You're All Coming Home!

Dearest Family,

Thank you so much for all your calls and emails. We love hearing from you and soon we get to see you!!!

We're excited that everyone is coming home to Utah in July. Mike and Desi are driving from Denver on Thursday, July 2nd and will return on Tuesday, July 7th. Melody and Brandon are flying from Kansas City on Friday, July 3rd and will return on Saturday, July 11th. Neal and Katrina are flying from Buffalo on Thursday, July 9th and will be returning to New York on Monday, July 27. Neal will stay in Utah the entire time then go to Canada August 10-20.

Melody and Brandon will be spending Friday afternoon (July 3) and all day Saturday (July 4) with Brandon's family. Kelsey, Brandon's sister, had a nearly 10 pound baby boy yesterday via C-section. Brandon's brother's family will be here from Texas and his parents will be here from Boise for the baby blessing of Brittney and Seth's baby on Sunday. Melody and Brandon will both attend Kira's blessing then Brandon will go to Provo for his family's baby blessing and they will spend the rest of the day with their respective families. I think that the Roberts and Eliasons are going to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Openhouse together on Tuesday morning.

John (Dad, Grandpa) and I continue our missionary service but have all Saturdays and Sundays off. We also have Fridays July 3 and July 24 off for the holidays. We are free after we get home on the weekdays usually after 4:30 or 5:00 PM. We are eager to spend time with you and want to tend our grandchildren while you go to the temple or do other things you need to do without them. You could also visit us at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We always have lunch 11:30 to 12:30 and there are lots of things to see on Temple Square.

Julie has BYU classes until 7:00 PM Monday through Thursday until the middle of August so they are more available to do things with us on Fridays and weekends. Mark and Keith have regular week-day work schedules and are off on the weekends.

Desi wants to do some vacation-type things while they are here. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is open for tours Monday through Saturday except July 4 and 24th. We're sorry that Mike and Katrina family visits won't overlap but everyone is doing the best he/she can to come when possible and we really appreciate those efforts. We love having you with us whenever you can come. We also realize that there are other family members and friends to visit so we plan to share to make it fun and memorable for everyone.

We are also eager to celebrate Daniel's third birthday last Thursday, as well as Katrina and Neal's birthdays in July!

DAYS TO SAVE:

Sunday, July 5, 2009. 11:00 AM Kira's baby blessing in Riverton, Utah--with all families but Katrina's

Friday night, July 10, 2009 FAMILY ACTIVITY for John Rogers Family--with all families but Mike's

Thursday, July 23, Rasband Family Reunion in Lindon

Friday, July 24, Pioneer Day with Rogers Family

Things are exciting in the mission. Saturday, June 20, 2009, the new Family History Library was dedicated. We had the opportunity for an indepth tour and it is a marvelous facility. We also saw many rare, precious pieces of Church History.

Last Monday our new mission president was announced. Pres. Halverson has served for three years which is unusual. The usual term is 2 years for this mission. Our new president is Elder Dennis Simmons, formerly of the Quorum of the Seventy. He was released last fall from serving 3 years as president of the Logan Temple. His counselors are Elder Beardall, former stake president in Ogden who came into the mission the same time we did, and Elder Hatch, who was serving as the mission executive secretary. The executive secretary is Elder Jay Simmons, a good friend from the training zone. We had a mission picnic at This Is the Place State Park that evening with a lovely dinner and a musical program from Mama's Boys from Pleasant Grove. It was the first sunny day we have had in many weeks.

Friday, John and I went with our training zone to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House then out to lunch at Golden Corral. The temple is beautiful. The motif includes stars and circles. Even the crystal chandeliers are in the shape of stars. The basic design is similar to Draper Temple but the décor is unique. The original art work is beautiful. From the front of the temple I could easily see the Draper and Jordan River Temples as well as the buildings of downtown Salt Lake City. We parked in the parking lots around the temple. (Your ticket from the internet gives you a map.) They had a short film about temples in one tent before entering the temple. After we left they had another tent that was elegantly decorated where one could learn more about the church. Yes, they serve fresh cookies and bottled water! It is a wonderful experience to attend an open house. Incidentally, they will broadcast two sessions of the dedication. When they did the Draper Temple dedication they only broadcast one and many families with young children were unable to attend. I'm so impressed at how quickly the leaders meet the needs of the people.

Friday evening, I went with Mark, Kristilyn, Grant and James to Lagoon for their stake day. I hadn't been there in years and it was a fun outing. (John has been fighting a sore throat and didn't go. He didn't go to work on Thursday either. We have 3 confirmed cases of swine flu in the mission and they don't want sick people there!) Lagoon was a delight. Their stake provided dinner and Grant and James enjoyed the rides. They were completely content just pushing their strollers around for the first hour or so but finally realized that they could ride on cars, boats, planes, trains, etc. We had a huge downpour which turned out to be a blessing because so many people left the park so the lines were really short. I loved watching Kristilyn and Mark with their boys.

Saturday morning, Kristilyn and I took the twins and went to a baby shower for Candice Smith, Kevin's wife. They are expecting twin girls in October. Candice said that Kevin turned white and almost passed out when he saw the ultrasound and realized that there were two babies. They will continue to live in their 2 bedroom apartment in Logan with their dog and cats. She wants to finish school and he is working at Wal-Mart. We gave them a play and pack. Kristilyn also gave them two gently-used bouncers which were very helpful when the twins were tiny. Candice was so excited to actually talk with someone who had recently had twins. Kristilyn was cute and clever with her suggestions and advice. We enjoyed visiting with family. The twins loved having fun new toys and cousins to play with. Tracy put together a very pretty shower with Kathie's help and support. The families are living together these days.

We hope you have a wonderful week. We're thrilled that we will be seeing you soon.

Love,

Mom and Dad Rogers

Happy Father's Day

Dearest Family,

Happy Birthday last Saturday to Karen Keetch and Happy 3rd Birthday on Thursday to Daniel Carter. We had a special weekend hearing for every one of the families! Eliason's and Keith's family came for dinner on Sunday but at different times. The twins had colds so they didn't want to share with Kira. She is so tiny. During the blessing on the food James added his greeting: "Happy Father's Day!" Perfect timing to remember the Father of us all. It was fun to have Talisa stay overnight on Friday night. We loved Julie's visit Friday afternoon. We loved all of your calls, cards, and visits. You make our lives so happy!!!

We learned who our new mission president will be this morning. President Halverson has served for three years which is unusal--the call is usually for two years. He has been excellent. Our new president is Elder Dennis E. Simmons, formerly of the Council of the 70. He was just released in fall of 2008 from serving as President of the Logan Temple. He was in the Area Presidency for the Pacific Islands with the Halversons. Serving as his counselors are Elder Beardall, former stake president in Ogden who came into the mission with us in February, and Elder Hatch, who has been serving as the executive secretary for the past several months. They are all wonderful men. The meeting was very spiritual. The Elijah Choir sang a special arrangement of "Praise to the Man" and "The Lord Bless and Keep You." Many of our friends are also going home this month so the closing hymn "God Be With You" was particularly poignant. This afternoon we are going to "This Is The Place" Park for a mission picnic and program.

We've had an interesting week. Last Thursday we helped with two bus loads of tourists who were touring the Family History Library in the JSMB. It was fun to help them find censuses and other information about their family.

We have enjoyed our full-time missionaries the past two weeks. It was a very diverse group of 34--a deaf couple, a sister without a hands, a sister directly from Thailand who reads and writes England but didn't speak it, several in wheelchairs, etc. We had about a dozen rent-a-trainers including amazing young missionaries. Attending the live session in the Salt Lake Temple was interesting because they had an ALS interpreter for the entire session. She had the book so she could follow and sign every word. They flatten the stairs into a ramp so the wheelchairs can go up to the veil.

We are eagerly anticipating the visits of Mike's family and Melody and Brandon. We have Friday July 3 off from our mission. Saturday they have a parade in West Jordan at 10:00 AM for the 4th of July. It isn't as fancy as the one in Provo, but it's fun and close. We're looking forward to Kira's blessing on July 5th and 11:00 AM in Riverton. We go back to missionary work early Monday morning but we have our evenings free. Katrina and Neal don't know when they will be coming to Utah, maybe not until August. It depends on how things work out with the people in Canada with whom he has to meet. We're happy for anyone who comes any time.

Sunday John and I both gave lessons and we will again next week. The YW president is out of town most Sundays so I'm also attending Correlation Meeting for her representing the YW because I'm the only one who speaks Spanish. A regular Sacrament Meeting chorister was called for the Spanish Branch on Sunday--a first! I still plan and play the music.

We love you!
Love, Mom and Dad

Random Thoughts

Dear Family,

Mom Rogers is the one with the talent to share thoughts, feelings, activities, and keeping people up to date on current events; however, since my student is ill this morning, I thought I would take a minute and surprise everyone (myself included) by sharing a few thoughts.

We are really enjoying each day of our assignment. I have never been more at peace than serving here in this mission. Even when things don't go quite right or the way expected, I have not stressed over it, like I used to at work. It is amazing how the Spirit can calm and teach when we are doing the Lord's work. It is hard to believe how much I have learned over the past four and a half months. I really questioned the inspiration used to assign me to the Training Zone when I knew so little about Family History, PAF, and other programs that we use to train other missionaries. Each week with different students who come from diverse backgrounds (where some know nothing about a computer and some cannot type without having to hunt for each key and hit it one key at a time with one finger to the opposite end where the student is a whiz at the computer and soakes up everything I can teach very quickly) has given me an opportunity to review what I already know and can use as well as having to learn new things that I have not yet used. I am always grateful for patient students who allow me to learn from their needs and challenges to find certain information or ways of obtaining it. It is just another testimony of the fact that this is the Lord's work and He is directing it through his Spirit.

We are so very grateful for the good contact that we have with each of you via phone, email and blogs. It helps us feel so much closer to each of you when we know what is going on in your daily / weekly lives. Pictures are always worth a thousand words to visualize what you are doing.

Katrina, we hope Anna is growing and progressing as well as possible. We hope that you and your family are getting adequate sleep and rest. After having read the book One Tattered Angel, my thoughts are on you frequently, wondering how you are coping with the challenges of this special child of our Heavenly Father. We hope that Daniel is being a helpful big brother and is tender and kind to you both. Neal, we hope that your on-line class is going well and is not overly stressful in your preparations and presentations. We appreciate your great strenght and support in your family.

Mike, we hope your work is going well; we are always eager to hear of your successes in your calling as Elder's Quorum President. We are so glad that you were able to have a sibling get together at your home for the memorial holiday. Desi, you are such a gracious hostess; we always love to be in your home. We were just a little envious that we could not be there to join in on all the fun and I know that the others who could not be there were wishing that they could have been there also. We have heard so many reports of all the fun that everyone had. We really enjoy the video clips of Emily and Mordacai. It is hard to believe how fast they are growing and all the fun things that they can do now.

Kristilyn, I don't know where you find all the energy and patience to give so much love to James and Grant each day. We are so pleased to have you live close by so that we can see your family so frequently. The twins keep things very lively all the time and it is always fun to see the new things that they have learned and are saying. Mark, we hope your work is going well and are praying for your success in passing your board exams that are coming up all too soon.

Keith, what a wonderful blessing to be able to spend four weeks with your family getting well acquainted with Kira in the process. Your chosen profession has been a great blessing to your family and you are obviously a very valued employee. Kim, we are very grateful that the delivery went so well and that you have Keith's help for a short period of time with the addition of another child in your family. We hope that Talisa is adapting well to having a baby sister. We are looking forward to having her in our home for a sleep-over.

Julie, we are glad that you and Jason live close enough that we get to see you from time to time. I admire your desire and efforts to obtain a master's degree. I certainly never had that strong desire and ability that you appear to have to continue to improve your education and skills; what a great blessing that will be in your family's life. Jason, we hope that you are enjoying a short break from school and that you are guided in your career choice so that you will have a happy and productive profession.

Melody, you are such a remarkable person. School has always been a struggle for you, but you have always perservered and accomplished such marvelous goals in your life. You are such a blessing to your ward in what you are doing and well respected in your employment. Brandon, we hope you are also enjoying a short break from the pressures of school. We pray that you will continue to be guided in your career path. I can't even begin to imagine all the effort and work that it takes to become a doctor.

We love and appreciate each of you. You have all accomplished so much good in your lives and married well. It is nice to feel the love of twelve children in our family. May you each have a very happy day.

Love,
Dad Rogers

Love Note

Dearest Children,

I think of you often with great love and appreciation for the remarkable people you are. You all have firm testimonies of the gospel, you keep your covenants, you are cheerful and willing to serve and are prayerful. You each love people and have created wonderful homes. I made a list of the special gifts that you each bring to our family and I thought you might like to read it:

John: Without guile. What you see is what he is in every situation--kind, faithful, and committed to keeping his covenants.
Mom: A diligent record keeper who loves everyone sincerely and genuinely (Included by Julie)

Neal: The Golden Convert. He embraced the gospel from the beginning and continues to learn and progress.

Katrina: The scriptures are her anchor and prayer is her communication.

Mike: Generosity. He willingly shares whatever he has--things, skills, and time.

Desi: Flexibility with a smile. She makes things work out well by her attitude.

Mark: Ability to converse or teach anyone regardless of background.

Kristilyn: Listens with an understanding heart. Makes life fun.

Keith: Tenacity. He does hard things quickly without complaint.

Kim: Creativity and organization.

Jason: Desire to know people in depth, not just casually.

Julie: Enthusiasm for life and knowledge

Brandon: Looks out for others' needs and helps without asking.

Melody: Courage to do hard things and meet challenges.

You are each uniquely loved, appreciated, and needed. You are my blessings and jewels!

Love,

Mom Rogers

Flag Day!

Dearest Family,

This has been a different week. It's supposed to be warm but we've had severe thunder showers and even hail every day this week except Friday. The lawns and flowers look beautiful. We have full time missionaries these two weeks. John had a humble smart young elder who is a joy to teach. I have a sweet 79 year old sister who comes with a wealth of church experience. In our devotional on Monday, Elder Symbronski said that last month they requested 100 senior missionaries from a Utah County stake to come and serve in the Family History Mission. They were to live in their homes and commute like we do. The need is great.

Wednesday after choir I had a subtle impulse to take home my choir music and practice. I brushed it off but Thursday I was asked to accompany the Women's Choir rehearsal mostly sight reading including some new music I'd never heard. I need to listen to the Spirit better! It was frightening but went well. (There are five accompanists so I never expected to be asked to play, especially on the spur of the moment.) John and I were asked to provided the music for the dinner/devotional for the incoming missionaries in July which will be very nice.

Saturday, our preparation day was spent doing sealings in the Jordan River Temple, visiting with our home teachers Don Wall and Ernie Ward, and providing security for three hours in the afternoon in the Conference Center for the International Art Exhibit which will be there until September. It was interesting to visit with a non-member from Capetown, South Africa, who had created a beautiful portrait of the First Presidency as a thank you for what the church has done for her family. She will be presenting the piece to Elder Uctdorf on Tuesday. We are looking forward to touring the new Church History Library with our students on Tuesday.

Katrina, your mission president Harvey G. Horner and his wife have been called to preside over the Taiwan Taipei Temple. Do you get the Church News? Melody/Brandon and Desi/Mike, do you get the Church News? It was interesting to read about Jason's mission president being called to the Quorum of the Seventy a few weeks ago.

Today I attended Branch Correlation Meeting in the morning then we had our regular block. Tonight there is a baptism for a Spanish family who live across the street from Benches so we are eager to go. We always wave to each other when I go walking.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Mom and Dad

"There may be things in our lives that make us more or less unworthy of certain privileges. But of one thing we are never unworthy: PRAYER."

(Truman G. Madsen, "Thing Highest in US," p. 85.

New Window

Dearest Family,

Champion Windows came and replaced the west window in the front room Saturday morning. It had a crack from the bottom to the top caused by the settling of the house. Our home owner's insurance didn't cover the cost. The window looks very nice and has the latest thermo-efficient features. Instead of being a large picture window it has three sections which can be opened.

This has been busy week with extra things. Monday John and I gave our 3 minute talks in the devotional. That is such a nerve-wracking experience because you don't want to be "dinged" but you do want to share something coherent to introduce yourself to the mission. We both had Church Service Missionaries this week. My student was very knowledgeable about family history and computers. John's student didn't know how to type and had no experience with family history but we both had a really good experience with them. They will be serving in the Church History Zone.

Friday was a memorable. We provided watermelon chunks and cherries for the morning break. John gave the spiritual thought for the zone devotional on prayer. He shared some personal experiences, read some words from favorite hymns, then beautifully sang "Secret Prayer." In the afternoon I accompanied Naomi Jergensen singing "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of thy Peace" for the new missionary luncheon. She is in her late 70's and still has a magnificent soprano voice reaching high A with power.

The most fun part of Friday was lunch with Kristilyn, Grant, and James. They absolutely charmed everyone. They loved looking out the window on to the Plaza to see the "big waterfall" and the "little waterfall." We had lunch outside near the Brigham Young statue and they were fascinated with the trucks, trains, and birds. It started to rain so we went back inside the JSMB Family History Center where they had a children's area with toys and activities. We are so happy when we have visitors. Our lunch hour is 11:30 to 12:30 so that is an ideal time to stop by.

Desi and Mike, we were delighted with the cute clips that you put on your blog of Mordecai walking and Emily at ballet class. They are precious! We appreciate the way that all of you keep in contact with us and with one another.

Last Sunday we had a special visit with Keith, Kim, Talisa, and Kira. Talisa and Kira look very much alike. Babies bring a beautiful spirit with them because they so recently came from heaven.

Saturday I took more of Sister Sandell's family names to the temple to do sealings. She is going home in a couple of weeks to Canada and will be five hours from a temple. I went at the regular time for our ward sealing group and there was just me and the sealer. Eventually they were able to get people to help so the work was done and it was a very spiritual experience. The blessings are waiting for anyone who will participate, but we have to do our part. In the afternoon I played for Joseph Fullmer's (age 8) baptism. His family are missionaries to the Spanish Branch from South Jordan and his father was ordained a high priest last Sunday.

Getting two new temples in Salt Lake Valley is providing lots of growing experiences for everyone. Scheduling workers is an enormous challenge. There were 6000 workers at the Jordan River Temple, then about 1400 went to the Draper Temple and another 600-700 will go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Many more workers are needed to staff the temples. Keith and Kim, which temple district will you be in?

A cold front has moved into the valley and there might be snow at the top of Parley's Canyon today. It is still spring in Utah where the weather changes quickly!

Truman Madsen died this week at age 82 after battling cancer for a year. He was a remarkable man and I remember vividly his words and the spirit he carried. Here is a quote from "Eternal Man" p. 41.

"Many of us in the modern world are prodigal sons. We have not only left home, we have forgotten it and the Father who still waits to unfold to us not only 'all that I have' but also, 'all that I am.'"

We love and appreciate each of you so very much. Continue to live in love and peace (whenever our energetic and demanding grandchildren will permit.)

Love,
Mom and Dad