Favorite Scripture

D&C 25:10

'And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.'

Monday, March 24, 2014

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!

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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

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