#6 Arrived in Cebu

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Hey it's Elder Roskelley

I arrived in Cebu at the scheduled time.  On the plane I gave away a book of Mormon and taught a first discussion to a man in English.  He said he loved reading it and I made him promise he would invite the missionaries to his home in Manila.  I also gave away a pass a long card in Cebuano.  I am safe and it is a lot like Peru. Lots of very poor people. Crazy traffic. I have already sweat at least a gallon.  I helped put a bed together and load and unload luggage.  The mission president's home is very nice.  It's near the shore.  I can't wait to go but I am very tired.  I will email more and send pics next Wednesday.  I have a training meeting now, see ya.  I love you all and I know that God loves us. 

Elder Roskelley

Newest group of missionaries in Cebu East Mission

Flying LAX to Manilla

Monday, August 26, 2013

Today Carson left the MTC to fly to Cebu. Here is his flight from LAX to Manilla

#5 Only a few days left in MTC

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Hey Everyone,

This Monday I leave to the Philippines. I fly from SLC to LAX to Manilla to Cebu.  I fly to Cebu and arrive there around 8 AM on wednesday morning.  It looks like 40 hours of travel time but it is actually only 26 hours of travel time.  Sounds like fun.  I am actually pretty excited to leave but our teacher said that the first month is the hardest.  In all I have gained 10 lbs while here in the MTC, but I have been eating pretty healthy and we had an awesome zone soccer game last night.  Half of the game we couldn't see because we played from 810 to 900pm.  It was way fun.  I'm very excited.  Today we are doing an english fast which means we aren't speaking any english to each other.  It is kind of hard and I am getting good at charades.  This last week we had Richard G Scott come talk to us and it was awesome.  This week we had a presidency of the seventy and Jake Lewis and I got to sit next to each other.  It was awesome.  My favorite quote was "more faith than fear". I hope I can get this.  One thing I really learned this week is to be humble.  Nobody likes someone that is cocky.  The second thing I worked on was trusting God's will.  I have been worrying a lot about the future but I now know that the Lord knows what he is doing.  I love everyone.  I know that God loves us all and that he will answer our prayers.  I know that He is happy with us and our choices but we can always become better.  Mom, I have 2 New Zealand room mates that are my zone leaders and they haven't recieved any packages, they definitely deserve one so I was wondering if you could send one to them.  Just send it to me and I will give it to them. Thank you for everything, I will send a package home that has stuff I don't need.  The more I hear about the philipines the less I am worried.  

Love 

Elder Roskelley

Me and my buddy Jake Lewis

The Sunday before I left my Aunt Beth and Uncle Joel and my cousins came 

to hear their grandpa speak at the MTC, afterwards they came looking for me and found me

#4 Learning Lots in the MTC

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Hey everyone.

Thanks for all the letters and packages.  I got the two packages from you mom.  And I did get my snapback.  I wear it about as much as everyone else does.  They think its so cool so they steal it, which I don't care. It's cool.  Say hello to the Alleys for me.  Also can you send me more builder's bars.  I am actually doing workouts now.  I have gained a total of eight pounds so far and I think I grew a little bit taller.  I am trying to stay in shape and some days the MTC doesn't really have any healthy choices.  It tastes pretty good but you don' t really feel the same through out the day.  I tried the rowing machine and the bench press machine and a couple of other machines last night.  It was pretty fun.  I feel sore today but it is a good sore.  Thanks for posting my emails.  On Tuesday for our devotional we had a broadcast from the Marriot Center where we go for our devotionals and the video went to every MTC in the world.  Half of them watched it live and the other half were asleep.  I got to sing in the choir and the writer of the piece we sang donated 200 copies of music to the MTC missionaries.  The director said that everyone that had been coming for four or more weeks could have one.  Luckily this was my fourth week so I got one.  The language is coming but it is still a bit difficult.  Our lessons with our pretend investigators are going good and I am learning a lot.  The other day I got to pretend to be an investigator.  It was amazing.  I actually felt the spirit like I was the person.  The other companionship taught me and my name was Eric.  It was wonderful.  One of the missionaries bore his testimony and I felt the spirit so strongly that I couldn't stop smiling.  I also realized this week during personal study that the Savior started his ministry with 40 days of fasting and I am starting my ministry with 40 days in the MTC.  I thought that was pretty cool.  I also was very humbled this week because I was reading King Benjamins speech and he explained how we are nothing by ourselves.  And don't really deserve any of the blessings Heavenly Father gives us.  It is through the grace that we are able to do good and then He blesses us when we use our agency that He has also given us.  How does that seem fair.  We can never be even with Heavenly Father because we are so blessed.  King Benjamin actually said that we are unworthy creatures.  

This Wednesday I got to be a host and welcome the greenies.  I hosted three people.  One was from Idaho and one is going to Pocatello.  The other one was from Utah and he was going to New Mexico. These are the first group of english speakers that I will get to leave before they do.  It was very fun but very hot.   Tell the Alleys "hi" for me and tell them thank you for the letters.  So for my mission we had three districts of about 12 each come in to speak cebuano on the same day.  We will all leave on the same day if we all got our visas.  All of us are going to either Tacloban, Cebu, or Cebu East.  Each district has people that are going to each of those missions but each companionship is going to the same mission.  Me and my companion are doing great.  We have kind of got the name of being the old couple.  We love each other but we have a hard time agreeing on what we want to teach.  We both want to be right but we are getting a lot better.  I just have one picture. 

love you all, hope you're doing good. 

Elder Roskelley

#3 Lovin' the MTC

Thursday, August 8, 2013

 Thank you everyone for the letters.  This last week has been amazing.  We had an awesome Sunday night devotional.  And this Sunday was fast Sunday so we had a mission conference on Sunday.  From 12-2 our MTC presidency talked to us.  They were awesome.  I don't remember much of what they said but I did write down what I felt.  I'm learning a ton.  Also the biggest thing that happened to me was after Sunday night's devotional we get to watch videos that have been recorded of previous talks from the MTC.  This week we watched a talk by Elder Bednar called "Character of Christ".  He gave it in the MTC about 1.5 years ago on Christmas.  It is only for MTC use and you won't be able to find it on the internet.  In that talk he talked about the natural man vs the character of Christ.  He compared the natural man to the cookie monster.  "I want cookie now".  Christ would say how can I help others.  He talked about Christ being tempted after 40 days of fasting.  He then right after Satan left sent angels to comfort John the baptist.  He only served and taught.  Elder Bednar called this turning out.  Don't think about yourself.  Elder Eyring also said that the best way to get rid of home sickness is to work.  This is all turning out.  Always look how you can serve others and the last person you should think about is yourself.  This is part of the love of Christ and my companion and I can testify that turning out helps.  We used to struggle to get along but as you think about the other person you will feel so much better.  You will be very blessed and you will love what you are doing.  I love Christ's example and I encourage everyone to look for more examples of where Christ turned out because he should be the cornerstone of the foundation that we are built on.  We should always strive to follow His example.  I love being here and I know the Lord is helping me when I pray and am humble.  I couldn't be here without Christ and it is through His grace that we can do good works.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book and that if you strive to live by its teachings you will be greatly blessed.  I love and miss everyone.  Hopefully I replied to everyone. 

Elder Roskelley

# 2 Still in the MTC

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Hey Everyone

 I am having an awesome time here and I love all of the people.  My companion and I argue sometimes but we both know that we love each other.  I hope that we can continue to make it through the MTC because the meal schedule just repeated and I am kind of tired of being close enough to someone that I could hold their hand 24 / 7.  I love the spirit and I am learning so much.  Cebuano is coming to me and I actually might know the most out of my district.  People always ask me translation questions.  I am trying to use this to show my companion that the more obedient we are the more we are blessed.  Also our teacher told us the other day that cebuano is one of the harder languages to learn.  This is because it technically doesn''t have an alphabet and we have really weird grammar.  Like if you were to type in ''I read the book of mormon"" into google translator you could get ""Nagbasa ko si basahon ni mormon'' or ''gibasa nako ang basahon ni mormon'' they are pretty much the same meaning but just a little bit different.  Also our teacher Brother E. said that he tried to explain the basic grammar to his supervisor who learned mandiran chinese for his mission and after fifteen minutes he understood nothing.  He said the he was happy he learned chinese instead of cebuano.  Also the funny thing about cebuano is that a bunch of the people text so cebuano is knid of written but we also have to be taught how to text because it is different writing than how we are doing it now.  It all kind of confusing and our teachers only really speak cebuano to us.  I have gained 6 pounds since I have been in the MTC.

Love Elder Roskelley

                                                   Me and my buddy Elder Robinson

#1 First Email-One week in the MTC

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Hello Everyone,

I only have limited time to email you so, I will probably make some mistakes. I have so much to say.  I know my last letter was pretty sad but I am doing 10 times better now.  I got a chance to have gym time.  Its kind of like PE but for elders and sisters.  We had about an hour on friday night so we went and played sand volleyball accross the street from the MTC.  It was way fun.  No one is very good but we love it.  Also, a couple of mornings I woke up early and worked out a bit.  This has all really helped me.  I am actually really loving the MTC. I have never felt the spirit so strongly.  I have a teacher who teaches us about six hours a day. We go over doctrine and the language.  Most of the time he only speaks cebuano.  Only when we go over dotrine or scriptures does he speak english.  Also with part of our training we are suppose to teach a progressive investigator.  These are just people that speak cebuano and volunteer to let us teach them.  They pretend to be an investigator and we have to teach them in cebuano only.  The first lesson on Friday was very bad but we are getting better.  I learned how to bear testimony and I actually got our PI progressive investigatyor to cry because the spirit was so strong.  There are a lot of rules here but they are getting alot easier to follow.  And we were taught that our blessings are dependant on our exact obedience.  A quote that is shared very often is obedience brings blessings while exact obedience brings miracles.  I joke that this is what prison feels like.. we are trapped in classrooms for most of the day, and even if we go outside we live in about one fourth of a square mile.  Whenever I get the chance I like to leave and look at the mountains.  The food here is very average but there is tons of it.  I think I have already gained about 4 pounds.  I am actually getting fitter though.  Having the chance to work out has made me happier and look better.  I'm probably feeling the best I've ever felt in my life.  I have awesome roommates and companion.  My companion is Elder B. from Logan, Utah.  He is very quiet but a very good person.  On to the district.  Right now there are four people in our room.  The other companionship is both from New Zealand.  they have awesome accents.  Every night we talk about the difference between here and there.  Their names are Elder M. and Elder G. Elder M. is our district leader right now and he is very intune with the spirit and always wants to serve us.  Our district is very diverse.  Total we have thirteen people.  4 from utah or idaho, 1 from malaysia, 1 from indonesia, 3 from new zealand, 1 from austrailia, 1 from figi, 2 from tonga or somoa.  All of them are great people and I think that we have the best district.  The best thing that i have learned so far is about charity.  This is also the pure love of christ.  I am trying to see people as Christ would see them and love them as much as he loves them.  I encourage you all to read about charity.  You will love it as much as I have loved it and you will love each other more.  Random thought our district includes people speaking hillyganan and cantenese.  We are all learing a language, the people that speak hilyganan are leaving on monday or tuesday.  The cantenese missionaries are going to sydney australia and they are here for nine weeks,  they have two weeks left.  Our tags are in english because when the church started in the Philippines it was all english text.  Elder in cebuano is elder and there isn't really a word for hello.  The language is coming just fine, but I am definitely having to work.  Technically cebuano isn't really a written language and everyone that speaks cebuano is lazy with the language.  There are shortcuts for everything and the language has just evolved that way.  I got a hair cut to day and I did my laundry. That was kind of hard, luckily one the elders has been living by himself for awhile.  Testimony in cebuano.  Nasayod ko nga gihigugma kita sa dios ug ni Jesukristo. Nasayod ko nga tinoud sa simbahan. nasayud do nga propeta si Joseph Smith.  Nasyod ko nga buhing propeta si Thomas S Monson sa ngalan ni jesukristo amen. 

Elder Roskelley

PS I'll have pictures for next week thanks