July 26 2010

Hello!!!!

It's everyone's favorite missionary again sending an email to let you all know I'm still alive and kicking!

I would just like to say..... IT'S HOT OUT HERE!!!!! It's been above 100 degrees everyday for the past 4 or 5 days. It is not fun. We have a hard time staying energized and going but we still go out and work. We're not completely dead yet but every time I got to bed I'm asleep in about 3 minutes (which is fast for me).

Anyway, I'm sending another recording so you all can remember what I sound like. I talk about a lot that has happened in the past week. It covers most of what has happened but I'll go over what isn't in it (so you have to listen to it :P)

So this past week I was in the Franklin area and I got to hang out with Elder Bischoff and Elder PoVey (pronounced POH-vae). I got to see the middle of no where, and then if you take a left in the middle of nowhere you're in the ghetto. If you take a left OR right from the ghetto you're in the middle of nowhere. (Good luck figuring that out, because that's what the Franklin elders told me). We actually left the mission. It's okay though. We had permission. We had to leave the mission to get to this one street in their area called Fanny Road. You had to go into North Carolina and then back into Virginia and you were on Fanny Road. On a one mile stretch of road there was a grand total of (dut dut dut DUH!!!) 2 houses, yeah!!!! It was fun. Then we had to go back into North Carolina again to get out the other way. While I was there I got to meet a lot of the people in the Franklin ward and a few of their investigators. It was neat to see other missionaries and how they teach. They are great elders.

So yesterday we had transfer calls and guess what? I'm being transferred to.................... NOWHERE!!!! I'm staying in the Bennetts Creek ward!! So it's gonna be great. Elder Lowry isn't going anywhere either. There are going to be two major changes to our district though. The Smithfield brand is now going to have Elders instead of Sisters. Sister Adaniya is going to downtown Richmond (which Sisters are barely being let back into) and Sister Carter is going to the Midlothian ward. Sister Stoehr, from the Mount Pleasant ward, is also going to the Midlothian ward and two other Sister missionaries are going to be joining Sister Niemela in Mount Pleasant. We're also getting a new Zone Leader, Elder Duke. It's gonna be cool.

So everything is going well. I love you all and please send fudgies as soon as possible.

Elder Ricky-dude

July 16 2010

When Mallow was in the MTC his huge towel we got for him disappeared. We got one out to him a few weeks later. Message from Brother Delos Santos:

The towel came in this afternoon. I know one Elder who is happy to have a “real” towel. This is my kind of towel! BTW, Elder Lowry is somewhere behind the towel.

I can tell you Elder Mangum is doing very well. As I listen to him plan in the evenings and share his personal studies with his companion in the mornings, I can confirm his testimony of the Gospel and his willingness to serve the Lord. He’s psyched and so ready to reach out to anyone willing to listen to him. His “dad”, Elder Lowry, a Zone Leader, District Leader, and Senior companion really helps him solidify his responsibilities as a full time missionary. I remember his first exchange (with me), he was nervous. Now, he leads and I follow.

Be assured of his care and love during my watch. I am grateful we can be his “first family” in his first area during his mission.

Thanks for supporting him.

Aloha Nui Loa,

Delos Santos ‘Ohana

July 12th 2010

Hey ya'll!

I got myself a voice recorder so i can send you things like that. Yeah it's cool. I got it for $60 (yes I know that's a little much) but it's a good one and it will be worth it. I'm sending you a file that has a recording on it. It's me saying hi and other stuff. I'm doing good and the work is going well. I talked about a lot of stuff on the recording but not all of it.

We have an investigator who is going to be a fellowshipper for all of downtown Suffolk (she is going to share the gospel with everyone). She's got a personality that is just crazy. She knows this gospel is true and she knows what she wants to do and that is share it with EVERYONE, literally, EVERYONE. She moved from South Carolina (have I told you this already? I think I have but...) and she lived right next to the missionaries down there. She had studies with them but they never actually taught her the lessons. She told us that the missionaries down there didn't teach her like we are teaching her. Elder Lowry and I were stunned. We couldn't believe it. Bro. Delos Santos tells us there must be something else that was causing them to not teach her, but I don't know. Anyway, she's gonna be baptized the 24th of this month. A few days ago we taught her the word of wisdom (which the elders down in S.C. didn't teach her the tons of times they met with her) and she commited right then and there to live it. She threw away all her alcohol bottles and cigarettes right then. We had to help her because there were a lot. We just picked them up and put them in the trash. We were so excited.

Yesterday we found a family of 8 that are willing to listen to us. We're going back today to teach them a lesson about families and how the gospel blesses the family. Yeah it was pretty cool how we found them. We said a prayer for Heavenly Father to guide us to those who need the gospel and then the first house we knocked at, there they were. He was busy putting his kids to sleep so we set up a return appointment.

This past 3 weeks we have received 5 referrals from the Referral Center or Headquarters. It's been really exciting. We've had so much work to do and so much stuff left to do. I'm learning so much that I can't believe I've learned some of the things I have. In the recording I talk more about it. The thing is, when I'm teaching, the Spirit teaches through me so I learn new things as I'm teaching. An example is, when I was in the MTC we were teaching an "investigator" and we were talking about why God let's bad things happen to good people. I had a thought come to my mind about this and I told the "investigator" this, I said "God let's bad things happen to good people because He knows they can handle it. He knows that they will ask for His help and He will give it to them".

All-in-all, the work is going well.

Random note, did you know that the Virginia Richmond mission is one of the very few missions over here on the east coast that is actually growing in missionaries? The missions all around us are only getting enough missionaries to fill the spots for the ones going home. We are getting more than are going home. Yep, this mission is an amazing mission.

I love you all and hope you all write to me.

Love ya'll and I want you to look something up for me. It's in (Buck you'll know this one) 1 Thessolonians 5:16 (and read 14-28 also).

Elder Ricky-dude

July 7, 2010

New Mission President

Hey everyone!

I'm doing good. Everything is going well and I've actually lost about 4 inches off my waist. My jeans are now loose on me and I'm on the second smallest hole in my belt. I'm going to have to make new holes soon. I'm up to 600 crunches and about 7 reps on the wheel. Yeah it's awesome!

It's hot and humid as ever. It actually wasn't that bad for the few days before today but today it's crazy. I'm sweating up a storm which is probably why I'm losing inches. Not weight for some reason because every few days I check myself on the scale again and It doesn't change. I'm still at 290 but I'm turning the fat to muscle. (WOOT!)

We met President Perry on Saturday. He's an awesome guy. He teaches doctrine and he says he digresses on what he said and then digresses on that. He's a really loving, funny guy but I see that he's going to be the type of president who will be amazing to work with. He introduced himself and told us he is a convert to the church who knew everything is true but had a hard time converting because his father, on his death bed, said he wanted his kids to remain faithful to the Catholic church. Sister Perry is so loving and is so excited to be here. They have three kids with them: Joshua, who is 18 and getting ready to put in his papers; Alise (I think, I'm not exactly sure I'll let you know next time), who is 14; and Emma who is 11. Oh yeah, President Perry is going to come by our apartment to interview us next week to get to know us. Yeah it's gonna be cool.

He told us that somethings are changing such as: P-day will now be Monday, president interviews will be quarterly (which gives him 60 extra hours to go proselyting with missionaries and working with them), they are going to be giving leadership training meetings, for three days, with the zone leaders where they are going to learn the things I did in the pilot program in the MTC, the weekly planning sessions will be on Friday instead of Thursday, and that's all I can remember. All these things are what the Lord told the Brethren to tell the mission presidents.

So I'm teaching a lot of less-active people and it's tough because sometimes they are going to a different church even though they are members of the true church. I don't understand that and sometimes I just want to say "What do you not get?" because they are so...... ugh, I don't know. I guess they either don't believe this is the true church, or they don't want to.

I got my bike put together. It's pretty spiffy looking. It came with a U-lock, water bottle, light, fenders, and a helmet (which may not fit I don't know yet). I'm excited to try it out. I have a feeling though that I may stay in Bennett's Creek for a while. Probably until Elder Lowry goes home and I'll have to take over the area.

I love you all and hope you're doing well. Remember, it's not that hard to write a letter with pen and paper. If you think you're hand writing is bad (DAD) think again. Mine is horrible and I have to work on it. I'm getting better though. OR.... you can email me.

Love you all and please keep praying for me to be able to find those people who need me.

Elder Ricky-dude
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The picture of Rick sleeping was sent by Brother Delos Santos in their ward. :) Rick in his natural habitat! LOL He's always had knack of being able to fall asleep wherever he is and it's serving him well.

This second picture is, I think, Elder Lowry, Brother Delos Santos, ?? and Rick. Love those USAF shirts! whoo hoo hoo!