Elder Brian Roberts: June 2008

Monday, June 23, 2008

Pictures from the CTM

My purpose as a missionary

View from my bedroom window

Alright its my first p-day. I can send one email and recieve one email. Anyways I was origionaly going to just draw a picture or somthing instead of typing anything but it has been a very very LONG week and this is my first time in somewhat civilization outside the CTM. So yeah my district consists of 12 of us and are the biggest in the ctm. We do everything together and all have the same schedule, the classes are long and exhausting and we are always doing somthing. I seriously think we get mabey 30 min total in the whole day that is spent doing what we want to do not that i hate it but it can be tireing. We got up this morning at 5:30 to go to canpinas for a session in the temple. The veiw there was awsome and we actually saw some sun for a bit. Its probly been a fewdays since we saw the sun since were in class all day and night. So I guess Henry gets home tomorrow, tell him to write me and that I love him. The food here is good but Im getting sick of it already, we have beans and rice stuff at least 10 times of the week. The language and gospel study has been great and I want to tell anyone preparing for a mission (including Tate and boys in the ward) that you are ready mentally, physically, and SPIRITUALLY, you will not be able to learn the langauge or the Gospel and wont be able to teach it without the SPIRIT, be worthy of it and you will do fine. I thank you all for the pictures and letters and ask that you send more, if you can some of me at lincoln and with the scouts, the ones of lincoln are in a file with my name on it if you find it or in your camera. Another thing is if you want to write to me faster than email use the dearelder.com thing, its like email but it sends it to me through the postage and takes like 2 days to get to me versus 1 week to check my email although since im in brazil i believe they might charge you for postage but it shouldnt be much at all. anywho this place is crazy, the people drive crazy, you can hear fireworks all day and night, i wish i could take pictures from outside the ctm but they wont let us...ohh yeah and the weather here does get cold on some mornings. All the guys in my district have pictures of their girlfriends and so I showed them the picture of the goat stacie gave me and said that was my girlfriend and the brazilians loved it and now everyone thinks i own a goat, thanks stacie for the picture. It is pretty pathetic how these guys cry at night while they read a stack of letters from their girlfriends. But I love this place and am enjoying not understanding much of what anyone is saying but it is coming along and has been only a week...I think in my 4th or 5th week here we get to go prosylte 2 book of mormans and passalong cards. I think Ive been to the doctor at least three times this last week..hehe I had stomach sickness one morning and another i landed wierd on my foot playing basketball but everything is fine and we have good people here. We had an general authority visit last night elder cooper i think it was...all of are meetings are in portugese but they translate it for us gringos. My instructor was talking about our individual missions particuarly the food and weather and when he got to my mission he just laughed and said I would eat the worst and wierdst food than any other mission and said the sun there and heat was one of the worst. He said my mission there is a good chance of wearing a hat and having that siesta because its so hot at noon time. The food part he said was wierd and couldnt really describe it other than pig stomach and other disturbing parts of the animal. Ok well I love you guys and My other letters probly wont be this long when I have somthing to read, things are going good and I am enjoying my mission and know it is were the lord wants me to be. Tchao, Elder Roberts

*If you want to email something to Brian, send it to nbrinton1@cox.net and we will attach it to his weekly letter.

Email from the President of the CTM

Dear Parents,

We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC. What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionaryas they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time.They now have companions and are settled into their rooms. They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.The branch presidents and their wives, who are usually a senior missionary couple or mature Brazilian couple, will soon give them a second greeting. These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop asthey embrace and watch over the missionaries. The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs. He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good. Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple. This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments. Important information is attached for communicating with your missionary through letters and other mail while at the MTC. Too many packages are arriving after the missionary has left to the field, so we ask that you send a package only in the first 4 weeks and after that send any packages to his or her mission home. We are also parents of children who have served as missionaries. And we have been missionaries who have left family. Please know that we are mindful of you and know of your love for your missionary. Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others. We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote byPresident Lorenzo Snow: “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder [sister] when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children.”

Please accept our love,
President and Sister Woodward
Brazil

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Off to Brazil!!!

Brian is OFF to Brazil! He left Tuesday morning & had lots of friends & family there to see him off at the airport. We know he will be such a GREAT MISSIONARY & will serve the people in Brazil with so much love. We are so proud of his decision to serve a mission & hope to keep everyone updated as he writes home!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Being Set Apart as an Elder

The night Brian was set apart as a missionary was a very spiritual evening. The night began with Pres. Bradshaw asking Brian to introduce everyone. He began to get emotional after the 2nd person and couldn't continue. Brian's big brother Jason stood up next to him and put his arm around him and introduced everyone for him. President Bradshaw then asked what song he wanted to sing. Brian told Emily to tell everyone because he was still too emotional to say the title. We all sang "As I Have Loved You". Mom Brinton requested that we also sing "Called to serve", since we weren't able to take him to the MTC where they always stand and sing it. Everyone in the room stood to sing and it was AMAZING! The spirit was so strong. President Bradshaw then spoke and gave some great council to Brian. President Bradshaw, Bishop Ellsworth, Robert Brinton, Rob Brinton, Jason Roberts, Pres. Cooley and Bro. Carroll stood in the circle to set Brian apart as a missionary. President Bradshaw gave him a beautiful blessing. He is now going to be a great missionary!

We got this cute picture right before he was set apart.