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!
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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