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
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