Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Hollaback for a scripture chase! And bobcats :)‏

Haha you guys have to be patient! Transfers are THIS Wednesday - we find out for sure tonight who will go where :) Don't worry, haha I'll let you know as soon as I can.

So this week has been great! We have been pretty busy with EVERYTHING, it seems. Gotta tell my first exciting story - I played with a bobcat on Friday! I know, right! If there's one thing I've learned about the mission, people, it's that it surprises me every day. I'm so grateful for the decision I made to come out here...I could never have played with a bobcat while sitting on my laptop at home! The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead has a couple of bobcats and we went for our last day of service (WOO), which turned out to be a day of raking leaves. We were raking around the birds of prey area (don't ask me how a bobcat is considered a bird of prey), and the bobcat jumped right up against the wire cage and let us start petting it. Then we started putting a feather through the bars and that cat was all over that thing! It was a blast :)

In other news, we had our Stake Conference AND our specialty training...no Facebook yet. BUT we had some awesome training on the importance of Preach My Gospel. I love President Keyes because he doesn't waste his time diving into deep doctrine with us, he just keeps going back to the basics. That might seem kind of demeaning, but honestly deep doctrine is completely useless in missionary work. All you need is a testimony of the Restoration of the gospel to be a missionary - Elder Ballard said that himself.
Which reminds me of something I kind of wanted to talk to y'all about. Bust out yo' Book of Mormon, because you're going on a little scripture chase with me. Open to 1 Nephi 17. I've learned something interesting as I've spent more time with Nephi...he really, really likes Moses. They have a lot in common, after all. They were set apart by God to help lead some people out of wickedness, and the people they were leading were a little crew of ingrates that had no problem in voicing their concerns. They even had to cross water by the power of God. Therefore, Nephi = B of M Moses. So, with that in mind, Nephi draws an interesting parallel in this chapter - 1 Nephi 17:41, Nephi refers to "the simpleness of the way." Think about that for just a moment as we visit the children of Israel. "Oh, I see you've been bit by a fiery flying serpent. That stinks. Here, look at this brass serpent on my staff and be healed." - Moses. What happened? Tons of the children of Israel died because that was just too easy (Numbers 21:4-9). Let's jump forward a couple hundred years to Naaman, the leper. "Gee, that's nice of you to come all this way with a fancy caravan to visit Elisha. He told me to tell you to go wash yourself in the Jordan River seven times, and you'll be healed. Have a nice day!" - Elisha's messenger. And Naaman throws a royal fit because it's too easy.
Jump forward a couple hundred more years. An Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ stands before all of His church and invites all who are listening to invite one person that they love to come and feel of the Spirit that the Restored gospel has to offer, before the anniversary of Christ's birth.
How will this story end?
 "...if the prophet had bid thee do some agreat thing, wouldest thou not have done it?" (2 Kings 5:13)
 "O...do not let us be aslothful because of the beasiness of the cway; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would dlook they might elive; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever." (Alma 37:46)
Consider again the story of Naaman. The scripture I quoted above was what his servants said after the royal fit was over. I can only imagine the amount of love and humility that they had in their hearts as they approached their master...imagine that I am coming to you in the same attitude. But this time, I leave you with a promise. If you will do this "simple" thing, if you will just ask a neighbor to come to the ward Christmas party or invite a friend to family home evening or offer some cookies and a Book of Mormon to someone who is struggling, I promise that your testimony will grow until you, like Naaman, can declare that, "Behold, now I aknow that there is no bGod in all the earth, but in Israel." (2 Kings 5:15)

I love you all enough to know that you are more than capable of helping in this Work of Salvation - God has not just called full time missionaries. He has called you. Please, don't be intimidated by the simpleness of the way.
I love you all so much - stay out of trouble :)
-- 
Sister Annika Rogers
Isaiah 49:16








 Finally got my b-day packages! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed!











 My favorite things in the whole world...HOT AIR BALLOONS.
 Me and Sister Jarman, growing a foot or two.
A spider we found in a member's windowsill (it was already dead, thank goodness)

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