Friday, November 21, 2014
Snow has fallen...... 11/17/2014
Hey everybody!
Sorry about not updating you last week. We had kind of a crazy day. This one is pretty nuts too.
Elder Larsen is leaving Waukesha! His reign is at an end, and he is going to Janesville to be the district leader there. He's so nervous about that. I, on the other hand, get to be district monkey again! Elder Bluth, my new companion, is the district leader, so I get to be Junior Companion again! I've heard that he is awesome, so I'm totally excited!
Yes, there is a lot of snow on the ground. It's cold, and wet. The wind is also picking up, which makes it even colder. I've survived one Wisconsin winter before, and I can do it again! I just need to make sure that I always have the Spirit, which will keep me warm ;)
The Book of Mormon is true! I hope all of you are on track to finish it by Christmas! It's so amazing how often it talks about Christ and His Atonement, and what we can do to receive strength because of Him. We all are in this world, doing amazing things, but we need to recognize that everything we do is because of Him. We have hope because of Him. We will all be resurrected because of Him. We can be happy because of Him. I encourage you all to strengthen your relationship with your Father in Heaven through prayer. He wants to hear from you, but you need to be the one to take the first step into the dark. Keep up the good work everybody, and never forget that you are a child of God!
--Elder T. Riggs
Sorry about not updating you last week. We had kind of a crazy day. This one is pretty nuts too.
Elder Larsen is leaving Waukesha! His reign is at an end, and he is going to Janesville to be the district leader there. He's so nervous about that. I, on the other hand, get to be district monkey again! Elder Bluth, my new companion, is the district leader, so I get to be Junior Companion again! I've heard that he is awesome, so I'm totally excited!
Yes, there is a lot of snow on the ground. It's cold, and wet. The wind is also picking up, which makes it even colder. I've survived one Wisconsin winter before, and I can do it again! I just need to make sure that I always have the Spirit, which will keep me warm ;)
The Book of Mormon is true! I hope all of you are on track to finish it by Christmas! It's so amazing how often it talks about Christ and His Atonement, and what we can do to receive strength because of Him. We all are in this world, doing amazing things, but we need to recognize that everything we do is because of Him. We have hope because of Him. We will all be resurrected because of Him. We can be happy because of Him. I encourage you all to strengthen your relationship with your Father in Heaven through prayer. He wants to hear from you, but you need to be the one to take the first step into the dark. Keep up the good work everybody, and never forget that you are a child of God!
--Elder T. Riggs
11-3-2014
Hello everybody!
This week has been really chilly! I've had to bundle up and even break out a thermals for some days. I am not excited for another winter out here, but I know the Lord's strength and the fire of the Spirit, I will survive! Daylight savings has really messed with our proselyting, because it now gets dark at about 4:45! It's kind of ridiculous, but we'll deal with whatever comes.
Lynn and Todd came to church and actually stayed for Gospel Principles! They are doing so well, and Elder Larsen and I think that if they continue to come to church and meet with us, we will be able to set a baptisimal date with them! :)
Other than that, we're still out trying to find those that are prepared to hear about he gospel! It's difficult with a hole in your shoe to be walking around a lot, but that's okay. It just means the hole will get bigger! :D
The Atonement is real. I've been thinking about a lot of the messages that the world gives us and how different they are from God's messages. One of the biggest things that frustrates me is when the world says that people don't really change, or that someone is "set in their ways." The Atonement says otherwise People do change. Every day. Whether they recognize it or not. The key is, do you want to chance, and are you willing to do what it takes? By applying Christ's Atonement into our lives, He can change us into the person that He knows we can become. We can change, but we have to let Him do the changing, because He knows best.
I Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
This week has been really chilly! I've had to bundle up and even break out a thermals for some days. I am not excited for another winter out here, but I know the Lord's strength and the fire of the Spirit, I will survive! Daylight savings has really messed with our proselyting, because it now gets dark at about 4:45! It's kind of ridiculous, but we'll deal with whatever comes.
Lynn and Todd came to church and actually stayed for Gospel Principles! They are doing so well, and Elder Larsen and I think that if they continue to come to church and meet with us, we will be able to set a baptisimal date with them! :)
Other than that, we're still out trying to find those that are prepared to hear about he gospel! It's difficult with a hole in your shoe to be walking around a lot, but that's okay. It just means the hole will get bigger! :D
The Atonement is real. I've been thinking about a lot of the messages that the world gives us and how different they are from God's messages. One of the biggest things that frustrates me is when the world says that people don't really change, or that someone is "set in their ways." The Atonement says otherwise People do change. Every day. Whether they recognize it or not. The key is, do you want to chance, and are you willing to do what it takes? By applying Christ's Atonement into our lives, He can change us into the person that He knows we can become. We can change, but we have to let Him do the changing, because He knows best.
I Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
10-27-2014
Well hello everybody! :D
Today is the last Monday in October and it is about 63 degrees outside right now. What happened? I mean, I'm not complaining, but it's really weird to thin that November happens on Saturday, but we're still having nice weather. Maybe by next week it will cool down and return to normal.
Elder Larsen and I have been doing a lot of finding this week. One of our most solid investigators has been out of town this past week and two of our other investigators have been busy. Welcome to tracting apartments! We've seen a lot of great success as we got out and work to bring souls to the Lord. We were able to testify to a wonderful lady named Mary who has been going through a lot of heath problems and has been questioning her faith. We told her that she was a daughter of God and that He knew where she was at this point in her life. She accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and said that she would read it! Hopefully we will be able to teach her and her family the Restoration tonight when we stop by.
Thursday was my one-year marl! I am over the hill as far as mission life goes! It's a really weird thought that I still have another year of growth and learning while a missionary. There are so many memories that are crammed into one year of service and to think that I am only halfway done with it is amazing. Here's to a great year full of faith and testimony!
By the way, there's a new Mormon Messages about suicide prevention that is really good. I encourage each of you to watch it, because we might not even know if someone around is is struggling with suicidal thoughts, and it's good to have a reminder to be looking out for the person that we can help. Here's the link:
hhtp://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3851853843001&cid=HPTU102114502
Got to go! Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
Today is the last Monday in October and it is about 63 degrees outside right now. What happened? I mean, I'm not complaining, but it's really weird to thin that November happens on Saturday, but we're still having nice weather. Maybe by next week it will cool down and return to normal.
Elder Larsen and I have been doing a lot of finding this week. One of our most solid investigators has been out of town this past week and two of our other investigators have been busy. Welcome to tracting apartments! We've seen a lot of great success as we got out and work to bring souls to the Lord. We were able to testify to a wonderful lady named Mary who has been going through a lot of heath problems and has been questioning her faith. We told her that she was a daughter of God and that He knew where she was at this point in her life. She accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and said that she would read it! Hopefully we will be able to teach her and her family the Restoration tonight when we stop by.
Thursday was my one-year marl! I am over the hill as far as mission life goes! It's a really weird thought that I still have another year of growth and learning while a missionary. There are so many memories that are crammed into one year of service and to think that I am only halfway done with it is amazing. Here's to a great year full of faith and testimony!
By the way, there's a new Mormon Messages about suicide prevention that is really good. I encourage each of you to watch it, because we might not even know if someone around is is struggling with suicidal thoughts, and it's good to have a reminder to be looking out for the person that we can help. Here's the link:
hhtp://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3851853843001&cid=HPTU102114502
Got to go! Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
10-20-2014
Hey Everyone!
So this week we, as a zone, got to watch the new movie, "Meet the Mormons" and it is absolutely phenomenal! The beginning is hilarious, and it's just a roller coaster ride of emotions. I laughed. I (almost) cried. If you haven't seen it, YOU NEED TO! And bring your friends! This is definitely a movie that I'm buying when I return home, because it's just spectacular. :)
This week has also been full of service for others. That's one of the most important things that we can do on earth, because we are so dependent upon others for so much, and it's a great feeling to have accomplished that for someone else. After all, that's exactly what Christ did everywhere He went! He served others and turned outward when the natural man would have turned inward. He is the perfect example of service to all.
It's getting cold here in Waukesha! I'm totally not excited for winter to come, because I've already experienced of them and I know what to expect. I'm hoping that I an stay here in Waukesha through the winter, because transferring in the middle of winter is terrible. Elder Larsen is already predicting that he's going to stay another transfer here, but we'll have to see. :)
I hope all of you are reading the Book of Mormon and are on track to finish it by Christmas! It is the best self-help book in the world and really helps us understand how we can better our relationship with Christ.
Love you all!!
--Elder T. Riggs
So this week we, as a zone, got to watch the new movie, "Meet the Mormons" and it is absolutely phenomenal! The beginning is hilarious, and it's just a roller coaster ride of emotions. I laughed. I (almost) cried. If you haven't seen it, YOU NEED TO! And bring your friends! This is definitely a movie that I'm buying when I return home, because it's just spectacular. :)
This week has also been full of service for others. That's one of the most important things that we can do on earth, because we are so dependent upon others for so much, and it's a great feeling to have accomplished that for someone else. After all, that's exactly what Christ did everywhere He went! He served others and turned outward when the natural man would have turned inward. He is the perfect example of service to all.
It's getting cold here in Waukesha! I'm totally not excited for winter to come, because I've already experienced of them and I know what to expect. I'm hoping that I an stay here in Waukesha through the winter, because transferring in the middle of winter is terrible. Elder Larsen is already predicting that he's going to stay another transfer here, but we'll have to see. :)
I hope all of you are reading the Book of Mormon and are on track to finish it by Christmas! It is the best self-help book in the world and really helps us understand how we can better our relationship with Christ.
Love you all!!
--Elder T. Riggs
Thursday, November 20, 2014
10-13-2014
Hey Hey Hey!
So I'm in Waukesha enjoying my time here with Elder Larsen. He's totally awesome and really funny! This area is so amazingly awesome, with a lot of great people to talk to and a good sized ward. I hope I can stay here for the duration of winter.
Speaking of cold weather, it's been pretty chilly here. I thought I was going south to warm up, but I've been breaking out the sweaters and craving hot chocolate! The sky has been fairly gloomy, and it seems like it's going to rain. I am not excited for winter to come, but at least I only have 1 left. I made it through the last one, so I know I can make it through this one. :)
President Cutlet has asked us as a mission to read the Book of Mormon completely through before Christmas as our gift to the Savior. I unfortunately cannot attach the pdf file on this computer, but I promise to next week! Today's reading assignment is 1 Nephi 16-17. By next Monday, you should be done with 2 Nephi 9. It's about 7 pages a day of reading, so if you're behind (like I am) I encourage you to put forth the extra effort into getting caught up! As you read, be sure to look for things that talk about Christ's Atonement, but more specifically, what we can do to take hold of and apply His Atonement into our lives. You can do it now, just like President Uchtdorf has said!
Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
So I'm in Waukesha enjoying my time here with Elder Larsen. He's totally awesome and really funny! This area is so amazingly awesome, with a lot of great people to talk to and a good sized ward. I hope I can stay here for the duration of winter.
Speaking of cold weather, it's been pretty chilly here. I thought I was going south to warm up, but I've been breaking out the sweaters and craving hot chocolate! The sky has been fairly gloomy, and it seems like it's going to rain. I am not excited for winter to come, but at least I only have 1 left. I made it through the last one, so I know I can make it through this one. :)
President Cutlet has asked us as a mission to read the Book of Mormon completely through before Christmas as our gift to the Savior. I unfortunately cannot attach the pdf file on this computer, but I promise to next week! Today's reading assignment is 1 Nephi 16-17. By next Monday, you should be done with 2 Nephi 9. It's about 7 pages a day of reading, so if you're behind (like I am) I encourage you to put forth the extra effort into getting caught up! As you read, be sure to look for things that talk about Christ's Atonement, but more specifically, what we can do to take hold of and apply His Atonement into our lives. You can do it now, just like President Uchtdorf has said!
Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
10-06-2014
Transfers are this week and I am leaving Marinette! I'm sad to go, but the Lord needs me elsewhere to further His work in Waukesha. This will be my fourth area/zone in the mission and my sixth companion in the field. Life is coming at me fast, and it's only going to come faster! Yikes!
General Conference was this past weekend and, as it always is, it was mind-blowing! I have come to realize that General Conference is my favorite time of the year, because it gives us the opportunity to listen to the Lord's prophet and apostles speak to us to give us instruction, encouragement, and correction. My favorite talk was by Jorg Klebingat about 6 things we can do to increase our spiritual confidence.
I just want to make sure all of you understand that our families should be the most important physical possession that we have. I dearly miss mine, but I know it won't be long before I see them again. Families truly can be together forever, but we must enjoy them now.
Love you,
--Elder T. Riggs
General Conference was this past weekend and, as it always is, it was mind-blowing! I have come to realize that General Conference is my favorite time of the year, because it gives us the opportunity to listen to the Lord's prophet and apostles speak to us to give us instruction, encouragement, and correction. My favorite talk was by Jorg Klebingat about 6 things we can do to increase our spiritual confidence.
I just want to make sure all of you understand that our families should be the most important physical possession that we have. I dearly miss mine, but I know it won't be long before I see them again. Families truly can be together forever, but we must enjoy them now.
Love you,
--Elder T. Riggs
Nothing much has changed 09-02-14
Other than my new companion, that is :) His name is Elder Levacy-Sabin and he's from Rexburg, Idaho. He's my combo breaker because he's older than me and he's not from Utah! I knew it was going to happen eventually.
There really isn't much else to report here in Marinette. The branch is still going through a few struggles, but I can really see the hand of the Lord in their lives guiding them. We must trust in the Lord through all of our trials because He is the one who will help us get through them and learn from them. I'm almost out of time, so I've got to go!
Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
There really isn't much else to report here in Marinette. The branch is still going through a few struggles, but I can really see the hand of the Lord in their lives guiding them. We must trust in the Lord through all of our trials because He is the one who will help us get through them and learn from them. I'm almost out of time, so I've got to go!
Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
Transfer Week 08/25/14
Hey Everybody!
This week is transfers and I'm not leaving! Elder Ostergaard is getting transferred up to Houghton! My new companion is going to be Elder Levacy-Sabin, who served with Elder Cranney up in Houghton a little while back, so that's going to be exciting! Elder Ostergaard is really sad about leaving. Saturday, when we found out who was being transferred, he told me over and over again that he was leaving. I think he's still in denial a little bit. Transfers are always a sad thing, because we grow so attached to the area, the members, and our companions. Elder Ostergaard has set a great example to me of how to really love the people. I just hope that I can exemplify that as well as he did.
One of our investigators dropped us, which is always very sad, but one of the members here has a friend that sounds like he's totally prepared to accept the gospel! We'v been really focusing on working with less-active members to find people to teach, and the branch council is totally behind us! The Adversary has been really trying hard to break this branch apart lately. There has been so much opposition. It's really interesting to note that Satan has only two options when he tries to break something apart: he will either break it up and get his way, or the people draw closer to God and become stronger than they were. Only two options. The key is that we have to ALWAYS be turning to God, not only through our trials, but before they happen. That way we will be able to withstand anything that the adversary throws at us. There's a saying that a lot of people repeat that says that God will never give us anything that we can't handle. That's not true. God gives us things that we can't handle with the hope that we will turn to Him. We need a constant connection with our Father. One thing that we need to remember through our trials is that the amount of potential we have for greatness is directly proportional to how difficult the trials are. If we stay strong, then we will become the people that the Lord knows we can become.
The Church is true. The Gospel of Jesus Christ not only makes spiritual sense, but it also makes logical sense. Don't believe me? Find our for yourself. Read from the Book of Mormon, the most correct of any book on earth. Pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him. He is always waiting for us to come to Him. He loves you and knows you by name. You are everything to Him.
I love you!
--Elder T. Riggs
This week is transfers and I'm not leaving! Elder Ostergaard is getting transferred up to Houghton! My new companion is going to be Elder Levacy-Sabin, who served with Elder Cranney up in Houghton a little while back, so that's going to be exciting! Elder Ostergaard is really sad about leaving. Saturday, when we found out who was being transferred, he told me over and over again that he was leaving. I think he's still in denial a little bit. Transfers are always a sad thing, because we grow so attached to the area, the members, and our companions. Elder Ostergaard has set a great example to me of how to really love the people. I just hope that I can exemplify that as well as he did.
One of our investigators dropped us, which is always very sad, but one of the members here has a friend that sounds like he's totally prepared to accept the gospel! We'v been really focusing on working with less-active members to find people to teach, and the branch council is totally behind us! The Adversary has been really trying hard to break this branch apart lately. There has been so much opposition. It's really interesting to note that Satan has only two options when he tries to break something apart: he will either break it up and get his way, or the people draw closer to God and become stronger than they were. Only two options. The key is that we have to ALWAYS be turning to God, not only through our trials, but before they happen. That way we will be able to withstand anything that the adversary throws at us. There's a saying that a lot of people repeat that says that God will never give us anything that we can't handle. That's not true. God gives us things that we can't handle with the hope that we will turn to Him. We need a constant connection with our Father. One thing that we need to remember through our trials is that the amount of potential we have for greatness is directly proportional to how difficult the trials are. If we stay strong, then we will become the people that the Lord knows we can become.
The Church is true. The Gospel of Jesus Christ not only makes spiritual sense, but it also makes logical sense. Don't believe me? Find our for yourself. Read from the Book of Mormon, the most correct of any book on earth. Pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him. He is always waiting for us to come to Him. He loves you and knows you by name. You are everything to Him.
I love you!
--Elder T. Riggs
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Yet Another Weekly Update: July 28, 2014
Hey Everyone!
This week has been a difficult one. There has been a lot of opposition lately in the area, but Elder Ostergaard and I are working to overcome it! We know that there are a lot of people here who are ready to hear about the gospel, because Satan is working so hard to keep these people from the fulness of the gospel!
The gospel truly is amazing. It's like a diamond. There are so many aspects of it and the whole thing is just beautiful. The Atonement is real and a wonderful gift that our Savior, Jesus Christ has given to us. We need to be the ones to use it, though. As we come unto Him, we can be changed. our hearts can be softened. We can be healed. He loves you and so do I!
--Elder T. Riggs
This week has been a difficult one. There has been a lot of opposition lately in the area, but Elder Ostergaard and I are working to overcome it! We know that there are a lot of people here who are ready to hear about the gospel, because Satan is working so hard to keep these people from the fulness of the gospel!
The gospel truly is amazing. It's like a diamond. There are so many aspects of it and the whole thing is just beautiful. The Atonement is real and a wonderful gift that our Savior, Jesus Christ has given to us. We need to be the ones to use it, though. As we come unto Him, we can be changed. our hearts can be softened. We can be healed. He loves you and so do I!
--Elder T. Riggs
July is Over: August 4th, 2014
Hey everyone!
I honestly have no idea where the month of July has gone. I've changed from Green Bay to Marinette and have just felt the time slipping by me.
For the message this week, there's a great new Mormon Message that came out this week. Please watch it. It's made very well and it's a very inspiring video. The address that you can find it is:
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3701964025001&cid=HPTH073114368
God it real. He loves each of us and is nurturing us to become the kind of person He needs us to be. But we need to be patient with God, because His timing is perfect. He watched out for each of us. The feeling we get when we are close to God is indescribable, but it is good. We need to be the ones to come unto Him, though. We need to take those steps of faith. God will not abandon us and he is patient with us.
I Love You!
--Elder T. Riggs
I honestly have no idea where the month of July has gone. I've changed from Green Bay to Marinette and have just felt the time slipping by me.
For the message this week, there's a great new Mormon Message that came out this week. Please watch it. It's made very well and it's a very inspiring video. The address that you can find it is:
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3701964025001&cid=HPTH073114368
God it real. He loves each of us and is nurturing us to become the kind of person He needs us to be. But we need to be patient with God, because His timing is perfect. He watched out for each of us. The feeling we get when we are close to God is indescribable, but it is good. We need to be the ones to come unto Him, though. We need to take those steps of faith. God will not abandon us and he is patient with us.
I Love You!
--Elder T. Riggs
Another Super Short Update: July 21st, 2014
Marinette is tiny compared to Green Bay. Being senior companion is weird. I don't like driving Jeeps. Heat + Humidity=YUCK! Prayer works with the big stuff and small stuff (it made my hiccups go away the other day). I love the gospel! Everything in the Church makes sense! "Do not underestimate the influence of a father."
--Elder T. Riggs
New Area: July 21st, 2014
This week has been really stressful! It hasn't been bad stress, there's just been a lot of things happening. Getting used to a new area is really difficult, because you have to learn how to navigate the city, learn how you are going to work with your new companion and develop a system that will allow both of you to work at your peak condition, learn the current members' names (and try your hardest to remember them), learn where the area's investigators are at in their spiritual progression, drive a car that I've never driven before in my life (we have a Jeep Compass), understand how the branch president wants missionary work to be done in the branch... There's a lot to it!
And I actually have to make a correction to something I said last week: I'm not in Marinetter, MI. I'm living in Marinette, WI but my proselyting area is Menominee, MI. The city is TINY compared to Green Bay! In Green Bay we had 14 missionaries for the whole city and here we have 4. Elder Ostergard, my new companion, says that they're probably going to be combining the two areas in the branch after this transfer, so I'll have to learn another area too! Whew! All in a day's work for a missionary. :-)
--Elder T. Riggs
And I actually have to make a correction to something I said last week: I'm not in Marinetter, MI. I'm living in Marinette, WI but my proselyting area is Menominee, MI. The city is TINY compared to Green Bay! In Green Bay we had 14 missionaries for the whole city and here we have 4. Elder Ostergard, my new companion, says that they're probably going to be combining the two areas in the branch after this transfer, so I'll have to learn another area too! Whew! All in a day's work for a missionary. :-)
--Elder T. Riggs
I'm Leaving Wisconsin: July 14th, 2014
Hey everybody!
I'm getting transferred! After 6 months in Green Bay, I am going up to serve n Marinette, MI! I'm going to be senior companion finally. I'm almost 9 months and I've spend all of that time being junior companion. It's not that I actually care about that, but I think it's pretty funny. :-D
It's really sad to be leaving the Brown family, but I'm needed elsewhere. There are people in Marinette that I need to teach! And maybe I'll learn how to talk with a "Yooper" accent! Hahahah! I'm just going more north! Perhaps when I get transferred again I'll just keep heading up north and end my mission in Houghton! Wouldn't hat be something?
Anyway, the Church is so true! The Book of Mormon is the BEST book I have ever read! It changes people's lives. It changed mine. It's true. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet who has been called of God. True happiness comes from sharing the gospel! I never want to leave my mission!
Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
I'm getting transferred! After 6 months in Green Bay, I am going up to serve n Marinette, MI! I'm going to be senior companion finally. I'm almost 9 months and I've spend all of that time being junior companion. It's not that I actually care about that, but I think it's pretty funny. :-D
It's really sad to be leaving the Brown family, but I'm needed elsewhere. There are people in Marinette that I need to teach! And maybe I'll learn how to talk with a "Yooper" accent! Hahahah! I'm just going more north! Perhaps when I get transferred again I'll just keep heading up north and end my mission in Houghton! Wouldn't hat be something?
Anyway, the Church is so true! The Book of Mormon is the BEST book I have ever read! It changes people's lives. It changed mine. It's true. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet who has been called of God. True happiness comes from sharing the gospel! I never want to leave my mission!
Love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
Major Suspense: July 7th, 2014
Hey everyone!
This is the last full week of the transfer....Wow. We'll be finding out who is getting transferred where on Saturday. I'm most likely leaving Green Bay because I've been here for 6 months. Well, what comes will come and I will deal with whatever the Lord has in store for me!
The 4th was a very uneventful day. Not a whole lot of people wanted to talk to us, but as we were walking through a bunch of the celebrations on Main Street, a few people who were proselyting for their church stopped us and talked to us. I guess they weren't having much success either so they figured that of all people who would actually listen to them, it would be us. All of them were really nice though and didn't want to bash with us (which I was really relieved about). No fireworks for us either. Our apartment faces the wrong direction, so we didn't get to see any of them. :-(
Other than that, I'm taking a challenge to study the book of Enos for 30 days, and I completed my first week! There were many, many things that I got out of reading it over and over again. Prayer is essential for anything we want to have happen. And it might take a lot of praying for certain things before they happen too. Enos was a great example of one who really learned how to communicate with God, how to truly repent, and how to show charity towards his fellow man. He prayed and labored with all diligence to bring his brethren to the knowledge of the truth. How are we doing with our prayers? Are they rote, or are we pouring out our whole soul to God? If we give him everything, He can make us a masterpiece.
I love you!
--Elder T. Riggs
This is the last full week of the transfer....Wow. We'll be finding out who is getting transferred where on Saturday. I'm most likely leaving Green Bay because I've been here for 6 months. Well, what comes will come and I will deal with whatever the Lord has in store for me!
The 4th was a very uneventful day. Not a whole lot of people wanted to talk to us, but as we were walking through a bunch of the celebrations on Main Street, a few people who were proselyting for their church stopped us and talked to us. I guess they weren't having much success either so they figured that of all people who would actually listen to them, it would be us. All of them were really nice though and didn't want to bash with us (which I was really relieved about). No fireworks for us either. Our apartment faces the wrong direction, so we didn't get to see any of them. :-(
Other than that, I'm taking a challenge to study the book of Enos for 30 days, and I completed my first week! There were many, many things that I got out of reading it over and over again. Prayer is essential for anything we want to have happen. And it might take a lot of praying for certain things before they happen too. Enos was a great example of one who really learned how to communicate with God, how to truly repent, and how to show charity towards his fellow man. He prayed and labored with all diligence to bring his brethren to the knowledge of the truth. How are we doing with our prayers? Are they rote, or are we pouring out our whole soul to God? If we give him everything, He can make us a masterpiece.
I love you!
--Elder T. Riggs
The Ultimate in Short Missionary E-mails: June 6th, 2014
I love you all, I'm out of time. I've been studying about prayer in Preach My Gospel and how essential it is to everything we do as missionaries, and how we need to be doing His work, His way, and with His power. We must trust in the Lord in everything we do as humans!!
On to the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary for the 2nd time!
Elder T. Riggs
On to the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary for the 2nd time!
Elder T. Riggs
Miracles in Green Bay: May 27, 2014
Hey Everyone!
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| The Brown Family at Baptism |
This e-mail is going to be short (again) because I'm almost out of time, but there is something I wanted to bring up to everyone. In the April General Conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard gave two commitments to everyone. I wanted to follow up on those two commitments.
Commitment #1= invite someone every three months to take the discussions from the full-time missionaries. That's only four people a year per person, but can you imagine if all 15 million members in the Church id that? If every single person that we invited go baptized, how many more member would we have by the end of the year? The amount of people who have received the saving ordinances of baptism will have exponentially increased! We will have gone from 15,000,000 to 240,000,000 members in just one year. Within a two year mission that number will increase to 3,840,000,000! And all it takes is an invitation to one person. Then in three months, one more invitation. Can you see the power of member missionaries?
But how can we overcome our fears about that? How can we invite our friends/family members to listen to the missionaries without sounding preachy or pushy? How do we bridge the gap between the members of the Church and the missionaries?
Commitment#2=obtain a copy of Preach My Gospel and include it in your daily scripture study. Share what you are learning form it with the missionaries in your ward and or the missionaries in your family that are currently serving. Preach My Gospel is a manual for missionary work, and every member in this Church is a missionary. That is how to bridge the gap between your friends and the missionaries. It is a wonderful tool that really opens eyes and enlightens understanding about how to do missionary work the Lord's way, for the Lord's way is the most effective way. We have gospel truths that the world desperately needs. Why are we holding them back? Why would we not want to share pure joy with those we care about?
Brothers and Sisters, friends whom I love and care about, I will follow up with all of you on these two commitments in a month. In the meantime, I would request that each of you keep the commitment that Elder Ballard has asked us to keep. President Monson has said, "NOW is the time for members and missionaries to come together." There are around 84,000 missionaries out right now, ready to teach people that are prepared to hear about the gospel. .The members are the best way to prepare people. May everyone do their part and contribute to the Kingdom of God.
I Love You All!
--Elder Riggs
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| I traced my family history back to Adam in familysearch.org! Awesome! |
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
I've got a wise guy for my new companion - 4.28.2014
No, really. His name is Elder Wise, and he's totally amazing! Last night we were talking about some of the stories he has about his missionary work and I was crying because I was laughing so hard! This is going to be a great transfer. :-)
Last Monday we went to the Zoo, but that was after we did our e-mails, so prepare yourselves for an onslaught of pictures of animals!
Getting a new companion is always tricky, because I developed a system with Elder Rytting that worked for us, but now I have to see how Elder Wise functions as a missionary, so I've got to develop an entirely new system! That's okay though, because he's been out for 15 months, so I just go along with what he does and it works! He works a lot harder than I do, so I'm hoping after this companionship is over that diligence will have rubbed off on me. :-)
Other than the zoo, there's really not much to report this week. Just a new companion, still working with investigators and less-active members, and being a missionary! Sister Barnes is training a new missionary, Sister Eaton, who just got here on Wednesday. I've realized how much I've already missed back home in the short 6 months I've been out (because of what she has told me), and how much more I'm going to miss in the 18 months I still have left. That's okay though, because I'm understanding so much more of what life really means and what things are important. Music is fun, and I still plan on doing that for my career, but I love learning about the Gospel so much more. Movies are fun, and I quote them a lot (as most of you know), but scriptures are so much better to quote. Good books are great, but the best book is the Book of Mormon. I finished the book of Alma this morning, and am understanding so much more. Captain Moroni was a boss! The scriptures tell us that "if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." I've read that scripture many times and have always wanted to know what kind of a man Moroni was. I found the answer in the verses preceding those.
1. He was a strong and mighty man.
2. He was a man of perfect understanding.
3. He was a man who did not delight in bloodshed
4. He was a man whose soul did find joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country
5. He was a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God
6. He was a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
7. He was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ.
These qualities are not very hard to posses! We can be like Moroni and shake hell every day!
--Elder Riggs
Last Monday we went to the Zoo, but that was after we did our e-mails, so prepare yourselves for an onslaught of pictures of animals!
Getting a new companion is always tricky, because I developed a system with Elder Rytting that worked for us, but now I have to see how Elder Wise functions as a missionary, so I've got to develop an entirely new system! That's okay though, because he's been out for 15 months, so I just go along with what he does and it works! He works a lot harder than I do, so I'm hoping after this companionship is over that diligence will have rubbed off on me. :-)
Other than the zoo, there's really not much to report this week. Just a new companion, still working with investigators and less-active members, and being a missionary! Sister Barnes is training a new missionary, Sister Eaton, who just got here on Wednesday. I've realized how much I've already missed back home in the short 6 months I've been out (because of what she has told me), and how much more I'm going to miss in the 18 months I still have left. That's okay though, because I'm understanding so much more of what life really means and what things are important. Music is fun, and I still plan on doing that for my career, but I love learning about the Gospel so much more. Movies are fun, and I quote them a lot (as most of you know), but scriptures are so much better to quote. Good books are great, but the best book is the Book of Mormon. I finished the book of Alma this morning, and am understanding so much more. Captain Moroni was a boss! The scriptures tell us that "if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." I've read that scripture many times and have always wanted to know what kind of a man Moroni was. I found the answer in the verses preceding those.
1. He was a strong and mighty man.
2. He was a man of perfect understanding.
3. He was a man who did not delight in bloodshed
4. He was a man whose soul did find joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country
5. He was a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God
6. He was a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
7. He was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ.
These qualities are not very hard to posses! We can be like Moroni and shake hell every day!
--Elder Riggs
The End of Elder Rytting's Reign 4-21-2014
Hey Everybody!
So transfers are this Wednesday and Elder Rytting is finally leaving Green Bay after a grand total of 6 transfers here (that's 9 months)! Crazy, right? Everybody through that he would just die (finish his mission) in Green Bay, but they were wrong! He is outta here and headed down to Milwaukee.
My new companion is Elder Wise. I have not met him ever, but he will be my third companion. I get to meet him on Wednesday, which just happens to be my 6-month mark! Woo-hoo! It's kind of funny that he's my third companion from Utah...All of my companions have been from Utah, so I guess that makes it easy for them to invite me to their weddings when they go home! Not a whole lot of traveling! :-)
Not a whole lot else has happened this week. We've just been preparing the members and the investigators we have for Elder Rytting to leave. We've got dinner with a family tonight, then just a regular day (Elder Rytting has to pack and we have to hardcore clean the apartment), then transfers! Yaya!
I hope you all had a happy Easter and that the Light of Christ shone bright yesterday! He is the reason for the season! There was something that was pointed out to me by a member's daughter, and that is that Christ didn't die for our sins. Most people think that He died on the cross for our sins but that isn't true. He died on the cross so we could be resurrected. He atoned for our sins; there is a difference. He paid for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was betrayed, tried, and put on the cross. Yes the Atonement wasn't complete until after He gave up His life, but the reason we celebrate Easter is that He rose from the dead. Because of what He did, we will all be resurrected; that is a gift He freely gives us. There isn't anything that we can do to "earn" that gift. We do, however, need to follow the commandments and obey God in order to receive the Atonement. Salvation is free, but we have to be willing to go get it.
I love all of you, but not as much as He does! He knows you. He loves you. He understands you. He wants you to come unto Him, for it is there where you will be able to find true happiness.
--Elder Riggs
So transfers are this Wednesday and Elder Rytting is finally leaving Green Bay after a grand total of 6 transfers here (that's 9 months)! Crazy, right? Everybody through that he would just die (finish his mission) in Green Bay, but they were wrong! He is outta here and headed down to Milwaukee.
My new companion is Elder Wise. I have not met him ever, but he will be my third companion. I get to meet him on Wednesday, which just happens to be my 6-month mark! Woo-hoo! It's kind of funny that he's my third companion from Utah...All of my companions have been from Utah, so I guess that makes it easy for them to invite me to their weddings when they go home! Not a whole lot of traveling! :-)
Not a whole lot else has happened this week. We've just been preparing the members and the investigators we have for Elder Rytting to leave. We've got dinner with a family tonight, then just a regular day (Elder Rytting has to pack and we have to hardcore clean the apartment), then transfers! Yaya!
I hope you all had a happy Easter and that the Light of Christ shone bright yesterday! He is the reason for the season! There was something that was pointed out to me by a member's daughter, and that is that Christ didn't die for our sins. Most people think that He died on the cross for our sins but that isn't true. He died on the cross so we could be resurrected. He atoned for our sins; there is a difference. He paid for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was betrayed, tried, and put on the cross. Yes the Atonement wasn't complete until after He gave up His life, but the reason we celebrate Easter is that He rose from the dead. Because of what He did, we will all be resurrected; that is a gift He freely gives us. There isn't anything that we can do to "earn" that gift. We do, however, need to follow the commandments and obey God in order to receive the Atonement. Salvation is free, but we have to be willing to go get it.
I love all of you, but not as much as He does! He knows you. He loves you. He understands you. He wants you to come unto Him, for it is there where you will be able to find true happiness.
--Elder Riggs
Monday, April 28, 2014
Easter 4-14-2014
Hey Everyone!
So this e-mail is going to be specifically about Easter. I was talking to a wonderful couple who are Catholic, and they said that a lot of the time, they notice that we all make this big hype about Christmas, but them we really forget about Easter. They said that Easter is just as, if not more important than Christmas. Easter is the reason we all can rejoice. There's a video on mormon. org called "Because of Him." It can and should be shared with EVERYONE! Please watch this video. It is tremendously inspiring.
I love my Savior. I know that He really did rise from the dead on the third day and that he is the reason we all will live again. He is our Savior. He lives and leads this church. During our spring cleaning, let us take a look at what we can give to the Savior. He is waiting patiently for us and will continue to wait until we come unto Him. He loves you. He can heal you. He has suffered all things for our benefit. Take advantage of that in your life by giving everything to Him. I promise that if you do this, you will be happy. Your life will be blessed in ways that you or I could never imagine. And Christ will help you. We cannot go through life ourselves and make it back to our Heavenly Father. We need Him.
I love you all and I hope we remember that Easter is not about eggs and bunny rabbits, but about our Savior.
--Elder Riggs
So this e-mail is going to be specifically about Easter. I was talking to a wonderful couple who are Catholic, and they said that a lot of the time, they notice that we all make this big hype about Christmas, but them we really forget about Easter. They said that Easter is just as, if not more important than Christmas. Easter is the reason we all can rejoice. There's a video on mormon. org called "Because of Him." It can and should be shared with EVERYONE! Please watch this video. It is tremendously inspiring.
I love my Savior. I know that He really did rise from the dead on the third day and that he is the reason we all will live again. He is our Savior. He lives and leads this church. During our spring cleaning, let us take a look at what we can give to the Savior. He is waiting patiently for us and will continue to wait until we come unto Him. He loves you. He can heal you. He has suffered all things for our benefit. Take advantage of that in your life by giving everything to Him. I promise that if you do this, you will be happy. Your life will be blessed in ways that you or I could never imagine. And Christ will help you. We cannot go through life ourselves and make it back to our Heavenly Father. We need Him.
I love you all and I hope we remember that Easter is not about eggs and bunny rabbits, but about our Savior.
--Elder Riggs
Hey, hey, hey - April 7. 2014
Well hello, everybody!
I hope everyone is getting warm weather wherever they are because I've been enjoying it here in Green Bay! Today I'm actually wearing a short-sleeved shirt in 50 degree weather, so I must be going crazy or something!
So I'm pretty sure all of you know that I just love music. The other day we were on the UWGB campus and I guess some students did a project of some sort where they had to build something on a larger scale than what it already was in real life. As my parents can attest to, I enjoy my music a bit loud. I just had to take a picture in their honor of what we found.
It's a massive boombox!!!:-D
Anyway, I hope all of you got a chance to watch General Conference this past weekend, because it was MIND BLOWING!! Elder Holland really started it off on Saturday with a bang! He said some things that were kind of difficult to hear, because he was shouting, but his message was incredible. He said, "You will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part." My favorite quote though, was, "Now be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don't have it all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but DEFEND THEM!"
As a missionary, my beliefs are attacked almost daily. People ignorantly assume that we have been deceived, or that we are liars. A lot of people think we are JW and avoid us at all costs, which makes me sad because of what our message can do for them and because of the hatred that people have for the JW's. :-( It's hard to help people realize that this is Christ's church. It wasn't started as Joseph Smith's church. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has the same setup as Christ's church did in His day. Faith without works is dead. Our choiced in life DO matter. God lives. The Book of Mormon is true. I have read it three times and I'm halfway through my fourth. Joseph Smith was a prophet called by God to restore Christ's church. This Church is true. I know. I love it. I love it. And I love you. :-)
--Elder Riggs
I hope everyone is getting warm weather wherever they are because I've been enjoying it here in Green Bay! Today I'm actually wearing a short-sleeved shirt in 50 degree weather, so I must be going crazy or something!
So I'm pretty sure all of you know that I just love music. The other day we were on the UWGB campus and I guess some students did a project of some sort where they had to build something on a larger scale than what it already was in real life. As my parents can attest to, I enjoy my music a bit loud. I just had to take a picture in their honor of what we found.
It's a massive boombox!!!:-D
Anyway, I hope all of you got a chance to watch General Conference this past weekend, because it was MIND BLOWING!! Elder Holland really started it off on Saturday with a bang! He said some things that were kind of difficult to hear, because he was shouting, but his message was incredible. He said, "You will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part." My favorite quote though, was, "Now be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don't have it all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but DEFEND THEM!"
As a missionary, my beliefs are attacked almost daily. People ignorantly assume that we have been deceived, or that we are liars. A lot of people think we are JW and avoid us at all costs, which makes me sad because of what our message can do for them and because of the hatred that people have for the JW's. :-( It's hard to help people realize that this is Christ's church. It wasn't started as Joseph Smith's church. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has the same setup as Christ's church did in His day. Faith without works is dead. Our choiced in life DO matter. God lives. The Book of Mormon is true. I have read it three times and I'm halfway through my fourth. Joseph Smith was a prophet called by God to restore Christ's church. This Church is true. I know. I love it. I love it. And I love you. :-)
--Elder Riggs
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
I'm not quite sure what the weather is doing - March 31, 2014
So, it's 54 degrees today, but with the wind chill it's more like 40. On Wednesday, we're supposed to get a pretty decent snow storm. I don't know what to wear!
This week was a fairly uneventful week in the mission for us. We're continuing to work hard, but not much has changed. We are going to Zone Training Meeting this week, so that's going to be exciting, and we have interviews with President Cutler next week, so these upcoming weeks are going to be great, but as of right now, we're just here.
And sadly, I don't have a whole lot of new pictures to upload either. I'll be sure to have more next week because of exchanges with Elder Oviatt and Zone Training Meeting. We did find a pretty interesting painting hanging up in one of our less-active member's houses.
The funny thing about this paining that Elder Rytting pointed out to me is that all of these men look like they're in the middle of some intense conversation about some important document, but nobody's actually talking. Strange.....
It's weird to me how some weeks I feel like writing something immensely spiritual and meaningful, but other weeks are just kind of blah... Nothing spectacular happened to write about... Wait...
Oh Yeah! On our way to the library today we passed a house just down the street from us that had 4 police cars and a crime scene truck in front of it! That was intense! We passed the house on our way to our apartment and there was only one police car with a police officer knocking on the door to the house. Then, only about a half-hour later, there are all of a sudden 4 more police cars, 5 more police men, a detective taking pictures, and a crime scene truck all there! We don't know exactly what happened, but it was pretty freaky!
Also, we were tracting the other day, and tracted into a house that was owned by a lady named Tawnee. She wasn't particularly interested, but she knew exactly who we were and what we were doing. She actually let us know where on that street NOT to go to! She also expressed that she was concerned for our well being and wanted to know if we could carry weapons on us. We told her no firearms, so she pulled out a flashlight to show us what it was! She turned it on as a regular flashlight, but then she pressed a button and showed us that it was a tazer! Pretty awesome! We of course couldn't take it or have one, but it was sweet that someone was looking out for us!
Love you all!
--Elder Riggs
This week was a fairly uneventful week in the mission for us. We're continuing to work hard, but not much has changed. We are going to Zone Training Meeting this week, so that's going to be exciting, and we have interviews with President Cutler next week, so these upcoming weeks are going to be great, but as of right now, we're just here.
And sadly, I don't have a whole lot of new pictures to upload either. I'll be sure to have more next week because of exchanges with Elder Oviatt and Zone Training Meeting. We did find a pretty interesting painting hanging up in one of our less-active member's houses.
The funny thing about this paining that Elder Rytting pointed out to me is that all of these men look like they're in the middle of some intense conversation about some important document, but nobody's actually talking. Strange.....
It's weird to me how some weeks I feel like writing something immensely spiritual and meaningful, but other weeks are just kind of blah... Nothing spectacular happened to write about... Wait...
Oh Yeah! On our way to the library today we passed a house just down the street from us that had 4 police cars and a crime scene truck in front of it! That was intense! We passed the house on our way to our apartment and there was only one police car with a police officer knocking on the door to the house. Then, only about a half-hour later, there are all of a sudden 4 more police cars, 5 more police men, a detective taking pictures, and a crime scene truck all there! We don't know exactly what happened, but it was pretty freaky!
Also, we were tracting the other day, and tracted into a house that was owned by a lady named Tawnee. She wasn't particularly interested, but she knew exactly who we were and what we were doing. She actually let us know where on that street NOT to go to! She also expressed that she was concerned for our well being and wanted to know if we could carry weapons on us. We told her no firearms, so she pulled out a flashlight to show us what it was! She turned it on as a regular flashlight, but then she pressed a button and showed us that it was a tazer! Pretty awesome! We of course couldn't take it or have one, but it was sweet that someone was looking out for us!
Love you all!
--Elder Riggs
Monday, March 24, 2014
5 Months! 3-24-2014
5 months ago I was a new missionary in the MTC dreaming of what would be ahead of me. Now I'm still a pretty new missionary in the mission field dreaming of what will be ahead of me...
These have been a pretty quick 5 months. I just can't help but think about how long I still have left and how fast that is going to go. Before I know it, I will be having to catch up with the world in technology, movies, music, books, and everything else! But for now I am perfectly content serving the Lord here in Green Bay, Wisconsin!
Every missionary has his ups and downs. I've already had my fair share of them and am expecting so many more to happen. I'm just trying to enjoy the ride!
A great analogy was given at stake conference regarding missionary work. The speaker compare the journey to the Celestial Kingdom to a road trip. She said that it was the best road trip ever, so we had better bring as many friends along as we can! What a true analogy! This is the best trip ever, so why not bring as many friends with us as we can? Might it seem difficult to invite> Sure, but the rewards are so worth it! What can we do to invite our friends with us? I encourage all of us to make a list of things that we can do to invite as many people as we can to come with us. After all, we, as well as God, want everyone to make it back to Him. We can help with that process as we invite, as we live our standards, and as we show our lights! That is after all why we are given the Light in the first place, to share it. Let your light burn bright!
I love you all so much. I think my love for you increases with every passing day!
--Elder Riggs
These have been a pretty quick 5 months. I just can't help but think about how long I still have left and how fast that is going to go. Before I know it, I will be having to catch up with the world in technology, movies, music, books, and everything else! But for now I am perfectly content serving the Lord here in Green Bay, Wisconsin!
Every missionary has his ups and downs. I've already had my fair share of them and am expecting so many more to happen. I'm just trying to enjoy the ride!
A great analogy was given at stake conference regarding missionary work. The speaker compare the journey to the Celestial Kingdom to a road trip. She said that it was the best road trip ever, so we had better bring as many friends along as we can! What a true analogy! This is the best trip ever, so why not bring as many friends with us as we can? Might it seem difficult to invite> Sure, but the rewards are so worth it! What can we do to invite our friends with us? I encourage all of us to make a list of things that we can do to invite as many people as we can to come with us. After all, we, as well as God, want everyone to make it back to Him. We can help with that process as we invite, as we live our standards, and as we show our lights! That is after all why we are given the Light in the first place, to share it. Let your light burn bright!
I love you all so much. I think my love for you increases with every passing day!
--Elder Riggs
I was just kidding about the White Witch..... 3-17-2014
Hey everyone!
So this week has been pretty cold. March is kind of a bi-polar month, so we've been going back and forth between really cold weather and fairly warm (like, 35 degrees) weather. The white witch isn't giving up with out a fight!
So, I have been learning that I am pretty good at making omelettes. I just throw in a bunch of spices, some ham, some delicious Wisconsin cheese, and voila! A beautiful omelette!
And we made salted caramel cookies the other day for a family home evening at one of our investigators' homes! They didn't turn out quite the way I hoped they would, but they were still pretty good! For FHE we acted out Alma 20 with their kids, and they all seemed to really enjoy it!
We went to Jimmy John's the other day for lunch with the Spanish Elders, and there was a story up on the board that caused me to really think about life. The story goes like this:
"The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, 'Only a little while."
The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip (soda) and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, 'I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
The which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich; you would make millions."
"Millions?" asked the fisherman. "Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll the village in the evening, sip (soda) and play guitar with your amigos!"
The author to this story is unknown, but it really puts things into perspective for us. What are we mission by having our focus on the future and not on the important things, like our families? If we don't appreciate what we have now, what makes us think we will appreciate what we will get in the future? God has given us so much, but how often do we find ourselves thinking, "If I could only have this..." or "If God would make this happen, then....?" What really matters most is usually sitting in front of us, wanting their father, mother, husband, wife, friend, neighbor, sister, or brother to pay attention to them, to play with them, to spend more time with them. My mission only lasts two years, and after this transfer I will be 1/4 done. I'm trying to make sure I'm not mission out on anything that's happening right now. Is it good to have goals for the future? Sure. Is it good to be reaching for something better? Absolutely, as long as it is really what we need. Too often have I not though of everything that my family was doing for me. I have realized that being out on my own just how much went on "behind the scenes" in my family. This week I challenge each of you to take a look at yourself during your spring cleaning and decide what really, I mean REALLY matters to you. Then make that your highest priority. As we do that, everything else will fall into place. After all, how many things can we bring with us after we die?
I love you all, and I'm having a blast our here (despite the cold)!
--Elder Riggs
So this week has been pretty cold. March is kind of a bi-polar month, so we've been going back and forth between really cold weather and fairly warm (like, 35 degrees) weather. The white witch isn't giving up with out a fight!
So, I have been learning that I am pretty good at making omelettes. I just throw in a bunch of spices, some ham, some delicious Wisconsin cheese, and voila! A beautiful omelette!
And we made salted caramel cookies the other day for a family home evening at one of our investigators' homes! They didn't turn out quite the way I hoped they would, but they were still pretty good! For FHE we acted out Alma 20 with their kids, and they all seemed to really enjoy it!
We went to Jimmy John's the other day for lunch with the Spanish Elders, and there was a story up on the board that caused me to really think about life. The story goes like this:
"The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, 'Only a little while."
The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip (soda) and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, 'I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
The which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich; you would make millions."
"Millions?" asked the fisherman. "Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll the village in the evening, sip (soda) and play guitar with your amigos!"
The author to this story is unknown, but it really puts things into perspective for us. What are we mission by having our focus on the future and not on the important things, like our families? If we don't appreciate what we have now, what makes us think we will appreciate what we will get in the future? God has given us so much, but how often do we find ourselves thinking, "If I could only have this..." or "If God would make this happen, then....?" What really matters most is usually sitting in front of us, wanting their father, mother, husband, wife, friend, neighbor, sister, or brother to pay attention to them, to play with them, to spend more time with them. My mission only lasts two years, and after this transfer I will be 1/4 done. I'm trying to make sure I'm not mission out on anything that's happening right now. Is it good to have goals for the future? Sure. Is it good to be reaching for something better? Absolutely, as long as it is really what we need. Too often have I not though of everything that my family was doing for me. I have realized that being out on my own just how much went on "behind the scenes" in my family. This week I challenge each of you to take a look at yourself during your spring cleaning and decide what really, I mean REALLY matters to you. Then make that your highest priority. As we do that, everything else will fall into place. After all, how many things can we bring with us after we die?
I love you all, and I'm having a blast our here (despite the cold)!
--Elder Riggs
The White Witches Power is Weakening! 3-10-2014
The snow is beginning to melt in Green Bay! We're practically having a heat wave up here! I can see grass and the sidewalks are all muddy, so the snow is almost gone. As you can see in this picture, there should only be a few more days above freezing and the snow will be completely melted!
This transfer is already over... What the heck happened? I swear I just left Sheboygan, but I've already spent 6 weeks in Green Bay and I'm going to be spending another 6 weeks here because I'm not getting transferred and neither is Elder Rytting! He is going to be here for his 6th transfer which translates to 9 months in one area! He's so excited, because a lot of good things have been happening here in Green Bay. We have some incredible investigators who have told us the Church is true and that this is God's plan for them. They are amazing. You should be hearing about a couple baptisms happening within the next few weeks!
Elder Rytting and I went shopping last P-day and I found this shield that is now hanging up in our apartment! It reminded me of Aslan, so I bough it! It only cost me $1.00 so of course I had to buy it!
I am really excited to go into this transfer. I have been doing a "spring cleaning" of sorts with myself and am going through me, to see what kind of clutter I have accumulated over the past year. Some things I know must go. Some habits need to be thrown away. Some things I know I'm definitely keeping and holding on to. I encourage each of you to do a "spring cleaning" with yourself. What can you get rid of that might be cluttering you up? What things do you really need to hang on to? But most importantly, as you clean, be thinking about who God needs you to be. What kind of mansion is He trying to build you up to be, and are you getting in the way of that? His plan is perfect; our plan is not. Might it be painful? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? Of course. If we are so valuable to ourselves, why not give ourselves up to the Master who will mold us and change us into the best person we can be, because we can't get there on our own. Try as we might, we will still far short of perfection. He is the only way we can truly find ourselves.
I love you all!
--Elder Riggs
Week of Miracles! 2-24-2014
Hey everyone!
This week has been just awesome! There have been so many things that have happened that were much needed here in Green Bay!
So first of all, we are teaching a guy named Keith who is totally amazing! We've taught him about the Restoration and he has accepted it quite well. Last week, Elder Rytting and I tracted into another family, Don and Katie, and we taught them the Restoration and they accepted a baptismal invite! We are meeting with them again this week, and we hope to be able to meet with their entire family because they have 5 kids. They are fantastic and we are so excited to be teaching them!
I was also able to go down to Sheboygan for the baptism of Carrie and Grace. That was memorable for sure! They gave such an amazing testimony after they were baptized. I'm glad that they made the decision to be a part of Christ's church. Grace told me afterwards that she was thinking about going on a mission when she got older. Both of them are just incredible people, and have gone through a lot to get to this point. They really know their Savior and their Heavenly
Father.
I can't believe that I've been out here in Wisconsin for 4 months now! It's kind of funny, because I'll look at how long I've been out, and some days think that it's gone by so quickly, but other days I will think that this has been the longest 4 months of my life! The days seem to last forever, but the weeks fly by. We get the transfer text next Friday, and for some reason I get this sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be training next transfer. Elder Rytting is definitely leaving because he's been in Green Bay for 5 transfers already, so it's pretty much guaranteed.
I also found this awesome hat at a gas station and just had to get it. It keep me so warm, because it's cooled down a bit after our heat wave. We actually got up to 36 degrees one day! No wool sweater that day! Today it's back to normal though.
Well, I love you all and I will write you next week!
--Elder Riggs
This week has been just awesome! There have been so many things that have happened that were much needed here in Green Bay!
So first of all, we are teaching a guy named Keith who is totally amazing! We've taught him about the Restoration and he has accepted it quite well. Last week, Elder Rytting and I tracted into another family, Don and Katie, and we taught them the Restoration and they accepted a baptismal invite! We are meeting with them again this week, and we hope to be able to meet with their entire family because they have 5 kids. They are fantastic and we are so excited to be teaching them!
I was also able to go down to Sheboygan for the baptism of Carrie and Grace. That was memorable for sure! They gave such an amazing testimony after they were baptized. I'm glad that they made the decision to be a part of Christ's church. Grace told me afterwards that she was thinking about going on a mission when she got older. Both of them are just incredible people, and have gone through a lot to get to this point. They really know their Savior and their Heavenly
Father.
I can't believe that I've been out here in Wisconsin for 4 months now! It's kind of funny, because I'll look at how long I've been out, and some days think that it's gone by so quickly, but other days I will think that this has been the longest 4 months of my life! The days seem to last forever, but the weeks fly by. We get the transfer text next Friday, and for some reason I get this sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be training next transfer. Elder Rytting is definitely leaving because he's been in Green Bay for 5 transfers already, so it's pretty much guaranteed.
I also found this awesome hat at a gas station and just had to get it. It keep me so warm, because it's cooled down a bit after our heat wave. We actually got up to 36 degrees one day! No wool sweater that day! Today it's back to normal though.Well, I love you all and I will write you next week!
--Elder Riggs
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
ADDRESS CHANGE!
Here is Tyler's new Green Bay apartment address:
Elder Brannick Tyler Riggs
2970 Mossy Oak Circle #85
Green Bay, WI 54311
Elder Brannick Tyler Riggs
2970 Mossy Oak Circle #85
Green Bay, WI 54311
Quick Update - February 17, 2014
So I've got to go pretty soon here; we've got to teach someone in about 20 minutes.
Here is the news in about 60 seconds:
We found a family tracting yesterday and are really excited to teach them.
Paul came to a baptism on Saturday and said he really enjoyed it.
It's snowing today.
Elder Rytting and I found a mattress lying on the side of the road and decided we would enjoy that (see pictures).
We had a spectacular Zone Training about the power of prayer. The Restoration of the gospel happened because of a prayer. What could happy with yours?
It's pretty cold.
I've lost 10 pounds since leaving Sheboygan! Now that I'm not eating Brother Klunk's cooking I can actually work on losing weight!
Elder Rytting and I have decided to set this area on spiritual fire1
I love you all and I'm excited to hear from you!
--Elder Riggs
Here is the news in about 60 seconds:
We found a family tracting yesterday and are really excited to teach them.
Paul came to a baptism on Saturday and said he really enjoyed it.
It's snowing today.
Elder Rytting and I found a mattress lying on the side of the road and decided we would enjoy that (see pictures).
We had a spectacular Zone Training about the power of prayer. The Restoration of the gospel happened because of a prayer. What could happy with yours?
It's pretty cold.
I've lost 10 pounds since leaving Sheboygan! Now that I'm not eating Brother Klunk's cooking I can actually work on losing weight!
Elder Rytting and I have decided to set this area on spiritual fire1
I love you all and I'm excited to hear from you!
--Elder Riggs
Monday, February 10, 2014
Our 1st Package
We received our first package from Tyler. It was a super late Christmas package and the best part was the picture card. Here are a few of the pictures he sent home:
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Update on Green Bay 2-10-2014
This week has been cold...again. Thankfully the high on Thursday is going to be about 36 degrees; a virtual heat wave! I'm so excited for spring!
One of our investigators, Paul, is coming to a baptismal service on Saturday! We are so excited to have him there to feel the Spirit and know exactly how a baptism works. Speaking of baptisms, I might be able to go down to Sheboygan for Carrie and Grace's baptism! I just have to wait for word from Brother Klunk on if he will be able to drive us there. Silly snail-mail.
We also had an investigator come to church and institute yesterday, which was awesome! He enjoyed it and we hope he is able to come again.
There's really not much else to report this week, and I am almost out of time! I love you all, I'm working hard, and I'm excited to be out here!
--Elder Riggs
One of our investigators, Paul, is coming to a baptismal service on Saturday! We are so excited to have him there to feel the Spirit and know exactly how a baptism works. Speaking of baptisms, I might be able to go down to Sheboygan for Carrie and Grace's baptism! I just have to wait for word from Brother Klunk on if he will be able to drive us there. Silly snail-mail.
We also had an investigator come to church and institute yesterday, which was awesome! He enjoyed it and we hope he is able to come again.
There's really not much else to report this week, and I am almost out of time! I love you all, I'm working hard, and I'm excited to be out here!
--Elder Riggs
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Green Bay! 2-3-2014
Hey everyone,
I am so sorry for not e-mailing you last week; Elder Cranney and I were pretty rushed because we had to switch the Spanish missionaries apartments to make way for the Sister missionaries! That's right! Elder Cranney and I got doubled out! Our week was just full of packing, and cleaning, and packing, and cleaning, and repacking, and updating the area book, and saying goodbye to the wonderful people of Sheboygan. I miss them terribly, especially Brother Klunk! Tuesday night we drove down to Milwaukee to drop the car off at the transfer point there (I cried in the car for about 20 minutes, then 30 more when I went to bed), and headed our way up to Green Bay the next day! It was a LONG ride, but Elder Cranney had longer, because he had to go all the way up to Houghton! I don't envy him in the slightest, because they have a TON of snow! Most of my drive was just me being depressed (in fact, most of this week has been that), but I am striving to recommit myself to working in Green Bay just as hard as Sheboygan! That's what the Lord needs!
My new companion is Elder Rytting. He's a pretty cool guy. Kind of dramatic, but cool none the less. I'm excited to be serving with him for the next little while, because he's probably being transferred next transfer! I just hope I can learn my way around Green Bay before he leaves, because I am completely turned around!
So our apartment is pretty nice. We have a huge LoveSac sitting in our living room, and I kid you not, these are the warning/instructions for the LoveSace:
"WARNING: Improper use of this product may cause injury or death.
Do not jump on the Lovesac--projecting oneself through open space is inherently dangerous--may cause injury or death.
Do not allow children to play unattended on the Lovesac-- better yet, do not allow your children to play unattended at all.
Do not eat the Lovesac foam -- more importantly, never inhale -- may damage your political career.
Do not allow people to play underneath the Lovesac, or anyhint else for that matter -- may cause injury or death.
Keep away from heaters.
Failure to keep your Lovesac fluffed may cause injury or death to your Sac.
Failure to regularly wash your Lovesac is just gross, ad may somehow lead to injury or death.
Failure to share the love will only cause you to lose friends--possibly resulting in injury or death."
I just though those were absolutely fantastic and worth sharing! We found those today while trying to do flips onto it.
So I hope everybody is doing well back home ore wherever they are serving their missions. I am staying warm (at least trying to), and am getting used to the people out here. No crazies yet, but I know there hiding somewhere!
Love to all!
--Elder Riggs
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Week #12 - January 20, 2014
Wow.... 3 months can go by pretty quickly. It's not a super long amount of time, but it does add up. I still remember hugging my family goodbye at the MTC and watching them drive away, unsure of what was to come. I'm still unsure of what's to come, but I have gained a better understanding of aligning my will with the Lord's will. Now the unknown is not so scary, because I have faith that everything will be fine!
I am about 1/8th of the way done with my mission already. Things seem to be going fast, but I'm sure that by the time I am halfway done with my mission, I will feel like I have been out here for forever! This is totally worth it thought, and I would never trade these experiences for anything!
Live life to the fullest, and never life below your potential! Sorry this e-mail was short, but we've got to go!
Love you all!
--Elder Riggs
I am about 1/8th of the way done with my mission already. Things seem to be going fast, but I'm sure that by the time I am halfway done with my mission, I will feel like I have been out here for forever! This is totally worth it thought, and I would never trade these experiences for anything!
Live life to the fullest, and never life below your potential! Sorry this e-mail was short, but we've got to go!
Love you all!
--Elder Riggs
Monday, January 13, 2014
Pictures - January 13, 2014
 |
| This was before we cleaned our apartment! |
 This is after we cleaned our apartment..... Almost a month later. But hey, wouldn't these before and after pictures make for a great "missionary maid cleaning service?" It would only take a month for us to clean! |
 This is Elder Cranney doing his responsibilities as District Leader. This is the time I can study or sleep, whichever I feel I need more of at the time. |
Mission life with a sprained ankle - January 13, 2014
Hello Everyone!
This week has been quite the adventure with a sprained ankle! The first half of the week was spent inside due to the cold and on crutches due to my injury.
To make matters better, it rained this week, in January. Up here they call it "frozen rain" because after the water hits the ground, it freezes, thereby making everything covered in ice. Ice + crutches = a recipe for disaster. Thankfully the Lord looks out for His missionaries and nothing has happened to injure me further.
I also found my camera! I had to take a selfie of me in my ugly sweater! I love this thing so much! Elder Cranney likes our apartment to be around 63 degrees, so it gets slightly chilly by my account. This sweater keeps me nice and warm!
I can't believe that I'm almost done with my second transfer! There are only 16 transfers in a mission, and I've almost completed two of them. Elder Cranney thinks he's leaving because he's been here for 5 transfers, but everyone else thinks he's staying, including me. He just became district leader this last transfer, so why would he leave? Of course, the Lord works in mysterious ways, so he very well might be right! It's going to be kind of exciting to be done with training, because them I won't be reminded of how long I've been out here serving. This week is week 11 of training, and next week is the last one! Then it's only two hours of studies every day and lots of proselyting!
Our lessons this week have been great. We have a new investigator who is really wanting to learn and find out for herself if this church is true, despite having much opposition from her step-dad and husband. She has so much faith in her Savior. One of our investigators, Marsha, is having knee surgery done next week, so we are praying that everything goes well and that she heals quickly.
Brother Klunk has been a member of the church for one whole year! We tried to take him out to lunch at Gosse's, but he wouldn't let us pay. That's Brother Klunk for you, though. He has become my best member friend out here, and I'm going to be sad when I get transferred. He is definitely up there on my list of favorite people.
This week I have been amazed at how much the Lord is able to work with us imperfect people. We try and try to follow His teachings and do what's right, but we slip up. We all sin. We all make mistakes. But He is always willing to pick us up, dust us off, and set us back on the path. In my daily scripture study I am reading through 2 Nephi and comparing the chapters with the ones in Isaiah. There aren't a whole lot of differences between the two, but there's a phrase that continually comes up in those chapters: "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." No matter what we do, He is always there beside us, waiting for us to take His hand and follow Him. "Behold, I stand a the door and knock." He is waiting for us to open the door to our hearts and allow Him to change us. We are all the natural man, and we must all take advantage of the Atonement in order to "put off the natural man and become a saint." The Atonement is what allows us to get back on the path. This is my testimony. I know He lives. I know He is mindful of us and our lives. He cared enough for us to suffer all things in the Garden of Gethsemane and die for us on the cross at Golgotha. I know the Book of Mormon is true, because it teaches us these things. That is where we get our knowledge from. The scriptures. Joseph Smith did translate the gold plates into what we have today. One of our biggest challenges for us is getting people to just read from the Book of Mormon 10 minutes each day. It will change your life, guaranteed. My challenge to you is this: if you have not already read the Book of Mormon, read it. If you do not have a copy, get in contact with the missionaries in your area. They would be ore than happy to vie you one. 10 minutes a day isn't much, but as the scriptures teach, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." I have some to know my Savior and understand so much more about my relationship with Him as I've read, and I know you can too. I love you, but not as much as He loves you.
--Elder Riggs
This week has been quite the adventure with a sprained ankle! The first half of the week was spent inside due to the cold and on crutches due to my injury.
I also found my camera! I had to take a selfie of me in my ugly sweater! I love this thing so much! Elder Cranney likes our apartment to be around 63 degrees, so it gets slightly chilly by my account. This sweater keeps me nice and warm!
I can't believe that I'm almost done with my second transfer! There are only 16 transfers in a mission, and I've almost completed two of them. Elder Cranney thinks he's leaving because he's been here for 5 transfers, but everyone else thinks he's staying, including me. He just became district leader this last transfer, so why would he leave? Of course, the Lord works in mysterious ways, so he very well might be right! It's going to be kind of exciting to be done with training, because them I won't be reminded of how long I've been out here serving. This week is week 11 of training, and next week is the last one! Then it's only two hours of studies every day and lots of proselyting!
Our lessons this week have been great. We have a new investigator who is really wanting to learn and find out for herself if this church is true, despite having much opposition from her step-dad and husband. She has so much faith in her Savior. One of our investigators, Marsha, is having knee surgery done next week, so we are praying that everything goes well and that she heals quickly.
Brother Klunk has been a member of the church for one whole year! We tried to take him out to lunch at Gosse's, but he wouldn't let us pay. That's Brother Klunk for you, though. He has become my best member friend out here, and I'm going to be sad when I get transferred. He is definitely up there on my list of favorite people.
This week I have been amazed at how much the Lord is able to work with us imperfect people. We try and try to follow His teachings and do what's right, but we slip up. We all sin. We all make mistakes. But He is always willing to pick us up, dust us off, and set us back on the path. In my daily scripture study I am reading through 2 Nephi and comparing the chapters with the ones in Isaiah. There aren't a whole lot of differences between the two, but there's a phrase that continually comes up in those chapters: "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." No matter what we do, He is always there beside us, waiting for us to take His hand and follow Him. "Behold, I stand a the door and knock." He is waiting for us to open the door to our hearts and allow Him to change us. We are all the natural man, and we must all take advantage of the Atonement in order to "put off the natural man and become a saint." The Atonement is what allows us to get back on the path. This is my testimony. I know He lives. I know He is mindful of us and our lives. He cared enough for us to suffer all things in the Garden of Gethsemane and die for us on the cross at Golgotha. I know the Book of Mormon is true, because it teaches us these things. That is where we get our knowledge from. The scriptures. Joseph Smith did translate the gold plates into what we have today. One of our biggest challenges for us is getting people to just read from the Book of Mormon 10 minutes each day. It will change your life, guaranteed. My challenge to you is this: if you have not already read the Book of Mormon, read it. If you do not have a copy, get in contact with the missionaries in your area. They would be ore than happy to vie you one. 10 minutes a day isn't much, but as the scriptures teach, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." I have some to know my Savior and understand so much more about my relationship with Him as I've read, and I know you can too. I love you, but not as much as He loves you.
--Elder Riggs
Monday, January 6, 2014
New Year's Events- January 6, 2014
Well everybody, it's a new year and I am cold! The high today is supposed to be -10 and the low is about -20, so our mission president has asked us to pretty much stay inside until Wednesday. Elder Cranney and I played each other in chess yesterday and I was able to checkmate him with only my rook and king left! It was a REALLY long game, but he won one and I won one, so it's all good. :)
In other news I'm pretty much immobilized for this week because I sprained my ankle playing basketball on Saturday morning! Yay! I can't send any pictures because I forgot my camera back at the apartment, but I can let you all know that I have a pretty gnarly looking bruise on my ankle and it looks like a tennis ball is sticking out of my foot. Not fun. I'm on crutches as of now (which are really hard to walk with, especially in the snow and ice), but hopefully I won't need to be using those for much longer. Until now though, we can't be doing much because of my ankle.
This week for my studies I have been reading a talk called "The Fourth Missionary." This talk is amazing. It really shows how to be the best missionary you can be. The person giving the talk quoted C.S. Lewis in what the Lord expects of each of us, not just the missionaries.
"Give Me all. I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work; I want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather, I want the whole tree out. Hand it all over to Me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to Me, give yourself to Me and I will make of you a new self in My image. Give Me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will shall become your will. My heart shall become your heart."
If we want to become more like our Savior, we cannot be holding on to ourselves. We need to give everything to Him, the Master. This concept was/is very hard for me to grasp and to understand, but I know that in the Master's hands, we can become great. We can become like Him: perfect. That should be all of our New Year's resolutions. It can be done. It should be done. Imagine what this world would be like if everyone gave up their will to Christ. This world would not be as scary and frightening as it currently is. The world can change, but it starts with YOU!
I love you all, and Happy New Year!
--Elder Riggs
In other news I'm pretty much immobilized for this week because I sprained my ankle playing basketball on Saturday morning! Yay! I can't send any pictures because I forgot my camera back at the apartment, but I can let you all know that I have a pretty gnarly looking bruise on my ankle and it looks like a tennis ball is sticking out of my foot. Not fun. I'm on crutches as of now (which are really hard to walk with, especially in the snow and ice), but hopefully I won't need to be using those for much longer. Until now though, we can't be doing much because of my ankle.
This week for my studies I have been reading a talk called "The Fourth Missionary." This talk is amazing. It really shows how to be the best missionary you can be. The person giving the talk quoted C.S. Lewis in what the Lord expects of each of us, not just the missionaries.
"Give Me all. I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work; I want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather, I want the whole tree out. Hand it all over to Me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to Me, give yourself to Me and I will make of you a new self in My image. Give Me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will shall become your will. My heart shall become your heart."
If we want to become more like our Savior, we cannot be holding on to ourselves. We need to give everything to Him, the Master. This concept was/is very hard for me to grasp and to understand, but I know that in the Master's hands, we can become great. We can become like Him: perfect. That should be all of our New Year's resolutions. It can be done. It should be done. Imagine what this world would be like if everyone gave up their will to Christ. This world would not be as scary and frightening as it currently is. The world can change, but it starts with YOU!
I love you all, and Happy New Year!
--Elder Riggs
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Skype - December 25, 2013
It was perhaps the best Christmas gift this year to be able to see Tyler's face and hear his voice. He called around 1:00 and we had 40 minutes of catching up. Tyler looks great (yes, they are feeding him well;) lets just say his shirt is fitting a little more snug than it did when we bought it. He told us a little about the area of Sheboygan, and how hard it has been to adapt to the cold out there but he loves where he is at and has a great companion. We did get to meet Elder Cranney on Skype as well and we are so grateful that they have had such a great experience as companions thus far. Tyler has changed so much in the short two months that he has been away from home serving the Lord. He has learned the importance of keeping a planner. He knows what complete exhaustion feels like and he has discovered a relationship with his Savior that we had prayed he would find. We are so proud of him and the sacrifices that he is making to serve the Lord and others. We can hardly wait for Mother's Day when we can sit as a family together around the counter and see him again. We are grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has showered Tyler and our family with so many blessings this holiday season and we are also grateful and feel truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who continue to pray for and support Tyler in this adventure.
With Love,
The Riggs Family
With Love,
The Riggs Family
A Very Quick Update - December 30, 2013
Hello everyone!
This is going to be a super fast update because we have to leave very soon to go to a dinner appointment so I'll just cover the basics.
-The Church is true.
-The Book of Mormon is the Word of God.
-It's cold (today it was an average of between 4-5 degrees)
-Missionary work is tough but rewarding.
-I've never learned so much in such a small amount of time.
- A CLEAN ROOM/APARTMENT/HOUSE INVITES THE SPIRIT!
-It's cold (see above rating)
-People are not willing to meet with missionaries during the holidays.
-Too many sweets make you gain weight
-Not enough real exercise also makes you gain weight.
-It's cold (see above rating)
-Be very careful about how many miles you use in a mission car.
-God loves ALL of His children, including you. Yes, you. The one reading this e-mail.
-Being a missionary is the hardest thing I have ever done.
-It's also the most rewarding.
I know that was a really weak update, but I promise I'll do better next week! I love you all!
--Elder Riggs
This is going to be a super fast update because we have to leave very soon to go to a dinner appointment so I'll just cover the basics.
-The Church is true.
-The Book of Mormon is the Word of God.
-It's cold (today it was an average of between 4-5 degrees)
-Missionary work is tough but rewarding.
-I've never learned so much in such a small amount of time.
- A CLEAN ROOM/APARTMENT/HOUSE INVITES THE SPIRIT!
-It's cold (see above rating)
-People are not willing to meet with missionaries during the holidays.
-Too many sweets make you gain weight
-Not enough real exercise also makes you gain weight.
-It's cold (see above rating)
-Be very careful about how many miles you use in a mission car.
-God loves ALL of His children, including you. Yes, you. The one reading this e-mail.
-Being a missionary is the hardest thing I have ever done.
-It's also the most rewarding.
I know that was a really weak update, but I promise I'll do better next week! I love you all!
--Elder Riggs
Merry Christmas - December 23, 2013
Hey Everyone!
Christmas is almost here! And today is my two month mark! I only have 22 more months left here in Wisconsin!
It has been pretty cold, not just the weather, but a lot of the people as well. That's okay though, because there are always beams of light shining through the storm if you are looking for them. Elder Cranney and I are struggling to help our investigators progress towards baptism, so we decided to try to make a bigger pool of investigators (plus it will help me get out of knocking doors). We were trying to contact some former investigators and some potential investigators this week and found a few of them that were actually interested and really friendly! We were unable to set up return appointments with them due to the busy Christmas schedule everyone has, but we were actually able to get in contact with them. There are so many blessings if we but look for them!
Elder Brand showed me a video today of the nativity that I have never seen before. It was a little embarrassing to watch at the library because it was so powerful that I was almost crying while watching it. The Piano Guys are performing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" while there are scenes form the birth and life of our Savior playing. The web address to this video is http://www.mormonchannel.org/christmas-videos?v=2008190983001. I don't know if this e-mail will be able to provide a link that you just click on or not, but check it out!
This is a time to remember the birth of our Savior and try to live the way he would. I'm reminded of the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" I challenge each of you to ask yourself the very same question. Service is the best way to get into the Christmas spirit. Find two people to help this week, one before Christmas and the other after. I know that if we are doing the things that Christ would have done, we will be happier, have charity towards all men (which by the way is how we start world peace), and come closer to our Savior He loves you. I know it to be true. He shows His love for us in countless ways. The real question is, how are we showing our love for Him?
--Elder Riggs
Christmas is almost here! And today is my two month mark! I only have 22 more months left here in Wisconsin!
It has been pretty cold, not just the weather, but a lot of the people as well. That's okay though, because there are always beams of light shining through the storm if you are looking for them. Elder Cranney and I are struggling to help our investigators progress towards baptism, so we decided to try to make a bigger pool of investigators (plus it will help me get out of knocking doors). We were trying to contact some former investigators and some potential investigators this week and found a few of them that were actually interested and really friendly! We were unable to set up return appointments with them due to the busy Christmas schedule everyone has, but we were actually able to get in contact with them. There are so many blessings if we but look for them!
Elder Brand showed me a video today of the nativity that I have never seen before. It was a little embarrassing to watch at the library because it was so powerful that I was almost crying while watching it. The Piano Guys are performing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" while there are scenes form the birth and life of our Savior playing. The web address to this video is http://www.mormonchannel.org/christmas-videos?v=2008190983001. I don't know if this e-mail will be able to provide a link that you just click on or not, but check it out!
This is a time to remember the birth of our Savior and try to live the way he would. I'm reminded of the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" I challenge each of you to ask yourself the very same question. Service is the best way to get into the Christmas spirit. Find two people to help this week, one before Christmas and the other after. I know that if we are doing the things that Christ would have done, we will be happier, have charity towards all men (which by the way is how we start world peace), and come closer to our Savior He loves you. I know it to be true. He shows His love for us in countless ways. The real question is, how are we showing our love for Him?
--Elder Riggs
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