Buenas Familia

Hello Everyone! 

I loved the picture you all sent me! You look very tough!

Stockton

Hey Brother It so good to hear from you! I'm glad to hear your ankle is making some progress! I hope your jobs are going well and you are finding joy amidst this hard time! Thanks for sending 2 emails this week. On your question. Stockton. Where do you want to end up in one year? The devil is trying his hardest to get you and you are going to have to make decisions. What has really helped me make big decisions in my life and on my mission is my patriarchal blessing and morning prayer by myself out loud and reading a little scripture. Stockton as your big brother that loves you so much please do these things and listen for God while you do them. You are amazing man! This next year will define the next 10 years of your life. I'll be honest. You're are going to do such a great job. You've overcome so much! i'm so proud of you!

Madsen

Thank you for saying that! It makes me feel so good! I've been thinking of you and wondering what you've been up to. I hope baseball is going well! Madsen you have such a strength about you. I wish you could understand how important you are to me! I can't say a lot of words so I'm going to say something that'll keep you happy! Please get down every morning and have a conversation with God. Pray to him and express gratitude and what your desires are and how you need his help. If you do this I promise you'll receive greater joy!

Emma

I've missed you too! That sounds so fun that you get to go to girl's camp! You are going to have a great time! Be safe! Always remember I love you and that you are a beautiful daughter of God!

Maleck

you're getting really tall huh? Please don't get taller than me! There's a fire? wow! Stay safe alright! How's baseball for you? You're going to do great this week man! Maleck when I talk to Diego I feel like I'm almost talking to you. I love you so much man! You are awesome!

Dad

Thank you for the advice on the videos will do! Thank you for sending a package all those things sound wonderful thank you so much! Don't worry about money I have more than enough right now. Thank you as well for the Rugby ball!!! it just got here I'm so happy! Dad I've come to really appreciate you. My companion's dad was forced to leave his family when he was 11 years old. I haven't gotten the details but it seems that his father had problems with drugs and abuse. Every single person we are working with either doesn't have a dad or a husband. It is so sad. It makes my heart ache. I am so grateful that I have a Dad. I'm so grateful I can leave my brothers and trust that you will help them follow Jesus Christ. Don't slack on the pace Dad you are doing amazing. I love you man!

Mom

I imagine you are hard at work preparing for girls camp. I just want to say I have come to appreciate you so much more. When I say little 11 month year old jay in the arms of his mom Jennifer. I realized to some extent all the effort you have given to get me here right now. You have given me perfect liberty to choose liberty and eternal life. Thank you thank you thank you! I love you with all my heart!

Grandpa Rigby

Hey Thank you so much for the letter and some extra cash! I hope you had a great father's day! Thank you so much for the email as well. The more people I meet the more I realize what a great family I have. I'm so grateful that you send me words of inspiration and encouragement every week! I truly love you and am grateful for you. I will do what you and my Dad inspired me to do through your emails. 

please tell grandma this....

Grandma

I love you! Thank you for showing me that amidst pain we can rejoice in Jesus Christ! you are an incredible daughter of God. You inspire me to smile a little bigger and forget myself and love others. I can't think of anything else better you could've taught me

Grandma Weaver.

I read over your father's history yesterday before church. Thank you so much for doing that. It really made me feel your support and love. I truly am so grateful to have you

( the weekly letter to my mission president- it's hard to write everything twice)

Dear President,

Fantastic week

How our people are doing...

Rosi and her Kids(Diego, Allison, and Nicole)

This past week we shared the message of the restoration again focusing on the Book of Mormon. We followed up on their reading and Rosi gave a very good description of the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It made me think that she maybe knew more than me on that specific point. Bottom line they are reading and praying as a family every night. 

We also shared the Plan of Salvation with them. Diego is very smart and he, even at ten years old, can learn very fast and is catching on quickly. He watches Book of Mormon videos from the children's folder on the gospel library app every night before he goes to bed to help him sleep. It's amazing to me to how the acts of faith they take are helping them become changed and healed. As I've shared before Rosi has recently gotten a divorce. Rosi's x-husband is saying and doing things that are making Rosi feel very uneasy. He tells her things like she's not a good mom or because he speaks better English he can convince the police to take the kids away from her. He stops by occasionally as well to give the kids food. It's confusing the kids and he does it just to make her upset.

We know that her faith can silent her fears. We will be sharing the commandments with her this week to help her gain the power she needs to overcome the fears that she has and to prepare to be baptized. She was not able to come to church this week because she had work. She is trying very hard to get it off.

I've loved sharing the gospel and getting to know Rosi, Diego, Allison, and Nicole. Rosi has so much desire to help her kids the best she can. We feel like Diego is our little brother. He loves to pray. It's amazing what happens when we strengthen our relationship with our heavenly father.

Will

We were only able to meet with will once this week because he was busy with his wedding. When we were able to come we brought the Elders quorom president. Will is reading the Book of Mormon everyday and we hope to meet with him more once the wedding stuff has died down.

Jenifer

Jenifer's husband Jose left her and her 11 month old boy this week. She also lost her friend in an apartment fire. She is struggling. We went by her home yesterday to give her some pie to try to cheer her up. She was able to describe to us what was happening. It seemed that her husband missed the "freedom" that he had with drugs/girlfriends whatever else and so he just left after an argument over alchohol near their 11 month old baby boy named Jay. It's incredible to me to see the desire she has to push beyond her limits to help her baby boy. When she was describing all that she was going through I honestly had no idea what to say-it was so foreign to me. However, I love being able to say what I do know. I told her that she is a daughter of God and that he knows her and her struggles and will help her if she asks for help. 

 With working at Wal-mart, and caring for her father that struggles to take care of himself as well as her little boy she is very busy but she's going to let us come back. I hope she'll choose to let our words sink into her heart and give us time.

Romona

We were finally able to get back with Romona. Romona is the single mom with 3 boys. We shared with her the Plan of Salvation. Romona lost her Mom a couple years ago and our message brought a lot of peace to her heart and helped her understand that if she really wants to live with her Mom again she needs to follow Jesus Christ. Elder Najarian, bless his heart, followed his prompting to talk about baptisms for the dead. All of it hit her like a 2 by 4. She is much more willing now and I am very excited to see what happens with our lesson with her and her boys this week. I loved telling her...Well Romona we've loved talking to you but someone else wants you to talk to him... your heavenly father will you pray to him before we leave

Hood River Ward

We are focusing on building our "team" in other words strengthening specific families in the ward by visiting them very briefly, eating dinner with them, and inviting them to take part in teaching our investigators.

This last week we met with every member of the ward council briefly asking them what we could do to help and compiled a list of LA's and PMF we will visit this week.

We also had a great lesson with the young men of the plan of salvation. One of our desires is to help them all to prepare for missions today including coming out with us. We struggled with this with school wrapping up. With the Summer here we are excited to see it work.

We had a recent experience where a Brother in our ward over Dinner helped us understand that in order for the members of this ward to even begin to share the gospel they must be serving others-loving them. We will be changing our approach to inviting the members to just love others members and non-members alike so they can develop love for them and invite them to church.

Goals I had last week I want to follow up on...

#1 pray like nephi

my relationship with God has gotten stonger this week but I could do better

#2 be myself when talking with others

made bounds with this goal this week. I don't have to try so hard I just need to be myself

#3 memorize scriptures

John 16:33

#4 establish desires

Our big desire is to find another family like Rosi

#5 working with Less Actives and Part member Families as part of our work

know huge fruits this week but we are working with 2 part member families(older couples) by serving them once a week

Elder Najarian and I are doing great! We laugh together and have good times! He is giving me more time to speak and ask questions in lessons and tracting. I'm so grateful because it is helping my self esteem so much. He is nearing then end of his mission 3 months left and this is causing him stress because he wants it so bad! Miracles are coming President I love that we are working hard!

Love,

Elder Rigby