"It's an optical emergency and should be taken care of immediately"

Well..... OK. It's been the longest week out here, but I've split this email into three sections to try and answer as many looming questions as possible. There are quite a few after all.

-Part 1- (my eyes)

There are two things I'm eternally grateful for and could not live another day on this earth without. The first is my hearing, and the second is my vision. I thank the Lord as often as I remember for these two incredible gifts, and I never take them for granted, because losing them would destroy me. This week, I almost lost my vision, and this is what happened. I had been experiencing headaches for a while, even before the mission, but never in this frequency. Headaches would take my vision from me temporarily and be so painful that I could not walk, talk, or sleep, despite my best efforts. The pain was so bad that I needed a medical answer, so I spoke to Elder Durrant about it. By some miracle, Elder Durrant was familiar with someone who worked in the optical field of medicine, and gave him a call. The doctor explained that based on the symptoms, I could be experiencing retinal detachment, which is an optical emergency and potentially blinding. He referred me to a retina specialist, the mission nurse was informed, and two days later I was in a hospital in Honolulu to be examined. Many of the missionaries in my greenie area of Wahiawa found out and performed a special fast on my behalf, and I was also informed that many members of my family were praying and fasting for me as well, some even going to the temple to put my name on the prayer roll. I'm very grateful to every one who prayed, fasted, or otherwise worshiped on my behalf to help me through this hard time. Back home, I rarely went to the doctor for any kind of medical emergency, and I missed the loving support of my mother during that visit. I was very afraid, so much so that my body went into shock and I hyperventilated. A similar occurrence took place a year ago when I was getting my blood drawn, but this was far worse. Not only did I feel isolated, but unlike before when my mother caught me, this time I fell alone, hitting my head on a wood armrest on the way down. The doctors panicked, and aside from my companion who did his best to calm me down I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness as I desperately tried to be my own comfort after I woke up. After that ended I was put through several tests which eventually determined that I do not have retinal detachment. I was very relieved and it was a miracle to me, for if it had been what the doctors thought I would have needed eye surgery in that hospital in Honolulu, and I would have had to do it without any support from my family. They determined I suffer from optical migraines, an ailment for which there is no cure. As of right now the cause of these is unknown, and may be coming from the nerves surrounding my eye in response to stress. I return to the hospital on May 3 for further examination. And no, the glasses make no difference to the headaches, and do not prevent them. Sunglasses won't either. It is most likely a response to anxiety attacks, and can happen at any time. I'm keeping track of when they occur so hopefully the triggers can be identified.

-Part 2- (our investigators)

Elder Durrant and I have been very lucky to find and connect with several people in our ward. The most prominent is the Davis family. We have been teaching Amelia over at their home where she lives and all is going great. I love them as a family and they have really connected with us, making whitewashing much less stressful. The ward is very excited and has given us much work to do, so we're very busy. I found the mailbox by the way, so feel free to send letters and packages if you'd like, because we met the neighbors and figured out what the mail system is like over here. We're also working with an avid gamer who is our bishop's grandson. He is not baptized and his focus is more gaming centered than church centered. Teaching the Jellins helped me to know how to get through to him via gaming, and we have really connected. We challenged him to relate a game he likes to the gospel. That lesson went really well and was surprisingly deep and heartfelt. I know the Lord prepared me to teach him and I'm very grateful to have this chance. More updates forthcoming.

-Part 3- (the prophet)

Yes, I got to go and yes, it was super cool. I learned later that some of my friends from Japan had been in attendance, but I wasn't able to see them and they didn't see me so unfortunately that was a missed opportunity. I also saw Tyler Ramos and his wife and their kids, but I wasn't able to catch them before they left, so I didn't get to talk to them either, which was sad. I was happy to see them come to see the prophet though! They seem to be growing strong in the church and I'm so grateful that they have kept up that spiritual fire they had back in Wahiawa. It has been a while since then, but seeing the fruits of past labors is a very rewarding feeling. I'm so glad the Lord was willing to let such an imperfect teacher as myself teach such amazing people, and I'm very glad they kept moving forward in faith. They have a wonderful family, and their children will get to grow up learning of Christ. What a blessing for their family! That christian example will bless the lives of their posterity and allow them to choose the right for the rest of their lives, a guide that is so very important in the world we live in today.

PS. -
Those of you who saw a Quiet place. You're lucky. I hope you liked it. And I'll try not to hate you for it when I get back. Thank you Elder Durrant for being so supportive and caring during my emergency time. I think if it were any other companion I might have had it a lot worse. So thank you very much for that. (sorry other companions, you're still cool)

また来週!
-Elder Rogers

Waiting to hear President Nelson

*Mom note:
This is a picture that was texted to us from a family who lives in our stake in Riverton.  We have never met them, but they ran into Caden at church while in Hawaii on vacation and sent us this picture.