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| Picture from Scotland East Conference |
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| Sister Lund, me, and Sister Hulet |
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| Falkland--the oldest tennis court in Britain where tennis still takes place :) |
Dearest Family,
What a crazy morning! Sometimes trying to find a computer to
e-mail at can be rubbish--but we finally made it after trying two libraries and
talking to a crazy guy who was reading the dictionary. We gave him a Restoration pamphlet. So now we're at the church e-mailing and all
is finally well. But ooft, I have to say, I was nae chuffed at the running
around. I just wanted to talk to and see how my family was doing! :)
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Probably the
bad news so we can finish on a positive note, eh?
I have never done so much fruitless finding or felt so
ineffective as a missionary. This comes primarily because I finally understand
(not completely, but a bit more) how missionary work should and should not be
done. So many things I have done in the past have been ineffective and my lack
of understanding influenced the work. But now that I understand it and am not
using excessive travel time, spending loads of time and effort on non-progressing
less-actives, and other such false traditions, we have had to spend so much
time finding and that can be a bit frustrating. Soon, our entire investigator
pool with will be baptized and then we'll have to start at square one. Not that
baptisms are a bad thing by any means, but you know, it's hard when you don't
really have anyone to work with. So...yeah.
Now for the great news: Kimberley got baptized and it was a
wonderfully spiritually uplifting experience! The ward was supportive and came,
the clothes that we bought her fit, and she didn't get mad that the boiler had
gone out and the water was freezing cold. She was beaming afterwards and it was
lovely to see her.
D-- continues to progress towards the 30 July and since that's
the day before Harry Potter's birthday, I think it's perfect. She bore her
testimony to us about the Book of Mormon and how she knows this is the true
church. She is great.
We have been focusing on cottage meetings lately, trying to get
the members really involved in the work because, really, that's how we should
be finding investigators. I've learned a lot about member work recently--why is
it that you finally figure out what you're doing right before you end your
time?--and it has been really good. We took D-- to the Scharffs’ home one night
to have casual conversation, develop their friendship, and coordinate the lift
that Sister Scharff gave D-- to church. Anyway, we went and we ended up playing
a game that was named something else but was basically Nerts. And guess what? Apparently
my competitive spirit hasn't died down.....;)
Last Monday we went to Falkland, which was lovely and really
rainy, and then this Monday we saw some Highland Games (basically highland
dancing, races, and big men in kilts throwing heavy stuff and tossing cabers
[tree trunks]). It was sweet!
We had a Scotland East Conference this week that was very
spiritually uplifting and an answer to prayer in many ways. :) It was lovely,
but I really just wanted to get back to our area and get to work again.
We have some pretty good potentials that will hopefully turn
into investigators this week. I am working on developing faith again, because I
really feel like when we go to a return appointment, I don't expect them to be
there. Who's to say that they aren't there because of my lack of faith?
Sometimes it's hard being experienced, so to speak, because experience
sometimes lessens our faith, and faith is a power that causes good to happen.
So that's an unhappy circle that I want to get out of.
I feel like my e-mails are probably super boring to read and are
kind of like a report, so if you have any questions at all, I'd love to answer
them for next week.
I keep you in my prayers and invite prayers on my behalf as
well. I would love to find more prepared people, become more like Jesus Christ,
and figure out how to be the best missionary and person I can be! :) It
probably won't happen in two months, but hey, I'm going to try my hardest!
Inspirational quote from Elder Dyches at Scotland East: Often
our success comes from the "Top Floor, Last Door." As we continue to
diligently work, even when we're tired and when that last door looks like too
much, we will experience consistent miracles as we move to the realm of the
miraculous and off the seat of easiness and comfortableness. With application
to life, if we take some steps away from our comfort zone and engage in
activities that are beneficial and necessary but aren't comfortable, our
comfort zone will enlarge and we will eventually do things that we once never
imagined we could do. The Lord's grace is sufficient for us and gives us that
room and time to grow and enlarge our circle of influence.
I have a testimony of this work! I definitely don't know the
truth of all things and I honestly have a lot of doubts about certain things,
but I have no doubt that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world and that the
Book of Mormon brings the Spirit into our lives and the lives of those around
us. We're not perfect, and neither are the people in the Church or the scriptures,
but luckily Christ is perfect and He stands at the head of our church. What a
blessing it is to know of Him and to know Him.
Love,
Sister Ricks
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