Jan. 26, 2011

Thanks Family, and Friends,

   I  love you all so much too! I miss you, but am glad to hear that you are all doing well. I can report that I am healthy as ever. That is more that the rest of you can say it sounds like. Good thing you are all getting better. I love the MTC, and there aren't many times that I get super home sick, but I do miss you all and can't wait till I can hug you. So I leave in 5 weeks! I can't believe how quickly the time is passing. It is crazy! I feel like I just had my last p-day. It is a little hard getting us to having every minute of our day planned for us, but I have grown to like it. Knowing that you are being as productive as you possibly can be feels like a good accomplishment. I am grateful for the skills that I am learning here. I know that they will benefit me for the rest of my life.

   Spanish this week has gone a lot better. We are trying so hard to talk as much as possible in Spanish. It has helped a lot. Every Saturday we have something called the TRC. Basically it is a fake investigator, and every week we are required to use more and more Spanish. Last Saturday we picked the investigator up for church, road the bus together, and talked about how they felt there experience with prayer, and reading the Book of Mormon was... All in Spanish. Then we taught the first lesson (the restoration) in English. This week, we are helping them move. We are talking about their family, and our own. Then we need to teach them how to pray... All in Spanish. Then we teach the second lesson ( the plan of salvation) in English. Next Saturday we have to do the entire things in Spanish. Crazy!!! I hope all goes well. When you decide to serve a mission Heavenly Father Gives you the gift of tongues. Sometimes I get discouraged because I feel like I am not learning it fast enough, but then I look back on all that I have learned in this short time. Its crazy! I love the gospel so much. It is the only way that we can have complete happiness. If our lives are not going exactly how we want them to we should find away to magnify our involvement in the church. I know that by doing so the Lord will bless us and that we will be happier.

   Well, everyone have a nice week and I’ll talk with you next week.

                                Love Hermana Ricks

1-19-2011

Hey Everyone,

   It has been a fantastic week. I can't believe that I am already to another p-day. It crazy how fast the time is flying. How could it not when you have everyday and every week planned down to the minute. Anyway, I am loving the MTC this week a few of the Elders left for the field. I was surprised at how sad I was. I only knew the Elders for a few weeks, but here you build strong relationships fairly quickly. I wish them all the best of luck.

   One particular Elder leaves today. Yesterday he asked one last request of me..... Well a few weeks ago some of the Elders toldl me that if you put your finger on the top of an apple, and wacked your head against it as hard as you could it would break in half. Well knowing me I tried... The apple didn't break... my finger felt like it could be a little broken, and I had a goose bump forming on my forhead.... NO BUENO!

   Well back the the story... This Particular Elder left this morning, and wanted me to try the apple thing one more time as a going away gift.... I looked at him for a minute wondering if again he and the other Elders just wanted me to look like a fool. :) I gave in... placing my finger on the apple Wack!... nothing happed. Being the competitive person I am I immediately wack it a second time... Still nothing. At this point all the Elders at my table were basically on the floor with laughter tears streaming down their faces. One Elder with a thick southern accent said through his laughter, " This moment alone is worth serving a mission for 2 years."  Next everyone pulls our their cameras. I go down for one last try... My forehead makes contact with my finger... Juice flies everywhere....I wipe it from my eyes and look down seeing the apple in two perfect pieces. I couldn't believe I had actually done it. Everyone was on their feet cheering. In less than a second it seemed like I had 20 hands in my face waiting for a high five..... I think all the Elders might have found it a little impressive... ha ha how am I kidding IT WAS AWESOME!  In the end I'm just glad I have another random thing to put on my resume... Can slice apples in half with my forehead.... That should get me far in life. :)

   Minus all the amazing spirital growth, that was the coolest thing that happend this week. I love the MTC. The language is coming, and am trying by best to use it as much as possible.... Easier said that done.  I love you all I will talk to you soon.

                                                  Tune in next time,

                                                             Hermana Ricks

P.S.  In addition to the sweet apple story, and took the record for most push ups done by a girl in the MTC... SWEET! I did 55. The girl that was competing against me wasn’t very happy which made it not so fun to win, but everything is cool now, and I have a sweet certificate telling me of my accomplishments. hahah 

                                                           

I love you! Talk to you next week

                                    I LOVE YOU,

                                         Su Hija Hermana Ricks (your daughter)

1-12-11

Loves!!!
It has been a fantastic week.  I have definitely had my ups and downs, but in the end it all turned out Fantastic.  The language is getting harder, and I am totally lost over half of the time, but I can't get down on myself that won't help anyone.  I had some of the most spiritual experiences this week.  We taught our teacher.   I was really nervous at first because he can be a little intimidating, but after about three or four minutes the spirit just took over, and it was amazing! Our companionship has had a hard time at teaching with unity because there are three of us.  It makes it a lot more difficult.  But in this particular experience the Spirit took over, and we were all talking as if it was just one of us.  It was incredible!  After we all just looked at each other, and squealed like little girls.  I had never felt that way when we had taught before.  Yesterday Elder Holland was the speaker at our Devotional. It was AMAZING. He definitely changed me.  I realize that I have so much I need to work on to be the type of missionary I want to be.  Something I loved that he said was, "Once you are a missionary you can never go back. We need to always be disciples of Jesus Christ.  Even when our time as a missionary is over."  I just love being a missionary!
The Elders are Hilarious! They really make my day. Sometimes if I am frustrated they all brighten up my day in like two seconds.  There are a few of them that are leaving next week and I am really sad.  It is shocking how quickly you can create strong friendships here.  The Spirit really plays a role in all aspects of the MTC.  I love it so much. Talk to you next week.
Love,
Hermana Ricks
P.S. You are not going to believe this.  Last P-day after I wrote to you I randomly saw Jared Perry, and Nathan Harris.  It made my week.  It felt so good to see people that I knew before the MTC.

1/5/11

Hi Family and Friends,
 This week really has been fantastic.  My hardest day was Monday.  I was just feeling really down on myself not feeling like the language was ever going to start making sense.  I just have to have faith.  It will happen.  It's nice that all the other Elders in my zone are constantly encouraging me telling me it will come.  Some of them have only been in here for 4 weeks and their Spanish is already sounding incredible. I'm still having issues with my "r's" but they too will come with time.
  I feel like I have been here for ever.  It feels like the next seven weeks are going to take forever before they come...Watch I'll blink my eyes and it will already be here.  We have been practicing teaching each other all week.  On Saturday we have our first realish lesson with an investigator.  We have to walk into a room with a ton of people in it. Greet them and introduce ourselves in Spanish. Then we teach in English.  At the end of the lesson we testify of the truths in Spanish.  I'm excited and scared at the same time.  I'll talk to you some more next week
  I love you all.
Love,
Hermana Ricks
P.S The Elders in the Zone think I am a God sent.  I'm fun, spontaneous, start singing random songs, laugh with them all the time, and I can play the piano.  I'm playing on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting.  I'm pretty sure it will be my new responsibility. xoxoxo 

2nd day at the MTC

Dear Family,                                                                                                12-30-10

     I Love and miss all of the family, but we have been so busy that I haven’t had much time to think about it.  It was so weird…all Wednesday morning I was struggling with keeping my emotions together, and for whatever reason about 10 min.  before I was dropped off all those feelings went away.  I walked into the MTC without a tear in my eye, and ended up having an incredible day.  I am so shocked at how strong Heavenly Father has helped me be.

    We have done so much in the last two days.  I already feel like I have been here for a few weeks.  Yesterday they gave us just enough time to set our bags down, and then we were in the classrooms and our Maestro (teacher) was already talking in Spanish.  They usually translate everything into English afterward, but it is always Spanish first.  At the end of the day we went to Demo teaching classes.  There are about 30 missionaries in the room watching while two experienced missionaries paly out a scene with an actor.  The particular “investigator” was having troubles with his family life.  He loves his children more than anything, and has missed them terribly since he and his wife split up 4 months back.  He’s not a member, but several years back he was seeing the missionaries, and ended up stopping cause his wife had health problems and they had to go out of state to seek help.  When they returned the Elders they were comfortable with had been transferred so they didn’t meet with anyone else.  Well, after we all heard his story the guy leading the class had us pair up with our companions, and bear our testimonies to them as if they were the “investigator”.  I’m in a tri-companionship so the guy leading the class came and asked me to bare my testimony to him.  I was so nervous so I just played it off for a few minutes joking with him, then got serious.  My testimony went something like this….

   “Bobby, (name of the investigator) I’d like to bear my testimony that I know this is the true church.  I know that through the sacrifices our Savior has made for us that we can be with our families eternally.  I’d like to encourage you to pray to your Father in Heaven, and start building a relationship with him again, and I promise you your trials and burdens will seem lighter, and he will help you solve any problems and uncertainties you might have.”   Well the guy liked my testimony so again he called the class to attention, and had me talk to the actor at this time instead of the experienced Elders.  It was super scary, but at the same time it felt so good to pour out the truths of my soul to this man.  After, we went back to our districts and finished up the day.  I really can’t believe how busy we are….I haven’t had time to write in my journal yet.

   Today they taught us how to pray in Spanish.  Can you believe it?!  Day two and I’m already starting to pray in Spanish… It’s crazy.  Later we got to meet our Branch Presidency.  They are all so cute.  I love their wives!  President called me to be the “Coordinating Sister.”  Which basically means I am over the Sister in our Branch.  There are only three of us, but we are hoping to get more next week.

   My companions are great!  Sister (Hermana) Powell is 28, and she is from Wellington, UT.  She is going to Argentina also but a different mission.  We fly out the 28^th of February.  Hermana Taylor is from Eagle, Idaho.  She is serving in the Louisville, Kentucky Mission Spanish speaking.  I love them both so much.  They are incredible girls.  Plus we all want to lose weight in the MTC…Yah, I have a support system!

   Well Mi familia, I love you all very much.  I wish this letter could be longer, and more legible like I said Nooooo    Time! I can’t emphasize that enough.  I’ll talk to you soon.  I miss you all.  Have a happy New Year.

Hermana Ricks