A pic : )

Here is the picture that is on Sis. Winn's website.  Love it!

English again!

Well I've switched languages again haha. I'm back in English. But it comes with a twist this time because my companion is from England. I'm learning British English now. So last Tuesday with E. Zambrano, the Zone Leaders came in the morning to drop off E. Drollinger, our new visa waiter, making us a quad again after the departure of E. Berrios. Minutes later I was told that I would be switched to the English program that night. The English elders in the same area were losing their Australian visa waiter and they had to replace him in order to ensure a quad in the english area because one of the elders recently had surgery and had to stay in to recover. So my companions now are Elder Little from England, Elder Lamipeti from Tonga (he had surgery), and Elder Bowman who is serving a series of mini-missions (that means he goes out for a few weeks at a time and goes home and then comes back) and ironically enough, my last area with E. Ramos was in E. Bowman's home stake. Weird huh? Oh, and last night I went on exchanges with E. Tiensuu who is from Finland. Pretty awesome. So it's been a great week because I got some extra study time when I had to stay with the recovering E. Lamipeti  in the mornings and then I got to go out and teach in English in the evenings. E. Lamipeti is out and about now, and I usually stay solely with E. Little now.  So that's the latest with me.

I realized that I forgot to respond to your questions about the missionary cookies. They were delicious! I took a picture of them before we ate them though because they were so cool. I'm glad I had four companions to help me eat them though. And thank you so much for the thermals! I love them.

So I don't know where I'll be for Christmas. I don't know if I'm temporarily here or not. Since E. Lamipeti is back on his feet they might put me back in Spanish. And Elder Bowman goes home this Thursday. So I don't know where I'll be or what language I'll be speaking next week or on the 25th haha. But I did find out that Skyping is an option for our Christmas phone call, but I don't know if I'll be to able to find a member who can let us use their computer for it. Especially, if I change areas again before then. So let me know in your next email what your skype information is, just in case we're able to figure it out.

Also, Mom, you might like this website. http://mamawinnsplace.blogspot.com/ It's the blog of our mission president's wife, Sister Winn. There is a picture of a real stud about one-fifth of the way down. I got Ricole's announcement! Holy Cow! She looks so great! 18 days! WHAAAATTTTT!!!! I don't even know what to say. I'm so excited for her! And I'm sympathetic for Dad haha. That's so cool about Sister Benefiel. I heard that 17 visa waiters are coming in tomorrow and 10 are sisters. Every spanish sister companionship is getting two visa waiters. We have spanish sisters in our district right now so there's like a 20% chance Sister Benefiel will be in the same district haha.

As for my visa, I don't know anything more than you do. They haven't told me anything else. I'm just kinda expecting it to take about three months. I think Heavenly Father's birthday present to me is going to be a plane ride to Brasil. It's so weird to think about Brasil now. It feels like I'm not going to go anymore. But I'm not complaining.

I love being a missionary more and more. I think about how I was when I first came out and I feel so different. I used to dread knocking on doors. I don't anymore. Tracting's not always fun, but it's not scary anymore haha. And teaching lessons is the best! Especially to little kids because they are so genuine and curious and (generally) happy haha. This week has really helped me to realize how much I love being a missionary. Although the vagabond visa-waiter style of missionary work is exciting, I'm looking forward to staying in one place for a while so I can really start to get to know members and investigators and the area as a whole.

Last week I kinda went on my Christmas rant in the email, so I'll simply repeat again that I love Christmas time! This is such a great work and such a blessing to be a part of it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ makes people happy. It changes the here and now as well as the eternal welfare of anyone who accepts it. Faith is such an important decision, one that cannot be imitated by anything else. It's such a blessing to be able to build my own faith as my fellow missionaries and I try to help others build their faith. And eventually, that faith leads to happiness, to peace, to all the things that we want the most. family, I love you so much. Please keep praying for me, and know that I pray for you. You are the best family in the world!

Love,

Elder Rogers

In the Spanish Branch

Hey so are people putting up Christmas lights in Santapoke yet? They are here and I love it. I LOOOOVe Christmas time, and Christmas Music and everything about Christmas. I love being a servant of the Lord whom we celebrate at this time of year.

 

Just so you know, last Thursday, E. Pavlakos, E. Pratt, Sis. Nielsen and I went downtown to the sheriff's office and got booked.... Just kidding. We only got background checks for our new visa applications and everything was clear. So that was cool to know that we took a step forward in the process. I'm grateful that I get to stay here for Christmas. The lights, the cold, the snow, the songs, they all just hit me straight in the heart. I try not to let it distract me, but I just love everything about this time of year. I could go on about Christmas, but I'll save that for later.

 

Something really cool happened yesterday. As you know, Fast Sunday was yesterday, and let me tell you, testimony meetings in Spanish branches are different than any one I've ever been to before. You know how one of the counselors from the bishopric usually starts it off and ends by saying, "The time is now yours..."? Well that was still the same, except it was in Spanish, but what was different was that while he was talking people starting getting up. At first it was just a couple. They got up and sat in the choir seats on the stand. Then more people stood up. It was a nearly constant flow of people standing up to wait in line to bear their tesitmonies. By the time the counselor finished, half of the choir seats were filled with people wanting to compartir their testimonies. The meeting went over by like 15 minutes as everyone from the stand bore their testimonies. The same exact thing happened in the second branch we went to yesterday! It was so incredible to see. There wasn't a second when someone wasn't moving towards the pulpit to share their testimony. I didn't catch all of the words that were said, but just the scene that I was seeing was just as strong as any verbal testimony that could be heard. I've never seen anything like that before, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

 

I've found that the language barrier is kind of like a super filter to my own testimony. I have to think so hard when I bear my testimony as I try to translate from English to Portuguese to Spanish. There are often long pauses in between words, and even longer gaps between sentences, But I mean every single word I say in my spanish testimony. Every word is such a deliberate effort that it's nearly impossible for me to say anything but "pure testimony"  when I'm in spanish mode. It's been such a blessing to see my testimony from another point of view, to simplify it and distill it, and to share it with humble, loving people. Spanish has been a big challenge for me, but it's been a big blessing too. I love being able to share my testimony. My testimony has become more precious to me than it ever has before. It has become more REAL than it ever has before, and I feel so blessed to bear my witness of the reality and the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He truly is the Son of God, and He is The Savior of the World. He brings families together. He heals hearts. He performs miracles. He does it everyday. And He offers His Love and His Grace and His Mercy to anyone who will accept it. Family, I love you so much. Merry Christmas! Thank you for everything!

 

Love,

Elder Rogers

Another Change!

Hey,

 

Thank you so much for the letters and the packages. They really brighten a missionary's day, and his companions too haha. Thank you so much, they really help me. Mom, thank you for the message about Joseph, I used it last night in a lesson! I think both he and I needed to be reminded of Joseph's example.

 

So a quick update, last wednesday was transfers, and on tuesday morning I found out that I was being transfered. So wednesday morning, I found out that I was being transfered to West Valley into a companionship of four missionaries. And here's the kicker.......we're in the spanish program......yeah, i know.....you're probably thinking, "But Elder Rogers, you don't know Spanish!" And me response to you would be, "Si". So it's been interesting. I've had experience with a trio before, but never with a quad. I've had experience with portuguese before, but never spanish. It's been a lot of adjusting. Oh, and we are on foot now, which I love. And I'm not even joking. I love being outside walking as opposed to driving. Just thinking about walking is getting me excited haha. ohand that reminds me, thank you for the gloves and hat and scarf! They have beeen VERY useful. So I'm with Elder Zambrano who has been out about a year, and he's from Ecuador, and he's awesome. He's been in the area for two transfers already. He kinda reminds me of Kevin Tsuchida, just the Ecuadorian missionary version. So I love serving with him because he takes it seriously but he's also a lot of fun. Elder Berrios is a visa waiter going to mexico but he had been serving in the area with E. Zambrano previous to me and Elder Pavlakos. Elder Pavlakos is a visa waiter going to Salvador, Brasil, we actually showed up in SLC on the same day. He's been serving in the spanish program since we got here so he can hold his own in spanish now.

 

It's been quite an adjustment. But I've always wanted to learn spanish and so now is my chance. The only thing is that when I learned portuguese, my brain forgot all of the spanish i once knew. I'm totally serious too. MY brain doesn't seem to be able to handle both portuguese and spanish at the same time. So hopefully i dont forget too much portuguese now haha. 

So I have a few more minutes, so let me tell you about a cool experience last night. Since we are a quad, and we cover two stakes, we usually split and cover one stake a piece and we rotate everyday. Yesterday I was with E. Zambrano and we went to visit a recent convert. This guy is awesome, but he's been really discouraged because of his financial situation. He's trying to support his family and his wife's and his friends, but he hasn't been able to find work. He's been looking desparetly. E. Z and I left his house feeling bad because we didnt know how to help him. After we went to his house, we tried all of our other plans for the night. THey all fell trrhough. So we prayed to know where we should go. One lady came to my mind. That same lady as well as another family came to E. Z'ss mind. We went to both and they both didn't work out. we were thinking, "Why did heavenly Father want us to come here?" 

 

Then E. Z remembered something. "Doesn't Brother Anderson live around here?" I didn't know, but the member who was driving us around did. So we went there because Brother Anderson had brought some people to church who we didn't know, and we wanted to ask him about it. So we went there and started talking. Somehow we started talking about where he works, and all of a sudden, E. Z asks, "Your company doesn't happen to be hiring, does it?" "Yeah, it is. there are actually 5 or 6 entry level openings right now." E. Z and I just look at each other....Obviously, this is why the Lord wanted us to come to this area. So nothing has happened yet, because this was just last night, but how cool is that? We called and told this recent convert brother about it this morning and he should be applying for it today. We really hope he gets it. He's one of those guys who, if he had a spare dollar (which he doesnt right now), he would give it away to someone in need without even hesitating.

 

Oh man, I wish I had more time....So yesterday, in the spanish ward, they had two english-speaking high councilors speak, which was awesome for me, but not great for the members of the ward haha. So they had a translator for the members of the ward, when usually they have someone translating into english for visitors or missionaries like me haha. That might not make sense, but i'm sorry. And of course the talks were about gratitude. Man...It made me realize how ungrateful I've been. I really am grateful for all that's happened on the mission so far. even the visa mess. 

 

God is blessing me abundantly even though I might not recognize it all the time. all that I have to worry about is if I'm doing all that God is asking me to do. and it's tough for my to say yes to that question all the time. I have so much that I need to improve on. Sometimes, like right now, I wonder if God even has enough patience and mercy to handle me. It's tough to put into words, because I don't want to sound like I'm belittling myself to sound humble or to seek pity, but I really wonder sometimes. But there are a few things I do know. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Through the miraculous life of that man, I know so many other essential things. Jesus Christ lives. The Book of Mormon is true. The truths of God are not hidden and they are extended to every single person on earth. I know that God lives and loves us. I saw a quote in Pres. Roque's house that I really like. It had a picture of Jesus and beneath it, it said, "The greatest gift I could give you is for you to see yourself the way I do." It reminds me of something that Elder Hales said in last conference. (His talk was about patience and "waiting upon the Lord". I've been reading it everyday for the past four days. It's a powerful talk that really really hit me in the heart. It's become one of those paradigm-changing talks for me.) He said something like, we are not able to understand or imagine how much God loves each one of us, therefore, we would do well to be a little bit kinder to everyone around us, including ourselves.

 

Dear Family, I love you all so much. Thank you for all of the support. It means more than you know. I'm sorry I never seem to answer any of your questions or respond to any thing you say, but please don't stop sending them. I'm sorry about that. I love you all soo much. E. Berrios asked an investigator a question the other day that I liked. "If you could take one thing with you to Heaven, what would it be?" Her answer, and my answer, is family. There is nothing more precious to me than all of you. Thank you again. I love you.

 

Sincerely,

 Elder Rogers (promounced with a spanish accent now)

happy p-day!

This has been a very unusual p-day, and thus, I just got on the computer with 15 minutes to write both you and my mission president. First of all, thank you all so much. Mom, thank you so much for those pictures! I LOVE them so much! And E. Ramos taped them on the wall haha. And thank you very much for the news about the visa. It's all very interesting. Don't worry about me. I'm in a much better place (concerning my attitude about the visa) than I was before. I'm doing very well. Transfers are this Wednesday and we found out today that E. Ramos is going to be receiving a brand new missionary to train. That doesn't mean I won't remain with him, but we'll find out on Wednesday. I've learned a lot this past week. Well, maybe not a lot as in quantity, but I learned one very big thing. I learned how much I need patience and faith and trust in God. I don't claim to have achieved those things in perfection yet, but I've made solid steps this week.

I heard a quote that I really like. "Don't go to God and tell Him how great your problems are. Go to your problems and tell them how great your God is." That's what I'm telling my visa. A few pieces of paper will not stop the Lord from placing me where we wants me to be. That's just silly. I wish I had more time to write, it really was a great week. Know that I'm doing well. KNOW that I love you all very much. And thank you for all the support, all the letters. Mom and Ricole, I got letters from you last week on Thursday, and Thursday was the day that my mission changed. Your letters really helped me. Thank you. I love you. Ate mais.

Elder Rogers

Some pics : )

                                           With E. Ramos, and someone else, on Temple Square

 

                                                  With E. Ramos on P-day (Preparation Day)

                                              In the old tabernacle on Temple Square

                                         

                                            With E. Ramos and E. Novakovich at a baptism!

                                                          E. Novakovich, haha

                                     E. Ramos with some of the Halloween goodies I sent them  : )

                                             E. Rogers and E. Ramos at a baptism!

Another great week

 

Thank you so much for the Halloween package! We love it! And it's been really fortunate because just like my first week as a visa waiter, E. Novakovich didn't have his own food or money until today, so the packages with delicious food has been very useful for feeding all of us. Thank you so much! You were inspired! You got that little package that I sent  you from the MTC right? I'm still planning on sending another package soon, but it's so hard to find time on p-days. Speaking of food, I have to thank Ricole for teaching me how to cook tortillas on a stove burner. For every breakfast and lunch that we have at the apartment, I cook up some tortillas and put either peanut butter or cottage cheese on them, depending on my mood. We found some honey in the apartment, but it's all gone now haha. Some members gave us some eggs from their farm so this week has been spiced up by some fried eggs in the morning. Other than that, we find junk food basically everywhere we go, especially with Hallowen being today. I'm being fattened up very very well here haha.

 

This week might be a very good and busy week. With E. Novakovich, we set some high goals for the week, and I really think they are possible. I don't know how we're going to accomplish them exactly, but for some reason, they feel very possible. I really hope E. Novakovich is with us for as long as possible, but at the same time, I know exactly how he feels and I'm sure he wants to go as soon as possible. We really need him this week though.

 

So here's a random note. We listen to the tabernacle choir all the time here. We play it in the car and in the portable dvd player in the apartment (the dvd player is given to all companionships to watch training segments and listen to approved music at approved times) and E. Ramos has about 9 tabernacle choir cd's now. I really honestly love MoTab (Mormon Tabernacle Choir) now. Maybe this is crazy, but I really think I'm going to listen to them regularly when I get back. Anyway, one of the cd's is a collection of famous songs from movies or musicals performed by the choir. One of them is called "The Impossible Dream" and it's from "The Man from La Mancha". It's an amazing song, you should look it up. Also, I developed a love for the primary song "A Child's Prayer". It's definitely cracked my top 5 songs list. I love it and I really feel like I relate to it now.

 

I wish I had more to tell you about that family I mentioned the other week, but it's been difficult. We should meet with them again this week. This weekend we are hoping to help two kids from a part-member family be baptized. But they've been really sick and we'll have to meet them a lot this week. Hopefully, I'll have good news next week about them.

 

Well how is everyone doing?? Those pictures of Ricole and Michael are awesome! You are so beautiful, Ricole! Man, it's still weird to think about haha. Two more months! But you were proably already aware of that... Mig, how was the band trip? In one of our ward's buildings, there is a picture of a youth camp out and there is this picture of a young man who reminded me of you. He was wearing a gray zip up sweatshirt just like the one you have, and he had glasses, and he had hair like yours, and other things, but anyway...Dad, how's the hunt been going? And Mom, how's the seminary class? Last week President And Sister Winn took some missionaries out to Ihop for breakfast and she asked every missionary there one question...What is the best thing that you've ever learned from a seminary teacher? Easiest question I've ever handled on my mission. Violet and Quinn, basically all of the area that we cover is either really old people or young couples. Everytime I see a young couple with a kid (or two) I think of you two. Congrats on the new apartment!

 

Familia, I love you all. Thank you for all of your support, all of the prayers. Fica forte.

 

Love,

E. Rogers