The Blessing- Week 5

Wow life is so busy and so good here!!!

Thank you for the letters some of you have sent, it really means a lot!:) I love to hear about all the great things happening back at home! So many of you are doing so many great things and I truly love getting to hear about those things and just how well life is going-The Lord sure does bless us in all things and in so many more ways than we can count.

The blessings and miracles are almost overwhelming here!! Everyday we see miracles and are so blessed by our Father in Heaven. We do a lot of service every week but this week it seemed like we did just a bit more than usual! For Pday we usually do something really fun and last week we went, as a district, to this place called Topgolf thanks to one of the members in the ward and had a blast there! Today we are going bowling! Missionary work comes in so many more ways than just knocking doors and giving a really serious lesson every time we see people. We got to go with a member family this week with an investigator and we played some basketball and volleyball and this week we are going to a member's house with an investigator, Elaine (She is so amazing and sweet, I love her to death! She is 70 and has a couple health issues right now so please pray for her.) and we are going to watch Meet the Mormons! 

So while we do some of these things, some of the members and investigators have taken pictures and sent them to my mom or just while we are having dinners and what not they take pictures and send them and that is why in many of those pictures we are in more casual clothing! We are in service clothes a lot helping with people's yards (On Saturday we had an entire service day and we will do it again this week) and we have been fishing a couple times with investigators. 

So, as you can tell, missionary work encompasses a lot of different things and of course we share testimony and give lessons as often as we can and when the Spirit directs but we also build relationships and do a lot of fellow shipping! Member missionary work is the most important form of missionary work, without a doubt. Missionaries come and go and can teach the lessons the way they need to be taught but the members are the people that have the real influence on others by being their friends sincerely and inviting others to activities of recreation and spiritual. Our ward does an amazing job of that here and as missionaries, we are sooo thankful for that!

I still have not cooked one single night! We are fed dinner every night and even many days we are given lunches so we are always being fed by many people! We are always taken really really well care of<3   I don't have any problems with laundry because there is a member in the ward that does it for us every week! (I might be done for when I leave this ward... I'm gonna end up doing laundry and cooking on my own..)

As a zone, we will get to go to the Temple this week!!:) September 2nd! I cannot wait to go do that!!!

Paul will be baptized this Saturday!!!:D Satan sure does work hardest on those trying to do the most right. Paul is in many ways like Joseph Smith in trying to figure out what religion to join. He had a very similar experience this week when he kneeled to pray to receive an answer to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove. And since he received his answer that he needs to be baptized he has gone through all sorts of trial and adversity this week so please keep him in your prayers as well! He is an amazing guy and we are so excited for him to get baptized this week and receive the pouring of blessings from heaven! 

I am really excited for this week. We have so many great things going on and I can't wait for it all! 

It is so great to hear about everything back home! Good luck to everyone who is just going back to school, I wish you a great school year! Congrats to Skyline football with their win this week! I can't wait to hear how the season goes for you this year! I wish I could really express my love, excitement and appreciation for all of you and all the people here! My life has been filled with good people and I am truly blessed beyond belief.

Have a great week and do something good for another! 

Keep the faith,

Elder Ricks