Teaching through texting

Hey, we had a really good week this week! We received a refferal from the office lady that was about a lady that was reading the Book of Mormon and loved it and really wanted to come to church. This was Friday when we got the refferal. So, I called her and she said that she was at the Baton Rouge stake center and met a member and he was the one that called the mission office. She wanted to meet with us Saturday and come to church. After that she sent us a text asking what she should read from the Book of Mormon so we just told her to start from the beginging or where ever she was reading.  Then she went on to tell us how she has studdied religions all her life and had never been religious because she has never felt any of them were right, so she just keeps studying she said she was spiritual but not religious. Then she got a Book of Mormon somehow and someone told her to read it and she has loved what she has read and she said she has never felt like she has about a church and that she knows it was true and her insides were leaping for joy. Then she went on to tell us she wanted to get baptized and asked us what she would have to do to be baptized and she told us that she had repented. So we told her that we can talk about how she can get baptized when we meet with her because this was all through texting haha! But we weren't able to meet with her on Saturday because her best friend that she normally borrows her car (she is 39 by the way) said she wasn't going to be her friend anymore if she goes to that church and she can borrow her car if that was where she was going because we were going to have the lesson at the church. We had a dinner appointment with a member family out by where she lives that we invited her as well but she said she wasn't as comfortable with that yet because they would have had to go pick her up and take her back so she didn't  want to impose. But she said she would come to church the next day. But before church she texted us and said that she didn't realized it was going to be such a big deal joining this church and that people are ignorant for judging what they had never studied so we told her that Satan would stop at nothing to keep us from hearing the truth and she could atest to that. But she told us how she had just finished 1 Nephi and she was talking to us about it and asking questions about the brass plates and who the Jaredites were and told us some scriptures that really stuck out to her so she is doing her best. and we have just been trying to help her out. She actually thinks its only me when she texts because I was the one that called her at first and so she is always saying "Thank you so much Mr Elder Ritchie, you mean so much and I'm so greatful for what your doing to help me", and we have told her that I have a companion named Elder Hausladen too haha! But we haven't been able to get across that we share the phone even though we always use we or us instead of I or me.. haha!  It's just different for people to grasp the concept of two people sharing a phone.

But we are hoping to meet with her so we can help her out and see where she is so we can get the members to help her out. She wanted to meet with us today but we said we couldn't and she said Wednsday would work for her so we are hoping to see her Wednesday!!!   So keep B. in your prayers that it will work out cause she really wants to join the church! 

So it has been an exciting couple of days and you can't ever say that texting didn't acomplish anything! haha! I've always joked with my companions about teaching someone through texting and how it would be kinda cool, didn't think it would ever happen. But I'm hoping we don't have to anymore.

Oh mom, I told that story about your friend paying her tithing and two of her houses going up for sale right afterward to a recent convert that we think had been stuggling with tithing because her husband isn't a member and possibly gives her a little bit of a hard time for doing it.  It meant alot to her, so it was pretty cool. She got baptized 8 or 9 months ago and she is around our age and found out that her mom that lives in Kansas is going to get baptized  the 30th of this month so she really wants to take the temple prep class that's about to start so she can go through and get sealed to her parents a year from now because he dad is already a member. There is also another recent convert family that just attended the temple prep classes that is about to go and a bunch of other also, so our ward is doing really good right now. Oh, and M. the former less active we have been working alot with went to girls camp as a kitchen help and has talked to the bishop and wants to take the next temple prep classes that start in July.

So I had a dream I went to Lake Powell with y'all last week and I had to wear my white shirt and tie the whole time so I couldn't swim, it was weird. Even in my dreams I think I've completely forgot what its like to be a regular person. When we are going to play basketball or something and we stop somewhere and people don't give us different looks trying to figure out who we are is really weird cause then your just another person to them.

No one would beleive me you can buy Tony's (our favorite Cajun seasoning) outside of Louisiana, but its offical its at walmart!  Haha! Cause everyone asks me if I will fill my bags with Tony's when I go home and I'm always like, no I have it at home already.

Tell Josh to say hi to the rougers and Steve for me.  And have him tell Franz that if I was there I would boss him around because I have a year on him.

Well, that's about all I have this week!

Love y'all,

love elder ritchie