Teaching President Obama?

This was Sister Ricks' last week of training, so her companion Sister Morgan took a train ride and was gone for a couple of days to help another Sister and Sister Ricks got some experience of being a senior companion. She said it went really well, and she didn't even get lost which is a miracle because the train system there is very confusing. She said that this experience has taught her that the Lord really does choose mission companions because she learned how good Sister Morgan really is for her and how much she was able to learn from her. She is also very grateful that they were able to get along so well and focus on the work.

Today, President Obama is in Belfast so the town is pretty much shut down, which is messing with their pday plans, so they're going to the Titanic Museum since it was built there. They are hoping to run into the President so they can teach him...I'm sure that'll happen! ;)

Overall, Sister Ricks sounds like she is doing very well; her health is starting to get under control and she's getting into the groove of missionary work! We couldn't ask for much more than that!

Christlike Attributes

This week Sister Ricks was able to attend a conference with all of the missionaries in Ireland which she said was an amazing experience. There they were taught to teach the gospel with family history stories and work toward member referrals a lot more. She and her companion Sister Morgan have taken this council to heart and have already received 9 member referrals and they are working to involve the ward a lot more which so far has been a very positive experience.

 

Last week, they were given a challenge to develop a Christ-like attribute; Kinzi chose charity and love. She has learned and grown on the subject so much already and has learned how important those two qualities really are for becoming the best person she can be and helping others come to Christ. She studied the conference talk from the most recent conference titled:

 "The Savior Wants Us to Forgive." and challenged us all to read it.

 

Other than that, she is still trying to improve her health and has gone to the doctor and received medicine that hasn't helped, your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sister Ricks shares her love and appreciation for everyone! Thanks for all you do!

 

Here is a link to the video of the talk:
The Savior Wants Us To Forgive April 2013



This Week's Miracle

From Sister Ricks:

"this weeks miracle:

so we do this who, what, when, and where, finding. what we do is each week we pray for someone we feel inspired to find to teach the gospel to. This week we felt like we needed to find a women in her 30's looking for truth, she would already have a strong faith in christ, BUT would feel like something is missing in her life.
This week we decided to get the ward council involved so we told them about this new inspired finding. so that the ward could help us with the people we are trying to find. They all kind of where like skeptical about it. But all of a sudden the ward mission leader said, i know who you are talking about. he then went on and explained that the night before his wife talked to their neibor about the fireside(that me and sister morgan put on) that she just had gotten back from. she began to explain to her neibor breifly about the church and invited her out to a relief society activity that we will be having this tuesday.
So then our ward mssion leaders wife got up during testimony meeting and told the ward how she knows missionary work is inspired and told everyone about the women that she found that fit our description. it was very amazing to see how the lord puts people in our path to teach them the gospel.

The church is true, my prayers are answered everyday. i love what im doing."

Happy Memorial Day

 

We haven't heard from Sister Ricks for a couple of weeks, but this is what she shared, I couldn't say it any better....

 

 

SO, i am sorry for all of you who haven't heard from me the past couple weeks including family.

I have had the hardest 3 weeks of my whole entire life. I have been extremly sick with stomach ulser and other things, i have been yelled at by a handful of people(who where in a protest that we couldnt avoid)  saying that my religion is wrong. I have been compared to a wolf dressed in sheeps clothing. i have been told my beleifs are corrupt by some bible guy. and I have had every scripture thrown at me that is ''proof'' our church is wrong by a couple jahovah's witnesses that we somehow met with haha. i have had a couple investigators drop us, and i have had some difficult times swallowing the fact that a certain someone is home and i am half a world away,and can't do anything to help. and me and while still extremly homesick.

But in saying all of this. i could never ever ever ever be as close to my savior as i am at this second.

It's been said to me my whole life he can take away our sins and our pains. But it wasnt till this week that i realized i can literally put my pains on him. i can have him help me pull my burdens. my burdens seem to be never ending i keep getting more and more and more. But i guess heavenly father knows i have tons to learn and tons of room to grow. so for my trials i am going through i am extremly grateful. i hope he gives me more mountains to climb and rivers to cross, (or in my case, more storms to walk in, and more buses to spray you with huge puddles, or larger hail storms to hit you in the head with, or more people to get in my face and tell me my religion is wrong) because the more that happens the stronger i will get. my patrarticles blessing says that i will share my testimoy with the world and i guess that takes a pretty strong testimony. i have learned that who i was is not who christ wants me to be. he wants me to be much better. this past 6weeks i have learned more than i ever have my whole life. i know God put me in this CRAZY area for a reason. i am reminded everyday why i am here and as crazy as belfast is i am going to overcome it.

amoungst all of this heavenly father knows how extremly hard i am trying and so a miracle has happened. Neely our investigator has a baptism date for the 22nd of june! so everyone please pray for him.

i love you all so much!

love, sister ricks

Happy Skyper's Day!

We got to Skype Sister Ricks yesterday and it was great to hear from her! Here are some things she shared...

 

1. The weather is crazy there, she has yet to see a day without rain! It was ok at first but it's getting a little old!

2. The diet is crazy, they eat French fries (chips) with EVERYTHING! She never thought she'd get so tired of potatoes!

3. She loves the way they talk, every thing is a wee little something or other, even a handout in church!

4. Ireland is a country where A LOT of people go to earn college degrees so she has been able to meet a lot of people from many difference backgrounds and cultures which has been a great learning experience.

5. Her testimony has grown by leaps and bounds, she is amazed at all of the things she has learned thus far and can't wait to keep learning more about the gospel.

 

Sister Ricks is still feeling a little homesick and has some physical aliments as well that is making missionary work a little hard for her right now. She knows that this is where she is supposed to be and that she is sharing the gospel, but needs our love and prayers sent her way. Thank you for all of your love for Kinz, please continue to pray for her safety, health and comfort while she is learning to navigate life in a whole new world.

WE GOT BIKES!!

Sister Ricks is thrilled because she got a bike this week, some members found them and charged them a (fee, don't know if it's small or large because Kinzi hasn't figured out the conversion system totally! lol but she's still in love with them!) She said they look quite fashionable wearing a skirt and helmet on her bike riding along!

She's also been working hard too, they are working with a lot of investigators...

1. two brothers who watched the video about the restoration, when they asked them how it made them feel they stated they felt warm inside, they were raised Muslim so learning about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is new to them

2.A 23 year old sister who "is awesome" that they are going to hike Belfast castle with today; she lives in a catholic neighborhood so they have been asked to not to teach her at home, they always have to teach her somewhere else

3. They are also teaching a man who was inactive but is coming back to church, he has a 23 year old son who doesn't know about the church and has not been baptized and they are teaching him as well. He has come to church 3 times and they have been helping them paint their house which has opened a lot of opportunities for good conversations.

4. They are teaching a sweet 19 year old sister who has 18 month old twins. She came to church last week and seemed to really enjoy it, they hope she continues to come.

5. They are also teaching a woman who they have been unable to reach all week, then they ran into her in town and it sounds like she is out of phone minutes but has been wanting to meet with them so they were able to schedule an appointment with her...coincidence? I think not!

6. They are working with a young couple in school, they haven't seen them this week because it's been finals week but they are getting close to baptism and they're planning on challenging them to baptism this week.

7. They also met a young woman from Poland who they will be meeting with this Wednesday and she is looking forward to that very much.

 

She is doing well and enjoying the work. She said she knows this church is true...every part of it!



No Time For Little Old Us

This is the exact email from Kinzi this week...thanks a lot there Sister Ricks! just kidding!

 

 

"i dont have anytime this week to write a weekly because we have a lunch appointment with some friends or usually i would have another hour so i will catch you all up next week :) "