I'm ready for conference! I can't wait! We get to watch some TV and relax a little bit.. haha! joke! But seriously, we had a good week, I was able to go on an exchange out to New Roads, a little town and work with a missionary in my district. The area is really struggling and they are pretty sure it is going to get closed down, so I think im going to give an instruction on diligence in district meeting this week to try to keep them going strong out there. I hope they keep it open because it will be really hard to open it back up after they close it because it is so far from the church.
We have been doing a lot of less-active work lately because our ward has 600+ members but only 100-150 are very active. We have been seeing alot of them and we have had some back at church these last couple weeks. It has been really cool to see them there and seeing that they liked being back at church one because its "the church" and because the Baton Rouge 1st ward is awesome.
Oh, so we made donuts last night, beignet's actually, a french donut I'm not sure how to spell it but I had one down in New Orleans from Cafe Du Monde, it was so good!
I've been learning some Portugese lately because we have a member that is from Brazil and we have been teaching her friends and we teach them English to so they teach us a little Portugese too, haha! They keep saying that I could pick it up and speak it really well. Tania the member, wants us to go to the next world cup with her and stay at her family's place in Soa Paulo, that would be pretty sweet!
What picture did you find on his Elder Salazar's blog? He is living with us right now.
Oh,back to talking about food, we had some really good gumbo yesterday! And some jalepeno cheddar cornbread and topped it off with Blue Bell ice cream, the best kind of ice cream! We had cookie dough and birthday cake flavored! They need to get Blue Bell in Idaho and if they have it get Josh some cause he would be in heaven, its the best! I'm not much of an ice cream person and I cant stop eating it!
Haha! Rebecca is the primary president! That's sweet, we have taught a few primary lessons, its fun. I usually just use the pictures of Jesus on the pass along cards we have and let the kids hold my placque with my name on it.. they love that.
LSU isn't in our area right now. There are LSU elders, one is Elder Robins, my last comp. But last week the South Baton Rouge area was closed because one of the missionaies was a "visa waiter" and he got sent out so they closed the area and we absorbed it into the two other areas we already have. So we had the whole of Baton Rouge (which is giant, way more people than any other area in the mission) in our area for a while. I didn't know what was going on so it was pretty crazy. The mission president actually took us out to dinner the other night because he felt bad that he kinda left us in the dark for awhile. But it is all worked out and now they have missionaries back there so it's running smooth.
I gotta wrap it up!
love ya
elder ritchie
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Nerf Gun Warfare and Deep Thoughts
(I was writing to Sam about our trip to Lake Powell - one of his favorite places - this week and how the Spragues were going to have to plan a trip when he and Erica his cousin are home from their missions.) That's good that you got to the lake, we gotta have an epic trip when we get home! Cause I'm sure you all are just going insane with boredom with out me and Erica I mean Syster Sprague.
But everything is still going good here in Louisiana. Baton Rouge is still an adventure! We saw the Sons of Guns TV show's shop the other day, The Red Jacket, we were going to stop in with our nerf guns and get them upgraded. Do you thing they would put us on TV, a bunch of Mormon missionaries bringing in nerf guns asking them to modify them for our nerf war we are going to have? I think it would be prime time stuff.. haha! But we really are having a nerf war today for one of the missionaries in our districts birthday. I got a nerf sniper rifle and I'm getting pretty good with it.. haha!
We had a good week this week, a lot of good stuff going on and then some let downs with it. Our investigators will switch on and off from one week to the next. A few will get hot and want to learn and come to church, then they cool off and others start to be interested. It eventually comes back full circle, its weird. We're trying to get some of them over the hump and keep them coming but Satan is real and throws all he's got at them. A lot of the time he works through others in their lives that are more susceptible to get down on those that are working for good. It's tough to watch people start to feel the spirit really strong and work really hard for something and then just stop because of some little thing someone did or said to them or sometimes the other people don't have to say anything, they just are worried they will. Makes you think of how Heavenly Father feels, especially when some people who already have the truth in their lives start to turn away from it.
But that kinda sounds doom an gloomish. It's been a really good week actually, we had the H. family at church and they seemed to really enjoy it! It makes all the difference when members throw themselves into the mix and introduce themselves to investigators and not just the other investigators. Every time they talk to anyone that is new its cool. Well that's all I got today. So, till next week!
love ya,
love elder ritchie
But everything is still going good here in Louisiana. Baton Rouge is still an adventure! We saw the Sons of Guns TV show's shop the other day, The Red Jacket, we were going to stop in with our nerf guns and get them upgraded. Do you thing they would put us on TV, a bunch of Mormon missionaries bringing in nerf guns asking them to modify them for our nerf war we are going to have? I think it would be prime time stuff.. haha! But we really are having a nerf war today for one of the missionaries in our districts birthday. I got a nerf sniper rifle and I'm getting pretty good with it.. haha!
We had a good week this week, a lot of good stuff going on and then some let downs with it. Our investigators will switch on and off from one week to the next. A few will get hot and want to learn and come to church, then they cool off and others start to be interested. It eventually comes back full circle, its weird. We're trying to get some of them over the hump and keep them coming but Satan is real and throws all he's got at them. A lot of the time he works through others in their lives that are more susceptible to get down on those that are working for good. It's tough to watch people start to feel the spirit really strong and work really hard for something and then just stop because of some little thing someone did or said to them or sometimes the other people don't have to say anything, they just are worried they will. Makes you think of how Heavenly Father feels, especially when some people who already have the truth in their lives start to turn away from it.
But that kinda sounds doom an gloomish. It's been a really good week actually, we had the H. family at church and they seemed to really enjoy it! It makes all the difference when members throw themselves into the mix and introduce themselves to investigators and not just the other investigators. Every time they talk to anyone that is new its cool. Well that's all I got today. So, till next week!
love ya,
love elder ritchie
Monday, September 12, 2011
Ebonics
Every thing is still going good down here, we have had some really nice weather down here, in the 70s and not humid! It's been nice, I love being outside when it's like this. There's not the haze of the smog and humidity, it's clear and green. I love how everything is still really green here and hasn't died yet. I'm still waiting to see if the leaves on trees change colors or not in the fall.
We had a pretty productive week, we started teaching a woman from Brazil and her husband from Greece. So we are still using the gift of tongues and interpretation like crazy haha but they both speak pretty good English so its not hard at all (better than a lot we have taught).
Darrius gave a talk in church yesterday that was really good! and we got to see Detchewery the recent convert form France finally get the priesthood and another recent convert name Wes passed the sacrament with us. They were all baptized one after the other in a three week span so its cool to see them all doing great. Darrius was baptized first and he and Wes passed the sacrament and now he's given a talk. We had a dinner with his family last night but his wife speaks very little English. and then Wes was baptized and he is marrying into a Mormon family soon. He has been really fun to work with because of the changes he has made. He is a very driven guy when he wants to be, he always has questions and is working towards getting married and then in a year they are going to get sealed in the temple Then Detchewery was the third baptism of the three and he is the one from France. Very smart, he's 23 and has a masters in communications and is working on another in business administration so he can take over the family business back in France and Africa (oh yeah, he's black). Anyway, that's a little bit of whats going on down here. A lot of good stuff!
Well I miss "ya'll" (don't worry i still don't say y'all and never will, I hate it) but I have picked up on some ebonics or whatever they call it, haha, "the Book of Norman", "ax you a question", "scriptors", "squwimp" (shrimp), "churn" (children), haha, its weird the "skreet" it the street "skraight" its straight!
anyways, love ya
love elder ritchie
We had a pretty productive week, we started teaching a woman from Brazil and her husband from Greece. So we are still using the gift of tongues and interpretation like crazy haha but they both speak pretty good English so its not hard at all (better than a lot we have taught).
Darrius gave a talk in church yesterday that was really good! and we got to see Detchewery the recent convert form France finally get the priesthood and another recent convert name Wes passed the sacrament with us. They were all baptized one after the other in a three week span so its cool to see them all doing great. Darrius was baptized first and he and Wes passed the sacrament and now he's given a talk. We had a dinner with his family last night but his wife speaks very little English. and then Wes was baptized and he is marrying into a Mormon family soon. He has been really fun to work with because of the changes he has made. He is a very driven guy when he wants to be, he always has questions and is working towards getting married and then in a year they are going to get sealed in the temple Then Detchewery was the third baptism of the three and he is the one from France. Very smart, he's 23 and has a masters in communications and is working on another in business administration so he can take over the family business back in France and Africa (oh yeah, he's black). Anyway, that's a little bit of whats going on down here. A lot of good stuff!
Well I miss "ya'll" (don't worry i still don't say y'all and never will, I hate it) but I have picked up on some ebonics or whatever they call it, haha, "the Book of Norman", "ax you a question", "scriptors", "squwimp" (shrimp), "churn" (children), haha, its weird the "skreet" it the street "skraight" its straight!
anyways, love ya
love elder ritchie
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tropical Storms don't stop BBQs
You asked if I hear about LSU football. WOW, DO I HEAR ABOUT LSU FOOTBALL!!!! That's all I've heard about... haha! They won this week so everyone was in a really good mood.. and it was cool that Boise came and beat an SEC team, people know where I'm from cause of Boise State.
I can't believe you didn't go camping at Fall River on Labor Day... that's weird.. don't worry I won't let the tradition die, I'll start it again in 2 years even if i go by myself.
They evacuated the New Orleans missionaries and put us on lockdown on Saturday because of the tropical storm. We had 4 missionaries stay with us so we just had a giant party. It was a weird weekend because it was sunny on Saturday when were on lockdown with just spurts of really bad rain and then on Sunday they took off the lock down and it was super windy and rainy... but by the time church and studying were over it got kinda nice so we went out. We just went to a bbq that an investigator invited us to haha, tropical storms don't stop bbq's I found out! Then we went to a less actives house and had a lesson. He's from Africa and he made us eat too and I was literally the fullest I've ever been because there was so much rice and they made us finish, I had to go back to the apartment and make myself throw up I was so full I think the rice was expanding in my stomach and was about to explode so I had to get it out of there.
Anyways, I'll try and get some pictures home, I've got some good ones so I'll try and mail them home next week cause it takes forever to email them. I was waiting for a memory card but maybe I'll just go by one and send the old one home. But when I send the old one home don't erase the picture just copy them and send it back cause I still like to have them When you send it back send some more pictures of me just doing stuff, people really like to see pictures especially the the ones of snowboarding. You can go add the people that want to be my friends on facebook now, I think there are a few.
Guess what, its in the 70's here!!!! So nice outside today! Thanks for the cds Luke, I love em, definitely a good choice with the Enya and the Walk in the Woods cds, there's one song on there that is just instrumental and kinda techno a little bit that sounds a little like donkey kong 3, its sweet!
The work is still going pretty good, we had SH. an investigator show up to church this week even with the crazy weather but she's going through a rough time because she wants to learn more about the church but her husband is super anti so we can't really go over there.... so that's no good. We're trying to involve the members but its tough.. well that's all I got for now, thanks again for the package!! I love the jerky its my favorite! and the cds and my green apple lip balm, good stuff... and I just got handed another package from the Spragues! so I'm gonna open that, so say thanks to them too!!
till next week love ya!! take care
lover elder ritchie
I can't believe you didn't go camping at Fall River on Labor Day... that's weird.. don't worry I won't let the tradition die, I'll start it again in 2 years even if i go by myself.
They evacuated the New Orleans missionaries and put us on lockdown on Saturday because of the tropical storm. We had 4 missionaries stay with us so we just had a giant party. It was a weird weekend because it was sunny on Saturday when were on lockdown with just spurts of really bad rain and then on Sunday they took off the lock down and it was super windy and rainy... but by the time church and studying were over it got kinda nice so we went out. We just went to a bbq that an investigator invited us to haha, tropical storms don't stop bbq's I found out! Then we went to a less actives house and had a lesson. He's from Africa and he made us eat too and I was literally the fullest I've ever been because there was so much rice and they made us finish, I had to go back to the apartment and make myself throw up I was so full I think the rice was expanding in my stomach and was about to explode so I had to get it out of there.
Anyways, I'll try and get some pictures home, I've got some good ones so I'll try and mail them home next week cause it takes forever to email them. I was waiting for a memory card but maybe I'll just go by one and send the old one home. But when I send the old one home don't erase the picture just copy them and send it back cause I still like to have them When you send it back send some more pictures of me just doing stuff, people really like to see pictures especially the the ones of snowboarding. You can go add the people that want to be my friends on facebook now, I think there are a few.
Guess what, its in the 70's here!!!! So nice outside today! Thanks for the cds Luke, I love em, definitely a good choice with the Enya and the Walk in the Woods cds, there's one song on there that is just instrumental and kinda techno a little bit that sounds a little like donkey kong 3, its sweet!
The work is still going pretty good, we had SH. an investigator show up to church this week even with the crazy weather but she's going through a rough time because she wants to learn more about the church but her husband is super anti so we can't really go over there.... so that's no good. We're trying to involve the members but its tough.. well that's all I got for now, thanks again for the package!! I love the jerky its my favorite! and the cds and my green apple lip balm, good stuff... and I just got handed another package from the Spragues! so I'm gonna open that, so say thanks to them too!!
till next week love ya!! take care
lover elder ritchie
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