wow. thank you for the details. Im not depressed, just glad to know what happened. that pocket watch came from jason my brother. i would say it was about $20 but ask him for sure - he might be able to remember.

the mission office address is: Elder Craig Roberts
1719 Rte. (route) 10 Ste. (suite) 309
Parsippany, NJ 07054
please send any packages or odd shaped items there; its more convenient and safer.

i am being transferred; i dont know where to or who with but i finally get out of my greenie area which i am sad to say i have to leave. it will be fun though and tonight we're going to try and see some members because tomorrow will be a long day with transfers and my comp is training - he has to be at the mission home by 8 am so we have to leave no later than 615 to be on time. i'll go to the office and get to work throughout the day until transfer conference. it'll be fun and a new experience.

i'm hoping i'll be able to send emily her "gift" - if i could get more, i would send more but it's a hard thing to get. i was lucky to get the ones i have.

elder lee and i really just started becoming really good friends a few days ago - we just tallked about life one night and things have just been better since. we've never had arguments or fights or anything like that just we are 2 completely different people. its been fun and he's taught me so much. i'll miss him

so if there is anything else i'd need id ask for a long sleeve sweater, vneck probably would be best. i can't wear my sweater vest without a cover of some sort over it; it gets pretty hot having the vest and the jacket you bought me on with the backpack. i have grey slacks and black slacks and both suits are black so whatever color you feel would blend the best. oh and wool socks - i only have the acrylic and those aren't very good for winter. i want to buy some here but i havent found any yet so we'll see.

we had 3 investigators to church yesterday; it hasn't happened very often in the past. one was waiting for an answer and we feel he received it yesterday! he knows how to receive and recognize revelation and i know he'll be baptized on his date or sooner. sadly i won't be here for any of the baptisms. our polish investigator is marrying a spanish member; they communicate with english and i decided to give them the Reflections of Christ book you sent me; after i got it i felt like keeping it en vez de giving it to the in active member; i know why i waited now and i am glad i did.

i think on friday morning we walked up to a corner store to use the restroom and atm and elder lee forgot the BoM he was carrying - we passed a couple and i said hi as we walked to a members house - we walked back to the corner store after the member visit and i saw the same couple again. i decided i should contact them and it was a miracle. i gave them a BoM pass along card and asked if they had ever had questions of life (you know what they are) and the husband asked me if the BoM had the answers. If i didn't follow the spirit they wouldn't have the BoM in their life now.

that was a cool experience i had but my times up. i love you all and thank you so much for everything. let me know if i can do anything for you and i'm more than happy to do it.

the church is true. the Book of Mormon is our guide and President Monson is the most vital person to us in this life. we all need to follow His counsel b/c it comes straight from God. speaking of Pres. Monson, can i also get a november ensign of the conf. talks please? it'd be nice to have my own copy.

thank you for everything and i love you so much. thank you Gemma. I love you too and when the pictures get here i know ill love them.

have a great week!!! elder roberts

short letter and some pictures

(He did not send any descriptions with these pictures, but here they are anyway.)

i just dont know what to say..... i read moms letter and i have mixed emotions right now..... this past week wasnt' bad. we had zone conference which was great and some other meetings. this is the last week in the transfer - next monday i'll let you know if i'm being transferred or not. im sending some pictures home - hopefully they are good enough to enjoy. the baptism we had set for october was changed to dec. 5th because the couple will be married dec. 3rd. so i won't be in red bank for any baptisms, possibly. i cant think right now...... will you let me know what happened with the break in etc., things that were stolen??? i hope you're all able to enjoy the week, at least keep the spirit with you and keep your selves happy. it's a new trial and the Lord will provide all that is necessary. "endure it well and be blessed" - i think someone has used that quote before. i love you all and will keep you in my prayers. let me know if i can do anything to help in any way. i love you all and thank you for everything.

love craig

buenas tardes! yes yesterday was a holiday so i am writing you today. it is a good thing too because we had a very fun trip last night and if i had emailed yesterday we might have been thrown off a little bit time wise.

Robert Brinton, Rob's dad, Happy birthday this week, and Staci Allen, happy belated birthday.

our 3 man trio is no more as of today, well this afternoon. we drove to the mission home to pick up the new companion for the elder who's been waiting for ever. we had dinner with the assistants and with President/Sister Bahr and the new comp. it was really fun. a storm hit us the last 10 minutes going to the mission home and we were in the storm the whole way home -

i have a picture of the 4 of us that i'll send next week. will be an interesting transfer b/c we have 18 new missionaries coming in and only 2 weeks left in this transfer so well see what happens. it'll be weird going back to a 2 man apt. in one area for 2 weeks but it'll be good.

i have a feeling I'm being transferred b/c Pres. Bahr said he didn't want to move me with a baptism coming up - the baptism we had for october is being moved to november so the couple can get married then we can baptize the wife, if i'm still in the area.....

anyways everything is going pretty well. we had stake conference where a 70 came. the whole way there and mostly on the way back i took video of the trees etc. so everyone can see how many trees there really is in nj, especially just on the highway. if you want to see them I'll send them but for now I'll just keep them.

oh a first time dream for me came this past week - i dreamed that i was at home and i shouldn't have been there.... it was weird. did you ever have those kind of dreams?

ya that is crazy weather... tornados actually touched down and destroyed homes - signs of the times?? i would've liked to see the golf ball sized hail and I'm glad it didn't hit your work or home.

how are grandma and grandpa roberts doing? tell them i say hi and that i love them, please and thankyou! I'm glad the kids had fun with the Halloween party - i actually thought about it one night.

I've heard having a golf ball for the winter is a great "tool" for knocking doors and i was wondering if i could get a golf ball? i know i have a set of golf clubs either in the garage or at jason and amy's and there should be golf balls in the carrying case thing or my mom or jason would probably have some. one ball should be enough though if i don't lose them over the winter. also hand warmers i've heard are great as well yet i'm not sure when i'd need them - i guess november gets really cold then december is when it starts to snow.

instead of different people sending packages maybe everyone can pitch in and send one package?? again i think i'm being transferred at the end of october - i'll let you know the monday before transfers but if anything is sent to me before then i would send stuff to the mission office in parsippany (i don't remember the address off the top of my head but i'll send it next week if you don't have it). muchisimas gracias por todo. sin tu, los demas, no estaria aca yo.

emily i'll send you the thing next monday, i hope and you are going to like it.

thanks for the picture of the house - i cant tell for sure what all they changed except i noticed they took out at least one of the chimneys and the drive way roof thing... the new missionary and crashing - did you tell him about me? and again, our 3-sum is no more, sadly. haha its not that bad

enjoy october break!!! we have zone conference this friday, missionary sunday, and a normal week of normal meetings etc. for the last week of the transfer, i believe... it'll be a good 2 weeks and i'm going to learn a ton about myself.

so with the work, elder lee asked his family to search our area to find the percentage of hispanic people in the different cities (would you want to do that)? and there is a city close by that i guess has the same amount of spanish as red bank and no one has been in the city forever so the last 2 weeks we'll be knocking a lot of doors in that city. it'll be fun figuring it out and learning spanish together. which my spanish is still coming along great.

i think more than anything this transfer i've been able to speak faster but i'm also being able to conjugate correctly y todo and with companions closer to my age in the mission we spit out words here and there but we haven't ever spoken only spanish and that is the best way to learn for us - go to another country (as you know) and you're kinda forced to only speak spanish. its a desire i have to only speak spanish within companerismos yet it feels so weird when we do...

i think thats all. this transfer flew by, well is flying by. i love you and everyone else. thank you for everything you have and continue to do for me. i hope you and everyone else have a great week and enjoy oregon! if possible, could i also get april and october conference ensigns? again, ask family to help out, not just you and julie....

i love you all and we'll talk again on monday! have a great week! i'll send pictures next week

so ya conference was absolutely amazing!!! haha I didn't take as many notes as i did from the mtc but I came close. I would like an ensign though, if possible, when they come out - id like to have one I can mark up and have as my own. our companionship gets one but we have to share it so it's not as personal. to me notes are what the spirit directs, not just words from the mouths of the prophets, even though sometimes those words are what someone needs to hear. i definitely gained a new fire and enthusiasm to work more diligently and really forgetting myself. i try and keep that thought with me daily "forget yourself and get to work."

Emily, what do you prefer, green and black, or pink and white? i need to know! and emily, how are the youth in the ward doing, young men and young women?

that’s cool that the vans are still in the ward and Keith is thinner - that’s awesome! so ya bed bugs - well we think they're gone. we haven't had any problems since but the senior couple is going to come back and spray again, i think....

I’m glad mason and gemma liked the gifts, but did tanner? did you like the water painting?

well we're doing good. the last week in October creo yo is transfers.... I’m not sure what will happen with the 2 areas and of course i don't know if I’m being transferred out or not. they might keep the 3 sum, possible combine the 2 areas (a thought that just came into my mind) or transfer 2 elders out of the 2 areas and send in 3 (2 would be doubled into an area) so we'll see what happens. ya its nice having the 2 areas b/c we do have a whole lot more work and a limited amount of car miles so it's fun. our branch members also live in both areas so I’ve actually sat down and talked with members i didn't really know before.

when we're at doors, i usually stay more towards the bottom, or away from the door and let the 2 elders stay up and if we get in, i walk in quickly and as a surprise to the person, sometimes. with the baptismal dates, yes they are still set - our dilemma? one has to get married or move, something that will be very difficult to do and the other works on Sunday and still feels that all churches are good, which they are, just our church is the only one with toda la verdad, en la plentitud. so we're working with them both and trying to figure stuff out. so ya that’s life -

I wrote down alma 57:9 as i was leaving the house in a rush so I don't remember why I liked it but I did write my thoughts on a paper - it's at home and I’ll explain it next time. There is a website that would be cool to look at if you wanted to; its http://www.ldspuzzles.com/ I’m not sure what its like but my previous comp had a sweet plan de salvacion puzzle in Spanish and it was ordered from that website - it's very useful for teaching. its raining all day today and it's great.

I love you all and thank you for everything! everyone is in my prayers and I always hope that your days are as great as mine!!! hehe I love you guys. thank you for everything. have a great day of work and school and a great week as well. how is the ward doing? let me know if I can do anything for anyone.

love Craig