Virginia Chesapeake Mission

Virginia Chesapeake Mission

Monday, August 15, 2016

Last One!

Hello Everyone!

This will be my last email to all of you. I can hardly believe that this time has come. I have loved serving the Lord and will continue serving Him forever.

This week went well! We had a couple exchanges, so it was fun to spend time with some of the Elders in our Zone. One of them was Elder Silas Wright from Idaho Falls. We stayed busy this week and taught many people.

One of our investigators almost dropped us this week. We went to the library to teach him, and one of the first things he told us is that he didn't want to meet with us anymore. We asked if we could share one last message about The Book of Mormon, leave it with him, and follow up in the future. He said we could. The Spirit was present as we testified of this beautiful book. He brought up a concern in his life and we directed him to a passage in The Book of Mormon that would help him. He loved it! We left him with many chapters he could read. There is power in The Book of Mormon. I know it's true.

I spoke in church yesterday. I will also be speaking this next week in Pocatello. I'd love to see you all there! I'm not quite sure what time, nor the address to the chapel, but I'll figure that out soon enough.
I conclude by quoting the Apostle, Paul. " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2 Timothy 4:7) So much of our life in this restored gospel comes back to enduring to the end. Once we receive and gain a spiritual witness that this is true, we must endure. We must press on. I testify that Jesus Christ lives. He desires to help us on this path and His doctrine has been set forth. We "know the very points of his doctrine, that [we] may know how to come unto him and be saved." (1 Nephi 15:14)


With Love,
Elder Rogers


Friday, August 12, 2016

Special Sabbath

Hello Everyone!

This week was splendid! On Tuesday we met our mini missionary. He's from Elizabeth City. We had a great week with him! On Wednesday we had our Mission Leadership Council meeting. Our focus for the month of August is using The Book of Mormon. There is power in this book of scripture. Our Zone Meeting went quite well also! The Spirit was present especially as 4 missionaries, myself included, bore their departing testimonies.

This Sunday was a special Sabbath. Not only because it was fast Sunday, but we had five investigators that came to church! And our mission president and his wife also came! And our Stake President. And what made it even better was the great Spirit in the fast and testimony meeting. A member, who is leaving on his mission to Pocatello on Tuesday, bore his testimony at the beginning. Later on I bore my testimony, centered on Christ. As I walked to sit back down, I saw my companion, Elder Nipko stand up to bear his testimony. Our convert also bore a powerful testimony on missionary work. President Weed and many others also bore their testimonies. I loved that meeting!

We had some great lessons on Sunday as well. The work is really starting to pick up! One of our investigators said she wants to be baptized and has been keeping all the commitments we've been leaving her! 

I began my departing testimony in Zone Meeting by echoing the words of Nephi, " I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul" (2 Nephi 33:6) I know that He has reigned victorious over sin. All that we must do now is turn to Him.

I love you all! Have a great week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers




Saturday, August 6, 2016

Called to Serve

Hello Everyone!

This week we did a lot of service! We helped a lady work her DVD player, we loaded a bunch of wood from a wrecked shed into a dumpster, we helped do some preparation for painting some rooms, and last but not least we mowed a lawn. All for members. It felt great to serve in this way! And the Lord even blessed us with a tender mercy when we mowed the lawn. The whole week had been in the upper 90's and the humidity was dense. We were planning to mow the lawn around 1:00. We were blessed with cloud cover, lessened humidity, and it was around 86 degrees. That was a blessing.
We had a mini missionary with us this week. He's from Alabama, but he's visiting his grandma in Virginia this Summer. We had a lot of fun with him serving the Lord.

I've been getting into the Old Testament a lot more recently.There's a lot of good stuff in there! The principle of faith and sacrifice is a constant theme. As Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, an angel stopped him and said, "I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." It struck me. We must be willing to sacrifice for God. There can be nothing in our lives that we withhold from Him as we come unto Him. I know there are great blessings in sacrifice. Indeed, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven" (Hymn #27, Praise to the Man) I know that as we sacrifice for God, He smiles down upon us. We will surely be blessed as we make Him a priority in our lives.

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers