An Extremely Long and Very Informative Email

That title was a total lie.
Sorry about that.

This week was more or less the exact same as every other week out here has been lately, cept this week we took to the streets to talk to as many people as we could! This had some unexpected results. First result: Absolutely nobody wanted anything to do with us, as we continuously got shut down like nobody's buisiness. It was crazy. I haven't heard this many uses of the word "no" since.. Well... last week, I guess. Thing is though, the members of the ward have been noticing us a lot more since we started with this approach, and wouldn't you know it? One of the appointments we set actually didn't flake on us. For reals! It went pretty great, except they want nothing to do with us either. Our appointment with them mostly involved them trying to convert us, which I thought was a bit ironic really, but it is what it is. When nobody is anxious to talk to you, you end up getting a little down on yourself, but not me! I ain't getting down! There's really not much else to say about this week other than my feet are absolutely KILLING me from walking so much, and we helped out with girls camp, which was kind of awkward. We set up tents for the girls and left, that's about it. And I got the WORST sunburn on my neck, so now wearing a white shirt hurts like the devil.

I meant to write a heck of a lot more than I did, but I stopped typing to draw something instead, so you can have the drawing this week. I'll try to have more interesting things to talk about next week. ALOHA!

Also PS there was a fairy tail car. So that was legit.

BONUS: The Story Where I Eat An Unborn Duck Fetus
So... Balut. In case you didn't know, balut is a traditional delicacy in a magical land called the Philippines. It's an unborn fetus of a chicken or duck, (duck in this case) that is allowed to grow until the baby has feathers. The egg is then served. The process of eating balut has several steps to it actually.

Step 1: Drink the juice. Yes. Really. Go full lumberjack man and drink it like the testosterone fueled rage monster you are. It tastes like sour eggs. Now that the liquid is out of the way, move on to step two.

Step 2: Eat the body of the little duck and show no mercy. The feathers and beak tend to cause some discomfort going down, but as long as you don't think about ducklings while eating it you should be fine. (I uh.... I thought about ducklings)

So how the heck did I get balut? Well, another elder out here, Elder Lunt, had a birthday. He and his companion Elder Maxwell had always wanted to try balut, so the sister missionaries, one of whom was from the Philippines, provided them with three balut eggs. Obviously there were two of them and three eggs, but I didn't know that until I got there. I knew I had to try it, if for no other reason than just to be able to say that I did.

So I ate it, it was horrible, I threw up, and I don't recommend it.

Good day folks!

Surprise! Didn't see that one coming...

Well, here we are! Another week has come and gone, to be honest they've been flying by so fast I have hardly had time to write it all in my journal! But it was a crazy eventful week, I'll tell you that much. So what exactly went down this week? Well, let me tell ya!

If you recall, we've been doing morning exercise for a while now, and when it comes to exercise it's no pain no gain. This time though that meant a little something different than usual. See most times the pain is like muscle pain you know? Like "gah, I'm working it so HARD! MY MUSCLES ARE EXPLODING FROM ALL THIS GROOOOOOOOOOWTH!" or something of that nature. Not this time though, this time the pain was that I got hit in the face. Huzzah. Joy. I sure do LOVE working out! -_- So I basically ran after a frisbee and the frisbee went into a tree." Aha!" I thought to myself," I'll catch it when it falls out of the tree!".  Haha... Ha... No. No I didn't catch it. It caught me. In the mouth! And it hurt for a while, but there wasn't even that much blood so it's OK! Speaking of doing potentially dangerous things during exercise, on Saturday we all played rugby together with a Tongan member. I'll just let you read that over and over again til it sinks in. Tongan. Rugby. Elder Rogers. Also known as: A twig prevents the hulk from his favorite snack and he's hungry. The twig was the Tongan. Obviously. (kidding I was running in fear the whole game) (I did it for Japan, and it's gonna be worth it one day.)

So exercise drama out of the way, the work was more or less the same this week, but Elder England and I devised a plan thanks to a member named Brother Davis. Let me explain. We go to chapel cleanup every Saturday at 8:00am. I'll take this moment to tell you that chapel cleanup is great and I love it. I never ever thought I would be typing that out, but then again I never thought I would hold a dog of my own will and choice despite the fact that I am terrified of dogs, play rugby with a Tongan and only survive because I copied what I saw in Forever Strong (minus the drugs and stuff) or watch 3 of my previous companions (Elder Lock, Elder Durrant, and Elder Campbell) give their final testimonies and bid the mission field goodbye. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that zone conference was this week.  I was able to see Elder Durrant, and Elder Campbell and I were united for the last time. It was emotional. And crazy. And I still cannot believe in the slightest that it's been over a year since I entered this mission. It hasn't been a year, there's no way that time moves that fast... （´-`）

So anyway, after chapel cleanup, we had cookies leftover courtesy of Brother Davis, (long story) and so we decided that rather than get fat from eating all the cookies we would package them and give them to our former/potential investigators. I mean people. Whoops. So we gave the cookies out and it ended up being the most successful thing ever! Nobody can say no to cookies! And that day we had more people open the door than I think I've ever had before in my whole mission. Yes way. It was that good.

I've been re-reading the Book of Mormon and I'm in 2nd Nephi. I'm doing it in both Japanese and English, but I've decided to mark it every time I see something that means a lot to me. It's becoming a very colorful book. So why am I telling you this? Well, after talking to Elder England about his mission, I decided I wanted the Book of Mormon to mean something more to me than it does now. So every lesson I've learned from it up until now is getting marked, along with new things I learn as well. I invite you all to read along with me if you'd like. The Book or Mormon is a powerful tool that contains the word of God. And I've come to know that in ways that only becoming a missionary could have taught me.

I hope you all have a great week. Until next time!
-Elder Rogers

 (Pictures: The companion crew all together.  Me and my trainer said goodbye for the final time until I get home.  The lip after getting smacked from above by a frisbee.)

Ice Cream Nullifies All Sadness (also halfway point woohoo)

Hi everyone!

I'm afraid this wasn't the easiest week for me, although I'd be lying if I said there weren't any highlights to help me keep my chin up. Elder England and I get along great, so that much is going well. I hit my year mark this week as well, so that's a great personal victory, honestly speaking. It's crazy to think that next year on this very day I will be home from my mission! It feels as though it's only just begun! There are so many memories I've gained already that there's nowhere near enough room to write it all down! But I'm sure there's more where all of this came from so hang in there everyone! In the words of that weird shrunken head from the beginning of Harry Potter 3, "It's going to be a bumpy ride!"

So this week we had a great time talking to a lady who was both high and drunk at the same time, which is dangerous levels of intoxication. She swore at us for half an hour and told us all sorts of things about our beliefs (that were not true at all) and I believe she said she was a theology professor, which makes a lot of sense. I mean seriously, you get hopped up on that much crack and alcohol and you start going all theological at some point or another. I think my favorite part was when she started talking about how we all have plastic surgery at 17 and get married right at 18 just to have kids as quickly as possible, which was a real tasteful thing to say to us. (obvious sarcasm is obvious) She also referred to Joseph Smith as, and I quote, "That crackpot f***boy Jack Smith". Which got really annoying to say the least. So after a while of dealing with this insane woman this random guy came up to us and was like "I'm sorry you had to deal with that Elders, get something to eat on your way back" (because it was 8:45 and we were heading home anyway, and this all happened on the street in full view of everybody-oh joy) and that guy was great, but this lady was still not done. I was getting really close to snapping at her because by this point the weed smell was giving me a headache and I was done talking to her, but thankfully for me (and her) the whole encounter ended after that. For whatever reason she kissed Elder England on the cheek and gave him a lei that smelled really weird, and then she was gone. And just like that, we were on our way home. Oh but if you think that's the most "fun" we had this week, ho ho! Boy howdy let me tell you what happened the next day!

We have these investigators named the Howells, and they've been investigating for seven years if I recall correctly. Bearing with them was tough at first but they've actually grown on me as one of my favorite families I've ever met. That's why what happened on Saturday was so hard. Nothing was really going on that day either, and it was a hot day and I was tired. For whatever reason I got the feeling we needed to visit the Howells, and turns out, I was right. When we got there brother Howell, who has never really been taking us seriously before, opened the door full of tears and a house that looked as though it was hit by a hurricane or something. Apperently they're getting a divorce, and that was hard to hear. Bro. Howell talked with us for about 10 or 15 minutes before explaining what was happening. He said he and his wife (who have been together for 10 years) aren't going to be together for much longer. He was trying to clean to help take his mind off of the whole thing, so we helped him to actually clean his house up, and he was a mess. He said she had been making some choices that didn't go along with any religion, least of all our church, and she told him that she didn't want us over anymore but that she didn't know how to say it. He was really nice about it though. The poor guy never did anything wrong, but he's in the military and when you're a marine, you tend to be away from home a lot. I guess she decided to go a different way than that when he wasn't there, and that's all I will say about it, other than the fact that he wants to salvage his marriage, but he doesn't think she wants to. So that's how we lost 2 investigators at once. Elder England didn't know them very well, so it didn't bother him much, but I've gotten to know them well enough that they almost felt like family to me. Seeing all of that happen hurt a lot, because I wanted them to be happy, and was trying my best to get them that way. After we leaft their now broken home I was a wreck. I asked Elder England what he did when things like this happened, and he said "Well, I go out for ice cream".

.... So we did.

On our way to the ice cream place I saw a pretty little green gecko, and I felt the spirit tell me I was doing a good job, even if it didn't feel like it. That ray of sunshine on a gloomy moment reminded me of the fact that Heavenly Father is aware of us, and he loves us. I know he is one of many on that side of the veil who cheer for me as a missionary, and I feel their prayers and your prayers giving me strength when times get tough. I just hope the Howells can figure it out. I really love those people, and I hope they can find happiness in the gospel one day, but for now we can't go visit them anymore. At least they were nice about it though.

Anyway, I've hit the halfway point. Thanks to all of you who appeared in this halfway picture book or who wrote me letters to congratulate me, it meant a lot. You all look like you're doing great. Honestly, despite everything wrong with this week, at the end of the day I find myself smiling, and I think it's because I'm happy here. I'm doing the Lord's work, and despite the hard times, this fact brings my soul peace. It is hard to know of God's love for others and then knowingly let them go the wrong way because their agency is their own, but it has taught me a valuable lesson. God loves me, and it probably hurts him to see me knowingly not choose the right. This has motivated me to make decisions that will make my Heavenly Father proud of me. If there are tears from heaven, they should be tears of joy, and they should be coming from someone who says: "Caden, I'm so proud of you for making the right choice, even when it was hard"

Well, as one last note of good news, we have a week packed with lessons this week. I will do my very best to teach the gospel. Have a great week guys!

Aloha!
-ELDER ROGERS

Aloha everyone!

It's been the hottest week of my mission yet! So much heat! So much sweat! So much... Change.

This past Tuesday was the last time I get to see Elder Durrant in the mission. It was a very hard transfer to be sure because we got along so well.  It didn't really hit me just how much I liked being his companion until he had to go. He's going to be finishing his mission in the Mililani zone, which is where I started my mission! This means though that maybe I can see him at zone conference, so that will be great! I'll definitely be visiting him when I get home! And home, as it turns out, is getting closer and closer by the day! This week will mark my 1 year anniversary of missionary service! That's crazy you guys! I'm so pumped! But aside from any of that nonsense, let's talk about this week.

Elder England and I have been working very hard this past week, and thus far, all that work doesn't seem to account for much really. Lots of people either not being home or not being interested. We got dropped by a few investigators this week, which is always rough, and absolutely nobody came to church yesterday, which just sort of poured salt in the wound, but we did have a great fourth of July on Wednesday. We all had to be in by 6:00, so we decided to get on the roof and watch fireworks together! It was such a blast! (you get it? Because, you know, fireworks explode and such)

Anyway, taking over the area has been pretty stressful, and even though Elder England is very patient, I probably try his patience a little too much. Especially when it takes me forever and a day to plan. Speaking of planning, we have a new way to refer to people in planning! How great is that? (this should explain the title by the way) Our area book app has been updated. It's now extremely politically correct, and that means words like "investigators" just can't be tolerated anymore in written form. Now they're called "people being taught". In fact, all the missionary terminology has been, well, terminated by this new update, so here's a little update dictionary for you so you can have a clue what I mean

Members: People who have been baptized.

Investigators: People Being Taught

Inactives: Less Actives

Less Actives: Returning Members (why they can use 'members' here and not in the members section I have no idea)

Potential investigators and former investigators are now held within the same group, which is called: "People with interest" I think this is dumb because only half of the people in this group "have interest". The other half of these people have no interest at all, which is why they aren't being taught anymore. Thanks for destroying the system everyone! Politically correct! Yay!

...if you can't tell already, I absolutely despise the area book app and all of the problems that come with it.

One of these "people with interest" told us to quote: 'Go sell crazy someplace else' this week. Words of encouragement I thought, because we ended up doing exactly what she told us to. We went and tried our luck someplace else, and that's how we met a super cool family named the Taylors. Sister Taylor isn't a member, but she grew up around them and seems to be curious. Her home is beautiful, and her husband is LOADED with cash. It's probably rude to say that, but the house, the three motorcycles, and the actual literal MONSTER TRUCK in the driveway kind of gave it away. I was surprised at how nice they were to us, and we will most likely be visiting them again soon. So I guess for all of the blood sweat and tears shed this week knocking doors and working our brains out, SOMETHING good is coming of it. `\(-_-)/` eh, whatever I guess.

Although it's been a rough week I want you all to know that I can feel your prayers giving me strength and I want to thank you for that.  I feel very distinctly that I am being blessed by the prayers of others.

Well, that's our week in a nutshell. Until next week everyone! 

  -ELDER ROGERS-

Me in the pine tree forest on our way to visit a potential invest- I mean uh, "person with interest"

I accidently got on the roof of an apartment complex.  I figured since I was up there I may as well get a picture 

We decided to walk instead of drive this week.  I was very unprepared for rain that day, and we both got soaked. This is what rain and humidity does to your hair.  

The funniest road sign I've seen in a while.

4th of July

Poison dart frog

Hi all.

Sorry this week's email is super short. This is transfer week and we found out that Elder Durrant will be moving to the Mililani Zone to finish out the final transfer of his mission. I will be staying in Kaneohe. My new companion will be Elder England.

Today has been a really hard and busy day. I'm incredibly stressed out getting ready to take over the area. I have some more good pictures, but I will have to send them next week.   I'm having trouble seeing too good right now and my head hurts.  I hope the rest of the week is better.

-Elder Rogers