Weekly Update 10-27-14

Celebrating Halee's 17 month mark!

Got beat in racquetball by 88 year old Gaylord!

Funny presidents totem pole.

IT SNOWED:  Just kidding... it didnt snow:) Its been beautiful this week:) I probably just cursed myself for a brutal month of November.. but come what may! haha

So this week was just really humbling and full of blessings. Everyday I am blessed with the ability to recognize more what the Lord has done for me in my life and how much of a part He plays. His hands are magnificent! For example, yesterday He led 4 souls that were prepared to receive the restored gospel to us. Two of them were from Sudan Africa. They are such nice men. Their names are Deng and Ngor! And they have quite a story... it is remarkable to hear. God blessed me with the ability to see them as my brothers. It gave so much more meaning and power to my teaching and desire to share with them the gospel when I felt such a love for them. We shared Joseph Smith's First Vision with them and invited them to pray and read from the Book of Mormon and also invited them to follow the Savior's example and be baptized. they both readily agreed. It was amazing to see how, although rough around the edges, with humble and pure hearts the hearkened unto the voice of the Lord. 

I just feel really blessed right now as I am writing this email. Being a missionary is such an amazing thing. My heart is truly swollen with joy. Nothing grand or extravagant to accredit it to, just the tender mercies of the Lord and the Spirit of God that dwells with me.

Another cool experience that happened was our investigator Chelsea officially decided to be baptized on November 15th! Her Dad has been apprehensive about it and has kept postponing her baptism. But this Friday we fasted with her and she asked if she should be baptized without her dad's permission. After fasting she has decided to be baptized on the 15th. I can't imagine how hard of a decision that mustve been for her to make. But it was such a special experience.

Also... on another note... I got beat by an 88 year old in racquetball this week. My pride is hurt. haha

I hope you all have had such a great week! I love you!

Sister Rogers

Weekly Update 10-20-14

New and last Companion Sister Barney!

Sister Holman- saying goodbye!

Sister Kimzey!

Hey Everyone!

So this week was great! It went a lot better than last week! haha The Lord blessed us and led us to many people who have been prepared to hear the restored gospel. We found 4 new investigators this week and it was all done in the strength of the Lord. i have a testimony of how important it is to rely upon the Lord because He can make much more out of your life and all the things you do than you can. It's really easy to forget that sometimes but I am grateful to have the Holy Ghost who can open our hearts and turn us back to God. We also were blessed to set a baptismal date with our investigator Lindsay last night for December 20th! She is doing really well and has committed to come to church next sunday!

I guess the news you are waiting to hear is who my new companion is. Her name is Sister Barney. She is from Lindon, Utah and has been out for 14 months. I was her Sister Training Leader while I was in Iowa City for 3 transfers. She is way cool and I have worked a lot with her before so i am pumped to have her as a companion. She is a way good singer so she is going to have to teach me some of her mad skills. We have been getting a long great so far! Heavenly Father really blessed me to be with such an awesome companion my last transfer.

Not a whole lot has happened besides that... except for... one of my investigators named Luke that i taught in Iowa City... the one we met at jimmy johns... he is moving to ames today!!!!! I am so excited so hopefully I will get to continue teaching him!!!

I can see the Lord's hand in every aspect of my life and I am so grateful for the spiritual eyes He has given me to be abkle to witness these things. I love you all! Have a great week:)

Love

Sister Halee Rogers

Weekly Update 10-13-14

At Red Lobster!

Last District Meeting of Transfer!

On exchanges with Sister Hernandez.

Well hello there family and friends... yes, you read that correctly... my last transfer of my mission begins this week on thursday... uhhh what?! Yeah okay that's all we are going to talk about it anymore. We just got transfer calls this morning from President Jensen. Sister Holman is getting transferred and I will be getting a new companion. This was pretty shocking cause Sister Holman has only been here for 2 transfers and so we assumed we were just going to stay together. But I guess that is not the case!

This week was a pretty good one but a bit of a struggle as well. We really have not been teaching a lot at all. I mean we had a total of 8 lessons taught this week... 8.... I have never had that low on my mission! ha So I am determined to do better and work smarter. We have been doing a lot  a lot of tracting and have been finding lots of great potentials but every time we go to meet with them again they cancel or we can't get a hold of them. This just testifies to me of the importance of the spirit in this work. We need it everyday and we must learn to recognize his promptings. I don't think I have been doing that very much this past week. I've just been going about doing missionary things and talking to people without trying to follow the spirit. It isn't that I have been wasting time or just piling out but i haven't been using the spirit to guide and direct me. So let me tell you folks... when you try and rely upon your own strength and wisdom without acknowledging the spirit and praying fervently, you will only teach 8 lessons figuratively speaking. So that is my message to ya'll today... follow the spirit and live worthily of His constant companionship and use Him as your guide!

Yesterday i sang in Sacrament Meeting. I sang, "I Feel My Savior's Love." I got an arrangement online and asked one of the young women to accompany me in it. Her name is Sarah and she is 14. Her dad is our ward mission leader and so we are at their house a lot and she's pretty darn cool. But when I had asked her to do it for me she didn't really want to cause she said she would mess up and that there were way better people at the piano that I could ask. The accompaniment was pretty hard and she tried playing it the first time and struggled pretty bad and so she was just going to quit but her mom would not let her. And this totally just reminded me of myself. There were so many times where people would ask me to play and sing the guitar but i didn't have any confidence so I would try and turn things down, but mom would never let me! She always encouraged me to play and grow and she was always believing in me that I could do it. Anyways, the same was with Sarah. She practiced for about a week and yesterday in church when she played it she just nailed it! It was so awesome:) She is such a stud. I am sure she will thank her mom later for pushing her and believing in her. Moms are the best.

Our investigators are doing pretty well.... sort of... the ones we can get a hold of. haha Biliu is still doing good, he is reading the Book of Mormon like crazy but is really wanting a lot of external evidences to prove to him that these things are true. He even asked for DNA evidence to prove that Lehi was a prophet.... haha needless to say we are going to teach about receiving truth from the spirit. Chelsea is still doing good as well! Still on date for November 15th. I think this weekend I am going to Iowa City for the baptism of Lori Fees. I taught her while I was in Iowa City and now she is getting baptized so i am hoping I can make it.

Hope you all have such a great week! LOVE YOU!

Sister Halee Rogers

Weekly Update 10-6-14

Fun with presents from Germany!

Just got to watch the new movie premier of "Meet The Mormons"!

Hey There!

This week was so splendid!! 

Tuesday we had exchanges with the Ankeny Sisters! It was a blast... I went with Sister garrett and we stayed here in Ames. We got a new investigator!! His name is Biliu and he is from Sudan... he is a stud and really wants to know truth! He is is already in 2 nephi 3 of the Book of Mormon and has since been going on mormon.org chatting with the missionaries there and has also ordered the Doctrine and Covenants as well as the Pearl of Great Price. We are meeting with him again tomorrow and seeking to set a baptismal date for him.

Wednesday was a pretty normal day as well as thursday. We are knocking a lot of doors because our teaching pool isn't huge right now. But we are meeting some great people along the way. i love sharing the gospel!

Friday was a spectacular day... you know why?? Because we got to go to Des Moines and have a special preview of the new movie coming out on October 10th, "Meet The Mormons." The Missionary Department sent President Jensen the DVD and so he called an impromptu zone conference so that we could watch it! It was awesome! The moving was so good too! Had me in tears... especially at the football coach part... it also may have gotten me a little trunky, just saying. But don't worry, i got refocused rather quickly. I would suggest all of you to go see the movie though... it's wonderful!!!

This weekend was so great as well. General Conference was definitely my highlight. I always leave with a stronger resolution to walk in obedience to God's commands. I hope it did the same for all of you. I especially appreciated all of the talks about sustaining and following a prophet. I received such a special witness from the Holy Ghost that Thomas S. Monson has truly been called of God as well as the Apostles. I know that if we follow them, we cannot and will not be led astray. They teach and preach the words of eternal life.

There were so many other great talks that just resonated with me. Elder Holland's, Elder Christofferson's. Elder Robbins, and Elder Godoy's, and Sister McKonkie's just to name a few. But many others. Fun fact... in November, Elder Godoy is coming to our mission for a mission tour! So i will get to meet him! That will be a great experience.

I think that is it folks. I will end  by testifying in the name of Jesus Christ that I know God lives. I know He has called prophets and apostles to lead and guide His church on earth today. I know that these special witnesses of His son Jesus Christ receive divine inspiration and revelation from the Godhead, and because of this I trust and sustain them as prophets, seers, and revelators. I pray daily for the welfare of all your souls. I am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinte love for us. I am grateful that he has provided the way for us to return to our Father in Heaven. I especially love this scripture... 2 Nephi 10:23-25.... we have the choice.

I love you! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Halee Rogers

Weekly Update 9-29-14

With Sister Rhoten!

Fun with a beautiful Iowa Sunset!

Mission Office!

Hey There!

We are back again on a beautiful monday morning:) The weeks are going faster than I have ever imagined. Before I know it my mission will be over... I DON"T LIKE IT. haha It's definitely bittersweet experience. I am really trying to continue working hard these last couple of months. My thoughts this week have been directed towards the Atonement of Jesus Christ. If there is one thing I want to accomplish from my mission it is to understand the mission of the Savior better and in a more personal way. I do feel that it has grown and has made such a powerful influence upon my life and I have seen it do so through others. I was reading a scripture yesterday that has really been consuming my mind lately... it is found in Mosiah 23:10-11. It says,

 10 Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth.

11 Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself.

As grateful as I am to be used everyday as an instrument in the Lord's hands, what brings true joy and happiness hasn't been the things that I have done, but seeing the power and influence of the Lord in others lives. I really cannot adequately express how grateful i am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have come to learn that it is through our struggles and mistakes and weaknesses that we come to know our Savior as our Savior and Redeemer and not just some really great man. I know that it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that salvation comes. If we are obedient and live the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the prophet Joseph Smith and if we follow the counsel of the living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, as well as his counselors and apostles, we will have eternal life. It is through our consistent daily efforts that the blessings of the Atonement come into our lives. Salvation is not an event, it is a process. This gospel is a gospel all about progression. the Atonement makes room for progression. This life is the time given to us to learn and to grow!!! Oh how wonderful!!! Wow, I really am just so grateful and have felt that I need to share my gratitude and testimony with you. This really means so much to me. The spirit has testified in my heart and mind that these things are true and that the Atonement is real.

On that note, i will update you about my week. It was a pretty standard week.. no astounding miracles but just good wholesome missionary work. So... at the beginning of this week we had 10 investigators... guess how many we have now? 4. We got dropped like hot cakes hard core. haha But all is well, we are determined and have faith that the Lord is preparing more souls to come unto Christ. Needless to say we will be doing a lot of finding and tracting this week. Someone has to do it right? I am glad that it is my privilege. On the bright side, we still have one person on date for November 15th and will be resetting a date this week.

On Friday this past week we got to go to one of the members house to do some service. They live on a farm and we were cutting down trees and hauling them off to various burn piles. It was hot, but oh so great! It felt so good to just get down and do some manual labor and get out of my skirt for a few hours. I was sweaty and probably smelt bad but it was awesome. AND I got to ride in a tractor. I would've taken pictures but my battery was dead... so next time! 

We also went on a couple exchanges this week so that was fun! I got to go back to Fort Dodge for a day!!! I saw the Rhotens, who i spent Christmas with down there, and I saw the Marnachs who was a family I taught down there. It was way cool. I also saw Sister Hendrix a member there. She's like my favorite. It was so good to see her!

Sister Holman and I are really getting along great! Sister Holman is awesome, I love her a lot. Heavenly father blessed me with such a great companion to finish my mission off with.

I hope you all have a great week! LOVE YOU!

Love

Sister Halee Rogers