Jeden Tag lerne ich etwas neues!....Week 25 in Ellwangen

     Well I'd like to start by sharing a link with everyone! Mormon message! It is awesome! I love it! Makes me more grateful! It talks about gratitude!!!!! Man I need more! Thanks mom and dad! You gave me a whole lot more than I could ever give back! 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2119328537001

     Ok well I got way excited to share that so I had to put it first on there. But now we get into the week. Ok I'd like to start by expressing me love for Elder Carlson again! haha He was my favourite! I'm so thankful for what he taught me! and ALL the service he gave me! He is awesome! And so that leads into... New companion! Always rough. Especially after leaving the one I had for almost 6 months lol. But I'll be ok! Elder Geilman is a great Elder Too! 

 

     Ok well I wanna start with something that was awesome! We had stake conference this weekend. It was a special broadcast on Sunday to all the German speaking areas. So my Mission and the Frankfurt and Berlin ones too! Ok and so what was awesome was that Elder Bednar spoke. And he spoke the whole time in German! He served in Germany and so he felt it would be appropriate to speak in German! Man I was so touched! That was soo soo cool! He said some awesome things that we needed to hear! Such a great man!

     Ok so for that I am grateful for him! 

     Ok so that's spiritual... now lets get a little temporal! I left my Canadian counterpart Elder Oviatt this week, 211 days together in a row. So he, being a boss got me a going away present. For anyone who knows me well you will know I love Taylor Swift. So that's exactly what he did for me. Bought me Taylor Swift perfume! In a beautiful box! It smells awesome!!! Clearly I don't put it on me, but I still spray it..  a lil :) and its so good! haha so thanks to him! So happy! hahahaha

     Well I read an awesome talk on gratitude this morning from Elder Nelson. It inspired me to be grateful more! So I wanna do that for sure! I learn a ton every week. Like you don't even know! haha its the coolest! There are so many awesome things to do and learn! Missions make me grateful! 

     We had a few lessons this week. Before I wasn't really that grateful for the people we are teaching because they really arent' progressing that much. But then as I look deeper into their hearts I can see they are simply great people regardless. Love! I need love! Love is hard! But worth it. It allows me to understand the others more. 

     Ok and I read one line in Preach My Gospel that hit me this week. It is on pg 185 in English. Says "when you listen carefully to others, you understand them better". Like wow! I got my answer! When we listen we learn to love because we get to see more about the person and we understand them more! Awesome!!!!!

     I learn a ton every week. Every day. But I need to also apply em! So get ready Elder Geilman! I'm gonna listen to you! I'm gonna love you and then we are gonna have a great time together! ha! Got it! 

     Well life is great. We have fashing this week (anything does week...aka party week). German traditions. They go nuts. Parties everywhere. So that'll be awesome to watch but hard to work lol. Oh people! 

     I love learning! I love German! I'm sooooo not close to perfect and so I need people helping me! Got a comp, got so many other sources to help! Thanks to all those who have helped me! Given me anything! I'm way grateful! Really! Thanks!

Have a great week everyone!

Love me, 

Elder Rodgers

 

 

I found this just now on lds.org     add it to the blog....

 

https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/unto-all-the-world-hastening-the-work-in-europe?lang=eng&cid=email-shared 

 

DUDE!! hahaha

Love y'all!

 

 

From the castle last week

Elder Geilman



Taylor Swift perfume from Elder Oviatt!!!

 

 

 

 

Ich bin immer noch hier!...Week 24 in Ellwangen

     Yeah that's right... Ellwangen again! Another 6 weeks in this lovely place! After this transfer I will have been in Ellwangen for 2 days short of 7 months! Thats a long time! First area, the favourite area! haha its great!

     I am sad to be losing Elder Carlson though! HE has taught me everything! He's my father for goodness sakes! He's the only comp I've known in Germany! My one and only trainer. haha We had a great time together! I have mad respect for him! He is an awesome guy! and he will be spending his last 6 months in the office! He loves computers and serving people and this is the absolute coolest calling for him! He is gonna do great!

     And then I also lose my Elder Oviatt! MY canadian counterpart! We have had a long journey together! We met on July 24th in the Minnesota airport and haven't been separated for a day since. I've spent more time with him in a row than anyone else ever! At the end of our time it'll have been 211 days in a row being in talking range for an average of 14 hours a day! haha we have spent a lot of time together! I'll miss him! He keeps the canadian alive in me!

     So Elder Spencer is staying and he gets Elder Packer who was with me in the MTC. HE is a cool dude! Then I get Elder Geilman who is 1 transfer younger than me and he has been serving in Ulm! So I know him a little! He will break my streak of companions not from Utah! hahaha he is from North Ogden I believe. haha It'll be a great time! Thats that for now! 

     This last week was really cool! But I'm gonna start with today. We actually did something today because it was so nice. We went up to the castle on the hill! The one we see from our house every day. It was like 15 degrees above today. Sun shining! Gorgeous! So we did that! got a few cool pics! 

     OK my favourite part of this week was Sunday. A little girl in our primary who just turned 7 made me a drawing in primary! I died from cuteness overload. It is the cutest nicest thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I love people! I love kids! They're the coolest! Ah I'm gonna keep it in my scriptures for my life! So awesome! Made my day so good! ahh! 

     OK well we were all looking forward to transfer calls this week so the time went fast. We taught a few lessons and met with some cool people. Elder Carlson said a few goodbyes. Man we just know the coolest people here. Really, the people make the mission so cool! Just shows that there are so many people who are truly kind in this world! I love it! 

     So my total lessons taught for this transfer was 18 lessons! I taught 1 in my whole first transfer. So I can clearly see progress on that spectrum of things... and overall life is just going so well! I am happy, people are happy, life is the best! 

I'm so grateful for everything! I love it all! What a blessing to serve a mission!

Well, Thats it here. Bis nächste Woche!

Liebe Grüße,

Elder Rodgers

Elder Carlson is too cool!

These are all pics of the castle today. Its this nice out yes. The weather is weird! So warm!

Too sunny so I had to squint. I'm a  wimp!

Nice clouds eh!

This is my city....town....!!!

Bears!!!

Group shot by a willow tree :)

Big Church on a hill

Die Lektionen, die ich gelernt habe....Week 23 in Ellwangen

     Well as my title says. Wait! You have to translate it first! ha!

     Well hopefully you did that now. The lessons I have learned is kinda my theme of the day. I have learned a ton this week. I learned that I hate trains now. I learned that being sick sucks. I learned that we have inspired leaders in our mission. I learned that being an example in everything I do is so important. I learned why its important to love people and to express that. I learned why sister missionaries go to temple square. I learned that my companion is a boss! I learned that I have a lot more to learn. So many things learned this week! It was awesome! 

     I became sick Tuesday night this week and was dead Wednesday and Thursday. So idk what happened but I got a huge headache and I was like coughing real bad and a classic stuffy nose. I was freezing cold too. Thought I was Canadian! But it was rough. We still had to go out Wednesday night to a lesson and I almost died there lol. The train rides were hard too. But Elder Carlson (the same one form September 5ht cuz we are still together!!!) saved me! He talked for the lessons and he made me soup and best of all he gave me a Priesthood Blessing. I'm way thankful for him! 

     So I did spend a little extra time in bed this week due to my sickness but it worked out OK. Our investigator from like 2 hours away cancelled our lesson so we did weekly planning on Thursday instead. We went out a bit but found ways to be effective inside so I could rest and we could go out the next days when we really needed to! So Wednesday and Thursday were kinda blow offs. But at the same time very useful. 

     Tuesday we were in Stuttgart for Zone Training. Missed our train home so got to go contact in Stutttgart for an hour lol. It was a great meeting. We learned a ton. Got really good instruction on prayer. I have learned a ton about the importance of meaningful prayer. It really makes a difference in ones day. So this meeting was really cool! But I liked Saturday even better for Zone Conference!

     Well first Friday was a finding day in Waiblingen so we all go there and help find. For like 4 hours lol. So Elder Spencer and I were together and we contacted a lot but didn't find much. So that really was our day becuase we were on trains to get there and we found forever and then went to eat. We slept over in Waiblingen that night... that was a gong show. Then we got up early to get to Stuttgart for the meeting. 

     Saturday we saw President and Sister Miles and the AP's and our awesome Stake President was there. We had some awesome instruction given! The importance of always being an example, the use of the Book of Mormon in finding answers to the soul and in teaching people, the importance of always showing love and then the importance of praying for people. 

     One of my favourites was when President Schneider talked about love. He asked us why we think sisters only serve on temple square. Naturally someone said because they look better, which is true nonetheless, but what he was getting at was because they can love people easier. Spontaneous Love! He talked a ton about the importance of expressing love to develop it and not judging, rather loving. It was a great presentation. So I got lots to work on! But I'll try!

This week was great! As you hopefully see I learned a ton! It was really cool! And I also found time to get some pics! YES!

Well I love you all! Thanks :)

Love,

Elder Rodgers :)

P.S.- Happy Valentines Day!

Elder Graver. I look soo young in this picture! (MTC comp)

New suit in Stuttgart

Me and the Carlson!

Finally! A new selfie!

 In Stuttgart at the stadium where Stuttgart Soccer plays. HUGE!

me and Elder Carlson had a moment together!

My Loving companion :) 

Die Wochen sind zu schnell!...Week 22 in Ellwangen

     This week.... I honestly don't remember what we did. I remember that it went so fast. But I don't remember why. I know we were sitting on trains or buses a lot. I am now starting to remember why; Monday was a train and bus.Tuesday 4 trains. Wednesday a bus. Thursday a few trains, Friday actually nothing and Saturday some buses. 

     Well now that I remember... We had a pretty cool week! Well I'll start with yesterday because its kinda funny. That way when you read it, it'll capture your attention and make you read further! OK so we went on splits last night so we could teach a lesson and go to a meeting at the church for a few priesthood elders. So it started at 7:30 pm and ended and 9:30 pm. We got a ride but somehow ended up at home at like 10:15 pm.  I love our branch. Things just get talked about for long periods of time. OK I realized that this really isn't  that funny. It's funny for us but clearly not for you. Well nevertheless we had a cool meeting. I managed to stay awake! 

     OK so Monday we were at a less active family! We had a fun time and had some good talks with the kids and parents. They're a way fun family! I love going there. I'm starting to see now that it's super hard for you to picture this in your mind but we were walking down the street to the house and I was eating a piece of chocolate and the road was was icy and I ran and purposely slid down the road but someone came walking around the corner and I was sliding and had chocolate and couldn't say anything and I scared the life out of this person because she had earphones in and it was dark. Suuuuper funny!

          OK funny for me. 

     Tuesday we went to Waiblingen for district meeting.. Elder Oviatt and Elder Spencer missed the train so we all got delayed an hour and it was super funny. Another 'you gotta be there' moment. But yes. So we had that. Then we went and taught a lesson after. Good use of time. Took us 2 hours 15 minutes to get there from Waiblingen. rough... hahaha. 

     Wednesday I was on tausch with Elder Oviatt and I made it really sweet for him by going dooring! For 4 hours... on the coldest day of the week! ahhh ya! (it was only -10, Tanner has not been in the cold for so long he is finding that cold. At home he wears shorts in that weather)  We doored the life out of Rosenberg! But not many people had pity on us in the cold. We really didn't find many people. But still some! We went to a members house after and ate! I love food :)

     OK well Thursday we decided to head up north and chill there. We called our investigator who lives there and he said we could come by then. We aren't bad missionaries... he only meets on short notice lol so we call when we are around! STOP JUDGING ;) 

     Actually that lesson was really good. We learned more that he did. We both got the same thought about love when we were talking to him. We realized that we aren't just here teaching lessons but we are here to love and we need to love no matter what. We are on the road to fixing that! It was a good learning lesson for us!

So......

     Friday was planning and an awesome evening with an awesome family who I love beyond belief! They're just stellar! ...enuf said.

     OK and then Saturday Ulm Elders had a baptism in our building so we were there for that. After it, a little dude was running around and smacked his face on something and really cut himself open. So we went with the people to the hospital to show them where it was cuz we live right across. We stayed with them and talked for a while, while the kid and the mom were in the back. They were just visiting the baptism, not members. After, one of the people who was a member called to check up on us and told the lady to ask us to give the dude a blessing. So we explained that and then gave a nice little blessing in the parking lot there. It was really cool. 

     So Sunday was Sunday. Full of awesomeness and love! hahaha. We went to a family after church and had a great time there. Elder Spencer was extremely photogenic yesterday and I got a beautiful picture of his glorious face. STUD. 

     And yes, that's my week. I'm still here. Living life in Ellwangen. My home. My land. My people. Haha I like that. Germany is super cool!

Love it!

Love you! and btw I think I can almost speak German lol

Love,

Elder Rodgers 

oh yeah! Scary looking church on a hill when we were dooring!

Elder Spencer and me! 

Elder Spencer wrote me a song. Actually :)

Look how cute he is! hahahahaha