Weekly Update 2-24-2014

Wonderful baptism day!

Nauvoo Temple with Rachel.

HEELLLLOOOOO my wonderful family and friends!!!
I just want to start off this email by telling you that I love you ALL so so so much! Each of you... individually. I love you and I can't adequately express my gratitude towards all of you. You make me happy.

This week felt like 6 years... LITERALLY! It was long, but man was it dang worth it!!!!! I am so humbled and blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior who is Jesus Christ that care about us intimately as individuals!!

Let's start with 

Monday... PDAY... we did nothing.

Tuesday... MLC!! or Mission Leadership Council as we call it! It's a meeting with all the zone leaders and sister training leaders in the mission. We meet from 9 am to 430pm with the Assistants and President Jensen. It's a truck of a meeting! Anyways... it was awesome!! Learned a lot and gained a lot of insights and knowledge of what I can do as a leader to help the missionaries I am over. We talked a lot about learning by faith! Such a good principle!! Afterwards, we all went out to chili's and ate... SO GOOD! I got to see Sister Murphy and Sister Pratt again... man I love them:)

Wednesday we worked here in Keokuk.. we took P to the font and showed her exactly what would happen on Saturday. The guy that was going to be baptizing her was there and showed her everything. It turned out great!

Thursday, Sister Alston and I were in Quincy for a Zone Training Meeting. We gave a training on Sacrifice. It turned out pretty good! It was a little rocky but thankfully the spirit took over and did the teaching!

OH... quick sidenote... This Friday is zone conference.. I am singing with Sister Alston at it! We are singing because I have been given much. And then I am also singing that song in the 2nd session of zone conference that Sister Alston wrote the music to. YIKES! A lot of solos for Sister Rogers here lately. haha but don't worry that's not all.. I am also singing at stake conference in march. haha But I like it... its fun!

Now on to Friday... CRAZY DAY... but not the craziest... just wait. Friday, we went to Burlington to give another training to the Nauvoo Zone. That was awesome! The spirit totally took control of our training and it was incredible. It was such an amazing experience to be used as an instrument and vessel for the spirit. Humbled. After the meeting we got out and I checked our phone... 15 notifications on our phone. Nobody ever talks to us so to have 15 was a huge deal. Basically the jist of it all was that P, who was supposed to get baptized the next day was refusing to get baptized. She contacted our branch president and told him she wasn't getting baptized so he told everyone else in the branch that the baptism was cancelled and it was nuts. So we called a few people and were like "HOLD ON... let us talk to her and don't cancel anything yet!" haha So we made phone calls all day and talked to P and went and visited her and got everything worked out. Baptism BACK ON.

Come that night, we got permission to go to the temple!! So we went and did a session and get out of the temple and we get a call from a member saying she's not sure if P is going to get baptized. 

NEXT MORNING... Saturday... my 9 month mark...We get a phone call about 7 am... Baptism cancelled. P had a dream that she hit her head on the hand rail in the font and so she took it as a sign she shouldn't get baptized. We reassured her that it was Satan putting those thoughts in her mind. She didn't budge... so the baptism got cancelled. We get a call about 8am from her close friend who is a member and has been working very very closely with us in this process. She tells us to come visit P with her. We do and talk to her... P says that she still wants to get baptized just not in the font. She said earlier that morning she had another dream of her being baptized in the pool at the YMCA. So we said okay... lets go talk to the YMCA. So sister Alston and I take a trip to the YMCA and ask if we can do a baptism there. they said yes. SO we said great lets do it tonight! Baptism back on. but then we found out that P wanted to do it the next day. Baptism still cancelled for Saturday. So we talked to the aquatic lady at the YMCA after waiting an hour and she said we could reserve the pool for the baptism either right before open swim or right after open swim. open swin was from 1pm-4pm. Our church doesn't get over until 1, so we decided to do it after open swim at 4pm. We called P and the guy that was going to baptize her and worked it all out. We talked to the branch president and president Jensen and they were all okay with it. PERFECT! BAPTISM ON FOR SUNDAY AT 4PM AT THE YMCA. Crazy... I know. So we go on the rest of our day... get another phone call from the members that are going to baptize P and tell us that they can't be in Keokuk at 4 because they have an important meeting in Nauvoo.... BAPTISM OFF. Seriously at this point I wanted to just give up haha I have never felt so much opposition from satan before!! Anyways... AFTER MANY PHONE CALLS.. we get the YMCA to swith our pool reservation for sunday at 12:30 instead of 4pm. The next morning we go to church... still not knowing if P is getting baptized or not. We talk to our branch president and he is fine with her getting baptized at 12:30 at the YMCA on a Sunday in the middle of church. SO.. we called her she was still planning on being baptized. BAPTISM BACK ON. SO to make this long story short... at 12:30pm on sunday... P was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was well worth the fight against the adversary. She will be confirmed next week! Glorious day.

 

That's all Ive got for now. I love you all. And just want you to know that God is real and He loves us so much!! Have a wonderful day and know that I love all of you! I KNOW the church is true!

Love Sister Rogers

Weekly Update 2-19-2014

Having Fun on Valentine's Day with the Sisters.

Saw her Ft. Dodge Missionaries, Elder Belliston & Elder Clark at 

Mission Leadership Council in Iowa City!

Saw her first companion, Sister Murphy, at Mission Leadership Council.  

Their funny faces are due to their top buttons being buttoned.

Hello Everyone:)

Sorry for the late email... monday all the libraries were closed for President's day and then yesterday we had Mission Leadership Council all day in Iowa city, so today is the first time I have had a chance to get to a computer!

This week has been great! A lot has happened! But I honestly can't remember what went on!! I'm losing it... seriously. hahah I can't remember which day is which and what happened when and if it happened last week or last transfer. So bear with me here haha

Last Monday we got our transfer doctrine... Sister Alston and I will be staying together in Keokuk for another six weeks! I am so excited!! I love Sister Alston. She's amazing. I have learned so much from her. Last week on Tuesday I sang that song that Sister Alston composed at the lecture in Nauvoo! It turned out really good! Everyone said they enjoyed it:)

Wenesday was P-day and we played 4 hours of volleyball:) I loved every second of it! Man, my body was ridiculously sore but it felt so good!! We go play at this facility owned by members. It's the most wonderful thing ever:)

On Friday, it was Valentine's day! Sister Alston was way sick so she slept and I studied! It was really good acttually because I needed some ME time with the ook of Mormon. I love that book. A little later in the afternoon Rachael and Sister Pena and her daughter came to our appartment and heart attacked it. It was so nice and we felt really loved! It was so thoughtful of them:)

This week Pam had her baptismal interview and she is ready to go for this saturday! I am so excited!

This week has been really great and I have grown much closer to my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for His Atonement. I am grateful that His mercy is available for each of us regardless oof what we have done. I know that repentance bings true joy. When you repent and try harder you are happy. I am very grateful for this opportunity I have to serve. I LOVE this work. I love the people I meet each day. I so badly want everyone to know of these eternal truths that our Father in Heaven has so lovingly provided for us. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has changed me and is helping me to become a better version of myself. I can't imagine where I would be without this opportunity. I love the Lords. So much.

 

Have a wonderful week! And remember that if YOU have questions, turn to the Lord! He is the only one that can answer them Seek to learn by faith:) I love you!

Love

Sister Halee Rogers

Weekly update 2-10-14

Carthage- Window where Joseph Smith fell from after being shot.

Looking through the bullet hole in the door.

Window where Joseph fell out after being shot.

Halee's great, great, great, great grandfather, Noah Rogers, is listed on the Pioneer Memorial and Exodus to Greatness Monument.  The 2000 names listed are pioneers that died along the mormon trail.

Carthage

District Meeting!

Zone at Carthage!

The Exodus Walk.  Standing on the frozen Mississippi River.

With President & Sister Jensen.

The tunnel/bridge where Joseph & Emma kissed in the restoration movie.

Sister Alston cut 7" off Halee's hair.

Valentine's decoration sent by Chet, Shelly (Adams) and their girls.

Hello There,

This week has been crazy! A lot has gone on... so sorry if I forget anything! We will start with Monday... Monday we went as a zone to Nauvoo and Carthage! So fun! Theres lots of pics! I bought a replica of the original Book of Mormon. pretty cool! Then later that night Sister Alston chopped all of my hair off. Well not all of it but about 7 inches! haha I needed a change:)

Tusday... the weather was super super bad! We got grounded at like 12 in the afternoon. So we were at a members house practicing a song Sister alston and I are going to be singing at a baptism. We got to hang out with Rachael  for a little bit. I don't know if i have ever talked about Rachael before, but I will now. First of all, she is AWESOME! She is 22 years old and a nursing student here in Keokuk. She is in the branch and she is so dang cool! She comes out a lot with us to people's houses and just has a powerhouse testimony! Man, I could say so much about this girl! I LOVE HER!

Later that night since we had to go to our apartment and just sit there because of the bad weather, one of the members called us and came and picked us up and took us to dinner and then over to Nauvoo to hear the lectures by Sister Susan Black Durrant. Not sure if you know her, but she's pretty famous in the church world. She knows everyone important. ANYWAYS, during her lecture she read a poem that was written by W.W. Phelps. She came up to Sister Alston afterwards and asked if she would write music to the words. Something you must know about Sister Alston, she is INCREDIBLE at anything music and ESPECIALLY at composing and playing piano pieces. Sister Durrant then turned to me and asked if I would sing it once she was done writing the music! haha So long story short, I am singing a lost poem written by W.W. Phelps on Tuesday night at the Lecture in Nauvoo! Crazy stuff. Sister Alston did SUCH a great job with composing the music. It's terrific, and Sisteter Durrant said she was going to send it to Mack wilberg! haha SWEET!

Wednesday... Pam  had her interview. She passed with flying colors but decided to wait until the 22nd to get baptized. She prayed and the spirit confirmed to her that the 22nd is when she needed to get baptized, so it will happen then!

Thursday... District Meeting! That was great. That night we had dinner with Rachael!! Goodness I love her. I know that part of the reason I was called to Keokuk was to meet her!:) She's wonderful!

Friday... It was pretty normal. Weekly planning. a few lessons. Nothing out of the ordinary

Saturday... BIG DAY! We started off the morning in Nauvoo! They were having the Exodus commemoration which is the reinactment of the saints leaving Nauvoo. President and Sister Jensen were there and told us to come:) So that was fun! It was way way way cold but we got to walk on the Mississippi! It was totally frozen... I was even jumping. haha After the Exodus walk, we went to the Stake Center in Nauvoo. Youth Conference was going on and President and sister Jensen were in town to speak to the youth. They asked Sister Alston and I to come and be on a panel of missionaries with two other elders. We sat up front with microphones and the youth got to ask us a bunch of questions about missions and stuff! It was way cool! Sister Jensen had Sister Alston stand up and show our cute clothes that we as sister missionaries can wear now. haha it was fun and it was great to spend so much time with president and Sister Jensen... I love them! Afterwards, Sister Alston went up to them like little kids to their parents and with puppy dog eyes asked, "Can we go to the temple?" President Jensen replied, "Yeah, you're already here, go ahead." haha YES! So we got to go to the temple AGAIN! It was so wonderful. And we are so spoiled... not many missionarie get to go to the temple twice in two weeks! Blessed.

Sunday... We got a new branch presidency! I aso taught sharing time in primary... that was fun haha And I got to take the Sacrament so thats a plus too!

Man... It was a solid week. I know that Heavenly Father is so aware of each of us. His plan is Perfect. I love you all so so much and thank you for all the prayers!:)

LOve,

Sister Rogers

Weekly update 2-3-2014

Hey Ya'll

This past week has been pretty good! Sister Alston and I started out our week by heading to Quincy, IL for exchanges! It started out real well, until.... I got sick. I tried really hard to fight it and keep working but eventually I felt like I was going to die. haha Not an exaggeration. I was confined to the couch for a couple days. BUt I was eventually able to overcome it. haha I hate being sick. It's super lame. haha

ANYWAYS, we also had some pretty cool experiences this week that allowed us to be used as instruments in the Lord's hands. There was one lady named Pam, who has a baptismal date for this Saturday. She is about 40 or so but was hit by a car when she was 5 and has definite brain damage. She has members from the Nauvoo ward that are her friends and that have been helping her in all aspects of her life. But, let me tell you... this woman is a special child of our Father in Heaven. The veil is so thin with her. Every time I feel discouraged or just down we go visit Pam, because she just makes everything better. She is so close to God. And he uses her as his instrument ALL THE TIME. she is getting baptized this Saturday and I am so excited.

Everything else is going really well! The snow keeps coming and its been way cold recently but all is well! There is supposed to be a giant storm coming in tonight that could give us up to 24 inches of snow! Its gonna be fun haha

 

I'm sorry this is such a short update this week, but know that I love you and that Christ's Atonement is real. Keep up all of the great work! I Love you!

 

Sister Halee Rogers