The Weekly Update - November 25, 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Riggs

Another Week - November 18, 2013

Hey Everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Riggs

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

Pictures from his arrival in Wisconsin

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

New Address

Tyler's new apartment address is:

2420 S. 18th St.
Sheboygan, WI 53081

1st Week in the Field!

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Riggs

Tyler's First Location

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

With Love,
Riggs Family

http://wisconsinmilwaukeemission.blogspot.com

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

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

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