Why I Am Here

I hope that I can get all my thought process out. It has been an INSANE week.

 

This week, I think I learned EVEN MORE about my purpose as a missionary.

Hugo left to go back home to Mexico, and it was the hardest moment of my mission so far. HUGO HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. Me and Hermana Perez had been teaching him for the last 3 months, and he was golden. He wasn't baptized with us, but he also knew the whole time that he would be going back to Mexico after his Visa expired, and he'd told us he didn't want to get baptized here then leave. But Hugo did everything we asked him-- He read and prayed all the time, started the Book of Mormon from the beginning on his own and made it to Mosiah in a week. He alwas applied things to himself, asked questions he didn't understand, I can't even explain all Hugo did and was. He changed so much while we were teaching him. I have SO much love for Hugo, and I can say honestly HE HAS HELPED ME REALIZE WHAT PURE LOVE IS. Love despite mistakes, love that made me want the absolute best for him, love that helped me see his POTENTIAL! I wish I could put into words... When he left, it felt like a part of me was being taken away. My heart hurt all week leading up to us saying goodbye on Friday. He wrote a letter to me, which I will attatch a picture of-- It is the sweetest thing I have ever read in my life. He has changed SO much. For example- His facebook before was FULL of drinking pictures- and that was all he would do on the weekends... Then here, one week he told us that he drank over the weekend and felt so bad he fasted the next day to repent. More than anything I want happiness for him. I want him to remember everything he has felt here and the faith he has rediscovered. I miss him so much, but I am just grateful that Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to be a part of his life.

These are the people that I will meet on my mission that will change my life and teach me what pure, Christlike love is. They will help me to see first hand the changes that will come when a person accepts the gospel and studies it to apply it into their lives. These are the people whose hearts the Lord is preparing to receive us and our testimonies of the Restored gospel of Jesus Chrust. These are the God's children with the potential to return to live with Him again and receive a fullness of joy in His presence.

I never knew I could experience so much love, concern, pain, joy, gratitude, hope, sadness, etc all at the same time. It was crazy saying bye, but I am grateful for the experiences I've had with him.

 

OKAY ALSO. We got to go to the temple with Eva and Gilberto on Saturday morning!! IT WAS AMAZING! Eva hadn't been since she was baptized, and it was Gilberto's first time too. The Spirit was so strong there and I just got so excited for a year from now when their family can be sealed for eternity. Gilberto and Eva have been through so much together and they are SO strong. I visualized Christ standing there as they were being confirmed, with his arms outstretched, welcoming them.

Me and Hermana Perez aren't allowed to do baptisms unless we have family names, but even just being there while they were being baptized was such a powerful experience.

 

Other than that, me and Hermana Perez went through this whole week thinking it was one of our last weeks here, BUT WE ARE BOTH STAYING!!!

The Elders pulled a MEAN prank on us... so we had told the ZLs we were being flushed (both of us were leaving) and they believed us.... jokes on them right?? Wrong. So they are the ones that find out Saturday night who is leaving, then they tell the District Leaders, who call us. SO thank Elder Kalilimoku for this :P

He called the DLs, told them what was going to happen to us, then told them to prank us. 
The District Leaders called us and told us to guess who was leaving. I guessed neither, Hermana Perez guessed she was leaving, and he told us we were both wrong. My heart DROPPED. I was so shocked. He told me I was leaving, that I should pack Sunday night, and we'd need a ride to transfer meeting. I started crying, they hung up the phone, and we sat there for like 5 minutes shocked. Then they called us back and said they were kidding... Hermana Perez was leaving. We were still sad but it was what we had been expecting all week, so she braced herself to say goodbye at church. We got there early, went around telling all the ward members and Obispo that she was leaving, and then during sacrament meeting OBISPO HAD HERMANA PEREZ GO BEAR HER TESTIMONY to the ward... hahaha. Then she spent all of church writing thank you cards to families in the ward, etc. THEY DIDNT TELL US UNTIL THE END OF CHURCH THAT THEY LIED..... hahaha SO mean. 
OKAY SO I AM STAYING IN WEST LAKE HOUSTON WITH HERMANA PEREZ AND WE ARE GETTING A NEW COMPANION TOO!!! We are going to be in a TRIO!!! :):) Its going to be CRAZY! We go pick her up tomorrow--- We had to move our entire apartment around today!!

 

Its been SUCH a hard week. I can't explain all the emotions I felt. All week I was anticipating saying bye to Hugo, I thought that my companion was going to leave and I would have to lead out the area, I was scared (that fear though :P) I was sad, I've been SO happy at the temple, its been an emotional roller coaster week for sure!!!

BUT I LOVE THE MISSION. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. I LOVE THE WARD AND THIS AREA. I am so happy me and Hermana Perez get to stay together! We have so much fun haha :) I love the temple and I love Eva and Gilberto and forever families!!!

 

I love you all so much!! I have to go move my apartment more the Elders are bringing an extra bed today-- Have a great week and a happy thanksgiving!!! :)

I'm grateful for all of you! :)

 

Love, Hermana Rogers