Week 47: The Best Birthday in the History of Birthdays.....HAPPY HALLOWEEN!:)

Dear Friends and Family,

🎃HAPPY HALLOWEEN!🎃

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all my lovely family and friends who sent me gifts, cards, prayers, and love yesterday. I definitely felt and loved it all. It was an amazing day. There is something special about being able to be a servant of Jesus Christ on your birthday. And your 20th birthday for that. Great start to a new decade of my life. :)

It was so cool to see how Heavenly Father was helping me have such a special day yesterday. We had stake conference this weekend and that was amazing! Elder Ketch, from the quorum of the seventy, came and he is hilarious. You can feel the spirit so strong as he teaches. I LOVE the Grand Rapids stake. I was literally in tears yesterday as Heavenly Father showed me how many people that I love and know in this stake. It was the best seeing my family from the Grand Rapids Ward as well as the Wyoming Ward and hearing them wish me "Happy Birthday's" and giving them all hugs. I even got to see my old ward mission leader and his wife from when I was serving in Meridian down in Lansing. That was such a tender mercy because I could give hugs and take pictures with them. I adored them and I only got to say good-bye through a teary sounding phone call a couple months ago, so it brought tears to my eyes when I saw them. Reason #5000 why I know Heavenly Father loves us and cares about the little things in our lives.

Sister Vera is just plain amazing. I don't know how I got blessed with such a great companion. Scratch that. Such great companions on my mission. She cooked me breakfast, made me a cake, took pictures & videos all day long and just made sure I was having a great day! I just love her and I was so thankful! We ate a yummy lunch and dinner at member's houses and came back at night and opened presents and ate cake! Sister Jacobsen even called me to wish me a Happy Birthday from her and President. Love them.<3

The work in Wyoming has been going slow but we are slowly moving up. I just keep looking up to my Savior, Jesus Christ. That was one thing that was emphasized by Stake President Smith this stake conference. As we "Look Up" to the Savior things always seem to work out. Take away the distractions and focus on the one that matters most. And give yourself credit for trying even though you may not always get things right the first time! Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, are patient with us, and are just waiting to pour out blessings on us. I have seen that to be true this week!<3

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

The time to look like a sausage has begun!

Got to do trade-offs with the Big Rapids sisters this week! So fun!:) Big Rapids and Sister Newby are a blast!:)

The Ludington Sisters got to spend the night for my birthday!!!.....Jk....it was for stake conference....but we can still pretend!;)

My daughter and granddaughter.....Sister Gardner and Sister McArthur. Sister Gardner made sure to wish me a "Happy Birthday" on Saturday night so she was the first one!;) Love her! Love them both!

One of my favorite's, The Bright's, from the Grand Rapids' Ward. Love them! They are family for sure!:)

Almost started crying when I saw the Robison's from Lansing. You can tell I was just a little happy!;)

Pretty leaves......pretty companion! I just love October in Michigan!:)

And that wraps up this week folks! #1-I am most likely driving you crazy with all my pictures....and #2-The rest are suppppeeerrr embarrasing!;) (A.K.A. Sister Rogers looking like a dork.) 

Week 46: Zone Conferences and Laughs:)

Hey Family and Friends!:)

So this week has been crazy busy! Same old missionary work with new Sister Training Leader responsibilities. Haha! I love Sister Vera A LOT! We were just talking the other day about how we didn't even have to adjust to be companions....it just happened. And usually by being with each other 24/7 you find at least one thing that bugs you about your comp! But me and Sister Vera are weirded out because we haven't found any. We didn't even have an awkward or hard adjusting period. It has been awesome. And the fact that we both think each other are the most hilarious being's ever makes for a pretty great time!:)

We had zone training on Wednesday this week and me and Sister Vera taught about how our purpose as missionaries, "Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.", goes hand in hand with Christ's (and Heavenly Father's) purpose, "To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) It went really well, but I was so glad when it was over! Teaching in front of 34 amazing missionaries is intimidating! The Grand Rapids Zone is on FIRE!!!:) Love this zone! (And the Lansing Zone of course, always will.)

Our area is going a little slow! We have like 2 investigators! One is on the struggle bus, but the other is progressing. Heather is in her 20's and is really just trying to know if the Book of Mormon is true. The hard part is she is really involved in the worship team at her church and it is at the same time as our ward. Pray for her to be able to come somehow! And also that we can find some new people that are ready to receive the restored gospel in their life!:) I know and have faith we will as we keep working hard and being obedient!

Oh! And cool story...me and Sister Vera were door knocking the other day and this lady was bashing us and the Book of Mormon hard core. While she was getting all riled up, we were just calm, loving, and boldly testified. Literally in front of our eyes her whole demeanor changed. We walked away with her still set in her ways, but she was laughing and smiling with Mormon missionaries, instead of yelling at us. She even trusted us enough to tell us about her family. It was such a cool experience!

Well, I love you all and hope you have a stellar week! Keep sharing the light of Christ with others! This world needs him!<3

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

My first fall has been breathtaking! It's like nature is celebrating my birthday!;)

THE ONE AND ONLY....GRAND RAPIDS ZONE!<3

A ton of us missionaries went and helped with an all day Family History Seminar for all the people in the Grand Rapids area! It was a blast!:)

Week 45: Clearly I Don't Know Sports.....or Much of Anything for that Matter;)

Hey Family and Friends!:)

So I kind of like....ADORE.....Sister Vera and Wyoming. Great companion, great area, great ward. I literally have nothing to complain about. It was hard leaving Sister Gardner and Grand Rapids, but I know I am right where I am suppose to be. :) But literally...NEVER a dull moment between me and Sister Vera. We are constantly laughing and smiling. It is great! :D

Funny story...so we were door knocking and this man in his 20's opens the door and he is interested so there is this long silence while Sister Vera is writing his name and number in her planner and so I break the silence and ask....."So, you are a dodgers fan?" (He is wearing a blue shirt with a white D on the front.) He replies, trying to hold in a laugh, "No. Tigers. Detroit tigers." I just respond, "Well...you can tell I am not a sports fan!" Bahahahaha! We were laughing so hard after he closed the door! In my defense, dodgers are white and blue! They are just blue on white, instead of white on blue! I love me some baseball. Really though.....haha!

We've been teaching a couple investigators and less actives and really trying to go through the area. I am trying to get to know everyone as well! This area is huge! Probably even a little bigger than my Grand Rapids area, which is crazy. We have 3 sets of missionaries in our ward and I think we are the only ward like that in the mission. It's pretty awesome.

I also went on my first trade-off. I got to go to Holland and go to Lake Michigan on my trade-off! It IS BEAUTIFUL! LITERALLY LOOKS LIKE THE OCEAN! Except the sand is softer and the water is fresher.:) Got to spend it with the awesome and sweet Sister McGhie! Couldn't have been a better first trade off!:)

I love you all and I know that this church is true! I know that as we watch always the Lord will bless us. In Mark 13:37 it says, "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." As we watch out for ourselves, others, and the Lord he will come to be our best friend. And "...if ye do, he doth immediately bless you..." (Mosiah 2: 24) Have a STELLAR week and keep the faith!<3

P.S. This is my new address:

196 Brookmeadow North Lane Southwest Apt. 6 

Grandville, MI 49418

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

LOVE HER!<3

Long door knocking days.:)

Our week in review. Bahahahaha!

Me and Sister Gardner's last P-day together! We went to the beautiful Meijer Garden's! Love her so much!:)

The famous sculpture from Leonardo da Vinci. There is only one other in the world. I think it's in France?......

                                               
                                                                         
                                                     Saying bye to the Grand Rapids Ward!;( Love these girls!

Love the Sigmiller's! Going to miss them! People have told me that I look like part of the fam! Haha!:)

I'm going to miss this cute family!;(

My other Grandma! I love her! it was way hard to say bye to G-Rap Ward!

Love and will miss the Gilbert Family!:)

Welcome to the celestial kingdom.

Sea Shell searching!

Week 44: STL.....SAY WHAT?!

Hey Family and Friends!:D

So CRAZY news! I am getting transferred AGAIN! Haha! I am moving next door to Wyoming (still in the stake and in Michigan :) and becoming a Sister Training Leader for the Grand Rapids Zone. It's going to be my 4th area and 8th companion in 10 months! I am PUMPED though! Sister Vera is going to be my companion, and she was actually companions with Sister Lau (one of my other companions) and so I already know her! :D It is so exciting! And Sister Gardner...my baby...is training!!!! And I get to be her STL still so I get to go on trade-offs with my daughter and granddaughter (mission lingo). We were so excited we were staying so close together that we got teary eyed when President called us this morning! I don't know why I move areas so much or why I have had so many companions, but I trust the Lord and I have LOVED EVERY area I have served in and every companion I have had. I am so blessed to have such a big family out here in Michigan!<3

Elder and Sister Brent H. Nielsen from the quorum of the seventy and missionary head of the church came and spoke to us at our zone conference on Thursday and it was AMAZING! Me and Sister Gardner at lunch were even sitting at a table and they came and sat by us and talked to us. Sister Gardner even got to be interviewed by him, lucky girl! Amazing people, full of the Spirit. It was exactly what our mission needed. I know that. Elder Nielsen talked a lot about the atonement and how we use the redeeming AND enabling power of it every day of our lives. He talked about how we know the redeeming power is used for repentance and being forgiven of our sins, but how often do we remember that the enabling power is for Saints that are living righteous lives? I love it! I have definitely realized that "submitting cheerfully" is the way to use the enabling power of the atonement in our lives. He based his lesson off of 2 talks from Elder David A. Bednar that I recommend everyone to read! The talks are "Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease" and "The Atonement and Journey of Mortality"! They are wonderful talks and that is my challenge to you this week! Read or listen to them! Please! They will change your life and the way you see Christ's atonement! Here are some of my favorite quotes/lessons I learned from Zone Conference.

-"Holiness blooms out of opposition."

-"I can work with this storm with small adjustments."

-"God will give it to you in the moment you need it."

-"It's by doing hard things that great things come to pass."

-"Look to heaven."

-"You thought you were assigned to Lansing, well you were also assigned to President and Sister Jacobsen!" (All us missionaries were teary eyed when he said that! I know that to be true!)

-"You are better than you think you are."

-"Bloom where you are planted."

-"You look happy. You look content. And you should be."

-I can do diversity.

-We can't change the heat, but we can change ourselves.

I love my mission. I love my Savior. And I love this work. There is nothing more important. Remember that. "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14) My friends and family, be one of those few.

I love you all! Have a stellar week!:D 

--

Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

Week 43: Best TV Show Ever!;) (A.K.A. General Conference)

Hey Family and Friends!:D

Isn't General Conference just the most wonderful thing in the world?! I am so grateful for our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and his 12 apostles. I am so grateful for all our general authorities who spoke! I needed it! It has been a crazy week.....here are some of the wonderful stories that took place....

1.) We went to Art Prize last Monday for our P-day with the Elders! It is so cool! It's an art competition that they do downtown and it is amazing! One of the members' daughters from my last area even had some art in it that I got to see.:) (Noah, I will send you a ton of pics! You would have been in WONDERLAND! I am going to take you next year!;) )

2.) We got our car towed.......we were looking so hard for a place to park at Art Prize that we didn't have to pay and we thought we were good. Well....until we come back to a empty parking spot.....(sorry, dad....you may get a call soon). Haha. Let's just say it is still a little fresh....maybe in a couple weeks we will laugh about it.

3.) MIRACLE. Floyd called us this morning and wants to meet on Friday! Fingers crossed and please keep the prayers coming! He finally moved out of his sisters' apartment and got his phone working! Now we are just hoping to get him confirmed on Sunday!<3 Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers! I really feel like everyone home in AZ is praying for him and we are BEYOND grateful!:) It literally brings tears to my eyes.

4.) Aster sadly dropped us. She said, "I am not emotionally stable right now and I figured out my dad was a Mormon and that is just too much for me!" (I guess her dad was not a good man.) Super sad! But we still love her and pray for her! She doesn't believe she can quit smoking and drinking coffee as well to become Mormon! My friends, listen to me when I tell you this....YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO. With God on your side, you won't ever fail! Promise!

5.) We have been doing lots of door knocking because our investigators have either dropped us or we have had to drop them due to them not progressing. Super sad, but door knocking is a blast!:) So it's all good! I know we will find more people that the Lord has prepared as we are diligent!

Anyways, so it has been an eventful week! But General Conference really touched my heart! My favorite talks were Elder Russell M. Nelson's about joy, Elder Robert D. Hales about the Savior loving us and being our caregiver, and Elder Ronald A. Rasband's talk about not forgetting spiritual experiences. Here are some of my favorite quotes from them.

Elder Russell M. Nelson:

- We are to have joy in our lives? "Yes! The answer is a resounding, YES!"

- "It [joy] has everything to do with the focus of our lives."

-"For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy." 

-"None but Saints can be happy in every circumstance."

-"Joy is what helped him [Jesus] endure the cross."

-"I have learned to suffer with joy."

This was probably one of my favorite talks! I just adore him!<3

Elder Robert D. Hales:

-"If we love the Savior more, will we suffer less?" 

-"Let the Savior be your caregiver."

-"We loved him because he loved us first."

-"Even in our trials, we can feel love and peace."

Elder Ronald A. Rasband:

-"Never ignore or question spiritual experiences!" (That is Satan trying to get you to do that!)

-"In the midst of life's greatest storms, DO NOT FORGET!" 

-"No mistake, sin, or choice will change God's love for us."

I love you all so much! I love this gospel and I love my Savior, Jesus Christ! Thank you for you thoughts and prayers! I feel them! Have a STELLAR week!<3:D

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Remember the church is true and I love you!

<3Sister Rogers<3

Michigan Lansing Mission

Me by a cool elephant at Art Prize!:D

Art from one of my friends! So beautiful!<3

My favorite piece of art! Pegasus made out of thousands of fishing hooks with lights put at just the right angle to make them sparkle!:D

A wheelchair made out of army men glued together!!!!!!

A piece of the Berlin Wall

Another cool elephant (Not sure the reason why there were so many elephants...haha!)

In Rockford by a cool looking train!:)

Love my sis!<3 (Rumor has it we are separating! ;( We will figure out on Friday!)

Downtown Grand Rapids when we went to Art Prize! It really is beautiful!:)