November 24, 2008

So, I am guessing that you figured out my address because I got a letter from Mom and Shannon on Friday or Saturday...
For those of you who didn't get it, my new address is
1000 Broward Rd. #519
Jacksonville Fl, 32218

So send me lots of letters... :)

I don't know why it is so hard for me to get a hold of Jake, Jared and Chantry. I figured one of my friends would have sent me their addresses when I asked for them the first time... I got a letter from Jake a long time ago and replied to it ..but never got anything back. So I think he must have gotten transferred before he got it...

Anyways, in our District meeting last week we learned that the Florida Jacksonville mission has just become #1 in the entire world for increase in baptism percentage. It is doing so good here it's amazing... we were supposed to have a baptism for two twins who are 9 years old last weekend. Their mom just got baptized but one of the twins is scared of the water, so I am going to give them a swim lesson in the baptismal font on Wednesday night to get her over that fear.. so we can baptize them together on Saturday... we are also baptizing a man named Danny Miller. His wife grew up in the church but fell away and she just wanted to start coming back. We talked to Danny and he had already read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it... and he learned that it was true. And that because it was true Jesus Christ's church was restored. It was pretty sweet, so we just started teaching him. We also found a girl named Lashanda who's husband is in the war. She has two kids: one 9, and one 6. We gave the six year old a blessing yesterday after a lesson, and we committed Lashanda to be baptized on December 6th. We are going to commit her daughter tonight as well...

On Thanksgiving we are going over to a part members for lunch and then over to Danny Millers for dinner and watch The Testaments... they are so sweet and Sister Miller is a really good cook...

The other day we had to take the car in to get the brakes fixed and it took them 4 and a half hours to do it . It was the biggest waste of a day, because right afterward the Ward had a party that we were supposed to be there for, so we didn't get to teach or see anybody. It was ridiculous!

Anyways we got to go shopping and I have no food at the apartment so I am excited to get some food.

Received Friday, November 21st:

So, I totally forgot to tell you... cuz I had so much to talk about, but when I was in St. Augustine I left my scriptures on top of the car and we drove off. We later went back to find them but it was too late and we don't know where we were when they fell...
I was devastated. It was one of the hardest things for me to realize on my mission so far.... but all I can hope for is that somebody will find them and read them.

So, I lost a scripture case, scriptures, my patriarchal blessing, and the hymn book. That was all of the actually important things in the case. But Danny Miller who we met my first day here, is married to a member and he is really sweet. We have taught him the restoration, the plan of salvation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ and he is getting baptized next Saturday on the 29th... anyways both him and his wife said that they were planning on buying me new scriptures for Christmas but now they want to just give them to me early. So we are going over there tomorrow and I am picking out a new quad...

I would like it if you could get another copy made of my patriarchal blessing, I was hoping that you could make it smaller and laminated so it could fit into my missionary hand book which is about the size of my pocket... so a wallet size around if that is at all possible if not that's not a problem.

Also I was hoping that you could get me a new scripture case for Christmas. I don't need a big one or anything like that and I don't know what color of scriptures I am getting yet.

Anyways right now we are at the library. Our car is getting the brakes fixed so I have to go cuz my time is almost up....
I love you and I'm sorry about losing my scriptures.

PICTURES!!!

Wow! We got pictures! Not sure what they are of, exactly, but here we go!

November 17, 2008

Last week on Monday we went over to the Martinez house (Junior's family) and they made me a special dinner because I was leaving. We gave them a Family Home Evening lesson. I think it was really good. I love them so much... Brother Martinez wants me to give him your phone number so they can stay in touch with me. I am thinking of having you forward all of my emails to them...

On Tuesday I had to say bye to Adrianna, the 80 year old Guatamalan lady I baptized... it wasn't easy. She started crying... but it's all for the best... I am so sad that I won't be in St. Augustine for Thanksgiving. Adrianna is going over to the Martinez for lunch... that would be so much fun.

On Wednesday the sisters told me that Melony (the sisters investigator that I baptized) was mad that I didn't tell her I was leaving, so I went with Brother Houseman to see her and say bye, then he took me to the Stephen's house and dropped me off. They had a party for me and some cup cakes that say "we will miss you" and they gave me some candy and a recipe for a pizza that Sister Stephens makes that I really liked.

So anyways, I am in Jacksonville... My area is Dunn Avenue: it goes from the St. Johns River by the airport all the way to Georgia so we are in a car... My new companion is Elder Augustin and he is the only black missionary here. He only has 6 weeks left and he is from Utah... he was serving in Dunn Ave. with Elder Ziegler as Zone Leaders and then Ziegler went home. They put me in as Senior Companion... I think its because President wants me to train soon, so he wants me to have some leadership opportunities.

The Dunn Ave. Ward is the worst ward I have ever seen. It is almost total inactivity. There are over 800 members and only about 70 come to church... there are a couple members that hold 3 or 4 callings because nobody else can handle them. When we went on Sunday all the classes were taught terribly... the teachers didn't know what they were talking about. And they kept getting off on tangents... But I am kind of excited to work in this ward, it will be a good experience. It's just hard coming from St. Augustine where the ward is incredible but it's all good...

We have done incredible since I got here though... A Black girl named Easter got baptized last week, and Elder Augustin and I committed her twin daughters to getting baptized which will be this Saturday. And we found a part member family that is just incredible... they are the Millers. Sister Miller has been inactive for about 20 years and she wants her husband to get baptised so we went over... taught him the first and he said he knew it was true because the spirit was sooo strong... and I commited him to be baptised on the 29th and he said yes... it was so sweet.

We also have an old lady named Donelle who is about 65 who knows it's true. We are just waiting on her to decide when she is going to get baptized... I think I am going to be in this area for a long time because there is a lot of work to do here!

There are four missionaries that live in our apartment... Me, Elder Augustin, Elder Trevon Alberson, and Elder Faysom (brand new). Yes: Elder Alberson has the same name as me. He is the first white person I have ever met with that name. He is really cool. He is the district leader... Elder Weston from the MTC is also in our district, but I probably won't see him outside of district meetings cuz he is really far away. But still I am pretty excited to serve near him. Anyways I'm now doing emails at the library and my time is almost up. I love you all. Here is my new address:

1000 Broward Rd. #519
> Jacksonville, Florida 32218

November 10, 2008

So I am getting transferred. I got the call Saturday night. It was pretty sad, I don't want to leave St. Augustine. I didn't notice until I found out I was leaving, but I love this place a lot. It's almost like leaving home again. But I know that it's not what I want that matters, but it's what the Lord wants.

So, I am not sure if the mission blog that I have been hearing about tells you where we are or our address but you should look that up that way you won't have to wait until next Monday to find out where I am...

Transfer meeting is on Thursday. An old couple in the church is taking me up to Jacksonville for it, I am the only one in my district getting transferred. Don Clark the first person we had baptised while i was here doesn't want me to go and his wife, Liz, actually started crying... they said they are going to take me out to dinner at a place of my choice on Tuesday night so I am pretty excited but I don't want to say bye to them... but it's only until they get sealed. President Newman said I could go to Orlando for their sealing.

Adrianna still doesn't know that I am leaving because she didn't come to church on Sunday so I will have to drop by and see her before I leave... and Junior got really mad when he found out and then his mom came up to me asking for President Newman's phone number so she could call and complain. I told her it won't work... we are going over to their house tonight for family home evening they want me to run it, it will be fun they are Hispanic and can cook very well so I am excited.

And last night when we got home we got a call from another missionary somewhere who was teaching a lady who moved down here and she is getting baptized on Tuesday... it was really shocking but it will be really sweet. I didn't know anything about it until last night.
And the Stephens who are one of my favorite families here are having us over at night on Wednesday and they have a surprise for me. I am excited just the same.
Anyways, I will be able to send you my address in my next email so don't send anything until then.... you can write me a letter and wait for the address and then quickly write it on the envelope and run it to the mailbox as soon as you get the email...
I love you all.
p.s. Tom, I did reply to Jake's letter I sent it the day after I got his... he probably got transferred before he could get it so you should tell him to call wherever he was at and get them to forward it to him now... and give him my new address when I give it to you next week.

November 3, 2008

Wow! Proposition 102 sounds pretty bad... the same thing is happening in Massachusetts and California that I know of... except they are called different propositions. But they will do the same thing. I got the ballot too late. I didn't have time to fill it out. Oh, well we tried. We will have to try for it next year.

Yesterday was probably the best Sunday I have ever had. The Spirit was so strong all day... I have been having a feeling that I am going to get transferred at the end of this transfer, so I bore my testimony in church and then we had Junior's baptism after church which was amazing! His Dad baptized him... it was really good. They took forever to get dressed after wards... I was pretty much in charge of the whole baptism. I was getting everything ready before and making sure everything goes well and Junior wanted me to confirm him which was really scary because I have never done it and neither have my companions so I asked Brother Collins how to do it, and he didn't give me a very good idea. So I just let the Spirit direct and it was so sweet! I don't even remember what I said, but I talked for like 5 minutes. And Junior was crying after wards and when I saw that I couldn't not cry... it was soo sweet!

Anyways, the alligator farm was even better this time because we could see the big crocodile... the one that I told you was like 17 feet long or something like that last time. He was hiding in a corner this time. He was right up against the glass and I was getting down to his level to take a picture with him and I was looking him in the eye and then he woke up... His eye opened and I
I almost wet my pants... it scared me pretty bad but it was really funny.
We also went to the lighthouse which was alright not that great though.
Ok so about my cd's... my i-pod still works fine BUT I can't listen to it in the car and that is the only time I listen to music so I need my cd's... just any of the cd's that are uplifting that is our only boundary. I especially want my EFY cd's...Disney cd's.. like Mulan, Tarzan, Hercules, Lion King, Aladdin, you know the good ones.
And I have decided on my favorite type of ties for my loving friends and family to purchase for me... I like the paisley design and I like Van Heusen brand... they are by far the best I have tried yet.
Anyways, I love you all and I made a tape for you Mom and I am sending it later this week with my memory card for my camera.
Love Elder Rogers

p.s. Transfer calls are on Saturday so I will be able to tell you in my next letter if I am leaving St. Augustine or not. I want to stay until after Christmas.