In Which I Feel an Earthquake (YIKES)

Dear Family,

Wow this week has been really good! We were able to meet with several less-active members and bring the Spirit into their homes. Sister P installed a ceiling fan in this older woman's house, which made the woman so happy she said she would come to church this week. She didn't end up making it, but that's definitely progress!

The other sister missionaries in our ward had a baptism on Saturday. That was a really cool experience. This woman was so excited to have all her sins washed away, she couldn't wait to get into the font! Her excitement was contagious. She made everyone else so excited about this gospel!

We met with one of our investigators, TK, last night. Both Sister P and I felt like we should go over, and it was definitely the Spirit that prompted us to do so. We were able to testify of the truth of this gospel to TK, and the Spirit was undeniably there in that room. I can't even remember exactly what I said, because it wasn't me who said it.

The Spirit was so strong that I was shaking a little bit after we left. Things are going to be so good! The Lord uses the weak to bring about His divine purposes. Last night I think I realized that more fully.

Other funny things- I broke my bed. Our beds used to be bunk beds, but they were taken apart so they're separate now. The only thing holding my mattress up is these thin planks of wood. I sat on my bed this week and the middle plank snapped. I broke my bed!

I also felt my first earthquake this week. It originally felt like the people upstairs were just jumping alot and making the apartment shake, but then it kept shaking. It was a neat experience, because mostly everyone here in California and just used to earthquakes and are shocked when I tell them I've never felt one before. Can't say that any more!

This week my testimony has grown. I know now more than ever that this is the Lord's work, that the Lord needs us, His people, to do this. Everything that we do is to further the building of the kingdom. Let's do that more vigorously!

Love,

Sister Rogerson

Spring Break

Dear Family-

I don't have much time to write, but this week was a little slow due to spring break. It seemed like at least one member was gone every day of the week!

We did begin teaching someone new, H. She is a perfect example of someone who has been prepared by the Lord. It is such a blessing for me to be able to teach her and help her come closer to Christ.

That was it for this week! Have a great one!

Love,

Sister Rogerson

Teaching and Learning

Dear Family,

I'm so sorry I haven't written anything for this blog in a while! Things have just been crazy.

This week was really good. We found 2 new investigators, whom we taught the Restoration to this week. They both accepted the challenge to pray and read the Book of Mormon. We set one for a baptismal date of April 26 and the other is praying for a date where he thinks he can be ready by. We meet with him tonight and hopefully that goes well!

We were invited by a member family to a "pie night" on 3/14. They are in medical school, so they invited a lot of their classmates too. We weren't sure if we would be able to find a missionary purpose for being there, so we prayed before we went into the house. Miracles happen, because within 30 minutes of us being there, people were asking us questions, from "Do you get to choose where you serve" to "What's your schedule like" to "What does your church believe about baptism." It was really cool! We ended up teaching the Plan of Salvation, and we learned a lot about their religion too. They are all Seventh-day Adventists. That knowledge will help me as I work in this area. My area is a highly concentrated SDA town.

We also had the privilege of having Elder Neil L. Anderson of the 12 to come do a mission conference with us. He spoke a lot on the Atonement, which I thought was interesting. I was just grateful he didn't talk about obedience or something like that!

He also came to our stake conference on Sunday. There he spoke about the Resurrection. He used to Bible mostly, and spoke about Lazarus and the significance it was the he was risen from the dead. The mayors from San Bernardino and Redlands were at the stake conference, and there were times where Elder Anderson spoke only to them. You could definitely feel the Spirit in that meeting!

General Conference is in 3 weeks! We should prepare ourselves now to hear from our beloved prophet :)

Sister Rogerson

A Trip to the Temple and a Surprise Wedding

Dear Family,

This week has been so good! We were able to go to the Redlands temple last Wednesday, and that was just so breathtakingly beautiful I can't even being to say. It was great to go in and do a session in that temple. It makes it more personal now.

Sis P and I found 2 new investigators this week. One, D, was a referral from the referral system (Salt Lake City). We went to see her and she told us to come back next week, because she was going out of town. So we did, and we talked about how the priesthood is restored and about the church meetings. She lives in Yucaipa sometimes, and she had met the elders there and read some of the Book of Mormon with them. She does have some concerns about how blacks were at one point not allowed to hold the priesthood, but we're hoping to resolve that tomorrow. She came to church on Sunday and really enjoyed it!

The second investigator is K, who is the fiance of a less active. We met her while trying to find her fiance and we ended up talking to her and teaching her the Restoration. Her eyes got bigger and bigger as we talked about how the Church has been restored and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head!

One other surprise this week is that B and C got married! They were going to be married on March 1, but family drama was going on so they decided to just get married after church on Sunday. I was able to go and see it. I'm so happy for them! Hopefully they set their eyes on the temple now. Well, baptism for B first, and then the temple.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Rogerson

Life in Redlands

Dear Family-

This week was great! My new companion Sis Parkin has been taking me to meet several less active members, and almost all of them offered to feed us dinner sometime in the next few weeks. That doesn't happen too often, so we were super excited!

Our investigator Ivan, who has been struggling to get an answer to his prayer that this Church is true, got an answer! He felt like he should meet with the elders in his ward, so he contacted them and set up an appointment. We are no longer teaching him, but he says he feels he is closer to the day that he will be baptized!

We've also been hustling to get the work moving with the members We've been going to their houses and talking about family mission plans. A lot of members want to do missionary work, but don't know necessarily how to do it. We got a list of ideas and have been handing them out to people and helping them make their own mission plan. It's been great so far! Everyone's been really willing to try it out.

Nothing much else went on this week, besides the fact that Sis. Parkin makes me run with her in the mornings! I'm getting buff now :)

Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Sis Rogerson

Transfer to Redlands!

Dear Family,

First things first- I'm being transferred from San Bernardino to Redlands. They are complete opposite areas in the sense that one is super ghetto, and the other is super nice. Sis Wall keeps telling me not to have culture shock when I get to Redlands!

I'm not sure who my companion is. I'll find that out tomorrow!

We got to go to a baptism and A was able to come with us! She was super observant of everything and when we talked to her at the end she said she liked it, and that baptism was something she still wanted. We watched the Restoration video with her a few days ago, and I think she's starting to notice the change that's growing within her.

I know that Christ lives. I know that the things we learn here on earth are going to help us with the rest of our lives. I know the Atonement changes lives. Christ would not have gone through all that pain if it weren't for nothing. HE LIVES! It's amazing.

Love you all!

Sis. Rogerson

In Which I Learn New Things Every Day

Dear Family (plus all those who read this blog)-

Sorry I haven't written in a while! Things have been super crazy awesome!

This week the south elders had a baptism. This particular baptism was one of the most spiritual baptisms I've ever had the privilege to go to. The woman who was baptized has been working hard for 3 months to overcome her difficulties, and this week she was able to take that first step to becoming more like our Savior.

We had a lesson with A, who came to church on Sunday. She is progressing and she's getting to know more of the ward members.

We also had a lesson with B and C too. C opened up to us and expressed some difficulties she and her family have been facing. We were able to bear our testimonies about the Atonement and tell them that those trials that they are facing are exactly what the Atonement covers. They were able to get some things taken care of. The Lord really is watching over them.

I'm learning every day. Something new comes up everyday. I think that's how life is, too. God would have us learn something new every single day. We should watch out for those little lessons from God that are going to make us more like Him. I'm grateful for this experience! Being a missionary is the single greatest decision I've ever made in my entire life. Make those decisions that bring you happiness! That's all God wants for us- our happiness.

Love you all and have a great week!

Love,

Sis Rogerson