December 28, 2015 Week 10 Riobamba

So that was really fun to be able to skype you guys. I really miss everybody. As fun as living in a different country is I sometimes would prefer being home but I guess a mission wasn't supposed to be easy. Maybe some day I will not want to go home but for the past 2 and a half months I have been homesick.  I guess I didn't really know what to expect. The real world is worse than I thought and especially being around people that you do not know. I am still having a hard time to adjusting to everything. 

At this point in time I would much rather be in Wyoming than anywhere else. I miss Wyoming but there is still adventure to be had here.

I love teaching people and helping them get closer to God but it is still hard. I have been reading those Christ books we got and they are really great actually. I have been studying a lot and trying to focus on missionary work but it is still hard when you have free time. When you have a few minutes and you start to think about your house then it makes me want to go home. Maybe someday I wont feel like that but I have always loved home so I might never not want to go home. 

Anyways so this week was awesome and the baptism was awesome. The water was freezing because the church had no propane.....I will send pictures. 

We just got done playing a bunch of Fútbol at this really weird park. There is this massive park that is in a canyon, I got some pictures I will send. 

It is super sunny here and I got sunburnt. We also cooked some food today in the canyon thing. We had a terrible time getting it started. (They dont have flint and steel here) But we finally got some charcoal (just black wood) and got it started. We cooked some hotdogs and burgers but the meat here is weird. I hope I don't die...then we just played a bunch of games as a zone...I forgot to get a picture....whoops. I am practicing my soccer skills so me and munch can play together later.

Ummm I dont really know what else has happened. We had 0 investigators show up for church on Sunday...Kind of disappointing because that is kind of our main thing. I guess they just dont want to go. I bought some yogurt and milk the other day. The yogurt is like water here and it all comes in bags, the same as the milk. I have been studying a lot. Reading a lot and stuff.   

So yesterday after church we went home to change into our short sleeve clothes because it was super hot. We were going to study and eat a snack before our lunch appointment at 2:30. All of a sudden! When we didnt think we would be busy that day! WE got a call from another missionary saying that this guy went to their church and he is in our sector....So of course we call this guy and ask him what time we could visit. He said that he had been here in Riobamba for a few days and all he owned was a bed to sleep on. So we got him some Coke a cola and went to his little house that he has. All he had was a bed and a pamphlet that some sister missionaries in Santo Domingo had given him. I guess he has gone to church twice in Santo Domingo and once here. He just barely moved here. All he has are some clothes, a bed, and the lesson one pamphelt. I thought it was super cool because he thought it would be important to bring the pamphlet? I thought it was really weird. And all he has been taught is lesson 1 but he goes to church every week. So we taught him lesson 3 and gave him a book of Mormon. Oh and he says he is Catholic. He took the Book of Mormon and was really really interested in it.  I don't even know his name....He's awesome though. He just doesn't know when he is ready for baptism. He was asking if there are qualifications for it and were just like...well kind of but you already qualify 100 por ciento. He is worried about if he is ready for it. But I am sure he is ready for it. Anyways so he is super cool and really wants to get baptized so we are going to Baptize him next week. I gotta go!  Here's a couple Christmas photos.

Love you guys

Love Elder Rogers

December 21, 2015 Week 9 Riobamba

Hey mom,

So this week went by really really fast. I dont know how it goes by so quickly but it did. I feel like I was emailing

a few hours ago but it was really a week ago. So on last monday we had pday and emailed and what not. That 

is really all that happens on pday. We also went by some investigators last monday.

Then on Tuesday we taught and stuff and we are trying to find more investigators but it is hard because nobody 

wants to go to church. We walk a ton and my shoes are already wearing out. We go by at least one investigator

and a few members and a few non actives a few times a day. 

I cant remember what day it was but we went to this one less active lady and as soon as she saw us she ran

into the back room and didn't come out while we stood there for 15 minutes.

So then on wednesday I think I started to get sick and I cant remember anything from that time really. I got a

really bad fever and wanted to go home but we just kept walking and teaching people as we went. Usually we 

just teach lessons in the peoples little shack things. Anyways so we got home that night and I just went to sleep 

because I was so sick. And then for the last 5 days or so I have been sick but getting better all the time. It is 

really sunny here and it doesn't feel like Christmas. Anyways there is 0 snow here except for on Chimborazo. 

Chimborazo is the highest mountain on the Equator and it has a lot of snow on it. 

I am baptizing a young lady on Christmas day and will be sure to send pictures next week about it. I think we are 

baptizing her right after we skype actually. 

I miss home a lot and dont really know when I will stop being homesick...maybe never? I dont know but I love 

waking up and getting to work. We walk everywhere and a lot of the times our appointments fall through. 

We talk to just about every person we meet and we tell them about the restoration. We also hand them out 

these little cards with a video of the birth of Jesus. Or as I say in spanish. Este tarjeta contiene un vídeo sobre

el nacimiento de Jesucristo. Y este pagina web tiene el vídeo. We also contacted a whole bus full of people the 

other day. That was really fun but nobody every calls us back but at least we are trying to spread the news.

I think I will be in Riobamba for two more changes and then leave. I think my next companion will be a native 

speaker so that will help me out a lot. The people here act a lot like people in the states. Maybe that is just 

universal. Ojala el Internet aquí en Ecuador esta bien porque mama really wants to talk with me hahahaha. 

I am still trying with the spanish. 

We have been sharing the birth of Christ for a long time because this month is about the Birth of Christ and stuff.

Anyways so we usually just share that. We have had a lot of fun experiences this week.

So one day we also were going to an appointment to a recent converts house and we were late because we did

not expect it to take that long walking. So we passed this family who was on the corner of a store and we just 

say "Oh Buenos Dias" and they're like "oh yeah....bye..." and then my companion was like "dude we should go 

and talk to them" I'm just like "yeah but were soo late to this thing" So we turned back and talked to them and 

the lady had a few kids and it turns out she has been inactive for 26 years...So that was cool and we are trying

to get her back to church because she has forgotten about everything. She also has a son who is 11 named

Andy. So we talked to her and went to our appointment late. 

Hno Mancheno had his parents over when we got there and we taught them about the restoration because his 

dad is not a member and his mom is really inactive. So we taught them about the restoration and at the end of 

the lesson we gave his parents a blessing for strength and comfort. They might be going through a hard time idk.

Also the dogs in Ecuador run this place. You see them everywhere and they act like they own this country....They

kind of do I guess. They are so cool though. They have a lot of German shephards here but they are not mean.

The dogs act like people here. We actually had this dog play soccer with us the other day. So the dogs are super 

cool. 

We go to this internet cafe thing to email, which is like 7 minutes of walking from our house. It is really close.  

People like to steal a lot of stuff here. Everything is bolted down. 

I am still learning spanish and it is still really hard to understand anything but I know with time I will learn it. I 

have not received any of your packages or letters yet.  I am looking for a bullwhip here because I hear they are 

super cheap so I just go into a lot of stores and ask for a látigo which is a whip.

Also there is a lot of spray paint here. I have not witnessed anything illegal in a little while but the people here 

go crazy with fireworks. They just try and make the biggest explosion and it is not illegal because the cops do

it too. These people go crazy on Christmas. They have so many fireworks and they have these life sized dolls

that they just burn in the streets. But there are almost 0 laws here. The people do what they want and just blow 

stuff up everywhere. I don't really like a whole lot of people.

There is so much dirt here and it is gross but its whatever. 

Yes mom I am taking all the precautions. hahahaha. The members we are going to are amazing. They love us.

It is mango season and they have the best freaking fruit here. They eat a lot of weird stuff but I don't ask what it 

is I just eat it. It is definitely a different culture but they enjoy a lot of media from the US here. They love the 

Simpsons here. They watch it all the time. 

We take taxis a lot too because we don't like to waste time walking but we are almost out of taxi money so.....

and I also need to get the skype thing ready.

We just do a lot of work here and I don't really know what else to say about it.. The natives here are awesome. 

They are called Quechua. They are so cool.

I miss camping and home a lot. I wish I could go winter camping right now. I miss all of the stuff from home...

It doesn't feel like Christmas here because it is so hot.

Oh and where are my weekly updates on the Munchies??

Love Elder Rogers

 Show original message

December 14, 2015 Week 8 Riobamba

Hey mom,

We usually just teach people all day everyday but then on Friday we traveled to Quito on a bus for 5 hours and then we went to Presidents house and had a dinner thing and played some games, I asked Sister Christensen to tag you in some photos for your enjoyment. Then that night we went all the way home and just went to church yesterday. 

It is fun here but it is nothing like home and I just want to go home but everybody says to wait a month and then I wont want to go home anymore. It is really hard. I am having kind of a hard time with spanish because I still cant understand anybody and it is really frustrating and I just dont want to have to deal with this. 

We dont do a lot of cooking because we just buy the cheap food here. 

Hey mom there is actually no mexican food here at all. There is a lot of fruit and RICE. All we eat is rice....I don't

know why. We also eat chicken.. Those are the only two things here in all of Ecuador...I am going to hate rice soo..

Elder Sorenson is my zone leader btw. Yeah he is cool.

I cant elaborate on the goings on here because then you would worry too much. I will tell you that for the 24 and 

the 31 of this month we are not allowed to leave our houses hahahaha. So.... The people here just party too crazy 

hahaha. We are in our houses for our own safety hahaha. I wish I had a lot more time to talk about everything but

it is hard to explain it all through email. 

The people just keep feeding me...  I like it thought. They drink a lot of weird juices and stuff here. 

The roads are horrible and the people drive like they stole it...

I hope you see my pictures on facebook. I still dont know the language or where I am but I hope I figure that out later...  

They have some restaurants. They dont really have houses here unless the people are rich. We have a laundromat here so we just do our laundry there. There is mostly just little food hut things that we eat at. We went to this area in the mountains where the Quichuas live and it was funny because they are indian people. It is super fun doing what you want to do. I am stressing a lot about the people never responding after we talk to them. They never answer their phones and it is really hard for me. I am baptizing a 21 year old lady on the 26th of this month so that will be fun. 

Anyways I like it here but get homesick a lot. There is no snow here and it just feels like summer. I might buy a suit.. I hope everything is going really great there mom. This place is scary and theres a lot of stuff that goes on. I am trying to send pictures but this computer is dumb. 

I love hearing about home because Ecuador is crazy. 

Love Elder Rogers

December 7, 2015 Week 7 Riobamba

Hey mom! 

It is 4pm here so I just got done taking a nap. The keyboards here are really weird so i cant really use capitals because it is too hard. So monday we flew from slc to atlanta, which was cool. Then we went from there to ecuador which took 5 hours and i thought i was going to die because it was so long of a flight. everybody on the plane spoke spanish so I had no idea what was going on. I still cant speak spanish so it is really hard to talk to anybody or understand them.  So we got here around 12 at night and got to the apartment and went to sleep. 

We woke up at 6:30 and started doing stuff really boring. I hung out with the other missionaries until the other elderes showed up. They got to Quito around noon so we went and saw them. After that we ate and then that day was over and we went to sleep again. 

Wednesday morning we had to get up and drag our luggage all around the streets of Quito until we got to the church. Then we went to do some visa stuff which took 3 hours and we met a lot of people and got their numbers and now they are being taught I think. 

Anyways so we went back to the church to receive our training companions. My companions name is Elder Anderson and he is a gringo. I thought i would get a native companion but I am glad I got a trainer who speaks English. 

Elder Anderson is from Utah. I will try and send you a picture of me with my companion. 

Anyways so after we got our companions for the next 6 or 12 weeks then we went back to our house with my luggage and went to sleep. The next morning we woke up at 6 and got ready to leave for Riobamba which is my first area that I will be serving in. We had to take our luggage on public buses and the buses only stop for about 1 second then they are gone again. So we had to watch all of my stuff because the people here are really good at pickpocketing. So I watched my stuff and we rode that bus for an hour and then we got to the other bus terminal and took my stuff and put it under the bus so nobody would steal it.

Then we rode that bus for 5 hours until we got to Riobamba. So far I like Riobamba so much better than Quito because it is so small and the people are nice. There is so much trash and poverty here and the people we teach live in alleys and stuff. It kinda sucks and everybody laughs at my spanish. The little kids laugh at me and run away when I tell them I am from Los Estados Unidos. The people are awesome. 

I am too tall for this country. Everything I ride in is too small and all the shops I have to duck under. Anyways so i got here and we started to pass by some non active people. I guess everybody here is inactive. We stopped by their houses and visited some investigators. We contacted like 20 people the other day but none of them called us or answered their phones so that kind of sucks. We have a cooking family that makes us lunch everyday. We have four people in our district, my companion and me and two hermanas. 

The food is good I just don't know what it is. The juice here is awesome. It is soo good. The kids are so cute and 

funny here but they don't understand me most of the time.

There is no snow here and It just seems like it is August here. It is really hot despite what everybody else said hahaha

The people here breastfeed and pee wherever they want. I have seen so many people doing both of those things wherever. I also saw a few robberies in the middle of the day. We were walking one day and saw some men whispering while shutting a car trunk so I don't know what happened there but it was scary and then we saw some guy sprinting to his friends car from an alley and start yelling at him to drive. So that was new. We don´t have any progressing investigators , we are trying though so thats all that matters  I guess. Church yesterday was fun I had to stand up and introduce myself and everybody is super nice in church and a lot of them understand some english so that is cool.  I guess around 2 I will always email you. Love you guys 

Love Elder Rogers

December 1, 2015 Week 6 Quito

Dear Brother and Sister Rogers,

We are so pleased that Elder Rogers is serving in the Ecuador Quito Mission. We welcome him with all our hearts 

and know that the special gifts he has been given from our Father in Heaven and talents he has developed will bless 

the lives of those with and for whom he serves in a unique way only he can offer. His dedicated service will further 

increase his abilities and character in remarkable ways.

There are currently 190 missionaries in our mission, serving in 9 zones. Elder Rogers has been assigned to serve in

the Riobamba Zone with Elder Anderson as his companion and trainer. Elder Anderson is known by the other 

missionaries as being diligent, and obedient, with a cheerful personality.

With our love and gratitude,
President and Sister Roger G. Christensen

Nov 30, 2015 Week 6 Quito

Hey mom,

I am in Ecuador alive. We had a full day of travel and I thought that the five hours to Quito was going to kill me. 

We showed up at our apartment at 12:00 midnight.  It is not too bad but it is still really poor. We have an 

apartment and I am just glad that we have hot water sometimes. There are guards at our apartments and they 

are awesome, we talk to them sometimes. Today we got a bunch of new missionaries from colombia and they are

all nativos and I have been talking to them in spanish and helping them with their english. It is really fun. Quito is 

massive and really overwhelming. There are so many people here and they are crazy drivers. This place is massive. 

It is build in the middle of a bunch of montanas. Anyways I think I need to go but I will email you on monday, I get a 

companion tomorrow and I get an assignment so we will see what happens. Anyways love you mom!

Love Elder Rogers