Extra! Extra!

Hello Everyone!

I've got some news this week! (As the subject suggests) On Valentine's day we got our transfer calls! My companion is going to be transferred and I'm going to be...training a new missionary! I'll be picking him up on Thursday! I'm really excited and also slightly nervous.
But anyway, this week was good! We went to New Bern several times for various reasons. We played some Basketball on P-Day, did some weekly planning on Thursday, and on Friday we had District Meeting there. All of those activities went well!
On Saturday we got a new investigator who is really nice and has a lot of faith in Christ. We were also able to set a baptismal date of March 21st for another man we are teaching!,
This week I was reading in the scriptures and I came across where the Savior says "seek ye first the Kingdom of God." This is such an important principle. We need to put God first in our lives and never let anything become more important to us than Him. The adversary oftentimes tries to fill our lives with good things that take the place of better things. Let us always put our Heavenly Father first in our lives. As we do, everything else will fall into place. He loves each of us so very much.
I love you all and hope everyone has a wonderful week!


With Love,
Elder Rogers

Cleanliness is next to Godliness!

Hello Everyone!

This week was pretty good! On P-Day we were able to get some pictures on the waterfront and they turned out quite well! It's so beautiful!
On Tuesday, we did our monthly deep clean of our apartment! It's always nice to have a clean place to stay. And the Spirit can abound so much more when we stay clean and organized! On part of Wednesday and just about all of Saturday, we were able to help a member couple move. They are both physically disabled and so we were able to help them out a lot. It always feels good to serve. And we also had a lesson on service with one of our investigators, so I guess that was kind of a theme this week!
On Friday, we had our Zone Meeting. It went well and we learned of some new things our Mission President wants us to implement, such as inviting 100 others to come unto Christ each week. Each of the things he has asked us to do will help us fulfill our purpose and I'm excited to do them!
On Thursday we decided to stop by a former investigator's home before Bible study. Well, he was home and we completely missed Bible study, but the lesson we had with him was definitely worth missing it! He had been taught by missionaries before, but he got caught up on Joseph Smith. We were able to help him understand the role that Joseph Smith played in the restoration of the gospel and that everything we teach serves to bring us closer to Christ. Christ is the center of the Church and He should be the center and foundation of our lives. I love you all and hope everyone has a wonderful week!


With Love,
Elder Rogers

Pizza for Days!

Hello Everyone!

This week was good! As the subject suggests, we had quite our fair share of pizza this week! We had it Monday night, on Wednesday we got a pizza from some members that we put in our fridge, on Thursday we got another pizza, and on Friday we went to a Pizza Hut and got the buffet for lunch...Pizza-Riffic!!

On P-Day we played some basketball with the Zone Leaders, which was fun because we haven't played for a while! This week we were also able to assist one of the member families in a tough situation. Both the husband and the wife are disabled and can't walk and we had planned on seeing them on Wednesday around 4. We were just gonna stop by around then, but we decided we should contact them and see if that would work and when we did, they asked if we could come over right then. (Around Noon) We were able to go see them and give them some service and share a message! The husband, who is paralyzed from his chest down, later told us that we provided them with a mini-miracle that day. Sometimes even the littlest acts of service can provide a large amount of comfort to those around us.

Which reminds me of a lesson we had with a Less-Active member this week! King Benjamin tells us in Mosiah 2:17 that "When we are in the service of our fellow beings we are only in the service of our God." That is so true! Service is such a blessing, to those serving and to those being served! I invite each of you to offer one act of service to someone this week. I know that as we serve those around us, we are also serving God. He loves us and as we serve, we grow closer to Him and His Son. I love you all and hope everyone has a joyful week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Here's the Quarterdeck! It's a little shop in Bath, NC and we get free Ice cream there!

Also, my companion and I made cupcakes!

What a Miracle!

Hello Everyone!

We saw a wonderful miracle this week! And I can't wait to tell you, so I'll just get right in! First of all, our District decided to do a fast on Tuesday for our area, so that we could find more people to teach and that those we were teaching would feel the Spirit. As the week progressed, things were going well, and we ended up seeing several people on Saturday, so that was nice. But the miracle happened on Sunday.
We were sitting in Sacrament meeting when a family who we had invited to church walked in! I had never met them before, but it was wonderful to see them! They stayed throughout all of church and we even had a lesson with them afterwards! The Spirit was so strong and both the Father and Mother of the family accepted baptismal dates! There's a few of the first miracles. But here's the biggest one.
Shawn, the father, told us during the lesson that he's been a drinker for his whole life...but that he woke up on Wednesday with absolutely no desire to drink. That was the morning after our fast. What a wonderful miracle from our Father in Heaven! I know that fasting and prayer is real. I look forward to working with this family and I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves each of us! I love you all and hope that your week will be full of joy and happiness!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

P.S. My companion and I got some girl scout cookies this week!

The Lil' Washington Life

Hello Everyone!

This week went well! The weather was slightly chilly, but it's starting to get warmer! On Monday we had a family home evening with the branch! We watched some Mormon Messages, and talked a little bit about our New Year's resolutions! Haha more on that later!

Throughout the week we contacted some people, tracted, and taught. There is a new member in our ward and we go over to his home sometimes and read the Book of Mormon with him! We can learn so much that will bless us in our lives from that book!

On Friday I went on exchanges with one of the zone leaders! We went down to the waterfront and walked and talked with all the people we passed! It was really fun and there were some people who said we could come teach them! Later on, he showed me how to make an omelet! It was super tasty!

I've been doin' a little bit of cooking this week as well! It's actually kinda fun! And it tastes a lot better than what I usually do!

So one of my New Year's resolutions was to try and never have seconds at members homes! Haha it worked for a little while...but on Tuesday we were at an older couple's home for dinner. We had some roast beef among other things, and it was really delicious! I made the mistake of eating too quickly, and the Sister said to me, "Elder, please take my roast beef. I'm not going to be able to eat it and you still look hungry." I tried saying no, but that didn't work! Haha so I'm gonna hafta keep trying! On the bright side, the roast beef was quite delectable!

This week I gained a new perspective on prayer. On Sunday, there was a lesson on it and how important it is. We truly can talk with God. Let us pray often, sincerely. And when we do, let us listen to Him speak to us. Our Heavenly Father loves us enough that He wants to talk with us each day. I invite each of you to pray more fervently, more sincerely, and more often. I know you will see a difference in your life. I love you all and hope each one of you has an amazing week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

1-15-2015 Burrrr-Kart!

Hello Everyone!

This week was good! The subject of this email is a pun based on the weather here in Washington, NC and my new companion! His name is Elder Burkart and the weather is slightly on the chilly side! But I love it here so far!

On Wednesday, I met my new companion and we drove from Greenville to Washington. A member drove us and he seemed really nice! He's from Canada, so he instantly gained my friendship! (I'm half Canadian)

Later in the week we had dinner with some members in Bath, NC. Bath was the first city in North Carolina and it was really cool! Washington is by the coast and the water surrounding us is gorgeous! I'll definitely have to get some pictures and send them to y'all!

I led my first District Meeting on Friday and it went really well! Our district consists of Elder Burkart and I, a companionship of sisters, a senior couple, and the zone leaders. I think I'm going to love this area and the people here!

We taught a lesson about humility this week. Humility is aligning our will with God's will and if we are humble, we will be so much happier. Trust God and His will for each of you and you will be so blessed. I love you all and hope everyone's week is wonderful!

With Love,

Elder Rogers

Elder Rogers & Elder Burkart

Christmas & New Years!

12-29-14
Hey Everyone-


I hope your Christmas was great! And I hope your New Year's is just as wonderful! This week was quite enjoyable for me! I liked all of the festivities and fun! On Christmas day we were allowed to Skype our families! That was definitely the highlight of my week!
Overall, this week was really fun, but I'm also ready to get back to work. I'm also excited for the New Year! I can hardly believe we're almost to 2015! It's crazy how fast the year came and went! With the New Year comes the chance to make New Year's resolutions. I would invite everyone to come up with at least one resolution that will bring you closer to Christ. Our lives will be happier and more light will enter into them. Happy New Year's to everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

1-5-15


This week went well! First of all, the "opportunites" I referenced in the title are that I am getting transferred! I found out on Saturday that I will be going to Washington, North Carolina this week and my new companion will be Elder Burkart! I will also be serving as the District Leader there! I'm really excited for this opportunity and will strive to do my very best in fulfilling and magnifying it.


This week I was hardly with my companion. We went on three exchanges, so I was with three different missionaries throughout the course of the week! It was a little crazy, but also really fun! On Thursday, we saw several people we had been trying to see throughout the week and it was such a wonderful day!


Yesterday was my last Sunday in the Kinston 1st ward, and it was also fast Sunday, and so I decided to bear my testimony. I bore testimony of faith in Christ and how important that is. Our faith in Christ is so important! And we can build it through diligent scripture study and prayer. I love you all and hope everyone has a wonderful week!!


With Love,
Elder Rogers

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Week!

Hey Everyone!

Merry Christmas! I hope that it's fantastic for everyone! This week was great! The weather was really nice, which was especially helpful, since we were biking! But anyway, there were some really wonderful things that happened this week!
First of all, we contacted some investigators that we haven't seen for about a month or so! That was exciting! And to make it even better, they moved to a home that will be a nicer place to raise their daughter, they got a car, and they both have jobs! So that's wonderful! We taught them a few times and things are really looking up for them!
We were able to help out a recent convert clean her home this week! She basically keeps everything and won't throw it away. But it was really cool because she told us she wanted to have the Spirit in her home and she knew that He wouldn't abide in a messy place. So my companion, the Spanish missionaries, and I went a few days to help her out! Haha, to be honest, it was pretty fun! We threw away something to the order of 12 big ol' trash cans full! It was a lot! And there's still more! But she was really appreciative and it's always nice to be able to serve.
We went caroling as a district last night!! That was extremely fun! Haha we were able to sing to several families and they loved it! When we went to an investigator's home, one of their little boys, started singing "Joy to the World" with us! That was pretty funny! We had a really wonderful time and hopefully brightened some of their days!

And last but not least, our Sacrament meeting yesterday was exceptional! It was Christmas themed and several of the musical numbers were so beautiful! The Spirit was so strong and I just felt so much peace. The overarching theme, or message, was the sole and primary message of Christmas. That of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. My testimony of Him was strengthened just in that short period of time. He truly is the Christ, God's Only Begotten Son in the flesh. It is in Him and through Him that we can receive the most joy in this life and eternal Salvation in the life to come. I know He lived and died for us, and that He lives again. I pray that each of us will remember Him as we enjoy and celebrate Christmas, and I hope we will remember Him each and every day. I love every one of you and so does He. Have a very merry Christmas!


With Love,
Elder Rogers