January 31, 2011

January 31, 2011


Well, what is up fam? I hope things are going good. Here is my week summary and how the Lord works in weird ways. Happy birthday, Meg. Sorry—a little late. And happy Anniversary mom and dad, I hope still going strong! Well, here is my week:

Monday-
This week was a lot of fun. I’m staying in the 2-9 and I love it. So to start out the week, we went down to Yucca to get our truck fixed. I love how we have to drive like 30 minutes to get our truck worked on. It would not be good if the engine went out or something like that. But when we were down there we went and spent the day down there with the other Elders in my district. One of them was going home, so we went and said good bye to him. He will be missed, rest in peace. He died on 1/24/11. (He really didn’t die—that is what we call it when someone is going home), but then we decided to go and play some b-ball, so that was fun. We threw the football around outside and that was a lot of fun. Then we had to go back to 29 and get ready for dinner, and then we had a lesson that went really well. We had a list of names of people to go see that the ward wanted us to go see, and, man, the military is not cool at all. We called people before hand to go and see them, and they weren’t off work. We had a backup plan. We went to our list of names and saw like 5 people and no one wanted to have us back. The thing that I have noticed is that if they don’t want to go to church, then they really don’t want to. It’s because their parents made them go, and so now that they are not with their parents they are not going to go. That was our Monday.

Tuesday-
Well this is the day where I give training on whatever I want. So this week I gave one about working with the wards and how to help them better do the work and have them do the work for us. It was a lot of fun. I hope it will work out for the Elders and they will use it. Then after the meetings, there is this less active guy that works at a bar and is the bartender. He feeds us every Tuesday of the week and he gave us some t-shirts with his name on them. It was cool. Then we had a lesson with _______ (some names I don’t include to protect the great investigators he has and this is a new name, not sure who he is) and he wants to be dunked but he won’t come to church, so that is not good. We will have some stuff to work on, but it was a good lesson. We read in Moroni about why we go to Church. It was a good lesson and a lot of fun.

Wednesday-
Well this day we went and did some service and there was a lot of trash. It was not fun at all, but we went and did it anyway. Then the big thing that we had to do was go and find people for the ward. That is what we do a lot of the time because there is no one to keep up with all of that (who has moved and stuff), so that is what we did. Then after that we went and had lunch with the Billings (the dad was inactive, and the son was not a member—Tom baptized him awhile back. They are Mike Senior and Mike Junior). They are so strong in the Gospel. Mike is just like Alma the younger and how he was trying to tear down the Church. Now all he wants to do is build it up and make it stronger.

Thursday-
Well, now that I’m district leader, I get to do the interviews for baptism and I got to do my first one on Thursday, and it went well. I really like getting to do that. The person I interviewed was so ready to get dunked. That was all that went on. Oh yeah and I got a haircut too.

Friday-
Well, all I have to say was we tracked all day, long so it was a long day.

Saturday-
Well some more service. We found a bed for someone and got that to them. Let me tell you, I know why my mom told me to keep my room cleaned when I was younger. That was a mess. Then this is where the Lord does some crazy stuff with his Gospel. On Thursday in my prayers, I asked the Lord to have someone that we could baptize in February, and I was thinking on Friday, “where are we going to get someone to teach and stuff.” That is all I could think about on Friday while we were tracting. Well, as you guys know, tracting sucks and does not work all that great, but then Saturday we were going to have dinner with a family and they couldn’t have us over. They brought dinner to us. Then around 4 I got a call saying, “Are you guys coming over for dinner” from some other family. I was, like, we can but you guys are on for tomorrow. They said that we needed to come today, so I told them I would have to see. Then the mom said I have a less active family and the kids are not baptized and they want to be baptized. I said we will be there and both kids asked us if they can get baptized. We told them they could, and that is how the Lord works and answers prayers!

Sunday-
Well Church was so good. The Billings got the priesthood. I was so happy. I got to give it to Senior and that was so cool. I got what I wanted after asking, and then getting tough with the Ward. It only took 5 months to get it. Then Hope (a new member they baptized in December, she called us and wants to meet us at the SLC Temple—she has never been) gave a talk, so we went to the YSA to hear her speak and she did good.

So that was my week and man the Lord is always working. He must get tired with all of the work he does. I hope things are going good for you guys. I home to hear back from you guys. Love you all!

Elder Rice

Monday, January 24, 2011

The email below went with some pictures he sent:

The new ride

Crab legs! 

The rest of the crab legs



The rest of the meal!!!  It seems like he is eating better than when he is home!



The baptism on Sunday--His Dad and I were amazed at how tall he looks!

Well this is my new ride (see picture).  It is a really cool car!  It is a nice brown color.  There is a pic that you can look at and some more pics that are really cool.  I had a good dinner this week with the Billings because I thought I was leaving to go to a new area, but I'm staying in 29 for a little bit longer.  It is really cool, I like it out here.  This week was a lot of service.  We got to go out to the middle of nowhere and help someone move some furniture.  Things have been really good, then yesterday I got ready for Church and we started to drive off and the truck was acting really funny.  I got out and we had a flat, so we went to church and then Brother Billing came over and helped us change it.  I helped him change it with my church clothes on, and, dad, I did use my head to put the tire on (inside joke between his dad and him--he always steadies the tire with his forehead while he is putting a tire on--his dad always teases him).  The first pic is my new ride, the next one is some good food that we got on Saturday, the next one is showing on top of that the steaks we got at the same dinner.  This week we also had a Samoan baptism and that was way cool to see my old comp that went home about a month ago do the baptism.  It was so cool.  This week has been really good and a lot of fun.  I have been loving it out on my mission, I can't believe how fast it goes by.  I'm staying with my comp and then in 6 weeks he will be going home, so I will be here about 12 weeks and then I should have one or 2 more areas that I will serve in.  That is just crazy to think, but this week we had a lesson with Hope and she talked to her senior couple missionaries (I guess she was in North Carolina for awhile), and they are in the same mission as Elder Taylor Petersen.  That is cool and they are going to look him up and tell him Hi for me.  I have gotten like 5 referrals from them, so thanks Raleigh North Carolina!  Things are good out here, I hope things are good for everyone back home.  Love you all and have a good week!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Here is part of an email Elder Rice wrote about an experience that he had.
To start out it was not for me why we called 911!!!!  (a mother can appreciate that introduction!)  On Sunday we went and had a meeting at our ward mission leaders  house.  Before we were driving, I felt that we should see this less active that is close to where we were meeting at, but I said to myself that we are going to be late to the meeting and I really hate being late to meetings, so we went to the meeting.  The meeting was about an hour long.  We got outside and I got the feeling that we really NEED to see this person, and since they were close by, we stopped to see them.  It seemed like no one was home because all of the lights were off and it seemed like they weren't there.  My comp said that they could be watching a movie, and I said they don't have a TV, so how could they?  Then I was like they are not home and then I got the feeling again to ring the doorbell, and so we did and she was home.  She has stage 2 cancer, and she can't have kids anymore, but she is pregnant now.  She was having really bad stomach pains and so she was not doing too good.  We were talking to her on the doorstep and she was acting really strange and not talking so good.  Then she said I'm going to faint and then she did!  The funny thing was that me and my comp just took a stop back and let her fall to the ground (remember they are not supposed to touch women, I guess they really were obedient!  The "Elder" part kicked in and they let her fall to the ground!!!  Not what I would have suggested!).  Then we called 911 and got her help.  The other thing was that my comp, when he called 911 started to talk to the person about the gospel--like we were talking to her on the street, it was so funny.  Then to top it all off, when we were on the phone with 911, we couldn't find her address anywhere, so I ran to the street that was close and got the name of the street.  That is when I found out that dress shoes are not made for running, but it was a lot of fun I guess and is funny to look back on.  They thing is that you need to listen to the spirit and don't worry about being late to a meeting (that is really a hard lesson for him--he HATES being late to anything) and to not run in dress shoes.  That is my story for the week.  I am doing good and things are going good.  I think this is my last week in 29 Palms, which is bad.  I have really liked being here.  It is a lot of fun and I like the ward members a lot.  I hope you are doing good and that you are all looking at the blessings the Lord has given you.  There are so many blessings the Lord wants to give us.  Blessings will never stop coming, so count your many blessings.  I hope you all have a good week and I love you all!

An update from his email--He did not get transferred, so he will be in 29 Palms for at least 12 more weeks.  His comp goes home the next transfer in 6 weeks, so more that likely they will not put 2 brand new missionaries there.  He had a baptism this last Sunday and 2 or 3 more coming up.  The Holy Ghost has been working hard out there in the desert because he has had many baptisms and a lot of success.  He said that he has gotten 5 referrals from the Raliegh North Carolina Mission--that is where one of his good friends is serving.  Thank you Elder Petersen, although not directly!