A New Beginning!

Hello Everyone!

This week was a good one! On Tuesday we began our trip to Virginia. Many missionaries and their luggages were transferred throughout the states of Virginia and North Carolina and it was a miracle that everyone ended up where they needed to be. On Wednesday, we met Elder Ferrero fresh out of the MTC. He's from Las Vegas and loves to read. He's funny and I'm glad to be serving with him. My other new companion is Elder Dudley. He's from the San Diego area and has been out for 10 months.

We had a great training meeting in Virginia and then headed back to New Bern. It's been a good week and we had such a wonderful miracle! As we were driving to a dinner appointment, the member who was going to feed us texted us and asked if we had time for a lesson afterwards because they had a friend who was interested in being baptized! We had time. The lesson went quite well and we were able to set this young man on a baptismal date! He had even asked for permission from his parents to meet with us and had attended church once already, so we were definitely blessed that evening. I love the many miracles that the Lord sends us.

I was touched by the words of Jacob, brother of Nephi this week. In 2 Nephi 2:6-8, he declares, "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise." Jesus Christ truly is full of grace and truth. I love Him. He has given Himself as a ransom for sin. We all know this and should glory in His humble sacrifice. And how greatly important it is to make this known. In this is held the purpose of missionary work. To bring others unto Christ so that they may partake of His everlasting sacrifice. I invite you to tell a friend about this wonderful truth. The fulness of His gospel has so mercifully been given to each of us. Let us share it freely.

I love you all. I hope that you have a wonderful week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Unexpected Call

Hello Everyone!

This week was quite eventful, especially the latter end! On Monday, we said goodbye to Brother Melton, our ward mission leader. He's been great, and has done so much for missionary work here! Tuesday through Thursday were fairly busy with visiting investigators and members and sharing lessons, but Friday was the eventful day!

We were going about our day on Friday, just as usual. And then we got an unexpected phone call from our mission president! He called Elder Egbert to serve as an Assistant to the President and told us that he'd need to be up to Virginia that evening! So that's when our entire schedule changed for that day. He had to pack and get ready and a few hours later, we drove him halfway and the current Assistants took him the rest of the way! That was exciting!

Saturday was when we got our transfer call, though. I'll be staying in New Bern and getting two new companions. One, Elder Dudley, who has been out for over 9 months, and the other is a brand new missionary! So we'll be training him.

We also had a great lesson with a less-active member on Saturday! We brought our recent convert with us and he bore powerful testimony on the importance of daily scripture study. It was fantastic! Our convert is also going to the temple this Saturday to be baptized in behalf of his father, so that is quite exciting!

This week I was touched by the testimonies of Alma and Amulek in the Book of Mormon as they testified of Christ. Alma 15:16 states, "And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred;" Amulek gave up so much for the Word of God and for the Savior. In our lives, what things are keeping us from drawing closer to Christ? They are different for all of us, but whatever they are I exhort you to let them go. If something is keeping us from Him, it is not worth having in our lives. I know He lives. His grace is real. He loves each and every one of us. Put your trust in Him.
Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Plan, Plan, Plan.

Hello Everyone!

This week was a busy one! But also quite good. On Tuesday we went up to Virginia for a leadership meeting and I felt the Spirit so powerfully there! I always love those meetings. Thursday was our day of planning. We literally planned for almost the whole day! It was our weekly planning day and also we planned for our Zone Meeting and an exchange.

On Friday we had our Zone Meeting, which focused on Revelation through Church Attendance and it went really well! We also went on an exchange with the Assistants to the President and saw some miracles! We were able to meet with and later teach a referral from a member. We also met a less active member we had never met before, so that was exciting!

This week I was touched by a verse of scripture in 3 Nephi 18 when the Savior teaches about the Sacrament. It's verse 7. "And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you." I love the part that says as we partake of the Sacrament, we are witnessing to God that we remember Christ. How blessed are we to be able to partake of this sacred ordinance. I invite all of you to seek for and pray for a more sacred experience the next time you partake of the emblems of the Sacrament. I know Christ lives and we are immensely blessed to have an opportunity to remember Him each week and testify to God of our willingness to do all He asks.

Have a wonderful week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Triple Exchange!

Hello Everyone!

This week was quite a busy one! As the title suggests, we conducted three companion exchanges this week! We were with the Elders from Havelock, Harker's Island, and Washington all at different times throughout the week. We saw some miracles and had a great time serving with these Elders.

A week ago, for preparation day, we went golfing! It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it
would be and we all enjoyed ourselves!

Throughout the week we taught many lessons and I was grateful for the chance to have a lesson with a recent convert from Washington while on exchanges in Washington. We read from the Book of Mormon and learned from the prophets of old. The Spirit attended and it was great to see her again!

We saw some miracles on Sunday! One of our investigators that speaks only Spanish attended church. The miracle was that a member from the ward got along with her exquisitely and they enjoyed each others company greatly! Our recent convert, also blessed the Sacrament this week! It was his first time, so it was a wonderful experience for all of us. The Sacrament meeting was full of the Spirit and as we sung "How Great Thou Art" at the meeting's close, I was overcome with a deep gratitude for the Lord and all that He's done. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to trust in Him during this life.

As I may have mentioned in the past, we've been reading through The Book of Mormon as a mission. This week I was touched by Enos and his example of prayer. We are blessed with the capability to commune with our Eternal Father. We must always be sincere in this endeavor. Consider Enos' example of sincerity. "And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens." (Enos 1:4) Other parts of the chapter speak of a "struggling in the Spirit" and a "wrestle...before God". Surely there is no room for vain repetitions or apathy in our prayers. Cry unto the Lord and He will answer your prayers. I know He is there and He is yearning and waiting to hear and answer our sincere prayers.

I love you all. Have a marvelous week!

With love,
Elder Rogers

Tie-Breaker!

Hello Everyone!

This week was great! On Friday, we went on exchanges with the Elders in Harkers Island. We always see so many miracles on exchanges! We set one of our investigators on a baptismal date, found three new investigators, and stayed quite busy! It was fun to be with Elder Nipko for a day.
The day before that was my year mark and we celebrated it with our ward mission leader and his family! They're the best! After a tasty dinner of hamburgers and fries, I chopped a tie in half!
Sacrament meeting was absolutely amazing! 3 less-active's came! And one of them we haven't even seen in several weeks! There is such a joy that enters my heart when I see these people at church! The Spirit of the Lord was very present during our meetings yesterday and overall, it was just a great day!
As I think of one thing that I've learned on my mission thus far, many principles and truths came to mind, but I think the most powerful one is the truth that through Christ's atonement and our agency, we can do all things. This truth has been shown unto me as I've struggled and grown and overcome weaknesses, all along with the Savior by my side. Ether 12:27 states: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I know this to be true. Trust in the Lord, and He will deliver you. His grace is sufficient.
I love each of you. Be your best and have a week full of faith!


With Love,
Elder Rogers

The Glass is Half Full.

Hello Everyone!

Well I'm gonna hit my year mark on Thursday! I can hardly believe it has been a year. Time flies when you're having fun! This week went really well and we were able to achieve the Standard of Excellence, so that was exciting!

One of our investigators came to Church this Sunday. She had met missionaries about 25 years ago and she still remembers the peaceful feeling of the Spirit that she felt so many years ago. What a wonderful thing! She has been progressing and we are excited to continue teaching her.
We saw many miracles this week, but one of them involved The Book of Mormon. We were walking around, talking with people one day and we stopped to talk with a few guys sitting in their yard. We introduced ourselves and our message, and showed them The Book of Mormon. Both of them asked if they could have one and said they were going to read it from cover to cover! This book has such an amazing power that if they truly do read it, they will surely receive a witness of it. I'm grateful to have its influence in my life and for the understanding and gratitude of Christ and His Atonement that is gained from studying this book of scripture. I invite each of you to study it daily. President Ezra Taft Benson once said, "There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book.You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path." What a marvelous promise from a prophet of the Lord. I know it to be true and promise that it can be yours if you simply act.

I love you all and hope you have a tremendous week!


With Love,
Elder Rogers


P.S. Here is a pic of the entire mission from last week.

Pig Pickin' and Spiritual Nourishment

Hello Everyone!

This week was fantastic! So much happened, so I'll try to hit the highlights. The beginning of the week was fairly normal, but Thursday was a Mission-wide conference in Virginia! We traveled up in the morning and returned that evening for a grand total of about 7 and a half hours of driving. It was definitely worth it, though!
It began with a Spiritual meeting in which our Mission President, President Baker trained us on different topics, but the core of it was the Atonement. How grateful I am that Christ performed this sacred sacrifice. He loves us all so dearly. I was called on, along with 3 other missionaries, at the end to bear my testimony of Christ, which was a wonderful opportunity!
Following the meeting was a pig-pickin'! It was delicious and we got to talk with and see missionaries from everywhere in the mission, so that was fun!
The rest of the week went well. We had Zone Meeting on Friday and we talked of and trained about The Book of Mormon! Our Zone is just great!
And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." We can have hope through the Atonement of Christ. I know that. He can change us and transform us into people we never thought we could be. Our peace and joy can be greater than ever before and we can live with Him forever. What a wonderful thing to hope for! I love you all and pray you have a fantastic week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

P.S. Here's some pictures. One of them is with me and all of my companions still on their missions!