December 26, 2011

Hello!!! How's everyone doing?

I'm doing great. I'm so tired but it's a good tired. It's the kind of tired you get when you have just finished a huge school project and you got a awesome grade on it. But it's a constant. Everyday I get out of bed and try to get going (I'll be honest, I do struggle exercising but I do get up on time, that I do). And all the while Satan is trying to pull me down by drying to discourage me by putting thoughts into my head that I don't want to do something, or I'm too tired. But I've become better at pushing those thoughts down and away and move past them. It's such a life changing experience being out here.

Looking at where I am now, spiritually, compared to where I was before my mission, it's like night and day. Before my mission I knew what the Gospel was, I didn't understand why we had it or really how it fits all together. Now, I know why we need to have the Gospel and it's not just "a nice thing to have". I understand more clearly, what the Gospel is, and I understand how to apply it in my life and how it all works together. It's the most amazing thing in the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ makes bad men good, good men better, and brings more joy to your life than any, literally, ANY other thing.

This past little while I've come to see everything in a different light. I'm beginning to look at the little things and seeing how amazing they really are. For instance, take.............. a nut. Inside that tiny little thing, whatever kind it may be, is the ability to become a mighty tree. Just take a nut and stare at it at think about what it holds and how many life lessons we can learn from it. This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ helps you understand. It helps you understand EVERYTHING (or almost everything 'cause we're never gonna fully understand how everything works but we can understand the basics).

This gospel is the only way to have true happiness. I know you hear people say it again and again, but you know what, it's said over and over again by the Leaders of the Church because it is from the Lord.

I know that to be true with every particle inside of me. This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love Elder Ricky-Dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

December 19, 2011

So this past week was interesting and fun

I have to be honest, I don't remember much of this past week. Everything is going by so fast that it's all running together. It's really starting to worry me because it just shows how long I've been out. It's so much fun though. Especially when you get to see someone who just came out on his mission that you used to go to school with. (Yes, I did see someone that I used to go to ALA with). He just got out here last Wednesday and I saw him at the missionary choir practice we had. We have a missionary choir singing in the Miracle of Christmas at the Richmond Metro Zoo and he is in it also. We're gonna have about 30 - 50 missionaries singing in the choir and it's gonna be great. Sister Perry is conducting us which is really exciting.

Oh oh oh oh oh!!! I have to tell you this awesome experience I had yesterday!

Okay, so we were having choir practice and it was Sister Perry's birthday yesterday. So, Elder Monibidor, the Bon Air sisters, and I came up with the idea to have everyone start singing Happy Birthday when Sister Perry starts conducting. So, in the choir practice when we were about to start singing Joy To The World and Sister Perry hit the first beat conducting, we all started singing Happy Birthday. It completely threw her off and for the first few seconds she was like "what page are they on?" Then she started laughing and she laughed so hard that she started crying. It was AWESOME!!!! The elder who was playing the piano was in on it too and he just stopped playing after he played the first chord. It was a memorable experience.

I love music. It has such an awesome effect on people. It softens hearts, builds testimonies, and brings the Spirit better than almost anything else. This is the time of year when the Spirit of God can rage like an inferno through peoples hearts and souls because of what we're celebrating. This is a time when hymns of praise are heard everyday by everyone. Take advantage of that and sing your testimony to everyone you can. That's what I'm going to do.

I promise that hearts will be touched and lives will be changed when you do that. I know that that is what happens when we bear our testimonies through song and giving. That's my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love ya,

Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

December 12, 2011

I get to stay in the Midlothian Ward through Christmas and New Years!!!!!

It's gonna be fun! I'm so excited to be here for another six weeks. We've been having a lot of fun here in the Midlothian area. Last Saturday we had our ward Christmas party and it was AWESOME!! We had a talent show and the elders quorum president got up and sang a song about a missionary and his girlfriend (sung to the tune of "Hey there, Delilah"). I was laughing so hard I was crying! It was so funny because I've had companions who have talked about their girlfriends everyday (and I was with them for three months). It was awesome. There were some other performers too and it was so cool. I was bummed though because I didn't know how to sign up for it before that night. But the sister in the ward who was in charge of it asked me if I wanted to still do something when I told her about my predicament. So I got to sing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." I was pretty scared but the ward enjoyed it, so it must not have been that bad.

Other than that, we've been doing missionary work and having fun times, like my companion getting a flat tire on his bike when we're like a mile from our car. But we were able to find this pretty neat potential investigator before that happened.

We were biking and knocking on doors but we weren't having any success. My companion asked me "is this the most productive thing we could be doing?" Then we both thought about it. As we were thinking about it, we were wanderingly riding our bikes and we ended up in a driveway. We went and were about to knock when the door opened. We talked to this guy and told him we wanted to share a message with him. He asked how long it was and my companion said 45 minutes instead of a few mintues (because you can share the message of the Restoration in about 5 mintues or less). The man said he didn't have that much time but we could talk to him as he walked to his mail box. So we talked about what we share and when we got back to his house, he said "come on in and keep talking". We ended up talking for about 45 minutes about the Book of Mormon. He showed some interest and said to call him next month because he's busy with the holidays. But we got his phone number and address and gave him a Book of Mormon.

I love this work!!!!!! You have no idea how much fun it is to share the gospel with people and to see how it affects everyone differently. We had an awesome lesson yesterday with one of our investigators who is really close to being baptized. We had the lesson in the church right near the baptismal font. We found out that she'll get baptized once she understands how everything fits together (like the Book of Mormon, the Priesthood, the Prophet, etc.) Once she understands that she said she'll be baptized. You have no idea what joy that brings to a missionaries ears when people say they'll be baptized. IT'S SO AMAZING!!!

I love you all and hope and pray y'all are doing well.

love,

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

Pictures
They're both a picture of a squirrell sitting on top of a mailbox. I just thought that was funny and wanted to share my insanity with y'all.

December 5, 2011

So this past week was interesting....

This past week was Leadership Training so we had four other missionaries stay at our apartment with us. It was pretty fun....... and crazy. Because my companion and those four missionaries were going to the Leadership Training, I went with the Manchester elders for the day until the training was over. After the training I would go and get back with my companion. It was fun. We did a lot of service during that time.

The most interesting part of the week was yesterday morning. We went to see this one investigator who is a practicing Catholic. He's really smart and knows his bible very well. It was an interesting conversation we had with him. We started talking about the Book of Mormon......... and I don't remember where we ended at because we talked about so many different things. I was just sitting there listening to what the guy was talking about and what my companion was saying. I didn't say anything because I didn't feel the need to. I would think about what I could say and the Spirit just told me to let it go. So I did. But this guy is a really nice guy and he's a computer programmer and he's already told me about a lot of different things I need to look into when I get off my mission. He's even gonna keep in contact with me when I'm home so that he can help me. He's pretty good at what he does so I'm excited.

We also have an investigator who committed to be baptized!!!! Woohoohoo!!! (As Brigham would say) The only thing is she's really busy this next little while and she's going to be out of town until January. So we're gonna set a baptismal date for sometime in January. But she is so prepared. She's only read the introduction and the testimonies of the Three and Eight Witnesses, and the Testimony of Joseph Smith and she already believes it's true!

Man, I love this work!!!!!! There is no where else I would rather be that right here, in Virginia, serving the Lord my God. This work is so COOL!!!

I love you all and hope and pray y'all are doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude
Pictures

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

1 - This is a street in the Manchester Area. I got a picture of it when I was with the missionaries down there.

2 - This is an electric plug coming out of a Holly tree that I saw in the Manchester area (lots of weird stuff down there)

3 - This is me learning how to flip steaks that are cooked over a wood grill and the member who's teaching me

4 - This is me eating the steak, baked potato, and jumbo shrimp. It was good!!!

November 28, 2011

So, thanksgiving, eh?

Yeah, so on Thanksgiving, we had a Turkey Bowl with missionaries from three different zones(stakes). Don't worry, it was flag football. We're not allowed to do tackle because, well, y'all know I always hurt myself when I play tackle. Just imagine about 40 missionaries playing tackle! That'd be bad.

Anyway, we played for three hours on Thanksgiving, playing three different games. The first two games were fun because both teams were playing to have fun. The last game........... almost ruined the whole thing. The people on the other team were taking it way too seriously and it wasn't fun anymore. Elder Monibidor twisted his ankle, another missionary had serious cramps going on in his calves, and lots of just too-seriousness. It was lame. Anyway, I just tried not to remember that game, even though I did get a pretty good kickoff return of about thirty yards. So it was all good. But man was I sore for the next few days!! Elder Monibidor and I looked miserable and pitiful. We both were walking really slow and we both had to grab our legs and pick them up to get them in the car.

Then we ate dinner with some members and that was fun. Then we ate more Friday than we did on Thanksgiving. We were invited by an investigator over to their sons house for a fish fry. It was oh, so good. Lots of food and lots of fried fish. I loved it!

So this past week was good. This upcoming week is going to be good to. It's Leadership Training. I'm not going, but I am going to a different area for four days. It's gonna be fun.

Spiritual thought of the week: Don't underestimate the influence of God in everything around you and everything you do. We can possibly understand how much God really influences our lives. I'm beginning to understand a little bit. I've learned that even though someone slams the door in my face, there are going to be missionaries coming back again and again until they actually listen. We never force them, we only keep offering the Gospel to them until they finally hear it all. Once they hear it and understand it, it's up to them to make the choice. But one way or another they are going to hear it and have the chance to accept it or not. It's inevitable.

I love y'all and hope y'all are doing good. And always remember, just open the door the first time the guys in white suits and ties with nametags come around. It will save you lots of time if you just listen and then decide what to do. Also, read the Book of Mormon. it's good for you! And you're eternal salvation!! :D

Love ya,

-Elder Ricky-dude

Check out this really cool website and profile:
http://mormon.org/me/3SFV/Rick/

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

November 21, 2011

So Howdy!!!

This past week was... gone so fast I don't remember most of it. Literally. Time is going way to fast for me.

The biggest thing I remember from this past week was that we taught this atheist guy. He's not contentious at all, he just is having a hard time understanding the spiritual side of things. He's a great guy, very nice, very intelligent, almost too intelligent for his own good. He's a history guy and loves that kind of stuff. The last appointment we had with him was pretty interesting. We started talking about the Book of Mormon and how his reading was going. He didn't start from the beginning, he only flipped to random parts and read from there. We ended up talking about physics, Einstein, the big bang theory, and that kind of stuff. It was weird. I came away from that lesson with a greater appreciation for having the Gospel in my life.

The next day, Elder Monibidor and I were talking about it and found so many places in the Book of Mormon and the Bible where having a knowledge of God increases your knowledge of everything else. For instance, when Alma is talking to Korihor about how everything testifies there is a God and that the planets in their motion testify of him. I don't think Alma had a telescope back then. He must have learned it from God. Then, in Helaman 12:15, Nephi (or Mormon, whoever's talking) teaches us that the earth goes around the sun. So many people in the Dark Ages that the sun went around the earth. In 7 BC, a prophet of God know that the Earth went around the Sun. Why? Because he did what Christ has told us to do in 3 Nephi 13:33 - Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

I finally figured it out:
- You want help in school? Study your scriptures, pray, keep the commandments.
- You need help with finances? Study your scriptures, pray, keep the commandments.
- You need help knowing what career to choose? Study your scriptures, pray, keep the commandments.

When you put God first, everything else comes after it.

I know that to be true because I've been trying to put God first for the past year and a half (I'm not perfect, that's why I put "trying") and I've been better able to understand everything else I'm doing and that I need to know. When you have God first, you have you're life in order, because He steps in a straightens the rest of your life. Of that I bear testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love y'all and hope and pray you're doing well.

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

November 14, 2011

So this past week was pretty cool!!!

It was a lot of fun this past week. We talked to a lot of people and lots of people got mad at us. One guy, a chubby guy with long hair in a pink bath robe, threatened to (get this) spray us with a hose if we came back to his house. Ahh the life of a missionary!! Yep, I wouldn't trade this for anything!

So I want to share the biggest and coolest experience of this past week. I figured out why I was put here in Midlothian. The reason I was put here is because we're taken care of so well that we don't have to worry about a lot of stuff. I can focus more on building my skills as a missionary and bringing people to Christ. That was the coolest realization I had so far. Because I have six months left, I guess the Lord really wants me to be down in the nitty-gritty of missionary work. I'm cool with that. I like talking to people, doing service, and teaching doctrine in a fun (sometimes crazy) sort of way.

(Random note: yesterday in church a sister who gave a talk mentioned how people used the word "crazy" to describe what she does. She redefined it as "a high-functioning insanity". I just thought that was funny)

I am having so much fun out here. I have never been more excited about missionary work in my life than I am now. The biggest reason why, that I can see, is that I don't want to come home a feeling like I could have done better. I already know I could have done better in so many different things already, but I'm going to put those behind me for now and move on and become better. I'm gonna make the last six months of my mission the best six months of my life so far. I'm gonna run myself ragged. It's gonna be so cool!!!!

I love y'all and hope y'all are doing well.

-Elder Ricky-dude

Pictures
1. This mat was at a door we were knocking at. We were standing there for a sec and then we looked down, laughed, knocked again, and when no one answered the door, we took a picture of the mat.
2. I got a picture of the clock saying 11:11 on 11/11/11. Once in a lifetime experience!!!
3. Proof that I do comb my hair (some of the time.... mostly just for zone meetings and stuff like that)
4. Me holding a young corn snake at a members house. That thing was COOL!!
5. Me and my Nigerian companion, Elder Monibidor, rollin' with the shades.

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

This mat was at a door we were knocking at. We were standing there for a sec and then we looked down, laughed, knocked again, and when no one answered the door, we took a picture of the mat.

I got a picture of the clock saying 11:11 on 11/11/11. Once in a lifetime experience!!!

Proof that I do comb my hair (some of the time.... mostly just for zone meetings and stuff like that)

Me holding a young corn snake at a members house. That thing was COOL!!

Me and my Nigerian companion, Elder Monibidor, rollin' with the shades.

November 7, 2011

Hello!!!

So, I'm in the Midlothian ward now and I have to say it's a really big change for me. The biggest changes are: 1) I don't actually live IN my area; 2) My area now is tiny compare to my last area. For instance, take a dinner plate, put it on your kitchen table, and you'll see how big my area now compares to my last area, (the plate is my area now, just FYI). Another big change is, the Midlothian area is a more wealthy area than ANY of my other areas. Yeah, it's pretty...... different.

It's a good different though. For instance, we have quite a few we are working with right now. One investigator came to church all by herself. We didn't even know she was coming because she was busy with family things and the missionaries here haven't been able to see her for a bit. That was pretty neat. Another big thing is my companion is from Nigeria. Elder Monibidor (whose picture I'm including) is hilarious and so much fun to be with. He's been out about 6 months and has been in the Midlothian ward for about three months now. He's a great missionary and he's really funny too.

Here are some things I really love about the area:

1 - The member support here is amazing. Not only do we get fed every night, and no I'm not joking (there goes my plan for losing weight) but the members are always asking if there's anything they can do for us. The ward really loves us.
2 - There's a whole lot of potential here in this area and it's just ready to pick up and go.
3 - We live in a house, not an apartment (like literally a house); the address of which is:

11506 Clintwood Terrace
Midlothian VA 23112

4 - There's an Outback Steakhouse and a Buffalo Wild Wings within about 3-4 miles of our house, and there are two places we eat free at once a week!!!!

We are so spoiled in this area its crazy!! I love it!

Anyway, I hope and pray y'all are doing well. Take care and be safe!

-Elder Ricky-dude

Pictures:

1 - Elder Monibidor, the crazy Nigerian
2 & 3 - A street in Charlottesville that I got a picture of before I left. They named it after me.

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

Elder Monibidor, the crazy Nigerian

A street in Charlottesville that I got a picture of before I left. They named it after me.

Ricky Road

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October 31, 2011

Hold off on all letters and packages!!! I'm being transferred!

I'm going to the Midlothian area in the Midlothian zone. It's actually pretty close to Burkeville so I'm excited about that. I'm going to be with Elder Manibidor (mon-IH-bih-door). He's from Africa. So this is gonna be cool! Midlothian is a city/suburb area, which is gonna be a bit different for me since I've been in country areas for an entire year of my mission. But it's exciting. I'm not going to be a district leader but my new companion is. Elder Harrison is staying here and the elder who's in Midlothian now is switching me spots. It's pretty neat.

I don't know what my new address is but I will let you know when I get it. So hold off on all packages and letters until then.

You know, you realize you've been out on a mission for a long time when you look at all your stuff and think to yourself, "how in the world am I gonna be able to pack all this stuff?" That's what I said to myself when I was told I was being transferred. I've collected a lot of stuff over the year and a half I've been out. It's nuts!!! But, with faith I can do it.

Other than that, I'm doing great! I'm excited to be going to a new area. I have a feeling that I have maybe one more area I'll be in before I go home, after this one.

I had a neat experience this morning. When I was saying my prayer before I started to study, I had the very strong urge to read Kings in the Bible. I had no idea why but I did. I read the part where Solomon asked the Lord for understanding and a wise heart and then the Lord blessed him with that and more because Solomon was humble. I felt I needed to ask the Lord to help me out too. As many of you know I don't do that well with large groups of people in a crowded place. I've become used to the country out here and whenever I do have to go into a city area I feel boxed in. So I prayed that the Lord will help me because He knows I have a hard time with those kinds of places. After I finished praying I had this peace and excitement about me. I knew me going to this new area is for the best. Everything is going to work out.

I love y'all and hope and pray you're doing well.

-Elder Ricky-dude

P.P.S. (prior to post script) Don’t forget to Look up

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God


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October 24, 2011

So.... here's the update...

So, just yesterday, the people we had set for baptism dropped us and decided to go back to their old church. So, that was a bummer.

But you know what, I've been working harder for the past little bit than I have in a while. So there's that looking up for me. But really this past week has been a test of how well I handle certain situations, such as investigators dropping us when they were doing so well.

We did find a new investigator. When we knocked on her door, she looked at my name tag and the first thing she said was "The Churhc of Jesus Christ? Well, that says it. I need to get back into church." That surprised the crud out of us because we instantly had an in with talking to her. We eventually gave her a large print copy of the Book of Mormon, which we just happened to have. We set up a return appointment and when we went back to see her she had read the chapter that we had left for her to read. We had a pretty scattered lesson but we committed her to read and pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. So there is a miracle for us.

This past week my scripture study has been even more fruitful than ever before. I guess the biggest thing that is helping me is that I'm really focusing on what I need to know to be a better missionary. For instance, the past little while I was studying Chapter 8 in Preach My Gospel. I had never studied it before, but now that I have I've realized that there are some things I need to be doing that I haven't been. It's really helping me. Today I read from Jarom in the Book of Mormon. In there it talks about how the people were blessed because they kept the law of Moses AND KEPT THE SABBATH DAY HOLY. That was what stuck out to me because I know that Jarom knew that people wouldn't be keeping the Sabbath day holy when they received his record. There are so many things in the scriptures that help us even today and in every situation we may be in. So read them. That's a commandment from God that we need to read them.

I love you all and I hope and pray y'all are doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

October 17, 2011

Halo!

So this past week was pretty...... I don't know. It went by so fast I really don't remember it. What's really crazy is that on the 21st of this month I will have been in country areas for an entire year of my mission. Yeah, and then on the 26th of this month I'll have been out 17 months! Yeah............ It's going way too fast. It's really not fun.

It's really nuts to see how fast time is going and how things are starting to get really crazy in the world. Being a missionary right now is the greatest thing I could be doing right now. Even though there have been days where I've wanted to start bawling and felt like everything I've work so hard at is collapsing, where people we're teaching want to "take a break" from learning, or something like that, I keep going. Why? That's a good question.

Here's the answer: when everything seems to be slipping away from me, where the people I've been teaching want to take a break, when I feel like everything in the world is against me, I remember that I CAN'T do everything on my own. I have absolutely no idea what to do in those tough times and I know that I can't get through them on my own. When I get to that point I just pray and say, "I'm at my limit, I can't do any more by myself. I need help". I turn it over to God because I know I can't make people listen to me or fix every problem I'm having.

When you've hit a dead end in almost every direction, look up. That's where you'll get the most help. I know that to be true and I know that God will help. You just have to look up.

I love y'all and hope and pray y'all are doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

October 11, 2011

So this past week was fun. We found new investigators and set two people for baptism. All-in-all, it was a good week. The people we set for baptism were people we found on accident really. (I know that there are no such things as accidents. I just using that example as what I would look like to someone on the outside looking in). We were going to find this former investigator and we went down this really long and rough driveway and there was a house way back there. So we talked to the guy there and found out that that wasn't the house we were looking for, but we shared the Gospel with him. He said we could come back. A week or two later, Elder Harrison went back when I was at leadership training and talked with the guys fiance. She said we could come back. So when I came back from leadership training, we went back. We set up an appointment and then at that appointment we set them for baptism. It was really awesome because the lady immediately said "Yes" to the baptism invitation. That was AWESOME!!!!!

We had president interviews again this past Tuesday. I really can't believe it's already been three months since my last interview with him. Elder Harrison pointed out that I have two more interviews with President Perry before my departing interview. :S I can't believe it's October really. I remember that when I hit my year mark I knew it was going to go faster, but I swear someone hit fast-forward a few too many times! It's already been five months since then!!! Where is time going!! What's even crazier is that now I'm 21, I know it's not too long and I'll be home. Crazy!!!

Anyway, I'm going to focus on my mission until the day I go home.

So Elder Harrison pointed something out to me today. For the past little while, a good portion of the people we talk to have been agnostic (basically believing in a higher power but that's about it, if I understand it correctly. If I'm wrong please let me know). And what's really crazy, is I've learned about as much about life, and teaching people, and stuff like that, from them as I have from members out here. That's pretty cool, to be honest. It just re-enforces the fact that people have pieces of the truth. They may not have all of it, true, but they do have some parts of it. Then you get some really crazy people who talk about how God uses light technology to travel through time and that we have that technology now (yes, someone has actually talked to us about that....)

Anyway, this mission is the greatest experience I've had so far. Not only do I get to meet lots of new and... a lot of the times, unusual... people. Then there are those experiences where you find that one person who needs the Gospel, and you're the person God wants to give it through. I wouldn't trade any amount of prestige, wealth, or recognition for those experiences that I've had and that I'm going to have. I always remember how the Lord said to people who bring one soul unto Christ: "how great shall be their joy in the Kingdom of my Father" (I don't know if that's exactly what it says, but that's the jist of it).

For those wondering about if they should share the Gospel with a certain person or just people in general, remember what the Lord taught Ezra in the Old Testament:

Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and DO IT. (Ezra 10:4, emphasis added)

Right there we have the promise that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost will be with us. We just have to go out and DO IT.

I know that God will bless us as we share the Gospel. We not only help others come unto Christ when we do that, but we help ourselves come closer to Him also. I know that to be true. That's my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love ya,

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

October 3, 2011

So this past week was awesome!!!

This last week was leadership training!

It's where President Perry invites about 65 missionaries to come and learn how to be better missionaries. It's awesome! We go over the eight fundamentals of Preach My Gospel, which are:

1 - The Doctrine of Christ - The missionary purpose
2 - The role of the Holy Ghost in conversion
3 - Revelation through prayer
4 - Revelation through the Book of Mormon
5 - Revelation through church attendance
6 - Teach people, not lessons
7 - We invite, they commit, we follow up
8 - How to begin teaching

Basically we spend about two and a half hours discussing each one of these and then role playing them. It's really a spiritual boost. Then add conference into the mix and it's freaking amazing!!!

The missionaries I stayed with during this were really fun. One of them looked like Sheriff Woody from Toy Story. It was really fun. We had a lot of miracles those four days.

Here's a really cool one.

Tuesday night, the elders whose area we were in dropped us off at this apartment complex to contact some former investigators. So we were talking to people and going around and it started raining. There were three of us walking around and we were with the sheriff Woody elder, Elder Giesick. Elder Trotter (the other missionary) and I were kind of worrying about the rain when Elder Giesick said that he was found by missionaries during a thunderstorm. So we said a prayer, in the rain, and went searching. We were going back to try and contact a former investigator again for the second time that night because that's what we felt we needed to do. Well, it started raining harder so I knew we were on the right path because everything gets harder right before the miracle. The former investigator we tried to contact wasn't home. So we decided to go contact another person. As we were walking across a street I felt we should go down that street. It was raining even harder now. So we got under this awning in front of this door to a section of the apartment complex. I felt we should knock on those doors. When we got inside I felt really strongly that we should go to one of the apartments on the second floor. So we did. All three of us were soaking wet. There are puddles of water collecting around us because of how wet we are and all three of us have the biggest smiles on our faces. When we knock on the door a girl about our age who was putting extensions in her hair opened the door and saw three soaking wet missionaries with the biggest smiles on their faces. So we just started talking to her about..... I don't remember what we talked about. I do know that we gave her a Book of Mormon and got her contact information. She made the comment that that was the only day she was home that early because she plays volleyball and doesn't get home until about 9:30 or 10pm.

When we got out side under the awning again, we stopped and gave a prayer of thanks and then ran across the parking lot to another section of the complex. Running through the parking lot and hurdling over small rivers of water (well, my companions hurdled the whole distance. I somehow managed to step in almost every single puddle in between where we were and where we were going) we got to the apartment complex to find..... no one home. Then we decided to run to another street. So I led the way and with every step I was "parting the Red Sea" as Elder Trotter said because every step I took made a little area of dry ground that he could step in. So his shoes didn't get that soaked. Elder Giesick was running and almost took a tumble. Elder Trotter said that Elder Giesick was literally sideways about to fall over, but was back upright like nothing happened. I believe angels were helping him because of our diligence. Anyway, as we were running, the other elders who had the car pulled up and got us. They told us that right before they saw us they were like "great how are we going to find them in this weather?" And then all of the sudden they see me just booking in around the corner. They were like "Oh, found 'em".

That was just one of the many miracles that happened last week.

I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!! No one else would have had that much fun running around in the rain unless what they were sharing was the truth. I testify that this is the truth and that no other church or organization has the fullness of the gospel, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Loves

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

---

The first picture is of the elders I was with.
Left to right: Elder Beardall, Elder Trotter, me, Elder Nielson, and Elder Giesick

and Jake, I thought you'd get a kick out of the next picture. (just remember it's a song by Weezer)

September 26, 2011

Howdy howdy!!

So, this past week was strange. I say it's strange because I was sick and asleep for most of the week. For instance, I didn't have a Tuesday because I was asleep all day. It was tough. I was dizzy, lightheaded, weak, tired, had headaches, and my kidney's hurt. So friday I went to the doctor and they did tests and drew blood. :( They said I had viral symptoms and that I needed rest and lots of fluid. Then Saturday, after they finished the rest of the tests, they called and told me that my liver functions were a little high and that I needed to not take any Tylenol or drink any alcohol. I said I can do that. And they told me I need to go in at the end of this week to see if my liver is doing okay.

Anyway, that was pretty much the week. I didn't do much of anything else.

I did go to Monticello again last Monday with Elder Harrison and Elder Clark. That was fun to go through that again. It's really neat and y'all should check it out sometime. Just wait til I'm not in the area so we don't run into each other and break Church policy. That wouldn't be good.

Anyway, I get to go to the Leadership Conference we have every two months in the mission. You only go if you're invited by the mission president. It used to be that only district and zone leaders, and trainers went to it. Now they want everyone to come to it. So it's really fun.

So, that was this past week and I am so excited for General Conference this weekend!! It is going to be so amazing I just know it! Remember, if there is anything that you have going on in your life that you need help with, or any question that you need answered, pray about it, write down your questions then watch ALL of General Conference.

I love y'all so much and pray you're doing well.

Love,

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

September 24, 2010 - October 5th is Elder Mangum's Birthday!

Elder Mangum's birthday is October 5th. Send him a birthday card, note, letter, whatever, to:

Elder James R. Mangum
495 Deepwood Farm Drive
Scottsville, VA 24590-4459

September 19, 2011

Hello everyone and guess what?.....

So, I'm not getting transferred. We had transfer calls last night and Elder Harrison and I are staying here. Most of my district is staying the same... except they are shotgunning the zone leaders and their companions (meaning they're all leaving and three new guys are coming in). And in our zone we are also getting two more sets of sister missionaries. So we'll have a total of 10 sister missionaries in our zone. Yeah, so there are three areas in our zone being shotgunned out. It's crazy!!

Anyway, I've been doing good this past week. I've actually been exercising in the morning. Elder Harrison and I jog to the end of our drive way and back. I know what you're thinking, "that's not very far". Well, actually it is. The end of our driveway is a half-mile away. So basically, we've been jogging a mile every morning. So that's a good thing.

We've been teaching people and many of them are coming really close to being set with a baptism date. It's exciting!! I'm so excited for them. The blessings they are going to have in their lives through this gospel are beyond imagination. And then to be sealed for time and eternity as an eternal family is a blessing many people have no idea about. I feel so blessed to know this and to be part of this gospel. This gospel is the only way to have our families together forever. I know that without a doubt now.

I love y'all and hope and pray y'all are doing good

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

September 13, 2011

So this past week was... Pretty darn fun and stressful all at the same time.

The stressful part was Tuesday. I had a big ol' bout of homesickness to where I actually felt sick. It normally hits missionaries at about a year out but I guess I was doing something to make it not hit til later. Anyway, that's done and over with and I'm doing a lot better now.

Then Thursday we set up a table at UVA campus and handed out copies of the Book of Mormon. It was scary but fun. I really thought Elder Harrison was going to have a panic attack or something cause he did not want to be there but he endured. The Lord blessed him because about five minutes after we got there someone came up to him and was actually really interested in learning more. It helped him a lot. We were there for two hours and we handed out about fifteen copies of the Book of Mormon. It was fun. There were two things that I really remember about it. The first was this one guy who asked "Are you Mormons?" I told him yes. He said he had a question about our theology. He asked (and no, I'm not joking) "How do magnets work?" My first thought was "magnets and theology? Seriously?" I just told him "I have no idea" and he said "you don't know... hmm... okay" and walked away. So that was the strangest theological question I've ever had asked to me. The second thing was this really nerdy looking kid walking by. I asked him how he was doing and he said "I'm doing well" in a very monotone voice. I then asked him how his day was going and he replied "adequate"................. I've never had an adequate day in my life I don't think. Either it was good or bad. Then I got thinking about what would be in an adequate day and I came up with......... I have no idea.

Then, this Saturday, we taught one of the families we're working with. They are doing good. It was such a spiritual lesson and so much happened that it's hard to write it all. I know y'all want to hear about everything but my fingers aren't fast enough to type everything in the hour that I have to email. I'll give you the jist of the lesson though.

We were able to find out why the dad didn't want to pray with us. He didn't feel like he was worthy to ask for anything. The mom, who wasn't raised with a Christian belief, wants to believe in Christ. They are coming closer and closer to being baptized. What I learned at mission conference will truly help us with them.

At mission conference, Elder David Evans of the Seventy, who is now the Executive Director over the Missionary Department, came and trained us for six hours yesterday. He talked about how sometimes we forget to emphasize Heavenly Father's role in everything when we're teaching people. He shared 3 Nephi 11: 32-36. In that section, the name Father is mentioned whenever Christ talks about what he did here on the earth and it's mentioned 11 times. When God repeats something that many times, it's important and we better listen. Everything Christ did was something His Father commanded Him.

He then talked about how people who have a connection with the church, either to an active member or less-active member, and get baptized, are 20 times more likely to get to the temple than people missionaries find on their own. He asked us about that (How likely are people who get baptized who had a previous connection with the church to get to the temple than ones you [the missionaries] find), the person Elder Evans called on said like 4. I was thinking 10. When he said 20, I thought, "well, I was way off."

He also talked about how we can better get referrals from people without making it awkward or ineffective. It was an awesome mission conference.

I'm running out of time but I love y'all and hope you're doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

September 6, 2011

Well hello there!!! So this past week was fun.

The highlight of it was us teaching this one family. We were teaching the parents then the 10 and 7 year olds had some questions about the church. The 7 year old asked "How did church get started?” So we taught them the restoration using the Gospel Art Book. At the end of the lesson, we taught the kids how to pray. The 10 year old said the prayer for us and then they had to go to bed cause it was like 8:50 pm. While we were talking to the parents, Elder Harrison heard the 10 and 7 year old kids upstairs taking turns practicing how to pray. It was probably one of the most amazing things I've had happen on my mission. So that was a highlight of the week.

The other was I had to have a tooth pulled.... yeah.... Remember how I bashed my tooth out of place back in December? Yeah, it got infected again so. What had happened the first time it got infected, the dentist tried to do a root canal on it. One of the roots, however, was in the shape of an S so his tools couldn't get around the curves and a file was broken and left in my tooth. So, I had to go see an Endodontist and he told me that he could try and get around it with his tools, but in the end it most likely wouldn't work. So he suggested I get it pulled. I figured if he couldn't fix it then it probably couldn't be fixed. So they got me in to see an oral surgeon right away. I got in, filled out the paperwork, and waited until they came and got me. Then they numbed me up and waited for about fifteen minutes until the numbing stuff was working and the oral surgeon came in and said "let's do this". Less than a minute later my tooth was out. He had to work on it to get it out because of that curved root but it came out. So then I went to have table time with the sisters in my district (where I sit down and talk with them about how they're doing because I can't go on exchanges with them) and the Charlottesville 1st sisters actually went and made lunch for us and brought it to us. I have a really awesome district.

Later that night, we were invited to come to our wards Mutual activity. They were having an MTC thing and Elder Harrison and I were in charge of teaching about companionship study. The problem was we had only 15 minutes for each group and there were three groups. That wasn't nearly enough time to teach effectively about companionship study, but we did it. All the while I had a hole in my mouth. Yeah.... good times......

So, yeah, that's what's happening in the life of Elder Mangum. I'm helping people come closer to Christ and at the same time getting teeth pulled out of my face. It's really one heck of an experience!!!

Oh, and last preparation day, we hiked up Humpback Rocks again. Those are the pictures I'm including.

I hope and pray y'all are doing good and not having as many problems as I am.

I love y'all

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

PICTURES:

1 - Part of my Zone: (left to right) Elder Harrison, Elder Clark, Sister Ferrin, Sister Kocherhans, Sister Bready, Sister Barney, Sister Butterfield, and Hermana Sinclair

2 - A tree that was struck by lightning

3 - Me in a cave

4 - left to right: Sister Bready, Sister Barney, Sister Kocherhans, and Sister Ferrin

5 - The Doughboy has arrived!!!!!

6 – Humpback Rocks

August 29, 2011

Let me tell you....

Earthquakes, lightning storms, and hurricanes. Yeah, it's pretty fun.

So to start off the week, on Tuesday we were helping someone mow their lawn. They had an electric lawnmower (I know, it was weird) and right as the guy who was there with us plugged the thing in, everything started shaking. The people in the house came flying out and were wondering what the guy did, as if he plugged it into something that was exploding. The guy thought it was the washing machine..... I was standing there like "Woah, this is cool." The guy who was there has family in the Bronx and apparently they felt it up there. That was neat!

Yeah, then later in the week we were told we needed to get our 72-hour kits ready because the hurricane was coming towards Virginia. It mostly stayed on the east coast. All the missionaries were evacuated before it got there though. They all came over to the Richmond area. Where I'm at though, the thunder storm we got on Thursday did more damage than the hurricane, although there was a tree that fell over at the zone leaders apartment. Yeah, the hurricane wasn't effecting us all that much really. There were still hummingbirds flying around outside our apartment. But we were still grounded and couldn't go anywhere.

Other than that we had three investigators to church yesterday. Woohoohoo!!! (As Brig would say) We were so excited. We met with all of them after church and they said they really liked it. On of the families (a part-member family, meaning one of them is a member the other is not) invited us over for dinner. Then the other family, who aren't members yet, were already talking about what would happen if they went through with this and actually get baptized. We went over at 8pm and we were planning on being there for about 20 - 30 minutes. We were there until 9:20 answering questions about what would they need to do if they got baptized and stuff like that. We were so excited. They're planning on going out of town this next weekend and they really don't want to miss church. They're going to a family reunion and are thinking of ways the could make it back in time for church. This family is GOLDEN!!! We are going to work closely with them so that Satan will not influence them to fall away.

We were telling the family a little about ourselves and the dad really admires and is grateful for leaving our families to come out here. He said "I know it was hard for you to make that sacrifice and leave your family, but you saved this one right here".

This gospel saves not only individuals, but families as well. That is what this gospel is for; to unite families with a belief that can get them through anything. I was going to write "almost anything" but then I felt, "no, this gospel can get families through literally ANYTHING". If you feel that your family is having a hard time, start praying, read the Book of Mormon, and go to church. These are the only things that will protect us and guide us when the world goes completely insane. Nothing else can or will. Families and the Gospel. They must go together. That is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

August 29, 2011-Hurricane's Passed

Message from Mission Presidency:


Our last round of call-ins is complete. All missionaries are accounted for and safe - but many with no power. Most stakes have cancelled church. Missionaries in areas where there will be no church will be holding their own sacrament meetings in small groups. One of our branch presidents needed help getting their building open for some families that needed a safe place to stay so we had one set of missionaries who spent the night there.

There is lots of clean-up to do -- all of our missionaries are excited for that. President Hamblin, a counselor to president who lives in Hampton will be returning home and checking on some apartments and areas this afternoon and president will begin directing the return to areas as they open up. By Monday we expect most of our missionaries will be back in their areas.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support! We have the best missionaries in the world and their families are the best as well! Let's continue to pray for those who are still experiencing the storm and those who have had difficult circumstances from it.

Kind regards,

Sister Perry

August 28, 2011 - Hurricane Update

Message from Mission Presidency:

It is Saturday evening and all is well. The hurricane has drifted a little bit east and was downgraded to category 1 -- both are blessings! There has been quite a bit of damage on the coastline - some building damage - but mostly flooding, high winds, power outages and downed trees and limbs and in the inland areas like Richmond there are lots of people without power and high winds and rain - limbs and trees down but I think everyone is breathing a sigh of relief that our worst fears were not realized. We are feeling like the worst is over for our mission, although the stormy weather will probably continue through the night. We are still praying for our friends north of us in the DC, Boston and New York areas.

We will send one last E-mail tomorrow. I'm sorry we cannot respond to every individual inquiry but just know that all the missionaries have been staying in today and having an extended preparation and study day. Several of the Stakes have cancelled church tomorrow in favor of service and clean-up. I'm sure that many of your missionaries will be involved with clean-up and other service efforts. I think they are all excited for that opportunity! They are so great!

We will be in touch tomorrow.

In gratitude for our blessings,

Sister Perry

August 26, 2011 - Hurricane Irene

Message from Mission Presidency:

All of our missionaries who are south of Richmond have been evacuated inland with the exception of Jamestown, Williamsberg, and New Kent which are all far enough inland that they will be safe. The ones who have been moved are bunking mostly with other missionaries, some at the mission home a few at members homes. They will probably remain there for the weekend. The storm is supposed to reach us sometime tomorrow (Saturday) night. We expect lots of wind, rain and some downed trees and maybe some flooding here in Richmond and the surrounding and more inland areas. It looks like the coast is going to get pounded and mandatory evacuations are happening in many of those areas right now. We moved the missionaries early so they would not be caught in the long lines of traffic headed north. The missionary department in Salt Lake has been in close communication with us here and everything that can be done has been done to ensure the safety of the missionaries.

Everyone has been instructed to have extra water and food on hand and to stay inside during the storm. I am expecting all of your missionaries to come through safe and sound.

We invite everyone's prayers on behalf of the people all up and down the east coast and in the Bahamas where so much damage has already been done.

Kind regards,

Sister Perry

August 23, 2011 - Earthquake!!

Message from the Mission President's wife:

Hi Everyone, just a little update on the earthquaking in Virginia. President and I were in the middle of a Zone Conference in Newport News this afternoon when the earth started to move! Now I have to admit that President is a great speaker and teacher but really!!

Thankfully it was a big rumble and not much more. We have little damage in Virginia at least as far as we can tell and all of our missionaries are safe. The phone lines, cell and otherwise, have been completely jammed so communication has been slower than normal. I hear there was a little damage up in the DC area to some historical buildings and a pipe broken in the Pentagon. The epicenter was near Louisa, halfway between Richmond and Charlottesville - but I personally talked to Elder Stoddard and his companion in Louisa and they were calm and happy, although a little shaken (just a little joke there). He said they haven't been back to their apartment yet but will let us know if anything is amiss. I have heard on the news that some tremors were felt as far north as Canada - wow! Evidently it was one that spread out quite a ways even though it wasn't too severe. We are very grateful that everyone seems fine.

So, all is well, all is well.

Kind regards,
Sister Perry

August 22, 2011

So... things are finally picking up.

This past week has been AWESOME. We are being blessed a lot because, well, we're working a lot more and having a lot more faith that the Lord will bless us. We found 4 new investigators this past week and they're all pretty solid. We are having a great time here. Elder Harrison is really helping me. I now have a newfound desire to be lovingly bold with people. A switch has finally be flipped and I have a great desire to share the Gospel now. I really can't tell you how or when it happened, because I don't know how or when it happened. All I know is that it did and I'm gonna use it.

I am just so excited to share this Gospel it's not even funny!

I guess what really helped it was one appointment we had last night with this really cool family. They've been going through a whole lot and their marriage was in trouble. We had a member with us who's been through a few marriages until he found the right person and he was able to relate to them really well. It was a very spiritual experience and Elder Harrison said it was the most spiritual experience he's had on his mission so far. We testified about how this Gospel with help them in everything and that the Lord truly loves them and wants to help them. It's a make-it-or-break-it situation for them and I know for a fact that God sent us to them at the right time. This has seriously helped my testimony grow even more.

Another way my testimony has grown is by studying the scriptures. I actually study them and not just "study" them like I used to do. (That means I just read them and said "if I learn something I learn something. If not, then next time I guess I will.") Study the scriptures AND Preach My Gospel and I promise you that you will learn all things that you need to do. (see 2 Nephi 32:3).

I love you all and hope and pray you're doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude

P.S. If you wouldn't mind, send me some pictures of you all. I actually don't have any. I'm going to put them on a jump drive and print them out to show my companions how insa--awesome y'all are.

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

My Companion - Elder Harrison:

August 15, 2011

So, the greenie's name is... Elder Harrison. That's his name. He's from Parowan, Utah. He's amazing. And he's training me!! Yeah, he's whipping me into shape. He hit the ground running and, as y'all know, I don't run very well, so he's really pushing me to stretch. In a good way. We're having a great time together and he's helping me see I can do so much better than I am doing. So it's really fun.

Being a District Leader is fun. I get to talk to the other missionaries in my district everyday and they're all sisters. So it's a little strange because I'm like my dad, I like to have fun and flirt a little when talking to girls. I used to do that a lot in high school. Now though, I have to NOT do that because it's inappropriate and undignified. What I do instead, is treat them as sisters, like they are my sisters, not as casual as when I talk to Mariah because, well YOU remember the conversations we have around the dinner table. Yeah I don't do that. I have to report on how my district is doing to my Zone Leaders at least three times a week. Every Sunday I have to report Key Indicators (number of lessons, people set for baptism, and so forth) to the Zone Leaders. We do this so we can measure our progress and also how each area is doing. I get to set up district meetings and have missionaries from my district train and train myself at those meetings.

Being a trainer I have to teach the new missionary how things go out here; where to email, when to plan and have companionship and personal study; when to weekly plan, and, this is the biggest part, how to teach people and how to listen to the Spirit to know when to say what the Spirit prompts you too. I need to do a lot of encouraging, some correcting, and a ton of loving to help Elder Harrison.

So, one thing that we've started doing is calling all of the former investigators. We were able to set up an appointment with one of them that way. We called them up and told them who we are and she said "I've been wondering where you all went!" So instantly I was so excited about the conversation that was going on. She said she would really like us to come over so we're going over Saturday. So that's what came from the former investigators. Now we're moving on to potential investigators. We're gonna go through and call all the ones that have numbers. It's already helped to whittle out which numbers aren't good and which one's are good.

It's really awesome. I have a really strong feeling that something great is about to happen in this area. We've started the engines on a C-130 (that's a big freaking plane by the way) and we're starting to move down the runway. It's gonna be awesome!!! Not only that, we were able to get a less-active member to come to church!!! That's like icing on the cake!!

Everything's gonna be AWESOME!!!!

Anyway, I love you all and hope and pray you're doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

August 8, 2011

Transfer calls came and guess what? I'm training again for the third time! Yep President Perry called at 11pm and asked me to train. This time it's gonna be a little different because there is a new training program that we are doing now. I don't know what we do in it or anything so I'll let you know next week. So it's gonna be exciting!

So far we have 4 new missionaries coming to the Waynesboro zone (that's the zone I'm in). Elder Hunsaker, my zone leader, is going to be training so the zone leaders will have a third person with them. Which is crazy because they already have four missionaries in their apartment because they share it with the Spanish elders.

I'm still gonna be a district leader. I'm getting better at it everyday. The biggest thing about being a district leader is being accountable for yourself and your district. That means letting you leaders know what's going on in the district. So far I've done alright and I'm getting better at it everyday. It's fun to be a district leader because you get to teach people over the phone as well as in district meeting. It's AWESOME!!!

We had an awesome experience on Saturday. We tried to go see this former investigator but he wasn't home. We were just about to leave when his grandson came out to see who was there because he just got out of the bathroom. So, we talked to him for a bit and asked him to tell his grandfather we came by to see him. I had a feeling at that time to talk to him about if he's ever talked to missionaries, but sadly I ignored it. Then we were in the car and about to leave when the Spirit said, very strongly "Go back and teach him the Gospel." So I looked at Elder Van Wagoner and told him we needed to do that. So, as we were walking back up to the house I felt this was going to be really awkward. Then the Spirit reminded me of something my trainer taught me, as well as other missionaries, "it's only awkward if you make it awkward". So, I was resolved to not make it awkward. The first question I asked him when the young man (he was probably a little older than me) opened the door was "Have you ever talked to missionaries before?" We had a really good discussion about the Book of Mormon and the entire time you saw him doing what everyone else who really wants to read it does. They kind of start wringing their hands together and they hold them right in front of their abdomen. You could just FEEL the desire coming from this guy to just hold the Book of Mormon. So we set up a return appointment with him and thanked the Lord for blessing us with that miracle.

The moral of the story is: Follow the Spirit when he tells you do to something. You have no idea how many lives you could effect.

I love you all and hope and pray y'all are doing good.

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

August 1, 2011

Hey everyone!

This past week has been a better week. We were able to talk to more people and see more people. It was good.

The coolest thing that happened this week happened on Thursday and Friday. Thursday we received a referral from the Referral Center and we called the guy and set up a time to meet with him Friday. Friday came and we had an awesome district meeting because we had it at the senior missionaries home. The senior missionaries are AMAZING! They are so much fun to be with. Then later that day we met with the referral. Turns out he's a less-active member who's going through a really rough time. Basically he's hit rock bottom and needs help. Well, we got to be his friend and talked to him for a good while. The greatest thing about him is that he has never doubted that this is the true church, and he wants his kids to know the truth. It's going to be an amazing opportunity to help him. Elder Van Wagoner and I felt the Spirit so strong when we were there (it was over 9000!! Sorry, that's something Jake will understand :D) but we are so excited to work with him.

So, I'm so excited to be out here in Rivanna! And in Virginia! I've never had as much fun in my life as I have out here. Where else do you get people slamming the door in your face or telling you you're not Christian or bashing on the Book of Mormon. I love it! Most people would think I'm crazy for saying that (well, I am, but that's beside the point). When you look at all the persecution that this church has gone through, there has to be something about it. This is the only true church in the world. Jesus Christ himself has told us that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

There is no other way to get to the Celestial kingdom than through this gospel. So we gotta get with it. We've gotta get on the band-wagon because we don't have much time left here.

I love you all. If you think I was being a little to blunt with y'all, well, if you look at all the Prophets and the scriptures, they tell you the exact same thing and sometimes they do it more straight forward than I have.

I love you all and I don't want you to go through life being lost in the dark.

I love you all so much

-Elder Ricky-dude

--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God

I thought you guys would get a kick out of the name of this store

July 25 2011

So this past week was difficult

This past week we had two days where we were told to stay inside from 1pm until 4pm in an air conditioned building because of how hot it would be. The hottest it got was 104. Normally in Utah, 104 would be bad but you could still go outside for a bit. NOT OUT HERE! With 80 - 90% humidity, you step outside and you are drenched with sweat immediately. There have been many missionaries who got heat exhaustion and that really doesn't help with missionary work.

Anyway, besides that, Satan has been throwing things in our way a lot. Apparently he really doesn't want me to do well at all because ever since I hit my year mark, it's been difficult. I'm having a hard time motivating myself because I know that once I start going, everything is going to be thrown at me. It's kind of like being in a mud puddle up to your mid-thigh while trying to make it to a really nice mansion you see up ahead. If you don't move, you're slowly sinking. If you move, you wear yourself out really fast and sometimes you trip and fall all the way into the mud. Then you have to pull yourself all the way out. All the while, the Lord is asking you to carry something and Satan and his wicked angels are whipping you with sticks from all directions, (and they've got shards of glass in the sticks). The Lord helps you by giving you a pole to pull on, but you're hands are covered in mud from when you fall and they sometimes slip on the pole. He gives us armor to where to protect against Satan, but you're covered in mud. What do you do? What would YOU do?

Me................................. After I was done crying, and after I had hit rock bottom and fallen really hard and when Satan is laughing the most, I'd ask the Lord to wash off my hands so I can hold the rod He gives me, and to start hosing me off so I can where the armor. Then, after I'm hosed off and have the armor on, I still slip and fall in the mud. So I keep asking the Lord to wash me off so that when I get to his mansion I'm not tracking mud into His home.

How many of us have felt like we've been stuck in the mud puddle for a while? I have. I'm sick of it. Seriously, it's the worst feeling ever! I'm having a hard time moving again. I'm gonna try my hardest to get moving again so that my family will be blessed.

I love y'all so dab-blam much.

-Elder Ricky-dude

Pictures:
1 - me and my MTC companion Elder Stoddard
2 - Elder White who's in the Petersburg ward
3 - 4 - 4th of July at a members house consisted of over 50 mortars and many more other fireworks
5 - a turtle I saved. He was in the road and I didn't want him to die so I picked him up and moved him to the side of the road.
6 - Staiger - one of 5 of the Mousers dogs. He's a chunky boston terrier. (And whoever said dogs can't smile?)
7 and on... This is when we hiked up Humpback Rocks last Monday. It was only a two mile hike but it was more difficult than hiking the Y because it was almost straight up, basically. Very few spots to rest. And you can see I'm drenched in sweat. But it was so worth it.

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P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God