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

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 .