June 20, 2016 Week 35 Solanda

HEY MOM,

Well a lot happened this week. Mostly just trying to help Elder Kern to get ready to leave. He didn't want to get ready

to leave so I had to force him a bit. I went with him to his exit interview, I've been to three exit interviews already,

none mine of course. I still have a lot to do here.

Oh and by the way there is peanut butter here, it's just super expensive, but I found some stuff that is like peanut 

butter paste, it's actually just raw peanuts mashed into paste, way cheaper than peanut butter but without the 

sugar.  So if you use jam that already has sugar in it tastes the same!!  So problem solved there.

Thursday we had district meeting and I had to give a little talk in front of the district, I hate talking in front of people.

I could never be a teacher.

Friday we has appointments all day, and we needed to clean the house and help Elder Kern pack. Also I filled up a 

whole journal and need to start another one. I never thought I'd fill one!

Saturday there was a baptism, it wasn't ours, it was the Hermanas and it was nice. We had a little going away party 

for Elder Kern.  

Also I made some steaks this week, they weren't as good as Grandpas, but good enough.

Well mom this week kind of went by super fast. I guess you guys don't know what happened so I will recount the 

story.

So this week was basically comprised of us saying goodbye to everybody.

I figured I was staying in Solanda so I just told everybody I would see them later. Well so then we went and visited 

people and then we got the changes and said that I needed to be in the offices because we were going to have 

changes. So we had changes and me and Elder Bothell went to my house and I had to pack everything really fast.

I kind of left a lot of stuff in that house. On a better note my new house is super cool. I love it hahahaha. Well it was 

a longer story but I will send a voice recording next week about it hahahaha. I am really lazy right now. I am not sick, 

I am feeling a whole lot better now. I have been taking some stuff called Omeprezol and it works really good for my 

stomach. 

My new comp is Elder Adams from Arizona, he is awesome. Now I am in Oriente Quiteno.

Well what else is going on with you guys mom?

Love Elder Rogers

(then Kord sends a 10 min voice recording about how moms, and grandmas, and great grandmas have super powers

in regards to cooking and folding socks!)

Also since he left Solanda in such a rush he sends this message to the people he left without saying goodbye.

"Thanks everyone in Solanda" or en español, "Gracias a todos, Gracias por la oportunidad que yo tuve para 

conocerles, Gracias por su ayuda y su amor. Les quiero mucho, Con amor -Elder Rogers" 

June 13, 2016 Week 34 Solanda

HEY MOM,

Hey mom, I really enjoyed your letter. I always enjoy them actually. But I liked it alot. Well this week was really good.

I guess I am learning a lot of patience. Also I am learning that even though we may work hard all day long and then 

comes Sundays and we dont have any investigators in church...its ok.. I am a little sad just because we are working 

super super hard and nothing is happening. We are finding some new people we are contacting like crazy and 

nothing. It kinda sucks but I know that we just gotta keep working super hard. So basically this week was filled with 

trying to pass by people and also trying to contact our contacts again. So it was really stressful and I have 

developed a twitch in my left eye....could be the stress....who knows but it is kind of bugging me and everything is

just really stressing me out. I am always worrying too much about stuff. I just need to calm down I think. I will try 

doing that pretty soon. Well. I have some recordings for you guys but nothing really exciting happened this past

week for me. Just still trying to find new people to teach. I love you guys

It has been a little hard this week also, because of the soccer games, Ecuador is playing Peru, so we all have jerseys.

But lots of people don't want appointments, because they are watching the games.  We got a new cellphone, ours

had an accident in some water, not my fault.... tried rice and everything, didn't work.  

Sounds like you guys are having fun, driving around and Kollin driving.  The drivers are a little crazy around here. 

We take the shoe lace express everywhere we go!  I'm just reading your letters here and it all sounds nice.

Grandpas headstone looks real nice. Sorry the suburban broke down, you guys get on fixing that stuff I

don't wanna have to fix everything when I get back.  Just kidden.... 

I had another stomach attack thing... it almost killed me.  I tried tried to ignore it, the nurses here gave me a diet plan 

of food to avoid eating, so maybe that will help. 

Anyway just a lot of teaching and meeting people, have a good week... 

 

Love Elder Rogers

June 7, 2016 Week 33 Solanda

It was a good week, we met a lot of new people. Tuesday we had a lot of appointments.  We had divisions on Wednesday.  Sometimes people aren't in a hurry to do anything.  We meet with people all the time, and they sometimes just aren't in a hurry to change much.  We also made some personal emergency kits in our zone meetings this week on Tuesday.  I bought a lot of stuff for mine.  I will be all set in an emergency, or at least enough for a day. We didn't have lessons on Thursday, it was horrible.  I don't like it when that happens.  
We had a ton of stuff planned, and then boom everything fell apart and we had no lessons.  Feeling down, and I feel like camping, I miss my teepee tent, and the smell of the woods, drinking river water, and when I used to take a nice refreshing shower in the river.
Saturday we went to a baptism, it wasn't ours but it was good.
How's everyone??  I'm pretty tired.

Thanks for the package!! I'm not sure I understand why you send some stuff, but thanks.

....So then Kordel sends a bunch of Spanish voice recordings...... no idea what he is saying
until next week!!

May 30, 2016 Week 32 Solanda

Hey mom,

I read your email and that all sounds super interesting, I also recieved another package with a tie and a wooden 

flute thing. I think you guys should take it easy on sending packages because it costs a crapload. I don't like having 

people spend so much money, 

I wouldn't mind some hand written letters cause I think that would be a lot easier. Love you guys,

Well this week has been pretty good mom, We have done a lot of stuff, well not really. We had some good lessons 

and we passed by a ton of less actives this week. We have passed by a few investigators but we are still looking for

them...they don't know they are investigators yet but we will find them hahaaha. . We also found this guy named 

Samuel, he is from Gana, Africa. He only speaks English so we are lucky to be in a companionship of two gringos. 

So we finally got to meet him and apparently our bishop knows English. So he was talking to him in English. We also 

went and taught him. The bishop is really good at teaching English as well. So it was a lot of fun finding him and 

having members meet him. 

Then we did divisions and Elder Memmott gave me some advice on how to deal with difficult people. So I am putting

all the advice that I have gotten into practice.  Well then on Saturday it was normal but then yesterday we had to go 

on divisions again because some Elders wanted to go to Ambato and get shoes before they go home. So I went to 

Elder Memmotts house and stayed with his companion. Now we are waiting for them to get back but its going to 

take a long time. So we are doing that now. I had a few dreams about home this week...so that was different. I wasn't

even thinking about home......that much.......Well that is basically it. I am doing alright and not sick or anything....

Oh and also I met these people yesterday who are related to the Harmon family, like Jacob and Levi and those guys. 

Yeah I guess they are there cousins and they speak Spanish and English because they are from Ecuador or 

something like that hahahha. It was really cool. There's like 20 of them.

LOVE YOU GUYS!

May 23, 2016 Week 31 Solanda

HEY MOM, Love you guys btw, 

I had a good birthday, the people here are awesome and during our Consejo, counsel thing between the missionaries and the ward, they threw me a party. They bought cake and some cola and what not... Anyways so they gave me an oreo cake, I love oreos. So they got me this cake and all this stuff and we had a good party. They have a tradition where they smash your face in the cake...I don't like it too much but whatever....Anyways so basically we found some new people to teach and they are pretty awesome. We found this one old guy Named Jorge and he can't walk very well and he is also really blind. He is awesome though. We have shared a 

couple lessons with him and his family.  They are super excited. I think I explained everything in my voice recordings. Those are so much easier hahahaha. Love you guys

What is your advice on trying to be more patient? I am still a teenager, I need advice mom

I guess I'll tell you a little about the week, as you know Monday we climbed that huge mountain, and it almost killed me.  Huge mountain really.  Tuesday I felt a little sick, but we prepared our investigator for baptism. Wednesday we had a mini conference with the President and it was a really good one.

It took all day. Then we went by some of our people and actually met two new investigators. Had a zone meeting and learned some stuff.  Friday nothing much happened.  We will be having a baptism this weekend and I will be confirming our new member, I am a little nervous. 

Friday planning a zone activity, and some other planning. I've been really busy this week, and I am super tired.

This is Sister Godoy.  The most exciting thing that happened this week was the baptism.

Oh and there was another earthquake, I think me and my companion were the only ones in Ecuador who slept through it.  And all the phone calls after too.
Oh and thanks for the punchy balloons mom, they lasted about 30 seconds, so we really enjoyed that.
It's hard to believe I have been in Ecuador for half of my 18th year.
Gotta go Love Elder Rogers

May 16, 2016 Week 30 Solanda

This week was pretty good,  After Skype we went and dropped off Elder Barton.  Bye Big Guy.

Then I went back with Elder Memmett, we slept at his house that night, which was kind of bad, because I thought we were going back to my house, so I had no clothes to sleep in.  Then on Monday morning we went and picked up my new companion Elder Kern.  On Tuesday we visited this family that we have been working with to see if they wanted a lesson.  One of them decided to get baptized
on the 21 of May, which as you know is one day before my bday.  I did not plan that. You can try to send me a cake if you want.
We got a little lost on Tuesday, but that's what happens when I don't know where I'm going.  It's fine...
We have a little problem with one of our families, and I'm all out of ideas about it, I'm just 18 I don't know what I'm doing with my life.
Wednesday was pretty normal, nothing much there.
Thursday had some really good lessons.  There was an activity, with some spiritual stuff and a dance. We left for the dance part, because we don't dance..... They had really good sandwiches there.
Friday we walked around ALOT  we found a few more people to teach in the streets here and there.
Saturday we had 4 lessons which was great, and saw a lot of our contacts.  It's just great to see everyone.

Today we spent all day riding up this mountain.  It's called a teleferico.  It took forever, and I thought I was gonna die.  I got some good pictures though.  We were like 13,600 feet above sea level.  So I don't feel too great right now.  Yeah we hiked for way too long.... I thought I was gonna die, man I thought the mountains in Wyoming were steep but this thing about killed me....

I love this stuff called ponymalta  and it tastes just likes sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving.  Like when granny makes it for us.  I bought three liters of it and drank it all!!  It might not be too good for me, but I did it anyway.  I hated it when I first got here and it's so good now.
Well Love you guys
Elder Rogers

May 9, 2016 Week 29 Solanda

Hey mom!

Well we tried to make some maple syrup, it was not that good. Maybe I should get a recipe.  Well I've never done 

it before.  It was about a 4 on the ten scale, a little runny.  I also tried some more cheese, didn't work again. I don't

know what's going on there. I'm almost done trying.  Also I made chicken nuggets today, another fail.... they just

wouldn't cook right.

I learned some new words today. Not to be repeated.  The people here speak a little different

like they have better vocabulary or something.

Today we had potatoes with rice... rice... rice... more rice.

You'd be surprised at how much rice you can eat in 6 months, it's gonna kill me.  We met this new guy. He's from 

the coast.  We knocked on his door and he let us in.  We talked for a while, he's pretty cool.   

Well...I think I told you guys about my week already....yesterday but here it goes again I guess. I will start with today 

because you already know everything else hahahahaha.  We had a mini zone conference, it was pretty good.  We had

a little party for Elder Barton, and had some cake.  I still get lost here in Ecuador, I applaud the Ecuadorian people

for being able to construct houses that look just alike, and park entrances that look just alike... I'm always lost.

Well I picked up Elder Kern, He is from Florida. 

We are still here in Solanda and I am going to buy a rubix cube for my birthday, did you guys put some money in 

my account? Maybe I should buy something useful but who cares....Well then we came here and now we are writing. 

The price of Cola products went up today...that kind of sucks. Well It sounds like you guys are doing great, I don't

have too many voice recordings or anything because we kind of talked yesterday....How are you guys doin? What's 

new since yeserday? It was awesome to see Gramps and Granny, and everybody else too. Gramps was like 

"Why are you smiling" Well I was just so happy to see you guys, anyways hahahaha

Love Elder Rogers