Christmas is a comin'!

Hello Everyone!

This week was really good! My companion and I set up our Christmas tree, we've been eatin' some Christmas candy, we've been listening to Christmas music, and we've been talkin' to people about Christmas! It's been wonderful!
This week we were able to hand out several "He is the Gift" cards and show a lot of people the video! It truly is a wonderful initiative the Church has put out! Christ is the reason for the season! I encourage you all to share the video with your friends! Whether it's on social media or giving them a card, I know that it will bless their lives and ours!
We were able to offer some service this week as well! We helped an older couple in our ward rake their leaves and we were also able to help some people move! Haha and then the other day we were riding our bikes and we were about to pass by some people sitting on their porch. I tried waving at them and then looked in front of me to see two little dogs run into the road after me! I swerved to miss them and then sped up a little! I thought they would have stopped after that, but one was persistent and started chasing after me! I got quite the adrenaline rush! So that's when I really started trying to go fast and I eventually out-raced him! And then he chased after my companion for a little while!
Two of our investigators,were at Church yesterday! It was really nice to see them there and they said they really enjoyed it! It was fast and testimony meeting and there were several pure, sincere testimonies born. Every time I hear a testimony or I bear my own testimony, I can feel my conversion deepen and my faith in Jesus Christ grow. I know that Jesus is the Christ and I hope that we can all focus on Him during this season and always. I love you all and hope everyone has a week full of joy and peace!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

It's the Holiday Season!

Hello Everyone!

Christmas is on its way! I'm really excited! This week was good! I
have a new companion now, and I'm done with training! It's been really
great so far! Me and my companion have a lot in common and we've
gotten along really well so far!
Thanksgiving was really wonderful! We ate with a member family,
and then we played some board games and some sports at the church with
our new district!
Now that my trainer left, I've been in charge of the area and sort
of helping my new companion get to know it and everything! It's been
good! Something that we're going to be focusing a lot on is a program
launched by the Church called "He is the Gift". It focuses on Jesus
Christ being the true meaning of Christmas and how we should strive to
keep Him at the center of our thoughts this holiday season. There's a
really cool video on christmas.mormon.org that you all should check
out! It also has a bunch of different of our beliefs and its just a
wonderful website!
I know that Christ truly is the reason for the season. And I know
that the gift of His Atonement is such a blessing for each of us. As
we strive to do His will, we will be blessed with comfort and peace.
The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and is the thing that
will bring us the most joy in this life and the next. I hope that we
can all remember Christ throughout this holiday season and throughout
our lives. Have a wonderful week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Gobble! Gobble!

Hello Everyone!

Thanksgiving is comin' up and I'm really excited! But anyway, this

week was good! As of right now, my trainer is gone and on his journey

home! My next companion is Elder Broyles! I don't know too much about

him yet, but I'm excited to meet him! I'll send a picture next week!

  This week we had Stake Conference! It was quite wonderful! They

even had a Primary choir of all the kids throughout the Stake! They

sang really well! And there were several wonderful talks! The theme of

the conference was temple and family history work! I gained a renewed

excitement for this! Especially with how easy it is now! Technology

has made it extremely easy to do family history work!

  Thanksgiving is this week! I'm really excited! Not only because of

the food, but also because of the chance that we have to be grateful.

We truly are blessed with so much! Most importantly, I am grateful for

the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which brings hope and joy throughout

anything and everything. I know that Christ died for each one of us

and that through His grace, we can become clean. It is my hope that we

all strive to live as He lived and make use to the fullest of His

wonderful Atonement. I love you all and hope everyone has a fantastic

week!

With Love,

Elder Rogers

P.S. The conference was in New Bern! That's the boat picture!

The Field is White

Hey Everyone!

This week was good! I only have one more week of being trained! And
my trainer goes home in a week as well! Changes are on their way, and
I'm excited and nervous! It's starting to get a little chilly here,
but it really hasn't gotten too cold yet!
This week was the Primary Program in the Kinston 1st Ward and
that was a good experience as well! It was all about families and how
we can be with them forever. The Spirit was so strong and I was really
grateful for that simple truth. It truly is a blessing be able to live
with our families forever! All of the children did very well and it
was fun to hear them speak and sing! Also, one of our investigators
was able to come to Church, so that was great!
Well I titled this email as such because we were able to stop in a
cotton field this week and take some pictures! And it's true, the
field is white, already to harvest! So many people are being prepared
to hear the restored gospel! Just as cotton farmers joy in the
harvest, there is so much joy to be found in sharing the gospel with
those around us! I invite you all to think of one person who you could
share the gospel with and pray for an opportunity to do so. And then
act. I know that God is preparing so many people to hear His gospel
and that as we share it, our lives and the lives of those who hear it
will be blessed. I love you all and I know that The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true! Have a fantastic week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Still Painting!

Hello everyone-

This week was great! We had the opportunity to help out a  lady paint her bathroom! One of the members is a painting contractor, so he

showed us the ropes and we got to painting! We helped her out three

days this week and we're getting close to being finished! I never

realized how much time it took to paint a room! But it's been good! In

the end, her bathroom will be painted, we'll have given some service

and also gained some painting skills! Everyone's happy!

  So this Friday we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders and we

had quite a funny experience!  We had a wonderful Zone Meeting in the

morning and over the course of the day we had a few great lessons!

Eventually it was time to go to bed and we both began our nightly

prayers. I finished and climbed into bed. He was still praying for

quite some time, and I thought that he was just really spiritual or

that he had a lot of things on his mind, but that misconception I had

was gone when I heard him start snoring! He had fallen asleep! Anyway,

I woke him up and we both laughed about it! He is a wonderful

missionary, and I learned a lot from him!

  The work is going well! There is one family that we have been

working with for a while that recently showed some more interest. Most

of the time, their kids, ages 2 and 4 have been running around

throwing things and being quite loud, but this week, they weren't!

Tthe mother was able to listen a lot more and she really showed desire

to know if these things were really true! And she said they'd come to

church this next Sunday! So that was all exciting!

  This week, I realized what brings the most joy in missionary work,

at least for me. And that thing is testifying of Jesus Christ.

Whenever I do that, I feel the Spirit so strongly and my testimony of

Him and His role deepens. Jesus Christ is our Savior! He lived and

died for us. He knows and has felt everything we are going through and

ever will go through and He can lift our burdens. This one piece of

knowledge brings such peace to my soul.  I love all of you and hope

that we will all be able to remember Christ in all things. Have a

miraculous week!

With Love,

Elder Rogers

No Shave November

Hey Everyone!

This week was great! It's crazy how fast October flew by! Things
are going well here in Kinston and the weather is starting to cool
down. I think its almost sweater-wearing season! It's also November
now! One of the members in our ward is doing No Shave November! I can
remember my previous attempts at it and I'm not really that sad I
can't do it this year!
Do you remember when I talked about the Grainger Performing Arts
Center service project? Or if I talked about it?...I'm pretty sure I
did! Anyway, I've got some pictures now! They made me do all the trim
close to the ceiling! But I'm not really sure why...haha it's great to
be tall!
We also did some new service projects this week. One of them was
bringing firewood to one of the less active ladies in our ward, and
the other was helping another less active lady wash her walls. Service
is great! It always leaves me feeling better than I came! As we serve
others, we show our love for them and our love for God. I would invite
you all to reach out to someone this week. Whether it's something big
or something small such as holding a door or offering a compliment, I
know that it will bless you and the person you serve. I hope everyone
has a fantastically wonderful week!

With Love,
Elder Rogers

Happy Halloween!

Hey Everyone!

   Can you believe October's almost over?!? It feels like it just

started! I decided that I wasn't gonna get a costume for Halloween

this year...haha well it wasn't really my decision! But it'll still be

fun! I think we're gonna go to our wards trunk or treat and hand out

candy and pass along cards!

   The work is going well! My companion and I spoke in church

yesterday and one of the people who we've never taught yet but we

invited him to come, came! His name is Ike and it was really cool to

see him there!

   This past week I played golf for the first time! It was a fun way

to spend our P-Day!

   During one of our District meetings, we talked about prayer. One of

the things that stuck out to me was that of offering a prayer of only

gratitude. I've tried that, and it has brought blessings into my life!

I invite you to try it! Just pray to our Heavenly Father, being

grateful for all that He has given us. When you think about it, we

really do have so much! One thing that I am extremely grateful for is

the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is such a blessing to know that He

did that for us. No matter what we've done, we can be forgiven. No

matter what pain, trial, or affliction we may be going through, Christ

has felt those things and He is right there beside us. Gratitude for

all we have will make our problems seem smaller and it will bring a

peace into our lives. I hope that we can all remember to be grateful.

I love you all and wish each one of you a magnificent week!

With Love,

Elder Rogers