27 June 2011

Mon 6/27/2011 11:10 AM

Lluvio....mucho Lluvio!

Hola! Como Estan!

         Well, this week was very busy, it seemed. I think Tuesday was the only day we spent all day in the area!  Not too much happened that day. So yeah.

Wednesday I went to lunch with Elder Hudspeth. It was good. I can't believe he goes home next week! Crazy.  We went to lunch and had a good time. After that, we went out to Norfolk to do some more baptismal interviews! Crazy, crazy. That took some time. I can’t remember what else we did that day....I know it rained a lot. ugh!

Thursday was interviews and district meeting. My interview was the shortest one I have ever had. It was really, really good. Just really short.  District meeting went really well. I trained on being humble and gaining a better character on the mission. I used Elder Scott's talked on Faith and Character. If you haven't read it, you should! It’s good! And after that, we had a meeting with the ZLs and the other DL and President Kunz. It was actually way, way spiritual and really good. Just the 5 of us, just sharing our feelings. Even President. I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot from it. We are just trying to help all the Elders in the zone get to a point where they have a ton of desire to be obedient and have a desire to work!

Friday, we set someone for baptism. We talked to Javier for a good long time without his wife there. We talked about his doubts and concerns. And the Spirit just hit me in the face and said, “Ask him to be baptized.” So I did. And he agreed to set a date to work toward. So we are hoping for the 16th of July. So keep him in your prayers! We are way excited for him! It will be a blessing to him and his family for sure!

Saturday. We went and did some service for a family who's basement flooded....we cleaned out everything from the basement and tried mopping up some of the water. My companion and I mostly took care of the sheetrock, because we knew how to take it off. So we did that! It was really good because these members are completely inactive! So yeah!

Sunday was a good day. It was kind of long though. Church went well. We had like 4 investigators there, so that was good to see happen! The church is starting to be full again. I am happy to see that! After church, we went to the Kay's and ate.

          So I am doing really well, personally. I am dealing with this sore throat, but other than that, I am fine. Elder Noonchester and I have been losing a ton of weight, so that is something that makes us both happy!  But what’s even better than that is that my testimony and firmness in the gospel is growing evermore. I notice my personal studies are more in depth, and I have a deeper love for everyone and my desire to help others is even more. I love my mission. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve. It has changed my life, and I am so happy for these changes in my life. As I have been keeping in contact with my buds from home, it’s just so amazing how the mission transforms a person. But in reality, it’s through the Atonement that we are able to do so. Through the Atonement everything is made possible. We all need the Atonement, which of course means that we need our Beloved Savior as well. I am grateful to bear His name on my chest every day and to help people come to know Him even more. I love you all so much and I pray for each of you to partake of this wonderful gift that Our Heavenly Father has given us. I hope you all have a great week!  love you all and miss you just as much!!!

Con amor,

El Elder Rigby

20 June 2011

Mon 6/20/2011 12:22 PM

No Se Que Hacer?

Buenos Dias-
        Well, yet another week gone by! This week went by fast. The week started off with zone conference. It was good. We talked about utilizing the members in the work more, which I am a firm believer in, because, as you know, I am not a fan of tracting. It is by far the least effective way to find people. It builds character and faith, but I think the more effective way is through the members - gaining their trust and having them do the finding because they know all these people better than we do! So that was a great training, which I did enjoy listening too. During one of the trainings, we were asked to think about our missions. And as I was doing so, Elder Hoyt and I looked at each other. Now, Elder Hoyt is our zone leader, but, I have served around him every transfer. So we have gotten to be pretty good friends. And we just looked at each other and recognized how far each of us has come, and how different we are, and we just reminisced in the spirit of the mission. It was really nice.
        After the zone conference, we went to a dinner and literally just got fat off these things called dirty snowballs. It was crazy. But then after that, we went to ole Norfolk, Nebraska to go on some exchanges and to do a baptismal interview. I will be honest, doing a baptismal interview for a girl....was kind of weird. But it was good to see how she has changed her life and how the Savior has helped her. I love seeing that change in people. We have an investigator who is so close!!! Javier Ramirez. He says he knows the church is true, but he is just waiting for an answer to know if he needs to be baptized. AHH! Please pray for him to be ready. He is so, so, so, so, close. And it would definitely bless his family's life. They are all members except him. So close. He is our only person we have been teaching, as of late. We are kind of in a rut right now with our pool of investigators. I am confidence that we will find some this week! This week, I will have my first district meeting (funny that I am having my first with only 2 weeks left in the transfer) and that day, as well, we will be having interviews and what not. But all is well!
         I, myself, am doing great! I got my new glasses! Thank you dad for taking care of that! It’s been nice to have them. They are sweet timberland glasses. I love them. I have been wearing them a lot. My allergies have died down a bit. I guess because I am not doing service anymore. But they are still there. It’s been good. Thank you so, so, so, so, so much! I love you all so much! I hope you all had a great Father’s Day!!! I love you all so, so, so much and miss ya just as much! Que tengan buena semana!!!

con amor,

Elder Ruby

13 June 2011

Mon 6/13/2011 11:31 AM

Ahora Empezamos La Obra

Hello Everyone,

           So as the week has come to an end, so has our service. Our last day for service was on Saturday - which is kind of weird. For the last 15 days I have been doing manual labor for about 12 hours a day and now it’s just back to normal missionary work. It feels like transfers. Weird. I will miss doing service. It’s honestly my favorite thing to do, especially the service that we did - helping people in a dire need. It was a great feeling and I am sad it’s coming to an end. But I loved it. Not much else to say about that. I love doing service for people, it’s something I could do the rest of my life, and I plan on doing it. I think it’s the perfect gift you could ever give anyone. If you can't think of a gift idea for someone, serve them, and you both will be completely edified by the Spirit of the Lord. I am loving the mission; it’s going by way too fast!!
            I myself am doing well (besides my allergies, and my glasses broke this week). They are being held together but super glue and tape. Because of my allergies I literally can't wear my contacts. Other than that, I am fine. Just getting my rusty Spanish up to par, and that’s about it! Things are good. Last Week we had a Spanish meeting in Omaha as well. It was pretty good. It’s weird. I am like one of the oldest ones now, when it was like yesterday I was there with Elder Moore as one of the youngest ones. It is all good. I am happy to be here and just enjoying the life in Siouxland. I love you all so, so, so much! and I miss ya just as much! Have a great week!!

con amor,

El Elder Bradley D. Rigby

25 May 2011 plus

Wed 5/25/2011 9:07 AM

transferred again

Fam-

      So I will be getting transferred to Sioux City, IA - Spanish with Elder Noonchester. So I will be a Spanish Elder again. Also I will be a district leader over about 6 missionaries. So yeah! craziness. Well, Love you all so much! Have a great week!!!

 -Brad

Mon 5/30/2011 7:54 AM

Flooding!!

Hey Family-

    So I don't have time to email today. I will email you tomorrow! Because. Yes, the Missouri is flooding and we have to go help out because people's houses are right off the river. So yeah. We did it all day yesterday from 9-9 just sandbagging, and moving basements. We are going to do it again today because yeah, it’s flooding. It’s pretty crazy. Everyone is stressing. Good thing I live in a Castle!! :) [up on a hill] I have to go, our ride is here!!! Love you all so much. Don't worry. I am not going to die or anything. We are just helping others out so they don't die. :) love you so much!!!

-Elder Rigby

Thu 6/9/2011 11:29 AM

Diluvios!!

Bueno bueno bueno!

           Soy Espanol de nuevo! Finalmente!!! So I honestly don't know what to say about the last three weeks because I haven't emailed. The first week was transfers and, of course, I got transferred to Sioux City, Iowa! As a district leader. So that stressed me out. It will be tough. But I can do it! And then, like not even two days after I got here, Flood preparation started. Sioux City is right where the Sioux River, Floyd River, and the big Missouri River all join. And we had a pretty wet year as well. In fact, today it is raining. Anywho, I guess out west, where all the dams are, they are overflowing with water. So naturally they need to release a lot of water to compensate. Well, all that water comes here!! We have been in South Dakota, which is just across the river, doing flood prep every day for the last 12 days from 9am-11pm. It’s been a really unique experience to have, to be honest. I love service. I have already seen the blessings to others lives; I can't tell you how many comments we have had about us. Last night, we were talking with one of the people we have been helping, and he said. "There is one thing in my life I am missing, its religion. Because of your guys' character and because of your non-stop service without any complaint, I honestly think I will come to your church. You guys have your head on straight and I really respect that." So hearing stuff like that just really warms my heart.
            I will be honest, when we first started, it was just service, taking people’s worldly possessions out of their homes, but as I went on. I started to really care for them, and pray for them. And even shed a tear for them. I have seen so many people stressed, cry, and just being sad, because these are their homes. And as Nephi, I water my pillow each night praying for them. Luckily, I think we have prepared enough that the houses should be protected and should be alright. Now, it’s just kind of a waiting game. But a little bit of what we have been doing. Basically we have been making sandbags, throwing them, moving out basements, building walls of sandbags, just all that! And lately, the last few days, we have been making these huge levies that will protect the whole neighborhood. I think it will work. I pray that it does. We have about 10-15 members that live there. And they have been awesome - everyone just helping each other. I think this last Saturday, we had about 200 members in their yellow shirts helping others out. They call us the "swarm". Whenever we go into a store, they ask us about it. We end up saying, “Yep, that’s us. Anything we can do for you??” It’s just been a great experience, and it’s still not over. I honestly think Heavenly Father sent me here to help with this. He knows me. He knows I would work hard. And I am so grateful for the opportunity.
            Service is definitely one of the best ways to spread the gospel, and I urge each of you to try and reach out to someone you don't know each and every day. I am so grateful to serve other people and to have learned this principle early on in life. I love you all and I miss you so much! I will give you more details the next time I have a p-day. Whenever that is. Just know, I am alright and I am just serving the people of the Lord. I love you, I pray for you, and I am grateful for each of you!

Con amor siempre mis queridos,

El Elder Rigby----Service Missionary ;)

24 May 2011

Tue 5/24/2011 2:37 PM

Una Bendición Apostólica

Hello hello, I say hello!

         So I honestly have like 5 minutes. I will tell you why. Well, usually P-Day is Monday on a normal week, but, this week is transfers. So things are a little bit hectic around here! So yesterday we three loaded up the transfer van and trailer with stuff to open an apartment. We drove to Shenendoah, Iowa, then to Lincoln, then to Wahoo, Nebraska. So we had quite the little road trip there. We finished with that around like 10pm. So yeah.  Yesterday, booked. Today, we were supposed to have a normal day, but, tomorrow we are helping Cody move to Utah! After that, we have to take a new missionary out, then drive to Sioux City and pick up the Elders getting transferred and then drive back and get them somewhere to stay. So yeah. Then Thursday is transfer day. I don't know what is going on with me at all. I will somehow contact you and let you know! That’s this busy week right now. I have no idea what will happen to me. I tried to get some info from Elder Hudspeth, and all he says is, "You'll be happy."  and I just laugh and say, “Well, duh!!!” But yeah!
          Highlights from this week! So Saturday, Elders D. Todd Christofferson, Steven E. Snow, Carl T. Cook, and Bishop Edgley of the presiding bishopric came. So yeah! The whole mission came into town on Saturday. It was way weird to see all these people I had not seen in a long time, and at the same time, to see a bunch of people I don't know at all! But as these General Authorities spoke to us, the spirit was soooo strong! Elder Christofferson spoke at the end, and he said "It is our job as Apostles to spread the word and be witnesses of the Lord, but you also have been called, and we courageously stand shoulder to shoulder with each of you serving Our Heavenly Father. You have been called and set apart, and I am proud to stand next to you." It was so intense to hear that, and I guess I never really thought about my calling, I am a representative of Jesus Christ and I bear His name on my chest. It’s a huge deal. But I am grateful for the opportunity to do so. He also, at the end of his remarks, gave us an apostolic blessing. It was intense. It honestly strengthened my testimony personally to hear from him. I love listening to general authorities speak. They are filled with the spirit so much, and you can just tell that they devote everything to the Lord. I hope that is something that we may all try to apply in our own lives. I know I am trying to be better every day. Today, I studied about being more humble. And man. What a quality to have in your life. I am definitely trying to obtain it.
           Work wise, things are doing well. We had a really good chat with Cody, and he will definitely get baptized in Utah. Elder Payne is going to try and make it there, you guys should as well, as it gets closer. He is such an amazing person, seriously, just seeing the change of his heart to the Savior is amazing. Also, we have a guy from Togo named Rolen Signon. He showed up at church the other day. That was legit!!! He was loving it, and the ward was just going up to him left and right, and he had actually planned to leave, but one of the members invited him to stay, so he did!!! And he really enjoyed it. Aubree has been hard to get a hold of; she has family in town. So we don't want to bother her  too much! But things are picking up. We will see what happens with transfers, but I hope each of these people will use their moral agency toward the way of the Lord.
           Well, I gotta get going. I typed this pretty fast, so I hope it makes sense. But I just want each of you to know that I Love the Lord and that He is constantly blessing my life, as well as yours. Mom, thanks for the story about giving that kid my email. I don't mind if you share them. I am glad if it helped him get on his way to the mission. It will change his life for the better and honestly make a firm foundation to live on for the rest of his life. I love life right now and I am grateful for the many blessings and talents the Lord has allowed me to have. I am grateful for all of you who constantly love and support me. I pray for you daily. I love you and miss you so much!!! Have a great week!!!

Con amor y carino,


El Elder Rubi

 

16 May 2011

Mon 5/16/2011 10:22 AM

Estrés...

Buenos Dias Mis Queridos,

          This week hmmm. Well. Ummm. CRAZY!! haha. We went on three exchanges, taught 14 lessons, trained for an hr in 3 district meetings, took care of struggling missionaries, were in a parade dressed as a pioneer, and we even had some time to work out in the mornings. I tell ya, we are so busy every day and night. I can't even write in my journal!!! Elder Werrett and I are both just going crazy because we haven't written in our journals, but we can't really do anything about it. We are so busy! It’s ok though. We still had time to get lessons in. I don't know how we did, but we did. I honestly think we spent like 10 hours in our area this week, and it wasn't the three of us. One of us was always in a different place doing some different things for the zone and what not. It’s madness! I love it though. While I am super stressed, super busy, it’s keeping me really focused and happy, to be honest; while at times, it is really frustrating and what not. I feel really good. It’s, honestly, the hardest and busiest I have ever been on my mission!
           Work wise. We received a referral this week to a guy named Cody Ingle. This guy is the most legit person I have ever taught in my whole mission. He knows it all. He has read all the standard works. . . twice. He has prayed to receive an answer, which he did. He believes in the church fully and wants to get baptized and later sealed in the temple. So he is completely prepared. But the catch, always a catch, is that he is moving to Utah next week, so we can't baptized him. :( So he will be baptized in Utah and what not. But, oh well. We have been teaching him still, and he is just so amazing. He has completely changed his life. He is covered in tattoos from head to toe, is Irish (catholic), and was a heavy drinker and smoker. He told us, "The church has changed my life. I am happy now and I know by following this gospel I will receive ultimate happiness." Now, could you imagine every investigator being like that??  They aren't though. On the contrary, we taught John and Aubrey. We tried setting Aubrey for baptism again, and she said, “No.” She wants to explore some other religions first. We kept bringing so much stuff in, but when the Spirit really came in, is when John opened his mouth. Now John has been inactive for 10 years until now. He just testified to her about baptism, and just completely took the lesson away. It was so amazing to see him and his testimony. After he said the closing prayer. he said, "I haven't prayed in a very long time, nor expressed my true feelings about the church. It feels amazing. Thank you for bringing me back guys." We were so pumped and happy for him! So she is so close, we are just praying our knees out that she receives a witness that this church is true! Other than that, we just have a couple or three other people we are working with. But nothing too big yet. The work is definitely growing here a lot, and we are gaining the trust of the members a lot more. So we are excited to see what happens next transfer. Our hard work is bringing some fruits!
            So Saturday, we had the opportunity to be in the Florence Days Parade. We got to pull hand carts and pass out cards. It was really fun. And I actually got to know some people I didn’t know before, so that was fun. I have been in the boonies for a while, so I feel like I don't know anyone. So I just talked to everyone I didn't know. It was cool. Even some of the sisters. They are actually pretty cool. I never knew, because I never have talked to them much. So yeah. It was a fun day amongst all the other stressful days. We are stressed that missionaries always ask for our help, but at the same time, we really appreciate that they trust us enough to call us. It’s just hard trying to make everything go smoothly always, ya know? I am very happy though! This is probably the most happy I have been on my mission. Exact obedience, dedicated service and love for others have been just filling my life with joy!
            This Saturday, we are having the opportunity to hear from an apostle and 4 other general authorities. I am way excited to hear the truth proclaimed by a special witness of Christ himself. It really will be a spiritually uplifting experience for me. I am really excited. It’s really weird...and I don't want to say this, but I am going to. But lately I feel like my heart has become so much more tender. I find myself tearing up a lot more lately as I hear the truths of the Gospel, and as I teach it. It is really amazing to see how much I have changed as a person. And I am happy about that. I am a better person because of my mission, and I am truly grateful to the Lord for allowing me to serve in His vineyard. It truly has touched my soul, changed my perspective, and actively changed my desires as a person. This last week, as we trained the missionaries, we talked about desire, labor, and faith. It was a really tender experience. I found myself saying things I normally wouldn't, and actively loving the missionaries. I am loving it so much. I am so glad I came out. It is the best two years of my life, and it is definitely the best two years for the rest of my life. I love you all and pray for you daily. I hope all of you may be frequently touched and guided by the spirit. I love you and I miss you!

Con amor y mucho carino,

Tu hijo y amigo

El Elder Bradley Rigby

02 May 2011

Mon 5/2/2011 4:03 PM

Alergias?? Mayo?? Locura!


Why hello there,

I can't believe it’s May.....no way it’s May. What the hay? And with May. . . . comes allergies!!! Yay! It’s been crazy. My eyes, my nose, my throat. AAAHhhh yeah, all are a-blazing. So I am very happy that I received those contacts in the mail today. Thank you much papa!!! Things are going well, just super tired as always. Today was a crazy day. We woke up went running, and then got ready and what not. Then went to a bee farm with a member! Suits and everything. It was so sweeet! We had a lot of fun doing that. I have pics so they are cool. Tons of bees! Crazy!!! After that, we went golfing with John Peoples. It was really fun. We did 18 holes....ugh . . . so we were tired. I was ready to be done after 9 to be honest. So was Elder Werrett. But oh well. So that is why I am on so late today, and I am very tired. So I will keep this short and sweet! Sorry, but time is of the essence!

Work wise....  goodness. This week was a really busy week. So Monday night we had exchanges with Papillion. So we did that and in the morning after one lesson. The office called and needed my assistance driving the transfer van. So I saddled up my stuff and went to Sioux City with Elder Crisp. It was pretty fun seeing my former zone and what not. So we moved some elders out of an apartment, which tooook fooooooorrrrrrrrreeeeeeevvvvvveeeerrrrr!! And yeah. Then I came home, got home at like 12am.

We then were on exchanges with the AP's, so I was with Elder Hudspeth and Werrett. It was good to be with Hudspeth again. It has been a long time since we went on exchanges and it was really fun, except, I think we finally got to sleep at 2am and woke up at 6am to go running. Then we went to district meeting, Then we just did some tracting for a while and exchanged back. Then we went to dinner, and tried seeing some peoples. Thursday, went to district meeting and I honestly can't remember what happened. Friday. Crazy story. So we are weekly planning and we see all these fire trucks drive by - like 15. We look out on the deck, and we see a bunch of smoke. So yeah, knowing us, we walked down there to see what it was! Well, a huge apartment building started on fire. The flames were huge!! Like the whole thing was intense flameness. So we sat and watched for a little bit. Well, because we sat and watched, we got interviewed by the news. Ha ha. Elder Werrett made it on TV that night, I guess. Live Channel 6 News, if you want to check it out. Saturday was a good day. We had a meeting with president in the morning about this program we are piloting for him, and then we just did some tracting again. Later, we had to go take care of some zone stuff.....a missionary is having a tough time, so we went to help him out. It was good. And yeah, busy week. We did get to see Aubrey, and I guess she has been chatting with people on mormon.org and what not. So that is awesome!!! She is progressing so much. She came to church again, so that was awesome. We hope to set her for baptism this week. I will let you know about that on Sunday! I completely forgot about Mother’s Day. Goodness!!! So yeah, we haven't really figured out when that whole phone call deal is going to happen....so I will somehow contact you! ok? Well, I am sorry, but I really have to go. We have to shower, and cook dinner, and what not in like an hour. Sorry. I love you sooo much! and I will talk to you in 6 days!!! Love ya!

Con amor,

Elder Rigby