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
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