Friday, February 25, 2011

February 23, 2011 {Email}

Hey! What a crazy week! Well I would just like you all to know that things are going good with Elder Yapo and this Abuakwa area. We have been going around to all of these people that I have known since i came here and for some reason Elder Yapo can get to them and they start to progress. Their is something about his character that makes them take us seriously, i don't know what it is but it works ha. We have one investigator named James who has always been stubborn since Elder Harris and I met him. He's one of those guys who tries to preach us instead of us preach him. Everytime we go there it takes a long time to teach a lesson. Anyways i took Elder Yapo there a couple of weeks ago because we had time to spare and he got to meet him. The next time we went he took over and told him how the lessons were going to go. It was sweet and worked! James has been progressing very well these past few weeks.

On Friday, we had zone conference where we got a new mission goal! The last one of having a recent convert go and do baptisms for the dead ends on the 28th. We still have 2 missionaries who have not completed, but we know with faith it will happen. Our new mission goal is to get a family sealed in the temple and to baptize a family member of a member of the church! President Sabey knows that this goal is going to be very hard especially with this Ghanaian culture, where they aren't usually civilly married, or members for over a year, or have enough money to go to the temple. It's not an easy goal but it is going to be so sweet when it is accomplished. President Sabey will go out with a bang! That's for sure. What an opportunity it is to work with the members and teach them about the blessings of the temple. I have gotten to know the members more in the past week than i did the rest of my mission.

Well, I have been having a great time here. I love serving a mission and i wouldn't trade it for anything!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Rogers

Monday, February 14, 2011

February 14, 2011 {Email}

HELLO!

Well everything is still just chugging along here in Abuakwa! It seems like every time i think about time it seems like it just disappears! Elder Yapo and i have already been together for half a transfer. Things in the branch are going great and once again the highlight of my week is Emmanuel. We have continued teaching him since the baptism and last night we had the sweetest discussion about missionary work. He told me last sunday he was going to serve a mission, which is what they all say so i usually just say that's great! but don't think much of it. But Emmanuel is for realz about it! He purchased his new scriptures and liahona yesterday and was telling us how much studying he needed to do. He is putting all his effort into becoming a missionary and i can tell you he is going to be a great one!!! I love having discussions about missionary work because it is a reminder of why i am here and how great of a work this is! I always read my favorite scripture in D&C 18:15-16 to tell them how i feel about it. That scripture is really good and keeps me going.

Today for Valentines day, the sisters made us fried rice which was way good! They also expected us all to bring them valentines gifts??? I had forgotten it was even valentines day ha as i'm sure everyone else had except for the african missionaries of course, they are all over it! It was funny though ha. Not too much you can do for Valentines day when your on mission. Oh well haha.

I hope you all have a great day!

Love,

Elder Rogers

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

February 8, 2011 {Email}

What a sweet week!!! So much has happened this week that has just been great and very uplifting. This weekend we had our baptism planned for Emmanuel Addai and he, along with Elder Yapo and I were way excited for it. First we had to have the interview by our new district leader Elder Baron. When we got to his house Emmanuel pulled me aside and said he needed to talk to me small. I had no idea what about and i was kind of nervous it was going to be about the baptism and he wouldn't be ready. It wasn't though, he has recently been getting a lot of hard feelings from his grandmother that he lives with about joining our church. I guess she had told him and Juliet, his sister, that if she ever saw us there again they would be kicked out of the house :/. Wow, so I told him not to worry about it we can meet some other place. He has been staying faithful through all of this persecution from his grandmother and it has been really cool to see. Anyways we went to find a place to do the interview and wouldn't you know it we found a place to sit at a Pentecost church haha. It was pretty funny to see a baptismal interview done in another church. Everything went great!

On Saturday, baptism day, he said he had a football match at 2 and the baptism was going to be at 4 so he would get there right on time. I was a little worried about it, but i knew it would be ok because he really wanted to be baptized. We showed up at 3 to the baptism and wouldn't you know it, Emmanuel was already there ready for it to start!!! He told his team that he was going to have to miss the game for his baptism. Pretty awesome! The baptism went very well and he seemed very happy afterwards. Elder Yapo and I told him after to make sure he was at church early the next day because they will do the confirmations right at the beginning of the meeting.

In the morning i called him at 7:30 to make sure he would be there on time and he said he was already on his way!! Wow what a stud! He was to church one hour early because he knew the importance of what was going to happen. I talked to him for a while and discussed what was going to happen. I kept thinking how cool it would be to be the one to do the confirmation, but i knew it wouldn't happen because they always have ward members do it. Before the meeting started i gave the baptismal record to the branch president and he asked me if i wanted to do the confirmation!! I couldn't believe it, i said yes of course. Then when i was walking back to my seat i realized i have never done this before so as usual i got nervous about it. Everything went great! It was a neat experience to be able to confirm him a member and give him the holy ghost! An experience i will never forget!

Apart from Emmanuel, we also got another investigator to commit to baptism. His name is Frank and Elder Harris and I had been teaching him for a while and finally it clicked! Elder Yapo committed him and he should be baptized at the end of the month. Way sweet!

Things are sweet in Abuakwa, besides Elder Yapo rubbing it in that he only has 2 months left and i have.. a lot ha everything is cool!

Hope all is well back home! Love ya all!

Elder Rogers

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pictures {Saying goodbye to Elder Harris and Elder Jaggi}

4 month pizza!
Christmas at Jennifer's
{She isn't in the picture though sorry she was busy doing someone's hair}
Me and Rose's two boys, Kingsford and Maxwell.
My favorite family that we are teaching! I love those boys!
The 4 getting split up! Holmes and I stay. Jaggi and Harris are leaving.
Saying goodbye to Elder Harris at the bus station.
Us and Sister Vida, our powerful member.
Tony's baptism

January 31, 2011 {Email}

Well it has been one crazy week! First Elder Harris left Abuakwa to go to Sekondi on transfer. Things have been very different without him in the apartment and i miss him a lot. But losing your father (trainer) means that you are getting somewhere on mission. It was going to happen sooner or later. He was a sweet guy and i loved serving with him and i am very grateful i was able to be his companion. My new companions name is Elder Yapo! He is from Ivory Coast and has been on mission for 21 MONTHS! This man is dying! I was very nervous to be a companion with an African because i just didn't know how it was going to be and how i would handle it. Not only that but i am living in an apartment with three africans all from different countries. I was nervous!

After a day with them i quickly realized how cool they are and i love being around them! It's definitely different because i don't have much common things to talk about with them but i have been learning a lot about their cultures, it is really fun! Elder Yapo is sweet! He is always being sarcastic with me and it is hard to pick up on because he seems so serious all the time. He also tells me he is going to make me be in charge a lot because he is dying off slowly and he wants me to do all the learning ha. It's ok with me to get out of my comfort zone a little bit. He is really cool! Emanuel is going to be baptized on Saturday! I can't wait for that baptism it will be the best one yet. He is a solid guy! We also went back to see Jennifer. I keep thinking maybe there is something that Elder Yapo can say to her that will make her realize that she needs to be baptized. We will see how that goes.

Anyways i am having a great time here and i am actually right now sipping a nice cold Dr. Pepper :) ha i'm in heaven!!! I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Love you all! 

Elder Rogers