Week 2 in Rhode Island has been pretty great. It's been uncommonly warm here, but the fall colors are really beautiful.
So this week, my companion was like, "Alright who should we visit?" and then he handed me the area book. I looked through the names of members and I picked one that was nearby. Anyway, we went to this house and they welcomed us in and everything was nice, but then the man starts going off about how terrible the church is and all this anti stuff. It was pretty ridiculous how mad he was at the church, and we kind of just sat there and listened for a while. We tried to say a few things to him, but he didn't really let us talk. After a while he kind of calmed down and we gave him a pass-along card and left. It was the first time that I experienced any severe anti-mormon sentiment. What was amazing was how we both kept calm. Afterwards, I felt like we were blessed to say what little we needed to say and softened his heart a little.
The rest of the week wasn't quite so intense, but I have seen so many little miracles. I think that mostly I've come to recognize the Savior's love for everybody. I would have never imagined that I could sit in a smoky room and feel the Spirit. I didn't think that I could feel real love for people who are doing those things that I know draw them away from God. It's amazing to see the Gospel change lives as well. When I came into the area, there was an investigator lined up for baptism, and she's had a lot of trials this last two weeks, but I've seen the Gospel touch her heart and change her attitude.
We got to attend the Hartford Connecticut Temple open house on Thursday.
Elder Rogers
