Imma be un Uncle 🙌- Week 58

Hey everyone!! I sure hope your week was full of something good!! Preferably full of Miracles and Blessings but who knows! We all have different days and weeks! Hahaha! 

My week was hard but good! I was able to learn a bunch that's for sure! Sometimes as a missionary, I expect things to happen or expect things to workout exactly how I want it to butttttt it doesn't happen like that very often.. and so I am still learning how to accept God's Will and not my own.

Soo I am going to be a uncle this week! My Brother Braeden is going to be a dad! Like wHaT?! Super crazy but I'm sooo excited to be an uncle. Shay you're killing it! 

Just remember that God doesn't ask you to do more than you can. But He does ask you to give all you've got. So when you think things might be tough remember this quote that I absolutely love, persevering is the hard work you do AFTER the hard work you've already done. 

So keep working hard and keep doing all you can to bring people unto God. 

I love you all and pray and hope for your happiness 😊 

Love, 

Elder C. Ricks

Doubt Not; Fear Not

And hey! We had an awesome thunder storm this week! Soooo sick! 

Yesterday -> Today -> Forever- Week 57

Hey everyone! Does time ever go slowly? I'm sure it does. But not for me, not right now! I love you all so much and feel your prayers. Thank you. Life as a missionary is so cool. I have learned and grown in ways I seriously can't describe through words. 

God is blessing us even though we might not see it or feel it. Sometimes we aren't meant to see the blessings God gives us. But I do believe He desires us to be grateful for all we have. Even if we might not come from much. (Physically or Spiritually)

What makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ so cool is that it allows for each of us to realize that there is more to this life than just money, cars, clothes, and food. The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows for each of us to recognize who we were, what we are doing, and where we are going. Which helps me focus my life on SPIRITUAL things like prayer, obedience, humility, family, and covenants. 

I know that temporal things are crucial in spiritual growth. But Spirituality allows each of us to make decisions not just for our personal benefit but for the benefit of the Lord. We are quite literally only servants of the Lord. And I love being His special little soldier right now here in Scottsdale Arizona. 

One of our purposes on earth is to put off the natural man, and become perfect, even as Christ is perfect. As hard as it may be, I would encourage you to do something to serve someone around you this week. One of the best ways to forget yourself is in and through the service of others. Now if even half of you on this email list even read to this part of my email and actually do it, that would be about 50 people who will feel Christ's love through your act of service through the week. 

God does exist, and we can see Him working through US and our service to others. 

I love you all ❤ 

Sincerely, 

Elder Ricks

Doubt Not; Fear Not

Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father- Week 56

Hey everyone!! Jeepers! Another week down... I'm starting to get worried because time just keeps getting faster. Not good! 

Sooo I've heard Arizona is really bad with Covid-19 still.. we haven't gotten authority to leave or do anything yet sooo hopefully that happens soon ish?! I miss eating with the members haha!

My companion and I were able to give a training in Zone Conference this last week! We had the topic, "Does the Atonement of Jesus Christ really apply to me?" Boy oh boy did we get the best topic or what?? We had so much fun teaching through real life examples. Our ideas were this, relate the Atonement of Christ to fireworks. They are huge and bright, they are loud and beautiful. That is our enormous potential and so much more as we strive to use the Atonement of Christ in our lives. Huge, bright, loud, and beautiful. 

Another example was tying your 2 shoe laces together and then having to run. Didn't go well! We laughed pretty good with the contestants though! We connected this to how sometimes us as people want to repent and ask for forgiveness. God always forgives. But we might not accept that forgiveness whatever it is and we just forget or blatantly don't un-tie our shoe laces. Which is the non-accepting of the forgiveness of our sins. So sad! Don't forget to UNTIE your shoe laces. I promise it's so much easier to live and walk. 

If that made sense you're a trooper! This week we have had much success connecting with people on Facebook. I love feeling the joy that comes from serving and teaching others. 

God has invited all to come unto Him, and one way to do that is by serving those around you. Listen to the Holy Spirit and obey His promptings. You'll find that the Spirit will talk to you with a louder voice and you'll hear Him more as you continually act on those promptings. 

I love you all so much 💗 

Shoot me an email sometime! I'd love to talk with you all. 

Love, 

Elder Ricks

Doubt Not; Fear Not

Scripture Wiz 101- Week 55

Hey everyone! This week has been so crazy! We got word that we are getting 2 new elders in our apartment! So that's 6 elders in this apartment now. Holy moly it'll be a tight fit! And then on Saturday we got a call saying that the other 2 elders that were already living with us needed to pack their bags because they were moving to a new location. So that means we are getting 4 new roommates! My companion and I cleaned this apartment, and boy is it almost shiny! 

In our district this week we have been calling each other every night to check up and see if we are completing our homework for the day. We all decided that for this week we wanted to memorize a scripture every day! It has been so cool memorizing scriptures! I love the scriptures so much. It really helps me understand what, how, and why I should work hard and find joy instead of being lazy or being a scrooge all of the time. 

This week I would encourage you to memorize 3 scriptures because 1. The scriptures are awesome 2. You will deepen your testimony of Jesus Christ  3. I'd go as far as to say God will soon use that scripture through you to bless someone else. So memorize memorize and memorize! 

I look up to you all so much and love hearing about your weeks. Thanks for all you do for me. 

Love, 

Elder C. Ricks

Doubt not; Fear Not