Time flies- Week 74

Hey everyone I hope that you are all having a good week! Every week I write these it feels like I just barely wrote them the day before! My week was basically the same as every other week, lots of finding teaching and exchanges! I went one 2 exchanges and they are always so fun I learn so much. We also had... IN PERSON ZONE CONFERENCE, whaaat that like never happens anymore.

Congratulations to my cousin Paxton who got married this last week and also happy birthday today!

Oh also! We got a new car this week:) our last one was basically broken so the car coordinator took it at Zone Conference to take it to the shop and fix it, we should be getting it back pretty soon but until then we have a sweet car! Oh and at Zone Conference me and my companion Sister Glick and Riddle sang while Elder Lacey played the cello and Hermana Kono did some awesome stuff on the piano! I love my zone!

We had an awesome devotional last night from the President and Sister Duffield who are the Chicago temple President and Wife! They are amazing. They had such amazing thoughts about the amazing things that happen in the temple! I know temples are given to us to make promises and covenants with the Lord. 'The ordinances and covenants received in the temple are ESSENTIAL because they are a spiritual transformation,' but they are only spiritually transforming as we keep the covenants and promises we make:) I am so grateful for the knowledge that we have of temples and all the things we can learn from the temples. There truly is an incredible spirit as we think, talk and rejoice about the Holy House of the Lord. I love Jesus Christ! I love you all! As we remember Him and center our lives around Him I know that we can and will have true joy no matter our situation or circumstance.

DO GOOD, BE GOOD 

Love,

Elder T. Ricks 

Wow- Week 73

Hey everyone! It literally felt like I just wrote my last weekly yesterday! But... I can't remember if I mentioned this last week but me and my companion are staying another transfer together! We are pretty excited for that.

Life has been really good thought! We started whats called the purification challenge where we started with a fast to ponder and think about what we can change/do better in our lives as a zone and it's been fun so far! I have so much to work on, but it is so so amazing looking back to see how far I've come! 

My family went to South Carolina and got to hang out at the beach there but I got to travel to the great lake and hang out on the beach here! We both had some great fun in the sand:)

The Hermanas that were in the MTC at the same time as me are going home in 5 weeks. Pretty crazy!!! Every day that comes and goes I feel like I like the mission more and more. 

I am doing a study on the difference of being called and chosen (D&C 121:34) and for that I was reading Abraham's experience seeing a vision of the pre-mortal existence and how he was chosen of God before the world existed but the following verses really stood out to me about our loving Savior who is the perfect example of humility, leadership, charity and all other attributes as well. But as I was reading this I just couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if I was there watching Him and there with Him and it was so powerful. He says "We will go down, for there is space there ... And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever" (Abraham 3:24-25). I love my Savior and am so grateful for His love and mercy for me and for being the perfect leader for me. All is possible through Him! As you diligently and thoughtfully follow Christ, "the more you [will] love [others], and the more you'll find that life is good and friends are kind. For only what we give away enriches us from day to day" (Helen Steiner Rice).

DO GOOD, BE GOOD

Love,

Elder T. Ricks 

Semana diferente, misma cosa- Week 72

Hey everyone!!! I hope that you've all had a great week! Thanks for all of thr thoughts and prayers sent my way, we have seen so many miracles in the past weeks and it has been incredible! I hope you have all seen some amazing miracles too! 

This week was basically exactly the same as every other week! Woke up at 6:30, get ready prepare for the day, study, finding time, teaching appointments, late dinners, guitar time, bed time at 10:30. Pretty sweet right!!? I love being a missionary and just trying to help anyone and everyone come unto Christ so that they can feel the same joy that I feel!(Mosiah 28:3) 

I was able to go on exchanges with the Assistants! It was a blast!! I was with a guy named Elder Hansen who is from Sugar City and was a supe good wrestler! I asked if he knew the Ingrams and he said that they were good friends and he remembered Paxton as a super good wrestler! Such a small world.

I've been reading this talk that you should all read too! It's called 'The Fourth Missionary,' by Lawrence E. Corbridge. It was written for missionaries but it has incredible principles for all people! Here are some of the paragraphs I have liked about it so far from what I've read -

"Your greatest work: your most important creation is and will ever be you. What kund of person will you become? ... I don't mean will you be a lawyer, engineer or accountant. I don't refer ti what kind of car you'll drive or clothes you'll wear or what kind of spouse you will marry or family you will raise. I mean, when all of that is removed and there you stand alone, who will you be?"

"What persinality will you have? What strengths? What knowledge? What character? What emotional state? What presence? What qualities? What virtues? What will it be like around you? Who will YOU be?"

"There are 2 ways of evolving: deliberately OR accidentally. You can either decide who you want to become and deliberately work toward that end, OR you can just go with the flow and become whatever life makes of you. [If you do that], you will become whatever the circumstances of life and society will make of you, whatever us currently considered to be popular or whatever is easiest. But, whatever you become accidentally it WILL NOT be nearly the full measure of your potential."

So I know that was a lot but I know that we have big decisions on who we want to become and who we can become. God wants us to be happy so I want to invite you all to think about what might be making you happy or unhappy. Not your circumstances or situations you are in but the personality, strengths and qualities you have. And then whatever makes you unhappy I invite you to take action and converse with the Lord how to change it so that you can and will be happy! As we 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness' the Lord will bless us so much and we will be able to see a transformation in ourselves that 'all these [good] things shall be added unto you'(Matthew 6:33). 

Ezra Taft Benson taught "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives. … We should give God, the Father of our spirits, an exclusive preeminence in our lives. He has a prior parental claim on our eternal welfare, ahead of all other ties that may bind us here or hereafter" in the May 1988 General Conference talk called 'The Great Commandment-Love the Lord.'

I know this church is true and I know it changes lives! It has mine for sure. I love you all!

DO GOOD, BE GOOD

Love,

Elder T. Ricks 

40 -> 100- Week 71

Hey everyone!!! This week was filled with the Spirit, laughter, hard work and many miracles. The Lord is really hastening His work and it's been so cool to see. I hope that you haveall had a good week!

We had IN PERSON MLC MEETING. Woah that was pretty sweet. And it was so amazing as well. I am so glad I got to be apart if it. We have been really striving to be the best mission that we can be and President Murphy invited us to achieve a goal of 40 baptisms in the month of December(in July we have a goal of 26 as a mission) and the spirit was so strong. This is also coming from having 5 or 6 baptisms back to back months in October and November. And the Spirit was so strong, we had an awesome discussion and we felt very strongly that we can achieve more than 40 by the end of the year and set a goal of 100. It was amazing. Words dont do it justice. I love this mission!

I have loved studying the New Testament!! Mathew 5:22 - But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother...shall be in danger of the judgment. President Thomas S. Monson said in the 2009 General Conference in the talk 'School Thy Feelings, O My Brother' - "To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice...May we make a conscious decision, each time such a decision must be made, to refrain from anger." We have a lot of power to choose our emotions and I love the invitation given from President Monson to 'make a conscious decision to refrain from anger' and our lives will change dramatically. I love you all!

DO GOOD, BE GOOD

Love,

Elder T. Ricks