#41 New Investigators

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Hello Everyone,

  So this week was great.  We found a lot of new investigators and the work is really progressing here in Talibon.  This week has been really good for us.  We didn't really have anything to interrupt our schedule.  This week while teaching we met a man that said he is trying to find the truth.  He said that he had read the Bible and he had even studied the Koran.  He said that he would love to read the Book of Mormon.  We set up a return visit with him and we have great goals for him.  All in all the work he is doing really good.  My companion is still working on his english and I am still getting used to the bikes.  I love it here.  We have been fed once in the last 4 weeks.  our branch has 46 members and there are 4 missionaries here. Yeah p day is now on monday and transfers are next friday.  We will see what happens.  I think I will probably stay here and my comp will transfer but we will see

Love

Elder Roskelley

Email from Elder Brent H. Nielson

Sunday, April 27,2014

Letter from Elder Brent H. Nielson

Dear Brother and Sister Roskelley,

My wife Marcia and I recently toured the Cebu East Mission.  During out time there I was able to meet and interview your wonderful son who is serving on the Island of Bohol.

He is a wonderful young man.  Thank you very much for sending him.  We are very fortunate to have him serving in the Philippines.

Elder Brent H. Nielson
Philippines Area President

#40 Mission Conference

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Hello Everyone. 

This last week has been great.  We had a mission conference with Elder Nielson.  He is the Area president for the Philippines and the coolest part is he is from Twin Falls, Idaho.  I had something sweet happen this week.  For the conference I got to go to the boat port with the zone leader's and pick up Elder Nielson and his wife.  It was cool because President Tanner got off first and gave me a hug and then Elder Nielson followed him and shook my hand first and we talked a little bit.  Then near the end of the conference I got to have an interview with him.  We talked and I found out he is from Burley Idaho and he was Bro. Fife's stake president.  It was really cool.  We had a conference for the whole day with him.  He and his wife talked to us and their main subject was about grace.  They explained how it enables us and helps us.  I feel like almost everyday this week I have used grace.  I am not perfect but I have been called to be an example and preach the gospel.  I love the Philippines as always and the people here are awesome.  

Love,

Elder Roskelley

For Easter everyone went to church on Friday because they celebrate the death of Christ, it was sad to see. For our Easter dinner we had a stew that we made with some dehydrated veggies that Elder Johnson’s parents sent him, he is from Northern Montana.

#39 We listened to General Conference

Wednesday, April 16,2014

Hello Everyone,

 This week we had the wonderful opportunity to listen to General Conference.  I am so glad that we have living prophets that guide our church today.  I hope that you were all as inspired as I was during the meetings.  For our conference here we had to travel an hour and a half on a bus to be able to go to see conference.  It really made me grateful for how easy it is to watch in the states. We have a mission tour tomorrow with Area President Neilson.  We have to go to the opposite side of the island to that.  Also cool thing about my zone is that it is the biggest in the mission.  We have done a lot of traveling this last week and it has made me kind of sick.  Do you remember the talk that was given by Elder Michael Johnson Teh from the Philippines.  In his talk he talks about a lady that lost her house but pays tithing on the clothes she washes.  I know that lady because she lives in our zone.  It was cool to hear him talk about her. I am so glad that I can be in the Philippines helping in the Lord's work even if it is hard sometimes but at least it is worth.  I don't see any better way to spend two years.  I love everyone and hope all is well.  

Love,

 Elder Roskelley

#38 Loving my new area

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Hello everyone, 

This last week has been awesome. We have taught a lot but haven't seen conference yet.  I am loving my new area.  There are a lot of rice fields here so we get to teach a lot of farmers.  This week we have still been biking a lot and visiting as many people as we can.  We have been very blessed in this area so far. This week we got to teach a guy with one arm.  We taught him about the resurrection, and it was kind of sad how little he paid attention.  Even when we try to give hope people don't want it because they let little things of life get in the way. We still ride bikes a lot and I actually haven't visited most of my area because it is so big.  I will send some pics of it.  We are in a branch and it is not very organized but we have church every sunday in a rented a building.  It is pretty fun. Our bikes are pretty nice so we do have to worry a little bit but our area is very very rural.  It is cool. It kind of feels like biking around by our house with the houses kind of far away and lots of land. I have been eating  lots of noodles.  It has been really good carbs for me.  I also have a glass of powder chocolate milk.  Yeah I mix my milk here.  It tastes okay.  I will definitely love milk when I get home

  The biggest thing that I have learned is just about myself.  A lot of times when we have trials God is testing us and we can also see how much we can handle.  God knows how much we can handle but sometimes he just wants to show us what we can handle.  This life is not just to come here live a life and go on to the next.  We aren't just supposed to have it easy all the time. That would defeat the purpose of this life and we couldn't learn what we need to.  We can be grateful for the hard times that we have.  It is definitely easier to be grateful after the trials but I know that we can be grateful during too.  

Love,

Elder Roskelley

#37 Talibon, Bohol

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Hello everyone,

 I am safe here in my new area.  We are in Talibon, Bohol, This is my first area that has bikes.  The first couple of days were very hard because I got very sore.  It is way fun though.  It is beautiful here in Talibon. There is some nice mountains and a beautiful ocean.  We teach a lot of people here which is good since we have a branch of about 40 people but we have four missionaries for this branch.  It is a little bit cooler here because of all the trees and the ocean.  All in all this area is wonderful. My comp is Elder Noquiao from Leyte. He already knew how to speak bisaya but he has been in the mission for 3 months.  He is really short and small but he is a good missionary.  The language is going just fine for me but I am still learning new vocab everyday.  Crazy story. on monday most of the missionaries needed to withdraw for support but the one ATM here in Talibon is broken so we all went to Ubay and then we had to wait and talk to the guards while they loaded the ATM.  It took forever but we finally got money.  It was very fun but we didn't really know what we were doing.  It was fun.  We also had some april fools fun.  Nothing to big or dangerous.  We are doing really good here. We are in a two stories apartment that is a little bit bigger than my last one.  It is pretty nice.  We are the second farthest missionaries from the mission office right now but we have a senior couple that lives near by that is super cool.  They have gone on two missions and this is their third. Their names are Elder and Sister Talbot from Snowflake Az. I am in calape zone. 

Bohol

Elder Roskelley is in Talibon, Bohol.

Bohol is a first income class island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands.^[4]Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of 4,117.26 square kilometres (1,589.68 sq mi) and a coastline 261 kilometres (162 mi) long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines.^[5] To the west of Bohol is Cebu, to the northeast is the island of Leyte and to the south, across the Bohol Sea is Mindanao.

The province is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts.^[6] The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of limestone formations, is the most popular attraction. The formations can be seen by land (climbing the highest point) or by air via ultralight airplane tours. Panglao Island, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is famous for its diving locations and routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts dot the southern beaches and cater to divers from around the world. The Philippine Tarsier, the second-smallest primate in the world, is indigenous to the island.

A narrow strait separates the island of Cebu and Bohol, and both share a common language, but the Boholanos retain a conscious distinction from the Cebuanos. Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast.

It is the home province of Carlos P. Garcia, the eighth president of the Republic of the Philippines (1957–1961) who was born in Talibon, Bohol.^[7]

On 15 October 2013, Bohol was devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was 6 kilometers south of Sagbayan town. The earthquake, which also devastated neighboring Cebu City, claimed 156 lives and injured 374 people. It also destroyed or damaged a number of Bohol's heritage churches, including the churches of Baclayon, Loboc, Loon, Maribojoc, Loay, Dimiao, and Dauis.^[8][9][10]