Transfer #3

August 9th 2010

Well can you believe it?! I am now at the start of my 3rd transfer in the mission field!! This means that I am coming up on my 5 months on Aug. 17! Crazy right?! Well the verdict for these transfers is.....................................drum-roll please.............................. Sister Perez and I are staying together another transfer!! :) So my address will be the same as it has been, 1511 Anton Pl, Wenatchee, WA 98801, and I will for sure be here for the next 6 weeks. Sis. Perez and I are very pleased to still be serving together and to be serving the people of the Mission Ridge ward and Wenatchee Valley. I love it here! I know whenever I am going to have to leave, its going to be a sad goodbye. But, I will always go wherever the Lord wants me to go and will always keep my trust in Him. I've learned out here on the mission that that is the only way. Sometimes we may question why it is we have to go through certain things, but I know that there is ALWAYS a reason. We just have to trust in the Lord, and not be afraid.

In exciting news, we have 2 baptisms scheduled this weekend! Both Neftali and Koty should be getting baptized, if all goes according to plan and if they are ready. Koty, we have no doubts about but Neftali on the other hand.....hasn't made to church in a long time and he didn't come this Sunday again. He's been many times before, but stopped going after the death of his son back in June....and hasn't been since. When we started teaching him again, he really wasn't sure if he'd be ready for baptism for a while. So we continued teaching, and in the course of a few more discussions, he told us he wanted to get baptized! So we had set a goal date for him on Aug. 21, in hopes he would get to church before then....and then when he wanted to move it up we were even more excited, but he still did not come to church. So.....we are going to be having a pretty straightforwarward discussion with him about the importance of attending sacrament meeting and enduring to the end today or tomorrow sometime. Please keep us and him in your prayers. He has a strong testimony and we feel he is ready for baptism as far as what we've been teaching him, it just would be really sad if we had to post pone it because he doesnt understand fully what he is promising the Lord when he enters the waters of baptism. Our job as missionaries is not to baptize people into the church, and then to just let them go inactive and forget the importance of enduring to the end. Baptism itself is not what saves people. We need baptism, yes, but we also need to remember our covenants that we make at baptism for the rest of our lives! That is why we partake of the sacrament weekly, so that we can always remember our Savior, to keep HIs commandments, and to take his name upon us. We must always be continually repenting and relying upon His Atonement, in order to return to live in the presence of our God someday. Living the gospel throughout our lives is a big responsibility, but I know that when we live it and strive to be obedient to ALL of God's commandments we are blessed. The gospel has blessed my life in more ways than I can even begin to describe. I honestly do not know what I would do without it!

Speaking of keeping the sabbath day holy, I am so incredibly happy to hear that you made that decision on Sunday not to go fishing and to strive to be more commited. I am so greateful that you have accepted the encouraging words I've said, and I know the Lord will bless you, beyond what you can even imagine at this time. Also, I will definitely be joining in on the family fast this Sunday, so count me in :) I know that by our faith, prayers and obedience, we can and WILL see miracles. Remember to have faith in that.

Let's see...what else. Oh, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for that awesome package you sent me! I will admit, I was kind've surprised to receive such a generous package but I am so incredibly grateful for it. It came at the perfect time too because I hadn't received a letter all week and was needing some words of encouragement, and then it came on Saturday just in time. It was a good pick me up, so thank you. I enjoy every one of your letters and emails. I'm sorry if I don't write as much to you each individually, but I promise I will try to be better. I really try to make it a priority to respond to each of your letters as soon as I can.

In other news, I forgot to mention....Sister Naylor is going to be training AGAIN! 3 transfers in a row, wow! So I have another Sister who I will meet probably in a couple weeks at a Spanish Fireside that is in Moses Lake. Sis. Naylor will forever be my motivation and role model, and so I hope to be able to be half the trainer she was to me to my companion. Technically, I am still training for this transfer, but this transfer should be a lot less stressful because Sis. Perez and I are getting the flow of things down.

The work is moving forward and we are striving to do the Lord's will. Today is a new day and this week is a new beginning. We hope to find those who have been prepared by the Lord to receive and accept His restored church. I have a sure testimony that this truly is the Lord's work. I know that I am here for a reason and will press forward in faith, trusting that at some point down the road I will be able to recognize what that reason is. 6 more weeks in this beautiful valley! O ha la mi espanol estare mejor! :) Se que este iglesia es verdadera con todo mi corazon! Les amo!Con Mucho Amor,Hermana Riggs