Tyler sent us this picture today! Had to share it:)
Monday, January 5, 2015
'A New Year' 1-5-2015
Hello Everyone!
Today is super cold with a high of 4 degrees! The new year in Wisconsin brings cold, because January is it's coldest month! I've decided that I'm going to stay warm with my massive parka that I was able to snag from Green Bay in preparation for this winter! I plan on keeping this probably for the rest of my life, just in case I need to go climb Mt. Everest or something. In fact, I wonder if most climbers who have summitted Mt. Everest are from Wisconsin. I can't imagine the weather would be too different....
Anyway, the past year was so full of wonderful things for which I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for. The good thing is that this upcoming year is going to be even better, because as Elder Holland would say, "The Best is Yet to Be." How true that is. I've looked back and realized that all of the areas 'Ive been in so far have been different zones, but that I have been in them at some point last year. It's a possibility that I'll only have one area left, but that depends on what the Lord wants. Sometimes He does shake things up a little bit to keep us mortals on our toes, but I'm hoping I can stay in Waukesha until at least May. We'll just have to see!
One thing I'm going to do this year is read the Book of Mormon 4 times in English and once in German (I picked one up when we went to the temple a few months ago). If Brother Klunk, who has only been reading the Book of Mormon for about two years, has finished his 16th time through, then I can do 4 times in one year. :) That's a resolution that I am going to do, each time studying a different topic so I can learn as much as I can.
I look forward to this year and I'm excited to keep working hard in the frigid air of Wisconsin amongst these wonderful people. Keep the faith!
--Elder T. Riggs
'Transfer Week' 12-29-2014
Well Hello!
This transfer is now over.... We got the text on Saturday telling us who in our zone would be leaving. It doesn't come very early in the morning, so all morning until we got the text my anxiety level was through the roof! I didn't want to leave this area. I feel like I'm a part of the Waukesha ward; they have welcomed me with open arms and are all just so amazing. Transfers are always hard, and I'm going to miss this area greatly.
It's a good thing I'm staying!! X,-D
That's right! I'll be here for at least another six weeks! Then Elder Bluth goes home and I'll most likely be here for another transfer after that! The Lord does listen when we petition Him, and our desires are important to Him. There are many things that I know He needs me to learn in this wonderful area of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and I will do my best to not let Him down.
Christmas was wonderful. Elder Bluth and I were able to call/Skype our families and actually talk to them instead of just communicating through e-mail or letter. That was such a blessing to see them and check up on how they're doing. I know that I'm away from my family for only a little bit, but the time will come when I get to see them again. That's true for everybody. God has provided a way for us to be with our families after this life, but we have to be the one's who choose to participate in that glorious blessing. He simply offers it, hoping that we will take hold of it.
I've made a New Year's resolution. I'm going to read the Book of Mormon 4 times this upcoming year. That's once every three months. I've realized after reading it for Christmas that it's not that difficult to get through the entire book. Brother Klunk in Sheboygan has only been a member for just under two years, but he is just finishing his 13th time through the entire Book! It is possible, especially as a missionary. The hard part will be when I return home in October, because I won't have a set hour to study in the morning. It is the best Book I have ever read, and I now know with a surety that a man (and woman) will get nearer to God by abiding by it's precepts than by reading any other book. That is 100% accurate. I've come to understand my Savior and His love for me much better than I have in the past. Why I didn't see it before is no secret to me. I wasn't looking for it. But now that I am seeking it, I am finding it. It took action on my part, and the interesting thing is that God matches how much effort I put in to knowing Him. If I want to know Him more, I must put forth more energy into learning about Him.
I hope all of you will have a wonderful new year and continue to discover the Gift of Jesus Christ every day. You can do it. I have faith in you, and so does your Heavenly Father. I love all of you!
This transfer is now over.... We got the text on Saturday telling us who in our zone would be leaving. It doesn't come very early in the morning, so all morning until we got the text my anxiety level was through the roof! I didn't want to leave this area. I feel like I'm a part of the Waukesha ward; they have welcomed me with open arms and are all just so amazing. Transfers are always hard, and I'm going to miss this area greatly.
It's a good thing I'm staying!! X,-D
That's right! I'll be here for at least another six weeks! Then Elder Bluth goes home and I'll most likely be here for another transfer after that! The Lord does listen when we petition Him, and our desires are important to Him. There are many things that I know He needs me to learn in this wonderful area of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and I will do my best to not let Him down.
Christmas was wonderful. Elder Bluth and I were able to call/Skype our families and actually talk to them instead of just communicating through e-mail or letter. That was such a blessing to see them and check up on how they're doing. I know that I'm away from my family for only a little bit, but the time will come when I get to see them again. That's true for everybody. God has provided a way for us to be with our families after this life, but we have to be the one's who choose to participate in that glorious blessing. He simply offers it, hoping that we will take hold of it.
I've made a New Year's resolution. I'm going to read the Book of Mormon 4 times this upcoming year. That's once every three months. I've realized after reading it for Christmas that it's not that difficult to get through the entire book. Brother Klunk in Sheboygan has only been a member for just under two years, but he is just finishing his 13th time through the entire Book! It is possible, especially as a missionary. The hard part will be when I return home in October, because I won't have a set hour to study in the morning. It is the best Book I have ever read, and I now know with a surety that a man (and woman) will get nearer to God by abiding by it's precepts than by reading any other book. That is 100% accurate. I've come to understand my Savior and His love for me much better than I have in the past. Why I didn't see it before is no secret to me. I wasn't looking for it. But now that I am seeking it, I am finding it. It took action on my part, and the interesting thing is that God matches how much effort I put in to knowing Him. If I want to know Him more, I must put forth more energy into learning about Him.
I hope all of you will have a wonderful new year and continue to discover the Gift of Jesus Christ every day. You can do it. I have faith in you, and so does your Heavenly Father. I love all of you!
--Elder T. Riggs
'MERRY CHRISTMAS' 12-22-2014
Merry Christmas Everybody!!
I sincerely hope that all of you are able to enjoy the beauty of the Christmas season. There are so many phrases that we throw around to try to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about but you know, I think the best phrase we could use to explain Christmas is "For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." That's the essence of Christmas; it's why we celebrate. We have a Savior, and that's something to be excited about. He is the gift of Christmas, and I would encourage all of you to share the gift in any way you can.
We as a mission are almost done reading the Book of Mormon. In fact, we finish tomorrow. There is so much green in my copy. Christ has given us so many thing we can do to gain strength from His Atonement. I'm blown away by how much mercy and love He has for each of us, and what it means to be God's son. I've been doing a study about why Christ is called the Lamb of God, and I've found that there is so much symbolism between Christ and the Passover fest. He was God's Firstborn Son. He was without blemish, He was slain for the sins of the world..... The list goes on. I'm understanding so much more of why he Atonement was necessary for us to return to live with God.
I do not have enough time to explain everything that I want to! Bah! Oh well. Everybody have a great Christmas, and remember to tell your family that you love them!
--Elder T. Riggs
I sincerely hope that all of you are able to enjoy the beauty of the Christmas season. There are so many phrases that we throw around to try to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about but you know, I think the best phrase we could use to explain Christmas is "For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." That's the essence of Christmas; it's why we celebrate. We have a Savior, and that's something to be excited about. He is the gift of Christmas, and I would encourage all of you to share the gift in any way you can.
We as a mission are almost done reading the Book of Mormon. In fact, we finish tomorrow. There is so much green in my copy. Christ has given us so many thing we can do to gain strength from His Atonement. I'm blown away by how much mercy and love He has for each of us, and what it means to be God's son. I've been doing a study about why Christ is called the Lamb of God, and I've found that there is so much symbolism between Christ and the Passover fest. He was God's Firstborn Son. He was without blemish, He was slain for the sins of the world..... The list goes on. I'm understanding so much more of why he Atonement was necessary for us to return to live with God.
I do not have enough time to explain everything that I want to! Bah! Oh well. Everybody have a great Christmas, and remember to tell your family that you love them!
--Elder T. Riggs
'A Week of Trials' 12-15-2014
Hey Everybody!
Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? It's so weird to me to not really be keeping track of the days; we just go out and do the same things every day, so all of the days just blend together. It's next week though!
So for Elder Bluth and I, this week has been really rough. We've been trying to find new investigators using a variety of approaches, but nobody has really listened this week, even when we tell them that we are sharing a Christmas message! They'll tell us that "they're already Christian", and shut the door on us! I just don't understand it.... Why would somebody who is "already Christian" not want to hear a message about what Christmas is all about anyway? It boggles my mind. Then I was reading in the scriptures about the fulfillment of prophecy and came to realize that all the rejection that we get as missionaries has already prophesied about thousands of years ago!! They are a part of the scriptures and don'e even realize it!
We as a mission are almost done with the Book of Mormon! It's been one of the greatest experiences to read through the whole thing with the Atonement of Jesus Christ in mind. He has done so much for us, but I feel like we don't recognize His hand in our life enough. What a gift we have of our Eldest Brother taking upon Himself every pain, weakness, sin, sickness that we will ever experience.
I love the Book of Mormon and what it means to me. I love my Savior, and pray that we will all be able to remember that He is the gift of the season. I love all of you!!
--Elder T. Riggs
Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? It's so weird to me to not really be keeping track of the days; we just go out and do the same things every day, so all of the days just blend together. It's next week though!
So for Elder Bluth and I, this week has been really rough. We've been trying to find new investigators using a variety of approaches, but nobody has really listened this week, even when we tell them that we are sharing a Christmas message! They'll tell us that "they're already Christian", and shut the door on us! I just don't understand it.... Why would somebody who is "already Christian" not want to hear a message about what Christmas is all about anyway? It boggles my mind. Then I was reading in the scriptures about the fulfillment of prophecy and came to realize that all the rejection that we get as missionaries has already prophesied about thousands of years ago!! They are a part of the scriptures and don'e even realize it!
We as a mission are almost done with the Book of Mormon! It's been one of the greatest experiences to read through the whole thing with the Atonement of Jesus Christ in mind. He has done so much for us, but I feel like we don't recognize His hand in our life enough. What a gift we have of our Eldest Brother taking upon Himself every pain, weakness, sin, sickness that we will ever experience.
I love the Book of Mormon and what it means to me. I love my Savior, and pray that we will all be able to remember that He is the gift of the season. I love all of you!!
--Elder T. Riggs
'Stare Adversity in the Face' 12-8-2014
My Dear Brothers and Sisters....
Hey everybody! I feel so happy this week! Missionary work is probably one of the hardest things anyone can ever do. Of course, there is the message that I shared last week about how it's only hard if you don't want to do it, but it is definitely a challenge. The hardest part is figuring out that you do want to do it, because then it becomes easy.
I was sitting yesterday in church during our Fast and Testimony Meeting, and I had a thought that I wanted to share during the meeting, but didn't have time to. It was about adversity and how we deal with it. One of the questions in a survey we use for proselyting is "How do you cope with a crisis in your life?" Many people have said prayer or family, and I think that those are excellent answers. Everybody does through rough patches in their lives, but it's so important to always focus on the bigger picture and TRUST in God, because He's the one who knows exactly what he's forging you into. One of my favorite sons that I used to listen to back home is called "Believe' by Yellowcard. It portrays the account of someone who was in the twin towers on September 11th, 2001 when they were going down, and some stranger came back to help him down. That stranger, it turns out, didn't make it, but the words he said are the chorus of the song:
"Everything is gonna be alright.
Everything is gonna be alright.
Everything is gonna be alright.
Be strong.
Believe."
There's a new Mormon Message about the "Refiner's Fire" that explains adversity very well, and why we go through things that are terrifying, or difficult or heart-breaking. If there is something that is going on in your life that you feel you can't handle, just remember the chorus. God has control, and if you turn to Him and trust Him, He WILL NOT let you fall.
Everything is gonna be alright.
Be strong.
Believe..
I love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3897359657001
Hey everybody! I feel so happy this week! Missionary work is probably one of the hardest things anyone can ever do. Of course, there is the message that I shared last week about how it's only hard if you don't want to do it, but it is definitely a challenge. The hardest part is figuring out that you do want to do it, because then it becomes easy.
I was sitting yesterday in church during our Fast and Testimony Meeting, and I had a thought that I wanted to share during the meeting, but didn't have time to. It was about adversity and how we deal with it. One of the questions in a survey we use for proselyting is "How do you cope with a crisis in your life?" Many people have said prayer or family, and I think that those are excellent answers. Everybody does through rough patches in their lives, but it's so important to always focus on the bigger picture and TRUST in God, because He's the one who knows exactly what he's forging you into. One of my favorite sons that I used to listen to back home is called "Believe' by Yellowcard. It portrays the account of someone who was in the twin towers on September 11th, 2001 when they were going down, and some stranger came back to help him down. That stranger, it turns out, didn't make it, but the words he said are the chorus of the song:
"Everything is gonna be alright.
Everything is gonna be alright.
Everything is gonna be alright.
Be strong.
Believe."
There's a new Mormon Message about the "Refiner's Fire" that explains adversity very well, and why we go through things that are terrifying, or difficult or heart-breaking. If there is something that is going on in your life that you feel you can't handle, just remember the chorus. God has control, and if you turn to Him and trust Him, He WILL NOT let you fall.
Everything is gonna be alright.
Be strong.
Believe..
I love you all!
--Elder T. Riggs
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3897359657001
'Making Life Easy' 12-1-2014
Hey Everyone,
This week I've been thinking about how difficult life is and why it's so difficult. I remembered something that one of my district leaders said in a district meeting that has stuck with me. He said, "It's only hard if you don't want to do it." We all have things that we have to do that we don't necessarily want to do, but if we are able to change our mindset into wanting to do those things that we know we need to do for the better, then that decision becomes very easy. If you want to do something, doing it is less of a challenge. We can do anything we set our minds to do.
Sorry it's short! I was having some computer trouble. I love you!
--Elder T. Riggs
This week I've been thinking about how difficult life is and why it's so difficult. I remembered something that one of my district leaders said in a district meeting that has stuck with me. He said, "It's only hard if you don't want to do it." We all have things that we have to do that we don't necessarily want to do, but if we are able to change our mindset into wanting to do those things that we know we need to do for the better, then that decision becomes very easy. If you want to do something, doing it is less of a challenge. We can do anything we set our minds to do.
Sorry it's short! I was having some computer trouble. I love you!
--Elder T. Riggs
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