IT'S OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL!

It is officially official.

For two years we've waited for this day and now 

it going to happen in

36 days!

December 18th Sky Harbor Airport 10:07 PM!

Be there or be square!

What a wonderful CHRISTmas Present we will have this year!

Elder Rogers has put his heart mind soul into his missionary work.  The blessing he has brought to our family are countless and everyone in his family back home are so thankful for his service and appreciate his hard work and dedication! We are so thankful for Pres. and Sister Perry- for taking our son into their arms and "LOVING him like their own son".   He not only served an honorable mission, but has "served with great effectiveness" and "exceeded every expectation" of the MP!  I know Elder Rogers loves the Perry's very much. We are very proud and honored he serve a mission as a Saturday's Warrior!  

We will have our return missionary, our son, in our arms for about  10 days then off to BYU Idaho he may roll......

How can this mothers heart take that?

A GIRL NAMED SANDY

Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:18:14 -0400
Subject: Virginia Richmond Missionaries are riding out the storm!
From: jperry1218@gmail.com
To: 

All missionaries have called in and are safe this evening. The sisters in Kilmarnock are spending the night with the RS Pres and her family. All else remains the same. All missionaries have been instructed to stay in and hunker down tomorrow until further notice. We suspect many of them will take the opportunity to get a little sleep (they work so hard!) so they can be ready to roll when the storm is past. We are anticipating many opportunities to serve when the winds die down :) Thanks for all your prayers.

Sister Perry

Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:35:03 -0400
Subject: 
From: jperry1218@gmail.com
To: 

If you are receiving this and your missionary has come home, please e-mail me and I will remove you from the list.  Thanks!

Dear Parents of Missionaries in the Virginia Richmond Mission

This is the first of what will probably be several e-mails to keep you updated on the safety of your missionary during the next few days.  As I'm sure you are aware from reports on the news and weather channels the East Coast is bracing for a humdinger of a storm!  And you thought a mission in the states would be adrenaline free  o_0

In preparation, we are in the process of moving all of our missionaries inland from these areas:  Newport News 3rd, Poquoson, Hampton, Glouchester, Virginia Beach, Easter Shore, Norfolk, Sandbridge, Elizabeth City and Nags Head.  These are the coastal and low lying areas that will probably see the most damage from this storm.

In the areas inland the biggest effect from these storms is usually the power outages which can last for several days.  We have asked all of our missionaries to prepare by having water and food on hand (it's the end of the month and most missionaries will be low in funds on their Missionary Support Funds card -- if you maintain a separate debit account for your missionary now would be a great time to make sure it has a few extra dollars in it :) and a flashlight, etc.

President has set up a phone tree that will go into effect tonight (Saturday the 27th) with all missionaries checking in with their District Leaders who will report up the chain to President each night thereafter until the worst is over.  This will ensure that each of your missionaries is accounted for every day.

All of the local leaders and members are aware of and looking out for your missionary as well.  Also, I will be updating periodically on my Facebook page which is Virginia Sara Perry -- you are welcome to find that page and request to be friends.  It may help you while away some time looking at pictures while you are waiting for information :)

We appreciate all you do to support your missionary.  They are amazing young people and I suspect they will spend more time helping than being helped during this storm.

Please do not reply to this E-mail -- if there is an emergency and you must contact me please E-mail me at jperry1218@gmail.com.  That is my private E-mail so it is not the place to send inquiries about day to day things that need to be addressed by the mission staff such as travel arrangements, addresses, release dates, etc.  For day to day correspondence send E-mails to: 2011409@ldschurch.org.  We hope you understand that even though we would love to talk to all of you, we have 230+ missionaries and cannot reply individually to each parent.

There is a real possibility that our power will go out at the mission home so don't automatically panic if you don't hear from me -  it probably just means we are in the dark...literally.  We will make contact as soon as we can find someone with the lights on.

OK!  Here we go!  Batten down the hatches!

Love,  Sister Perry

My Hero!

There is one experience that crosses my mind when I think of Grandpa.

When I was 14 years old Grandpa and I where down at the barn, all alone. There was a big pile of wood right in middle the barn. The pile blocked the alley and made it hard to move anything in or out. Grandpa said he wanted to get it out of the way… So, we started to work. He pulled the deer skin gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on his worn, callused, wrinkled hands. We moved the wood outside and added it to another pile close to the fence line. After working for what seemed like forever the pile looked as if it had been untouched. Soon, my muscles started to ache and my mind started to wonder. My curiosity took over and in no time at all I found myself at the other end of the barn looking in one of the stalls. Just as I dipped out of sight I heard Grandpa shout my name. "Koltn!" he said, in the way only Grandpa could. “You get over here and help your Grandpa!” I sheepishly made my way back to the pile. The next few moments will be cherished in my heart forever. As I returned and started back to work, Grandpa recounted some of the stories from his past. “Wooo-whee,” he exclaimed with that Grandpa tone as he remembered the anger of his mother when he came home from school with a ripped shirt. I listened more than I talked for some time as he continued to retell the life lessons he had learned. He talked about how wonderful Grandma is and how pretty she has been since the first time he met her. He seemed to teach me about all the important things in life without even trying. He spoke of life in Pomerene, cutting hair, and fishing with Carl. After a few stories the stack of wood seemed to disappear. As I grabbed the last few pieces of wood he grabbed a flathead shovel and scooped up a few small wood chips off of the floor. As I looked at the empty space that the giant wood pile was in Grandpa whistled off of the front of his teeth and said in the way only Grandpa could, “Looks good son.” He then taught me a lesson I will never forget. He said, “Koltn, if I had to give you one piece of advice to remember it would have to be to work. Don’t you stop half way through a job. Once you start something, you better finish it; and finish it right the first time. When you have a line of rocks that need to be moved, you start with the biggest one, farthest down the line, and don’t you quit till you’re through with the last one. When you could do something to make someone’s life easier, you do it. And don’t you forget, your Dad is a good man! You remember all that son and you’ll be alright.” That moment standing at the barn door will forever inspire me to do my best until the job is through. That lesson wasn’t just taught through words but through his lifelong example. Richard Grant Rogers changed the lives of all those around him. He brought a special light and love to anyone he talked with. He is a great man. Love you Grandpa!

~Koltn J. Rogers

COOLISH!

Just Baptized!

CRAMAZING!

Elder Rogers Right side, second row with the big grin!

 

Elder Rogers Back and Center, blonde hair!

Elder Rogers left side, on his knees (where he spend most of his time)

8/13

AWESOME WEEK!  Love being here in Virginia land! Love what the Lord has me doing.  Love everything  serving where and when I can. 

Q: Can you name the First Presidency and 12 apostles?

    We met to start with transfers this week. We met 2 time for 3 hours and got a lot of the moves down. We still have a lot to go until we have what Heavenly father wants for the mission. Slow and steady though. We meet a few more times and then on Sunday we will make all the calls! This week should be CRAZY. We have Zone Conferences this week. One in Richmond on Monday, one in Midlothian on Tuesday, one in Newport News on Wednesday, and the last one in VA Beach on Thursday. We will have between 50-60 missionaries at each one. We are training on "Working with the Bishop and Ward Council" it should be good.

   What do you mean by "Moving" things?haha I guess I will be re assigned to attic duty!

   Things have been a little cooler out here this week. The humidity is SUPER HIGH today. We have had a call for rain every day but haven't seen much.

    There has been a lot of people that have said they would be willing to buy leather goods. There is a big market in VA for that kind of stuff. Maybe dad will have to start a little side business.

    I can't believe school has started already. We still have a few more weeks until it starts out here. And with the start of school is the start of Football. We went into Dick's Sporting Goods the other day and they had all the football stuff out and in front.  

   The thing to miss about back home isn't the dryness but the lack of trees....We where driving the other day and came to a place where they clear cut the trees on both sides of the road. Elder Farr and i flipped. It was the first time we had been able to see farther than 50 yards in a long time. I sure do miss the "Big Sky" effect that the western US has.

   A:   First Presidency= President Thomas S. Monson, President Henry B. Eyring, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

         Quorum Of the 12= President Boyd K. Packer, Elder L. Tom Perry, Elder Russell M. Nelson, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Elder M. Russell Ballard, Elder Richard G. Scott, Elder Robert D. Hales, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Neil L. Andersen.                   (Just a little quiz to get you thinking.)

Love y'all   

Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers

8/6/12

Hi,

  Not much happened -well in missionary proselyting- but we did a bunch of administering. The good times comes as we minister not administer. But when you are serving God there isn't any "Bad  Weeks" All in all we worked hard and we are trying and doing and dying!

   Preparation day was fun. We had a Tri-Zone sports day at a local park. We played ultimate Frisbee and tossed the football around. It felt good to jump and catch.... I got sunburned on my face and neck.   Ouch good thing ore ward mission leader had some aloe vera. Just trying not to move my neck too much on my collar. It was HOT. All of us where burning up from the heat and soaked from sweat from the humidity.

   Glad the b-day was fun. I bet it was good to get all the family together. Hope i will get to see everyone when i get home and they aren't all tired of being around each other.

   Ya ya Klete and Dad better keep practicing on their shooting. I don't want them to be rusty when i get home. I have been practicing shooting by the spirit. They better watch out i here that is the best way to shoot.

    I never want to move furniture or talk on the phone after my mission. I have done more than enough of my share while i have been out here. I left my phone at home the other day and when i got back to it (3hours and 30 min. later) i had 16 missed alerts!!!! AHHHHHHHH I feel like we could start "The Mormon Missionary Moving Men" (The MMMM). But in the long run missionaries are transient so we will forever be opening and closing apartments and moving furniture.

Well love y'all and miss you. Still working on sending all the thank you letters.

Thanks for the address.

Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers

7/23/12

   Well i made it. One more year older. You done trained me darn good. :) 

   THANK YOU. I got all the stuff and cherished ever bit of it. I felt like a king. The dinner was a HUGE surprise. Plus i love "The Q" it is the best place in town. Good choice! I think we will be eating cake for a week. Speaking of cake, funny story... The lady the iced the cake wrote"Elders Roger  " on it. We couldn't help but laugh. It made the whole experience even more memorable. We all laughed and ate until we where stuffed!

   I wore the tie on Sunday and i am grateful for the Arizona shirts. I want to represent the home state!!! I enjoyed the kids little books that they made. The junk food is good but we are trying to cut back so it is a blessing and a curse. I guess we will just start after the box is gone.

   We got to teach 5 lessons to an investigator with a member from the ward there to help. It was awesome! We have 2 people set for baptism! How cool is that!

   GUESS WHAT! We had a visitor in our ward this week form Gilbert. His name is Bro. Raymond. He said that he knows Bishop Overstreet. He also said he was going to meet with him in a week or 2 to talk about football. It was fun to talk to him for a while.

   I got a haircut for the first time sense i came out. Usually I give myself one but i just broke down and payed someone to do it this time. It way too pricey to do that every 3 weeks. So I think i will just do it myself from now on.

   So you look like you have had some fun weather back home. We are finally getting our AC replaced! We are glad it cooled off this week so it hasn't been so hot in our apartment. The pictures are really cool you sent. There sure has been some crazy dust storms out there. Mild temps and mild weather so far this week.

   This upcoming week we are having leadership training. That means from 10-5 we will be teaching about 60 missionaries about the fundamentals of missionary work. It is always fun and everyone learns a lot. It is a hard thing to get organized. housing 60 missionaries up here in Richmond and making sure they have an area to work in after the meeting is over. we go from Tuesday till Friday then they are all headed back to there home areas. 

   I can't believe Jordan and Buba are home already!!! It is so crazy. Time is flying by. Was their talks good?

 Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers

“Christ’s enabling power helps us feel happiness and cheer amid mortal gloom and doom. Misfortune and hardship lose their tragedy when viewed through the lens of the Atonement. The process could be explained this way: The more we know the Savior, the longer our view becomes. The more we see His truths, the more we feel His joy.”

Missionary Mom Surprises Elder! Rogers!

Shout out to Betty Pearson 

for the creating the missionary Mom's groups 

Shout out to Kary Young 

for joining the group that was for her home town in Virginia!

Sunday is Elder Rogers birthday (21) and I wanted to do something special. We chatted and Kary set me up with a list of local restaurant in Richmond that are close her house and to the Mission Office.  I chose a BBQ Place.  I called them and ordered my missionary a wonderful BIG rack of BBQ ribs, BBQ pork, chicken, and brisket, some mac and cheese, potato salad, cole slaw, biscuits, and hush puppies.  (enough food for a feast and a couple of lunches this week) I gave them my credit card info and they made sure the food was ready for someone to pick it up.  Kary went out of her way--picked up the food and took it to the mission home for delivery.  Along with delivering the meal, she stopped by the bakery and picked up beautiful BDay cake!  Thanks so much Kary.....!!! You da bombdiggitiest!  But the best part of all was the text message she sent me telling me the food was delivered which happened to include A COUPLE OF PICTURES of two of the most handsome missionaries in Virginia! Be still my heart! I was smiling though tears! Can't thank you enough Kary! Sure made this mom's dream come true.  Plus, I have you to thank for my missionary having a surprise and a wonderful BDay!  Thats what this group is all about isn't it!   Awesome Awesome Awesome! 

Still getting a little teary eyed seeing these pictures....

♪♫ HAPPY♪♫ BDAY ♪♫TO YOU ELDER ROGERS!!!

Hello,

   Well i had forgotten it was my birthday until i was reminded by a card the Perry's sent. Yep can you believe it I could legally go by a beer in 6 days. Good thing i have high standards!

   Well the trip to the ranch looks like it was a BLAST!!! I wish i was there. I remember Klete always complaining because dad and i got to do fun stuff. But now look, the tables have turned! Wish i could have been there. But i am glad to be here!

   Well those 2 investigators i said we might have last Sunday are set for baptism. They are brothers. So they are looking forward to the 18th of August!!!! Things are going great as far as the mission is concerned. We have more baptisms set for this month than ever! We are pumped. We are stepping forth with faith and seeing the blessings that come from it!

   Just as i read the emails about the debit card and signed on to Chase to take care of it. they came in the mail. My card was expiring and i didn't realize it. One of the cards was for you (mom and dad) to keep so you could access my account. I am not going to go through the hassle of shipping it back. So i will just cut it up. It through me for a loop worrying about all that worldly stuff. Thanks for the help. 

   Well, transfers is all done... Glad to be able to focus again. At least for another 5 weeks until then next one starts. I can't believe it. Time is shooting by faster and faster! There was one missionary that came out from Gilbert. He only lives 5 miles away. But he is a few years younger than me and he went to a different high school so i didn't know him before.  It was fun to pick up the new missionaries. We had one that is 5 feet tall (he is the biggest stud, he has been battling children's arthritis his whole life!) There was another one that was 6 foot 6. It was fun to see such a difference in height. Sad to see some of the missionaries leave. Elder Hopkins had a big influence on my mission. It was sad to see him go. But the transfer was big. DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE and then we got to teach. I wish there was more time to be out on the streets. We get what we can when we can. Hopefully we will have a few more set soon.!

   Well if the package gets here on Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm it should be o.k. There should be someone here. Thanks in advance because i won't be able to thank you on the day it gets here. I made it another year... You 2 did a pretty good job raising me up. I am grateful everyday for the things that i learned within the walls of our home. I am reminded constantly of the things i have been blessed with. And it all comes back to you. THANK YOU MON AND DAD!!!!

   I have seen some pictures of the temples in Gilbert and PHX they are close to being done! Wonder when the dedication dates are???

   The gospel is true! God is our father of our spirits. Jesus is the Christ. He is the way and the truth. The gospel has been restored. It happened after God visited a you man. The Book of Mormon is the word of God! Everyone should read it! 

 
Love y'all! ♥♥♥  Stay cool in those high AZ temps.

Funny joke i heard form a guy on the street! He said, "Jokes about German sausage are the wurst" 

P.S. could you get Rosson and Kyler's addresses for me?

7/7/2012 RETURN WITH HONOR

Hello!

   We have the Transfer board all updated and we made all the calls last night.Glad that that is over and now we just have all the driving and airport visits and driving and training and driving to do and transfers will be over. Well over until we start on the next one.

   This preparation day will be more of a relaxing one. We are going to go out to eat with the Senior missionaries in the office and get some stuff done that we have been falling behind on.

   So i guess i haven't told you yet but my departure date is December 18th. I worry telling you this early because i will be on the calendar and there will be a count down and what not. So i guess I am the 18th Elder Green is the 19th and elder Skinner is the 20th. just do me a favor and not remind me each week. 

  Things are looking good in the area. We finally have some things rolling so we are excited to see it all through now. Hopefully we will have 2 new investigators tonight! 

   Well we had Mr. B come to church this week for all 3 hours. he has never done that before. We are praying. We have a few promising investigators so we are pumped!

   I forgot you and Candice had birthdays so close to each other. Sounds like you had a good time. I bet the Circ-de-solei show was good. We actually got invited to go out with the Perry's to watch Fireworks! It was soooo fun. They didn't even shoot any off in southern VA last year because of all the rain. We had sandwiches on a blanket and watched the show.

   I remember the museum at the DC trip. It was different than the one here. Elder Farr has already been to all the places up here from the beginning of his mission so we haven't gone anywhere else so far. I have some fun things on my list though. I will jump on it as soon as i can.

   I bet it will be a fun trip to the ranch no matter what the temperature is. Last week we hit 104*F 2 times. We broke 3 records. It has been HOT! the humidity was from the 60's-the 80's!!!!! UGGGGGG The poor biking elders are the ones that have it bad. We are lucky driving the truck!

   Tell GrPa he doesn't need to do anything else to his ears! He already has a hard time hearing without putting bugs in there!  Hope he is ok! Tell him i still worry about him even though he said not to.

   We have a bunch more missionaries coming out here form Mesa! We get a few more every transfer. One of the ones coming out is from Klete's Stake He is just down the way from him. His name is Elder Burbank. He comes out in October.

Love Y'all and miss you too!     

P.S.I put my SD card in the mail.... Or so i thought. It was sitting under some papers so i will ship it off in a special envelope. It will be safe. Don't worry.

Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers

“Cultivate and be where the Spirit of the Lord is. Make sure that includes your own home or apartment, dictating the kind of art, music, and literature you keep there. If you are endowed, go to the temple as often as your circumstances allow. Remember that the temple arms you ‘with [God’s] power, … [puts His] glory … round about [you], and [gives His] angels … charge over [you].’ [D&C 109:22] And when you leave the temple, remember the symbols you take with you, never to be set aside or forgotten.” Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, May 2010

WHERE'S WALDO?

WHERE'S WALDO- 

Can you find Elder Rogers  
As a friend said, 5 more fast Sundays

Missionary Sighting!

Just love seeing a new picture of that Blonde haired guy!!!

Miss you bud!

(April Transfers)

I NEED A NAP AFTER JUST READING THIS ONE...

Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012
 Well Life is good here in VA land

    We had a packed week! This week we went on a "Logistical Mission" around the Mission. We had a bunch of missionaries that need beds and frames and desks and Vacuums and what not. We also got a shipment of phones from Salt Lake we had to update around the mission. So with all of the stuff we loaded up the truck and trailer and jumped in (with Elder Medsker, the Office Manager) and took off. We went from Richmond up to Staunton on Thursday. We had stops all along the way. We got up there and turned around and started back making stops all along the way. We got back to Richmond on Thursday night at 7:30PM With just enough time to get to our appointment at 8PM. Then we took off on Friday for our 2 day trip down south. We started in Richmond and headed down to Smithfield. It took ALL day to unload and upgrade. We finally pulled up to the missionary apartment late and beat The trailer got more and more empty the farther we went. We slept there and got up early the next morning to start out on our 2nd half of the 2 day trip. We went to Chesapeake and dropped off some more stuff. Then we Stopped and Great Bridge for a BAPTISM! One of the people i taught there decided to finally get baptized so we went to that and continued on our way. We shot back up the 64 toward VA Beach and then Newport News and finally arrived back in Richmond around 8....  Three days of lifting driving. Glad to have been able to help some missionaries get what they need and even more glad to be back and working in the area. 

   The second day i got ONE arm sunburned because i had it resting on the window while i was driving. So i had to make sure to even it out the third day. FYI, I drive way more often and way further distances here than i ever did back home!

    Another big task checked off the list and now we have a little more time to get the real work done.... Well.... until we get some other assignments we need to accomplish. I Made a big "To Do" Binder so i can keep everything strait.

    Things are good in Clover Hill as well. I didn't mention that 2 weeks ago the Washington DC Temple 1st Councilor and his wife came and spoke in our sacrament meeting. It was way good!

    I hope all the dads in the family had a good Fathers day. Too Bad my Dad is way cooler than all the other ones! HA!

    Well love y'all and miss you too.

 Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers 

Just in case you were wondering how 

that trip proceeded here are the maps.

Richmond north to Staunton (and back)

Richmond south to Smithfield

Smithfield to Chesapeake to Great Bridge

Great Bridge to Newport News

Newport News back home to Richmond

WHEW!!!!!  You need a nap along with me too?

At least he didn't have to ride a bike!

April Transfers

APRIL TRANSFERS- (Just posted today)

ELDER ROGERS PERFORMING SOME OF HIS "AP" DUTIES

Of all the pictures- this one seems to be my favorite!

Elder Rogers giving "the mission" talk to the incoming greenies!

Wish I was a fly on the wall!

Well, I guess I kinda like this one with Elder Rogers SMILE!!!! 

can you see him peeking behind the girl?

He looks good even from the back : )

 And I think Elder rogers is saying 

 "HI MOM" in this one.  

What do you think?

Promises, Promises

Our "Elder" keeps promising 

he will send home some pictures (since December!)

but to date....nada, zilch, zip!

Thank goodness for Sister Perry for taking a few snapshots

during transfers (these are from March just posted today). 

I know they are not of Elder Rogers, 

so you might have to look hard to find him..... 

just look for the BLONDE hair!

Yep that's his back

 And here he is carrying a new sisters luggage.

 Thats him leading the pack through the airport

 and thats him loading the trailer

 and every good AP checks the name tags so he can load the luggage in drop off order

 Love that yellow tie!

must be explaining something....

 watching the luggage turn table.