Catching Pigeons

 Howdy,

This week was a pretty good one. We are excited for a baptism for the next two weekends in our area. Thanksgiving was pretty good. A member brought us a turkey and stuff at the beginning of the week so that we could cook ourselves a Thanksgiving meal, so we made that on Tuesday, and then a different family brought us food on Thursday. It didn't feel very festive because we were just eating alone at our apartment, but we got to call home so that was good. 

We were able to go and watch them light the Christmas tree in Lawrenceburg which was really fun. They were handing out free Christmas tree ornaments so I was happy I went cause the ornament is cool. 

Today we got our first snow of the year which was really fun. We played pickleball in the middle of the blizzard which was fun. It reminded me of running in the snow, which is one of the most fun times to run. After we played pickleball we ate the Cincinnati special - chili spaghetti at Skyline. I thought it was alright. I wasn't super hungry, but my companions told me to get a lot of stuff just to try. I thought it was just alright. I'm excited to try Goldstar - the competing Chili spaghetti place which I hear is way better. 

Anyway it was a good week. We attempted to go catch pigeons on Saturday with the zone leaders, but there weren't any pigeons under the overpass we went to, so we just went and ate Jersey Mikes - where we witnessed a car crash. We are blessed to have a lot of success here. I love working with all the people of Lawrenceburg!! 

Have a super great week!!

Keep Striving,

Elder Rogers

My district

The lighting of the Christmas tree

I love the mail service

Water is the best drink 

I'm thankful for sleep and a warm bed

Pickleball at the park

I Don't Think I Could Force Feed You My Toenails

Howdy,

It was a pretty good week. We all got our test results back and they were negative, which was good. We got as much work done as possible during our quarantine though. We also did our best to have some fun in the apartment. One day Elder Leavitt was singing "It's Cold Outside" because, well, it was cold outside, and I started quoting Elf. I was closer to the wall than I thought I was because instead of pretending to run into the wall I actually did and bruised up my arms pretty good. This is why you don't cover your eyes and pretend to run into walls. We also had some of the pills that turn into animals from the care package from the sisters and we put them in our mouths to see if they would work. They did. Mine was a rabbit. They were very slimy.

It was a bummer that we couldn't participate in all the things that we wanted to in person because of the virus, but I'm grateful for the technology that allows us to have meetings with our investigators and other missionaries over zoom calls - even though they are not as good. I really enjoyed listening to President Nelson's address on Friday and it has been fun looking for things I am grateful for.

I finally got to go running out here. It was pouring rain on Saturday, but my companions promised that we could go to the track. It was so awesome!! They said I could have a little less than 20 minutes so I just did 3 miles. I did it in 16:50 (5:53, 5:35, 5:22), and it felt nice. The 400 jump lunges two days before made it a little stiff, but it wasn't too bad for a fat guy in the wind and rain who hasn't run in almost a month, especially considering I was just trying to enjoy it. I love running so much. 

Lastly - haircuts are a rip-off. When my companions told me that it cost 17 bucks to get a haircut I was super bugged, so I went out and dropped 40 bucks on some clippers so Elder Leavitt could cut my hair. I cut his hair too. I may have spent all of my weekly allowance on hair clippers, but it will be worth it for the rest of my mission. Good thing I have some gift cards, member meals, and top ramen to live off of this week haha. 

Anyway, have a great week you guys!! I know God lives and loves all of us!! Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

Keep striving!! 

Elder Rogers

Us at a part member family baptism yesterday - Elder Robinson did the baptism and confirmation. I was able to be a part of the circle for the confirmation.

 Us with our Christmas tree my mom sent us

Elder Robinson photo bombing my picture by kissing me (Little punk 🙄)

 Us celebrating on our walk after quarantine

Someone Peed In A Pie Tin

Howdy! 

Even though we were in quarantine this week, we were still working hard to share the gospel, and made some quality memories. I'm so grateful for phones, and the USPS that allow us to share the gospel even during quarantine, and for exercise time that allows us to leave the apartment. Even though we're in quarantine, we had someone commit to baptism December 5!! On Friday we went for a walk at this cool park, and the trail came out right by a power plant. We saw signs that said there was a visitors center so we followed them so we could see if there was a tour we could take after quarantine. We got to a building with a huge VISITORS CENTER sign on top, and we walked in expecting a gift shop where I could buy a sticker for my journal and stuff, but that wasn't what we found. We got yelled at by some guy saying we should leave cause we were on federal property, and it was only for visiting contractors. We left, bummed that we couldn't take a tour or buy a sticker, but we think they should change their signs to say visiting contractors, instead of visitors center. 

We also got sticky noted by the sisters this week. They put lots of nice notes on the door and left a box with fun toys to play with. One of the things was lemon starburst jello. I was bored so I made it in a pie tin for my companions one day, and we challenged Elder Robinson to eat the whole thing in one sitting- which he did. He didn't feel very good after. 

We got tested for COVID on Friday - which isn't as bad as people make it sound. It hurts a little, and gave me a small headache, but it really isn't as bad as I was expecting. We still are waiting for our results. We hope we either all have it, or none of us do so we can get out of quarantine faster. 

This week of quarantine has been another testament to me that God lives, loves us, and is aware of us in our trials. Being in quarantine as a missionary is pretty discouraging, but even though it was a tough week, I saw many miracles, and instances of God's hand in my life. One of the examples that touched me the most was yesterday. Because we were quarantined, we weren't able to do many of the things that we normally would, and I was unsure if I was making a difference. We sent cards in the mail and made a lot of phone calls, but most people just seemed annoyed at our efforts to help. I spent a lot of time praying that I could help people, and make a positive impact on someone's life. I was unsure if I had helped anyone or done any good or if me being out here was a waste of both God's and my time. We had to stay at home for church, which was a bummer, but one of the speakers opened his talk by saying "Last week we heard from Elder Rogers. His talk really connected with me and helped me this week." It sounds like a small thing, but those comments meant the world to me. I'm so grateful that I followed the spirit and said something to help him, and that he followed to spirit to answer my prayers and remind me that I have made a difference, and that I have helped people while I've been out here. I'm so excited to continue to work hard to try to help and serve others.. There are many other instances where the Lord has helped us this week. I am so grateful for the knowledge that we never have to go through our struggles alone!!

 

Keep Striving Everybody!!

Elder Rogers 

Me at the power plant before we got kicked out

 Us with a meal a member left on our porch 🙌

Elder Robinson kissing a fox statue 🤷🏻‍♂️

Me with frozen Skyline Chili Spaghetti - I hear Gold Star is better but I haven't been there yet.

A Meal Without Cheese is Like a Hug Without a Squeeze

 Howdy,

This week was a roller coaster. Lots of good and lots of not so good. The great thing is that when you focus on Jesus Christ the good stuff becomes great and the not so good stuff becomes better. 

One of the highlights from this week is that we got 4 media referrals which was totally awesome. We are especially excited about one guy named John. We have met with him once and he seems really solid and we are excited to get to know him better and help him to come closer to the Savior. We also got to invite those in a part member family to be baptized on December 12, and they said yes!! They are an amazing family and I'm so excited for them to take that amazing step in their lives!! We taught a lot of super awesome lessons this week, one of which was cool because the family had me hold a bunch of their chickens and chicks and stuff. My mom hates chickens, but I thought it was fun. 

On Thursday I had a doctors visit with Dr. Gurney, who wins the best name for a doctor award. I really liked him until he told me I had to get my blood drawn. I wanted to bring my comps with me for moral support but the lady said I had to do it alone, which was a bummer. She was really nice and funny and helped me not be so nervous. I hate getting my blood drawn. She was nice, but it hurt bad, and bruised up pretty good. That was probably my fault though because I was freaking out and not relaxing.  Anyway, because we were out there we got to go on a nice drive and got to visit downtown Cincinnati. It was my first time in the city, and it was really fun to see everything. There are lots of really cool bridges there because the city is close to the river. We got to see the Reds and Bengals stadiums which were also cool. Elder Robinson served downtown for a long time and so he took us to a restaurant which was really good called Silverglades. Hands down the best chicken salad sandwich I've ever had. If any of y'all are in the area y'all should definitely go there. An awesome thing from while I was in Cincinnati was that I waved at the fireman as they went by in the firetruck and like two of them waved back which made me way happy. Also there's an awesome slide at Smale park that was really fun to go down. 

On Friday one of the Sisters in our district asked for me to give her a blessing. It was my first blessing where I didn't just do the anointing and so I was way nervous. I was shaking the whole time, but the spirit was very strong. I know that the priesthood is real, and I'm grateful that I can be a tool in the Lord's hands to help others. Later that night my comps told me that I said that she was "a beloved son of God" so I felt stupid for that, but the experience was still good. I'm grateful God can use me even though I'm imperfect. 

On Saturday we put up Christmas lights and little trees in our apartment, and we've been listening to Christmas music in the car. We're getting excited. We had a Charlie Brown Christmas tree but I dropped the only ornament so his sad tree got even sadder, a member brought us some ornaments, so now our little Charlie Brown Christmas twig is quite festive. We have another small tree as well. 

The last piece of news from this week is that one of our rock solid investigators tested positive for COVID and so now we are quarantined for the next two weeks. It is a total bummer, but we are going to do our best to help build the kingdom despite our circumstances. It is sad and hard though.  We were so excited for some lessons we had, and it is difficult to have to cancel or move them to online. I was especially excited for a Spanish lesson this Wednesday. I was supposed to teach one last week, but the person cancelled, and then we had to cancel this week as well. Even though it is hard, I know that there is something that we can learn from this. I  know that being obedient and quarantining sucks, but that being obedient is important, and that the blessing is always greater than the sacrifice.

Have a great week and keep striving!!

Elder Rogers 

A sunset from our front door

Me holding one of the chickens

Me in front of the Reds' stadium

The Charlie Brown tree

Us T posing by the Lawrenceburg sign

"I've Got A Gun, I Could Shoot You"

Howdy!! 

Wow, I've been in Lawrencburg, Indiana for one week now and what a week it has been!! There have been so many crazy things go down this week. 

I really like my comps, they are funny and we tease each other a lot. Elder Leavitt (the one originally assigned to Paris) has my same birthday, but he's like three hours older than me we think.  

There are some weird rules out here that make me kinda bugged, but I deal with them. We can't do any service, we can't eat with members, or go visit the people we are teaching unless invited, we can't talk to people about the gospel unless they ask us about it, and we can't wear church clothes while walking the street unless we are on our way to an appointment. We wear church clothes in the apartment though, so we change clothes a lot. We get to spend a lot of time outside which is awesome as well. We like to play pickleball and basketball. 

 It really was baptism by fire. One of my first lessons was with a lady who is like obsessed with voodoo and she asked us a ton of questions about voodoo that none of us really knew the answers to but we did our best. Elder Robinson, who is on his last transfer, said it was one of the top five most whack appointments of his mission. Although she asked some weird questions she said she wants to get baptized and she read 26 pages in the Book of Mormon from Wednesday to Sunday, came to church and bore her testimony so we're super excited about that. The bummer is that she lives outside our area so we have to hand her off to the sister missionaries. I thought our appointment with her was weird, but it was not nearly as crazy as our lesson the next morning. Our area is big and so we drive a lot. We drove probably 25 minutes in the pouring rain to get to this really cool wood log cabin. It was small but the lady seemed nice. Basically a legit redneck house. Beer cans and cigarette butts all over the lawn/ driveway. She invited us in after we knocked a couple times and hoosiered us for a while (mission slang for talked our ear off and wouldn't let us say a single word) and asked us some questions (which she wouldn't let us answer because she would interrupt us and keep talking). Finally after about 30-45 Elder Robinson just cut her off and tried to talk a little bit of the Book of Mormon before we had to leave. As soon as she saw the Book of Mormon she started screaming at us a ton. She called us devils and all that. We asked if we could say a prayer with her before she left but she said no and told us to get out and go back to where we came from. She told us that the way we do things is how we get shot. She said she could shoot us because she had a gun, and that we needed to get out - so we did. Later in the day she called us, and again told us that if we came back she would shoot us, and after she yelled at us for a while, and we gave her some Bible verses to try and help answer her questions she told us to come back but we said she couldn't because she said she would shoot us. For the next two days she kept texting us to come back and that she wouldn't hurt us, but we just stopped responding. I really felt bad for her and wished I could help her, but I didn't know how. 

Church on Sunday was great. We had a couple investigators come and bear their testimonies. We can only have 25 people at church, but they did this thing where people on the zoom call bore their testimonies and we in the chapel could hear it. I liked that. We have a lot of investigators who are really excited to get baptized and so hopefully in the next little bit we'll have some baptisms. 

 It is super pretty our here. Most people have huge lots with ponds. It is really green even for this late in the year. It's a little chilly - I always wear a jacket and the locals tease me for it cause they say it isn't cold yet. 

 Anyway sorry this letter is super long. There's just so many crazy things to talk about I wanted to try to include them all, but there's not room for that. 

I hope all of you have a great week!! Keep Striving!! 

Elder Rogers

This super old squash that's been in the apartment forever (at least 4 months).  Someone drew a face on it, and we don't want to eat it, so I've been hiding it in random spots in the apartment each day. 

   

The open sign in our window we put up on Halloween to try and get kids to come trick or treating for candy and pamphlets at our apartment - nobody came :(

The view of the Ohio River from the levee about 200 meters from our apartment

Leaves out here are HUGE!

Us downtown on the selfie machine. Elder Robinson is the one making the face and Elder Leavitt is in front of me.

Elder Leavitt with hot chocolates from some place the sisters recommended and me being happy cause I didn't waste $4 on it