PDay 4-18-2011

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.