Bye Bye Helote, Hello Lasagna! 04/27/15

Hello Family!! How are you all?

So it was really hard saying goodbye to Oxnard. I loved the people there so much. 

So really quick, I forgot to tell you that Mexicans can't say my name very easily. One day, we were teaching Isidro, and someone else walked by and tried to say my name. He told them, "Como una galleta (It's like a cookie) - Ritz!" 

Haha anyways, I went on Monday night to say goodbye to Isidro and I just cried the whole time. Hermana Brown talked for me and told him that was we would never forget him. He told us that he would never forget us either because we were his teachers! He turned to me and said, "Y usted es mi galleta!" :) 

Arroyo Grande is SO different from Oxnard! We are over three ward's boundaries, and we work with the spanish speaking people. There are 6 members of our unit, and all of them are less active. We are going to focus this transfer on helping them a lot. We have some really awesome investigators! There is so much potential here and I love it so much. The first couple days I was really worried that it wouldn't be as grand as Oxnard, but I was so wrong! It is a lot different, but I love it just as much. 

We eat dinner mainly with the english members, so bye bye Helote. :( But it's okay, Lasagna is really good too! :) The members are so supportive and love the missionaries! I actually just met a family that has a son on a mission in Minnesota... They checked with their son today to see if he knows Graham, and it turns out, their son was Graham's zone leader last transfer! Crazy!!! (They are the ones that sent the picture of Hna Wallace and me.) 

Hermana Wallace is so cute! She is from Gilbert Arizona and has been out for a year. She is super tiny holy cow. She reminds me of a mixture of a bunch of my friends, so she is really fun to work with! 

We live right by the ocean, and we actually got special permission to go to a ward bonfire on the beach tonight, so that will be really fun!! Ill try to take lots of pictures. This will probably be the only time I step foot on the beach until I come back to visit.

I love you all! I know Christ's atonement can work miracles through all of us, and if we let him help us, our weaknesses will become our strengths. Have a great week! :) 

Trystan LOVES Mexican food and will miss it dearly while she is serving in Arroyo Grande!

Surprise, Surprise! 04/20/15

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy week.

 

First off, I am being transferred. :( I'm SO SAD! I love the Nard so much!! I don't want to leave, but I'm sure I'll end up liking the next area eventually...

 

I am going to Aroyo Grande! My companion will be Hermana Wallace. My address is going to be:

 

1385 Atlantic City #102

Grover Beach, CA 93433

 

Next: DAVID ARCHULETTA CAME TO OUR MISSION YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!

So we found out about a week and a half ago that we were going to have an all mission meeting on April 19th at the Ventura Stake Center. No one knew why or who it was for. We were all worried they were going to change the mission boundaries or something because it happened right before transfers. But we got a call on Saturday asking us to leave our cameras at our apartments and to come straight in the then leave. Everyone then thought it was going to be President Uchtdorf, because apparently he was in LA, but it ended up being David!! And he brought Brooke White with him as well! SO COOL! He told some amazing stories and sang a bunch and then each zone got to take a picture with him afterwards, which I'm sure is on the mission blog now. And then we shook his hand. :) He looked at each of our name tags and said hello! My 12 year old self was so excited.

 

THEN right after we take our zone picture with David, I hear, "Hermana Ricks!" I turn around and it's NATE FIELDING! Woohoo!! Emily's older brother! It was just about too much excitement for me to handle in one night. He is in the Stake Young Men's Presidency and said that they had had a meeting that night, and then he came to hear David and thought, "hey, I bet Trystan is here." Yup! I sure was! :) He was awesome! 

 

Anyways, this week was a great way to end the transfer and my time in the 'Nard. I am super excited to meet my new companion, but so sad to leave hermana Brown! She has been so much fun and such a good example to me. BUT! Her new companion is going to be HERMANA PRICE!!!! I am leaving her notes everywhere that say things like, "This is where I used to brush my teeth" and "This is where I used to get food." :) Hopefully she thinks I'm as funny as I do.

 

Love you all!! Have a great week!

 

<3 Hermana Ricks

 

P.S. Here is a picture of me eating a hotdog last week in honor of the grand opening of DAWGS! I'm sure the one I had wasn't as good as if you had made it, dad, but it was the best I could come up with! LOVE YA!

 

 

 

Last week of the transfer..say whuuut. ??? 04/13/15

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!! ( AND MOM AND AUNT STACEY LAST WEEK!!!!!!!) I hope you all had/will have amazing birthdays full of lots of cake and ice cream! (P.S. We went to a birthday party the other day where they shoved the girls face in the cake and then asked us if we wanted a piece. Ummm...I did before you got face all over it, but thanks anyways. I'm glad we don't have that tradition. :))

 

Okay first thing's first. Story time seriously kills me. We either need to start coming at a different time, buy earplugs, or go sing with them and THEN email.

 

I'm so glad you all got to talk to Hno Nunez!! He is the best. He is so cool. He helps us missionaries a lot! There are 3 sets of missionaries in the ward and he takes care of all of us. He has a super cute family, and is like a big kid!

 

So I realized that I totally forgot to tell you all about the TEMPLE last week! It was SO AMAZING! It is so different going through as a missionary! The LA temple is a lot like the Idaho Falls temple, but it's even bigger and it's so pretty. The ward mission leader and his wife took us. I can't even get over how cute they are. They took us to Jack in the Box afterwards as well. They are some of the sweetest people I have met here, I want you all to meet them! We also went to the distribution center afterwards and it was like Christmas morning! I don't think I've been so excited to shop somewhere in a long time. Talk about #nerdymissionaryprobs.

 

Isidro came into church yesterday and he looked like a new person. It is incredible seeing the difference the gift of the Holy Ghost makes, just even in the apprearance of a person! It's like he stands taller, and he is more confident now. Ahh I love it!

 

Speaking of that, the other day Hna Brown and I were walking down the street to a dinner appointment and a man stops us on the street and started talking to us in Spanish. When I responded back in spanish he was really surprised and was like, "You speak spanish?!" Anyways, he told us that he could tell there was something different about us so he had to stop and say hi, even though he was in a hurry. We gave him a pass-along card and now he's basically going to get baptized. Just kidding, it wasn't in our area so we don't even get to teach him, but one day, it's gonna happen! It was awesome. 

 

I can't believe it's the last week of the transfer already! What the heck?! I'll let you all know next week if I'm staying or not!

 

I love you all! Thanks for being the best family ever! Everyone, go chase down this man with a hotdog stand called DAWGS and eat some lunch. Love you all! :)

 

<3 Hermana Ricks 

HAPPY EASTER! HAPPY CONFERENCE! HAPPY BAPTISM! HAPPY EXCHANGES!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This week was AWESOME!!

 

1. I went on exchanges in VENTURA! With Hermana Bennion. Hermana Huey is now her companion, so Hna Huey got to work with Hna Brown again in Oxnard and EVERYONE was so excited to see her! Ventura was SO pretty! It's only like 15 minutes away from Oxnard, but it's so different! We didn't teach a lot of people because everyone kept cancelling, but I learned a ton from Hna Bennion, she's so great. And we got to eat at California Pizza Kitchen! Emily's brother is the head manager there. Unfortunately, it was his day off. But I told Max, our waiter to tell him hi! And I also told Max that I would tell Emily to tell Nate that he's an awesome server! So shout out to Emily. Max is great! A super nice LDS family saw us eating there and paid for our dinner! It confused Max a lot when he realized we didn't know the family previously though. Haha :)

 

2. Conference was AWESOMEEEEEEEE!!!! I don't know if it was just different than normal this year because I'm a missionary, or because it was just different. But I loved it! I thought it was really interesting how much they focused on the Plan of Salvation and fortifying families. Hna Brown and I thought they were going to call the next speaker and it was going to be Jesus Christ himself! We wouldn't have been surpirsed. They talked a lot about the Second coming. If I could summarize the most important message that I got out of Conference, it would be to not waste time! We need to share this message with people, and prepare ourselves for the great day of the Lord!

 

Also regarding conference, I testify that Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God. I know he is, and I will tell anyone that. I know this is His church, and Jesus Christ himself is the head of it. I don't believe God would send us down here and except us to live without guidance of how to return back to him. He loves us too much for that. That is why he gives us the blessing of a prophet! Because we need someone that is humble enough to lead us and tell us what God wants us to know. I know that Thomas S. Monson is that man right now, and I am so grateful for his example!

 

*Random Fact* Story time has started in the Library again. Oh boy.

 

3. Isidro! Our investigator Isidro was baptized last Friday!!! It was such a good baptism! The first time his hand didn't go under the water and he hadn't plugged his nose, so he stood back up really panicked. They re-did it, and the second time he stood back up and you could see on his face how much peace he felt. I could see in his face the forgiveness of the Atonement! It was so cool. I hope I never forget that! He then received the Holy Ghost yesterday between sessions at the church. He's so awesome!

 

Also, for Easter none of us had a dinner, so we all made our own creations and ate together! It was THE BEST! Seriously. I made Deviled (?) Eggs and smoothies! I'll try to send a picture of it!

 

Well, I want to know what you all thought of conference! I love you all!! Have a great week!

 

<3 Hermana Ricks 

 

 

 

Because He Lives! I am a missionary :) 3/30/15

Okay so I have like no time left..sorry! This might be a lame email. Hopefully not.

 

So first off, who watched Women's Conference?! It was the BOMB! It was so good. I loved President Eyring's talk about how when we are baptized, we covenant to take upon the burden's of other people. I also loved the focus from everyone on the importance of families! Families are such a blessing. I'm so glad I have such a great family. If you missed it, it is available online!

 

Side Note: There is story going on at the Library and they are super loud. Reminds me of some of the crazy songs we would sing in Kindergarten right before I left... " Hello everyone! It's time to have some fun! *Clap Clap*

 

Anyways. WATCH GENERAL CONFERENCE THIS WEEK! With questions prepared! I have never been so excited for it in my life!

 

Side Note: They are now hungry alligators and it's dinner time

 

Also, who's seen the video "Because He Lives?" It is SO AWESOME! And will make your day better, I promise. It came out for Easter just last Saturday, and it talks about the Ressurection of Jesus Christ, and because of that He lives right now! He knows each of us personally, and He is very aware of any circumstance we are in.

 

This week our P-Day is cut short at 2 because we are going to the temple on Friday! So it's gonna be crazy, but I'm so excited to go to the temple!!

Also, I get to go on exchanges tomorrow with one of the Hermana Training Leaders in VENTURA! I'm super excited!! :)

Love you all!

 

<3 Hermana Ricks

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZqTRSVA1YA

 

 

 

That Sea Food though... 03/23/15

So all of last transfer nobody even mentions fish. Then they give me a Samoan companion and all of a sudden everyone wants to feed us fish! We have been fed fish three times in the last two weeks. Yes I ate it like a boss. Yes it still gives me the heeby-jeebies, and yes I still don't like it.

Today is Hermana Brown's birthday!! She just wants to hang out with our whole district all day, so we are going to go to Target and shop for a while, and then party at the church with the district! Selena and her friend Regina made a super cute poster sized card for her and made up a birthday dance for her. It was adorable.

So I can't think of anything super crazy that happened this week, but it was an awesome week! We are really trying to work with the members! If you want to do something for the missionaries, have them over for dinner and invite a friend. Or at least give them a referral! They will love you for forever. :) Also, hosting family home evenings are fantastic as well. We are going to have FHE with the bishop's family and Selena tonight!

I AM SO EXCITED FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you that don't know what this is, it is a broadcast that is for everyone! Not just members of our faith. Our prophet and apostles speak, and tell us things that will bless our lives if we listen. It is on the 4th and 5th of April! Watch it! Watch it with a question in mind - I promise it'll be answered. :) I don't think I've ever been so excited for conference in my life.

ALSO! We get to go to the temple on the month of our birthday, so Hermana Brown and I get to go on April 3rd to the temple because her birthday is today!!! BOO-YA! So excited. It'll basically be the best weekend ever.

LOVE YOU ALL! Have a great week! :)

<3 Hermana Ricks 

Great Week! 03/16/15

This week was awesome!

Hermana Brown is so stinkin cute! She's really funny and loves the people here already. She is really organized, loves chips, sings like Beyonce, is from Samoa/Salt Lake, and is just super hilarious. I love being her companion!

This week Selena gave the opening prayer in church!! I was so proud! All she said was, "Bless las misioneras and bless my family" and it was the shortest sweetest prayer I've ever heard in a sacrament meeting! She used to be scared to even pray with us, and now she's a pro! She told us that she wants to go on a mission, so we've been trying to take her out with us a lot to teach. We have another investigator that is going to be baptized, and we were teaching him last night with Selena. I heard her say under her breath, "He should do it. It changed my life." I told her to tell that to him, and she was really nervous to say it, but she did and the spirit was so strong! I love her so much.

I can't think of anything that I could write that would be funny to you all...but this week was full of a lot of little funny things! They are the "you had to be there" kind of expereinces.

We found out that Hermana Huey is going to be one of our sister training leaders, so I'm super excited that I'll get to see her more! It was so sad saying goodbye to her. She was so great! But Hna Brown is pretty great too. :) I've just loved all my comps so far!

I love you all! I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ! I am so grateful to be here, it's the best thing EVERRRR!