New Companion!

Hi!

My new companion is Elder Mecham! He's great! He came over the mountain from Delta, Colorado. He's from Seattle, Washington, so my trend of having a each companion has come to and end, since Elder Campbell was from Washington. Elder Mecham is a Spanish missionary too! Of course we're in an English ward, but it's still a fun coincidence. Elder Rosequist was sent up into the mountains in Craig. It's his first time away from Denver, and his first time in a family ward! That will be a good adventure for him.

It has been one rollercoaster of a week! On Monday night I learned a new skill from Elder McGee, who was staying with us before he went home at transfers. When we would contact someone and set up an appointment, he would say, "Hey, we know a couple of Kims (Roberts, Julias, etc.), what's your last name?" And I thought that was cool, because I usually DO know more than one person who goes by a given first name!

On Tuesday I spent most of the day with Elder Cuevas while we were waiting for our new companions to come from over the mountain. We did a lot of tracting, and most notably met a young woman named Yaritza. I wasn't able to use my new last-name finding skill on her... But I'm sure it was a great experience for Elder Cuevas, because he's still a pretty new missionary. We were able to knock on her door, get inside, and teach her about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. We also got a return appointment with her. He said it was awesome! I agree. I don't think he's often had experiences like that on his mission. It's really hard, starting a mission. But when you get into the groove of things it can be really rewarding.​

Elder Mecham caught some kind of bug on his way over here that gave him a bit of a cold, and I caught it. Luckily, I was only a little bit sick for like one day. The aftermath, though, was the loss of my voice. It can be SO annoying not being able to talk when your whole purpose is to proclaim the gospel!! We would be out talking to people, and I'd want to say, "So, are you available more in the evening time?" and I would actually say, "So a... y.... mor... vailbl.... n... vning?" My voice would just cut in and out. Pretty frustrating. But it's coming back now! Still pretty raspy, but understandable.

Before I lost my voice, we tracted into a man named Paul. He's attending the Denver Seminary to become a counselor. For the most part, people at the Denver Seminary don't like us, or so I've heard. But he let us in to take a survey. After the survey, he had a few questions for us, which we answered, after an opening prayer. We addressed his concerns with the Church. He had told us that he wouldn't read the Book of Mormon unless he already knew it was true. He couldn't see why we needed a new testament of Jesus Christ if we have the Bible already. He also asked us about evidences of the Book of Mormon. Very calmly (that's hard for me to do sometimes), I answered that Heavenly Father could have chosen to restore His Church to the earth without revealing an additional book of scripture. The book that I was holding in my hands was the keystone of our religion; that not only does it teach more clearly about the Atonement and character of Jesus Christ than any other book, but that it stands as a witness to the fact that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. We declared that the evidence of the Restoration, of restored priesthood keys, and all things pertaining to them, was the Book of Mormon itself. The only question he had to settle for himself was whether the Book of Mormon is true. He asked us if we had an extra copy.

On Sunday, Shay brought her sister to church! That's a HUGE step for her, because until this point, the only ones in her family who knew she had joined the church were her brother and sister-in-law in Pennsylvania. Her sister is only 15, though, so she won't be in the singles' ward. But it's a really big deal for Shay to invite her to church and for her to actually come!!

Of course we continue to work with our recent converts and a couple of less-active members. Strengthening the weak and helping new members stay active and build solid foundations in the Church is crucial! Don't forget to read your scriptures every day. There's nothing better we can do than to read and apply the teachings of the Savior. I know the Church is true. I hope you know it too! If not, read the Book of Mormon and keep praying. That's what I'm out here every day telling people to do! I love you all, and hope that your fall is getting off to a great start! Keep working! Stay true to the faith!

Sincerely,

Elder Rogers



A Thought from Mom:

“Testimony isn’t something that you have today and you keep always. Testimony is either going to grow and grow to the brightness of certainty, or it is going to diminish to nothingness, depending upon what we do about it. I say, the testimony that we recapture day by day is the thing that saves us from the pitfalls of the adversary.”

~Harold B. Lee