The First Email

Thursday September 23, 2010

Thank you so much for your letters they have kept me going! Well the last couple days have been way crazy. We got to meet President Sabey on Tuesday night and then left the MTC on Wednesday morning to the mission home where we would get assigned to our certain areas. It was like a 4 hour drive to the Cape Coast and really boring except I got to see the ocean which was cool. When we got there we dropped off our suits, ate dinner and I even had to leave my Yankees hat and iPod cause I felt guilty for having it :( that'll be a great day when I can go pick it up at the end though! 

Then I got assigned to teh Kumasi zone in the Abuakwa. Elder Jaggi also got assigned in my district so that was good, he is my buddy from Wyoming. It's like the farthest mission and we basically out on our own up here. It is like a 4 hour bus ride from the Cape Coast which was way long, and of course the bus broke down half way there and we had to wait 3 hours in the dark in the middle of a sketchy city ha I always have problems with buses. I got to be on the bus with my new companion though, his name is Elder Harris and he is from California. He really likes old music like Dad does and is quite different from me, at first I was really depressed cause him and all the other ones just weren't really acting like missionaries, it was bugging but I'm going to make them work cause that's what I came here to do. Our apartment is like in the basement of a chapel which is way nice! It's not like home at all but it is better than any of the other ones I think. We have one other companionship with us, Elder Vinchierre from Salt Lake and Elder Mbong. V is an athlete and is like 6'8" it's pretty cool, he played ball at Timpanogos High and is going to play football at Snow College. 

I'm really worried about eating the same food everyday, it's not very fun. Today, we woke up at 6 and I got all ready to go and to study, but they said they don't get ready that quick, I'm really bugged at their lack of will but I am going to do what I feel the Lord wants me to do. We decided on going out in to town to get food and stuff but then it rained way hard and postponed it so me and Elder Harris got to do some comp study which was really good to feel the spirit again. The spirit and you guys back at home are what is keeping me going. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done, but I am excited to work. Thank you for your support. 

Tell Drew congrats and good luck! He is going to love it.

How is everything going at home? It's so weird thinking about what you guys are doing during certain times of the day and I can just picture it cause I know the routine. Every morning I wake up I picture Tripp just laying outside my door on the wood floor in the dark ha I miss that dog! I'm so happy for all of you and I love you all so much! Tell everyone to just keep on chugging along and to live every day to its fullest. I can't stop thinking about how grateful I am for you Mom, you really are the greatest! You have prepared me so much for this journey and I love you for that! 

We listened to an Elder Holland talk in the MTC and he said, "Not only are you doing it for your Heavenly Father, but you are doing it for everyone back at home!" He is right, I love you guys and I am going to do everything I can to serve honorably for you. I love you! 

Elder Rogers