10-19-09 I'm skinny but I'll pork up

im skinny but i know ill pork upi dont know if i will be able to get what you sent with lady 14 wardi got golden undisthanks so so much muah!!!!!!!!My dear FamilyWell what a week it has been uh? I am so overwhelmed for the love and support i have and recieve from my family, friends , leaders, and my havenly father. I dont know were to start or what to say on my own behalf, but i start with a I am so so gratefull for the opurtunity i have to finish my misson down here in peru. I know it was a miracle talking to dad on the phone and after our talk i imediatly dropped to my knees and thanked the lord and told him i woulnt waste 1 hour of what i got left and am so excited to work. Thnks so much for all of your prayers and fasting and may the lord bless us all and give me 62 more days!Well this week we worked hard and got 10 people in sacramental in church and we put fechas on two of them! It looks like im gunna have to get my best suit out again cause we got another wedding! We got two familys progressing as well and i can see things cahnging even though work is a little slow im just all smiles and happy to be out there, it is now full out we busted fan out and im sweeating like a peruvian.Things are going good in the zone we are all pretty unided and working hard, always lottle problems but i love getting up in front of them and puming them up with the scriptures like moroni and going out to war! Im like i dont hear you boys!!!!!! Lets to it! Will you put one more with fecha..bring one more to church!....FREEDOM! hehe jk but i do get pretty pumpedWe had great confernce with Elder christoferson of 12 this week at good ole ccm(SPIRIT prison) mtc in lima i heard one elder say that and pause at front gate saying i dont want to go back in there ... hehe it craked me up. But it was great conference and i really loved it. I saw little smith i am way skinny but not any skinny then that stick hehe i just huged him when he told me im skinny and told him welcome to peru, that im leaving and how he liked first change, food, dirt, dogs, stuff and we joked a bit he looks good and that i have eating more plates of white rice then he has hours in the misson he asked if i was serious and i said ....as a heart attack pal hehe it was fun to see him he is lima north and i know his zl he played futbol with me in ccm.Well there is a great peruvian story of two rats that fall in buket of milk and start swimming put one just cant see the point after while and drowns but the other just wont give up and just at point of despair the milk starts turning to butter and thickins up enough with his churring to raise up and hardn into cheese and he walks out of bucket, or somting like that i love that story and it remind me of my misson,and all those converts and all of us with life and being members of this church im never gunna stop wimming and telling all those to keep swiming with me. i have been through a lot and learned so so much and had so many crazy stories and adventures but i know it has changed my life! I will never be the same. I love you all and have a solid testimony of this gospel i have testimony of the power of the preisthood! Know god the father and christ live and are closer to us then we will ever know i testify to that.I love you all your son in lama land Elder rog!

It's a miracle

My dear family 10-12-09Thank you so much everyone for all the love and feelings you have expressed for me in your emails, its really hard and scary for me what is going on and its hard to concentrate and lead a zone, after i got off the phone with dad I got a blessing from president Leyva, then i went to the temple with president and his wife and the office elder’s. We held a special prayer in my behalf in the celestial room of Lima, Peru temple. We then went and got a MRI at 9 30 at night . Pres and his wife were with me the whole time until 11 30 at night. Pres. started crying and said he needed me here in this mission. In a personal interview we talked about lots of things and I felt like I was talking to dad. Saturday the whole mission fasted for me. I have so much faith in the Lord but am still so scared , . but I too have felt the peace and know he is watching over me. Only the Lord knows what is going to happen, i can’t worry or fear! I must trust in the Lord and that is what I’m going to do and what I’ve done my whole life. I know he will take care of me and I have done my very best for him. I don’t want you all to be sad. We must have faith. I will try and do whatever the Lord asks of me but I just want you all to be ok. This mission has been the hardest thing for me but i have put it all on the altar. I got really sick in Jauja and I thought I was going to go home but I somehow was healed and I still don’t know how to this day. I had really bad skin problems on my back and legs and arms, and I was healed and can’t explain how. When i started my mission I was so nervous i couldn’t eat, or sleep and I didn’t tell anyone. I just pleaded with the Lord and got over it.. I know the Lord has called me here for a purpose and I never knew I could do some things that I have done but I know he called me here and I must have faith. Yesterday my comp and I had a baptism and I tried to get my mind of things working hard Saturday, and domingo. I love being a missionary and love helping others.I wouldn’t trade these experiences in my life for anything! I love my Savior and his work! I love all of you please pray for me to accept the Lords will. I’ve expressed my deep feelings to him how i want to stay. I want those 24! I want to finish strong with what he sent me here to do. I asked that he would please take into account my feelings and desires. Please pray with me today as I will be going to the office at 2 to talk with the doctor about my results. Please pray that I can know all options and know what to do, and that if it is God’s will I can take care of the problem and stay. The lord loves us and only he knows. We must trust him I’m trying to be positive I’m so grateful for this time the Lord has given me in my life to serve him. I know this work is the most important work on this earth, and God lives and his son Jesus Christ lives and directs this work! And all of this happened because one boys prayer was answered . Joseph had it a lot harder than me in his life, May the Lord bless our whole family through our faith in him in the name of Jesus Christ amen.I love you all so much, thank you for all your love and supportLove your son in lamma land. elder rogers

Follow-up The MRI was negative---- We got our miracle.
Jon gets his 24!

10-5-09 Letter

Hey family! 10/5/09Wow what a great conference and great boost for all of us from the Lords prophets.I loved it and you better believe that i was there at all 5 sessions with my new suit all slicked up. I loved every second and took good notes. I really loved Holland’s talk and the prophet about love, and Eyrings about expresing that love and having good relation with dad and parents and spouse. It was so good and so true. I loved the street boys talk by the Chinese dude! There are so many stories like that of lives getting fixed and turned around here in Peru Isn’t this gospel just awesome? It’s like the answer to everyone’s problems and struggles. If they just follow its principles and it can be fun too cause you always feel good. I loved Holland. I love that man, and want to be able to teach like him what power!Well I’m glad everyone is doing great. it’s been really good week. I look so forward to conference and that was my last one..I’ll always remember for rest of my life where I was. ( in peru) I understood perfectly in Spanish 4 great conferences. I love being an elder and spiritual doctor down here helping in real live action, and I love all of you.Well I’m still here in Campoy and my new comp is Elder Toral from Ecuador, (it’s on the coast were the temple is) and this kid is my best bud! ( he reminds me of j Hamm jordy) and he is always happy and just funny and good elder. it’s kind of blessing being zone leader because I have had some really great companions and it so fun to learn from them. He is loaded too. He pulls out like 400 soles in cash when he was putting his stuff in room and says it’s a little money for personal stuff. I was like woof, all his stuff is nicer than mine. He also pulled out sub with two big speakers and mp4 with digtal camera with all the hymns, talks, efy. It’s been fun living off his abundance. He says he’s here to help me die peacefully and happily hehe Well we’re tearing it up here. I’m in full study mode learning more than ever, working and sweating every day. I am also waking up extra early every morning and hitting the exercises and I feel good. I want to make these next 2 changes the best.
We have lots of confidence here in ward. I’m ZL now and it’s kind of stressful being fully in charge with President calling all time. It is mostly handling money. I have to write everything down and am so so busy all the time getting everything ready; meetings, travels and conferences, ...It’s fun though and I love it. Christofferson is coming on the 17 and all of Lima Elders will be there! Also the CCM EldersWell I sure love all you everything is going great here in lama land and I’m running around just like I was at fun assemblies at Dixie High, my companion and I teach with scripts and get everyone pumped up. I have some fun lessons in my journal All investigators are welcome and we have 4 references that are looking goldenWith love Elder Jon rog