RARE MISSIONARY SIGHTING!

YEP!  

THATS HIM, 

ELDER K J ROGERS!!!!!

AND HE'S WAIVING HI TO ALL THOSE BACK HOME!

WE SURE MISS OUR MISH!  

He look healthy and happy so all is well : )

 Just a small indication of what "transfers" involves. 

Looks like quite an ordeal!

(this is only a portion of the suitcases!)

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2012 14:53:36 -0500
Hey,

   Well, i am busy. ha! This week is transfers so there is a lot that goes into everything.Transfer week is one of the most demanding weeks for an assistants. We have looked over and prayed about each missionary and what needs to happen for each of them. It is super draining. We did that for 8 hours spread over a few days.(2,2,2,2) There is so much to everything. I had no clue how much really goes on inside a mission. We made the calls to tell everyone where they are going last night. We didn't finish until 12 in the morning.... Then up early this morning. Ha. The 2 assistants, Elder cook, the one stepping down, and elder Wheelock, my comp., told me that it is kinda a learn as you go thing.

   I kinda like to think of it as riding a bull.... You see all these awesome bull riders and you hope to be like them one day. Then the announcer tells you it is your turn to ride. Naturally when you know your turn to ride is up you get pretty nervous. Then you get on the bull while it is still in the shoot. You are glad to have a few people around you before you give the nod and the gate opens. They give you a last few pointers. And then.... you give the nod... when the gate flies open you have 2 choices. one you give up and fall off or 2 you grit your teeth and hold on for dear life!!! Ha I am holding on and it is a blast nonetheless.

   On top of everything else we have our own proselyting area. So it is a real hand full to manage it all.

    Everything is good though. I am super happy. And lets face it you know i love a challenge! I am working harder and praying more fervently then ever before. MY testimony gets stronger ever day. It is funny how temptations change as you change. I realized i work for heavenly Father 16 hours a day But Satan work 25 out of 24 hours. I am so glad to be out here. I have a ton to do today so it is going to be short and sweet.

Send all mail to the mission office:

Elder Rogers

9337 Midlothian Tnpk. Ste. 1-B

Richmond, VA 23235

 Got the card. Thanks!  Glad to here Lehi days went good. Sad to hear about GrPa.  Hope everyone else is well  Love Y'all   and miss y'all too

Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers

THE GATHERING BEGINS

 This is ONE of the many pictures of trucks loaded with bikes!

 Ah.... Friends for life!  

Parting is such sweet sorrow but also a NEW BEGINNING!

 ♪♫Sisters,♪♫ sisters, ♪♫there were never such devoted sisters!

 OH GOODNESS!  Its another Elder Rogers sighting!  

 Pres. Perry and Missionaries

 One of the several trailers filled to the brim- 

and this happens every 6 weeks!!!

 We're late we're late for a very important date!! 

No time to say hello goodbye we're late we're late we're late

Don't those USPS boxes look familiar!

That flat rate box has been wonderful for this mish's mom!

      WAIT I think we can fit ONE more on yes??

well.......maybe just ONE more.....

02/27/2012 EXTRA EXTRA read all about it.....

Extra Extra Hot off the AP.....

AP= Associated Press

AP= Advanced Placement

AP= Audio Precision

but the best AP is 

ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT

Yes, Elder Rogers is being transferred.  His new area is across the street from the Mission Home. And why you ask????? because he was called to be the new AP.  That's Assistant to the President.  The Mission President.  Here's how it all happened.
Greetings from Chesapeake!...........(But Not For Long)

     Well transfer calls aren't until this upcoming Sunday the 4th. The actual transfers from area to area don't happen until Thurs the 8th. So i have a week and a half until i might get moved... Or so i thought!

       So we are sitting down on Friday at the table for lunch. We had made some calls to the zone members so the phone was in the middle of the table. Well the phone rang all of a sudden so i looked at it. It said President Perry so we answered it and put it on speaker phone like always. (So both of us would be able to hear.) President said Hello and asked if we were on speaker. We told him that we were. Then he asked if we could take it off and if he could talk to me....... So in my brain i am freaking out. In a blink of an eye I thought over everything that had happened recently, hoping i didn't do anything wrong...... Then President said, "Elder Rogers how are things in Chesapeake?" I said things are good and said we were pressing forward. Then President said "Elder Rogers I have prayed over it and I would like to call you to be my new assistant. Would you?" I was flabbergasted!!!! The word yes came out of my mouth and i said i would be honored. Then he started to say something else but i didn't hear it because the reality of what was happening finally sunk in! HA

       Then he told me i had to be ready to go on Monday night. So the rest of today i am going to be packing and getting ready to go. I am going up early so i can help with transfers.

       We got Elder Dransfield all squared away and set him up with missionaries to be with so he isn't alone. He will be going on exchanges for a week and a half. HA its crazy.

       I am sooooooo nervous. There is so much i have to do now. And truthfully i only know about some of the things i am going to have to do. My Companion will be Elder Wheelock. He has been an assistant for 5 or so months so he knows what he is doing.

      I don't know my new address but if you send stuff to the mission office i can get it because i live right across the street. I will give you an update on the address next week.

      I am not going to lie. I am really sad to leave Great Bridge. I have been here a long time and i really love the ward. Plus I wasn't aloud to tell any of them i was leaving until Sunday. (He didn't want all the missionaries to know until he got a chance to get things all in order.) 

      On a side note, I started my mission with Elder Logan. Now i get to put him on the plane to sent him home. That is sooooooo cool. haha i am stoked to be able to see him off.

    Any who. I am going crazy right now. I am not sure about a whole lot of things. All i know is that "The Lord Qualifies Who The Lord Calls" that is the only thing that is keeping my from going completely Bonkers!

Then he ended his email with this.......

God is our Father In Heaven.

   Jesus Christ is the savior of the world.

   The Priesthood was Restored through Joseph Smith 

and we have it today.

   Because of that Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God.

   The Book Of Mormon is the 

Word of God along with the Bible.

   And I know all that to be true!

   Love y'all and miss you too.

Be Humble Don't Stumble,

         Elder Rogers

Congrats to Elder Rogers, his family is not surprised!! His older brother just beams from ear to ear, his sisters just get teary eyed, and grandparents don't stop bragging, and his parents are very proud.  

We are very thankful for him and his diligent service to our Heavenly Father.  Life will surely be busy for him now.  We can't wait to hear some of the wonderful stories!

Together again!

Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute." ~Josh Billings

I am sorry but this week is going to be short. No time!!!! AHHHHH

    Things are good here. Transfer calls were on Sunday. No changes for me but our zone is getting all jumbled up. We have a bunch of missionaries leaving and a bunch coming in. That means we have a lot of work on our hands on Thursday. Gotta get everyone ready to take the transfer van. And we have to make sure everything is going smoothly.

    We are having a whole 5th Sunday devoted to missionary work next Sunday! Our ward is the best. They try to help us so much. All the talks and lessons are about missionary work and we are teaching the combined lesson for the 3rd hour. I have gained more trust with this ward than anywhere else. I love it here! With all the trust we are really making things start to roll.

    Me and my comp are good. Trying to stay warm. But good none the less............

     I LOVE THE WORK!!!!!

    Thank you everyone for all the e-mails! I am sorry but i got a bunch so by the time i got done reading them and doing all the stuff a ZL had to do I can only send this E-mail to everyone.

     I LOVE  y'all! Glad to hear from you. Keep on keeping on.

  P.S.....

    The lesson learned this week was a hard one for me. I have always had some reply to whatever is said to me. But this week i tried something new after i read this quote...

            "Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute."  

~Josh Billings

    I don't know who the guy is but either way the quote is good. And well i just shut my mouth. Even when i knew i had the right come back.... Ha it really helped. Y'all should give it a shot.

BE HUMBLE, DON'T STUMBLE 01/17/2012

Hello to all!   It was freezing the last 2 days. Yesterday it was 44 for the high and 22 for the low! BRRRR But today the high is 68! I don't get it. It is soooo crazy. Hot Cold Rain Snow Sunny Overcast.... You never know out here.

I don't have the heart to tell him the forecast is for colder temps.... But. No snow yet!

   Well the house doesn't look like the house any more. What is this strange place i will be coming home to? I guess that the whole point though. I cant believe the carpet is gone....  That's what the Rogers home was known for! oh well. I really miss doing all of that. Yesterday for p-day i fixed the water cooler we have. You know a water cooler like the ones @ office places. I had to do something with my hands. I had to work on SOMETHING. Took it apart and put it all back together. It worked for a few min. Then sadly another part broke. I guess it will just stay broken forever. Something cool though. Our water cooler isn't a water cooler any more. It is a Gatorade cooler now!!! HA we took Gatorade powder and mix it in the 5 gallon jug. Then put it on top. You know, ever little kids dream: Cool aid in the drinking fountain. But for us it's Gatorade in the water cooler! 

   Awesome. I think it is cool that you had it @ the house. That way it is more personal. I bet it was great. That is a really cool experience to have in the new "Smith Home" Bummed i missed it. But not bummed i am not home. Glad to be out here and working.

   Elder Dransfield is great. We are totally different but because we have the same purpose we work really well together. We are the "Fix-It" missionaries. He fixes all the computer stuff and i do the stuff like cars or home improvements. It has really helped us gain some trust with the ward. The ward is so awesome! They would do anything for us. The want to do whatever it takes to help the work move forward.

   We are restricted with miles not gas. We can go 2,100 miles a month. Seems like a lot but you have to take in account that we drive all day. Because the church is smaller out here our areas are HUGE! I measured it out yesterday. Our stake is 138 miles from top to bottom and about 90 miles across.... I think our stake back home would fit into one of the wards out here. A trip to the bottom area is 180 miles round trip. And the trip to Richmond is 260 miles round trip.... Our miles go fast. And no we hardly get on the bikes. 2 or 3 days out of the month.

   As for eating. We are just trying to eat better. But that is hard on the time schedule we have. I am trying to make stuff and put it in the fridge on freezer so i can grab it quickly when the time comes. All my other areas we have had Lunch but now it is more like we have 20 min to get a bite to eat, grab our gear, go to the bathroom, and hit the road. In the scriptures Christ take the Apostles to a Desert Place to rest because they didn't even have time to eat. It was the new Testament style of P-Day! HAHAHA Ha I cherish P-Day a lot more now. Mark 6:30-32

   Well things are going good. Still trying to make up for all the time we lost over the holidays. Luke 9:36 I feel like it is time to make up for the down slope of missionary work over the holidays. STUDY LESSON LESSON TRACK TEACH LESSON SLEEP Rinse and repeat!  

   Love Y'all    and i miss you a bunch. Keep on keeping on.   P.S. this old guy we are teaching gave me the best saying... " Be humble, Don't stumble"

A TESTIMONY, FASTING, AND PRAYER 1/9/2012

Well the new year is here and it is starting to look up. I have a Testimony of fasting and prayer. They work.... Trust me.... All the things that me and my comp fasted and prayed for happened. And Heavenly Father didn't make us wait a month or a week or even a day. It all happened on Sunday. We had a less active member come to church. We found a new investigator and set him and his friend for baptism! It was amazing. I was blown away to see the blessings and how fast God gave them to us!

   The week went great. We had Zone Leader Council (a meeting in Richmond where pres tells us how we can do better and how we can help the zone). Then we went on an exchange with the assistants to the pres. (we switched companions for 24 hours and learned for each other) Then we held our Chesapeake Zone meeting! ( we teach things to our Zone and set goals and all kinds of stuff). Meeting meeting meeting.... My brain has been on overload but everything went well.

   I am not sure if i told you. But Elder McElhany is in the same District as i am. He is the one who came out the same day as me. And is from Queen Creek. It is cool to see him a lot. I have been so tired from all the running around.  I have driven like 400-500 miles this week! uggg Now it is time to get out and work.

   It has been COLD lately, and it has been warm lately too. Out here is can be 67 one day then 44 the next.... Today it is raining. The weather never ceases to amaze me.

   We set a goal to not eat as much junk food. We had 3 boxes of candy and cookies and fudge and brownies and chips and popcorn and all kinds of other stuff (  ) sitting on our counter from the holidays. We looked at it and then looked at each other  .... Needles to say we are going to try to eat mare healthy. It should be interesting to see how it goes. Because we are on a short budget the cheapest stuff to buy to eat is bad for us. We will have to be creative.

   Hope you all are ok. I bet the kitchen is looking good. I Love y'all and miss ya too.
  Elder Rogers

NEWS FROM THE FIELD 12/15/11

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