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.

January 12, 2015

Okay okay I love teaching youth. Why have I not had youth investigators my entire mission?? They are the best. Galexi is getting ready for the big day and she is such a little missionary. She had her friend Kayla over (who's older brother just got baptized a few weeks ago) for one of our lessons. We were teaching the Plan of Salvation and when we finished Kayla told us she wanted to get baptized. Her mom is really supportive of the church, especially because Dylan, her older son, was just baptized, but she doesn't want anything to do with it. She doesn't want to change. I'm convinced that these kids and teenagers we have been teaching are going to play a huge part in softening their parents hearts. Before we closed we invited Kayla to talk to her mom about it and see what she thinks, before she could even respond Galexi turned around and looked Kayla straight in the eye and said, "Will you come to church with us?" HAHAHA her face was so serious, it was the greatest. Way to be bold Galexi. She will make a great missionary someday. I have never felt more happy on my mission then when I'm teaching the cute little Dunbar kids and obviously my recent converts but these guys just have such a huge spirit about them and they want to learn how to be like the Savior. I love them so much, they strengthen my testimony every time. I need to remember to take some photos of them. 

Okay. I really want to just chop my hair all off. Not all of it but definitely shorter. Are you sure you want me to wait til I come home? It's not that cool haha it's actually pretty boring. I don't know if I can wait two more months! 

Sister Ellis, my Nashville companion, is awesome. Did I ever tell you she is a convert? She was baptized a little over a year ago! We have such good talks and I ask her all the questions in the book! She tells me about her life before she was baptized. It's fascinating. I'm really impressed with her faith in God and her willingness to make big changes. Penny, who we live with, is a recent convert too. Both Penny and Sister Ellis do not have any family members who are members of the church. We all talk about it sometimes and I find myself just feeling so blessed, having been raised in the Church, to be surrounded by women who haven't always had the gospel and who have developed very strong testimonies of it's principles. How cool that I get to have opportunities like this you know? I am starting to talk in an accent thanks to Miss Tennessee here. 

Have a great week! I love you so much! 

Love, Sister Rogers

January 5, 2015

The weeks are flyin! I can't even believe it ha I'm getting a little nervous and starting to feel some butterflies in my stomach. I feel like the Lord is helping me though, to stay focused and to feel motivated to work hard with the time I have left. 

Galexi, one of our investigators, have I told you about her? I don't think I have but if I have you will just have to hear about her again, she's amazing!! We found her through a part-member family, she is the daughter of a returning member who we also love. She is 9 years old and is on date for January 24th. She reminds me of Sadie! I never thought I would have a cute little investigator. I've always wanted one because youth are honestly so wonderful. They are teachable and recognize the Spirit. They want to do what's right. 

Last Sunday we gave Galexi a copy of The Book of Mormon Stories, the one that we read together as a family when I was younger. It has the pictures and everything. We invited her to read it and when we came back she was already half way done and told us she uses it to help her understand the real Book of Mormon! So she is reading both and is soaking it all up like a sponge. She even told us about how Joseph Smith didn't translate the Book of Mormon right away but needed to receive training from an angel until he was ready! We were pretty amazed by her desire to learn and to better herself. She was so excited to tell us about her spiritual experiences that it was difficult to get through our lesson with her and her family. It was a wonderful problem- it made us so happy. I wanted to stay there for hours and keep teaching her.. the Spirit was so strong. Galexi has a special spirit about her. She loves the gospel, it rings true to her and she is progressing so quickly.. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. There are so many great things that come from sharing the gospel. I have come to love teaching the gospel so much. I felt a little twinge of pain the other day thinking about how I won't be able to teach anymore... and then I was quickly reminded that we have visiting and home teaching, callings, testimony meeting, and family home evening. These opportunities to teach others especially our families and to be taught ourselves is a blessing from the Lord. The moments I have felt the closest with my Heavenly Father through out my mission is when I'm teaching one of his children or when I am doing my personal study in the mornings. You have spiritual experiences right at your fingertips, waiting to happen. You just need to make them happen. 

I love you guys so much! I'm thankful for all you do.

 For New Year's Eve we went out to Red Robin for some burgers with Penny and we were allowed to watch a movie from President's approved movie list. We chose the Blindside. I have never been that excited to watch a movie before 

Elder Blu Haws everyone. My Zone Leader. He reminds me of Nate Lambson!

December 29, 2014
Camren. He is the sweetest thing in the world and such a good kid. He is our recent convert who was baptized a couple weeks ago and he is 15 years old. He is progressing so well. We are starting the new member lessons with him and his family has shown some interest. None of them are members, it's really exciting! They have come to church often to watch him receive the priesthood and give a talk. This last week we were blessed to be able to go to the temple with him and do baptisms. He said it was amazing. I agree, Sister Ellis and I weren't able to do baptisms but I was alright just sitting there and soaking it all in. I felt the Spirit and received a few answers while I was there without even really seeking for them. Heavenly Father does that to me sometimes... I'll have thoughts, questions and concerns on my mind, at times I'll pray about them and study the scriptures trying to look for some light then I'll put it all aside. Days, weeks, or months down the road the Lord will give me a clear answer out of no where and I recognize it. It blows me away how aware my Heavenly Father is of me and the people I love. He often gives me peace concerning the matter but sometimes I feel overwhelmed or nervous because it's not necessarily the answer I was expecting or wanted but hey if I'm going to have "real intent" and build my relationship with God, I need to submit to His will. I'm still learning how to do that believe it or not. I know my mission here in Washington is almost over but I feel like I still need to consecrate myself more fully. It's a process and I'm praying my little heart out for strength. 

It was a great Christmas! We were productive and felt the Christmas Spirit the whole day. Penny had her family over and we had a huge Christmas dinner. She also took it upon herself to get us somethings from Christmas, she is so cute. One of the things she got us was coloring books haha I didn't realize how much I love to color. I'll send you a picture of our backyard. It is taken from her deck.. you are going to die it's so beautiful. I feel pretty lucky to be serving my Heavenly Father in such a beautiful place. I love my mission and I love even more the people I get to work with. I am excited to find those who are prepared in Post Falls! It was so good talking to you guys on Christmas! Thank you thank you for the sweet Christmas letters and packages that were sent. I loved them! 

I hope you have a great week! Love you!

Love, Sister Rogers

We spent some time last night shooting crossbows at the Ficklins

Camren! :)

Post Falls, Idaho!

December 22, 2014

Merry Christmas family and friends :)

I LOVE POST FALLS. It's not as condensed as Glenrose and I feel like I can breathe a little. I will really miss Glenrose though. So much was happening and the people are great! But Post Falls is doing so well and I'm happy to be apart of it. I hope I stay here for the rest of my mission. We live with sweet Penny Wycoff, a southern woman from Louisiana. She lives up on the mountain. We have a beautiful view from our backyard. I'll be sure to send pictures next week! She cooks for us non stop. We have had the best pasta in the world, she made jambalaya, pizza, etc. She just doesn't stop. It's funny haha her son and his family are staying for Christmas and last night he told us that a few years back he moved back in with his mom to help with his sick father and gained 50 lbs. That was a wake up call. I have to tell her she needs to stop but I think she enjoys it and she is such a great cook. She cracks me up too with all of her Southern sayings and strong personality. I love it. I wouldn't want to be living anywhere else. We also have an Elk and Buffalo farm pretty close by so we are able to go feed them little snacks. I have some pictures of that. I don't know if I will have time to attach them today but I will be sure to show you. They are pretty cute and huge. 

Sister Ellis is my new companion, we are nearly the same person. She is from Clarksville, Tennessee. We get along really well and teach together really well. I feel like that is the perfect icebreaker for a new companionship... Just go into a home, teach a lesson, if it goes smoothly and you are on the same page.. you are golden. We have already invited many to be on date for baptism. We were also blessed to plan for a baptism this last Saturday. I wouldn't call it our baptism. His name is Dylan and he was taught by the Elders but they were swept out so we needed to be sure it all went smoothly. It was awesome to be able to be apart of, it makes me so excited and helps me want to be better so I can help more of God's children make that covenant with him. Dylan is 15 and so great. I'm happy to be able to teach him the new member lessons. The youth in this ward are crazy missionaries. They have had so many youth baptisms and they continue to invite non member friends to church and activities. That's how it works.

I'm excited to skype on Christmas!! WOO!!! 

I need to be going but I love you so much! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Love, Sister Rogers

You know what I just realized...I take more pictures of animals than I do of investigators

haha how sad!

New companion, Sister Ellis in my new area, Post Falls, Idaho.

December 15, 2014

Okay listen guys. I've been getting beer ads, coffee and tea ads in the mail that are addressed to me. Sister Sachse has been a little worried haha, I have no idea how they have my address... anyone? We all die laughing, joking about it, wondering what is going to come next. They are purchase booklets full of several options. I can buy two kegs for a pretty good price. How ironic. 

Transfers are now haha and it's shocking!!! The sixth ward Elders are taking over our area along with their ward. We had millions of sisters leave this transfer and only 6 new sister missionaries so President had to close down a few areas. I'm pretty bummed, Glenrose was a little slow. Nothing was really happening when I got here two transfers ago and I've tried my very best and things have really just been looking up these last few weeks. It's was really beginning to happen! We have so many great people on our hands that I love so much and are progressing towards baptism and reactivation so I'm a little sad, and SO SAD to not be with Sister Wilson anymore. She's a doll. But you know, the Lord knows all of us more than we know ourselves. He knows our areas, our investigators. And I think it is all going to be good. A weird transfer but good! I'm going to Post Falls, Idaho :) I will be with Sister Ellis. I have no idea who that is but I'm sure she is great. Please don't send anything to the 4607 E 16th address because I will probably never see it! Just send everything to the mission office until I let you know my address. 

Amy came to church yesterday! It was perfect for her, she loves church and is really beginning to love this gospel. She will be a member soon. We started teaching a cute family who is friends with the Gerens in our ward. The Gerens are amazing!!! I love that family and I love the family they have shared with us. Her name is Angela and her kids names are Haley and Hunter. They live in a room. I'm not even kidding. Their house is so small and Angela is just trying to make ends meet. I have been so humbled as I've spent time with those who have very little but are so full of faith in the Lord and a strong love for Him. We have so much to be grateful for. I hope you have a Merry Christmas, I hoped you have shared the He is the Gift video with your friends :) Tis the season. I LOVE YOU!

LOGAN. Have so much fun this first week in the MTC. I was praying for you all day yesterday, I bet your farewell rocked. I wish I could have been there. Just hop on a plane, come support you, and fly on back to Spokane. That would have been awesome! I'm also praying for your new companion. Love them fast! You will be with them for awhile. Your friend, Elder Johnson says hi!

I will let you know about skype next week seeing that we have some changes.

Love, Sister Adrienne Rogers