Jon's New Mission Pres.

New mission presidents and their wives have been
called. They will begin service about July 1.

Juan Augusto Leyva, 47, Peru Lima East Mission; California Ward, Trujillo Peru Central Stake counselor in the Peru Trujillo Mission presiden­cy; former stake president and coun­selor, bishop, high councilor and mis­sionary in the Peru Arequipa Mission. Regional manager of LDS Employ­ment Resource Services. Born in Chepen, La Libertad, Peru, to Arturo Leyva Sanchez and Olga Petita Ponce Solano de Leyva. Married Luisa Rata Yturbe Gutierrez, five children.
A stake Young Women president,, Sister Leyva is a former ward Relief Society and Primary president, coun­selor in a ward Relief Society presi­dency, Relief Society teacher and seminary teacher. Born in Trujillo, Peru, to Segundo Julio Yturbe Leon and Teresa Gutierrez Flores de Ytur­be.

Letter from Jauja 7-7-08

7-7-08
Hey family, This is Jon Rog down in Jauja. Man its chilly but no fear I’ve made some purchases. I sent a card and I’m rock’in totally Peru old school style. I’m doing great family! I want to tell everyone Clint and Em, Lish and Tyler, Erika and Rick, Ang, Ani, mom, dad, tj and juj hehe. Thanks so much for the fun emails and letters and love. I’m sorry I even said anything about the mail, because I’m still racking it in and am so loved and so blessed and really so grateful. Don’t stress I’m happy hehe and love it all! Well I’m in Juaja and its way crazy cold and fun. Every Sunday they have huge market swamp meet. They are always on Sunday. I mean just HUGE! That makes attendance in church really low. We had 6 in class yesterday, my companion and I one teacher and 3 others but its ok. We have got our work cut out for us. The house where I live is a pretty good one with semi hot water to shower hehe. We live so far away from pentionista that when she brings dinner it’s usually cold, but its all-good cause we walk to her house for the other two. The food is ok, well pretty rough but I try to smile and just eat all of it that I can. I usually buy things in stores to help keep me happy. I’m warm and sleep with two hug blankies and the Pine Valley blanket. I haven’t gotten any packages yet but wrote a card to office to see what’s up. They should be coming, thanks so much! My companion works pretty hard sometimes but this week has been a little rough. We haven’t studied once together and he doesn’t like doing planning or numbers so I do it.
Yea well he sleeps everyday while I study but we usually leave at 11:00a.m. I don’t mind the extra study. I’m really trying to work hard on Spanish and I am on page 123 of the Spanish book of 500 pages and I am learning tons. My companion and I get along fine but we just don’t do all we are supposed to. Its really so frustrating but I will continue to push forward. This week has been pretty good we are working with a couple different people and one lady that is so confused with catholic religion hehe its so funny and she is my favorite investigator, she is like now wait just a minute you boys tell me God and Jesus are different people now that’s just silly. She has huge Old Catholic bible that’s like two feet high. I’m really enjoying learning dad. Some times I’ll just read, read, read while my companion sleeps and learn so much about Jauja and the old investigators. Then I am ready to go at 11:00a.m. I’m trying to get streets and directions down. It is way cluttered and confusing...but I’m slowly starting to figure everything out. I love reading my book and am speaking a lot better, and at pensinistas house she has a radio always playing but never music only advertisements of businesses in town. Some times I go to the restroom and take the radio with me and just listen to 5- 7 min of commercials. Then I try to recognize the addresses and directions and what they are saying. Its way fun cause they joke just like American radio. They have things like; “subs so fast you’ll freak” It challenges me when they talk fast hehe, but I can pick up on it and love it. I got a letter from grandma the other day marked Jan 10th. She told me good luck in CCM. hehe I think I’m getting everything eventually so don’t worry. Muah thanks muah!
It’s kind of scary knowing I’m out here all-alone, but I know I’m never alone.
2 Tim 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
and I know this is the perfect set up for me to become a man of the lord. I love teaching and speaking and just doing my studies. I know obedience is another word for happiness and faith and I will try my best to make all you proud and keep fighting. It is really tough the work and everything but its getting better I love you all so much and if you have questions make a questions page and we will chat next week. I’ll be in the fields of Jauja until then! I sent you a fun card through the post so they should be coming soon. I cant wait to hear from you next week.Your son, Elder Rogers

Jauja Peru

Letter from Jon June 30 2008

June 30, 2008
Dear Family,
This is Jon Rog out in the middle of nowhere in Peru...this week as you know I got transferred to Huancayo a province up high in the mountains of Peru...is so cold and I wear everything I have everyday. The sun feels good in afternoon but is frigid at night and in morning. Well I left Huanuco and went 5 hour by bus to Tarma one of the biggest mining toxic disaster towns. It is in the top 10 I think in the world for a disaster area and freezing cold. It is the trading place for every province in eastern Lima. I then went 3 more hours by crazy taxi on four spare tires through the mountains 70 miles an hour to Huancayo, then I found out my area was 2 and half more hours away! woof ! I went by taxi (Toyota corona) with 7 people. Yea! It was a carsick nightmare! It was so intense winding through the mountains. My new area is Juaja. It is a small town in mountains 2 hours from Huancayo. It’s just me and my comp Elder Carpio. I have had these companions so far; Birdsall in MTC, Echecary in Bayovar, Mamoni in Huanuco and now Carpio in Juaja. We are only elders in this city and just commute to other small towns its so crazy! We are teaching people in mud house sitting on bags of potatoes. Its nuts! We are so high I can see mountains in distance with glaciers. The first couple of days I had nosebleeds and was chucking in middle of night and couldn’t breathe... but my lungs are going to be as strong as steal. Juaja is 2 or 3 more thousand feet than Huanuco. Well like I said we are the only Elders in town and our ward is so weak. We have 900 registered members and only 50 came to church on Sunday. There are 63 active members. We have no bishop he is currently assisting the Catholic Church and only one counselor. It is so sad! We are so blessed in St. George. Elder Carpio and I are really going to have to work like it all depends on us, dad! hehe. Huancayo is like Las Vegas and our zone covers all of southern Nevada and Utah. It is like my DL is in St.George (conception) and I am in Pine Valley (Juaja) and I cover Veyo, Enterprise, Grass Valley, Central, Pinto or (Panchuscho, Huaya,and Mancaha) it’s nuts! I’m in the Mantaro Zone in Huancayo!
The other day we taught family in a mud house with one light bulb and we were sitting on bags of potatoes. Juaja is all farmland and we walk through fields with the sheep dogs and contact. There are so many cows and its just such an adventure! Im the only white dude in hundreds of miles. Both of my ZL’s are Latino, The president is Latino, companion is Latino and only 3 out of 20 missionaries are white in my zone yeah.... Well my pensionista cooks alright and I can tolerate potatoes. It is what we have everyday, rice and potatoes and little sauce. My comp is tiny but I think we will get along. He wants to work. The people just laugh at the gringo cause I have real lama binnis scarves. I don’t care how I look. Everybody’s hands are just pink cause the wind is so cold. My apartment is made out of bricks--- thank heavens! It is like a big ice chest but at least we don’t have to go outside at night and patch the areas were wind is coming through with a big fresh cow pie like everyone else! hehe. Its such an adventure. I love it! I’m really doing better with Spanish even though I still get frustrated. The other day in church I said a prayer and just couldn’t think of a word so I just said it in English hehe.. It is so nuts! It is like I’m in a movie! I can’t believe I’m walking with cows telling little old ladies and men to come to church. It is way cool! I’m taking photos and you can try to look up Juaja on the internet its know for the oldest Catholic church in Peru so that’s kind of cool . They have big Catholic parades on Sunday. That makes it hard for church but its fun seeing all the action with dudes holding big gold crosses and hundreds of ladies dressed like Virgin Mary. I really am in the thick of things so if I want to eat, or buy something, I’ve got to talk. I am learning to talk. It’s such a blessing to still stay close to all of you.I’ll be the kid walking through the mountains teaching the people in their colorful clothes. I guess my companion says there have only been 3 baptisms since Christmas here! Yikes! and not to many white boys hehe. I still get made fun of daily but I love it. Thanks so much for all the wonderful emails last week and this week and for the 10 commandments, and thank you Clint, Lish, Bood, Rick, and everyone thanks so much! I’m going to try to just be the bomb at Spanish in this change. I have a new goal of a 500 page Spanish book! Yeah! I’m going to do it. This gringo is going to be Latino yet! It sounds like everything is good back with family. I’m glad you had fun on trip mom and dad at the Roger’s reunion, and mom in Ohio. I love you all. It was hard to leave my last area. I sent journals about it last week. I loved that family. I am enjoying the work and working hard. I love you all and Jon Rog is just what you’d see out of National Geographic! Hehe! with lamas and everything! Oh P.S. I my way here I saw some Latinos in my zone. They all said how you doing? I saw my first zone leader Elder Rowhars and the missionaries said we hear you had 15 baptisms! It is fun when you have time and history in the mission and not just the new-confused kid.Love your son ,Elder Rogers in Juaja! Good luck finding that on map!hehe!muah!

Huancayo Zona Mantaro 6-23-08

Hey Mom and Dad and family,
Hold on everyone, I’m out of here! I’m going to HUANCAYO ZONA MANTARO! I’m way nervous because just like before it is totally unexpected. I’m excited I guess too! I have been praying all week to go were the Lord wants me to go, but that the move will also be a good move for me too! My new comp is Elder Carpioo what! Yeah! It is nuts! Get out the map Family it is another province in the other direction. It will take me a 13-hour bus ride to get there- yikes! I’m really kind of nervous. I loved Huanuco minus my companion and now I’m gone again.
Next week ill be writing from a different area but still in Peru. I have had 3 Latinos and three areas in 4 changes woof. It looks like I’m going to be a province missionary. I know it will all work out. I have completed six months this week yeah!!! I was so excited except I got sick again. It has been a little rough but I’m better now, but I still have pretty good lung cheese as Mike would say... but I’m feeling good now. ( This must mean that he has a cold) Thursday I will get on the bus again and it will take me until Friday night to be in my new area because I will go back to Lima.
Thanks everyone for praying for me. I love you all! This has been a pretty good week we have 2 that will baptized when I leave and we are working with a lot of others. We had an activity this week and it was with both wards. We played limbo and musical chairs even though they didn’t get it very well. They went through the line 4 times without lowering the bar. They were all like yeah this is so much fun? I was a little flustered but I said what the heck lets put the bar on 2 stacks of chairs so everyone can play “vamos amigos” yeah! I think they just like to listen to the best of EFY music. I also gave a talk in church and felt pretty good about it. I can just about say what I want relating to the gospel at least. I am excited! We also played soccer last week and I made a header goal Kylee girl! I took a picture with a baby lama. The big new of the week is I’m certified!!!!!!! 1 through 5 baby yeah!!! I did it on the 18th with my tight zone leader; I went on exchanges with him the day before my goal and told him I wanted to do it. He said he appreciated my desire to be my best and work hard and really appreciated my help in lessons and testimony during the exchange it was a great day for me. I will be sending multiple copies to various people of my certified sheet hehe no just kidding.. I got conference talks and I read that one about Puno, Peru from Ronald A. Rashband. Puno is where my comp Mamoni is from so that was kind of cool. Lake Titacaca is close to my new area I think... We moved a lady out of her shack this week and then she decided she didn’t like her new house so we moved her back into her house. It was a great chance and opportunity to practice on a good attitude hehe wow! Thanks lady! I was walking down the street the other day in my area and a bus full of Americans came down the street and said look everyone the missionaries. I waved and I felt pretty cool. I remember when we were on vacation to crazy places and we would see those missionaries walking down the street, and now I’m one of them. The bus was the first white people that I have seen in Huanuco minus Birdsall, Davis and a few other since the CCM.
I could really use some games and fun ideas to teach the commandments that’s is the hardest. I would also like/. love anything you want to send. I’m being patient and I appreciate all that you have sent. I haven’t gotten anything for two or three weeks letters wise. I hope that there is some mail in Lima waiting. Thanks for everything! I got a package of potatoes last week and that was awesome!
I love you all! It sounds like all is well at home, Ani and Juj, Rick and Erika, Ang and TJ, Clint and Em, Lisha and Tyler ….. Please be safe everyone!I love you so much!
Remember your son and brother! Love Elder Rogers

Letter from Jon 6-16-08

Letter from Jon 6-16-08

Hey Family and Friends, D.O. This is Jon down in crazy Peru. I’m so glad to hear that everyone had fun and a great time at the Lake. It was so fun reading and printing everyone’s emails today. I sure do love email and mail every week it’s such a blessing. I got a package today full of good stuff; potatoes and my warm coat mmm Thanks mom and dad lots of love.I sure hope you enjoyed my pictures and videos. I’m trying to keep it real down here with my top and other things. I have fun by myself and with other people when I see them Can you imagine that on a mission something like teeter totters would be the best day ever. ( All the Elder’s spent sometime at a park on teeter tooters)Well I’m glad to hear Lindsey is doing better and sorry to hear about Chelsey. That had to be so so sad but I’m glad it was a good service and she is home.

I’m glad Lake Powell was the bomb and everyone is happy and safe.This has been so fun this email! This week has been crazy get ready for stories. So I passed off lesson 2 yeah... only one more and I have three days to do it. Pray for me this has really helped me in my language and will be nothing less then a miracle of the Lord if I can do it. I have so much faith 5 lessons in one change. I’ve really worked my bum bum off.I plan to do it Thursday in the morn exactly 6 mouths! Yeah!We are preparing for changes and I cant wait. Things are really hard. We were doing so good for a while but this back to back change has just been difficult. My companion just won’t help us with our goals. I still give him hugs and pray for him out loud at meals and night but he doesn’t want anything to do with it. I’m ok but please pray for someone who will want to train me right and do the right thing with me. Next Monday is changes. ... im ok and happy This week was nuts I got in my first scary experience that included me not just watching it across street. I was contacting Friday night and my comp was 10 feet other direction taking down a address and I contacted a drunk dud and he didn’t like it. There was 6 people family and this dude and he told me to bug off gringo. I said fine but church is this Sunday.....well after that he took his shirt off and got up in my face with crazy rage. He had tats everywhere and was eating papas fritas. Well I said little bit drunk buddy...seya... and walked off and he chucked his food at me. I was like crap here we go and I had no were to go ....and then the coolest thing happened some dude came up and just punched the drunk dude right in the side of his face and looked at me and said excuse my friend. I said no problem and walked past them and that was that. It was so intense, but I was like that dude is a stud and I felt protected that night.....hehe! Thanks so much for your support I’m doing good and trying to work hard.I love the wedding pictures and it was fun to see Ani so pretty and happy and everyone. It was also fun to see Kylee girl avoid the flower toss.Thanks for everyone Lisha Indiana Jones heheBood thanksClint thanks bro and happy Father’s Day Dad and Grandpa’s . I love you so much. I have such good parents. Wear that Libro cover with pride. I want you to be proud of meI know I’m doing the right thing down here even though its tough. I think it will always be tough, but I’m prepared and time just flies. Thanks so much for wonderful emails.
We will all party again in 18 months.I’m always praying for you!
Love your son Elder Rogers

Pictures of Jon's area

Pictures of Huanuco, Peru.