The Blessing- Week 54

What a glorious week!

I absolutely love and admire my companion! Elder Palmer is working so hard and doing so many wonderful things and I am so grateful for his companionship:) We were really busy again this week and were privileged to see a whole bouquet of blessings and miracles! For example:

-We bike up to these three really awesome boys, Gabriel, Corbin, and Aaron. And they talk to us and get our phone number and call us that very night just to check on us and make sure we made it home safe. Then they invite us to come over every single night (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) to have a lesson and even came to our Book of Mormon class on Thursday night. After the class they were saying things like "Woah, I love this book! I'm going to go home and read it for two hours! Oh yeah, well I'm going to read it all day tomorrow!!". 

-We are planning for and expecting Franklin, Skylin, Nate, and Avraham to all be baptized this upcoming Sunday. The Sisters in our ward are also planning to baptize a family of three children so we could potentially have 7 baptisms in our ward this upcoming Sunday.

-Two men walked into the church yesterday and the one pointed to the other and said "He wants to be a member of this Church." So we looked at him and I'm sure he was terrified by how big our eyes got and he just shook his head and said "Yep. Do I need to sign something or what?". He lives in the other ward's boundaries but it was so neat! I felt like I was in some crazy dream or fairy tale or something. I thought stories like that were just made up to make all the other missionaries feel bad but I can now testify that it really happens!

-Etc. + many many others!

I heard of the passing of Sister Laura Jeffery yesterday morning whom I was privileged to have been able to meet in Edmond. She is one of the most Christlike women I have ever met. She fought the good fight and I will forever remember her spirit, love, and devotion to God and her family. I feel so honored to have been able to meet her and thank the Lord for placing me in the position I had to have been able to not only meet her but to grow close to her and her family. I love and cherish the relationships I am blessed to have out here and I wouldn't change or take away a single one of them for anything. 

I know that because of Christ the Lord that we will all receive resurrected, perfected bodies and that because of the love of God for each of us and out of His desire for our happiness, He provided a way for us to be with our families, friends, and all loved ones forever and ever. I love and cherish and know this is true for myself. I have had spiritual experiences throughout my life and on my mission that have confirmed this and I know with all my heart and soul it is true. How grateful I am!

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks

Elder Ricks, Gabriel, Aaron, Corbin, Elder Palmer

So, one year later, I have tweaked my knee a couple times since I hurt it last year but almost one year to the day (about a week and a half ago) I hurt it pretty good again! Haha at one point it was about 2 times the size of my other one. Biking definitely helps, it is great therapy.