Another Great Week!

My Dear Family,


Wow... This week flew by so fast! It feels like I was just here last week writing everyone! The time is flying by so fast that I can´t even believe it! It is always so good to hear that everyone is doing great as always! I am doing great here and loving the work! We are teaching investigators who truly have been prepared by the Lord and it is a blessing to be able to work and help them. Tito stopped smoking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We gave him a blessing and the cigarette box with scriptures inside and he has stopped smoking! Tell Trevor I am so thankful for his idea and that I miss him! :) Quick news... Elder Canseco and I won´t be together anymore! The change ends tomorrow and the assistants called Saturday night to tell us that he will be leaving! My new companion who comes tomorrow is Elder Rios and a great Elder. I will miss Elder Canseco, because he has taught me so much. We all know that before the mission, I was really impatient. Elder Canseco helped me alot with that. I have loved all of my companions and am thankful for all that they have taught me. Poor things have had to put up with me! :)

This week I received a miracle and it will be my story for the week....

There is a taxi driver named Carlos. He is a big big man and a big big alcoholic. He hated his life, family and was about to loose it all. We met him like this... A few weeks ago, a group of young single adults were in a huge car crash. Two died and the others in a coma or severely injured. One night we felt like we should go to the hospital to visit a member who was severely injured, who likely was going to die (he actually did end up passing away one week later). We were going to walk but my companion had to go to the bathroom and we decided to take a taxi instead. We tried stopping like five taxis but not one stopped. They were all occupied. My companion got frustrated and wanted to go back to the house because he needed to go to the bathroom, but I saw a taxi empty and flagged it down. We climbed in and I sat in the front seat and contacted him. We present ourselves as representatives of Jesus Christ and then testify. He started to tell us his story. He drinks... alot. He hits his wife, and at this time when we first met him in his taxi, they were in a huge fight. We wrote down their direction and time passed by and for some reason or another it was impossible to get in contact with him to be able to visit him. Two weeks passed by. This last Thursday I felt like we should call him. He answered and we set up an appointment for the next night. We went and taught the first lesson and invited him to be baptized on the11th of June. He accepted and emotionally began to tell us why. He told us that that night that we climbed in his taxi was his rock bottom, and that when we stopped his taxi he was on his way to beat up his wife because they were in a big fight. He said that God blessed with with two angels to stop him from hurting a daughter of God. He has stopped drinking and fighting. The drinking was the source of the problems. Their family is happy again and he will be baptized on the 11th. His wife is an inactive member and wants to come back to church.They came to church with us this Sunday and it was a special experience for them.

The lord teaches me much everyday. I am so thankful that I contacted that taxi driver. You never know who they chosen and prepared people are until you talk to them. All. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ will help this man change his life. I love being a missionary and helping people change their lives. I have never been so happy, so content with who I am, and so thankful for the blessings I enjoy. I am so excited for this next change. My new companion will be a brand new zone leader. It will be fun training him and helping him be successful. Right now, we have 5 golden investigators on date between this week, and the next. I love this work! I love you all so much!


Que estèn bien y que Dios les cuide! ¡¡¡Somos los Ricks, y somos duros tales como los ladrillos!!!

Love,

Elder James Reed Ricks

I'm on the surface of the sun!

The motorcycle of one of our investigators


Off to find more investigators!

Me and an old guy whose job it is to pick up leaves in front of our house! Everyone calls him Grandpa and he doesnt speak spanish! He speaks a freaky weird dialect!

We ate at a fast food Chinese restaurant!

There is a English school on the corner here and I took a picture of their advertisement! It says, "Tu apols... Look! Your speaking english!" I loved how they spelt two apples! :)

My Dear Family,

HEY EVERYONE! How is everyone! It sounds like you are all good like always! Sorry to hear about your tooth pain Mom! That has got to kill! Right now we are writing in an Internet cafe owned by an investigator we are teaching right now! He says to tell you all hi! His name is Tito and is excited to be baptized. His challenge is and will be for a while, quitting smoking. Elder Canseco and I have some amazing ideas that should help him. Actually one of the ideas we are going to use is an idea Trevor gave me. We are going to buy a pack of cigarettes and dump out the smokes and put rolled up pieces of paper with scriptures written on them instead. They are called "Ciggar-nots" in English which doesn't translate to good in Spanish but we'll think of something!

This week has been so hot. It has been minimum 115 degrees out side. I sweat sweat sweat and sweat. The good news is that I will come home about the size of Grace. I can't even imagine how much weight I have lost since I started. One of the MANY blessings of serving the Lord. Its hot here but you know what....? I LOVE IT! I love working here in Mexico and it has taught me so much. I remember being so impatient in the heat in Cabo, but the mission has prepared me for many many many patience filled family trips to Mexico after the mission! AND... I will be able to speak Spanish with the "piranhas" :) I love my family and the memories I have of family trips.

Elder Canseco and I had an amazing week! We taught a TON of lessons. I set the record for my mission in lessons taught this week. We also found 11 new investigators and brought four awesome people to church. It was hard not baptizing this week. I am so use to baptizing every week but I know there will always be obstacles and challenges. It has made me want to work even harder to keep baptizing every week. Hey! Before I forget... How is Vicky doing? Was she baptized? How is Jennifer my friend from college doing? And how is Monique and their family? I really wish I had time to write everyone more frequently. I need to schedule my time better to be able to do it. Isn't sharing the gospel the best? Elder Canseco and I were talking the other day that before the mission we were happy, but NEVER like the happiness we feel right now. Before the mission I felt kind of empty. I knew who I was, but not really. Not anymore. Now I know who I am and am so thankful for my life. I wouldn't change a single thing. I am grateful for my weaknesses, because they help me learn and progress. I am really thankful for my testimony and for my membership in the only true church. In my patriarchal blessing it tells me that my membership in this church is my most prized possession, and that I should always protect it. I will always be a member of this church. I was thinking the other day about my future.... Just walking down the street in Oaxaca sweating like a horse, thinking about the James I wanted to be when I get back. All I could think about was serving in the church. I want to have a life time of callings in this church. I have so many blessings and am grateful to be able to recognize them now in the mission.

I will end for this week but want you all to know that I love you all so much. I love thinking about the memories we all have together and for the memories waiting to be made. Hawaii ought to do the trick! :) I remember playing Taps in the motor home when we crash landed in Kanab. I remember when you all would come to Subway to buy sandwiches and visit me at work. I remember Ricks Family Goal Setting sessions and I remember sitting in church with our family taking up a whole bench. I have the best family on the whole earth. I know that you all love me so much, and that is why I love you all so much! Have a great week! May you all have the opportunity to share your testimony with someone this week! There is nothing better!


Elder James Ricks, the happiest missionary in all the world! :)


P.S: Mom... I forgot to explain a few things!! :) Every single Sunday, a list is passed around in Relief Society. On that list the sisters sign up for the days that want to feed the missionaries. We eat breakfast in the house, usually not much and then we don't eat again until 2pm. Here in Mexico the lunch is the biggest meal, not dinner so we eat lunch everyday with the members in their houses at two. Then when we get back home at night, if there is still time, or if we are still hungry, we snack a little right before bed. We hardly are hungry when we get back... Just thirsty! Today I bought a spray bottle and am going to use it for a brilliant idea I had. I filled it with water and put it in the fridge! I am going to sleep with it by my bed to use and spray me to cool off in the middle of the night! :) Love you! :)


P.S.S: The letter is suppose to be like the Mexican flag! :)

Zone Leader "duties" (said with a nacho libre accent)

My Dear Family,

It has been a rough week! As zone leaders we have been super busy like always, but this week it is been more than usual. I had an experience that I thought I would never have and it made me think alot about my mission. On Thursday, we had a zone conference and after the conference, Presdient Hansen told us that he felt like something wasn´t right. He recieved revelation that we needed to visit to house of a district leader and search out problems. In the mission language, it´s called "fishing for sinners." Saturday morning we got up at 4:00am and hopped on a bus at five for the hour and a half trip to Tierra Blanca. We arrived and went to the house missionaries and found the first problem. They were sleeping in. We have to wake up everyday at 6:30 and they slept till eight. We banged on the door and the poor things jumped three feet. They knew there was problems. We told them that they had to leave their house so we could check their luggage for things that they shouldn´t have. We found books and music that is not allowed but the worst of all.... playing cards. After we visited them, we went to the house of another companionship and found more disobedience. Long story short..... Three missionaries were changed areas and all lowered to junior companions. I learned so much from this experience. My mind cannot comprehend how someone can waste even a single second of the Lords time here as missionaries. I learned why it is important to always be obediant and the affects that disobedience has on missionary work.

I cannot believe Mike had his first date! That is amazing! I want to hear from you how it went bud! I am sure it was hard to say goodbye to Hannah again. She makes everyone in her life smile and be happy. I try to be more like her everyday. We are so lucky as a family for the blessings we have. Every once and a while I´ll have the wierdest memory about the family pop into my head. The other day all of the sudden, I remembered when Dad and I put in the drain pipes in the sports court. I thank my Heavenly Father for all those memories I have in all of my prayers. I love being a missionary so much. I love knowing that all I have to do is be obediant, and the words that I speak, will be filled with power and authority. I love the scriptures. I love diving into the the lives of ancient prophets and trying to learn everything I can from them. The Book of Mormon has helped me so much. I know that by its teachings, I can return to live with God.

I am running short on time this week cause I had so many emails to read but want you all to know that I love you so much and think about you always! I look forward talking to you all every single week! I cannot believe how fast the time has gown and how fast the time is flying! Before I know it, I´ll be home again sharing all my mission stories and photos with the family! Thanks for everything, and always remember that I love you!


Elder James Ricks

You All Sounded Awesome!

My Dear Family,

WOW! It was so good to talk to you all again and hear your voices. It is so trippy how much Mike and Chandlers voices have changed! Everyone is growing up! Isn´t life good right now? I feel, just like I have said to you all a million times, that I am now spiritually awoken and I can´t stop loving life. This church and gospel means so much to me and I am so thankful for two things: 1) I am thankful to my Father in Heaven more than I could ever explain, for the opportunity to serve as a full time missionary. Mike and Chandler.. don´t you doubt for a second about serving a mission. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. 2) The second thing I am so grateful for is my family. Where on Earth would I be without each one of you? I don´t know... but it wouldn´t be a good place. It was so good to hear your voices and talk with each of you. I felt like the time flew by from the last call in Christmas and I know before we know it, it´ll be that time of year again and we´ll be on the phone (OR SKYPE!!!) talking with each other again!

This last week was such an awesome week. As I explained in the phone call a little, I had my first wedding this last week! Even though it cost me a bunch, it was so worth it. Our investigator Arely, wanted to get baptized so bad and had to get married first before she could do it. But the poor thing lives in a wood and sheet metal shack and didn´t have the means to do it. It was amazing to be able to baptize her and think about my awesome brother Michael doing the same with my awesome sister Grace. That spirit that you felt during the baptismal service is how I feel all day long. How is it possible to not be so happy with such a spirit all day long??!! A spiritual highlight of mine everyday, is when we extend the invitation to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. We always invite the person in the first lesson and when they are chosen investigators and prepared by the Lord to except our message, the spirit is ALWAYS there, so strongly. I will miss being a called representative of Jesus Christ after my mission and not being able to extend that invitation, but I will be a "missionary" all my life--sharing my testimony and loading up the elders in our ward with references and baptisms. I am addicted to sharing the gospel and seeing the change in light in a persons eyes from when we first enter their house, to the moment they leave the font all dripping wet.

My companion and I had a good long talk after our phone call last night. It was hard to see how I talked about my family and how much I loved you because his family is a little different. Actually really different. Before he came on the mission, he didn´t even live with his family because they didn´t get along. He was always fighting with his parents because before the mission he was so so so rebellious. He told me his life story and I told him mine and we talked about where we come from. Luckily, I never had the problems he had to go through. It was sad to see how he talks about his family. So different from how I talk about mine. I told him that Hannah is one of my closest friends and that blew him away.

Once again, I am so thankful for the family I have. There have been times where I didn´t feel worthy for such an amazing family, but I have always remembered that my Father in Heaven sent me my family to help me and bless my life. I love you all so much. I love this church and everything it means to me. I wouldn´t be here in a Mexican Internet cafe, listening to Mexican rap music from the street, sweating my guts out in another country right now, if it weren´t for the testimony of this church that I possess. It is not only a true church, but it is the ONLY true church in this universe. How blessed we are.... but what great responsibility we have. Lets help our Father in Heaven, and do his work. Until next week.....!


Elder James Ricks

For Grace at her Baptism

May 2, 2011

Dear Gracie,

WOW! I can´t believe your eight years old! I remember just like yesterday when you were born and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I promised myself that I was going to be the best big brother and always be your friend! I am so excited and proud of you for deciding to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. I know that he is so happy with the decision that you have made. I wish I could be there with you to see your baptism but I hope you remember me when you are in the water! My job as a missionary is to help other people who don´t know about the church be able to do what you are doing! One of my favorite things to do is baptize people. You are going to feel so clean and pure and happy and I hope you always remember this day. Even though I´m not there to give you a big hug, know that I love you so much and am so proud of the young lady you are becoming. I love you so much! Felicidades!

Your big brother,
Elder Ricks

Nacho Libre Tricycle Fun!

Yazmin!

My Dear Family,

Another week in the books! What a wild week it has been. We have been super super busy doing divisions with the assistants in Veracruz and we also had a training meeting for all the Zone Leaders that ate up a whole day! I did divisions with an elder from California named Elder Schilhabel and I learned so much from him. It was interesting to see how the assistants live! While we were in the offices for the training, a missionary received a horrible phone call from home. I can´t imagine how hard it would be to deal with what he had to go through. His mother called to tell him that his father had left her and his five brothers and sisters for another woman. They were all members and sealed in the temple. Instantly destroyed. I thought to my self that I would rather hear that someone had died than receive that message. It is so comforting to know that Grandma Ricks is in a better place, but I can´t imagine loosing my family for the eternities. I took alot of time to think about my family. How grateful I am for each and every one of you in my life. I know that we are an eternal family and that together we will spend all time. I am thankful for parents who, despite what the world teaches us about families, have given me the example I need to raise my own family.

I have spent alot of time reflecting on the last year and my thoughts are the same as I have said before. I can´t believe how much I´ve changed. I can honestly admit that I didn´t know why I had to come on a mission one year ago. I did it because I knew it was expected of me and something that could help other people. I never imagined it would have an eternal impact on my life and help me realize who I really am. I am so thankful to be a missionary. I have not been so happy in 20 years. I have come so far in this last year. I am excited and willing to work my hardest this next year and am excited to see the blessings that this work will bring to my life.

I hope you like the photos! I have ALWAYS wanted to take a picture on the tricycle nacho libre bikes they use here in mexico with my compañero in front! There is a photo also of the little girl with baptized last week. Her name is Yazmin and would be instant friends with Claire and Grace! I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We haven´t heard anything as of yet about the calls home for Mothers Day... But I am planning to do it Sunday in the afternoon. We are going to talk with the Sister today at five to verify with her and get her number. She is an awesome member and always gives us food and makes sure we are happy! Her name is Hermana Estela and is an English teacher! I will email you this week with her number and the hour of the call. I am so excited to talk and can´t believe how fast the time has gone since Christmas! I am so excited to see photos of Graces baptism! I am going to attach a quick note to her real quick to read in her baptism! I love you all so much! I am so thankful for the blessing I have to be a missionary and share the gospel with my brothers and sisters here in Oaxaca! I love you all! Till next week!

Elder James Ricks