The Blessing- Week 42

The Spirit of God

1. The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!
 The latter-day glory begins to come forth;
 The visions and blessings of old are returning,
 And angels are coming to visit the earth.

(Chorus]
We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven,
 Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb! 
Let glory to them in the highest be given,
 Henceforth and forever, Amen and amen!

I love this hymn! In fact it is, and always has been, one of my favorites and most dear to my heart. I like to look at it as the first verse is God's role/promise and the chorus is our role/promise. 

God has promised that He will hasten His work and I am privileged and honored to be a witness to such a promise coming forth.

This week, we had so many appointments and things planned! It was incredible! Then, on Tuesday, we had to take our car into the shop after experiencing some problems with the brakes. That left us on bikes for the rest of the week and unfortunately and understandably Elder Santana has arthritis in his knees and so biking long distances or at really fast paces just doesn't work out very well.  Nevertheless, he persevered and endured and we saw miracle after miracle after miracle this week. We had a total of 7 scheduled appointments this week that we ended up having to cancel and reschedule and in their place, God allowed us to meet Harry, Marcus, Kayla, and Illandra and her dad Elisio who we were able to find and teach this week as we were out walking and biking from place to place. Each one has a unique and powerful story to how God prepared them to receive our message and how we were led to each other. 

On top of that, we miraculously were able to go to Stillwater for the Special Olympics with my dearest friends and they did incredible!!

The blessings were flowing  out the wazoo even more than usual this week. God is great!

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks

The Blessing- Week 41

Mother's Day: The Best Day of The Year. I have the most beautiful and wonderful Mother and the greatest family under the heavens. I am so grateful for the time I had to talk with Mom and Dad and Tyson, Carson, Ashlynn and Analee. What great love and joy comes to me from my dear family! 

Our weeks seem to be filling themselves. It seems to me that each week our schedule is becoming filled more and more with appointments even to the point that we are beginning to have too much work to do ourselves. We had an interview with our President this week and he mentioned to me that in a transfer or two he is deeply considering splitting our area for other missionaries to come partake in the work. It is a terrible but probably the greatest problem to have as a missionary-stressing over not having enough time to see everyone you need to.

I have one of the best teachers of the gospel as a companion so that makes our appointments even that much greater. He teaches so simply and powerfully and has already been a significant example and a great friend to me. 

I've talked much about the Helgenberger's, and lately have mentioned some of their friends; Kavion, Reggie, and his sister Gelina. (Like Angelina, but without the An.)

The Stake had a stake basketball tournament and Roxbert and Micrain invited 5 of their friends to go, namely Kavion, Reggie, Davion, Caleb, and Traci. We got to find them all rides to go and they had a good time. Kavion has made it to church the last two week and is progressing to baptism! Reggie couldn't quite muster the strength to get up in time for church yesterday despite Gelina's efforts to wake him but he is doing really well and she came again to church! We have struggled to be able to meet their parents and were even fairly worried if their parents would be okay with their children meeting with us but we finally got to meet their father yesterday and had a really good visit with him! We were able to go with a member to their house and it turns out that Reggie and Gelina's dad had actually met missionaries in Florida and knew a bit about what we believed. We had a good conversation and he is more than happy for his children to continue meeting with us and learning and progressing to be baptized as members of our Church. We were really worried going into it of how the parents might react but it ended up going the second to best way possible. He doesn't have anything against our faith but he doesn't really want to join organized religion right now. Getting the whole family would be the only better thing that could have happened. 

God is great, we are blessed, and all is well in this place, I call Zion. 

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks

The Blessing- Week 40

Another wonderful week under our belts! I am left in complete disarray each week when I get to think about and see all of the blessings and miracles that Heavenly Father has given me and allowed me to witness or be apart of. 

Yes, there was a storm that hit us in Oklahoma this week and there were tornadoes around the state and the area. There was one Tuesday night just out of our area about 5 miles away from where we were at but thanks to God and His goodness, nobody was hurt by any of the storms and all is well. We were very well taken care of and stayed with the Skinners until the storm passed. We didn't even have to get into the shelter this time ! #blessings

Yesterday was the highlight of the great week. Last week, Reggie came to church but didn't make it until after the Sacrament was administered and Kavion didn't come at all. So this week we really focused on getting them to Church and making sure it was in time for them to feel all of the blessings of Church attendance and the sacredness of partaking of the emblems of the Sacrament. 

In preparations for this we; prayed earnestly, talked with them and set a sure plan, planned for a ride from faithful members (what a blessing to have their support!) and gave reminder calls the night before and wake up calls the morning of. Not only did both of them make it this week but Reggie's sister also came, who we had never before had any contact with, and a family in the ward had a daughter who invited her friend to come and Tessa came also. Heavenly Father didn't just grant us our desires in having Reggie and Kavion come but blessed us with so much more than that! The work truly is so good and God is even far greater. 

Miracles, miracles, miracles. They are everywhere! I pray that we might all be blessed with the spiritual eyes to see them all around us. 

Keep the faith, 

Elder Ricks

 

Tuesday night-> biking to the Skinner's when the severe weather watch alarm went off. 

 

 

Tuesday night-> with the Skinner's weather watching.

The Blessing- Week 39

I lost one incredible companion and best friend, Elder Morton, to receive another stellar companion and best friend! I can't express to you the great blessing it is to be with such wonderful companions who desire so greatly to love and serve God and all fellow brothers and sisters. 

Let me share with you one night that outlines how our entire week went.

Friday night we had appointments lined up at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 and we were taking Connor, one of the priests in our ward with us. As we were on his doorstep to pick him up, our first appointment called and asked to reschedule! Uh oh!

We worked it out to be able to go to our second appointment early so we went and had an incredible lesson with the Helgenberger's about keeping the Sabbath Day a delight.

We had a little gap then from 6:00 to 7:00 though so we just decided to try a young man, Kavion, who lived down the street from the Helgenberger's. We ended up having a great lesson with him and another young man, Reggie, just came up to the porch and joined us for the lesson! We invited both to be baptized and both accepted and are now working towards being baptized on May 28. Kavion slept in on Sunday and didn't make it to church, little stinker, we'll get him next week.;) haha but Reggie made it yesterday so we are excited about both of them.

We still had some time before our next scheduled appointment so we decided to go try a potential we had met that day. Reida is who we had talked to and she invited us to come to her home that night sometime after her husband would get off work at 6:00. He answered the door and was very kind but let us know he was a devout Catholic and was good. We continued to talk with him though and by the end of the conversation we set a return appointment and left him with a Book of Mormon which he said was "very interesting" and he"liked it" even though we actually didn't say a word about the book, we just gave it to him. 

We had our lesson at 7:00 with Tessa and Heidi and went over the great Plan of Salvation/Happiness with them and it was truly a spirit filled, happy lesson. 

That is just one night but we saw at least two huge miracles every day this week just like the miracles we saw Friday night. God truly has prepared people to receive this happy and true message and I am so grateful that I get to be an instrument in His hands in bringing the message and the Spirit unto them so that they can receive it and let it penetrate their hearts. 

May we all be able to see the hand of God in our every day lives and try a little harder to do a little better in "Choosing the harder right instead of the easier wrong."-President Thomas S. Monson

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks

  Last lesson with the Helgenberger's before Elder Morton left!

We were soaking wet in this picture.. It was pouring rain in a huge thunderstorm all night.-The bright flashes of lightning and booming thunder storms are really intense and fun out here

 

The Blessing- Week 38

What a week! We sure were busy this week and had an incredible time in what we found out is our last full week together. Transfers are on Wednesday and I will be welcoming with open arms my new companion, Elder Santana. I sure do love and appreciate Elder Morton and all that he has done for me. It makes all the world's difference to be able to serve with your best friends. I am grateful to have had such great friendships in all of my companionships and look forward to yet another!

Roxbert has been a little shy to pass the Sacrament since he received the Priesthood but yesterday we finally got both of the boys (Roxbert and Micrain) to get up there and pass and what a joyous occasion that was for me. Those boys and that family make me so happy!

We had set up two church tours for Saturday night at 6:00 and 7:00. Albert was the first and we had set it up to have dinner with him at the church before the tour and the lesson. At about 6:30, as we were pacing the street outside looking for Albert, we received a text that said "jail". Uhhh? He never responded after that. At about 6:45, Logan texted us and said she had been throwing up since she got off work. So, both appointments fell through unfortunately and we resolved to go to the jail and look for Albert on the way in hopes that maybe he had just been walking passed the jail on the way to the church. We get there and ask the cop if he was inside and it turns out he was! They got him for possession of Marijuana... I hate that filthy stuff. Anyways, he is a great guy and we hope he is doing good. They were saying he had to stay over night but he would see a judge the next morning and be released but we haven't heard from him since. Crazy stories! 

Life is great, we are blessed, and God is good.

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks

The Blessing- Week 37

It was another great week, filled with more great stories and miracles but today I just want to talk about this incredible group and the experience Elder Morton and I were blessed with to have with them this week.

This is (From left to right) Carl, Ray, Bill, Kim, Scott, Renee, Gary, Ronald, Chris, Elder Morton, Robby, Elder Ricks (That's me..).

The last two and a half months we have been able to go over to this incredible place called the Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled (OKFD). Each Wednesday we would come and teach each of these beautiful, wonderful, talented children of God how to run and throw for the Special Olympics. They asked us to come and so we got approval and met them at the big event this week to get each of them ready and excited, cheer like mad, and celebrate their great effort and success! Every single one of them did incredible! Overall, our dear friends took first or second place in everything they did! How crazy is that?! We didn't even have to train them, they came as natural winners! 

When we walked into the stadium there was such a special, irreplaceable spirit of love and joy that could be felt that I will never forget. What a special day for me. I am so grateful to have been apart of it!

May we all be able to have and then to share the love and joy that each of my friends here radiate. It is my prayer that God will bless each of us with this pure love this week. 

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks

The Blessing- Week 36

I love this place. I should actually be careful with what I say. Edmond is a great place but to be completely honest, I can't say I love the place because it isn't anything close to home with the mountains but the people, wow, I definitely love them. 

Elder Morton and I had a great week!

Tessa, the foreign exchange student from Germany, told us that she had a dream several months ago and in this dream, she was back in Germany with her mom and expressed to her that she wanted to be baptized into the Mormon Church. We are working to help her build her faith that there is a God who is our Father in Heaven and she is indeed one of His daughters which will help her progress to be able to be baptized. 

Michelle, my dear friend from Edmond 3rd, was able to go to the temple this week and receive her endowment and I was so fortunate and blessed to not only be invited but to be allowed to go and be apart of this monumental step in her eternal progression. I am so grateful for the temple and the sacred ordinances, spirit, and truths that take place and are learned and felt there.

General Conference this weekend was absolutely wonderful! I know that there is truly a prophet on the earth today and that he is Thomas S. Monson. Christ himself stands at the head of this Church and leads us through those He has chosen. I loved all of conference and every message was so powerful and evident in my life and I look so forward to being able to review them again and again. 

There were so many favorites I couldn't choose but one point that particularly stood out was the exaggeration on the fact that we are sons and daughters, children, of God our Father in Heaven. As I pondered this thing that so many of our leaders hit on, I realized the truth of it. I thought "Wow. When something happens in my life, in my service as a missionary, in my day to day experiences, do I ever say, 'Hmm. Well, I am a son of God. I know what I want and I know where I am going.'"

The simplicity is, for me, often deceiving but this truth brought a new and added increase of joy and fulfillment to my soul. 

I considered this scripture that President Uchtdorf touched on "Seek and ye shall find" (3 Nephi 14:7, Mathew 7:7) I also found in my own studies this powerful truth "God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). Am I always seeking joy and cheerfulness? If I am, I will certainly find it. I have been given much. I have been given the blessing of membership in this Church which brings knowledge of the Plan of Happiness and Salvation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, blessings of the temple, blessings of tithing and health and all of the commandments. I had to read a hymn and ask myself "Because I have been given much, I too must give. Am I doing that?"

It is my resolution to give with a new found spirit of joy and cheerfulness because there is really only one thing to find sorrow in-the idea of losing one or more of our brothers and sisters. Everything else should and does cause peace and joy. 

I am grateful for the Savior who, with our Father in Heaven, are the ultimate givers and have given or desire to give everything they have on our behalf.

God bless you and may we always keep the faith,

Elder Ricks