Hello EVERBODY
So this week was rather exciting.
Elder Partridge and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to my favorite city in the entire world. BERLIN!!!!!!!!!!!! Man berlin is the bomb and I will come back after my mission definetley. Our District Leader had dropped his phone in some water as he knocked over from his bed from waking up. Well he didn't realize it had fell in the water and so he woke up about ten minutes later.....and by then the phone was pretty much broken. SOOOOO he asked us to go to berlin to pick up a new phone from the office and of course I was like HECK YES!!!!!!
Today was maintenance P day.....lots of cleaning....no more needs to be said. But next week we will be going to Berlin AGAIN!!!!!! I will take tons of pictures and send them all to you.
On Thursday we have the wonderful opportunity to read the book of mormon from cover to cover in one day. Germany has this Holiday called Christi Himmelfahrt. It's basically just one giant day in which a bunch of males get together play music really loud on these wagon things and drink and drink and drink. I am excited to realize things and learn things that I may have never learned before. My testimony of the book of mormon has increased substantially and I am so grateful for those amazing book of mormon heroes who sacrificed so much just so that we can have a book. But to me it's more than just a book. Just like the front cover it is another testament of Jesus Christ. The realtionship I have with my heavenly father and savior have mainly been through this book and the power of prayer. It. Is. True. No doubt about it. No flickering hesitation I know 100 Percent the sacredness and effect The Book of Mormon has on others and my personal self.
In other news This week. In fact in two days we will be inviting Michael again to baptism. I have been praying and praying and praying that his heart will be able to feel the truth and that he will know that it is the right path. He's not the same person anymore and I have immense faith that the power of the Holy Ghost will give him that peace that he so craves for. God has blessed me to be able to take this journey with him and see the struggles and the successes that he has. I am also grateful that I can be a tool in God's hands to help fill the hole in his heart and it is being filled slowly but nonetheless he is receiving peace bit by bit.
One of my best friends gave an amazing lesson in District meeting last week. As many of you know I am tring to receive more hope in my life and am working on recognizing Miralces and tender mercies. There are of course times in which I am discoraged and it seems as if there is no hope. You look at the news and see things such as natural disasters, problems with wars, ISIS, death, disease, opinions of the world and hope seems to just evaporate. How can we see miracles amidst desolation and chaos? Something that I have recently discovered for myself answered that question. I have had many experiences in which I was either hurt seriously or had near death experiences. From my bike accident, to the time in yellowstone when I was caught in an eddie and in every one of these moments once they happened the first thing I thaught was not how am I gonna get out of this? It was the very person that I knew could help me no matter what. I thought "God, Help me, Save me, I need you" I believe in every natural disaster or situation in which it is either critical or near death, God is always present, as well as his angels. People come close to God when bad things happen. Yes, there is still death, there are still terrible things that happen but a world without challenges and problems means a world without progress and growth. In this Lesson my good friend, Elder Bennett, said that the one thing he grabs hold of when things turn south is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can either look at these things that happend and think "God, where are you?" OR we can look at them and go "God, I know you are there, and I know you can help me and others draw unto thee" . There have been many people I have talked to who have lost all hope of a better life. "If there is a god, why was there a war?" Many of them ask as they walk away. In reading and studying about the history of germany specifically DDR times and the war I can't imagine how in those dire situations people scream out where is the light? The light and gospel of Jesus Christ will always be there no matter what situation, no matter what trial, God is always there and hope will always prevail.
I am still trying to continue to spread this amazing special message of hope with the people of Germany and I get ecstactic when someone such as Michael finds that hope and grasps on to that concept. I love you all, wish you a great week and auf wiedersehen.
Elder Riggs
The Lord is My Shepherd
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