100 weeks to go!!!

     well i don't think I've ever realized just how big the number 100 is!! hahaha but honestly it is totally fine! this week has been really fast but I've never learned so much about the church, the language, and especially teaching our investigators! 
      just to get the bad news out of the way. Elder Zaugg and I taught one of our investigators on Tuesday, his name is Steven and he was really interested in the church but we were struggling to find his needs and teach to them instead of running through a lesson. It was our third lesson with him so far and he dropped us like a rock. he told us that we were great guys but that our message wasn't for him. we immediately dropped our heads and said goodbye. lucky our teacher was pretending to be our investigator so he called us back in the room to evaluate what just happened. so we get back in there and the first thing he says is well guys, that "lesson" really sucked, simple as that. at that moment i was thinking about how easy it would be to just be home workin my butt off and getting paid with money and my family would be there and everything would just be sooo simple. well we got a lot out of the conversation and it was actually a huuge learning lesson. so the week goes on and we got a new investigator. however, we taught our other investigator Doris that following Thursday. we were teaching her about the Apostasy, Restoration, and book of Mormon. we got telling her about how Joseph Smith was 14 when we went into the grove to pray for an answer and he saw the Father and the Son, and they spoke to him. she had this look on her face that there was no way a 14 year old with a terrible education could do that. at that exact moment i felt the biggest impression of my life to tell her my testimony in Joseph Smith and that it doesn't matter how old, young, or what we have done in life. God will always be there and will always answer us if we are listening. the Spirit was indescribably strong in there, and we all felt it so strong.
       lookin back to Tuesday and the thoughts i had about just coming home and taking the easy way out, i now know my purpose and there is no other feeling like the one you get from letting the spirit speak through you. I'm very lucky to be out here and i am so excited to serve the Lord's mission and be a representative for Him.
       so thats my freaking week!! haha
  -Elder Rogers

Nothing really crazy happens at the mtc!

hey everyone!!
       well to be honest nothing really crazy happens at the MTC! its really just the same thing every day: wake up, go to class, eat, go to class, eat, work out, go to class, eat, go to class, go to bed... pretty lame hahaha it honestly sounds like the schedule at a prison! haha! but its definitely not a prison. we have all been working way hard and bustin our butts to get this language down and every time i start to feel comfortable with it something gets harder. i know that this is the way it's supposed to be. not just to constantly ruin our self-esteem, but to make us grow and learn a lot faster. 
       so as the district leader I'm pretty much just in charge of makin sure my district is happy and that no one is struggling. it's honestly the easiest thing I've ever had to do in my life. and the elders in my district call me Betsierk Mister, which means district master... hahaha just so you know i did not come up with that name at all! so anyways we are in class one day and one of the sisters wanted all of us to tell us about our first impressions of each other. so we are going around and we would all just start with one person and then everyone would say what they thought. well it gets to me and they all said something like the first few days i was here they all said something like i looked really mad and they never saw me smile even when i was laughing. i felt exactly like that. but then they all said that I'm the total opposite of that now. and when i first got there i thought that they had no worries , they all knew the language so well, and i never saw them without a smile on. well the week goes on and I've been noticing that they have all had struggles big or small.
       i know that we all have struggles so we should never think that no one else struggles like us and that we must not be normal. struggles are a good thing, whether you find that out in the classroom, work, or even the freakin mtc like me. struggles make us stronger and without them we would never learn to push ourselves! 

1 week down 103 to go....‏

      well surprisingly this week has been really good! its flew by and it's crazy that tomorrow is Sunday, it may not feel like that for you guys haha! anyways, it's crazy how disciplined you get when you're out here! sorry mom and dad for not being like this when i was home haha but it's weird! all i want to do now is read my scriptures and pray and learn German! its the weirdest thing ever! not to sound like I'm bragging but it's like I'm always thinking about it 24/7. well except when I'm around Mugsy then we never get anything done.. and I've seen him every day since I've been here haha!! 
      on a spiritual note, at the beginning of the week the two sisters in my district were struggling with the language and were real stressed out. so as the Elders in our district of 6 we came together and got a card for each of the sisters and just wrote in them to stick it out and they will catch on to it, it was major brownie points just sayin! plus it always feels so good to turn someone's frown upside down. its so weird being out here and i know my time at the MTC is for a good reason, I'm so thankful for the opportunity i have to read and pray daily and even tho it's a challenge i love learning German!

If you're wondering why i took a picture of my leg on a desk,
 that's how i sit when I'm studying hahaha

His first P day

Mommy!!!
i cant believe how much i miss you!! Definitely don't miss that dang garden. but i hate it here. the days are so long and the nights are so fast. i've never felt so stressed in my life, i see how dad lost his hair now. i hardly eat anything cuz everything i've eaten here just comes out in an hour! i wanna be in Germany yesterday. yes i don't know enough of the language yet but id rather learn it over there. but none the less, i have never prayed so intently in my life morning and night and i know that it has been helping. the gift of tongues has already been working and i am so grateful for it! oh some depressing news... have you ever woke up in the morning from the worst dream possible and realized that it was just a dream? well tha'ts how my first morning was just i didn't actually wake up from that terrible dream.. anyways on a good note i've seen Mugsy so much and it has been a huge blessing to have him here! he was my host but only because he switched with my real host when he saw me! i miss you guys so much and i hope to hear from you in the next seconds!!!
the second night i was here we were meeting with the president and asked me to be the district leader... it's not a huge calling but it's just enough to stress the crap out of me! my companion is from Canada and his name is Elder Zaugg, he's a really great dude! i call him Zauggy cuz it sounds like saugy hahah! 

Tanner and his best friend, Mugsy (AKA Carson Billings).
He leaves for the Philippines the first week of May.

Im alive!!!!!!!‏

Mom Dad!!! im just sending a quick email because it's not my Pday but tomorrow is so don't worry! just wanted to let you guys know i love you tons and i will be emailing you around noon or a little before! tell the fam i love them!


              mother freakin Elder Rogers

The MTC

Ironically this was in the comics on the day he went to the MTC.

We finished up packing...

And headed to the MTC.

We took pictures across the street and then reluctantly headed over.

Last full family pic for 2 years (minus Nate who was deployed).

Final goodbye hugs are the hardest!

And then he was off...

Last glimpse of him as we drove out of the parking lot.
Talk about bitter-sweet!

It's official...He's an Elder

Tanner was given wonderful advice by President Parke and President Steadman.  Then,he was set apart by President Lex Puffer.  He gave Tanner a wonderful blessing.

Grandpa Rogers, President Parke, President Puffer, President Steadman, Dad, Elder Rogers, Braxton, Bishop Steve Smith, and Bishop Bryan Hatch.

  

Afterward, he had some friends come over to wish him well.