Week of Miracles

My Dear Family,

This past week has been amazing. This last week we began the search for people who will be baptized the 5th and 12th of February. At the start of the month I planned on focusing on families. I believe I already told you that when we find and baptize a complete family, before we have one year in the mission, we can go with the family to the temple to be sealed. I have never baptized a family and made it a goal to find one. This week we said goodbye to Elder Dominguez Tuesday morning. We haven´t stopped working since then. Immediately the Lord began shedding blessings over us. In this week alone, we found three complete families that all have baptism dates. One is a family of 4 that can be baptized, Jose Antonio and his wife Mari and their two sons, Jose Angel, and Omar. The other two families are just the husband and wife because their children aren´t old enough to be baptized. This week has been one of the best of my mission. President doesn´t send just any missionary here to this area. EVERY missionary in the mission wants to be where we are right now. We baptize here like crazy. But it is not because it is easy. It is the hardest here.

I have learned so much. I don´t feel like the old James. I am so happy to look back on the progress I have made. This mission is amazing. I have thought alot... alot... about Hannah this week. I know how it feels to be alone from the family. It is not easy. But it teaches us to be the people our parents have raised us to be. Hannah you are living your dreams!!!!!!!!!! You are studying in college at DISNEYWORLD! I admire you so much Hannah! I can´t even imagine the countless missionary experiences you will have there. Be strong and know that I love you so much.

I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers. I know that he lives. I know that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to the Earth, to pay for our sins and to suffer our pains. We are never alone. He suffered everything.. pain, grief, sadness, sickness, joy, misery, love and anger. He did all this, like it says in the scriptures, so that he could be a mediator for us. So that when we pass through the tough moments in our lives, when we feel utterly alone and that no one is there, he can come to us, and comfort us. One of my favorite scriptures is in John 14:18. In Spanish is says that "Jesus Christ will never leave us as orphans. He will come to us." I testify of this promise. I witnessed the lives of the Charmin Cruz Family (the family of 4 that we found) change 110%. They were inches from getting divorced. Their son’s didn´t want anything to do with the parents. The dad drank and the mom had to work all day long selling yogurt in the street. Then the missionaries came.

We taught the message of the restoration and how it can bless our lives. We taught that God loves us and wants that we return and live with him. We taught the cleansing doctrine of baptism and invited the four to be baptized. They accepted and told us that their family "lacks the truth." I tearfully promised the blessings of a family established firmly on the rock of Jesus Christ. I testified of the love I have for my family and the blessings I have received. The next visit with them, we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End. We invited the parents to pray and ask forgiveness from their sins. We also committed them to pray and ask for the courage to forgive one another. They felt anger for one another and didn´t know what to do. The mother told us that she doubted her husband would ever apologize for the things he did to her. We promised blessings and left. The next day we returned and received the miracle. They began to tell us of the experience when they received the answer to their prayers. The father told us that when he prayed he felt like God was begging him to ask forgiveness. He said he began to cry and turned to his wife and for the first time since they were married, and asked forgiveness. I realized so many things when I heard this experience. God loves us. He answers our prayers. He is a part of this work. It is by HIM, that we find, teach and help baptize his children here in Veracruz, the "other" happiest place on earth.

I am excited to be a missionary. I know what I am doing is right. I love you all so much. I wish I could just pause your lives to be able to not miss a moment. But I know that that isn´t the plan. I love you all so much. I want you to know I am happy and safe. The Lord protects me in so many ways. When I am obedient to him, I have HIS promise of that. Know that I am doing everything I can to fulfill the calling I have been given. I love this Church. It is THE true church on the Earth today. It is lead and guided by a literal prophet of God who receives revelation and guidance for us. I testify as a representative of Jesus Christ of the truthfulness of eternal families. I would not be here separated from my family right now, if I didn´t know of the plan. I am happy and wouldn´t rather be anywhere else. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts! Until next week, all the Mexican Amor I have!


Elder James Ricks


"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. When you wish upon a star, your DREAMS come true."

- My little sister, Hannah


P.S: I sincerely don´t know why, but I am going through shoes likes Mexicans with tortillas. I am going to check and see if I can have my shoes re-soled. If not, we may need to start thinking of maybe buying some more. The problem is that I haven´t seen shoes on sale, in my size here in Mexico in 8 months. They are small feeted people. Ha Ha Ha I will let you know next week what we should do. Thanks again!!