So, I'm very tired. I'm not as bad as I was yesterday or any day last week, but I'm still tired. (I'm a missionary, and we're always tired)
Last week was leadership training so we had four extra missionaries at our house. That comes to a total of eight missionaries in one house. Not only that, because Elder Orr was going to leadership and Elder Coburn's companion, Elder Newman (they're the other missionaries who live with us) went to leadership also, Elder Coburn and I had to switch off where we were going to work each day, since we had to cover two areas during the day. So Elder Coburn had to plan for his area and I had to plan for my area, and then make a double set of plans for every night. Not only that, we got up at 5:30am (yes I did get up then, I know it's amazing) and went and played basket ball with some other missionaries. I was so tired that on Sunday, when we were finishing up some planning for the up coming week, I fell asleep while I was writing. I would be writing and then my brain would shut off. But I made it through the day. (And good thing Elder Orr was driving).
So, all in all it was a great week because we had many miracles happen and I learned a lot of great things from the missionaries I got to work with over this past week. The biggest thing I learned this past week was about being converted to something, in particular, the Gospel. Before my mission I knew the gospel was true. I knew it in my mind and I never really had any doubts about it. Yesterday I was talking about this with my companion and I realized something: your brain may know it's true, but does your heart know it? You can know everything about the Gospel and know everything that proves it true, but can you feel that in your heart? Sometimes you are converted in your heart, but you have to let your heart know that your heart is converted. That's what I've learned on my mission: you can know every single little detail about the Gospel, but doesn't amount to anything unless you know it's true. Even just a little spark of belief that it's true is a great starting point. In fact, that's how it always starts. It's never an instant burning, raging, fire of belief. It's always a small little candle flame, or even a spark, that, when built upon with the right teachings and principles, becomes a flame that fills your soul and soon spreads to others.
I know that is true because I've seen it happen in so many peoples' lives out here and in my own life. I know better than I know I'm alive, (and I know that pretty well because of all the physical injuries I have) that this gospel is true. I do not have a perfect knowledge of the gospel, but I am working on it to where, someday, it will be a perfect knowledge of the gospel. I know Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father and that He is my savior and redeemer, and the savior and redeemer of mankind. I know he loves each and everyone of you and will do anything for you to know He is there. The only things that stops Him is yourself. Don't let Him stay outside. You only hurt yourself.
Something I learned a little while ago was: When you get to heaven, and you haven't repented because you felt like you couldn't and you weren't worthy or worth it, will you be able to tell Jesus Christ that His atonement was good enough for everyone else, but not for you? That all the pain and suffering He went through doesn't make a difference because of how awful you think you are?
Accept the Saviors atonement and show that you have by reading the Book of Mormon and praying to your Heavenly Father. And go, with your family, to the only and true church of Jesus Christ on earth, where you can fully partake of the gift of the Atonement. That's how important everything is that I've talked about, that the prophets and apostles have talked about; that Jesus Christ Himself has talked about. That's how important this Gospel is. Because you cannot, and will not be able, to do it on your own. So pray for humility and do something about it.
I love you all so much. You have no idea how much I love you all. There are no words to describe it. I know this is true, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
March 26, 2012
March 19, 2012
March 19, 2012
So this past week was sweet!!! We had a lot of fun this week. We did tons of service and had lots of fun.
Saturday, we had a Boy Scout dinner and cake auction and it was so much fun! There were cakes that went for about $40-$50, one or two that went for $90, one that went for $100, and another that went for $105! It was crazy to see these people bidding on this stuff!! Someone got brownies for us. They bid on it, won it, and gave half of them to us. It's crazy that members do that. We left with TWO things of brownies, some of the left over dinner stuff, and a huge Costco apple pie. And someone even tried to give us half of a giant chocolate cake (the thing was about 10" across and 6" or 7" tall!) We said we had way to much already because we had just gotten a cake like two days before that. This ward is amazing!!! They seriously love the missionaries and love taking care of them.
So. We are just having a great time out here. Elder Orr and I are super unified and we're doing all we can to make sure it stays that way. He's an awesome missionary and we both have the strange sense of humor that our family does so we never get bored talking to eachother! (:-D We are having fun and working hard and everyday the Spirit is helping us be more unified and better missionaries.
I love this work! There is really nothing I would choose over this. My life has been changed for good in almost everyway possible. I know that this Gospel is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and that there is no other way to be happy than to live by it's teachings and to follow Jesus Christ. Some may say that it's impossible to be like Christ in every way. That's true. Because..... He's Christ and you're you. He's perfect and right now we're not. But, because of how much God loves us, He's made a way for us to become like him. No matter who we are, where we are, or what we've done or are doing, we can become clean from sin, have all of our weaknesses become strengths, and have help through our problems and difficulties. It does not matter who you are or what you've done. I'm going to say that again in capital letters: IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, GOD LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO COME BACK TO HIM. He is ready and waiting to open the windows of heaven and send His angels to help you. You must first reach out to Him. Read the Book of Mormon. Pray for help.
These are the ways we reach out to Him. I promise you, as a representative of Jesus Christ and by the authority given to me, I promise that if you will read the Book of Mormon and pray to Heavenly Father every morning and night, He will show you His hand in your life by strengthening your weaknesses and opening the windows of Heaven to send his angels to help you. The promise is made. It's up to you to live it and reach out and grasp the blessing.
I love you all so much. You all are amazing and have helped me through every rough time on my mission. I know God loves you. I leave that with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
Saturday, we had a Boy Scout dinner and cake auction and it was so much fun! There were cakes that went for about $40-$50, one or two that went for $90, one that went for $100, and another that went for $105! It was crazy to see these people bidding on this stuff!! Someone got brownies for us. They bid on it, won it, and gave half of them to us. It's crazy that members do that. We left with TWO things of brownies, some of the left over dinner stuff, and a huge Costco apple pie. And someone even tried to give us half of a giant chocolate cake (the thing was about 10" across and 6" or 7" tall!) We said we had way to much already because we had just gotten a cake like two days before that. This ward is amazing!!! They seriously love the missionaries and love taking care of them.
So. We are just having a great time out here. Elder Orr and I are super unified and we're doing all we can to make sure it stays that way. He's an awesome missionary and we both have the strange sense of humor that our family does so we never get bored talking to eachother! (:-D We are having fun and working hard and everyday the Spirit is helping us be more unified and better missionaries.
I love this work! There is really nothing I would choose over this. My life has been changed for good in almost everyway possible. I know that this Gospel is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and that there is no other way to be happy than to live by it's teachings and to follow Jesus Christ. Some may say that it's impossible to be like Christ in every way. That's true. Because..... He's Christ and you're you. He's perfect and right now we're not. But, because of how much God loves us, He's made a way for us to become like him. No matter who we are, where we are, or what we've done or are doing, we can become clean from sin, have all of our weaknesses become strengths, and have help through our problems and difficulties. It does not matter who you are or what you've done. I'm going to say that again in capital letters: IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, GOD LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO COME BACK TO HIM. He is ready and waiting to open the windows of heaven and send His angels to help you. You must first reach out to Him. Read the Book of Mormon. Pray for help.
These are the ways we reach out to Him. I promise you, as a representative of Jesus Christ and by the authority given to me, I promise that if you will read the Book of Mormon and pray to Heavenly Father every morning and night, He will show you His hand in your life by strengthening your weaknesses and opening the windows of Heaven to send his angels to help you. The promise is made. It's up to you to live it and reach out and grasp the blessing.
I love you all so much. You all are amazing and have helped me through every rough time on my mission. I know God loves you. I leave that with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
March 12, 2012
March 12, 2012
Okay, I've got good news and bad news
The good news:
Elder Orr, my new companion, is insane.......... insanely AWESOME!!! He's a great missionary and he's full of energy and determination to do the work. And he plays the piano. It's awesome. We're going to completely change missionary work in the Midlothian area because we are super unified already, and we've been together for three days! Really, though, I've only been this unified with a companion or had this much fun with a companion like three times. I'm not saying all my other companions were bad or not fun; I'm not saying that at all. These times I'm talking about are the times that stick out the most; those times are, the first few days in the MTC, down in Burkeville, and after about three months of being in Midlothian. I'm including a picture of my insanely awesome companion and some other ones too.
Okay, so, that's the good news.
The bad news:
I love you all and I know that this is the only and true gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the only way to return to our Heavenly Father and receive everything that he wants for us. I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live and love us more than we can possibly understand. I leave that with you 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
Pictures
The good news:
Elder Orr, my new companion, is insane.......... insanely AWESOME!!! He's a great missionary and he's full of energy and determination to do the work. And he plays the piano. It's awesome. We're going to completely change missionary work in the Midlothian area because we are super unified already, and we've been together for three days! Really, though, I've only been this unified with a companion or had this much fun with a companion like three times. I'm not saying all my other companions were bad or not fun; I'm not saying that at all. These times I'm talking about are the times that stick out the most; those times are, the first few days in the MTC, down in Burkeville, and after about three months of being in Midlothian. I'm including a picture of my insanely awesome companion and some other ones too.
Okay, so, that's the good news.
The bad news:
- My back has been acting up from old injuries (don't worry, I'll be okay)
- I haven't heard from a lot of you for a some time now. Just because I have about 2 1/2 months left doesn't mean you can wait to tell me about stuff when I get back. I get emails from some of y'all but not everyone. I'm just kiddin'.
I love you all and I know that this is the only and true gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the only way to return to our Heavenly Father and receive everything that he wants for us. I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live and love us more than we can possibly understand. I leave that with you 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
Pictures
1 - Me and Elder Orr
2 - Elder Orr
3 - Mad-eye Mangum
4 - The old Midlothian district: Sister Friden, Sister Jones, Elder
Monibidor, and yours truly.
Monibidor, and yours truly.
March 5, 2012
March 5, 2012
Hey Everyone!!!
So first off, I'm staying in Midlothian. We had transfer calls last night and I'm staying but Elder Quiambao is leaving. I'm getting Elder Orr as my companion and he's gonna be the district leader here and President Perry wants me to help him with that. It's gonna be fun!
So this past week, the two biggest things I learned are:
1 - The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak; and
2 - Make sure to get the right allergy medicine or else you're gonna have problems
So I'll start with number 2 first. Yes, I got an allergy medicine that was the generic for Benedryl (or however you spell it) and it knocked me out for a bit. Which is really weird because when I was younger taking Benedryl would have made me really hyper. But not anymore I guess. I finally got the right kind of allergy medicine that I normally take (Loratadine), so I'm doing great now.
Now, number 1. "The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". We've all heard that saying before at one time or another. Well I've gained a testimony that it is so true. This past week I have had a great desire to go do the work and I've pushed myself when my body didn't want to go that much. I felt like I was at wits end and that I was at my limit. Then fast sunday came. As I was fasting, actually right when I started fasting, my body gained energy and strength and I felt so much better. My mind was clear and I was able to concentrate more and now I'm readying to go again.
Fasting is awesome. I love fasting because, like Elder Oaks talked about last April in General Conference, we show our desire to grow and overcome the natural man and to not let our natural tendencies dictate what we do. There is a poem that my zone leader here in the Midlothian zone gave to all the missionaries in this zone.
It's called Invictus
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced, nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid
It matters not how straight the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
I can't remember off the top of my head who wrote it but I'll let you know next week. (William Ernest Henley 1849–1903 British Author) But this poem is helping me a lot because of the last two lines, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul". That means, I'm the one who decides what to do with my life. Yes, life does throw curveballs at you, but YOU still decide wat to do when they come at you. That is one of the biggest things I've learned out here on my mission. That, and that the gospel is not a one time thing. It needs to be applied everyday because everyday is different than the one before and that means there is a new way to use the gospel in your life.
I know that by fasting and by studying the gospel, we can learn how to take the helm in our lives and direct our sails to where we truly want to go. By not doing this, we're just letting the wind and the current takes us wherever they want.
I'm going to make you all a promise.
I promise you, by the authority given to me as a representative of Jesus Christ, that if you make time to read the Book of Mormon everyday, and go to church on Sunday to learn the Gospel, I promise you will know exactly what to do at this time of your life to achieve the goals you are working on, and you will become the master of your fate, and the captain of your soul.
Now, the promise has been made and God will bless you with that. You have to do your part because of what the Lord said: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise".
I'm going to check up on you to see if you have taken this promise and used it.
I love you all and hope and pray you are doing well and that you will take the promise.
Love ya,
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
So first off, I'm staying in Midlothian. We had transfer calls last night and I'm staying but Elder Quiambao is leaving. I'm getting Elder Orr as my companion and he's gonna be the district leader here and President Perry wants me to help him with that. It's gonna be fun!
So this past week, the two biggest things I learned are:
1 - The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak; and
2 - Make sure to get the right allergy medicine or else you're gonna have problems
So I'll start with number 2 first. Yes, I got an allergy medicine that was the generic for Benedryl (or however you spell it) and it knocked me out for a bit. Which is really weird because when I was younger taking Benedryl would have made me really hyper. But not anymore I guess. I finally got the right kind of allergy medicine that I normally take (Loratadine), so I'm doing great now.
Now, number 1. "The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". We've all heard that saying before at one time or another. Well I've gained a testimony that it is so true. This past week I have had a great desire to go do the work and I've pushed myself when my body didn't want to go that much. I felt like I was at wits end and that I was at my limit. Then fast sunday came. As I was fasting, actually right when I started fasting, my body gained energy and strength and I felt so much better. My mind was clear and I was able to concentrate more and now I'm readying to go again.
Fasting is awesome. I love fasting because, like Elder Oaks talked about last April in General Conference, we show our desire to grow and overcome the natural man and to not let our natural tendencies dictate what we do. There is a poem that my zone leader here in the Midlothian zone gave to all the missionaries in this zone.
It's called Invictus
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced, nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid
It matters not how straight the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
I can't remember off the top of my head who wrote it but I'll let you know next week. (William Ernest Henley 1849–1903 British Author) But this poem is helping me a lot because of the last two lines, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul". That means, I'm the one who decides what to do with my life. Yes, life does throw curveballs at you, but YOU still decide wat to do when they come at you. That is one of the biggest things I've learned out here on my mission. That, and that the gospel is not a one time thing. It needs to be applied everyday because everyday is different than the one before and that means there is a new way to use the gospel in your life.
I know that by fasting and by studying the gospel, we can learn how to take the helm in our lives and direct our sails to where we truly want to go. By not doing this, we're just letting the wind and the current takes us wherever they want.
I'm going to make you all a promise.
I promise you, by the authority given to me as a representative of Jesus Christ, that if you make time to read the Book of Mormon everyday, and go to church on Sunday to learn the Gospel, I promise you will know exactly what to do at this time of your life to achieve the goals you are working on, and you will become the master of your fate, and the captain of your soul.
Now, the promise has been made and God will bless you with that. You have to do your part because of what the Lord said: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise".
I'm going to check up on you to see if you have taken this promise and used it.
I love you all and hope and pray you are doing well and that you will take the promise.
Love ya,
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
February 27, 2012
So, the Lord really does help us
So last week we had the opportunity to have Elder and Sister Gardner come over. They are a senior couple who started off teaching institute but are now doing a pilot program where they go to different companionships and teach them what they've learned from other missionaries and help them in whatever they need help with.
So, they came and took us to breakfast and then studied with us for a good long time. It was amazing. I learned so much from them and was able to talk with them about so many different things. It was amazing. When they had called to plan when to come over they asked if there was anything in particular that we (my companion and I) wanted to go over with them. I couldn't think of anything right then so I didn't know what to say. After I got off the phone I felt very strong to call back and ask them if we could talk about being motivated.
So, Wednesday they came, and when they talked to us one of the first things they shared with us was D&C 1:1-6. They specifically pointed out verse four where the Lord talks about his disciples. They helped me realize that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and that He, Himself, has chosen me to be His representative out here. It was an amazing experience.
The next day when we called them up to tell them how we're doing, I told them that I realized something after they had left. I realized that I had motivation, I just needed someone else to tell me that. Sister Gardner said "Isn't it strange how that happens?"
All-in-all, I'm doing a lot better. The only thing now is that we had two days in a row that we 70 and 80 degrees (don't ask me how that works in February, but, apparently it does) and I think the flowers started to bloom and my face wants to explode now because of allergies. Don't worry, I'm getting some antihistamines today. I should be better in a few days.
So, Saturday, (I want to share this really quickly), we had the adult session of stake conference. Our stake president got up and spoke to us and the first thing he said, after saying that the things he was about to share he felt were really important, was "Don't try to explain the unexplainable." That was one of the most amazing experiences I've had listening to a stake president. He then went on to explain that members of the church sometimes try to answer questions we don't have answers to. He talked about how someone asked him about polygamy, and his response was "the church stopped that over a hundred years ago..... but I still joined anyway." That helped me a lot because I'm the kind of person who loves questions and loves answering questions. So right now, I apologize to everyone, for trying to explain the unexplainable, and trying to answer things we
don't have answers for (such as why polygamy stopped). I ask y'all to forgive me for that. I am determined now to answer the questions I know we have answers to and to keep myself from explaining the unexplainable.
Then yesterday (sorry this is a longer email, I know, but so much has happened), we had a regional broadcast for stake conference. Elder Richard G. Scott spoke to us, as well as Paul B. Peiper of the Seventy, Silvia H. Allred from the general Relief Society Presidency, and Bishop H. David Burton, Presiding Bishop. It was great! The two things that stuck out to me were Elder Scott's talk about womanhood and how we need to defend it, and Bishop Burton's talk on listening to the living prophet. They were awesome!!!
I am so excited about this gospel, you wouldn't believe it! I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He is our saviour and redeemer, and that He is the Son of God. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom once again established on the earth to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and hope and pray y'all are doing well.
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
So last week we had the opportunity to have Elder and Sister Gardner come over. They are a senior couple who started off teaching institute but are now doing a pilot program where they go to different companionships and teach them what they've learned from other missionaries and help them in whatever they need help with.
So, they came and took us to breakfast and then studied with us for a good long time. It was amazing. I learned so much from them and was able to talk with them about so many different things. It was amazing. When they had called to plan when to come over they asked if there was anything in particular that we (my companion and I) wanted to go over with them. I couldn't think of anything right then so I didn't know what to say. After I got off the phone I felt very strong to call back and ask them if we could talk about being motivated.
So, Wednesday they came, and when they talked to us one of the first things they shared with us was D&C 1:1-6. They specifically pointed out verse four where the Lord talks about his disciples. They helped me realize that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and that He, Himself, has chosen me to be His representative out here. It was an amazing experience.
The next day when we called them up to tell them how we're doing, I told them that I realized something after they had left. I realized that I had motivation, I just needed someone else to tell me that. Sister Gardner said "Isn't it strange how that happens?"
All-in-all, I'm doing a lot better. The only thing now is that we had two days in a row that we 70 and 80 degrees (don't ask me how that works in February, but, apparently it does) and I think the flowers started to bloom and my face wants to explode now because of allergies. Don't worry, I'm getting some antihistamines today. I should be better in a few days.
So, Saturday, (I want to share this really quickly), we had the adult session of stake conference. Our stake president got up and spoke to us and the first thing he said, after saying that the things he was about to share he felt were really important, was "Don't try to explain the unexplainable." That was one of the most amazing experiences I've had listening to a stake president. He then went on to explain that members of the church sometimes try to answer questions we don't have answers to. He talked about how someone asked him about polygamy, and his response was "the church stopped that over a hundred years ago..... but I still joined anyway." That helped me a lot because I'm the kind of person who loves questions and loves answering questions. So right now, I apologize to everyone, for trying to explain the unexplainable, and trying to answer things we
don't have answers for (such as why polygamy stopped). I ask y'all to forgive me for that. I am determined now to answer the questions I know we have answers to and to keep myself from explaining the unexplainable.
Then yesterday (sorry this is a longer email, I know, but so much has happened), we had a regional broadcast for stake conference. Elder Richard G. Scott spoke to us, as well as Paul B. Peiper of the Seventy, Silvia H. Allred from the general Relief Society Presidency, and Bishop H. David Burton, Presiding Bishop. It was great! The two things that stuck out to me were Elder Scott's talk about womanhood and how we need to defend it, and Bishop Burton's talk on listening to the living prophet. They were awesome!!!
I am so excited about this gospel, you wouldn't believe it! I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He is our saviour and redeemer, and that He is the Son of God. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom once again established on the earth to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and hope and pray y'all are doing well.
-Elder Ricky-dude
--
P.S. The Church is true!
P.P.S. FROG - Fully Rely On God
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
