Homestretch

August 7, 2017

Hey Mom!!

 I  applied to a few job finding sights! Sorry haha I fasted a fast of gratitude for my mission and also to able to find a job, so I know the Lord will provide!  I'm gonna start my weekly email soon, I have lots to talk about! This week was awesome, I've been sucking wind on a bike and preaching the Gospel! Why am I getting released so late??? haha no biggie I guess, its just kinda weird! Usually, people get released like that afternoon, but I figure President Oaks is working, so no worries :) 

Anyways :) I love you and I will see you real soon! I invited Kaylie, but I told her to keep it on the down low, and tell yall that she is here to pick up a relative! Man, it doesn't feel real at all! 

I'm having some members I'm really close with, hold my bike until we get the chance to come back up and visit. I want to trade him for a road bike he built, which is really nice and what I'm more interested in. Anyways, I bought a new white shirt at ASOS to come home in, and I'm throwing the rest away, they are nasty, stained, ripped, worked in shirts. I sent the pants I wasn't wearing as often back home in that package, along with my elevation mask and other work out stuff! Anyways, It should be real good :) SO SO SO excited for home! but also sad my time is already up. 

Final Transfer

July 31, 2017

Dear Family!

So last Saturday I got the notification that I would be transferred for my last Week! And I am so grateful for that, often times as missionaries we can get into a rut if we have been in an area for awhile, so my prayers were answered, and I got an area where I can finish strong! Its biking, so thats fun, I can finally bunny hop haha. 

I have two companions, Elder Pexton, who is one of my really good buddies who I came out with, and Elder Bowles, and awesome greenie from Eugene, Oregon! We make a cute little bike gang, riding around town, causing trouble (A.K.A. preaching to reach!) I lost my helmet during transfers, so I definitely stand out as the trouble maker, but I'm over, people still listen to our message! 

Monday was pretty shweet, we went to a trampoline park, where I had a good ole time flipping around, just like Zach taught me :) Then we went hiking with the Colburns at Red Rocks! We then got to go to dinner with a family going through some really hard times, and it was awesome to share about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and how He can heal us!

Tuesday! I got to see a bunch of my friends who were at transfers and said goodbye to those who were going home! Its crazy that I am not far behind them, these being my last days in the mission! As I reflect on these last two years of my life, I can't help but be overwhelmed with gratitude for my Savior, and the opportunity He and His Church has given me to grow and to build my foundation on Jesus Christ. Some say it is a sacrifice, but while a mission is hard, all I have seen is blessings and miracles. I am so grateful for that. When I finally got to my area, I had some lunch and got to work! We biked to go see some investigators and made some return appointments, and on our way to another appointment, we met this kid Nathan, shared the message of the restoration with him and invited him to learn more! He said sure and gave us his address! So that was a cool miracle!

Wednesday we went to do service at Care and Share, the local food bank! While it was fairly boring, it was good to help out the community! We then went to do a transition lesson with the North Zone Leaders with a guy name Mike, who is interested in learning more! It was nice to teach someone seeking the truth, but I did have to throw down on false doctrine. Im not about to let that stuff slide!

Then we went to Costco so that I could pick up food, since I had just been transferred there. We LOVE samples haha! My Comp Elder Bowles is the nicest and even bought me lunch! Later that evening we chaperoned a date with a single guy in the ward and his girl friend, but it wasn't as awkward as it sounds! Plus I had the most dank fajitas I have ever had, they literally came out sizzling . 

Thursday we did weekly planning weakly! It took daggum forever, and we still didnt finish! After about 2 hours we just decided to get up and go do stuff, so that we didn't kill each other from cabin fever. 

Friday we had district meeting at a ranky stank church, and that was a good time! Afterwards we went to Five Guys, which was such a blessing! The dankest food was eaten, and everyone left fat and happy! Also by this time, my legs are perpetually tired from biking incessantly, but its fine, I love it! After the dankest food was eaten we went to finish weekly planning, and had a good tripanionship inventory! After that we did more stop bys, had dinner with the Lopez family, who told Elder Bowles to check his facts, so now we always tell Elder Bowles to check his facts!

Saturday was a gucci day! We went tracting and got everything from the typical born again christian responses, to a very depressed man opening the door, looking at us and instantly saying "not interested" in a likeness to Eeyore from Winny the Pooh that I couldn't help but laugh! We did hand out three copies of the Book of Mormon, which was awesome :) That night we had an opportunity to go to a Colorado Switchbacks game, which is a professional soccer team! It was a really good time, especially because we got free tickets 

Sunday was awesome! WE LOVE FASTING! My stomach was so so so grateful to give up trivial things like food and water to supplicate the God of Heaven! I got the chance to bare my testimony so that was cool, even though everyone in the ward thought I was a young man who had come with the missionaries haha. Nope, turns out im one of the most experienced missionaries in the mission! Boy were they surprised, I guess it was my youthful glow and enthusiasm that got them confused  So during Church, this girl comes and sits behind us and afterwards we find out that she is from Germany, one hour outside of Frankfurt, and on vacation touring the United States! She has been going around every Sunday and exploring different religions, and decided to try ours out! She stayed for all 3 hours and said she loved it! We got to teach her a little bit of the Gospel and give her a copy of the Book of Mormon! She gave us her address in Germany, and her email, and said it would be okay to send the missionaries by! What a sweet miracle! She is driving from Seattle down to Texas then back up to Maine to discover America! Sounds like goals to me! We then went back and studied and planned and went to do stop bys, got yelled at by some random dude, to which I told him I ain't no holla back girl, and the guy responded with thats Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Not really, but thats what happened in my head. We just left instead. At this point, my stop has never been more grateful, and it was so sad to have to eat bounteous amounts of delicious food at the Colburns, who fed us because they are the best!

So that was my week! Hopefully this email makes up for my typical lack of emails..

I want all of you to know that we can have unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ, just like the Prophet Jacob, and that I have received too many witnesses and gone through too many incredible experiences to ever deny my testimony. My testimony is this: I know that Jesus Christ lives. I have read the holy scriptures, lived the principles found within, prayed to know for myself, and have been edified by the Holy Spirit of truth. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God,  called to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ, translate the Book of Mormon, and seal his testimony that there is a God in Heaven and the Christ is in fact our Savior, with his blood. I know this because I have read the fruits of his labor, the Book of Mormon, and I know that it is the most true book on the earth. No ones frivolous and denigrating opinions about a book they have never read will take my experiences away. That book has brought me closer to Jesus Christ, it has cemented my morals, deepened my wisdom, brought incredible insights to my mind, and given me peace like no other book ever has. And all of this is because it is another testament of Jesus Christ. It is true, make no mistake. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I will be for ever. He lived, He died, and He lives today.

Love y'all, Thanks for the support :)

Elder Rogers

P.S. I love being a missionary :)

Rough Week and Perspective

July 24, 2017

Hey Mom,

This week was rough. I am so done, and so ready to be home, it honestly couldn't come fast enough. I almost died in a car wreck, again, because of these stupid Colorado drivers. Even though I said a big no no afterwards, I was super grateful we didn't die. I haven't been sleeping very well, and that's been affecting my wake up time, which is like my eternal trial out here.  Everybody but one person canceled this week, and then the lesson we did have with one of our investigators was going so well, and we got a call and a text from our neighbor saying our fire alarm was going off.  The stupid thing was just going dead. So we had a really good lesson cut short by Satan, and that about sums up the week. Then today we hiked the incline (did it around 35 minutes) and my comp and I finished first! He beat me by 10ish minutes, so he killed it, but then we waited for the zone, and they took a while, and so we waited for an hour for these guys, and they get there and we are missing someone, Elder Cluff, the overweight guy who DIDNT want to go. I love this guy, so my comp and I tell the rest of the zone that we were going to go back down and help him out. So we get down there and we walk with him for a while, and the poor guy is in so much pain and close to heatstroke, but he tells us he was doing better by himself, so we mozy on up and low and behold, all of them had left, including his companion. The most dirtbag move I have seen in a while. So we wait and wait, and wait for this nearly asthmatic trooper, and he gets to the top and no one but us are there to give him the support that he needed. I am so frustrated right now, I can't even tell you. Then I remember that my keys to the truck are with the Zone leaders, and they are irritated that I had the nerve to ask them to come back and get me the keys. I had no words for them, I was so angry. And these are some of my best friends, and they just leave this poor dude. Like he could have died if we hadn't helped him. I don't know, everything right now is frustrating in my life. I've been done with missionaries, mission rules, crappy opinions about the rules, and missionary work for a while now, and this was just like the icing on the cake. When you work as hard as you can, and nothing happens, and you keep the rules to the best you can and NOTHING happens, and you have to deal with people (missionaries are the worst) it wears you out. The only reason I'm going to keep going is that I'm not a quitter. And I love my companion and I want him to have success in the area. But as far as I go, what a tender mercy that I'll be home soon. :)

Response from Mom: 
I'm sorry, Mason.  It sounds like Satan is trying his very best to take a valiant warrior for Christ and make him resent his friends, experiences and struggles. Remember, one of his greatest tools is to get us angry because then we can't feel the spirit. It is the spirit that brings to our rememberance all the amazing spiritual experiences, miracles, tender mercies and growth through trial that we experience along our journey through life. I can hear how tired and frustrated that you are right now. Missions have are way of really breaking you down, but if you let him, Heavenly Father will build you back in His image. I have seen such tremendous growth in you as you have learned humility and to rely on the Lord. Satan wants nothing more than to get you to forget that in these last two weeks of your mission,  to give into discouragement and to  resent the rules and the safeguards put in place through revelation. Mason, please don't let him win. Will you do something for me and take a few minutes to pray? Ask the Lord to take away the anger and to see all the elders and investigators in your district through his eyes. I promise if you do you will have an increase in patience and love for them. Pray for gratitude for all these hard things that give you the chance to love as he loves, even the most unlovable. After that, if you still aren't feeling better, pray to know what you need to feel joyful in these last two weeks of your mission. Sometimes, our prayers aren't answered because we are asking for the wrong thing. I have been studying a lot about devils and unclean spirits. You may want to pray about the need to cast them out. 

I know you Mason. YOU are determined, COMMITTED, loyal, AND hardworking. I know you can and will muscle your way through these last two weeks. I also know that Heavenly Father doesn't want that for the last days of your mission. He wants you to have joy! And perspective. He will bless you with this if you ask. I feel his love for you so strongly as I write this and I want you to know that I am praying for you right now.

One last thing. I don't remember if I sent you the link to the guy who did the experiment on rice... if not, it goes like this. He had 2 jars of fresh rice. Before he sealed up the first he thought love towads that jar. He then labeled it love and sealed it tight. Toward the other jar he thought Hate! Labeled and sealed it. He put the jars away under his desk. 3 months later he took them out. The jar labeled love was still white and fluffy. The jar labeled hate was rancid, brown and gross. All he did was think love and hate. If you can just focus on thinking love toward struggling, bone headed missionaries, the rules, the area, investigstors... all of it. You will change your experience. We are creators and the process starts with our thoughts and these thoughts propel us forward to good works through faith.

I love you so much, Mason. Imagine I am hugging you tight and sending (thinking and praying love your way as hard as I can)

From the Perspective of a week...
 Don't worry, Mom,  It was a good opportunity for me to grow, so I still love them, it was just a rough day!  

This week was pretty okay, Everything canceled, again, and people weren't home, and I got yelled at tracting, through the door, so typical missionary stuff. I'm super close with this recent convert named Gilbert Kuhn, so he has been coming up to Woodland Park pretty much everyday because I'm leaving, haha. So, thats been fun! We also picked up this part member family this week, so thats cool. 

 I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED FOR MY LAST 10 DAYS!! like what the freak?? But its fine, just an extended layover? Also, my bags weigh less than 60 together because non of my white shirts are worth taking home #eternal stains of hard work. So thats good. I'm trying to think of an interesting story.... but I can't :( 

Church was good this week, said good bye to a lot of people, so that was sad :( Said goodbye to investigators and less actives too. Then In gospel principles we found out our dinner tonight is literally signing divorce papers today, so thats awkward....

Any way, I have a lot of pictures to send, but I need them from my buddy, who took them haha 

Uhm, I'm doing good, been trying my best to finish strong! I got to teach a class about what I had learned from my mission, which was really cool :) Can't wait to do a family home evening from it!

Anyways, sorry I'm boring, thats just how the week went :/ I love you so much, can't wait to see you soon!

Love,

Elder Rogers

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Meetings, Miracles, and 'Merica - Happy 4th of July!

July 10, 2017

Dear Family!

This week was one filled with meeting, miracles, and 'Merica!

First, I'd like to wish America happy birthday! on the 4th of July we got to participate in the Monument parade, and that basically consisted of me yelling "America!! Yeah!!!!!" and getting the crowd to chant USA with me haha We then got to man a booth and try and talk to people about our first amendment right, the right to worship as we please! People were interested in walking away from us, not really talking tho... But we got to end the day right with some amazing fireworks, 9000 feet above sea level! 

So we had another mission tour zone conference, where we met President Stevenson and Sister Stevenson. What was lame is that Im only going to have them for a short while, so my motivation to get to know them isn't super spectacular!  They are really nice, and I know they are called of God.

Some sweet miracles we saw this week consisted of finding a new investigator through tracting, and one finding us through family history! We got the phone number of a recent widower who loves family history and he actually answered the phone! We told him that we would love to meet with him, and that every Wednesday night at 6 there is a family history group that gets together. He said he would totally come and he would love to meet with us!  Another miracle is that I hit a ridiculously high note in choir on Sunday, which was a huge tender mercy.

So quick note, the majority of my neighbors are ministers from Charis bible college, and they always bring up religion with me, which is a great opportunity to share my testimony.  A few weeks ago my neighbor Shaun came up to me and started to talk religion and during the course of the discussion he commented "man I really like you guys, I can really feel Jesus when Im around you" which was cool. He agreed that I was saved and we let a differences aside. He wouldn't take a Book of Mormon, which is ironic to me, because they all want to talk to us but they don't  want to listen. #salty. Anyways, fast forward to this last week, and my neighbor Dave asks for some help with a bike and in the course of helping him says that he feels a lot better knowing that we are saved, because he and Shaun had talked about it. Never mind that I had shared my testimony with this man several times and talked about my relationship with Jesus Christ. Dave just wasn't listening. He said later in the conversation that he sees me leaving the Church someday, and I just laughed.

I know that this is Christ's church upon the earth. I and others before me have come to this knowledge through the power of God, and no one else. No matter what others say, I know that I follow a living God, Jesus Christ, and His prophet Thomas S. Monson. The Book of Mormon is true. I have read it over and over again, and it is the same answer every time. My invitiation is simple, read it for yourself. I know that God lives, and that He loves us a perfect Father would. He sends prophets, both ancient and modern to reveal his plans for us and testify of His perfect Son, Jesus Christ. 2000 years ago Christ came and redeemed His people. He ministered to those in need, taught those who would listen, and died for all. For me. and He lives today. I know it. Simple truths that were lost after the death of the Apostles were restored by Joseph Smith Jr. by the power of God, and we can come to know for ourselves through a simple process. Read, ponder, and pray. I promise all of you that these things are true. How grateful I am for this sweet knowlegde. As documented in Lehi's dream, I have tasted of the fruit, and I am not ashamed :)

Love 

Elder Rogers

PDay Adventures

June 20, 2017

Not Much Goin' On

June 12, 2017

Hey Fam,

Not much happened this week, but I am doing good!

Got sick Wednesday and Thursday, But have recovered since.

Moved apartments, my new address is 4090 Center Park Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80916!

Love you all, It will be a better email next week! ;)

-Elder Rogers

So Good, So Good!!

I am doing sooo good! Loving it here in Colorado! This last week was pretty sweet, went by almost as fast as this one. 

Last Monday we went to Manitou Springs and dinked around and played some basketball and did things that missionaries do for fun :) like play guitar, and sports.

 Tuesday we saw a bunch of awesome people with the Ward Clerk, Brother Pratt! I got attacked by a gigantic Malimut, met with Dick and Buck, and had a great lesson with Norma Jean and Sister Wilson. Dick and Buck are an old guy and his dog that are just hilarious. The entire time Buck would just not stop whining, so Dick just kept yelling "Shut up Buck!" and Dick used the word goof, so I liked him instantly. Sister Wilson is a returning member who can't come to church because of work, and her mom Norma Jean, isn't a member, so that went well. 

Wednesday we got the chance to walk some dogs at TCRAS, the local animal shelter. I love dogs, but I'm not 100% sold on having one. Twas a good time though. Afterwards, we went and helped build an apartment complex for Habitat for Humanity, and met a bunch of humanitarians from Pennsylvania, and I was able to have some really good conversations with a few of them. 

Thursday we weekly planned, went to Goodwill to do service, and did some stop-bys, and had dinner with a family who gave me their granddaughters email.... That was the second time that had happened that week.

Friday I was on exchanges in the Palmer Park ward with Elder Powell! It was great to spend the day with him and teach the gospel! 

Saturday we met with Suzy, our recent convert, and tried to meet some other people, but most everything fell through. 

Sunday we had our other investigator with a baptismal date come to church, so that was awesome. The work continues to move onward and upward!

I want all of you to know just how much I love this Gospel. There is nothing that could make me abandon it because I know this is the way to be. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, that He sees me the way I can be, not the way I often am. May we all strive to accept the Master's invitation and come follow Him. 

Love you all so much!

-Elder Rogers