The New Mission President Miracle‏

Got this from Sister Ostler (Sierra Leone mission president's wife). God is a God of miracles everyone.....

Dear Missionaries,

It is just amazing to think back one year to where we all were and what we were all doing. I was still rejoicing that Elder and Sister Barney had arrived and that Sister Barney could remind all of you to take your Doxy and keep hydrated! We were hopeful that Ebola was dying down and that the work would continue to move forward. Then just two months later we were evacuating. We have all been busy since then, busy meeting new people, busy getting settled in new places with new callings, busy thinking about and praying for our friends in Sierra Leone. As Ebola got worse and worse I began to wonder if it would be years before the mission could be opened again and if the Church in Salone would go wild. But the members have been working hard and they have been finding, teaching, and baptizing. And their faith and works are being blessed. We are all excited to hear the news that a mission president has been called and that full-time missionaries will soon be walking the dusty roads and hiking the steep hills of our loved Salone. What is also wonderful and amazing to me is that the new mission president and his wife live very near to us here in Palmyra! Their name is Clawson. Just a few days before they received a call to serve in SL we were having dinner with them in our home. We were excited and surprised when they called just a few days later to tell us of their call and ask if they could come back to our home to talk about life in Salone. Isn't God good?! We are so glad to know the very people who He is sending to reestablish the mission and carry on His work. Although we will always feel sadness for having to leave before our work was done there is joy in knowing that the work continues and that because of the great work each of you did there many will rejoice when they see a new army of God's missionaries walking in their midst.

"Hi, I'm Elder Browning!"‏

Wassup wassup!? This week was freakin awesome! Elder Browning and I got to train the missionaries in our zone on Tuesday, which is really fun. We taught on how we need to earn the spirit (kind of what i sent in my email last week) and how we earn it is through willingly submitting to the Lord and following in obedience. It was a lot of fun and i really enjoyed preparing for it because i learned a ton on how i can improve personally! Well the rest of the week we did a lot of talkin and a lot of walkin and we actually taught a lot! We've been using the Plan of Salvation as our first approach and it works so well! Most people down here have heard of the Book of Mormon and it turns them off super fast when that's what we start off with so now we just come out and hit em with the "Hey we believe in 3 heavens" approach and that really throws people for a loop! We sat down and talked with one man named Miles "Bubba" Reed. He's a Baptist Deacon and he's on the Board of Trustees for the biggest Baptist church in our area and so he's way up at the top but he invited us into his backyard (by the way.... he's freakin loaded... we were sittin in luxury) where we discussed the Baptists beliefs on Salvation and our own beliefs on salvation. Well what really got him thinkin was the question of "What happens to those who never get a chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" Baptists believe that those that don't hear are sent to hell....... which if you sit and ponder that you will get the feeling that everyone should . . .  IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.... especially when you believe in a God that loves all his children enough to send his only begotten son to die for them. Well he really thought about that and he took the plan of salvation pamphlet and committed to reading and praying about it and then he agreed that we could come back and visit with him next Saturday to discuss what he finds out about the subject. So pray that he is touched by the spirit! Sunday was so awesome.. Sunday night Elder Browning and I went with Brother Hall (one of our members) to get our worship on! That's right... we went to a Baptist Church! It was freaking crazy! Passin around the offering plate, Pastor Thompson screamin Luke 15 at everyone and commanding them to be more giving, and people shouting "Amen" and "Praise God" at every breath brake of the Pastor.... it was awesome! Sadly no one started speaking in tongues but it was still awesome and i got some more pamphlets to add to my Enemy Folder (final resting place for apostate literature). 
Now for the Missionary Highlight of the week! This weeks award goes to the infamous, Elder Browning.... who hasn't lost his greenie fire yet! Here's play by play. Elder Browning and i had to go to Saraland to interview someone for their baptism... she's a black woman. I had taught her on an exchange previously so i knew what she looked like... poor Elder Browning, however, did not. So we pull up to her apartment complex, we get out, and we start walking toward her building. She lives on the top floor... well as we draw nigh unto the building (<-see what i did there??:)) a black woman walks out from under the stairs (headed towards her car which is right behind us). Well Elder Browning, while fearing no man, walks straight up to her thinking its the person to be interviewed, shoves his hand up there and says "Hi, I'm Elder Browning!" Great job! ..... if that had been the right person! But because it wasn't and she had NO idea what was going on.... she didn't say a word..... it was the gash durn funniest thing i er dih see this week!!!!! Oh man the look on both of their faces was PRICELESS!!! I felt like i was training a brand new missionary who wants everyone in the world to know their name and what they're doing! IT WAS HILARIOUS!!! Well if you were strong enough to endure all the reading i hope you enjoyed the story at the end! 
-Elder Rogers
...one more story... this woman called because she wanted some service done so i told her we could do it and just before she hung up she says "In the name of Jesus i bless you." uhhhhh.... alright goodbye.... check that off my to-do list.... so anyway.... i bless you all through my email. Your welcome. Have a great week!

Tallanasty!!!!‏

This week went by so fast! I was on an exchange with Elder McLaws on Tuesday and Wednesday. We were in Bay Minette ( the southern city in our area) and we were way out in the boonies! Trailer parks, dogs, and fishin boats! I still can't figure it out...... why do people live in a destroyed trailer that is filthy but they buy nice trucks and boats...... priorities are outta wack! Friday i was with Elder Swenson in Atmore on an exchange and it was fun.... no guns pulled on us which is always a plus. Elder Browning and i had a meeting in Tallahassee on Saturday so we got up at 6 and hit the road Saturday morning. 4 hours there and 4 back..... we had a lot of bonding time... actually it was the highlight of my week... we had a ton of fun road trippin! In Tallahassee we got to hear from President Smith and he talked about gaining members trust through being obedient. It was so awesome and uplifting. I wish that everyone in the world had a chance to sit in a conference and be taught by President Smith. He teaches by the spirit and everyone feels extremely uplifted afterwards. It's extremely spiritually refreshing! After President Smith taught us we had the opportunity to be taught by Elder Munns of the Area Seventy. He taught us about earning the spirit and working by the spirit. He also taught us about how we should study and strive to understand the Atonement and how we can draw from that and draw from the powers of heaven. He also taught us about how angels are all around us to help us in the work. Most times they are unseen but they are always there. 
I was struck by the doctrine of how we get the spirit with us. Its a doctrine i feel i should know by now and maybe i do know it and i was just being refreshed. I feel like most times when we cannot feel the spirit we as natural people start to focus on the negatives of "What am i doing wrong?" or "Have i done something to cause the spirit to leave?" I've been frustrated lately with this exact situation and maybe that's why Elder Munns' words struck me but here is what i understood from the spirit as i listened. During these times of frustration i usually decide to wait the dull period out. Just wait it out and eventually the spirit will come back. When really the answer that lies in the doctrine is that we need to EARN the spirit. The spirit rarely will just appear in your life and hang out. He's a good friend..... a good friend must be invited into your life. You must invite the spirit in your life by drawing nearer to God by DOING SOMETHING. Most of the time an action is required. Why is this? Because when there is a righteous action made 1- the spirit wants to be around you. 2- your righteous actions show the Lord that you desire to have and keep the spirit around you. So next time that you are frustrated with why you can't feel the spirit examine yourself and if you find something out of line with the gospel change it... if you are in line with the gospel... do something above and beyond to show the Lord you want the spirit. Study the scriptures, give service, pray fervently, fast....etc. Don't worry. The spirit will come. He wants to be around those that want him around bad enough to do something about it:) 
-Elder Rogers

We received this email later the same day:

I'm back!
Power went out... just like Africa!!!! But we made good use of time.... we went fishing with Ed Spencer our investigator.... we didn't catch anything near as big as that dagum shark Annika is holding but we did catch 62 fish;)

Super Patrick‏

What up what up!? This was a crazy week. We went to Pensacola, Florida on Tuesday for a bi-zone conference which Elder Browning and i got to teach at. Scary but fun. We learned how to teach the Restoration lesson in 3-5 minutes so that we can teach it on doorsteps and try to snag peoples attention to the gospel. It works well and we're using it a lot so hopefully we can get some more people to teach. Wednesday we were out at Bryan Sizemore's (a member of Atmore) cuttin down some trees. It would be so much fun if we could use the chainsaw but rules are rules and Sister Smith taught us about obedience and the life consequences that come from being disobedient so we weren't gonna break any rules..... well while we were there Bryan got a text notifying him that Patrick Morris passed away early that morning. I don't know if i told you guys about Patrick previously but he's the son of our Branch President and he had Muscular Dystrophy. He wasn't supposed to live longer than 12 years old but he was 34 when he passed. He was the most positive guy you would ever meet and he never once complained about his position even though he'd been sitting in a chair for close to 20 years. He always had a joke to tell or he was always tryin to get his dad to get him some girls number. I only got to know him for 5 months but you could be around him for 1 day and be inspired by him. He's one of those special spirits who was down here to inspire others and to get a body and move on. We got to attend his viewing on Thursday and his funeral on Friday. His funeral was awesome. The speaker was Brother Pete Coon (a former Branch Pres of Atmore Branch) and he did an amazing job of teaching the plan of salvation as he talked. I have been thinking a lot about how i look at death now. I remember going to funerals and they were very sad but i think it was so sad for me because i didn't have a solid testimony in the Plan of Salvation. This funeral wasn't that sad for me. I didn't know Patrick that long and i'm sure that was a huge contribution but the sad part was seeing his heartbroken father. His father is a whole other story.... President Morris has got the most faith in the Lord that i have ever seen in a person. He buried his son on Friday and he was at Church on Sunday. And while at church on Sunday he is finding ways to help others, making plans to visit people who have family members who are in the hospital and close to death, and at the same time he is giving Patrick's things to another member in our branch that has muscular dystrophy. President Morris inspires me to serve even in the face of sadness and despair. He is the one that needs service but he demonstrates the principle of how to push through and get over your sorrows... by giving service. I could go on and on about Patrick and President Morris and how awesome they are and how i felt at the funeral but i don't have all day. I would invite anyone who is struggling to do as President Morris does and look for those that you can extend your arm to and lift them by giving service to them. You won't regret it.
-Elder Rogers

Ebola aint got nothin‏

Skyping yesterday was awesome and its crazy to think that that's my last one! But one crazy story this week..... we were walking around knockin doors all day and we had had our fair share of rejection by about noon and we decide to knock on this door.... well long story short as we're walking away the woman comes out guns a blazin! Well not blazin but she had a revolver.... a BIG revolver pointed at us and she kindly told us to get off her property.... then she went inside to call the cops and they showed up as we were walkin down the street later and she had told them that we had tried to knock her door in and swat at her dogs..... it was a good journal entry. Other than that there wasn't any amazing experiences of us being led right to a house that had a person who had just stood up from saying a prayer for direction in their life but i did have my own kind of experience this week. I have been praying for something the last little while and it may not be a huge deal but it is something that i really wanted an answer to and here is how i was answered. As i was pondering and pondering and trying to feel the spirit prompt me towards my answer, there was a scripture that was brought to my mind when the savior tells his disciples that "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." 
Of course in this scripture the meaning of the word HATE does not mean how it is used and meant in today's world... in this scripture HATE means "to love less" so if any man come to me, and [love me less than] his father, and mother, .......

I wouldn't say that this little revelation i had hit me like a ton of bricks but it was something that just made sense to me and was more of an "alright then that's what i'll do" moment.

I testify that God does hear our prayers and if you're like me then you might get a little frustrated because you don't exactly know how to receive or recognize the promptings of the spirit that you get but they will come and as you follow what you think is the prompting you'll find out soon enough that if its wrong you won't have peace but if its right and that is the Lord's answer to your prayer then you will only feel a continuation of peace as i have with my own situation. God loves us and wants us to receive his help... he's looking for ways to answer us, not to hide from us. Search for your answers and you will get them and i promise that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Rogers

No one ever asks for a Book of Mormon in the South....

Whaaaaaaaaaaat up!? Life in A-Town is pretty much the same old same old. Elder Browning and i dropped almost all of our investigating pool this week because no one seemed to be very interested in keeping their commitments... which is a problem. With dropping half of our investigators though we were blessed with a couple who is very interested in the church. How we met Jake and Devon is pretty awesome. Elder Browning met Devon's mother while i was gone on an exchange. Last week we went back to their home to follow up with the mother because she said she was very interested in doing some Family History. When we knocked on the door she wasn't there but Jake was the one who answered the door and he was very interested in it as well. We set up an appointment at the church with Jake for the following week (this week). Our appointment with him was yesterday. It was for 3:00 and at about 3:15 he still hadn't showed up so we called him and he said he could still come if we wanted to wait and of course we wanted to. So he comes about 10 minutes later and he brings his wife. We work on their Family History for about an hour and then Jake's wife Devon starts asking us questions... PERFECT QUESTIONS! Questions about our beliefs on things like "Once saved always saved" and "Speaking in tongues." We answered her questions for about 30 minutes and we had led the conversation towards the restoration and the Book of Mormon. We taught them about the Restoration and we were very bold about claiming that we are the ONLY true church and that the Book of Mormon would prove it. She must have felt the spirit cuz she asked if we had a Book of Mormon with us and we did. No one ever asks for a Book of Mormon in the South.... it was so awesome! We talked a little more and then Jake says "I hope you know that she's gonna take that book with her." Elder Browning and I both were thinking "I hope you know that's exactly what we want!" We have an appointment with them this coming Saturday in their home to discuss the Book and if she has any questions... Everyone pray that she feels the spirit as she reads! Other than that Elder Browning and I have been going around talking to all the people we see to try and find those that are interested in hearing what we got.
-Elder Rogers

Nuttin‏

What up what up!? This has turned out to be a great week! Elder Browning and I have had so much fun this last transfer and transfer news came and we're staying together so..... THE PARTY GOES ON!!! So excited that i get to stay in Atmore for the next 6 weeks! Atmore has been takin some crazy rainstorms for the past week. There was a Tornado on Saturday that hit a city about 20 miles from us and someone was tellin us yesterday that we have a 60% chance of a tornado in the area on Tuesday but i'm not so sure how accurate that information is. We'll be ready regardless! Elder Browning and I have recently started exercising morning and night when we have the time and the other night we decided to go as hard as we can......... our goal.... to go so hard we throw up! So that's what we did..... we went as hard as we can!! And boy did we throw up! Shrimp..... taco bell.... chocolate cookies............... it was so fun and so journal worthy! Oh ya!!!! That's all for this week!
-Elder Rogers