Week 33: Well, Toto.....I'm Not in Lansing Anymore!

Hey Family and Friends! :D

I MADE IT TO GRAND RAPIDS SAFE AND SOUND! AND I GOT MY BABY! I LOVE HER AND I LOVE IT HERE!!!!<3 I do miss and love Lansing, and I always will! But the green here.....like wowza! It is wayyyyy more than in Lansing! It is so beautiful! Me and my baby are in awe and sometimes just sit in silence as we are driving to take it all in! Bahahaha! Our area is HUGE! I went from one of the smallest areas in the mission, to one of the largest areas in the mission! We have part of Grand Rapids, Kentwood (where we live), Ada, Lowell, Cascade, and Rockford in our area! HOLY HUGE!

My baby's name is Sister Gardner. She is from West Jordan, Utah and she's the cutest! She definitely has greenie fire and is ready to work hard! She is STELLAR! So obedient, so loving, so caring, funny, and she has never had sisters so she loves all the weird stuff I do (a.k.a. coming and sitting on her bed/on her......good times Meg and Ez.......hahaha)! We are super close already and I am learning a ton from her!<3

And this ward! Oh my goodness! Talk about loving to do missionary work! They are on fire! They are PUMPED to have sisters since it has been over a year! The elders were in shock how many people were coming up to us, hugging us, and telling us to call them if we need anything! And we get fed literally all the time! We have had dinner appointments since we got here! Even on Thursday night! And this whole week is full! I better be careful or I will come home looking like an ompa-lompa (or however you spell it)! Ha!

And our district is only the 4 of us! So small! But it is cool because I go home with our district leader, Elder Thompson! He is from Gilbert, AZ! Like we literally used to live so close to each other! We totally probably were at the same stoplight one day and didn't even know it! Haha! Craziness! And Elder Laaksonen came out with me and is the child of Elder Hoover in my old district! Small world! Our district is little, but fun!:)

Being in Grand Rapids has just been a testimony to me of how much I have come to know and love my Heavenly Father, as well as how much he knows and loves me. He knows who needs to be in our lives and who we need to touch. We have already seen miracles in this area! We are picking up new potential investigators and everyone is in awe because this area is so hard. But I know and can testify that as we come to know our Father in Heaven and Savior and listen to them, that they will guide us to the elect who are waiting to hear this good news!

I love this gospel! I love Michigan! And I love you all! Have a STELLAR week!<3

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

Here's my new address!

3352 Pine Meadow Dr. Apt 202 Kentwood, MI 49512

Saying goodbye to Elder Cornelison before he takes off to Midland and I go to G-Rap! So sad! Excuse my squinty eyes! It was way bright! And funny side note: I have a handshake with all my district leaders and so me and Elder Cornelison's happened to be the ninja turtle handshake. Haha. 

Saying goodbye to one of my fav families in Lansing! I cried. It was so sad.;( I WILL come back and visit them.

Saying goodbye to the Stewart's.......Sister Stewart texted me after and said she was bawling and Brother Stewart's eyes got watery when they dropped us off and said bye. My heart aches......I have a lot of people to come back for.

Saying goodbye to Sister Trent! One of the hardest things ever! I feel like I was jipped because I only got to be with her for 6 weeks! But I love her so much! I love all my companions so much and she will be one I will be laughing with in the eternities for sure!<3

Sister Kelley was literally my momma in Meridian. I don't know what I would have done without her!

Saying bye to Morgan!;( I have known her all 8 months I have been out! She even gave me a gift before I left! Love her guts!<3

My adorable little baby!!!!<3

This was a member's property!:O Welcome to Grand Rapids (a.k.a. Ada) ......pictures can't even do it justice.

Week 32 and a half: GUESS WHO'S HAVING A CHILD?!

MEEEE! I AM GETTING TRANSFERRED TO GRAND RAPIDS AND I WILL BE WHITEWASH TRAINING!!! :D (Which means we are taking over an Elders' area.) I am so pumped! I stay here in Meridian until Thursday and that's when I get my greenie and will drive with her up to Grand Rapids! I am super sad to leave this area and zone. It has had my heart for the last 7 1/2 months. And me and Sister Trent are super bummed we only got to spend 6 weeks together but we decided we are too close already and that keeping us together would just be too much for this area!;) Haha! Jk! But I am ready for change. It has been one of the most exhausting transfers of my mission. One trial after another....sometimes they seem like they are never ending. But I love this gospel and I have come to find out that it's not the trials that make us stronger, but the coming closer to our Savior and Heavenly Father that makes us stronger. That's where the true strength and growth comes from. And for that I will be forever grateful.<3 Love you all! Have a stellar week! And I will talk to you all again on the 25th!:)

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

Going to miss my fam!;(

Zone P-day: Capture the Flag Water Balloon Style....I think yes!;)

Thought this was a pretty funny pic! Hahahaha!

Week 32: Transfers are coming......*gulp*......

Hey Family and Friends!:D

I hope you all had a stellar week! Me and Sister Trent are flu-free which is awesome! 4 days locked up in a missionary apartment is torture. I think I slept more those 4 days than my whole mission.;) Always nice to catch up on some sleep, but never fun to be sick. 

We also had zone conference this last week which was awesome!:D  I have so much love for President and Sister Jacobsen and it just grows every day. The 10 sisters in our zone had to sing in front of all the rest of the elders in our zone! Bahahaha! But it sounded really good! I am proud of us! :) 

There was also a crazy storm this week too! East Lansing got hit hard with 65 mile per hour wind. Trees were knocked down, leaves everywhere, power shut off in a TON of people's' homes. It was crazy. Luckily, Okemos was safe so we were all good. :) 

I honestly love this area and the members in our ward. They help us so much, feed us a ton (the other day members took us to Red Robin....I haven't been there in ages!!!!!), give us rides, come to lessons with us. And I am terrified I am going to get transferred. I spent 2 1/2 transfers in Lansing and now 2 1/2 transfers in Meridian, and by way President sounded in his email to me, I may be outta here on Monday.:( We get transfer calls on Friday....I guess I will just have to wait and see! Luckily, the Lord knows best! Right?!

And this area is still doing great! We are just working on getting our gators to church! That seems to be the struggle! But it was cool because we had a lesson with Ron and he said, "I went to drink tea, and then I knocked it all down the drain on accident and that was the last of it! I think it was a sign from Heavenly Father." Hahaha! We were so grateful he noticed that! And then Paul's doing really good! We are just trying to see if he can get to church in Grand Rapids since he goes there every Sunday. And then we are teaching Crystal and she is doing good! Church, church, church! That's what we are praying for! Keep my lovely siblings in your prayers please! And pray they will have a willing and open heart to come to church!

And maybe even pray Sister Rogers will stay in Meridian.....;) 

Love you all and I hope you have a stellar week!<3 I will talk to you on Saturday again this week! Good ol' 2 P-day weeks!;) Haha!

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

This is Isaiah! He is 6 and is the youngest out of 5!;) He kept asking to take a picture with us. And he runs up and gives us hugs every time we see him. (Excuse our crazy hair. We had walked 5 miles straight that day to get to the Elders area from ours and it was humid and stormy. That was the day of the storm so we got rained on a little. Haha.)

So we are teaching this less active family in our ward named the Edwards and helping them get to the temple to get sealed! WE ADORE THEM! They have been coming back to church with us and they are from AZ! Well...they lived there for a while. Brother Edwards is originally from Jamaica and makes us the best food ever! This is curry! Mmmmmmm.......When we asked what days work best for us to come back they said, "Just put us down for every Friday and bring an appetite when you come!" I just love them.

Week 31: Flus, Fireworks, and Family!!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!<3

I hope you all had a stellar fourth of July! I turned 7 months on Saturday!!!! CRAZY! AHHH! And to celebrate me and my wonderful companion got to spend 48 straight hours in our apartment due to me getting the flu. Man. There is nothing worse than the flu, being stuck in your apartment, and being a missionary at the same time. You literally go stir crazy! Hahahaha! I think we watched every church movie known to man. And then some. Haha! But luckily we have a great ward and awesome elders in our ward. We got a lot of texts, calls, and food.:) Haha! Love Meridian ward!

But Heavenly Father blessed me and I got better just in time for a STELLAR fourth of July! :) I got to go out to lunch with my district fam at Chili's, went and played a ton of games, hung out with some members, went to Bishop's house for dinner, and then got to go to the mission home! President and Sister Jacobsen invited the 2 districts here in the area to go! So there was 18 missionaries altogether! 10 elders and 8 sisters! IT WAS A BLAST! We had a BBQ, played games, watched fireworks (and you would never guess my mission president is 71, the oldest mission president in the world....he runs like he's in his 20's.....bahahaha!), and just seriously loved my mission and mission family even more. I feel like I have been a missionary forever. I never want it to end. <3

I love serving the Lord and my Heavenly Father and feeling closer to them. Each and every day I see their hand in mine and so many other people's lives! It shows me how much he loves me and all my siblings. I am so grateful for the atonement that my older brother sacrificed for me. He has made my life worth living. And I hope you all can continue to do the same!

Have a STELLAR week!<3

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

This is a beautiful picture of Michigan earlier this week. you. are. welcome. :)

I seriously ADORE my gorgeous Sister Trent!<3 (We even accidentally matched. Comp unity at its finest!) 

All the sisters and an investigator at the mission home!<3 Love these sisters!

So we may have used sparklers.....hahahaha! With permission of course!;)

Me with my adorable, old comp, Sister Child! Love her!<3