Thanksgiving's Move to the Man Cave

We had a  good Thanksgiving, we ate and we ate... and then we taught... and then we moved. We moved into our new apartment and its saweeet! It has a loft and only one window and its a man cave! I'm going to take pictures and you guys can build me one so I can have it when I get home. It will just need a few more basic essentials we are not allowed to have on a mission. We moved into it on Thursday after we ate and then taught a lesson, we were actually teaching a lesson in one of the rooms at the Campbell's to Terry, just talking about priesthood cause that's what he was concerned about. He keeps saying "the bishop is going to test me on it next week".  He got the True to the Faith book and the bishop told him to study priesthood and he was going to ask him questions about it next week. So we went over it with him in his reading, but while were were reading everyone started running out the door with our beds so we were like, what in the world! And they said they were going to go put our beds in the new apartment cause someone was there with a truck. So, we just took everything and moved in that night, in a hurry!

 

 

 

My two companions are doing alright, I'm training one and getting ready to send one home. It's going well, Elder West is my new companion and Elder Limb is the older one. Elder West and I get along really well, he just has a hard time studying and remembering things but he's fun. We get along a little better than Elder Limb and I do.  But when Elder Limb and I  are teaching,  we do a pretty good job. Elder West is still shell shocked when it comes to teaching but that's normal, we will see how well he can break out of it cause he is a little different in social situations.

 



Sam in Abbeville



We got a new assistant to the president last week,  its Elder Murphy from Idaho Falls so I'm getting even more pull in the office and with president, so hes got my back! Oh and I can't remember if I told you but we got a car.  It's been in the 40's here to so we got it just in time.  For Christmas I could use a sweater and maybe a pair of thin gloves. Well I'm out of time.

 

Love you,

elder ritchie

Baptism Week

Hey,

So we had a really good week and a really really good weekend! Terry's baptism went really well. We had his family really involved, his son gave a very brief talk about baptism and his brother-in-law gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and while they were talking I went and talked to the ward missionary conducting the meeting and had him invite Terry's wife to bear her testimony right before the baptism as well. After each of them got done with their talk, Terry hopped up and gave them a hug and said thank you. Terry was the one that told me to make sure we got his wife to bear her testimony because they have been having a hard time but he didn't want her to know before the baptism so I was sneaky about it (ha ha, you know how I can be sneaky I'm sure). The baptism went really great, a member from the ward baptized him, he is the one that takes him to the addiction recovery class in Baton Rouge and he also home teaches his family so he has been a really good influence on him.  After our lessons when we would find scriptures with Terry he would all ways highlight them and make sure to show him on their way to Baton Rouge. 

 

 

 

 

 

So I have had a blast teaching Terry and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be here a while so I will get to be around him even more. There was a concern with his confirmation however, his wife was in the hospital the night after the baptism because she had a problem with her foot, she has diabetes, so they were in the ER all night and didn't even get to see anyone about it... (hospitals, what a joke!)  So they were late to church in Lafayette but they ended up coming in during the sacrament hymn so we did it right after the sacrament. It was also ward conference here and they have a traditioon of a gumbo for the ward after ward conference. That was pretty cool!  I'm going to have to bring that one back to Idaho. Gumbo is so good and the spicier the better.  I finally got to try potato salad in gumbo, I really liked  that too especially when you take a really good potato salad and put it in a really good gumbo I wasn't sure from the sound of it, but it was way good.

 

 

 

 

We also had a good FHE group after church, we were able to get a 15 year old less active there and his friend, they really like the food we had. There were some really good meatballs and pasta and we were able to go have a lesson with the less active and his friend and we committed him for baptism so hopefully they both start to learn more about the gospel together we are supposed to go play basketball with them today and a member that is their age too.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, its transfer week that's why I'm writing on a Tuesday.  I found out I'm going to be in a threesome for the next 3 weeks till Elder Limb, my companion goes home and I'm getting a brand new companion fresh of the plane so I'll be training again.  I get to see one come and one go in the same transfer. I talked to the president about my new companion and I'm kind of nervous cause I guess he's has had some learning disabilities in the past and had been in special ed before and he is going to need some "TLC" as President Wall put it. I'm not really sure what to expect, two companions that are struggling at the same time, I don't know if I'm the right person for someone that needs TLC.  I don't know, President really likes to throw me curve balls, maybe it's cause I need more patience or something. Oh, and I found out I'm taking over the zone leaders area cause the zone leaders are going to be the Spanish missionaries in Lafayette, so again I'm covering another area, another curve ball. But we get a car tomorrow haha! Because we are getting a giant area and I've got some pull in the office!

 

Love you guys!

love elder ritchie

Stay Tuned for Pictures!

A Letter!

Dear Family,

Hey, I got your card and your package so thank you!  I'm putting a SD card in here with a bunch of pictures so hopefully it doesn't get swiped.  People do that alot to the mail so you gotta be sneaky about it. The SD was wrapped in temple cards and the whole envelope was wrapped with layers and layers of tape.

Everything is going good, I think I told you mostly everything in the email I sent.  Oh, we are going to be moving to our own apartment a couple of streets over in like a month, so I will let you know when that happens.  Oh, I have been showing people my Trouble Book and they always say how cool it is.  I brought it out at an FHE dinner last night and everyone was drooling over her blue eyes.

So I haven't heard about Erica in a while, tell her hi for me, she has been out like 6-7 months now so she is almost half way.  I hit my sister-half-way-mark last month.  I wonder how the Swedish is coming for her.  I have been learning a new language again.  I went from Chalmation (it's what they cal it in Chalmette it kinda sounds like a Brooklyn accent) to Eubonics in Baton Rouge, and now I'm getting a taste of Cajun.  They talk fast!  And then the black people speak a mix of Eubonics and Cajun, it's different.  I didn't really think we had that proper of English where we live, but I got down here and feel like I sound so refined.  It's weird.  So I think I'm going to be in a tri-panionship in a couple of weeks.  I'm supposed to train again according to Pres. Wall two weeks ago, but you never know, he likes to change things a lot? But it's always good.  Well enjoy the pictures.

Take care and love ya,

Love Elder Samuel Alan Ritchie

Sick Days

Well, my sickness came back. I was homebound most of the week so we didn't get a whole lot done.  It's not fun being sick on your mission, it's alright for a couple of hours but once you have slept all you can, it's not fun cause there is no TV to keep you entertained while you feel like crap. Oh yeah, I lost my voice too, we were talking to a lady last Tuesday night that was an atheist and we were talking up a storm trying to help her realize that there is a God and how she can find out the truth and half way through the lesson my voice just went out on me. But I kept trying to talk and I think I made it worse than it was going to be cause we were really trying to help the lady out.  We found a good thing to share with her, I'll have to send it to you, I really like it. She was all about science and this article makes you think especially coming from  one of the smartest people there has been.

 

So I sat around all week and slept and read and I actaully learned a bunch of hymns from that easy hymn book they have  so I can play like 15 hymns with one hand now.  I just don't know how to teach myself how to play with the second hand, I figured it out for one song but then I took a break and forgot how.

 

Well, the baptism is still looking good for Saturday. Terry stopped smoking last Saturday and says he is going to do it! So, keep him in your prayers! He didn't have a problem with anything but coffee and smoking.

 

We are having Thankgiving here. The Campbells, our senior missionaries are cooking. We also had church here yesterday. Kinda cool waking up, studying, and walking out your bedroom and down the hall to the chapel.  It went well, we had 19 people here, we were missing a family of 5 so that hurt a little but still a good turn out. We had the senior office couple that I got to work with for a week come give talks, they were really good. 

 

And yes, I could use a sweater, it gets cool here.  Haha, I never thought I would be saying 40 degrees is to cold but I don't like it.  I bought some long socks because slacks don't hold the heat in and the wind goes through em. I'm looking for an old suit at a thrift store so I don't have to wear my nice ones on a bike. It's been fun on a bike, there are lots of ditches to jump in and out of and I've found some good ledges to drop off of. I had to go buy a skateboarding helmet too because bike helmets aren't as comfortable. Oh, and I would also enjoy a beenie if your ever sending a package, just throw one of my old ones in or something, just for the mornings. I bought a double xl hoodie that I wear when I study: comfy, giant, and warm! We're not allowed to swim in water so I bought a hoodie that I could swim around in instead!

 

We have also been helping a guy get our new apartment all ready it is sweet!! I want one like it when I get home, it has a loft that we study in and it's big and the ceiling is some old kind of wood he found and put up then he just ran a steel brush over and stained it.  It's a man cave haha! There are like no windows, and the guy we are renting it from is going to live on the side of the house in his houseboat. But he is normally out hunting and fishing all the time and goes to his cabin which I guess is bigger than most houses here (not hard to do).

Well that's about all I got!

love ya'll

love elder ritchie

 

P.S. Mom, I found your birthday in the Book of Mormon Alma 14:23!

Spreading Viruses and the Gospel

Soooo, I got sick last week... I was out for a day... and now everyone is catching it. I guess im just a trend setter... everyone want to do what elder ritchie is doing.. joke!   But other than being sick it was a good week, we played some football and soccer with some members from Idaho last Monday.  We have a family in our group that is from Idaho and they loved the Boise State shirt you guys sent, so good job!

 

I was on an exchange in New Iberia with Elder Geuthiex from Tahiti, he looks like he could be Collins twin brother except a little shorter and a smaller nose.  But they kinda have the same personality, kinda a shy funny kid.  French is his first language as well. So I think I decided that's where Collin really comes from, Tahiti. I'll have to get a picture with him.  Oh, and I'm going to Tahiti when I get home. 

 

Oh, thanks for the snowboarding pictures too, people like to see the snow and  the mountains cause most haven't really ever seen any.  They just don't know what they are missing out on! Haha! Mountains are where the prophets go to dwell with God, so its a good thing they have a temple down here cause there are noooo mountains! Although I did hear a rumor that there are hills up in Mississippi in Natches or Alexandria somewhere so I was gonnna try and go there when I was in the office, make a trip to see the elders and maybe a so called "hill" but it will have to wait.  But I'm glad to be out of the office and teaching again cause after a week I was getting rusty with teaching. We had a couple lessons but they weren't very good. We didn't get to study very often either so it's true, if you don't use it you lose it!

 

I just like it here and I'm glad I got here when I did because we started teaching Terry a day or two after I got here and it is looking like his baptism is going to happen on the 19th. He's excited about it and he is really working for it, it's not easy but he is doing it!

 

So Mercy wants everyone to lick her?? Man have things changed since I left haha!  (In my letter I said that nothing has changed, then what I meant to say was that Mercy the dog still wanted to lick everyone). Well thats all I got for now.  Take care! Love ya!

 

love elder ritchie