well good afternoon!

thanks for sending the package. I'm sure it'll be safe. i just hope i don't have to sign for it. I'm not worried though. no worries about the letter being short. i saw i didn't have an email from you when i logged on so i figured I'd just wait and see. my comp needs to email tomorrow because he's at ellis island right now so if i didn't see an email from you today i would have checked tomorrow but now i don't need to worry about it. the time has been going by really fast. the past 2 weeks just vanished out of no where (at least that's what it feels like).

thats a good topic to talk about. ( I was telling him about a talk in stake priesthood meeting) if we aren't honest with ourselves, it's a whole lot more difficult to be honest with others and if there isn't honesty, things don't really work out to well. I'm glad the truck is working out. that's cool Brian bought a new car. do you have a picture?

so with labor day, the librarys will be closed so we won't be able to email until Tuesday next week anyway. whatever is best for you.

ya i need to be taking more pictures. i have taken a lot already but it's been awhile and i'm just not sure what all i should take pictures of..... we could probably have a extra card and rotate them when one card is full but right now i can still take at least 1500 pictures, depending on the size of the picture. the one thing with my camera is that it doesn't pick up sounds. i don't know why, and i don't know how to make sound work - ive looked many times to see if there is any options but Ive never found any. i will take tons and tons of pictures though, guaranteed.

so everything is going pretty good. when i think about the past weeks, i can see the Lord's hands in the work and i know we are being blessed at different times. i was studying the other morning and i read alma 37 and 4 scriptures stuck out to me. verses 6-7, 36-37. i don't remember for sure what they say but they talk about the small and simple things is what brings the big things and thats how the Lord works. when we pray or read the scriptures or go to church we feel the spirit and we know the Holy Ghost is with us. when we do everything, not just one or 2 things, we are able to recognize that we are being blessed from God.

an example i heard is this, and i think its' been used many times before: how good is it to brush your teeth once a month for 2 horas with a lot of toothpaste? its not very effective but if we brush our teeth once or twice a day with a little bit of toothpaste, how much more effective will it be? so it is with reading and praying etc. we have to do everything for a little bit everyday in order for the time spent to be effective in our lives.

another blessing i recognize now is something that happened yesterday. we were getting ready to go to a members house on our bikes when there was a loud pop. it came from my bike so i turned around and looked at my back tire. a spoke had popped out so i couldn't ride my bike. we went to one of our investigators homes and asked if he had a tire pump and a wrench (we have no tools in our house). he asked what happened and told us to go to his garage next to his house (he/his fam. live in the same complex we live in). they have a bike that he told me to take and use until we get my bike fixed and so we were able to get places faster than walking. another blessing and from/through an investigator.

there are 3 other people i want to talk about but i'll mention only one other one, times running out. a guy named vincent was baptized a number of years ago and went inactive. we've been trying for weeks to try and contact him and see whats up. one night we rode by his house (he lives with family) and people outside yelled at us. we went by a few days later but vincent wasn't there. this past week though we went by and he was home! he came out and was talking to us (he speaks english and spanish) and we just got to know him and his story. since the first contact, we've seen him in the streets at least once a day almost everyday. he's relaxed with us and all is well. nothing has happened yet with vincent but he's a really cool guy, about 21,22 and is just active in life. we'll see what happens in the coming weeks.

one other is ursula. shes from Poland, speaks English. shes dating a span. member. so she's super excited about the gospel and wants to learn as much as she can. shes probably starting to read alma this week and she started from the beginning, intro, testimonies etc. she's a great investigator and we want to set her with a bap. date this week when we visit them. my comp has a friend who went to poland and served so he has ursulas phone number and they are able to call and talk to each other in polish and we ordered/have polish pamphlets and bought her a bible, d&c/pearl of great price combo and she already has the bom. she's a great investigator.

so all is going really good. at times it feels like times are rough but really they aren't. one missionary told me/the district before he went home that "no time is ever wasted. doesn't matter if something good happened or if it seemed like a waste of time."

The Lord knows what we need, where we need to be, and when. it's up to us to decide what we need to do at that moment. like the less active member we found a few weeks ago where we started to walk away and turned around and went back. turning away and walking back to the house wasn't' a waste of time.

anyway i love you all and thank you so much for everything. i love getting letters and emails but sometimes i don't have enough time to address them all. sorry about that if thats happened to anyone.

the church is true. there's no other way around it. pray and ask if you don't know. you will receive the answer you need.

i hope you have a great week!! i love you all

love Craig

8/23/2010

hola familia

haha sweet truck! it looks awesome. i hope it works for what you want it for.

ya I'm feeling better. more or less somewhat of a nose problem and clogged ears but other than that I'm feeling pretty good. so with medicine, vitamins would be good (like vitamin c) and maybe something to help unclog my ears. almost everyday i have to open and close my mouth to pop my ears so i can hear normally but even then, they clog up again. last week i was just being "weak" but i don't need too much medicine as i thought about it more and more after i sent the letter. thank you for that.

I'm glad it rained good. Arizona needs it and so does NJ - grass is going brown and people are not working b/c the grass is dying b/c there isn't enough rain. the weather is great. the past couple of days its been raining off and on and we're supposed to have rain until wednesday. i love it b/c it's in the 70s and windy and almost always cloudy whether there is rain or not. its great.so ya after church last week i wanted to sleep and my comp wanted to work but he was tired too so he let my "sleep" for 10 minutes and we went out and worked. i think being busy when you're sick helps you get over the sickness faster but i could be wrong. and i never did "just sleep" this past week. as much as i wanted to i didn't.

so i don't know for sure what you have but here's what i can remember for the package - a calendar ( doesn't have to be big or anything fancy), healthy snacks, vitamins or vitamin c, whatever i might need being a missionary, some scripture marking crayons, pictures, and something new i thought of, if possible is a reflections of Christ book (in spanish if possible but english is good too) - there is a less active sister in the branch who loves having us over to visit so we talk for 5 mins and teach her something etc. and i thought she might like having a reflections book (1 or 2). if you are able to get one itd be nice but if not, don't worry about it. and envelopes ( the small ones). that's all i can think of for now and again thank you so much for doing this for me. i don't know how i'll ever repay you and julie for everything....

haha oh ya i can see a difficult transition from missionary to college. it's crazy but a part of life that makes it fun.

so weather is rainy but almost always below 85 degrees now, maybe 80. almost always cloudy, and always hay viento (its windy). it hasn't' got super cold yet so we'll see what happens. one of my zls is from phoenix and he said I'll be good with the coats the borens gave me (bro/sis boren, thank you for the coats!) so we'll see. haha my comp isn't too trunkey but yes he reminds me often he's going home soon and I'll try to keep him on track (i think its something i need to develop more of, leadership or whatever it is).

investigators - well one wants to be married to her member husband in the templo and they have dos ninos pero el esposo es flojo y el esposa no va a hacer nada si su esposo no hace nada entonces necesitamos trabajar mas duro con el esposo para bautizar nuestra investigadora. (they have two kids but the husband is lazy and the wife is not going to do anything if her husband does not. so we need to work harder on the husband in order to baptize our investigator.)its crazy and we almost always get trapped at their house for longer than we want.

my bike is doing good. as much as i want to spend money to fix it more, it works for what i need so i'm waiting it out. i know my area might be closed and combined with another area (hay 4 misioneros de el espanol en el misma rama) (there are 4 spanish speaking elders in the same branch) or the other area will close so i'll be in a car if that happens. we ride to the middle of red bank and walk almost everywhere depending on time etc. the concentration of spanish is in the middle of red bank so thats where we are every day.

we are finding more and more less/in actives but still haven't been able to talk to all of them but the Lord will bless us.

gotta go but i love you guys and hope all is well. thank you for everything and for your love and support for me. i hope everyone has a great week and I'll write again in a few days. love you all!!!!

love craig

Email recieved 8/16/10

buenas tardes!!!

so unfortunately i am sick, not horribly but sinus sickness and its driving me nuts. i have to blow my nose every 5 minutes and i can't breath very well through my nose either. :( i bought some sudafed medicine this morning but i don't know that the sinus problem will go away with just that. I gargled, snorted (it sounds weird) hot salt water and i think that helped and I'm trying to only eat soup in hopes the sickness will go away quicker. it's hard because i cant just stay and sleep but the Lord will bless me as i continue to work. if there is any kind of medicine that will get rid of sickness (it doesn't just have to be sinus) it'd be helpful even if I'm better before i get it, I'll have it for future occasions. thanks!!

so I'm glad to hear the kids like their classes. i was wondering how they were doing. mason I'm glad you like to read. learn to read and read all the time! it's fun when you like the book and you learn new words every day. Emily the first 2 weeks are the worst because the administration says "deal with what we give you and once every ones been back awhile we'll start to work things out" - just make appointments early with the counselors and you should be good.

haha wow. i was only 9 years old.... i don't even remember it that well, unless i think about it. anyway happy 10th anniversary, well belated. I'm glad you were able to spend some time together without the kids and enjoy the time.

so again don't worry about the plaque. thank you brandt for doing the picture for me and thank you for printing a pic or 2 for grandma lloyd. i really appreciate it.

that is a funny story though of how gerber is now released and bro bowman is the new ym pres and bro bodrero and travis morris are his counselors. it was a half-change for them.

haha my Spanish is horrible. it's coming along though. I'm able to sit with members/invest. and just talk and for the most part i am able to understand the jist of the conversation without being confused. 2 weeks ago we came home to visit a neighbor and they were having a bbq outside so we sat down and ate with them (it was almost the whole apt. complex - mainly spanish) and i talked to the husband who loves Doctrine and Covenants and this past sat there was a talent show with the Spanish branch and i sat with some members and was able to understand most everything and i talked with a father who has a son who's not going the right direction in life and what we can do as missionaries to help his son. it was good.

so thank you for the story of brother horrocks - i will defiantly keep that as a story to share. how is the ward doing? how are the Gunn's and the Hortons and sister Jensen (bro adair hometeaches her and i helped him give her a blessing a few times)? I was thinking about them a while ago and the ward too.

yesterday for church, i was supposed to give my testimony but it was a 5 minute before the meeting started notice and my nose was running every 5 minutes so i would leave to blow my nose etc. anyway we sang an intermediate hymn and i left to blow my nose then and when i came out of el bano my comp was looking for me with a look on his face and asked if i was giving a talk. i started to walk in and the presidents counselor got up to announce the next speaker and the whole branch just looked at me and the speaker stood to go to the podium etc. and it was just funny but kinda embarrassing too. all fun.

so for the package, pictures of family, Arizona, recipes for smoothies or pastas, medicine (cheap and will get rid of the sickness, not make it go away for a while) and healthy snacks that i can munch on here and there and the scripture marking crayons (big package - its the ones julie/emily bought me for my birthday from desert book, i think). that's all i can think of for now. remember i don't want anything to be expensive.

thank you for your love and support and everything you have done for me. everyone remains in my prayers and i hope all is well health wise. i love you all and let me know if i can do anything to help anyone. i hope everyone has a great week!!!

love craig

8/9/10

querido familia, (dear family)

pues, cunado, la obra misional esta buenisimo aca. la semana pasada tuvimos dias que fueron no tan divertido porque no tuvimos muchas citas donde las personas fueron en la casa pero tambien tuvimos dias buenos donde encontramos personas para ensenar y estamos trabajar mas con los recentos conversos y los lideres tambien. el viernes pasado, tuvimos una cita que la persona no estaba pero habia 2 hombres afuera la casa. ellos nosdijieron que la persona no estaba entonces caminabamos a nuestras bicis y yo tuve una pensamiento para dar los hombres una tarjeta. entonces noscaminamos a los hombres de nuevo y yo hable con un de ellos y mi comp. con el otro. una cuenta corta, yo termine con mi conversacion con el hombre y yo escuche a la conversacion de me comp. nos encontramos un inactivo que buscamos mucho tiempo y nos recibimos dos mas nuevos investigadores por medio del el Espiritu Santo.

(Well the missionary work is very good here. Last week we had days that were not so fun because we didnt have many appointments where the people were home, but also we had good days where we found people to teach and we are working more with recent converts and church leaders also. Last Friday we had an appointment where the person wasn't home but there was 2 guys outside the house. They told us that no one was home, so we were riding away on our bikes then I had the thought to give the guys a pass along card. So we rode back to the guys and I talked to one of them and my companion talked to the other. One short story, I finished my conversation with the guy and I was listening to the conversation of my companion, and though it we were able to find an inactive member that we had been looking for for a long time, and we received two new investigators by listening the the holy ghost.)

so i hope my Spanish is getting better. that's my spiritual experience for the week too so i hope you can understand it.

haha so i didn't know either that Shawn and crystal went. I'm glad everyone had a great time in California. Julie how did you manage to pack everything and the kids not bother you to death about it? and gemma rode a roller coaster.... wow! haha i hope a picture was taken, it'd be cool to see. again I'm glad everyone had fun. school starts this week right? oh and Tate how are ya doing with a week back?

i forgot that Stacie graduated in august. Stacie congratulations!!!

haha don't even worry about the plaque. when its done, its done. I'm not in a rush. thank you for doing that though. haha did grandma Lloyd not get a picture yet then?

so with the work, apart from the beginning, we have 4 new investigators. one is in an interesting situation. she is from Poland, learned English in about a year or 2, maybe 3, not positive and is our investigator because she is dating a recent convert who speaks Spanish natively, knows English and Portuguese. so funny combo, Spanish/polish and lessons in polish/Spanish/English since that's the communicating language. :)

red bank is getting better and has many people who need the gospel. i was told also of a letter the 1st pres. sent out that said the mission pres. should leave missionaries in areas for 8 months to a year..... we'll see with me. :)

so things are going great. i gotta go but i love you all and thank you for everything. i hope all is going well int he family and ward and if i can do anything to help, please let me know. i keep everyone in my prayers always. have a great week!!

love Craig

Email recieved 8/2/10

so one elder goes home on Wednesday - he lives in Tucson. Elder Beeston. Great Elder. I'll miss him. and I am staying in red bank!!!! haha so my first 6 months will be in my greenie area! its crazy but fun and i get to kill off my companion too! (haha have fun explaining that one ).

so Emily - you can email me on your own email if you want. I'm glad you have had fun this summer and are able to keep busy and safe. when i read Olivia i first though of Olivia Mora but then remembered our niece and was thinking to myself "she's swimming and can float... whats going on!?" can i get a picture? oh and with pictures, in the photo album you send in the package, please include at least one picture of the whole family (Julie rob kids me you, and one of all of our brothers and sisters).

I've been having fun here and keeping in shape. i need to do more running but i also need to be eating better foods ( i need recipes for fruit smoothies etc.) that are more healthy. thankfully we haven't gone to any fast food restaurants a menudo. i don't have much time but i appreciate your love and support and prayers and everything you have done and are doing for me now. i pray for you and the family always. oh and yes sometimes we will skip lunch and dinner, just depends on what our investigatdores pueden hacer como cuando ellos tienen tiempo para que podamos visitarles. :) (investigators can do when they have time for us to visit them)

so family i am glad to hear all is well. sorry i don't have much time but today, well a few minutes ago i was just asked by Elder Beeston if i wanted to go home for him..... Brian (and Tate, was it rough leaving?, and anyone who has served can answer that). I'm still on a bike and i bought a new pair of shoes - eccos (the soles are rubber, like hard hard rubber that will last me my whole mission - only 99 dollars and that is a REALLY good deal for those shoes and they are comfortable and fit great so i didn't pass it up - now i don't have to worry about buying shoes here and that was my only chance to buy those shoes too) and a few weeks ago, a filling broke off of one of my teeth - i don't know if i should get a new filling put in or not, ideas???

so Rob the your parents' room looks great. you did a really good job, as always. i guess now that Brian and Tate are home everyone is waiting for me. it's already flying by.

so school starts soon - is there anything i can do and the backpack i sent home from the mtc, who received that? I'm glad its been raining mucho alli (alot here) and cloudy tambien (also). spanish is starting to sound like english to me and jsut the other night we were praying, and i tried it in english - it was hard. i struggled to even start. i love it. it rained a few days ago and its crazy because when it rains it's just white like fog. the whiteness is the water evaporating and the streets etc dryout very quickly.

I'm sorry Emily and mason aren't feeling very good. i hope they get better in time. I'll keep them in my prayers.

esta semana pasada..... dejame ver. pues recibimos 4-5 nuevos investigadores (no recuerdo exactamente) y encontramos mas miembros menos/in-activos y algunas personas que yo creo que estarian buenisimo para nosotros. (This past week...let me see, we got 4-5 new investigators, I cant remember exactly, and we found more less/inactive members and a few people who I believe will be great for us.)

we've been busy and again i feel like Spanish is English and this transfer i am going to work like crazy to understand and speak the best of anyone.

i gotta go but if you haven't sent the package, please include recipes that include mainly fruit, like smoothies etc. i need to eat more healthy or just a larger amount of healthy foods etc. :)

i love you all and thank you for everything. without everyone i wouldn't be here. have a great week and everyone stay healthy!!!

love Elder Roberts