazy. We don't tract in this mission. President Mullen thinks it gives the church a bad look, so we contact instead. We walk around and talk to people on the street, we don't go door to door. We walk an hour and a half a day just getting to know people and showing them the Because He Lives video. In the meantime, we go teach investigators, members, and less actives. We've taught a ton of less actives this week. I didn't teach a lesson to an actual investigator until Saturday. I invited her to be baptized.... and guess what..... she said yes!!! Her name is Ariana and her baptism is scheduled for Dec 20th. She's getting married next week :) She's been on date for baptism before, but she didn't come to church. I feel like she's going to be kind of hard to work with, but she is soooo sweet and she has such a desire to learn and have a testimony. She read 7 chapters of the Book of Mormon in one sitting! She has the desire. So hopefully it'll all work out :) We're also teaching Janet. She's working super hard to overcome her addiction to smoking and gambling. Her baptism date is January 17th. Hopefully she can stay on track. :)

We had a Spanish Sister join us for a little bit because her companions (they're in a trio) had to go to a meeting. So we went and taught a member with her. She taught the whole time in Spanish, so Sister Turner and I just sat there quietly and smiled and nodded on occasion. XD It was SO cool! It made me want to be fluent in Spanish SO bad.

While Sister Turner and I were out contacting, we found the CUTEST stray kitten. It was SO sweet and I melted into a little puddle. We cuddled it and took turns taking pictures. We had dinner at the Johnson's after that, and they're actually fostering some kittens, so I got more kitten cuddling time. Best thing ever. <3 Who knew you'd get to cuddle lots of kittens on your mission? ;)

The ward here is awesome. They're almost all converts, and so the culture is SO different than it is in Idaho/Utah. I. Love. Them. So. Much. They're all SO humble and so sweet and loving and just.... ahhh. Hemet is heaven. It really is, even though it's totally ghetto. I'll be here for atleast twelve weeks, to finish the training. But the other Sister Roberts has been here for almost 7 months, so who knows. :)

I love you all SO much! Go read Ether 12. It's amazing. Just do it. That's the one thing I regret before my mission. I didn't study the scriptures nearly enough. Study them! They're an amazing tool. Utilize them! Please :) If you love me. ;)

Giving them Heaven, 

Sister Roberts

Picture explanation:

1: Me and some of the other sisters that flew in with me. My companion, Sister Turner, is to my right. 

2: The stray kitten we found. Loveeeeee <3

PS: PLEASE SEND ME PICTURES OF YOU ALL!!!! I have a blank wall in my apartment just WAITING to be filled with your beautiful faces <3

PDay Numero Dos!

Hi everyone!!!

Thank you SO much for your emails, prayers, birthday wishes, care packages, letters, support, and unending love. I want you to know that I feel it! You guys have seriously made my day and comforted me when things get pretty tough here. Sister Baumgartner, you are an angel! Thank you so much for the huge care package with all the candy. My roommates and I love you and thank you. ;) 

Being 21 in the MTC is awesome. No better way to spend my birthday. My district decked out our classroom in birthday stuff when my companion and I had a meeting. Sweetest. Thing. Ever. Brought tears to my eyes. :) 

This has been a crazy week! So full of ups and downs, but mainly ups. I feel like I'm learning more than I ever thought possible. The MTC is fantastic for that. They jam everything in so compactly that you're not sure if you even know what you know. ;) 

Sunday so far is my favorite day. The church services are incredible. There's a devotional later in the evening, we take a walk around the temple, and we watch a church film. They're busy days, but good days. My entire district and I decided to join the MTC Choir. Now, I can't sing well. But let me tell you, when you're surrounded by a choir of 1500 missionaries who also can't sing, it doesn't matter. ;) We sang Nearer My God To Thee. The choir director is INCREDIBLE. He is hilarious and spiritual all at the same time. The song Nearer My God to Thee is actually about Jacob and Esau (not sure on that spelling), and Rebekah. It's about Jacob's journey through the wilderness after his brother Esau is determined to kill him for taking the birth right. But the way the choir director explained it.... wow. Amazing! Love that song even more now. :) We preformed it on Tuesday for the Tuesday night devotional. Elder Hugo Montoya of the Quorum of the Seventy came to speak!!!!!! MIND BLOWINGLY AMAZING!!!! Loved every minute of it. He invited his wife to speak as well and I totally teared up. My companion Sister Reed and I are teaching the Relief Society lesson this week, which we have yet to plan. XD The new district that came into our branch is only elders. So the only people going to be at the RS lesson will be Sister Reed and I, our sister companions Sister Barnum and Sister Harker, and the Branch Presidency's wives. Nice and small, no pressure. :) 

We started teaching Kaylee and let me tell you.... frustrating and amazing. Sister Reed and I have come a long way when it comes to teaching by the Spirit. Kaylee wants to be baptized and sealed to her husband in the temple, but she doesn't want to stop drinking wine. So we're working with her, but ultimately, it's up to her. She has free agency, but I know that if she just takes that step and trusts in her Heavenly Father, she will be SO blessed and so happy. 

We get gym time here at the MTC, and we have a crazy nice gym. I thought it would be the BEST IDEA EVER to work out my arms... yeah, not the best idea ever. I still can't lift my scriptures without wincing. ;) 

I'm flying out to Cali on Tuesday! How crazy is that! I don't have my address yet, but when I get it, I'll be sure to send it to you guys. :) Missionaries LOVE letters.... Just so you know.... ;) 

I've gotten a couple questions about the food here at the MTC..... Well.... It's not terrible. XD They have a fantastic salad bar that I get every single day. And a baked potato bar that I also get almost every single day. Those are really the only vegetarian options. XD But the portions are ridiculously huge. I swear I eat like 10 servings of spinach every meal. But it's delcious... .sooo...... There was this Elder who had a giant plate of pasta, breadsticks, rice, and 4 PB and J's. Carbs for daysssss. ;) 

I feel the spirit SO strong here. And I am so happy I came. I know this is going to be the best, but also the hardest experience of my life. And I couldn't be more excited or grateful. :) 

I love you all so much! 

All my love,

Sister Roberts 

Picture description:

1st picture from left to right:

Sister Barnum (going to Ventura), Me, My companion Sister Reed (going to Riverside with me), Sister Harker (Going to San Fernando), and the 4 sisters from the district who came in before us, who I have no clue what their names are. Sorry! 

2nd picture left to right:

My companion Sister Reed and Sister Harker. Sister Harker has crazy curly hair and apparently sleeping with a bag on her head keeps it less frizzy. XD

3rd picture left to right:

My companion Sister Reed, Me, Sister Harker, and Sister Barnum 

I made it to PDAY!

Hi Everyone!!!

How are you?? I hope you're all well! I'm here in the MTC (Missionary Training Center). It's been amazing so far. The days are seriously starting to blend together. The days feel like weeks, but it also feels like I got here an hour ago. It's really hard to explain. Learning at the MTC is like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant. It's overwhelming and difficult, but at the same time, there's so much peace. We started teaching investigators. There's Gaby, Kaylee, Chay, Jeneechee, and Sharon. Gaby is an evangelical youth minister and just moved to Provo from the East Coast. She has a super close relationship with Christ which is amazing. She Is super interested in learning about the Church and so we taught her about the Atonement last night. We read in 1 John and connected it with some scriptures found in 2 Nephi. Tonight, we're teaching her about the Restoration and I'm super excited to see how she'll respond. 

Chay is a single mother of two beautiful daughters who also recently moved to the Provo area. She is really unhappy with where she is in life and wants better opportunities for her daughters. Chay has a friend in their preschool group who introduced her to the church. The friend is really happy and Chay looks up to her with how she parents and the type of mother and woman she is. So she was referred to us and we taught her about her divinity as a daughter of God. She remarked that 'It's too late for me, but I know it's not too late for my kids. I want them to grow up with the happiness. love, and good foundation that I never had". This broke my heart so much. I testified to her that no matter the things she's done in her life, it's never too late. Heavenly Father loves her just as much as He loves me and everyone. She can become the woman, mother, and person she wants to be. I know she can. We've all made mistakes, but thanks to our Savior, we can start over each and every day. I know that as we continue to teach Chay and show her the beauty of the atonement, that she'll develop a relationship with Christ and find the happiness that she's looking for. 

Jeneechee is a Japanese immigrant who moved here with his family last month. He's always impressed by his kids' friends and how well behaved and respectful they are. He wants to know what makes them that way, so he can teach his kids to be that way. Jeneechee is awesome. He is hilarious and asks REALLY good and REALLY hard questions. He's all over the place with what he wants to learn, so it's hard to keep up with him sometimes, but he's a great guy and I know that we have a lot we can teach him, and he has a lot he can teach us. 

Kaylee is a foreign exchange student at BYU. She's from Korea and is a newly wed. She's studying Psychology and has an interest in the church. We read her referral letter and we get to start teaching her Monday! 

Last, but certainly not least, there's Sharon. She's lived her in the area for years, but originally came from down South (not sure on the state). She has the heaviest, most adorable accent I've ever heard. Sharon has lived a hard life. She packed up her Kia with her belongings and moved her to escape her second abusive marriage. Her son died at a young age and Sharon has been subject to abuse of all kinds since childhood. Yet, she has the sweetest, kindest, most compassionate heart you've ever seen. Her father was a minister and she has a firm belief in God. However, she's angry at Him for the things she's had to go through in her life. Who wouldn't be? I can tell that she's going to be a more difficult investigator, but I know that if we stick with her, she can receive that peace of mind that she needs and that she's been searching for. 

If you don't know, all of the investigators in the MTC are actors. However, all of their stories are true. All of them are their personal life stories that they use to help the missionaries learn. Some of them are members and some are real investigators. We never know which. But that doesn't matter. The Spirit still testifies and guides in how to teach. The Spirit helps us know what each person needs and how to help them in their struggles. Heavenly Father knows his children better than we ever will. What better way to teach His children than to ask Him what they need? We can't teach without Him. They can't learn without Him. It's all about the Spirit here. Learning to teach this way isn't easy. Sometimes you think you know exactly what they need, so you go with it. Sometimes, you have no clue and you sit for a few minutes and plead with Heavenly Father to help you know. And sometimes, it feels like you don't get an answer which is super frustrating. But I promise that as you continue to pray, eventually an answer comes. It's just like this with life. If you're struggling with something, if you want to know the answer to a question, if you just need comfort, whatever you need from your Heavenly Father, He will give it to you as long as you stick by Him. It might not be the answer you expected or even want, but we need to remember that our knowledge compared to His is almost non-existent. Trust Him! 

We get to go to the temple today, and I can't tell you exzcited I am. I miss working there every week. My time here at the MTC has been insane and overwhelming, and I'm GREATLY looking forward to the peace that the temple brings. Getting up at 6:30 am everyday is not my favorite thing. This morning, I woke up and thought "Oh yeah... I have to get up. This is my life now". But then I remembered that I get to go to the temple and it was like taking a shot of caffiene straight to my veins. I then quickly repented for my complaining heart. ;) 

I want you all to know how much I love you. But the love I feel for you in nothing compared to the love that your Father has for you. He has given us SO many things to show us that love. There's art, music, singing, nature, technology, medicine, and SO much more. These are all gifts from your Heavenly Father. I didn't realize how much He does for me, and the moment I did, it was incredibly humbling. "Why should we mourn, or think our lot is hard? Tis not so, all is well!". I testify of this brothers and sisters. All IS well! We are SO incredibly blessed to live in the day and age we do. Remember that! 

I'm the new Online Coordinator for our branch. YAY technology. Not going to lie, I've missed it. I miss my phone and social media and everything. But I almost don't have TIME to miss it. We're so busy here that I don't even have time to think about it except right when I'm falling asleep. OH! And it's SNOWING here in Provo! All of my clothing is designed for Southern California. My companion Sister Reed is the same, and so is everyone in our district. We're all going to So Cal, so we were NOT prepared for the weather we're having. We're all freezing. XD Good thing there's only another week and a half of freezing before we're moved to Cali. 

I love you all so much! Read your scriptures!!! Seriously! READ THEM. There is so much goodness in there that we don't utilize. DO IT. 

All my love, 

Sister Roberts 

Oh and PS. This is my MTC address. My birthday is tomorrow.... just saying... missionaries love handwritten letters and notes! Use DearElder.com! It's delivered to me the same day! I LOVE YOU! 

Sister Sydney Lynn Roberts
NOV17  CA-RIV
2005 N 900 E Unit  66
Provo UT 84602

Elders in our district from Left to right

Elder Genteman, Elder Jorito (like dorito, except with a "h" sound), Elder Wade, and Elder Clark