It Started Raining Gumballs

Howdy, 

I hope everyone had a great week. It was a pretty good week here in the mission office. I'm looking forward to the beginning of the month because I will have a lot of work to do with receipts and mile logs and things. One sadly exciting thing that happened this week in the office is that one of the cars got broken into, and the gas card got stolen. I had to scramble to shut off the card and make sure they couldn't use it to get money. On the teaching side of things, we are really excited about our friend Alissa. We have been teaching her for a couple weeks now, and we are hoping to put her on date at some point this week! 

I usually talk while I'm sleeping, and this week Elder Parry caught me. Apparently, I was in the process of chewing out some Elders for misbehaving - it went something like this. "How do you lose a Tiwi?!?" *pause* "It is literally stuck to the wall!" *pause* "Ugh, you idiot!" I guess I'm a true vehicle coordinator now because I dream about Elders ripping out and losing their driving safety machines. 

This week while studying in the Book of Mormon I came across a scripture that I never noticed before, but I really liked it. In Ether 2 the Brother of Jared is preparing to cross the ocean. Verse 16 says "And the Lord said: Go to work". It was after the call to go to work that the Lord provided all of the instructions for how to build the barges. Sometimes we worry so much about every detail that we miss the big picture and delay our progress. As Ty Davis once said, "God can't direct a parked car." It is important to put our doubts and fears behind us, and walk forward in faith, trusting that God will prepare a way for us to get where we need to go. 

The downer news of this week was that I had a seizure. This is my second since coming to Ohio, and my fourth since starting on my mission. I have been doing pretty well, my biggest worry is that I was told if I had another one, I may be forcibly sent home. Please pray that I will remember to take my medicine and that I'll be able to stay seizure-free so I can stay on my mission. 

Stay safe out there, and Happy Halloween!

Keep Striving

Elder Rogers

New PJs from Debbie

Cravings box from Taco Bell

Flex Tape

The Only Problem Is, I Can't Remember What I've Forgotten

 Howdy,

This week was pretty cool. Everyone in the office always told me fables that after about two or three weeks, I would walk into the office and have no idea what I should be doing. It's like an "I know I should be doing something, I just don't know what it is" kind of feeling. I was trying hard to make sure that wouldn't happen to me, but this week it happened. I walked into the office and worked for five minutes, and then I stared at my computer and thought oh no - I have nothing to do. I couldn't remember for the life of me what I needed to be doing. The cool thing is that we got a bunch of new computers this week, and so I was able to help everyone else in the office set up their computers while I didn't know what to do. That had me occupied for about two days, and by then I was able to remember all of the things that I should be doing. The new computers are really nice, and so that has been fun.

Every day at 12:00 Elder Ockerman goes to the kitchen and makes half of a sausage and a can of seasoned black beans for lunch. This lunch might not sound like much, but it always smells so good, and the aromas continually torture Elder Parry and me. That is until last Saturday when we bought ourselves our own sausage with seasoned black beans, which we used to make our own lunch. It was pretty good, and Elder Ockerman got a kick out of it because we were copying his lunch.

On Tuesday we knocked on a nice ladies' house. We talked to her for a while, and we asked for her phone number. She gave it to us, but she accidentally read it wrong. Elder Parry sent a text to the number she gave us while we were standing there, which is how we realized she gave us the wrong one, and then we were able to get the right one. Fast forward one day to Wednesday, and we get a call from the number that Elder Parry had texted. Turns out, out of the one billion phone numbers there are, this guy was a member who hadn't been to church in a while, but wanted to come back. While talking to him, we found out that the guy that had fellowshipped and baptized this less active member had moved back to Utah into Elder Parry's home stake in Morgan, Utah, and became the stake patriarch. Once Elder Parry got his mission call to Cincinnati, he started talking to the patriarch a lot more, and they became friends. This meant that Elder Parry had an instant connection with this guy who wanted to come back to church. We're very excited to see what the future will bring for our new friend. 

This week I read a lot about Moroni in the Book of Mormon, and I was struck with how the Book of Mormon really is written for our day. Many of our friends that we teach, and people all over the world, struggle with being lonely, stressed, or depressed. I think it is amazing that Moroni is the one to write to us. He was lonely, sad, and constantly under stress. His life was perfectly molded to be able to help our day. We can always find peace knowing that God hears our prayers, and will remember our covenants. If we keep our part of the covenants and reach out to God, he will always be there for us. 

Keep Striving Everyone,

Elder Rogers

Teaching our friend Ronnie by the Ohio River

Sausage and beans

Elder Ockerman's Facebook post about us

Ok Boomer with Elder Parry

 Ok Boomer

 Cooking the pancakes the way pancakes were meant to be cooked

 Cool Skyline sign 

I found a baby snail

Yeah A Hoagie

Howdy,

President McGuire has been interviewing all of the new missionaries in person at the office so that they can meet him in person and kind of get a sense of normalcy. This is nice and all except we spend more time in the office than our apartment, and it feels a little bit like our workspace has been crammed with invaders. It has been fun to talk to all of the new missionaries though and try to help them feel welcome. Last night Elder Parry and I left before interviews were over so we could go to a lesson, but this morning when we walked into the office there was no internet connection and our office phones were broken, so that was a little weird. Luckily we were able to get them working again soon so it was ok. This week's main focus was trying to get everything ready for zone conferences, and making sure that went smoothly for everyone. I was in charge of car inspections, and Elder Parry was in charge of getting the food and giving everyone commissary or mail that had been delivered to the mission office. My skills at pouring fluids into cars without a funnel have improved significantly since I got here. We got an order of copies of the Book of Mormon, Bibles, and pamphlets, and other things that had to be carried into the office on a pallet, so that was cool. It was worth over $8,000, which is crazy. The coolest part is that we are going to give it all away and change people's lives with it.  We also tried Richie's chicken. It is a super ghetto restaurant (we went to the least ghetto one), but it's supposed to be home to the best potato wedges in Cincinnati. I can get behind that. They live up to the hype. While eating Richie's Elder Parry and I came to the conclusion that Ketchup is in fact just a mild hot sauce. We have been blessed to go out and do more teaching and street contacting. We've been averaging two or three lessons a day, and we have six set up for tomorrow, so that's pretty exciting. I am grateful that we can still go out and teach people, even while I'm serving in the office. For the past three days Elder Parry has eaten nothing but chicken strips and pop tarts. Basically, nothing too crazy happened this week.

I was reading about the life of Gordon B. Hinkley, and talking with President and Sister McGuire, and I was amazed at how they received unexpected phone calls from the prophet asking them to do things. It made me think about how we can all receive unexpected calls from the Lord, and how we always need to be ready and worthy to fulfill the Lord's calls. I also gained new insight as I read in Mormon 2 that we can't always control our circumstances, but we can always control our reactions and our behavior. When we choose to focus on the Savior and tune out the outside noise, we are able to fulfill the calling that God has or will give to us. I'm grateful for a God that hears and answers our prayers and guides us so that we can serve those around us, and so that we can know what He wants us to do. We don't have to live in darkness or confusion, we just have to accept the brightness of the knowledge God wants to give us. He is the most powerful man in the universe - even more than Chuck Norris and He-Man combined. 

Keep Striving, 

Elder Rogers

$8,000 worth of commissary (40 boxes - the pictures don't do it justice)

Cincinnati tri-zone conference (I'm on the far left first row of Elders third in)

The Richie's sign 

Wazowski You Didn't File Your Paperwork Last Night

 Howdy,

General Conference last weekend was absolutely fantastic! Some of my favorite talks were by D Todd Christofferson and President Nelson, and I was super excited that Brad Wilcox spoke. It really was just a great conference, and I'm so excited to continue reviewing them. We really tried to get ourselves out of the office this week to go find people to teach, which has been really fun. Western Hills is a great area to be in. I've been able to use my Spanish a couple of times to street contact people which has been really fun. It's amazing to see how God will work through me to help bring the message of the gospel to His children in Spanish. While street contacting or talking to people on the phone in Spanish, words just seem to flow out, and I'm able to understand what people are trying to tell me. When I'm talking to other missionaries or tyring to listen to things in Spanish by myself I can't understand nearly as well. I know God is helping me so that I can help others to find the restored gospel. Street contacting in English is also very enjoyable. You never know who you'll run into on the streets. We met a crazy dude named LeRoy who makes a living by driving around and outsmarting casinos. He says he wants to find a way to copyright the way he can figure everything out using math. He says if he can do this, he would put an end to all police and investigation agencies because he would use math to solve all crimes and other world issues. 

Serving in the office is also fun. I've been balancing the books with all of the receipts from getting gas and other vehicle-related expenses through the month. I think it's pretty cool. We also get to see a lot of the funny things of the mission. I think the funniest thing we were asked this week was that someone wanted to know why their sim card wasn't working in their phone. Upon further inspection, we discovered that they hadn't yet put the sim card in the phone, which was why it wasn't working. We also pick up all the lunches for the mission meetings. We had to pick up 90 box combos from Canes for new missionary training. It completely filled the bed of the truck, and we had some in the back seat as well. As we were driving out of the Cane's parking lot I saw my friend Jim Wayne spraying bug repellant on the grass. Elder Brinton and I found Jim while I was serving in Liberty by calling all of the numbers in the old paper area book, and we became pretty tight while I was there. Even though we were in a hurry, and in the middle of the street, I put that truck in park and yelled for him and ran over. I gave him a handshake and a big hug. We didn't talk long, but it was so good to see him. My heart was so happy when he told me he was still meeting with the missionaries and was planning on seeing them the next day. Seeing him, and learning that he is still progressing and doing well was probably the highlight of my week. It is amazing to see how the efforts we put in can start a chain of events that lead to big changes in the lives of others. 

We once again made many trips to the airport. We woke up at 4:30 on Wednesday to take the departing missionaries there, and we might have to wake up at 3:30 on Tuesday as well. The most exciting trip to the airport this week happened yesterday when we picked up President and Sister McGuire, our new mission president, and his wife. They will be introduced to the mission tomorrow evening in a zoom meeting, and then President and Sister Ensign will be officially released. I miss the Ensigns, but I'm very excited to work with the McGuire's, they seem so great! I was busy this week making sure that their new car was all clean and pretty, and I drove them back from the airport in the mission van, which was a little nerve-wracking, but it was good to be able to talk to them and get to know them, they really are so amazing!  I was struck this week about how everything has seemed to be reeling since I was asked to come to the office, and President Ensign had to go home, it almost seemed like everything was chaotic, a reaction to unforeseen events. As things have progressed it has become more and more clear to me, that God knows exactly what is going on, and has prepared us for what is coming. We are in the places we need to be so that we can do what He needs us to do. I know God lives, and that He has a perfect plan for each of us. 

Keep Striving!

Elder Rogers

Nehemiah 6:1-4 

90 Box combos

We tried to make cookies but got distracted and burned them

Elder Parry and I

Picking up President and Sister McGuire

Queen City Running

Us in the rain

 District activity playing Ultimate Frisbee on the UC field

First woolly worm I've found - it's all black so bring out your coats

Sloth

This Here's The Wildest Ride In The Wilderness

 Howdy,

Serving in the office never seems to have a dull moment. Transfers were last Monday, and it was fun to get everything ready and to pick up the new missionaries. That also meant Elder Judd left. We dropped him off with the AP's at 6:00, and then they took him to the airport. On Friday we had to get up at 5:00 to take Elder Grover to the airport. We make a lot of trips to the airport here. Transfers happened to come in at the end of the month, which is also a busy time in the office, so we have been very busy trying to get everything done so that the mission can still function. We do our best to make sure we can leave the office by 5 or 6 so that we can have the prime time to go proselyte which has been fun. I really enjoy it when we go out and teach people.

I don't know why,  but Elder Ockerman (the senior missionary that I sit right next to in the office) is convinced that I have a fetish for cherry fritters and buys one for Elder Parry and me almost daily. He is so nice, and we can't bring ourselves to tell him we don't actually want them, and so we've come up with clever ways to give them away. I've been able to run most mornings which has been great. On Tuesday I went on a run with Elder Parry (not my companion, a different Elder Parry who is staying with the APs) and that was fun. He wanted to go 3 or maybe 4, but because of a road closure, the loop we made ended up being 6. I thought it was great - Elder Parry didn't complain too much. 

We have also been having some fun with the APs. Apparently, Elder Judd and Elder Parry Axe bombed them before I got here, and it has started somewhat of a war. We both barricade our doors at night to keep them from getting in, but they still got in somehow. They Axe bombed our apartment with Febreze and so we retaliated by hiding a ton of spare little trees air fresheners we didn't like in their truck. Little do they know we have acquired a spare key to their apartment...

Conference has been fantastic! It is such a blessing to have prophets and apostles on the earth and to be able to hear their council. Hearing Brad Wilcox in conference was also a major highlight. I'm excited to study and review all of these great talks! The Savior lives, and He leads and directs this church.

Keep Striving 

Elder Rogers 

After 6 miles with Elder Parry (the one staying with the APs)

Elder Parry and I bye to Elder Judd

Bye to Elder Judd

Takin' On The Jellies

Howdy

My first full week in the office was an adventure. Normally mission life is pretty set out with an occasional anomaly in there, but in the office, it seems that all we do is help people with their anomalies, and so we are all over the place. It's been fun, and really crazy, especially with the Ensign's leaving. They ended up flying out on a private jet, and so it was fun to drop them off. We just drove right on the tarmac and we got to walk around in the private jet. It was REALLY nice. We are also trying to get everything ready for transfers coming up. With the Ensigns gone we have got the job to assemble bedding kits for the incoming missionaries. It's fun, but we look like the people in math problems because we're walking around Walmart with three carts and 27 pillows. After we got it all it started raining, and so we couldn't put the stuff in the bed of the truck, and so we had to shove it all in the back seat. Turns out 27 pillows take up a lot of room.

On Thursday we took Elder Jones to the airport so that he could go to his original assignment in Brazil. We had been really busy and didn't check to make sure he had all of the papers that he needed, so when we showed up at the airport, he didn't have them. Thankfully, a lady at the desk let us use her computer so that he could fill out and print a health form. By the time he was done, he was supposed to be boarding. I didn't think he would make it through, but he made it through security in 5 minutes. When we saw him get through security we saw that he could make it and so we started freaking out and motioning for him to run fast and so he started booking it down the hall with his suit coat halfway on. The security people got a laugh looking at the situation. 

My companions are Elder Judd and Elder Parry. Elder Judd is the previous Vehicle coordinator that is training me. He goes home on Wednesday. He's from Arkansas and is a cowboy which is really fun. He likes belt buckles, country music, wrestling, and poking people. Elder Parry is the secretary. He has been in the office for 2 transfers now. I served with him for 3 transfers up in Liberty when he was the zone leader and in my district. He is really funny, works hard and likes eating good food. I'm excited to be his companion.

God puts us in the places we need to go, even if we don't expect it, He has a perfect plan for all of us!

Keep Striving!

Elder Rogers

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel

Mr. Redlegs statue outside Cincinnati Red's Stadium

Saying bye to President and Sister Ensign in front of the private jet

Elder Judd in the back of the truck with 27 pillows

My new district

Remember All The People You Used To Be

 Howdy,

Yes it's me, yes it's Saturday, and no I haven't gone apostate. This has been the craziest week of my mission so far. It really started out as a pretty normal week.  We went and explored downtown on Monday and had a great P day, but then Tuesday came around. On Tuesday afternoon Elder Brock and I got a call from President Ensign, and he asked to speak with me alone. That is never a good sign... He told me that he was there with Sister Ensign and he asked me if I would be willing to be transferred a week early so that I could come to the mission office and serve as the new vehicle coordinator since Elder Judd will be finishing his mission. Well, I agreed and so I got all packed up and said goodbye to Norwood yesterday morning. One of the oddities of serving in the mission office is that our P - day is on Saturday so that we can have a more typical "office schedule", although from what I've been told we kind of don't really ever have a full P-day it's kind of just busy all the time, and you do what you can when you have time. It was really hard to leave Norwood. Saying bye to my friends I had worked so hard with made me really sad and saying bye to Elder Brock was hard as well. I'm not sure how I feel about being the new vehicle coordinator. Serving in the office is definitely not something I would have signed up for, but it's where I'm at so I will do my best. I will miss being able to proselyte all day every day, but I guess it will be an incentive to use three hours or so that we do have every day even better.

Now, all that was a little crazy, but I've been ET'd before, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. The real crazy factor came Tuesday night around 9:45 when we got a message from the zone leaders saying that we would be having a mission-wide zoom call the next morning at 10:30 and that attendance was mandatory. This was a little weird because it had never happened before, so Elder Brock and I were a little nervous, especially since we were already a little on edge from the phone call I had received earlier that day. Turns out the surprise mission devotional was terrible. They told us that President Ensign had been diagnosed with severe esophageal cancer, and would have to return home on Tuesday the 21st. We had an emergency zone conference yesterday so that they could leave us with their departing testimonies and say goodbye. If I said I didn't cry at that meeting then I would be lying. Since I'm in the office I see them a lot more now and will be driving them to the airport, but it is still really hard. I love them both, and I will really miss them. President Ensign will be in Salt Lake receiving treatment, but won't be released until a new mission president gets here. One of the counselors in the mission presidency will serve as President Ensign's representative here in Ohio. 

It was a crazy and heart-destroying week, but I know God has a plan for each of us, and I know that He is in control. I know everything will work out the way it needs to because of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for His sacrifice for me, and for everyone. 

Keep Striving,

Elder Rogers

Funhouse mirror

Bye to Sister Piphus

Bye to Ben

Bye to Kiara, Rosie, and Froy

Hump day picture

TQL staduim - where FC Cincinnati plays

Last track day in Norwood

Sing the Queen City sign (I am in the C)

Bengals Stadium gift shop

Goodbye President and Sister Ensign

Goodbye Elder Brock

Flying Pig