Happy Halloween!

       Well This week was flippin fast!! I can't believe November is tomorrow! Time really does cruise by when you're not thinking about it! But as far as the work goes it has been awesome!! We got a list from our bishop that has tons and tons of inactive members on it. We call it the home teaching list! Haha! Sadly a lot of them don't even live at the address we have or they just didn't answer. But it's all good because the members here are keeping us on our feet!
       We had a member appointment with a part member family and they made us some pretty boss sushi!! We were a little worried because we pictured sushi from a German not being very good, but we were dead wrong! We had an awesome lesson and left the spirit in the home! After that we got a ride home in the dads Mercedes Benz! Man I need a fast car one day.
       Anyways I'd love to leave my testimony with you all that I simply know that our Savior lives and loves us each personally! He is our older brother and literally gave His life for us! He is and was perfect, and so is His example. I hope we can all try to be like Him more and more everyday by using the power of the Atonement! I hope everyone has a good week!
Elder Rogers

Fetchin' JW's

       This week was pretty fast!! I can't believe that there are only two more weeks in the transfer! And I can't believe that I hit my 6-month mark this past week! Time seriously does fly when you stop looking at the clock!! Hahaha!
       Well this week was crazy, but we are finally seeing some success from our hard work! We finally get to meet with a potential tomorrow and we are way excited! Hopefully the best works out with this guy. Also we had some really good appointments with some recent converts and we helped them to set some really good goals to quit smoking!
       On Saturday we had a street display with the district. It was pretty cold, but we got a bunch of potentials out of it! It was also the first one I've been to that had JW's at a stand on one side of us and on the other side was Muslims and their stand. Haha and it made it way fun because all they can do is stand there and only talk to people if the person comes to them. But as missionaries for the TRUE church, we can talk to people when we want, how we want, and where we want! So just to make fun of the others, we first and got a book from the Muslims (the Quaran, because they are cool not gunna lie) then we started contacting people right in front of their stands! Haha the Muslims didn't care, but the JW's kept moving! Haha I guess that's what happens when you have 19-year-old boys as missionaries haha!
       Anyways, we also had zone training on Tuesday so I'll send pictures of that, the video is from that too and it was a little lesson we did about how Christ will put us on his back and carry us. I testify that He will and He quite does daily! This church is the true church people, it just makes sense. It's so simple but insanely powerful, which is how it should be. God is there and hears each one of our prayers, we can never waste His time because we are His children! His love for us is imaginable. I hope everyone has an awesome week!!
Elder Rogers

Zone training

The zone

Freaking huge triangle

       Well I'll be dead honest this week was really fast and sadly we didn't see the success we wanted from the week. We got to go on a split with the Herne elders and I got to go to Herne with Elder Kenley the district leader! It was a little crazy but way fun! We had a German class with some investigators and others then after we had a lesson with a recent convert and talked about serving others! It was very spiritual and the recent convert is definitely on the path to Christ! Everything just makes sense to him it's great!
       Anyways in Gelsenkirchen, we did a ton of go by's on less active members and sadly they either didn't answer or had no interest! It makes me so mad that someone can be baptized and then years later just give it up for some dumb cigarette or whatever. But we have free agency and can't change anyone's so it is what it is.
       Well today we aren't doing anything crazy, but during the week we were finding in the area of a triangle thingy that you can climb into!! I'll send pictures so it makes sense! Haha this week was honestly really fun, but was really just a lot of inside jokes and things you just had to be there for! That's a bummer about the mission, it's too hard to explain the stuff that happens!! I hope everyone has a great fetchin' week!!
Elder Rogers

Just another week at the office!

       Well I'll be pretty honest it was another solid week in the Gelsenkirchen hood! We had a bunch of member and recent convert lessons, but sadly our only investigator at the moment is out of town till the end of this week.
       One thing that was pretty wild is when we did our weekly planning on Friday we set a goal to have two new investigators and two referrals received. Well come to find out at church yesterday, the bishop's sister came up and told us that she has two coworkers that have interest. So if things happen to work out with these homies then boom that's two goals achieved! Hahaha! But missions aren't about the numbers, in reality, it's about "helping others come closer to Christ!" It's not whoever reactivates or baptizes the most people win in the after life, it's the little things that turn into big things later down the road or in the near future!
       For something funny this week, we went out to a city clear out in the middle of nowhere to go by on an inactive. Well we didn't realize how far he was till we pulled up the map and he was almost 3 miles away from our bus stop. We were probably just under halfway before we turned around and came back! Haha it was a real bummer but the walk was pretty cool and we only got to talk to about 3 people the whole way! Haha!
       Well sorry for the short lame email this week! I worry about putting everything into my weekly because I don't want it to end up in the ensign! Hahaha I'm totally joking! I hope everyone has a schön and süß week! (Gleichseitig) haha!
Elder Rogers

our long walk in the middle of nowhere

my Aussie comp and I throw' food down!

our district and zone leaders

Up in the Gelsenkirchen hood!!

       This week was freakin crazy! My new area is way cool and it's definitely taken a lot of adjusting! I honestly hope I'm up here for a while because I hate packing!! But I do miss the south of the mission! But the Lord will send us where He wants us so you get what you get and you don't through a fit!! Haha!
       We were really busy getting me situated in the new city and have been meeting new people and running to catch buses and trains, but it's been great!!!! My new comp was born in Australia and moved to Ireland 3 years ago, so he has an Australian Irish accent that is pretty funny! He is really chill and has been a lot of fun so far!
       Well, first of all, let me tell you how hard it is just to watch conference in Germany! We ended up getting home past missionary bedtime the past three nights due to having a busy schedule as a missionary, but I am so glad!! This is probably the first conference that I have actually paid attention to and I am so lucky we were able to watch it (even though we didn't get to watch the Sunday afternoon session) and learn from the Lord's wise men!!
       Anyways I think I'll just end with bearing my testimony on how I know that we have a living prophet today. Although he may be human and a little aged, he still has more power (on earth) than any man!! This conference he talked so quietly but yet his words were powerful. I know he is the living prophet today, I love him, testify of him, and sustain him, his counselors, and the twelve. They are all so much wiser than us and completely put their trust in God. I hope that we can all follow their amazing examples and when we do I know that we will come closer to our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
I hope everyone has one swaggin' week!!!
Elder Rogers

Courtesy of the old man Elder Fultz

Who said there wasn't baseball in Germany!?

Our swaggin' bikes

the view from our roof (the Schalke soccer stadium)

Just another view.