March 2, 2015

ONE WEEK!

Oh man, I haven't even been able to read all of your emails quite yet because I want to make sure I get this taken care of... my final email home! It still hasn't hit me quite yet that I am going home in a week, being able to talk to you guys on the phone made it seem more real, what a crazy opportunity! In a way I am very thankful that I was able to do that, it has brought me a lot of comfort as far as coming home is concerned and also for Grandma. I think it is amazing how the Spirit just immediately pours over you when you receive news like that. I have felt great peace and gratitude for our Heavenly Father's plan this last week. I have always felt strongly about the spirit world and being with our families forever but I have found myself this last week really thinking about it and at times asking if Grandma is really there. I had the coolest experience yesterday as I was getting ready, kind of funny ha but I was doing my make up and out of no where I just felt an incredible burst of happiness and I felt at peace with all that I have been taught through out my life. I feel Grandma's love and I feel strongly that I will be able to see her again. It's been really cool reflecting on past memories that I have with her, every one of them are so good and it has left me feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing grandparents I have and the family that I have been given. We are so lucky.

I don't even know how to describe these last 18 months! I feel like it's only been a few :) At the same time I feel like I have been here for quite awhile and I'm super excited to see you guys. I have learned so much... I have felt more than ever before that my Heavenly Father knows me, he is so aware of my concerns and questions. I have realized how important it is to make His will my will. That has been difficult at times and super humbling and I can't say I have it perfected yet but I know if we are going to become like our Heavenly Father, sacrifice and consecration are a big part of it. I feel that God has given us weaknesses and allowed struggles to be apart of our lives so we can have the experiences and growth that come from turning them into strengths and overcoming our challenges. My companions have played a huge role in my growth.. things that are not yet perfect but are getting there (give me a couple more lifetimes haha) like patience, charity, choosing my battles, letting go of things I can't control, obedience, sacrifice and selflessness. I could go on for days, I think my mission has just been this one big catalyst in becoming like my Savior. I have recognized things about myself that I never knew and I am thankful to have had an experience that pointed them out quickly so I can start working! I'm especially grateful that I was able to serve others and help them come closer to Christ, I'm going to miss meeting so many kinds of people with different views and back rounds and teaching them the gospel. I have felt God's love for them and his concern for them and I have appreciated every moment. Luckily we don't have to be full-time missionaries to be missionaries :) This is the true gospel of Jesus Christ, every bit of it. The Book of Mormon is so true, it offers direction and comfort. It helps us to build a strong foundation for our testimonies. I know our Heavenly Father wants all of His children to return to him. Everyone has their agency but he has extended the invitation/commandment to us who have this knowledge to help His children use their agency correctly by learning more of the Savior and His Atonement. I know that God views weaknesses differently than he does rebellion and through Christ we have the power to change and feel true happiness in our lives. 

I want to give you all the biggest thank you for the love and encouragement. Thank you for the emails and letters and packages. Thank you for all of the prayers. This is such a typical last email but I want everyone to know how I feel! I feel really really blessed. As far as Post Falls, Idaho, we couldn't have asked for a better last couple of weeks. Sister Ellis and I have met so many incredible people who have quickly become progressing investigators. Mickey came to church with us yesterday and got up to the pulpit to share his testimony with everyone. It was powerful!!! He is going to be a mormon any day now. We have started teaching Diana, a friend of a young woman in our ward. She has been coming to church every week for the last couple of months and is ready for the discussions! She is so elect. We placed her on date for April 11, that's coming up! I'm super excited for her. MIRACLES

I love you so much! I will see you in one week. I can't believe it. I hope you all have a wonderful week :) See you soon

Love, Sister Adrienne Rogers

February 23, 2015

Hello!

Post Falls is sunny as ever and our investigators are doing well. Everyone is asking me lately when I go home from my mission and when I tell them, it doesn't even feel real. It hasn't really hit me yet but I'm starting to feel some butterflies. Good butterflies! I'm excited for the future but it's also a pretty difficult pill to swallow when I think about how I will never have an opportunity like this again really. But I know the Lord will continue to bless me with opportunities to share the gospel and to teach others and share my testimony with them. We have been doing a lot of thrift store shopping lately, Sister Ellis has the cutest style and it all comes from thrift stores! I am always so surprised when she shares her latest finds.. how on earth do you find clothes like that at a thrift store? I am trying to be thrifty like her and find cute things but all I find is awesome jewelry and odds and ends like a practically brand new Shania Twain cd, which I bought by the way. I am going to listen to it the second I get home. Serving in country towns, having a companion from the country, talking country...I'm converted to everything country.. living in the country, listening to country... some of it at least, acting country haha jk but it will be good. These next two weeks are going to be amazing!! We are going to work our butts off and leave Sister Ellis with a super huge teaching pool with Mickey leading the way! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Love, Sister Rogers

February 17, 2015

Hey family!!!

This week has been a good one, it felt a little long which is kind of weird because time has been flying but it's been good. Mickey is continuing to come to church with us. We are trying to help him be more comfortable with a quiet more reverent atmosphere haha the Elders went to Real Life (where Mickey goes) this last Sunday before their church services and told us it was like a free ticket to a rock concert. Super sad news... John got a job up in North Dakota.. and has since left. He has no phone, he had no idea where he was going to live, all he had was his truck and a suitcase. He said he was praying last week for a job because he was getting desperate and five minutes later he got the call. I don't know if it's the will of the Lord ha if it is then I'm totally okay with it but we are so sad to see him go. He is awesome! He said he wants to be baptized here but will only be returning once a month and we have no idea how missionaries can get in touch with him with no phone or address. I'm confident it will all work out though, we made him promise to call us from someones phone once he gets there but we haven't heard from him. Missionaries will run into him, we have been praying for it. We told him to keep an eye out for two people will tags like ours. 

The Dunbars are doing well!! We had FHE with them last night, I love those guys so much. I'm excited for you to meet them! I'm excited for you to meet everyone. I was able to get in touch with Sean Foley, and Jim, and the Fleishours this last week. I didn't hear back from any others that I tried to contact but either way it was so good to hear from at least a few of them :) I feel blessed to have had these specific people to teach on my mission. I have grown to love them so much! It's a little stressful to try and help them maintain and strengthen their testimonies while I'm in a completely different area but that is what a ward is for and I just need to trust that they are being looked after and they are doing their part in praying, studying, and attending church. Sister Ellis and I have been getting a little creative lately haha at the end of the day we just turn on some music and make some music videos. They remind me of Destiny's Child hahaha they've turned out pretty good and ridiculous at the same time, she won't sing with me but she'll do some dance moves. I'll have to do "the hammer" next time just for you mom. I'm going to have to take a few more videos of the beautiful drive we take and some other pretty parts of the town so I can show you and give you a little idea of what it's like.

That would be crazy if I extended to June haha you probably wouldn't be too happy with me! I'm pretty sure those papers are wrong, it should say March 9th. The itinerary is correct! Thanks for grabbing those things from the Sorensons! I totally forgot to mention they were coming down to Utah :/ I'm praying for you guys, for Logan, and for Grandma and Grandpa.

I know this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ for many reasons but one that has stood out to me lately is the simple feeling I feel when I talk about it vs. when others talk about what they believe. Don't get me wrong, I respect others beliefs and even feel the Spirit when they are stating truth. But I don't receive a warm comforting reassuring feeling when others try to argue with us and tell us that we are a cult, or Joseph Smith was not a prophet, or the Book of Mormon is a false book. When others say things like that to me I feel weird, I feel contentious, I feel discouraged and that is because they are not stating truth. The Spirit cultivates good feelings!

I love all of you so much! XOXO

Love, Sister Rogers

February 9, 2015

Hey I'm so sorry this is going to be a short one, I've been writing a few other people today and it took a little longer than I expected! Don't you love those pictures of Logan?? Oh man, I'm dying here haha he makes me so proud. I can't believe I wanted to go to a crazy country for my mission, I remember the Philippines and other places like it were running through my head and I just felt like I was totally going somewhere gnarly and I was excited for it but nope I got called to Spokane, Washington and man... I'm spoiled. I'm looking at his bathroom and then looking at mine and just cracking up at the difference. It's crazy to me that we are all around the world preaching the same gospel and doing the same work but our circumstances are pretty different. It's all apart of His plan, and I know we are sent where we are needed. I have no doubt Logan is going to find many elect down in South America, I love the Spanish people, they are so sweet! But I've already told you that. 

Mickey came to church yesterday!!! And so did John. It was such a blessing having them there, they are both so prepared. John is progressing so quickly. Yesterday we were talking about the Fall of Adam and Eve. When asked if he had any questions, he said that it was something he needed to pray about because he was having trouble viewing the Fall as apart of God's plan and he was confused why God would give contradictory commandments. But that is all he said is he will just need to pray about it. We promised him that his understanding will grow as he prays. What really hit me was his response. He said, "Even if I don't have a greater understanding, that's okay. I am just looking to feel peace." It was so cool to me that John already understands the importance of just having faith and relying on the feelings of the Spirit. Mickey attends Real Life Ministries, a christian church that is just so huge. Millions of people go there, like everyone we talk to goes there and it's pretty anti mormon. Luckily Mickey is smarter than all that stuff, I hope. It's hard to tell how he was feeling in Sacrament meeting haha he looked a little tired. He is used to having a rock band at church. He said we can come back and teach him this week so that's a good sign! 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! I love Valentine's day. I love you guys and I hope you have an amazing week!

Dad HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Something is on it's way I promise :)

Love, Sister Rogers

February 2, 2015

This week has been pretty amazing! We have met some great people. We strive to talk to everyone we see, and after we are done talking to them and walk away I feel so good and I feel the Lord is so proud of us and He is happy for them and I ask myself 'what if we had just walked by them and never talked to them?' Someone so prepared would have missed out on a chance to hear about the gospel. As we exercise faith and act, the Lord blesses us. One of those blessings this week is Mickey Lingar, he is such a cool guy! We had contacted almost everyone in our plans for the day and had some time to kill, we decided to stop by a potential investigators house and we ran into Mickey! He is a recovering alcoholic who is a gentleman with a thick Texas accent and he has this light about him ha he wants to know more about the gospel. He shared some experiences with us and told us he has lost so many things including his wife and kids. He was finally so tired of feeling out of control and alone that he turned to God and offered the most sincere prayer he has ever prayed. He asked God for the strength to stop chewing and drinking. There was one time after that experience that he felt a huge craving.. he just laid on the floor with his dog right by him and put his trust in the Lord by praying his little heart out.. he hasn't chewed or drank since and he told us he really hasn't felt any cravings. He was so excited for us to come back and talk about our Heavenly Father with him. Our meeting with Mickey touched my heart and I was reminded that the power of the Atonement is so real. Maybe I am just going out on a limb here but I feel like if we all aren't careful (and I feel like this because I've experienced it), we tend to have the natural man take over and we begin to cultivate a mindset that our struggles, addictions, stresses, etc. are too big for a simple prayer to take care of. I know that's what the adversary wants us to believe. I have felt so much strength and happiness come from accessing the Atonement through prayer. I can't believe I forget that sometimes. I love my Savior and I am thankful for this chance I have to serve Him. 

I hope you guys are doing so well. John Lamothe is doing awesome! I love that guy. He offered the sweetest prayer the other day and said, "I am looking forward to being apart of this church"! I felt like I was going to die I was so happy. 

Love you!

hey sorry I meant to send a picture of Galexi, Sister Ellis, and I at her baptism last week but I accidentally sent one of the jeep! I will just show you when I get home

Love, Sister Adrienne Rogers

cheap cheap cheap. Is it this cheap in Utah?

I just love the dunbar family too much

the Elders stole the jeep from us yesterday so we were stuck walkin the streets. No one wanted to talk to us... super bowl. 

January 26, 2015
I'm staying in Post Falls, Idaho with Sister Ellis! It's so crazy to think this is my last transfer on the mission> I'll be seeing your faces before we know it, it feels surreal! I have such a huge desire to work hard and help this area as much as I can before I leave, it's weird though cause I can definitely feel myself preparing for home and making little plans in my head, President told me it was okay to do that haha so I'm just going with it. Thankfully I do feel focused and I feel just so blessed to be having this experience. I'm really happy to be staying in Post Falls, there are so many great people here and a few investigators that I would have been sad to leave. One of them, John Lamothe, is amazing! He has had some rough experiences in the past and has a desire to better himself and to come closer to God. He is so humble and has such an amazing understanding of the Atonement. We sat there for thirty minutes just talking about the Savior and what's possible because of Him, it was such a good discussion, the Spirit was thick. He has a catholic back round so there are some interesting views he has. He told us that they don't worship the Virgin Mary but they pray to her because they don't want to ask too much of God but if they really need something they ask Mary to ask her Son for them because He won't say no to her. It was really interesting. We are trying to help John realized that he has a very loving Heavenly Father who has asked us to pray to Him always and that it is only through prayer to our Heavenly Father that he can come to know these things are true. I think it's sad that some are taught to feel that they can't speak to God anytime they want to because they might bother him or because they are not worthy to do so. John's understanding of this gospel is growing though and his countenance is changing more and more. He came to church yesterday and loved it! He said he will be baptized but told us it is going to take time so we'll see!

GALEXI WAS BAPTIZED! What a little cutie. She was so excited! She invited so many people to attend, there were a lot of non members there and I know they felt the Spirit. While Galexi was changing Sister Ellis and I bore our testimonies and I couldn't hold the tears in haha it has been the coolest experience teaching a little investigator. I'm excited to teach her and her family some more.

Sister Ellis and I were able to go and do baptisms at the temple this last week with our recent convert, Dylan. He spells it wrong haha I tell him that all the time. He has no idea what I'm talking about. He is such an awesome kid though! It was so great being able to go to the temple with him and perform those ordinances, it's been forever since I have been able to do baptisms so I was excited! I love the temple, it's so peaceful in there and I plan on going quite often when I come home so anyone who wants to join is welcome :)

I hope you have a great week, i love you!

Love, Sister Rogers

The Dunbars!!! Galexi is the one up front, she's a goon. We love them!

 Sister Ellis and I at the Spokane temple

She loves me.

The Dunbars

Our new Jeep!!! We have fun in the mud.

January 20, 2015

This last week has been interesting, I woke up a couple days ago feeling so off. I was nauseous and my body ached, I threw up a few times. You would think by the end of the day I would start feeling better that's usually how it goes but it lingered for a few days and I still feel kind of weird. Much better than the first day though. I just have no appetite at all ha but it's getting there. You know something is up when Adrienne has no appetite. That reminds me of a time when I was at Iggy's sports grill with Dillon and I was so hungry. We (or maybe it was just me) ate the whole bread basket and I wanted some more. That is not how I feel right now ha nothing looks good but it's getting better so no worries! I just feel like it has such an affect on the work. It's the worst being sick on a mission. Especially when your time is almost up and you just want to be out doing the best you can. BUT I look back and I realize how much the Lord has blessed me with good health, especially on my mission! I have only been sick once before this week so I am grateful. It's pretty incredible. I also feel very grateful to my Heavenly Father that he has taken care of all of you guys. I remember at the beginning of my mission I always had a little worry in the back of my head that something could happen to a loved one while I was away but we have been promised that the Lord will take care of our families while we are serving and I thank him every single day for keeping that promise. I realize that sometimes the Lord has other plans for us that are meant to challenge us and help us grow but I feel like I've come to a point where no matter what I happens, I have faith that it will all work out and that God's plan is a happy one despite the hardships along the way. I'm rambling haha but hands down I am just so happy that the Lord has taken care of all of you and of me.

Galexi is getting baptized this Friday!!!! I'm so excited for her! Yesterday we went over the baptismal interview questions with her. We asked her about the law of chastity and the word of wisdom, tithing, and other things we have taught her. Her answers were the greatest, she was making us all laugh! When we asked her what her understanding was of the law of chastity she started listing off what she knows including, "no kissing boys". Kyla, her mom, was happy about that answer. It reminded me of Dad and how he would always tell me when I was younger not to get married until I was 30 or not to kiss until I was married! I think I also remember him telling me to throw rocks at boys haha he is such a crack up! We decided to let that response from Galexi fly for now, it brought Kyla some relief. I feel such a stewardship over the Dunbar family, like I need to always be sure to keep them in my prayers forever and keep in touch with them and help them remain active in the gospel so they can receive all of the blessings Heavenly Father wants to give them.

We have another investigator Ray, who is on date for February 28th. He is a good guy. He loves to learn and wants to know everything which can be both great and challenging at the same time. He wants logical answers to support the Spirit that he's been feeling. What I mean by that is I'm pretty confident he has felt the Spirit time and time again confirm to him that this message is true. But he is too scared to act on it. So we are trying to help him the best we can. I  have really felt the Lord's help as I've been teaching him. He asks difficult questions or shares interesting concerns that Sister Ellis and I seem to answer somehow, he isn't able to argue our responses and it looks like he is content with them. It's really cool to see the Spirit work that way. I've learned a lot about the gospel in moments like that.

Logan is entering the mission field soon!!! I could of sworn he just went into the MTC? Crazy. I'm praying for you Logi. I've recently heard some super funny stories from members of our ward who have served in South America. Logan's going to have some adventures haha

I LOVE YOU! I hope you have a good week.