Nescafe' Jesucristo

My Dear Family...


What an amazing week it has been. I had the blessing to be able to watch all 5 sessions of conference in English again! It was so renewing to hear their voices and see the church in the United States. I told my companion that the church HAS to be true just because of how good the choir sounds! I took so many notes and did a deep self inspection and have made personal goals to fix weak areas in my life and strive to help others more. I also have re-commited myself to giving every ounce of energy I have to the Lord as a missionary. This week also ended great with my ninth straigth baptism! We baptized Teresa Garcia Manilla, a woman who Elder Harmon and I found who is in a wheel chair. She is paralyzed in her left side of the body and lifting her into the font was something I will never forget. She has had such a hard life and is finally resting in the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and the Restored Gospel. Man I love this work... But sometimes we have trials....

President Hansen called me this past Thursday with some good news... and some not so good. The bad first. This change will be my last here in Catemaco. On the 19th of April I will be changed. I still don´t know where, and will be sure to tell you when I know. I don´t like thinking about leaving this place so sacred to me. I learned here how to be a missionary. I made friends that I will never forget and found a family that I will take to the temple. I had to stop myself and remind myself that the changes are to help us progress and grow and in some instances, its because President needs our help. That is the good news. President called me to tell me that I will be made a Zone Leader this next change!!!!! I was blown away when he said that! I am training right now and will skip the whole step of being a district leader first! He said he needed my help! I am nervous because I haven´t had a leadership position yet in the mission besides training and I´m going straight from nothing to a ZONE LEADER! I am excited and ready to be a leader and show a good example.

I am always so happy to know things are good at home. I know they are, and will be. I am so thankful to be able to serve and to be able to bless my family, even Grandma and Grandpa and Doug! :) I appreciate your prayers and support in ways that I can´t see. If you could pray to turn off the sun that would be great! It is hotter here than I thought it would be. Far more than I have experienced before... But I love every single second of it. I was on a hot, crowded bus the other day and just started to smile. I am so happy and have so many blessings! I thought to my self, "I am in another country. Speaking a language that I didn´t know 11 months ago and am fluent. I am helping Gods children to be saved. I am loosing weight. I love my life." I couldn´t help but just smile. I am sure all the mexicans on board thought I was high but I was really just so so so happy. I am consumed with the feelings of sharing the gospel, and preparing the world the second coming of our Redeemer. How great that day will be. May you know that I love you all. Lots of changes to come in the future but I am ready to give these last two weeks of being in Catemaco my all! We have four baptisms scheduled for this weekend! ¡Vamos a bautizar! ¡¡¡¡Cuìdense mucho!!!!

Here are some photos! Two are from the baptism that we had this week! One is a photo of our converts that we just baptized the last two weeks, feeding us! It was the first time I had helped someone be baptized, and then eat in their house! Their names are Sandra, Janneth, and Magda and their some of my best amigas. The other is of something we made to help them stop drinking coffee. We went to the store and bought a jar of coffee (I felt so bad buying it! haha) We emptied out the coffee and wrote a whole bunch of scriptures of support and motivation and put them inside. We gave it to them and told them that when the wanted to drink coffee, they had to open the jar of "our coffee" and read the scriptures. It worked. They have all stopped drinking coffee and are all baptized. Man I love this work. :)

Elder James Reed Ricks (the happiest missionary on the face of the planet) :)


Dad,

You probably heard! I got made a ZONE LEADER! I am nervous but know that God needs me to be a leader and I am so excited! Any advice from one of the best leaders I know? Let me know! How is my best friend doing? I thought about you a bunch in conference. I am thankful for a dad like you. We have SO much to talk about in 13 months! :) You´re my hero. Don´t forget it.


"Do you not realize that I have diharrea since Easters?"
"Beneath the pants, we find the man. And.... beneath the pants... we find..... his nucleus..."


Your son,
Elder James Reed Ricks

P:S---> The package still hasn´t arrived here in Catemaco yet. I am positive it is in the offices waiting! I will let you all know when I get it! Thank you so much for everything that you all do for me! SMILE!