President Stoddard and Summer fests!

       This week was a little stressful but it's all good because we got to meet with president! We had zone training on Friday and President Stoddard was there. We learned a lot about studying and how to apply it better, then after that we got to have our one on one interviews with President. He is one of the coolest guys I've met. Not talking down his position in the church because I respect this man a ton! But I love talking to him because he is so chill and is just another person! He doesn't make you feel all nervous because his position in the church is a pretty big deal, he just helps you relax and it feels like I was just talking to a friend. Just a really mature friend haha!
       After our interviews, Elder Stiles and I went on splits with our zone leaders, Elder Fultz, and Elder Moore from Heidelberg. Elder Fultz and Stiles went to Heidelberg and I had the awesome chance of being a "host" in my area with Elder Moore. Elder Moore is such a stud, he only has about 4ish months left so he is a lot more experienced with me but he always has the best compliments and is always relaxed when we talked to people. I learned a ton being able to split with him.
       Then after we split back on Saturday afternoon, we had a ward summer fest. It's kind of just this thing a lot of wards in Germany do every summer. They just cook food, makeup games for kids, and everyone brings a friend. Little does the friend know is that the missionaries will be there and we always on the hunt for some new meat/investigators. Hahaha! But that was way fun and quite a few people were there.
       Before I finish I just really wanted to express my love for the Savior, Jesus Christ. At times I'll be thinking why our investigators don't work out or why we can't seem to get any new ones. But then I
realize that it's not about the numbers. Yes, we are bringing people to the waters of baptism through Christ, but my love and appreciation for the Savior have increased so much! And if no one I talk to wants to feel His love, then fine I'll just get closer to his always open arms while I keep trying. So I encourage everyone this week to lift your heads up, but not high enough where it makes you become arrogant, and try to help other people come unto Christ. I promise you that as you do this, you yourself will come unto Christ more then you would have ever guessed. I love the Savior, He is my best friend and I will be forever grateful and in debt to his Atoning sacrifice for the world. I look up to Him and His example more then anyone, His influence on me is huge and is only getting stronger. I know that everyone needs to feel His love and when they do they won't be able to let go of His forever outstretched hand, that carries us to show how much He loves each and every one of us.
       I hope everyone had a good week and will have another good one! You are all awesome!!!
Elder Rogers

Finding, finding, finding

       This week was definitely up and down but the ups were way better than the downs!! Even though transfers aren't even for another 4 weeks I'm definitely going to miss my companion, Elder Stiles a ton!! Me and him have gotten along since day one and it has been a very answered prayer! I'm already stressing for the next comp!! Haha but I know the Lord will pair me up with who he knows I need to be, and I know I will learn from him as I have Elder Stiles.
       So our investigator Ali wasn't in town this whole week so we never got to meet up with him. We were way bummed because he said he wanted to have us over for dinner. He is also trying to start a business so he is very busy as it is. Plus when he isn't very open to what we are telling him and just won't read the Book of Mormon it makes it tough to bring him to the font!! Haha but it's alright because we found some great potentials this week and are looking forward to meeting with them next week.
       One pretty cool thing this week was actually yesterday at church! One of the councilors asked Elder Stiles if he could give the opening prayer and he said ok sure! He thought that he said to pass the sacrament but I told him that he is definitely saying the prayer. Before he went to sit up at the front for the sacrament I told him that if he is wrong and i am right then he has to talk to every girl that we contact on the streets, and if he was right and I was wrong then same for me. So he sat up at the front before the meeting began and a guy walked in that normally passes, saw Elder Stiles sitting there and was really confused. At that time I knew that I had won!! Haha then when they announced who was saying the opening prayer they confirmed that my trainer was no better than me.... Well as far as being in sacrament. So sucks for him, he had to pass the sacrament, say the opening prayer, AND talk to every girl on the street. Hahaha!
       On a more serious note, I feel like that little experience can be used for bigger things. We should never feel like we are able to do anything or aren't in the high enough authority to tell someone they
are doing something wrong. But at the same time we should respect the people that are higher than us and always tell them uplifting stuff that can help them in a humble way, and never in a way that is rude and won't get them anywhere except for mad at you. I have found out a lot this week about how big humility is to the Lord and how it is a huge Christlike attribute. I know that as we are always humble and always making it known that the Holy Ghost and the all-merciful Lord are the ones that are putting us in the right places at the right time. I know that humility will always be something we always need to work on, but I also know that this isn't our mission, it's the Lords.
       We are serving him for 2 years our 18 months and we are representing his perfect Son, Jesus Christ. Now that doesn't mean that we are perfect at all nor will we ever be, but that means that we need to always try to be that example to others. And that doesn't just go for all my fellow missionaries, it goes for everyone before the mission and every one after.
       Everyone has a part in this church. The only difference between missionaries and just simply members is that we are set apart. But the thing we have alike is that we can always help people with the help of the Holy Ghost. Always be listening for that still small voice!!! Hope everyone has a great week!!!
Elder Rogers

Freaking Ali, and fly hunting

       Maine gute!!!! This week has been just crazy! Missions are definitely roller coasters, but I always hope that my high points on the roller coasters go longer than the low points!!

       Anyways this week was a little upsetting as far as our investigator Ali goes. We were trying to get a hold of him the whole week and then one day he called and said "hey meet me at the park right now", so we dropped what we were doing and just met up with him. We talked for about 2 to 3 hours with him about stuff he looked up about us on the Internet. We told him to not look up anything about us on the Internet unless it's LDS.org. He just really thinks about things too much and cuts us off mid-sentence a lot. But after that meeting we thought he was going to drop us and he said that he really likes us and wants to keep going to church. We said there is no point in meeting if you have no interest. Then he told us that he will read the Book of Mormon more. Later that night he texted us and said thanks for meeting with him, and that he wanted us over for dinner this week! So hopefully we
can get him interested! But it's sounding like he is really not to religious.
       Anyways besides that we had the awesome chance to go to the MOTAB concert for free on Saturday night! Honestly not to sound like a total fun hater, but I wasn't really into all the songs they played. We were warned that a couple songs are different, and they sure were!! Haha but it was so nice to just really listen and think about why I am in Germany at 19 years old talking about something to people that I would never talk to at home. This church is SO true and the blessings truly fall like rain. We just need to see them!!! The only sucky thing about the concert was that we got home at 2:30 in the morning and had church the next day so we were trying soooo hard to not fall asleep! Haha but we did it.
       So something funny this week actually happened today. Elder Stiles and I were studying this morning and I heard a fly come in through the window so I slammed it shut so he couldn't get out. (The Windows are about 5 feet away) then I opened my drawer, whipped out my brand new nerf gun (from my mom for my birthday, I don't just go buy kids toys while I'm a missionary) loaded it and shot right at the fly! All that happened next was his body landed next to Elder Stiles and his head
landed by me! It was the coolest thing ever! But yeah, just so you know the immature me always seems to find his way out even while I'm out here. Haha!!
       So just to wrap up with something spiritual. Haha! I just want everyone to know, if they don't already, is that the Lord knows exactly what he is doing. And as far as our trials and hard times go in life we just need to remember that it was from our Heavenly Father and that He is doing this because He loves us. I have found out this week also that it is my biggest regret in life that I have never read
the Book of Mormon all the way through. I look back at all the time that I had back then and wish that I would have just opened this amazing glorious book up. It truly is the only book that can answer
questions to prayers, and it does! Although I regret it more than anything it makes me want to read it even more. It's my favorite book, and honestly I hate reading so it's probably the only book I will read. Haha! But I know that if I had read it when my mom told me too I would have been way beyond where I am now, moms are really always right. So don't look back like I have!! Read it every day, and don't say you don't have time because we always have time for the good word of the Lord! Haha! Love you guys all tons and I'm so grateful for every one of you! Keep your heads up and always turn to the Lord!
Elder Rogers

Friday nights are still a thing!!!!

Just wanted to say happy 4th and I love you all tons!!!!!
And that we made some killer pizza and Kool aid

Ronny and too much food

       This week was crazy!! My comp and I had another great one! We had transfer calls Saturday and my comp was made District Leader and could've been transferred out, but thankfully he will be staying! I can't believe how much I look up to this guy and how much I've opened up to him! It's gunna be a true bummer when he heads out! But this week was great, no pigeons flew into my head this time!
       So this week to start off, Ali has been really improving. We talked about tithing and fasting and he is all good about that. For some reason he just won't give us an answer for a baptismal date, but we
told him he has to this week! Haha! But we also told him that we will have him prepared before he is baptized haha! He just has a little issue with his e-cigarette and coffee, but he can get over those things.
       We also went on splits with elders from Worms again and this time I was with Elder Freeland! He is way awesome, he has 6 months-ish left so he is real comfortable with the language but we found a strong potential on the streets named Frank!! Then later that night we were calling some potentials on the phone. We were calling for an hour, about 45 minutes into it a guy named Ronny answered and I told him our whole introduction and asked if he was interested. He replied yes I'm very interested! I didn't know what to say because no one has ever said that!! Haha! Then to make sure he was in my city Mannheim I asked him where he was living and he said Worms... Elder Freeland almost jumped out of his seat when he heard that and so he got lucky with a really strong potential. But that's alright because we are all into this together as one mission!!!
       So we met with a couple member for dinner and lunches. One of the members we met with was Sasha. And this guy fed the crap outta us!! He made mashed potatoes and fried chicken, and we drank apple juice. And he made us eat every last bit! I was trying so hard to put that food down! Oh and for everyone (dad) who thinks I'm going to come home looking like 2 Elder Rogers, I have picture evidence that I just got out of the big 190's!! So there's that! Haha!
       Anyways just to wrap this stuff up! I was lookin back in my planner for the first transfer and I saw that I had set a daily goal for us to teach 8 lessons and get 7 new investigators. I don't remember why I did because we only went finding for 2 hours that whole day!! Haha anything could have happened and we had the faith but we just didn't have the time. Then I got reading other friends emails from other countries, and they already have baptisms!! I got thinking, what the heck this is a joke! Germans are so hard-hearted! Haha but then I realized it's not about the numbers, it's about helping others. Sometimes that means families and families and sometimes that means only a couple people if you get them. But I now that to be a "successful" missionary is when we have truly converted ourselves in the work of converting others! I also know that we can always do missionary work when we aren't even on a mission! Member plays a huge part in tons of stuff and I hope that everyone at home can always help everyone they run into!! And look up a talk by Elder M. Russel Ballard in 1984 titled "Write down a date."
Much love!!
Happy freakin American day!!
-Elder Rogers

Nature, Doug, and Sasha

       This week was a fast one but a good one!! We were way busy and some awesome things came out of our hard work! We are trying our best to be obedient and always making sure we talk to everyone we can.
       The first crazy thing this week was on Tuesday when we were out contacting at a strip mall kind of place, but we were outside the whole time. We were walking and this bee started flying right in front of my face! So I just swatted at it, right when I did I saw a black thing in the corner of my eye taking off of the ground. I turned and this pigeon flew right into my head!! Haha I don't know what it was that day but nature was just out to get me for some reason.
       Later that afternoon, we visited a guy named Doug. He is a non-member that lives with his wife close to our apartment. He grew up a baptist but around his teens he became LDS. He said one day he was in the bathroom and he could hear a voice telling him to go on a mission. He said he heard it three times and then he just finally said ok I'll go geez! Haha he said he knew nothing about the church except for the basics from the missionaries. So he began to be active and started learning at church and preparing for a mission. He served in Eugene Oregon, then came home and joined the army reserves. The army moved him to Germany and he isn't in the army anymore but he has been here for 16 years so it's just become home to him. Plus he met his wife here, she's a nonmember so after they got married he just fell away slowly. He has a huge testimony and is still doing missionary work! He has been talking with a co-worker that is a baptist and he has gotten him very interested.
       On Thursday we met with a member and his name is Sasha. He is probably one of the coolest guys I've ever met! He has been a member for about 10 years now and was reactivated just before I got here. Oh and just so you know, Germans don't believe in air conditioning for some reason, and Thursday and Friday were some hot freaking days! We were dying in Sasha's apartment it was terrible. The humidity just hits you like a wall, but at least it's not like that every day... Yet. Anyways we were talking about the relationship between fathers and sons with Sasha. He has a son that hasn't liked him ever since he joined the church, and he really wants to be a bigger part of his life. Before we began our lesson he asked us if we were perfect, of course we said no. Then he asked us why I said well there is a huge list but the reason why we won't be perfect is because we sin. Then he said if you know your not perfect because you keep sinning, then why do you keep sinning. It was a huge teaching moment, it really made me think about how I need to step it up. I also learned that we are humans and that we will only be perfect at one thing in this life and that is trying to be perfect. I've learned personally that as long as we are sincerely giving it our personal best we will be great in the sight of God.
       Also on Friday we met with Ali and got through the big topics and we were planned on setting a baptismal date officially then, but he told us he will let us know on Sunday. Well Sunday came and he was sick. So we will find out this week for sure. Pray for him if you can, even if you have never met him I promise it will help.
       Well that just about sums up the week! Hope everyone had a good one!
Till next week.
-Elder Rogers
P.S. In the video I found out my pockets could fit a liter each of
milk in them! Hahaha!!

Repeat after me...

       This week was pretty crazy and went by fast! I've realized that time here can either be sooo slow or waay fast!! But it's going great and the language is coming!!!
       So the first of the week we had a lesson with one of our investigators, Ali, and this guy is a stud! He is from Iran. He speaks Persian, English, and German. I don't wanna jinx it somehow but our last lesson with him we asked him to be baptized on the 23rd and he said he will pray about it and find a day that will work best for him. So I hope that it still goes through! The last time we had a baptismal date set up the guy moved. But Ali is strong and we know he can do it.
       So on Tuesday night to Wednesday morning I had the coolest opportunity to go on splits with our district leader. Elder Awerkamp is one of the most inspiring/uplifting guys I've ever met. He has two months left on his mission so his German is amazing and mine is just good enough to say "hi", "sorry", and "I'm from America". Haha just kidding luckily it's not that bad. But this Elder knows what he is doing. The coolest thing about him is that he and his twin brother opened their calls on the same day, got called to the same mission and went to the MTC the same time!! How freakin sick is that!! Just to add on, Elder Awerkamp plays just about every instrument in the book and he taught himself. He taught himself to play the organ while on his mission and it sounds like he has been playing it his whole life!! Anyways, the split was way good and I learned a ton being able to spend a day with him in his area. Oh and his area is called Worms. And it's not the insect, it's pronounced "vorms" for you Americans.
       Oh so funny story I hope I didn't tell already, but we were on a street tram with a bunch of people and there were some American teenaged girls on there with us. We overheard them talking to a German about soccer and they asked him if soccer in Germany was the same in the US... we started laughing sooo hard they sounded like typical American girls. I think they were also blonde so that could explain some stuff.
       So just to wrap up. Elder Stiles and I were teaching a Muslim named Tsopfion. He is a really good guy but the whole time we were talking with him it just sounded like he was trying to do the converting instead of us. We asked him if he had any interest and he said a little. He then pulled out the Muslim bible called the Croan and gave it to me. He said if I read this then I'll know how similar our churches are. I told him I can study anything but the Book of Mormon and the bible. Then he told me and my companion to repeat a phrase after him. My companion immediately said no we have to go to another meeting. We began to walk away quickly. Later I asked him what that was all about and he said that to join the Muslim church you just have to say a phrase. That phrase was the one that Tsopfion tried to get us to say. So I guess you could say I was about to be a Muslim!! Haha I had no idea!
       Anyways to the spiritual thing this week. When we went to church yesterday I was really looking forward to just sitting in the chapel for a little and just relaxing. It had been a pretty tough day as far as thinking about home goes, and I wanted to just think about the spirit and everything it has done for me in my 19 years of life. Before I walked into the chapel the bishop stopped me and asked if I could say the opening prayer. I said yes for sure but started thinking about how "hard" my life is. Then the second counselor stopped me before I couldn't even sit down and asked if I could help pass. I willingly said yes and sat down. Elder Stiles and I were then asked to teach the young women's class about the priesthood. These three simple tasks made me so bugged for some reason and i just started thinking of all the stuff that has happened lately that I just can't stand. Well I eventually got up and stayed the prayer, then passed the sacrament. I didn't have a mean face on while I was doing them, but inside I was so bugged. Right after I got to sit down and listen to the speakers, although I didn't really understand much of anything, I felt so comforted and I knew that the spirit was telling me to just stop thinking and relax. I know at times we can be really stressed out on the mission and off the mission. But I also know that whatever is out into our lives and seams hard at the time, just remember to look back once you have gone through that and when another trial happens just think about how much it will strengthen you for the better. I know that the Lord didn't have me say the prayer and pass the sacrament for no reason, I know it was to both help me feel the spirit and hopefully help the ward feel the spirit.
Till next week!
Elder Rogers