9-28-09

Hey family, 9-28-09Well another week has come and gone here in Campoy. We finished up the month of Sept. with 18 baptisms and 19 confirmations, so we are way excited about that. We are so close to 20 , the goal and I know we will break it soon , but I’m proud of our elders. It’s crazy this week starts October! And a new thing they’re not going to tell us the changes, so next week I could be anywhere but I don’t think so. I think I’m going to die here which is fine. I like Campoy, but I do think I’ll get a new companion. I hope he’s cool so he can help me finish strong. It was good week.I’m glad to hear everything is going good with the fam and stuff it seems like mom and dad are always traveling. Thanks so much mom and dad for your council and scriptures and pumping me up every week.Well we started a new thing in our lessons we sing to our investigators and it really helps bring the spirit and its fun too. My companion has a way deep nasally voice and says he is way good at singing so he sings and sings all the time from start of the day, ….It is so so annoying but it helps me continually build patience something that I thought I already had hehe Singing in lessons is fun!I’m going to miss my companion because he is a stud and we talk every night telling stories. He is great elder.Yesterday was intense we had conference meeting with all the bishops in Campoy and kind of burned them a little bit with Stake President cause they just don’t help very much. We got some good stuff resolved and so we will see how it all turns out. We helped them by watching preach my gospel movies on the big screen. The movie says all we need to do as bishops, Elders, and members. It is fun seeing President Darrell Larkin on the movie too. Remember when we went and visited him in San Antonio? They must have made that movie right after …but yeah I was way nervous telling all the bishops what to do but learned a lot as wellLast letter, I said guinea pig but I meant hamster! We ate hamster even more gross!! Just like uncle hammer used to say.I love all you guys and hope and pray you are all receiving blessing for the work I am doing here. All that matters to me is this gospel and my loved ones nothing else, I know god lives and loves all of us and wants us to be happy, please continue to keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine too. P. S. Holland did not come down here I don’t think…unless I don’t know but last week he spoke with us in a broadcast from Salt Lake that was especially for Peru. Love your son in lama land Elder Rogers

News from Jon 9-22-09

Elders in Zone

Fam!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9-22-09Hey family well sorry this is late. We had lots going on today. We took our zone bowling!!!!!!! We got a discount in the morning so we had to run. They all got to email but we were busy fixing a little problem and when we finished we had to take them bowling. It was really fun but I sucked it up. I just told everyone it must be the time I have spent in the mission;) It sounds like everyone is doing great and that makes me happy and gives me strength to go on. This week has been a miracle week and we were able to baptize 11 people on Saturday as a zone after a big marriage ceremony. It was awesome. Our investigators went in as well, Edgar and Lucy. It was so so good to see them go in and they really have changed so much. They now call us hijos , chicos ( there boys) Every time we knock on the door they invite us in to eat.It was a long day Saturday taking everyone to get married then bring them back and get them dunked. Then we had stake conference after the baptism. It was a great day. Then after Stake Conference the Ward made a reception for all those that got married. Edgar cooked up 10 fat yep guinea pigs for all who came. I told everyone where I come from those fat little guys roll in cages and are not eaten under any circumstance. They just laugh and think I’m joking!....yuck!..... no they’re not good.It was great baptism. Hermana Lucy invited us over for Sunday dinner and made her own version of fettuccini alfredo it was sooooooo good! It’s so good to be their friends and see the change in these people and how the Lord prepared them for us. My companion told me that before I arrived in Lima Lucy was heard saying that if anything happened to her son in on his mission she would kill the bishop. …yikes hehe and now she danced with him and the líder missonal at her wedding yesterday! Classic conversion story.I am so happy to be a part of this great work and just see these miracles take place. Every companionship has converts waiting for them that only they can baptize and if you find them it will change everyone’s lifeJI’m hungry to find more baptisms and more people and that are ready to understand it. It’s the eye of the tiger baby its go time.We had conference for Peru and Jeffery R. Holland talked and bore his testimony in español. Wow, he can speak really well..It was a great conference but I felt he kind of burnt all of Peru …but they needed it. It was strong with the sprit. He told them that an area with that much success and members needs to get things together! They need to send more missionaries, pay more tithing, and more everything, Wow!Well other day I was walking down the street and some greasy guy drove by in taxi and shouted out hey home boy! What’s up! Hehe it was so weird and I was laughing so hard he said it perfect and didn’t know what else to say good Peruvian times….Well this week is going be another busy one. We got changes and we have the fun job of sending everyone out. I hope I don’t send myself! The work of the Lord is rolling right along and no one can stop it! I know the Lord is with us all!Well were working and pounding the dirt down here in lama land , I wish you all a great week and know I’m thinking about you all!Con amor su hijito Elder RogersP.S. The sad part of the story is that Elder Holland was in St. George last weekend. It would have been fun to send a little something with him to Jon.

Jon Fun Pictures

At the top of the mountain in Huancayo . Notice the patch on his pants. Zone Huancayo baby. Most of the Latinos are newbies and newbies in the church too

A todos mis amigos desde el valle del sol- Huancayo. El parque de identidad

Hey Ho!

We think this picture is funny cause in everyone's house they have a bitter beer face family picture. Here we are in a classic Peruvian picture.

Left to right

Elder Morrison- Vernal Ut., Elder Rogers, Elder Ferrer- Dallas Tx, Elder Bates San Antonio Texas Zone Leader

9-14-09 LIMA

fam!!!!!!!!! 9-14-09Wow it sounds like everyone had a great week and I’m so happy for that; Dad with fishing..and ward changes woof cool though.. I’m still here and working hard in my responsibilities. Hey don’t let me get trunky that is not a good thing. HeheWell its been another great week here in Campoy. Its been so fun having my stud companion and working hard. I’m happy cause its not to hot and miserable yet but that’s starting to change..yep it’s about that time of year. I’m getting ready to sweat like a Vitarte dog again! It’s all good! things are going great this week. We had interviews and he pretty much told me my companion is leaving then I’m going to be holding the reins or taking the whippings –jk! He was asking me how I felt in my new area and all. I think I know it well enough ?...I hope.Well its always really busy busy doing things going on divisions planning weddings, interview, numbers, little problems in zone, sicknesses…..I don’t get to study as much as I would like but I at least try to read an hour in Book of Mormon and D & C to get the spirit but the phone rings every 5 min until 11 or 12 at nights sometimes. On weekends I sometimes get frustrated! Some kids call to ask what we’re doing for p day when they should be snoozing but then once in a while you’ll get a call from the big man ....what you want!!!!!!! Oo..... buenas noches presidente como esta.The other night we took a sick Elder Ramierez , a newbie to the down town Lima E:R: at1:00a.m. We went by taxi. We were there until 5:00a.m. He was throwing up blood almost. So after a blessing and 5 or 6 runs to bathroom I said,”lets go!” It was an adventure, The ER staff gave him IV. I got to sit there and watch what one of the biggest scariest cities of the world brought in on Thursday night. There was contusion accidents, drunk, etc. It was wild and I was dead the next day. Such is the life of a missionary. It is crazy sometimes..but it was good to help. It’s cool that President trusts us to do stuff like that. I sometimes feel like a kid, but we have lots of responsibility.I also got to ride in the minivan of Hermana Leyva with nice and smooth church jazz music to go check if the rooms were clean of the elders. I did not want to get out of that sweet ride. It reminded me of all the times I tried to succor out of work and go to the gas station with Curtis and buy a root beer! loved running errands with him but I hated it when he dropped me off back in the heat.Well we got a marriage this week and we got 6 people that should get baptized this next 2 weeks here in Campoy. My companion and I are really working hard with families. Lucy and Edgar are going to get to go in on Saturday they call us there sons and feed us every time we are in there house and its fun seeing the change in them. Their son is so so happy in mission and I cannot believe they’re going to get baptized. I am going to make a movie for them of it all.Things are going great and I’m working hard. I love hearing from the elders everywhere. Way to go ELDERES! Hehe and helping these poor great people!! Its crazy we’re back in the cerros and these people buy big screens before they buy there roof and sweep the dirt floor inside their house until it hardens into cement almost. It’s pretty sad and gross the way they live but its Peru and I can’t even take my camera out and take a picture because I feel so bad. Plus someone will snatch it. We are so blessed!
Our bishop is the man! I love you all!
Your son in Peru muah!!!!!!!!!!!!ELDER ROG .

Elder Rogers 9-7-09

Hey fam ¡!!!!!!! 9-7-09
Well another week down here in Campoy, Lima, Peru. I can’t believe that I only have 15 domingos mas! I’m glad to hear all is well in stg and that your all happy and doing good.Well this week has been super super busy we did so much. Starting with last week , I took my zone to the ZOO! …….Yeah tell me about it who is the coolest ZL ever ? We have an activity fund and I spent most of it the last day of agosto and the activity fund for September , woops but I wanted to start out with a bang and reward our zone for getting 19 baptisms !!!!!yeah!!!! We were so close to twenty but there are 19 people more in the church. It is awesome we are looking forward to miracles this month! We had Zone conference on Friday and our class went well. My companion and I taught together and it’s easy to look like you know what you’re doing when your companion is such a stud! We taught and I had to direct the conference. It was way nerve racking but I think I did alright. I just had to give brief outline of what was going on like that red head dude on spoken word!
And the best part yet, my comp and I were in charge of lunch too and we took everyone to an all you can eat Chinese buffet in down town Lima! Now if there’s one thing I’ve learned on my mission the hard way its...DONT EAT Peruvian Chinese food! But this place was great! It was like Mesquite! And we got serious props from the boys and the big man...they all really liked it. It’s been a busy week with lots of activities of the conference and stuff. I feel like I’m back in high school and doing assemblies and d week! But I only have two conferences left now. I can’t believe it! But it’s been a good week.Well the work has been a little tougher this week missing so many hours going in to Lima to get everything ready. We are always in charge of conferences and if it doesn’t run smooth it’s like are heads on a platter.
We are finally back to work and are working really well with bishop and members and our ward is amazing! We have a family who has a son on a mission and they are going to get married on the 19th and baptized as well. Mom and dad and with son on mission, it will be family!!!!!!!I’m pretty excited about it. The spirit is so strong as we teach and I really know we are supposed to be here at this time for them. It’s really cool! I love finding the people God wants in his church!I sure do love all you guys ! The church is true and I love being a servant and missionary.
Love your son in peru From lama land will chat next week!!!!!!!So also the new bible came out and it’s like the coolest thing down here. President held it up during conference and everyone was like the coolest thing ever oooooooo awwwwww .Elder Rogers.Ps The other day one lady told me that her leche(milk) was way yummy and asked if i wanted some she said it was from her grandma(mamita) and I said oo I thought it was from your cow...hehe ( being funny) and she almost died laughing. I had to stop her cause i thought she was going to choke. You would have laughed so hard she sounded like the wicked witch of the este!