Questions

Dearest Family, 

Do you know how important the Holy Ghost is? Often we talk about baptism and miss the absolutely crucial (see John 3:5) element of receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the one that cleanses us from our Sin. The Holy Ghost is the gift we are given for the rest of our lives. The Holy Ghost is vital to our success, and virtually every commandment we have been given is there to entitle us to receive guidance from the Spirit. So, in answer to my initial question, the Holy Ghost is super important. In fact, PMG tells us that the Spirit is one of the most precious gifts Heavenly Father has given us. 

This week was wonderful! After I e-mailed last, we weekly planned and then met up with our friend Margaret. It is pretty wonderful, because when we stopped her, she wasn't interested in the gospel. I felt like I should talk about Family Home Evening and the blessing it's been in my life, which I did, and she was really interested and then kept her return appointment where we explained what it is. That was absolutely wonderful, and we're going to take her to a member's home this week and show her the way it can (the gospel can) bless her family. I am so excited! She was totally normal and cool. 

Sister Johnson got kebabtized this week! She liked her kebab, so that was good. She even ate the whole thing! I was a proud mama. :) 

Sunday was exhausting, as always. It really is such a tiring thing to have weekends on a mission. My DL, Elder Bayles, last night said, "Friday, Saturday, and Sunday kill me. On Saturday, everyone cancels their appointments and Sunday is just tiring!" So true. Weekends are the least relaxing thing of my life on a mission. 

Okay, so here are my answers to some of your questions! 

Diabetes: Diabetes has been going just fine on the mission. It's been a real blessing, and I feel like Heavenly Father has really helped me to carb count random food that I've never even heard of before, let alone taken insulin for. Of course there have been ups and downs, but overall I have felt fine and have managed. 

Exercising: I have always had companions who were good about exercising, not because they all wanted to be, but because I am stubborn and won't settle for lame exercises. For instance, in Sister Johnson's case, she doesn't really even know that some missionaries don't do great exercises. Her first day, I told her that we go out running and we did. We still run, play football, do workout videos, and throw balls back and forth. We try to mix it up and have fun, but hopefully she'll never get a companion who is lazy and just does sit-ups all the time/lays on the floor for 30 minutes. That's the worst. 

If there is one place in all of Scotland that I've heard of and could go, where would it be? I would love to go to Inverness. I've heard it's gorgeous there, and that's real highland type stuff. I would also love to see more of Aberdeen, I've only been there for one day in the Christmas season, and it was lovely. I would love to go back. 

My favorite place that I have been has definitely been the Isle of Arran. That was the best P-day of my mission: we had so much fun and it was just gorgeous! 

Do you eat any really weird foods? Not really. Foods are all delicious here! My favorites are steak pie, lasagna, chippies, and Irn Bru. :) Also Scottish strawberries are really good. 

Do you have any new favorite scriptures? Hebrews 5:8-9.  [“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; nd being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”] I love loads of new scriptures, but that is the one that came to mind. 

Is your mission going to start doing facebook anytime soon? I don't know. We are meant to get iPads at the end of the year or something, but supposedly you have to pay for them and things. They sound cool though, having your planner and your scriptures all on a wee thing that you carry around. Maybe missionaries won't have back problems with iPads!

Why are you happy that you were called to Scotland and not somewhere else? I really have such a testimony that THIS is the mission I was supposed to come to. I love Scotland, not only because of the accents and the greenery, but because the people are wonderful. I know that this mission was right for me because seeing someone be baptized here is incredibly special. Because baptisms don't happen as regularly as P-days as they do in other places, I've really cared about each recent convert I've had and been really involved in their progression. I also needed this to keep my pride in check and to realize that I genuinely can't do anything on my own, regardless of how hard I try or how well I plan.

Do you have a testimony? Why yes, yes, I do! I'm so grateful that I submitted that question so I could finish with my testimony. 

I know sharing the gospel makes me happy, and it also makes other people happy. I know that Jesus lives and loves me, and also everyone else. I know that the Book of Mormon helps me feel the Spirit. I know God's church has been restored and is the church we belong to. I know that people aren't perfect, especially in the Church, but that we can travel on the imperfect journey to eventually reach perfection. 

I love you all! 

Love,

Sister Ricks

xx