Oh my goosness!!! I asked Virginie if she would be baptized our last lesson and GUESS WHAT SHE SAID?! "ABSOLUTELY!!!" I ABOUT CRIED, SCREAMED, LAUGHED, JUMPED UP AND DOWN, PEED MY PANTS, I WAS ON CLOUD 9! President Jacobsen came to our district meeting on Wednesday (no pressure....ha!) and made me promise I would put her on date. So I promised and man that was on my mind almost the whole lesson. It was seriously making my heart beat so fast because when I say yes to a promise, I keep it! So I just trusted the Lord, the Spirit was there and strong, and I asked. It was amazing. I will never forget that moment, especially because it was my first, official baptism invitation on my mission. Sister Jacobsen even came to the lesson (her & President are in our ward) because she LOVES Virginie and had a cool Mormon message video to show her. Anyways, she set the date for April 6th (her birthday, Christ's birthday, and the restoration of the church day), so that is pretty special! Me and Sister Nelson are hoping she will move it up seeing as she is progressing so well. She comes to church and I just love her! I want to go to France and stay with her someday!<3
Here are dad's questions for the week (he felt left out and wanted a turn....hahaha!;))
1.) What do you do, or what are the rules, when the temp drops below a certain degree and you don't have a car or you can't go outside?
We are usually always in our apartments by 6 pm. We don't go finding after that time. It's too dark and cold. Plus, it's just not safe. But if we have lessons or member dinners/appointments we usually just get a ride from members. They are pretty awesome about it. Or we pray and walk. (Haha. If you want me to be totally honest.) There are streets that I have walked here that if I weren't a missionary, I would probably be scared out of my mind. But I have always felt safe and protected. And honestly, that doesn't happen often. So no worries, Daddio!
2.) How big are your ward boundaries? How do they compare with the ones at home?
The wards and stake areas are bigger/further apart here than AZ for sure. But that's just the Midwest for you. Our area is East Lansing though and it is probably only a couple square miles wide. The zone leaders in our ward take the rest of Lansing and those two areas make up our ward.
3.) When are your zone conferences and have you had one yet?
My first one is this Thursday!:) I am excited! Sister Nelson says it is her first one too which is weird because she has been out for 4 months.
4.) What have been your biggest successes this week? Your challenges?
Virginie is a HUGE success and then this other investigator named Steven. He is solid! He is in his late 30's, he's Latino, and lives alone with his dog Chewey (yes, that's from Star Wars and yes he looks like Chubaca...haha!) Steven reminds me and Sister Nelson of George Lopez. Personality and all! But he was telling us he has a couple members of his family who are LDS and he is really interested! He had so many questions about the restoration and Book of Mormon and he was totally eating all of our words up. The Spirit was really strong. I even started crying because he was telling us how lonely he gets. He sometimes just turns on the TV to have background noise. It broke my heart. So I cried as I was testifying that he has a loving Heavenly Father who is there for him and a new ward family now too. He was so excited and sweet and his story is just amazing! I wish I had more time to tell you more! He couldn't come to church yesterday because of family commitments, but he is coming next week! And we have two more lessons with him this week! I just love, Steven. He is a special man and his spirit is strong. He even told us he would be baptized if he came to know for himself that these things are true. So cool!
My challenges are I think I am getting sick.....not fun! I thought I was off the hook, but nope! Just taking a lot of Emergen-C and I get to take a long nap later today which I am stoked about!:) I really am fine! Just tired and have a cough and gross nose! That's what Michigan winters do to you!
5.) Are you gaining more confidence in teaching and sharing?
Yes! More each and every day! Because the Spirit does the teaching if you testify and do your part as a missionary! I have learned that a lot on my mission!:)
6.) If you could give any hints to the ward members for missionary service, what would it be?
Offer to serve your missionaries. Give them rides, invite them over for dinner, give them referrals, go to lessons with them. They are working so hard and you will be blessed if you serve the Lord's servants. And the missionaries will appreciate it beyond belief! You best believe that is what I will be doing when I get home!;)
7.) Now that you're in the field, what advice would you give your friends to better prepare for their missions?
Read the Book of Mormon every day, pray, go out with the missionaries, do EVERYTHING you can do to build your testimony of Jesus Christ. Because missions aren't easy, and if you can learn to rely on your Savior and his atonement, it is so much easier to get through the hard times. And so much more fun when you have good times because you know it is because of Jesus Christ!:)
8.) Who can we pray for?
Virginie and Steven please! That they will keep progressing and building their testimony of Jesus Christ! And then the Venagus family. They are the sweetest Latino family! They invite us to dinner and we are actually teaching them tonight. It is just hard because they have some rough family situations. They are struggling with building a strong foundation of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. So that would be awesome if you could keep them all in your prayers!
9.) Ponderize scripture?
Mosiah 5:8! I have thought a lot about baptism this week since we have invited our investigators to be baptized and how it is our first promise that we make with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Reflect on your baptismal covenants and what they mean to you! You promised the Lord 3 things and he promised you 3 things in return! Do you remember? If not, I challenge you to study that this week and how you can remember your promises that you made at baptism as you go throughout day to day life! It has meant so much more to me this week and on my mission to know that because I am baptized I am one step closer to living with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ someday.
I love you all! Thanks for everything you do! The letters, packages, emails, prayers, support, etc! I hope you have a warm week (because we all know that's not happening here! Haha!) Send me some warmth! Love you more than you know!
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Remember the church is true and I love you!
<3Sister Rogers<3
Michigan Lansing Mission
This is Nightmare. He's my friend. He is black and orange. And he made me happy on a rough finding day.:) (The pic looks like I am sweating but I am not. Bad quality! Sorry! Haha!)
This is what we have had the WONDERFUL blessing to walk in on a daily basis.(Catch my sarcasm?!;) The snow finally hit Michigan hard on Saturday night. It really is pretty! But a pain!
Super blurry! But it was freezing! And I didn't take that many pictures this week because we were so busy! Sorry! This is the last one!
