But really all of this, Matt getting married, talking with my family, and an experience that I had this week, have really got me thinking about something that Dad talked about last week in his email to me. This past week we were contacting and we met a woman from a different church. We were talking and she expressed her doubts on a few teachings of Joseph Smith. We asked her if she could explain a little more and she told us that in her church they don't believe the concept of eternal marriage or eternal families. That it they are some things really amazing for this life but in the next one it will all be single. She quoted a scripture that says something along the lines of that in heaven no one gets married or is given in marriage or something like that I would have to look up the real scripture. Now I don't want to bash on religions or talk bad about anyone especially because "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." #ThanksForTheArticlesOfFaithCardsMom
But I had an opportunity to bear my testimony to her, probably with more conviction than any other testimony that I have bore, about how blessed I feel, and how eternally happy I am, that I have the knowledge that after this life, I will be with my family again. I know that my parents have been sealed, and by doing so sealing me to be with my family by the authority of God. Because of that I know that I will be with my family for all eternity. I am so happy that my brother is taking that step with Michaella and even though I wont be there, I am so proud of yall. I will be forever grateful to my parents for making those decisions and raising my in such a Christ centered home. I am the person I am today because of all of those decisions they made.
Alright thanks for letting me rant a little bit about that.
Okay the last thing I want to share is a story that happened this week. It isn't like a spiritual experience or anything more just the most stressful night of my life. It was Wednesday night and we had just gotten home. It was a little after 9 because we were in a lesson. A little while later I called the other two Elders in my district like I do every night. But it said that they couldn't be reached. I thought okay that’s normal because they don't have great signal up there. But usually if I wait a bit and call again it goes through. Long story short I call about 10 times and get the same response. So I call the Zone Leaders and ask them to call them and to text them and tell them to call me. He calls back and tells me he also cant get ahold of them. I wasn't worried until I remembered that they had been in the capitol all day for a medical thing with one of the elders and when I called them at 6 I asked them to call me when they got home and they never did. So now I am trying to figure out what the best thing to do was. What I was thinking is they got robbed and that’s why their phone wasn't working. But it was like 10:00 at this point and we still couldn't get ahold of them. But surely they were back in the house. So I called a member who lives close and asked if he could run and go knock on their door and see what was happening. He came back a little bit later, called me and told me.. that they weren't in the house. That he called and knocked and everything was closed and locked and dark and no one answered. So at this point I am really starting to freak out and talking with my zone leaders who were talking with the assistants. He asked if there was another member who could pass by and there wasn't. So my zone leader was talking to the assistants for a bit and then he called me and just asked, ^hey, you ran track in high school right?^ Ûhhh.. yeah, why?^ ^well, if yall want, yall have permission to run up there and see what is going on.^At this point it is almost 11 at night (I am skipping a few details just for time sake.) The thing was is that they really don't live super close to us. Like walking it is a good 20 minutes. We were super lucky because at that time there was power here so the street lights were on. But they told us to go in normal running clothes and not as missionaries. So my heart was super pumping because I hadn't been outside of the house later than 9:30 since June of last year. But we take off. Sprinting. We got people yelling at us and dogs chasing us but we were just booking it up there at 11 o´clock at night. My heart is racing and I don't know what is happening but we have been trying to get ahold of the other two people for two hours without any success. When we are more than half way there already drenched in sweat because it is so humid, I get a phone call, I just stop, answer the phone, and hear in a quiet voice,
"Uhhh.. sorry, we got home and we have been sleeping this whole time, but it doesn't show that yall called us. Why didn't you call us?""
Apparently the left their phone in a place without signal and that’s why the calls never went through. But I had to try very hard to keep calm and keep my patience and calmly explained that not only I, but the zone leaders, the assistants and up until President have been calling them and briefly explained everything. But I still was freaking out because I was now out of my house in a pretty dangerous part off the DR at like 11 something. But it was a huge relief to know that they were safe in the house. We now had to book it back home and I just completely fell in bed because all of that energy and adrenaline just basically sent me into a crash. And that was very briefly the story of the most stressful night on my mission.
But to end on a happy note! We had two baptisms this weekend. One was Jose, the youngest kid of Digna who got baptized a couple weeks ago but he couldn't get baptized that day because he wasn't there. And the other is a girl named Mayelis. She was a reference from one of her friends who really wanted to get baptized. The story of their baptism is also super cool and stressful but I will save that one for another time.
Have I ever met Gary? I mean I am named after him but I don't know if I have ever actually met him!
I love yall so much and it was so fun to see yall and talk to yall yesterday! Sorry this email is super long but I just had so many things that happened this past week! Have a great week and I'll talk to yall next week with transfer updates!
Love,
Elder Robertson
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