Dear Friends and Family,
It's me again. We've had rough weather that's soaked my companion and I on multiple occasions. The rain comes and goes some days (as today), however, we've been walking earlier in the day when the sun emerges out of the clouds and it feels not so cold....then it becomes cloudy all of a sudden, then drops wind and pouring rain on us, our ties, and our white shirts. It's not fun!
Much has happened this past week. We visited Brooklyn Bridge last Monday and visited the MANHATTAN TEMPLE last Thursday with Cimdi, a recent convert baptized a month ago. I think that I'm to send you the photos before all the memory's depleted. I have more than 320 photos or so. You'll enjoy them, particularly because they consist of:
Brooklyn Bridge (with me and my companion), Brooklyn in general, Atlantic Avenue, Verazzano-Narrows Bridge, Manhattan Temple, Juliards (which is also in Manhattan-not very far actually from the Temple on Columbus Avenue-I stood in front of it!), and the final photos of Brentwood-Bayshore in Long Island. Photos of our apartment as well (and the view of Manhattan and the Empire State Building-it's visible from our window in the distance). If you go to Sunset Park which is pretty close to our apt., you can see the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan very easily because it's higher up on a hill and the buildings aren't obstructing the view.
Next week, my companion and I are going to perhaps visit the Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Zoo because it's all located in Prospect Park on Monday.
It's certainly a lot of work because there's sooo much walking involved and we walk every day from bus to subway and then walk, walk, walk, and walk.
We taught somebody that Elder Simkins and Elder Tyrell encountered when they knocked on his door. Initially, he was very skeptical/accepting....weird....the issue is that he believed that all churches were good and corrupted...but first, allow me to give you some further information regarding this man:
He had been a gang member in the past. He had been knifed in the back of the neck and the arm (when he was attempting to rescue a woman who was going to be raped by members of another gang), shot, and hit by a car three times. He had also sold dope, etc...oh yeah, he'd KILLED people.
He's in his 30's and he can barely walk, move, and is in incessant pain-every time he breathes. He told us that one day, he climbed to the top of a roof and asked God for 1 reason he should live. He said that he climbed down....and God gave him two children and a beautiful angel.
Our little lesson was inveighed by questions and comments. I finally turned to him and told him about Joseph Smith and his search for truth. We explained the first vision to him in Joseph Smith's words....he teared up.....we explained that Christ told Joseph Smith that none of the churches were true. We explained the advent of the Book of Mormon and the Spirit was exceedingly evident. He told us that he wanted to bring his kids to this church. He told us that his two children haven't yet been baptized in a church...(the oldest, Robert, is 7) and we explained that children deserve to understand what baptism is before they're given it and that children are innocent. He understood and explained that he was still teaching him right and wrong, etc...
NYC has given me a bit of a headache....but I've learned much about people and life in general. It's nice....watching rats run around at the bottom of the rails while waiting for the Subway....or listening to a guitarist who enters the doors of the Subway and plays music for you, meeting people who've never been to an airport or never left New York. Also, arguing with a Pentacostal lady in Spanish (in reality, I was defending our beliefs). Weird, huh? I've been so glad that P-Day has finally and ultimately arrived. My muscles ache and I'm starving. Fortunately, we have a dinner appointment tonight....I can't wait....I've lost weight and none of my pants fit me anymore! I have to tighten them with a belt. Anyhow, I bought a Brooklyn Hat (one of the ones that cool people wear, haha).
Anyway, I'm sorry but I'm probably not going to have sufficient time to write you a letter :(
Love you!
Love,
Elder Roberts.
A Picture is worth a thousand words
Monday, April 18, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
PDay 4-4-2011
Hey,
I barely received your letter! I haven't really read much of it yet because I barely picked it up from the apartment. It's a nice day today. We were originally going to visit Brooklyn Bridge today but it's overcast and cold. I don't have any idea where to start. The city is great. We took the Subway here. Talked to a man on it. Unfortunately, he was gay. On our way over here we heard somebody say "God bless you!" We turned and saw that it was from two teenagers. People are usually kind. For example: We were in this apartment building and we were knocking a couple doors at the top of these old stairs while a man walked past. He greeted him and he said...."sorry guys, not interested but good luck with everything".
On another occasion, we were approaching an apartment where our investigators lived. Outside stood this dirty and scary looking man with skulls and crap on him. We walked up the stairs of the stoop until we approached him. He stood in the way and said...."try the other building" (the problem is...is that many families live in a single building: once inside...you walk up stairs and stairs and there are doors here and doors there for many floors-in other words....not only one single family inhabited the building). We hesitated (because our investigators Felipa and Julian lived inside) and he said ".....the Devil lives inside there. Go try over there or better yet that other one....but not in here". We backed down and pretended to look for somebody in our planners next-door. We walked only a minute (barely out of sight), literally, and returned to the building where he was gone. We entered and found our family. Taught them an d it was a marvelous lesson!!
I called my family (Anthony's Jonathan's) in Brentwood last night! They were extremely excited to hear from me and it was exhilirating to talk to them. Marvelous! Raphael asked when I can see him again and then added, I want you to come when I'm baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO HAPPY! Elder Clement and Elder Lunt are doing well with them! I need to call them again because I couldn't talk for very long....too late at night.
Also, did I mention that my companion was transferred last transfer here? He's new here as well. In fact, I replaced him as Elder Griener's companion in Brentwood when I arrived in the Mission. He left and served in Far Rockaway, Queens before being transferred here. He's really cool! Very used to talking to people on the street.
Because we're both new, we hope that we'll stay together for next transfer because we don't know very many members of the ward yet. Some, yes. Also, we're going to teach with the members. We also desire to visit less active members!! We also need to find more people to teach.
I barely received your letter! I haven't really read much of it yet because I barely picked it up from the apartment. It's a nice day today. We were originally going to visit Brooklyn Bridge today but it's overcast and cold. I don't have any idea where to start. The city is great. We took the Subway here. Talked to a man on it. Unfortunately, he was gay. On our way over here we heard somebody say "God bless you!" We turned and saw that it was from two teenagers. People are usually kind. For example: We were in this apartment building and we were knocking a couple doors at the top of these old stairs while a man walked past. He greeted him and he said...."sorry guys, not interested but good luck with everything".
On another occasion, we were approaching an apartment where our investigators lived. Outside stood this dirty and scary looking man with skulls and crap on him. We walked up the stairs of the stoop until we approached him. He stood in the way and said...."try the other building" (the problem is...is that many families live in a single building: once inside...you walk up stairs and stairs and there are doors here and doors there for many floors-in other words....not only one single family inhabited the building). We hesitated (because our investigators Felipa and Julian lived inside) and he said ".....the Devil lives inside there. Go try over there or better yet that other one....but not in here". We backed down and pretended to look for somebody in our planners next-door. We walked only a minute (barely out of sight), literally, and returned to the building where he was gone. We entered and found our family. Taught them an d it was a marvelous lesson!!
I called my family (Anthony's Jonathan's) in Brentwood last night! They were extremely excited to hear from me and it was exhilirating to talk to them. Marvelous! Raphael asked when I can see him again and then added, I want you to come when I'm baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO HAPPY! Elder Clement and Elder Lunt are doing well with them! I need to call them again because I couldn't talk for very long....too late at night.
Also, did I mention that my companion was transferred last transfer here? He's new here as well. In fact, I replaced him as Elder Griener's companion in Brentwood when I arrived in the Mission. He left and served in Far Rockaway, Queens before being transferred here. He's really cool! Very used to talking to people on the street.
Because we're both new, we hope that we'll stay together for next transfer because we don't know very many members of the ward yet. Some, yes. Also, we're going to teach with the members. We also desire to visit less active members!! We also need to find more people to teach.
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