Love weeeeeek- Week 52

So basically time just goes by fast, Valentine's Day was over a week ago. Feels like it was on Saturday. Probably because thats when our Branch had our Valentine's Day party.. but still pretty crazy how time is. Also my mom is the best and sent me ingredients and the recipe for Sweetheart Mousse. Literally the best! Thanks mom, I sure love yu!!! (You would be proud of how it turned out!!) 

My family is the best! I hit my 1 year mark and they made the cutest funniest things. They sent me a package and I pulled it out 1 by 1 and literally died laughing everything I pulled out. Because I'm 1/2 of the way done with my mission they sent me a ton of candy and every candy they sent they cut it in half and taped it together so I would get 1/2 a bag of Skittles or Swedish fish or other candy and it was literally the funniest thing. They also sent a cute camel and a shirt. I loved it. My favorite was probably the family calender for the 2nd half of my mission and the letters included. I love my family so much and I am so grateful for all of the sweet notes, letters and pictures I got! Also for all of the fun memories I've had with all of them and for the additional memories we have made even being so far apart! 

Thanks dad, mom, Braeden, Shay, Carson(Elder Ricks), Ashlynn & Analee! I love you

So yeah we basically just worked like super hard this week just like how it should be everyweek. Its been so nice because I haven't left my area 1 time since I've been here in Green Bay so I've just focused on the work here. This last week I left to go on exchange with the Zone Leader but it was still nice because he had as many appointments and things going on as we did so it was basically the same except English and not Spanish. We also got to teach a pastor. I loved that and this guy actually seemed pretty interested in learning about what we believed, it was almost like he is seeking for the never ending well of water Christ speaks about because he definitely seemed super thirsty for the truth and I think that he might find that he will find it with this church! Pretty cool stuff. I'm a young boy but I get to share the truths that so many people are looking gor even with all of their knowledge and experience. 

We were able to find another family this week! It was cool, the dad was just walking to his car and I said hi we represent Jesus Christ, can we share a message? And he let us right in and we shared a video and testified and set a return appointment, went back and taught their whole family!

This gospel is true, the Book of Mormon is the word of God and the church of Christ has been restored to the earth. Mosiah 4:9-10 stuck out to me this week. 

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

God knows better than we do. He has all the wisdom and power on earth and in heaven. Believe that through Him we can and will be forgiven and can become as He is if and only if we repent. I think the last part is my favorite - if you believe all these things see that ye do them. I can 'repent' all I want but it won't do anything until I actually make the decision to change and follow Christ. I'm grateful for the Atonement and for all the things we recieve because of it! I love our Savior and I love sharing His gospel. 

DO GOOD, BE GOOD 

Love,

Elder T. Ricks 

Popcorn...caramel popcorn- Week 51

Hey everyone! I hope your week was great. Thanks for all of your examples and love. This week went by like super duper fast. We were definitely busy all day everyday, it was fun. We have been focusing a lot of keeping our area organized and making sure we set appointments up for days and the week in advance and its been awesome. 

We had a super cool training given to us by a guy named Brother Littlefield who is probably the coolest dude ever. He has gotten to spend a lot of time with Preside t Nelson over the course of his life time so it was awesome to get a training from him. He talked a lot about our key indicators as missionaries and the things we need to do to get more people to be taught from us come to church and accept baptismal invitations. So this week every person we met, we invited them to come to church! Sadly nobody came yet, but we are going to keep doing that and focus a lot of inviting people to church and talk a lot more about baptism so that people are aware of the things they need to do to become better! Who would've thought that you would need to talk about the things that you're trying to get people to commit to! I loved the trainings.

I went on exchanges with a brand new missionary and I still think I'm a brand new missionary so it was funny. But it was so fun to go with him and teach him some things about how to be a good missionary and show him how we work here in the Green Bay Spanish area! I hope he learned as much as I did! He had an amazing story pretty similar to mine and I'm glad he is here serving. 

My mom sent me the recipe for caramel corn and wow! I remember all the good times me and my family had making caramel corn together and then going and watching a movie and the popcorn would be gone 2 minutes after it started:) I'm grateful for my family.

I have been reading The Inevitable Apostasy and the Promised Restoration and I came across an interesting quote from Spencer W. Kimball. He said 'I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.' In a General Conference talk given in April 2016 by President Nelson called The Price of the power of the Priesthood he talks about how in a coming day only people who immerse themselves diligently with the word of God and has paid the price for the power of God will be able to receive and see blessings and miracles in there lives and receive the joy the Christ wants us to feel in our lives. 

What is the price for you to recieve that power of God for you? What do you have to sacrifice in order to become more like Christ? Are you willing to pray every day in order to have His power in your life? Are you willing to happily study the scriptures and feast upon the words of Christ? Are you willing to sacrifice time in order to go worship our Savior Jesus Christ in the Holy Temples? Are you willing to follow the examples of all of our Prophets and serve others in our lives? Are you willing to love your family and do you have a good relationship with your family to have the spirit reside in your home? Are we willing to pray, fast, study, search, worship and serve just like Christ would do to receive the power of the Lord in our lives?

I invite you to honestly answer these questions and look at your life to know the things the Lord would have you do to become better. We need to be willing and happy to sacrifice whatever it takes to better follow our Savior to become more like Him and receive a fullness of joy that only comes through Him. 

DO GOOD, BE GOOD 

Love,

Elder T. Ricks 

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!!!!- Week 50

Christmas is finally here!!!!!! We finally got some snowwwww this winter it feels like everywhere else has gotten more snow/had worse weather than here haha! Blessing for us here but it was kinda fun to get some snow yesterday too. Also we got so much that our branch cancelled church! But we were already at the church because we got a ride from some other Elders whose church started before ours so we were able to go and take the sacrament with them! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST AND I'M GRATEFUL I GET TO CALL YOU MY MOM!!! As I was thinking about my mom and all that she does for me throughout this week and more specifically yesterday I was reminded about the 2000 strippling warriors. 

Alma 56:47-48 yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

I love you mom and I'm grateful for all of the things that you have taught me and done for me. I can say for sure that I feel the same way that the 2000 strippling warriors did about their mothers and always hope to make you proud! You're the best mom I could've ever asked for!!!

We are teaching this lady named Sandra and we went to visit her cause thats what we do as missionaries, we teach people and visit them. So thats what we did and she in return invited us to a Bible class she was having the next day, so we said we could go. We show up right on time and WOW I am sure grateful for the true church of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the environment we have, for the reverence, the love we share and the Spirit we are able to feel because we have the truth. It was a pretty wild experience! But while we were there one of our Recent Converts was there too! I was shook haha. We talked to him afterwards and he said don't worry I'm not attending that. He was just supporting his neice who is Sandra! The lady we are teaching! HAHA small world. 

We had interviews with President this week! He is such a good guy. After our interviews we started talking about the next time he was gonna come to Green Bay and so we talked them into coming here for church and visiting our branch and another ward here! And he was even on his way yesterday but then turned around when he heard that church was cancelled! We were excited to have him! But I was definitely supposed to be here at this time with President Murphy!

We found this lady to start teaching this week... we were visiting a former person that was being taught and they ended up speaking English but pointed us to a random house and said go visit them and so we went there... her name is... Milagro!!! That means miracle haha. So we found a miracle this week! We find miracles all the time though its actually so cool to look for them because if you are looking for them then you'll find them. I can definitely tell the difference between those who are looking for the miracles and tender mercies in their lives vs those who aren't and can't see all that the Lord is doing for them. 

I invite you all to look for those blessings, miracles, tender mercies in your life. If you do I promise you will have more joy in your life and your eyes will be opened to all thr Lord provides you with. 

All of the talks given in sacrament meeting yesterday were about the temples that we have and the reason why we have them. 

2 Samuel 7:5 - Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in.

We nave temples for the Lord to dwell in sp that we can feel of His presence there, learn more of Him and be guided in our lives. If it's been a while since you have been make the efforts to go to one this week. It is there so that we can help people who have passed on from this life to receive eternal life. It is also there for our benefit to feel the Spirit in our lives and to overcome the temptations, difficulties, sadnesses and wickedness in this life. I love this gospel and I love the power and authority that we have to have these holy temples. Make an effort to attend and be worthy to attend! If you do the Lord has promised to pour down blessings upon you.

DO GOOD, BE GOOD

Love,

Elder. T Ricks

Spring time- Week 49

Hello everyone! Doesn't seen like I should be writing this right now but here I am! I hope you have all had a great week.

This week has been pretty good, we are just working hard here in Green Bay. I didn't really want the Packers to win or go to the Super Bowl so I'm glad that they didn't but I was thinking about it as you all were watching the game last night as I was studying in the apartment that it would've been pretty cool to be here if they would've won because then there would've been like a party here in Green Bay when they got back and we could've gone our contacting during the parade but now I guess that missionaries in Kansas City will get to do that instead of me.

But wow, let me just tell you. When I found out I was gonna be in a walking area during the very middle of the winter here in Green Bay, Wisconsin I was sad. But the Lord has truly blessed me with hardly any snow and really good weather. Yesterday was like 40 degrees and we have been able to go out and talk to people on the streets because it is decently nice outside especially for this time of year. He watches out for each and every one of His children and I'm glad that we have a Father in Heaven that loves us!! 

We are still continuing to work with all of the people that we have found and it's been pretty fun to watch them progress even if it has been slow moving and will be a slow progress, I have gained a testimony that as we live the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our lives will be blessed and we will have added strength and armour to overcome all of the heart aches and trials in our lives. 

As I was studying from the Book of Mormon this week I really loved the words of King Benjamin as he was giving council to his people in the things that they should do to recieve salvation. Mosíah 4:9-10 Creed en Dios; creed que él existe, y que creó todas las cosas, tanto en el cielo como en la tierra; creed que él tiene toda sabiduría y todo poder, tanto en el cielo como en la tierra; creed que el hombre no comprende todas las cosas que el Señor puede comprender. Y además, creed que debéis arrepentiros de vuestros pecados, y abandonarlos, y humillaros ante Dios, y pedid con sinceridad de corazón que él os perdone; y ahora bien, si creéis todas estas cosas, mirad que las hagáis. I love how simple yet profound his words are and I know that as we follow his council we will have our eyes opened to all the things that our Heavenly Father does for us. I love Jesus Christ and I love His gospel and that I can share His message to all of His children.

I hope that you all have a great week! Try to live these principles and if you do I promise that your eyes will be opened to all the things Christ does for you and it might even be a cool thing to write some of the things you see Him do for you in your journal. 

DO GOOD, BE GOOD

Love,

Elder T. Ricks