April 3, 2017 Week 75 Santo Domingo

Hello Family,
Well conference was good, I learned a lot of great things.  Mostly we just need to start being great, no more of this halfway stuff.  All in as they say...  hit me pretty hard really.  Sometimes I think I may be too timid, especially to my family members.  I have learned a lot here and I should probably share it with all you guys...  I mean I know I don't have as much experience as some people, but I think we all have to love each other enough to tell them when they could be doing better I guess. That's what I've been thinking.

Also everyone read Alma 5 it's really good.

Let's just not be afraid to share what we know, with everybody. We don't need to fear man, because really we all need to help each other.  I feel like our friends and kids and people we know in heaven are praying for us and rooting for us to succeed.
Okkkk so about the phone call last night.  I'm still in shock really, I did not expect that at all.  I do believe though that Grandpa is probably about 1000 times happier up there in heaven hanging out with all those that have passed on.  It's a pretty nice place to be I bet.  A big reunion happening up there right now with Grandma and Britani and everyone else.  I do wish I could go to the funeral, but I'm doing good things here.
We had interviews with President this last week.  He basically told me I would be leaving Santo Domingo in two weeks.  I'm not sure where I will be going.
We have been practicing this skit thing we are doing in a few days.  It's gonna be funny I think.
Man there have been some serious thunder storms this week.  I thought it was another earthquake, but it was just thunder.  Anyway.. that is all for now.  I hope everyone is ok there mom.
Love you guys
Elder Rogers

March 27, 2017 Week 74 Santo Domingo

I was kind of thinking this week about being too content with our lives.  I know sometimes we just get into a little routine, but we still need to push ourselves too do better.  Sometimes we have to push ourselves to change.  As a missionary I have come to see how happy people can be when they keep the commandments and take their families to the temple.
My legs are killing me today, we walked a whole lot today.  We walk a whole lot every day.  I did not realize it would be this much walking 18 months ago.  Honestly.  It's fine though I love it. I'm just pretty tired right now.  Any way I have been reading that book Jesus the Christ, I highly recommend it, if you want to learn more about Jesus and his ministry.
We went to some waterfalls today with some other missionaries.

Also I have had some ideas about camping, and hunting, and building a sauna at grandpas house.  Just throwing that out there, but I'm 100% focused here so you take care of that stuff.  Maybe all us boys go, set up basecamp and hike from there.  I'm used to hiking for miles a day now, so the rest of you can use the horses I guess.  Anyway... can't talk about that right now so 

We did a lot of contacting this week.   We even found this other guy that we had lost track of, so that was cool.  It was good to see him again and talk to him.  He loves music, and he speaks very fantastic english.   

The hammock is coming along, well actually it's just there right now.  It's halfway done, don't say anything mom, I'm gonna finish it I swear!  It's like a curse I guess, the Rogers' can't finish anything....

Well I guess I will talk to you next week.

Love,

Elder Rogers

March 20, 2017 Week 73 Santo Domingo

Well it's been a good week.  Lots of rain again.  We also had divisions this week.  I love my sector, I hope I never leave.   I love all the kids outside all the time.  They talk to us all the time.  It's super fun.
Exercises about killed me Monday, everything is sore today.  We haven't met any new people this week really. It's kind of hard when you can't visit with families anymore, because they don't want to make any changes.  It makes me sad really. Also I just have to say I really, really, really like the nice lady who washes our clothes. She is super nice.  She won't ever take our money though.  Maybe I can leave some in my pocket and it will show up in her dryer or something.
Thanks for all the voice recordings dad, they are great.  Sounds like basketball was fun.  I'm sorry to have missed Kolt and Kyleigh's last games. Especially the state events, I liked going to those.  I am doing important things over here though.
It's been a short week, it has gone by pretty fast.  We did go to a farm this week to do a service.

 Bug bites They kind of burn actually....
 It's swelling a bit hmmmm...

Eating a Cocoa on a motorcycle

Before it becomes chocolate....
It doesn't taste like chocolate at all, it's hard to explain.  It was really good though.

You know how hard it is to get food around here.  I mean growing it and stuff.  I so appreciate food more now honestly. It's so hot here, I don't think you guys really know what I mean by that. I am sweating all day long.  It's 10:00 at night and I still have the fan on sweating and sweating....
I also decided to make some shoes out of old tires, I tried to cut one up with a razor blade, but I ran into too many wires.  It's harder than I thought to cut through actually. I may have to give up on the idea. Oh ya and I got bit by a dog on my ankle, same dog that bit Elder Brown on his ankle.  He always sneaks up on us.
I also figured out the best way to feel the spirit at church and other places.  I think it's all about being humble, that's when you can learn new things.  You have to be ready to teach, and if you are humble then the Lord can speak to you. Anyway enough for today gotta go
Love,
Elder Rogers

March 13, 2017 Week 72 Santo Domingo

Well hello family,
Well we made a little sauna out of our spare bathroom, it worked pretty good.  Also apparently there was a robbery here close by,  I think they caught the guys, so don't worry about it.  There was a big boom outside, I thought it was just fireworks as usual.  Turns out it wasn't!!  The cops here just ride around on dirt bikes.  Swat teams and all....
I have also been working out pretty hard recently, I have some sore muscles today...  I think if you guys ever get that deck rollin, you should build a sauna out there.  Or even better, build one at grandpas house on his deck.  He would love it I'm sure.  It's also good for season veterans such as thereselves.
Anyway did some weekly planning as usual, had a pretty good week.  It has been blazing hot this week.  I have been eating these fruits called tamarindos they are super good, with a little sugar on them.  I'm starting to realize the reality of what will happen when I come home, and having to get money for college and stuff like that.  It's crazy...
I finally ran into some other missionaries who swam on swim team in high school, so we chatted about that for a while.... I miss that.
I've been reading Alma again lately.  He talks a lot about being humble and studying the scriptures, that is when you actually learn the most.  I've learned a lot about repentance on the mission here, it's mostly about wanting to follow the commandments of God.  Have we all experienced a conversion to the church?  Have we all ceased to do wickedness?  It's something everyone needs to find out for themselves I think....
Well no pictures this week
Love, Elder Rogers

March 6, 2017 Week 71 Santo Domingo

 It's a sad day today, I lost my flash drive.... I left it in the cyber, they say that haven't seen one..  Whatever I guess.  I lost a bunch of pictures and my music and stuff.  We had to stay in the house two days this week, because of carnival, but nothing is really happening.  In Riobamba it was like war outside, water balloons everywhere, crazy stuff.. Anyway not so much here.  We did a service here on a farm again, just moving some wood piles and stuff.  I started a fire, a sanctioned fire mind you.  They killed a pig and cooked it up.  It didn't really taste like pig, it tasted more like chicken.  Milked a few cows, we didn't, but they did. Also a little birthday celebration.
We helped another guy chop some coconuts this week too.  Not the kinds you think, these are green.  I don't really love coconut water, but I did drink a lot of it that day.

It is raining super hard again this week.  The slug farm is doing well, they don't do much.  Sadly we have not met any new investigators lately, we have met some new people.   Here's a pic of my new comp too.

We are doing pretty good.  We did teach a few lessons to some of the people Elder Brown and I had found.  He breeds chickens. 
I did miss church on Sunday, because I had to stay with a sick Elder Reece, he was pretty bad off that day.  It was a little boring, he was sleeping most of the day.  I have decided I like doing things, not just sitting around.  I like being busy.  Well I'll talk to you guys later
Love, Elder Rogers

February 27, 2017 Week 70 Santo Domingo

Hello Family,

How's your week?  Good here, raining again.  It has been really raining, we get soaking wet a lot.. It's like rivers in the streets.   We went to check on our new investigator, he lives like 40 minutes away, and got caught in the downpour.  It's like flash flood sometimes here. We finally get to his house, and he wasn't home!!   Then on the way home, we saw this poor lady trying to get all this water out of her house, she only had one bucket.  Anyway we were bailing water out of her house, we found this other garbage can and really went to town.  She had a broom and we had the buckets, water was seriously about up to my kneecaps.  It was so flooded.  Good deeds, thank you....
My stomach hurts a little again, I don't know why.  For breakfast I only had some scrambled eggs, and toast, and then some cereal, and a few oreos.  Maybe it was the potatoes and onions I made after that.  hmmm...  
We did a service this week.  We got on a bus to go and then we all feel asleep and missed our bus stop by a couple miles.  So we had to walk back to our spot.  This guy came to pick us up in the oldest truck you've ever seen.  It has a machete for a door handle, and had at least 400,000 miles on it.  Drove up a mountain to a dairy farm.  It was crazy up there.  Mud everywhere, chickens, this weird fruit and a distillery etc..

I macheted a lot of weeds and such, and they had some really great food, the chicken was amazing.  I nearly blew my stomach right open, and it was so worth it.  It was a really good time actually.  They wouldn't let us milk the cow, because the cow didn't know us. 
Changes also this week, Elder Brown is off to Vargas.  Team three is getting split up.... I will miss Elder Brown, he is a good guy, great missionary, great companion. 
Elder Alanoka will be my new companion. He is from Bolivia I think.  Back to speaking spanish all day long.
I hung out with Elder Jones a little bit, ran a few errands and such.  Saw Elder Gill for a second.  He helped me with a miracle for Roque, which was nice.  We made a new sauna, it worked pretty darn good.  I've got an idea for the house, you guys should build a sauna.  If you ever get that deck going...
It wouldn't take that much space or money really, so think about that for a while. 
Love Elder Rogers

February 20, 2017 Week 69 Santo Domingo

Hello Family,

How was your week?  Ours was pretty darn good.  We got a new investigator, he is a police officer.  Nice guy.  We also had interviews this week, so those were good.  Also some of our investigators came to church Sunday, it was Stake Conference, so that was also good.   No baptisms this week though.

We got a little sick, but we are ok now.  There are elections this week, so things are a bit quieter around here for a couple days.  Carnival is still happening so we have to be careful of the kids throwing stuff.  The hammock making is going pretty good, I am almost finished with one part.
We also did a nice service project, it was helping fix a roof.  The roof was made out of bamboo like stuff.  I thought we should take the whole thing off and start over, but we just did like some patching. Wrapping wire and stuff around the broken pieces.
It was Valentines Day, and so we passed out some little flowers to the little kids around here.  It was fun.  We may get changes on a different day next week, so I will let you know what happens.  Catch you all later.
Love, Elder Rogers