Humility

Hello, hello, hello!!

I have been thinking a lot lately about why work is going so well in Irvine. It really is. It is amazing working here with Sister Kline and with all the wonderful people lately. I've been thinking how we really don't have much to do with anything. Heavenly Father is so good. He blesses us with miracles daily, and how blessed we are if we simply do our part (open our mouth) and let Him do His part (everything else) and hope that those that we speak to do their part (using their agency in a good way.) See how little we had to do with that equation? Opening our mouths. If we all understood this principle, there would be many more members of the church, and we would be a generally happier people.

Anyway. The work continues to roll forward!

Sheryl, our lovely friend who got baptized last month, has informed us that she is going to go on a mission. So we've baptized our replacement. And we're going on splits with her and her friend Ruth for three hours on Saturday. That was one of the happiest moments of my life.

D-- is funny. He is really hung up currently over a latter-day prophet. He doesn't understand why anyone needed to succeed Joseph Smith. We are trying to help him understand the pattern of apostasy. Hopefully he gets it soon so that he can be baptized. He does understand baptism though. He really wants to be baptized because he feels that Heavenly Father will give him more answers that way, which he is totally right about. So that's good.

T-- is doing so well! He came to church yesterday and said it was his favorite time of the week. He is going to try to give up smoking by going to the doctor and starting the patch on Wednesday. Any advice on helping him to quit?

We had a pretty cool experience yesterday when we left church. We were waiting at a bus stop, and we stopped a lady and were chatting with her when our bus came. These busses only come every 20 minutes, so it is totally rubbish when you miss it.  For whatever reason, though, we let it go by and continued talking with her. She was going to visit some relatives and friends in the cemetery. We walked with her and talked about the Plan of Salvation and prayed with her, all in the cemetery. It was amazing, and I really felt the Spirit. 

Our sisters are all doing pretty well. Some of them struggle with self-confidence. Any advice on helping others overcome those kinds of hard feelings?

I love this work. I love Sister Kline. I am so grateful to be a missionary in the promised land! :) Seriously. Being a missionary has brought me greater happiness than I've ever experienced. Greater sadness as well, but ultimately there must be opposition in all things.  When we understand that, the joys and the sadnesses are aiming at the same goal.

Quote of the week: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire." --Orson F. Whitney 

I love you all!! Have the best week ever! 

Love,

Sister Ricks