The Weekly Update - November 25, 2013

Hello everybody back home and other various places around the world!

It is COLD!! Today it started snowing enough for it to actually stick to the ground! This pictures was taken this morning as Elder Cranney and I were getting ready to go to the pier with the other missionaries in our district. There was snow and ice everywhere! Thankfully, Elder Cranney is from Utah and is used to driving in the snow, so we didn't slide anywhere (by accident;-P) The high today I think is 23 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you account for humidity and the wind, it feels like it's below 0! Brrrrr....!

This village set belongs to a recent convert in the ward, Brother Klunk (yes that is his actual name). I have officially dubbed him "The Coolest Cat in Sheboygan." We missionaries can pretty much go over to his house whenever to use the restroom, have lunch, or hang out on P-day. He is about 70 years old and is planning (hopefully) to go to the Chicago temple in January to receive his endowment! He is also always willing to go to a teaching appointment with us if we need another male with us (we're not supposed to go into a home if the only one home is female.

I want to know how things back home are! I miss everybody terribly and I know I'm going to feel SUPER out of the loop when I get back! Did anybody see "Catching Fire?" How was it? How is work going for everyone? Oh! And Aunt Triesa, can I get Jake's e-mail address? Speaking of which, if anybody has friends who do not have my e-mail, please share it with them! I'd like to keep in touch with as many people as I possibly can. 

So the Work is going pretty good out here in Sheboygan. Elder Cranney and I have been kept really busy due to a lot of new investigators and a lot of referrals. It's really hard to schedule appointments though because we are doing a lot of service for the ward members and because we have to do three hours of studying a day! There's also district meeting on Tuesdays, weekly planning on Thursdays, P-day on Mondays, and dinner appointments that sometimes go a lot longer than planned! I'm still really excited to be out here teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and watching it change people! The Book of Mormon has been an amazing tool to show people how much the gospel can bless their lives! I've started reading the Bible in my personal study time (I'm currently in Deuteronomy), and it's hard! I find the language in the Book of Mormon so much easier to understand, but it also is easier to stay focused while reading the Book of Mormon because you are so drawn into the stories and the characters and the doctrine! I have already learned so much, and I've only been on my mission for a month! Holy cow! Saturday was my one-month mark! I only have 23 to go and then I will be able to see all of you. The hardest part about serving a mission so far has been not being allowed to hug women. It was really difficult to see on of our investigators have her husband die and not be able to give her a hug! Bah! That's okay though, because the Lord will bless me for my sacrifices!

I hope everyone is doing okay and staying warm, and  I will update you next week!

Elder Riggs

Another Week - November 18, 2013

Hey Everyone!

This week has been awesome! I'm settling into life as a missionary and things here in Sheboygan are pretty great! Ive discovered that Sheboygan is mentioned in the movie "Surf's Up!" One of the members was talking about it.  Chicken Joe is from Sheboygan! I'm in a famous city! Hahaha.

It is COLD!!!!!! It hasn't snowed yet, but this week it has rained a lot and has been really windy. The problem here is the humidity. Once you're cold, you are cold all over. If you try to warm up, your skin might be warm but the cold goes straight through all layers of your body. It's a strange feeling to have your bones cold......

I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I'm most likely going to come home fat. I love the food here! The members are all amazing cooks and they are constantly feeding us! This week and next week, I think we have dinner appointments every day except for Saturday. And yes, Juli, I am eating things that I don't like. I still think spaghetti is gross and I still can't stand apple pie, but when the member serve it, I will eat it (and try not to cringe).

I hate tracting. It's awkward, it's cold, it's discouraging, it's hard! Knocking on people's doors to tell them about the gospel is really hard because we know exactly how this gospel will bless their lives and help them be happy (for forever!), but they don't know what they're missing out on! It's discouraging because people will yell at you when they have a "No Soliciting" sign on their door. We aren't selling anything, in fact, we're trying to give you a Book of Mormon for free!

Some of the things that people will say to us are kind of funny though. One of our investigators, Laura, has been taught about the Book of Mormon twice. We asked her if she had read it, and she said she had.  She said that she grew up with the King James version of the Bible, so getting used to this Bible was a bit of a challenge. Elder Cranney and I are going to have to explain things a little bit better, and probably bring our Quad over to show her that we believe in the Bible too. Most people seem to think that the Book of Mormon is a replacement of the Bible, so they don't want to read it. Not true. It's a completely different book that actually supports the Bible.

Everybody seems to drink out here. There are bars on pretty much every corner, so teaching about the Word of Wisdom is a bit of a challenge. Almost nobody want to give up their beer, because they think they aren't addicted to it. Same thing with coffee; they think that it isn't bad for you and they don't want to give it up. The problem is, they aren't willing to even try to give up their coffee or alcohol. They can't; they're addicted to both. Helping people realize that without offending them is really difficult.

So my companion/trainer, Elder Cranney, is from Roosevelt, UT. He has been out on his mission for eight months and I am his second son (he is my father because he is training me. I was born in Sheboygan because that is my first area. My brother is Elder Ward, because that's who Elder Cranney trained before me. Getting used to the mission terminology has been fun.) He has been in Sheboygan for five of those eight months and thinks he's going to be transferred this transfer. I don't think he will be.

The work is going good here. The Lord is mindful of all of us and our needs, and He will bless us as long as we are doing the things we should. Remember that He loves you and wants you to love Him! I love you all too, and I miss you!

Elder Riggs

"For verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better."
D&C 25:10

Pictures from his arrival in Wisconsin

These are pictures from Tyler's arrival day in Wisconsin on the 5th of November. He looks exhausted after flying the Red Eye flight and arriving at 9 am.  This is his new companion, Elder Cranney. He is from Roosevelt, Utah.  Tyler is doing great and loving it!

New Address

Tyler's new apartment address is:

2420 S. 18th St.
Sheboygan, WI 53081

1st Week in the Field!

So it's my first week in the field here in Wisconsin and I am serving in the area of Sheboygan! The members here are absolutely wonderful and super nice! We have had dinner appointments almost every single day since I've been here! I might come home a few pounds heavier since when I left! The food is really good!

Having been here for a week I'm getting a feel of how the Work is going here in Sheboygan. Most people here are Catholic or Lutheran and not very many people are good at keeping commitments. We've been teaching a few people but not a whole lot of them are terribly interested or are pretty apathetic about things. There are, however, a few people who are doing well. My first actual lesson was with a black lady named Charlene, and she seems like she really wants to learn how to come closer to Christ. Another lady, Laura, is such a sweetheart! She is living in an assisted living home because she has some kind of mental disorder, but she really want to come closer to her Savior. She might be considered a golden investigator if she can remember what we taught her.  This is a tracting area, so Elder Cranney and I are walking a lot. My feet are going to be way sore by the time I leave this area!

It snowed today! I can already tell that this is going to be a COLD winter! :-( Oh well, I will deal with whatever comes because I know that the Lord is looking out for me, and He will never send me anything that I cannot handle! I can do this!

I love it up here despite the cold and despite the slow Work, but I will do my best to bring people to Christ and not stop! Besides, if I get discouraged I know that the Milwaukee mission is a large mission and I will not be in Sheboygan for a lot longer!

I love you all, I miss you , and I won't let you down!

-Elder Riggs

Tyler's First Location

We heard from Tyler's Mission President this last week.  Tyler has been assigned to serve in Sheboygan Wisconsin for his first area. His companion's name is Elder Cranney.  His Mission President said he is doing great and they are grateful to have him. He's ready to work. We hope to hear from him tomorrow and will keep you updated on how he is doing.  Below is the mission blog that Tyler's mission president's wife has created and maintains.  Check it out.

With Love,
Riggs Family

http://wisconsinmilwaukeemission.blogspot.com

November 4, 2013 (excerpt from Juli's e-mail)

I have had my mind blown so much while I've been here just because of all of the things that we talk about make perfect sense! For example, today we were talking about the three kingdoms of glory and how Elder Williams brought up a question. He asked if they weren't separate, but perhaps they were within each other. This is kind of hard to explain because all of us were drawing these pictures on the white board, so it made a lot of sense, but try to picture in your mind three circles; one small, one medium, and one large. The small one is within the medium one, and the medium one is within the large one. The smallest one represents the Telestial Kingdom, the medium one represents the Terrestial Kingdom, and the large one represents the Celestial Kingdom. Then Sister Torgersen drew a crude diagram of the earth on the board. The core, which is hard and made of iron (unchanging) is the Telestial Kingdom. That is within the mantle of the earth, hot and slow moving, and the Celestial Kingdom is the crust. It gets better. We know that there are three tiers in the Celestial Kingdom, right? Apparently, the crust of the earth also has three tiers, but the top tier (equal to exaltation) is the only place where things can grow! It might not make sense until you draw it, but it completely blew my mind!!

I am going to miss everyone in my district! I almost just want to stay here and continue learning more about the gospel and how it works! While we've been here, Elder Brewer and I have "taught" two people: Jimmy (who is really our teacher, Brother Dayhuff, but the Spirit tells us he is really Jimmy) and Peter (who we're pretty sure is a member, but has great questions). Yesterday we challenged both of them to be baptized and they said yes!! Now, I know that doesn't technically count, but it shows us that this teaching thing really isn't as hard and scary as I thought it would be. As long as I'm listening to the Spirit, he will tell me what the investigator needs to hear! It's nothing like I've ever felt before!

10.30.2013 (Hand Written Family Letter)

Dear Everyone,

Wow! The MTC is an incredible place! Everyone is super nice here and I have made so many friends! My companion's name is Elder Brewer, and he is from Kaysville! The other companionship in our district consists of Elder "Fingers" Fringer and Elder "Patches" Williams. Both of them are super funny! All of us elders really hit it off the first day. There are also five sisters in our district. They are Sister Clayson, Sister Love, Sister Short (which she isn't), Sister Pereria, and Sister Torgerson. All of the sisters are SO much more spiritual than we elders.

The Spirit here is unbelievable! I can feel it, especially in our classrooms. The other day (yesterday) during our "additional study time", we as a district turned it into a district discussion about the doctrine of Christ, which we were supposed to be studying anyway, and it was so powerful. Everyone could tell that the Spirit was there, testifying to each of us that what we were discussing was true.

I am the oldest person in our district. The youngest person (Elder Brewer) is the district leader as well as the senior companion. I'm not quite sure how it's going to work when we switch and I become the senior companion next week.....

Our zone leaders, who have been here for a week (I think), said that we would be sick of the MTC and want to quit by Saturday, but I'm still on fire. I'm tired, because we've been getting up at 5:30, and I feel pretty drained (both literally and figuratively) but I still love it here! We've been getting up at 5:30 because our breakfast slot is 6:30-7:00, and there's no time in our schedule to get ready after breakfast. It's actually good planning on our part, since Wisconsin is an hour ahead of us. By their time we are going to bed at 11:30 and waking up at 6:30, so when we arrive there, we'll be getting an extra hour of sleep.

By the way, Dad, will you send me the analogy about the Refiner's Fire and the Pot Ash? I just though of it and figured I would ask before I forget to!

And another thing, I am absurdly happy here! This is great!Today the elders in our district gave almost five sisters blessings! That was so spiritual! I cannot emphasize how strong the Spirit is felt here! Our district was meant to be put together the way it was. Parker and Saskya, SERVE A MISSION!! I realize that Saskya doesn't have to, but she should.  You will grow to be so familiar with the Spirit. I know I have, and I've only been here for three days! It's nice to be in a place where one isn't distracted by the world's temptations and flashiness. Juli and Dad, that doesn't give you permission to sell my iPod;)

There's so much that happens here during the day that it's hard to pick what to write about! My branch president's name is President Menlove, and he is an amazing man.  I've only met him once, but it isn't hard to tell he's supposed to be in that position.

Im also insanely thirsty ALL THE TIME!!! I bought a water bottle from the MTC bookstore that is 750mL and today alone I have filled it TEN TIMES!! It's weird! The food is also really good.

Okay, it is geting really late (it's almost 11:00 pm) so I had better get some sleep! 5:30 comes early in the morning. I miss you, but I'm not going to lie.... I LOVE THE MTC!!!

With Love,

Elder Riggs

Airport (11.4.2013)

We just got a phone call from Tyler. He is sitting at the airport waiting for his late flight headed to Wisconsin.  It was SO wonderful to hear his voice and to know that he is doing ok.  He is nervous but excited and expressed how grateful he is for what he was taught at the MTC that has helped him feel more prepared.  Leaving the MTC was hard for him, it had very quickly become a replacement for home but he is anxious to meet his Mission President and get to work. 

Brannick and I are so proud of him and can't even begin to express our gratitude to a our Heavenly Father for the blessings Tyler has received and the blessings that have come into our home from his service. We are grateful for His watchful eye on our son.  Tyler is experiencing tremendous growth. Tyler is finding out who Tyler is and it is humbling to watch how the Lord works miracles in the lives of those who are willing to sacrifice everything and 'Come Unto Him'. 

Tomorrow will be a whole new world for Elder Riggs.... we can't wait to hear about his safe arrival and his new home. Thanks for continued prayers on his behalf and thank you to all who have believed in and supported Tyler along the way. 

Much Love,
Juli Riggs

10.29.2013 (excerpt from Juli's email)

 I am quickly learning here at the MTC that if I'm freaking out about learning the material or teaching an investigator, I don't do so well. But if I am putting my faith in the Lord and paying attention to the Spirit, I don't worry as much, because I am really not the one who is teaching the investigator; it's the Spirit. I'm just the tool to get the Spirit into their home so that the Spirit can testify of the truthfulness of what we are saying. I've also noticed that back home, I kind of got caught up in making the gospel more complicated than what it really needs to be, as I'm sure a lot of people do. What I've learned is that the gospel really is incredibly basic, and that's what converts people. It isn't the nitty-gritty details; it's the doctrine of Christ.

Pictures from the MTC!

 Tyler's MTC companions, Elder Brewer from Kaysville

 Missionary Name Tags

This is Sister Riggs. We were heading to lunch one day and she stopped us to bear her testimony to us to practice speaking it. What a coincidence! She is from Mesa, Arizona, so we are probably related somehow.

 These are the Elders from our district.

 This is our Zone. This was taken when we went to the Temple grounds on Sunday.

These are all the Elders in our zone. We are kind of dorks.