Zone Conference

These photos are of some of the missionaries in the office when we took
the missionaries going home to the airport

May 16, 2015

This week we had zone conference and it was a really great experience.  The president and the assistants talked a lot about consecration—how we need to always be worthy to serve the Lord and how we need to be worthy to be able to do that. Also consecration has a lot to do what our desires are, not what are actions are.  We have to do stuff that is good because we want to do it, not because we need to do it.  There was also a talk about faith and how with our investigators (or anybody that we are teaching), we need to have them answer their own doubts or questions. That really hit me because if we just give the easy answer to their questions, they don´t really understand why and they don´t think about it as much. 

The last thing talked about was working with members.  Well in our mission in the past we haven´t worked with members as best as we could have, but now we are changing that. We are learning how to work with members and helping them preach the gospel to their friends. 

Hope you have a great week

Elder Rogers 

Busy Changes Week

May 9, 2015

Hello everybody, how are you? Well I`m doing pretty well.  This week has been kind of crazy but now everything is all good. 

Well this week was changes and I`m staying with the same companion and changes week is pretty crazy because there is so much that we have to do, like pick up the new missionaries and take them a bunch of different places.  We also take the missionaries that go home to the airport. 

Well tomorrow is mother`s day, so that is pretty crazy.  It didn`t feel like that long ago that we skyped, but I guess the time just flies by sometimes. 

Well I don`t have a ton of time to write but hope you all have a great weekend.

Elder Rogers

Getting Ready for Changes

 

My zone here in Montevideo

May 2, 2015

Well this week kind of flew by.  Actually this whole change has flown by pretty quick, This week we have been working a lot of with houses.  With the changes coming up, we have to close a lot of houses and areas. This is because in our mission we are going to have less missionaries, so we have to work with the contracts and the owners of the homes.

I have learned a lot this change.  I look at the mission now in a different perspective than I did a couple of months ago. I don´t know, it is just different for me, not in a bad way though, just in a different way.  It is kind of difficult to explain it.  

But anyways, changes is next week and I already know that I´m staying here and I will also have the same companion. Because it is changes, there is a lot of stuff that we have to do, so our next week is going to be pretty crazy. 

Elder Rogers

My roommates




Me and my companion did a marathon (just kidding)

 

A Visit from Elder Oaks

April 25, 2015

This week we prepared a lot for the coming of Elder Oaks.  We had to figure out how the missionaries are going to come into the building and how they are going to leave and where to put the buses.  It is crazy because I never really thought about all of that kind of stuff before when we had conferences. 

This week was really awesome.  We had Elder Oaks come and visit our mission it was so cool. First at the beginning of the Conference he had all of the missionaries shake his hand and that was really awesome it was really different to be able to see an apostle up close. After that he had the mission presidents and their wives talk and also a member of the Seventy. Then after he gave his talk.  He talked a lot about obedience and about always being ready to serve the Lord.  He used an example of a pen:  a pen is ready to use at all times 24/7 but the pen cannot write by itself; somebody has to write with it. So we need to be instruments in the Lords hand and also be ready to do his work.

This week was a great week.  I learned a lot.  Here are some pictures on top of a big building. Well I hope you all have a great week.

Elder Rogers

  

“Meet the Mormons” and My Birthday Party

April 18, 2015

So the week was awesome especially because of the fact that I got to go back to my last area and show “Meet the Mormons” there in the church. So what happened was back when I was in Vergara, we planned to watch “Meet the Mormons” (the movie) in the church. But what happened was I left Vergara so I wasn't going to be able to go. But what happened is over there in Vergara they needed a projector so we had to drive it over there (and the drive was about 5 hours,) and I was able to go so we went last Saturday and we watched the movie there.  It was really awesome because I got to see all the members again. The movie was a success.  They had 4 investigators there and had a decent amount of members as well.

So my birthday was yesterday and it was awesome.  First we baked some awesome sugar cookies with peanut butter and chocolate on top.  Second we went to a baptism of the other elders and when we got home the elders that I live with me threw me a party.  It was so cool.  We ate pizza and cookies and I even got a sick tie. It was a really fun and I had a really great birthday here. 

I am so excited for next week because on Tuesday Elder Dallin H. Oaks is coming and giving a talk to our mission and also the other mission in Montevideo.  I get to help set it up and plan it, so I am very excited for that. 

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes and hope you all have a great day.

 Elder Rogers

 

Conference was Awesome!

A visit to Burger King

April 10, 2015

Well this week was really awesome.  First we had General Conference which was so good; there were so many great talks.  Some of my favorite ones where the talks from Elder Holland, Uchtdorf and Eyring of course.  They were all really great. 

The talk that Elder Uchtdorf gave about how a lot of times we think we are a lot better than we really are hit me because, especially on the mission, I think I am doing good, but I could do better.  So yeah, I really liked that talk.

This week has been pretty hectic because last week was Easter and here in Uruguay, Easter is when everybody takes their vacations, so basically everything was closed (like stores and banks).  This week we have a ton of stuff to do that we couldn't do the week before.  But now we are basically caught up so that is great.

Well hope you all have a great week!

Sincerely, 

Elder Rogers 

P.S. I now live in the city of Montevideo so we have like Burger King and stuff but it is a lot more expensive here than in the states.

 

Missionary Life Working in the Mission Office

April 3, 2015

            So the mission now for me is a little different how we work.  Instead of walking in the dirt streets, now I´m in Montevideo in a really nice area. I´m in the bigger part of the city and I´m only like 20 minutes or so from the temple. 

            My schedule has changed a little in the offices.  We work in the offices from 10 to about 4 or 5, then we come back at night at around 7 or 8 and work in the offices a little bit more. I really like it, but it is definitely different than what I am used to. Something also that has changed is the food because I´m in the city there are a lot of different places that we can go to like McDonalds, haha. But we usually don´t go because here the prices are really different and it is super expensive.

            Easter and General Conference are this week and I am super-excited to be able to watch General Conference.  There are going to be some awesome talks given and I don´t know what it is but Conference is so awesome as a missionary.  Of course it is really great watching it and not being a missionary, but I don´t know what it is but it is different.  Also, if you guys haven´t seen the Easter video that the church made this year you need to see it.  It is amazing.

            Have a great Conference!!!!

Elder Rogers