29-Sep-2009 Letter

Everything has been going awesome. Last week we had the mission tour and it was amazing Elder Christensen talked to us about the atonement. His wife is a rock! That tells you that you have to be careful about who you marry or you could be called to be a general authority. CRAZY!!! I'm stoked for General Conference. It's going to be awesome. This transfer is over on saturday so I might be getting transfered. So if you are going to mail that package, mail it to the Mission home beacuse I don't know where I'll be living next week. Elder Brough only has one more transfer left, and its going to be crazy in compton if he gets transferred, beacuse I don't know the streets. I'm really not good at navigation and don't really have a sense of direction so the fact that I drive everywhere is so much fun. Hope everyone has an awesome week. I don't have much to write.
Ciao, Elder Rubert

21 Sep 2009 Email to Corbett (cousin)

It's awesome that you had an amazing road trip with everyone, tell everyone that participated that I say hi. A girl from EFY huh, crazy mormons, I bet that was fun. Thanks for not giving me the details, but if you feel it need be let me know how that venture goes. Ballroom was amazing, that is amazing in and of itself. That is one thing that I miss a lot because there isn't really a lot of dancing out here in the mission field. You guys lost the Homecoming game, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! I miss rain. There is no rain here but the days are hot and the nights are perfect everyday. The weather apparently doesn't really change that much. Tomorrow we have Elder Craig C. Christensen from the seventy coming tomorrow and he is going to have a like 4 hour meeting with us and then afterwards he is going to pick like ten to twelve missionaries and he is going to talk to them and interview them personally so they said that I have to memorize everything about my area. It is going to be a blast. I am so psyched that It's coming up and then we also have General Conference coming up. I'm going to be giving you all a General Conference Quiz after wards so make sure that you guys all pay attention.

Well I have a fun quote for you today from President Eyring:

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, the present makes sense, and my future is secured. I'm finished and done with low-living, small planning, smooth knee, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminance, positions, promotinos, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my road is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of populatiry, or meander in the face of mediocrity. I will not give up, let up, or shut up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He stops me, and when He returns for His own, He'll have no problem recognizing me, my banner will be clear."

Now remember that while life is to be enjoyed and not just endured that there are several things in life that are more important that anything else, if you want to know what they are and how you can put things in the right order in your life to be as successful as you could possibly be then study 3 Nephi 13. That is an amazing chapter. And if you find that you also have extra time read the following verses: Alma 48:17, Helaman 5:12, 1 Nephi 3:7(2:3), and also keep your eyes open for what you could do if you were in the situation that all these people were in. Keep being awesome and having fun. Happy Birthday and I love you broseph. Do everything you can do and be all you can be.

With Lots of Love,

The Real Captain Awesome.... Elder Benjamen Rubert

24 Sep 2009 Letter

Mom,

Hey, how's it going? The temple bag made it her fine, and the mission tour is going to be awesome. You should send me a t-shirt pillow too. LOL. I told Matt that there was a game that I have in the attic for his 360, but the deal is that he has to write me. So could you do me a favor and make sure he keeps up his end of the deal? It's crazy that you guys are already thinking about Halloween. I know that the Book of Mormon is an amazing book, I am almost done reading it. I started about two weeks ago. I'm in Mormon six. Why didn't I know anything about Dad going everywhere for his mission? Other than that, this is in reply to your email, and next week's preparation day in on a Tuesday. I'm sending a letter with this to Randy Lowe. I also sent a duplicate email to Dad for one I sent to Corbett that can go on the blog.

Love ya,

Elder Ben Rubert

21-sep-2009 letter

Thank you so much for the Red Vines, they were awesome. I also am so happy that I have more ties now. I got all your letters and will answer all of them In my e-mail. First of all, I am so psyched for mission tour that we have tomorrow. We have Elder Christiensen coming and visiting with us tomorrow and he is going to talk and so is President Sexton. Everything is going good. Today we have to do a really good job cleaning everthing up to make sure that everything is in perfect condition for when Elder Christiensen comes.

Kathryn-I miss you a lot too and California is amazing. The mission is an amazingly fun place where I get to talk to knew people everyday and help people a lot. I am learning a lot and keep learning more and more everyday. My companion is Elder Brough and he is from Memphis, Tennessee. I can understand everything everyone says in Spanish and am working on being able to speak it but it is going way good. And yes, I have taught some people some stuff. But not just some stuff, I've been teaching them all that they have a point in their life and that if they live the right way that they can live with their families forever. Mr. Herron is cool, that's cool. Keep enjoying life and having a blast because when I get back it's going to be necessary for you to get to tell me a lot of cool stories about your life. And so you don't forget you can write them in your journal. Love ya, Elder Rubert

Rebekah-You hate junior high. What a surprise(not really). You never have been much of a fan of moving, I remember when Mrs. Starrey taught when I was there and that is awesome that you think that he is cool. I am loving my mission, and keep studying and learning more because you are going to have to up your armory if you are going to be able to compete with me in logical discussions when I get back. Love ya, Elder Rubert

Matthew-You are mute!!!!!!!! I am happy for the insight into your life and how things are going, how is the Xbox 360 and the fact that the principle shortened the lunch is horrible. REALLY HOW IS YOUR LIFE GOING? If you want there is a copy of Gears of War 2 up in the attic if you promise to write me about what is really going on in your life. Keep up the good work at school and make sure that you get good grades, because if you don't then it will be a drag when it gets to college time, and next year if you can take some dual credit classes get it done. Love ya, Elder Rubert

Dad-You served your mission in California? I thought you served in Argentina. Which is it? I am having lots of success here and get to listen to Elder Christiensen tomorrow and he is going to grab 10 or 12 missionaries from the mission and personally interview them, that would be sick. Keep up the good work in school so that you can get back on the job train. Because work is better than school any day of the week. And fishing is better than work any day of the week. Love ya, Elder Rubert

Mom- You guys are finally getting used to the school schedule ,that's good. I can't believe that General Conference is around the corner, it's going to be a blast. It's nice that you could see Kyndra come up. We are having ward missionary week and we have a lot of things going with the singles ward also. There is a big BBQ on saturday that is going to be awesome. Love ya, Elder Rubert

15-sep-2009 Letter

I've been crazy busy and I can't believe that it has been a week since last preparation day. This week was a really good one. We've had teaching appointments almost every hour of everyday and between apointments we find four or five new investigators a day for average. We have lots of investigators that are progressing too. And since the population around here is all african-american, latino, and samoan, I eat well at members or investigators houses at least once a day(and somedays I get lucky and eat twice a day). Everyday here gets quicker and quicker and my spanish gets better and better. It's awesome. I can understand almost everything that is spoken to me but I just need to get a little more vocab so that I can talk about everything and not just the gospel stuff.
Ciao,
Elder Rubert

08-SEP-2009 Letter

Hey everything is going awesome here.

First things first is to answer all your questions.There are 6 weeks between transfers, and yes my companion is awesome. Yes tuesday is my pday but last week it was on monday and I think it will be on monday in a couple weeks too. It's just that sometimes there is a change because we have our mission tour coming. And an answer to if I would like anything else in the box. I will take any food that you will send me, brownie mixes, mac and cheese boxes and etc. sound really good. And printers are a pain in the rear so I completely understand that the one hinge would be a problem. And yes I have adjusted to the missionary schedule as much as anyone else here has.

Now..whoo... To the letter for the week. This week was awesome. It sounds like the fair that you guys went to was no fun because you guys were all sick. I decided that I was going to read the Book of Mormon straight through so that I could get all the stories straight for me so I started on last Wednesday and I am working my way through Alma right now. It is so much fun to be speaking two different languages all day everyday. Some of our lessons we teach in English and read in Spanish some lessons we teach in both languages because half the family speaks Spanish and the other half speak English(I don't know how that works out), and other lessons are all English or all Spanish. It is helping me be able to switch back to English but at the same time it kind of makes learning all the Spanish a little harder. MARIA came to church on sunday and she was awesome. She brought her granddaughter and next week her two kids and two granddaughters should be there too. You wanted to know what my daily schedule is so I'll give you a quick little itinerary:
A day in the life of Elder Rubert
6:25-Wake up and put my gym clothes on
6:30-Excercise
7:00-Breakfast
8:00-Personal Study
9:00-Companion Study
10:00-Spanish Study
11:00- Teach a lesson
12:00- Teach another lesson
1:00- Lunch
2:00- Teach
3:00- Otra Cita de ensenanza
4:00- Teach another Child of God
5:00- Eat amazing food at a member's house
6:00- teach again
7:00- Teach again
8:00- Teach again
9:00- Plan for the teaching apointments the next day
9:30- Second Dinner
10:30- Sleep(and do it all again tomorrow)

So I have lots of fun and its all having a blast and talking to new people everyday. I think in the last 2 weeks that I've only had to tract for like 2 hours total, we are teaching and finding so many people on the way to our next appointment it's awesome. And I can see the ocean everyday it is awesome, as we're driving on the freeway we look one way and see down town L.A. and we look another way and see the pier.
Keep on keepin' on,

Elder Ben Rubert

01-SEP-2009 Letter from the Mission President

We received a letter from Ben's mission president today . His companion/trainer is Elder Brough. His current address is 3275 Artesia Blvd #204 Long Beach, CA 90805. They included this picture of Ben with President and Sister Sexton.

3 cousins at the MTC