Zone Conference

This week was crazy awesome! I can't even believe all the amazing things that have happened!! 

So first, Monday.

We were emailing last week when we got a call.  It was the mission office giving us the number of a woman who wanted to talk to us about her cousin.  We called later that day and her name was Collette.  She lives in Minnesota and was in Missouri visiting her family.  She found out that we  had met her cousin and started teaching her the lessons.  She was so grateful and so happy and all she kept saying is, "I am so glad you found Penny." "I am so glad you followed the spirit and talked to her." It was such a cool thing to see how much finding and talking to one person can influence other people.  It helped me see the effects of diligent prayers.  Collette has been praying for her family and her cousins to find and join the church. It was such a cool experience.

Tuesday, We had Zone conference in Springfield.  It was a really good conference.  The focus was on finding joy in the service of God.  One of the stake presidents shared a lot of examples from the Book of Mormon how the missionaries back then had struggles and trials.  How it was hard for them, how they sometimes felt like giving up.  But then they saw an angel of the Lord, or witnessed a miracle and they were instantly changed. It helped me to see how important it is to keep going, even when the times get tough.  I know that if i am truly joyful in my service, that i will be able to witness miracles every single day.  

They also talked a lot about the difference between conversion and testimony.  Something that got me really thinking is in a talk that we were assigned to read before the conference.  It said something along the lines of a testimony is not enough through the trials of life, we must be converted and living the gospel.  Knowing isn't enough.  That hit me really hard. It got me thinking, "How converted am I?" "When i go through trials and troubles, do i practice the things i teach others every single day? Or do i harden my heart?"  It was such an eye opener.  I am so excited to deepen my testimony and conversion in the gospel as i finish my mission.  

Zone conferences are always inspiring to me.  I always feel uplifted and strong.  It was a tender mercy for sure.  After the conference, guess what happened??? I WAS REUNITED WITH MY OZARK FAMILY!!!!!! FRANK AND CELESTE. It was the best day ever.  I was so happy to see them.  I almost cried when i ran toward them.  I couldn't get down the hall quick enough.  It was so great to see them and talk with them again.  I miss them terribly.  They took us to dinner too!(:  

This week, we had 2 really cool experience with the power of the Book of Mormon.  

First, we went to see Penny. In planning, we knew we wanted to read the Book of Mormon with her, but we were praying about what to read.  We had the idea come to us to start from the beginning and just read the first chapter with her. We did and it was so cool! When we finished, she said, "NO missionary has ever started from the beginning, they all just pick verses and skip around and read what they want.  It only makes sense to start from the BEGINNING of a book.  I am really grateful you guys started at the beginning. It makes me want to keep reading without you here." WHATTTT??? It was so cool!! She definitely was able to feel the spirit and open her heart to the gospel. 

The next experience we had was with a girl named Cheyanne. We were visiting her and she was talking to her friend about witchcraft.  She said that she was teaching her friend how to talk to dark spirits and that one was coming to her house.  It was a little freaky, but me and sister Hill just said, "Cheyanne. We are going to pray." So we did and then we just started reading the Book of Mormon with her as well.  It was really cool to see the spirit flood the room and Cheyanne totally changed.  She started talking about the gospel and the Book of Mormon and positive things.  

I have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon because of those 2 experiences.  I know that the power of the Book of Mormon can change any situation for the better.  I know that the spirit can protect and influence us in ways that nothing else can.  I know that reading the Book of Mormon will give us spiritual strength and protection.  

On Wednesday, i  had the opportunity to practice what i learned at  zone conference, finding joy in my service.  We cleaned a families house for them, and the job i was assigned was to clean up the cat puke off the floor and mop the kitchen..and the rag i used...was old underwear.  It was actually awful. But..as i was cleaning, i just tried to focus on the family and why i loved them. It was really cool to see how as i focused on them and the help they needed, the awful job ahead of me wasn't actually that awful.  But it was pretty comical after i thought about it.  hahah(: Random side story. 

It was also the Womens conference this weekend, which was awesome!  My favorite part was from Deiter F Uchtdorf's talk.  He said, 'Now is part of eternity.  Forever is composed of nows." I thought this: Is what i'm doing now reflecting what i want for eternity? Woah! It was powerful.  I truly believe that what i am doing with my life right now is exactly what i want for eternity.  I want to be a servant of the Lord. I want to follow Him and help all his children receive the blessings of the gospel. I am so excited to hear the rest of conference!

This week we also saw Deon.  She is doing so well.  We did a fast with her this week, so that she could experience the blessings that come from fasting as well as answers to her prayers.  It was really cool.  We called her and started our fast together and then we saw her at church.  She was happier than i have ever seen her.  She was glowing. She skipped into church and answered questions and volunteered for things, i just loved seeing her that way.  Then we ended the fast with a dinner at her house.  She was adorable.  She said she had cooked since 3 am and looked for recipes, just so it could be perfect for us.  I loved it.  She is such an incredible lady.  I am grateful her fast went well.  She told us of the powerful experience she had and the blessings she already has seen. It made the week perfect. 

The last two things i have to share are just silly, random, fun facts/crazy things i did this week.

1) I was writing letters, i licked an envelope and gave myself a paper cut on my tongue. WHO DOES THAT?!?!?! It hurt for days.

2) This fun fact is mostly for my dad.  Cause i know he will appreciate it the most. In the span of 24 hours, i was served deer meat, and squirell, and the best part...I ate both. HOLLA! I did it for you dad. (; hahahaha(:

I wish i could tell everything that happened this week, because it truly was an incredible week.  I hope everyone continues to have a miracle filled week! 

Love you all!

Sister Ritter 

Pictures:

1) I got to see my favorite Bekah from Mountain Grove at Zone conference!!! (: 

2) Oh you know...Just my favorite  Frank and Celeste in the entire world!(:

3) Frank told me "You better be a champion. I only make champions." Then he punched me in the face (; JK. Thats not how it went at all.

4) We ate SQUIRRELS, and we even have the tails to prove it!!!

13 Month Testimony

 I just want to bare my testimony on the Savior.  I know He lives.  I know He loves us, and because of Him we can return to live with our Father in Heaven again.

I know that Christ is always with us.  He helps us through every trial.  He gives us strength when we feel we can't go on anymore. 

I know it is because of Him that i have been able to make it through my trials in life.  I have developed such a strong relationship with Christ in the past few months.  I know that He is there waiting to help us, we just have to come to him.

I say all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. mo

Circus Circus!

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been quite stressful and actually the longest week in my entire mission.  It has been a lot of work to stay sane this week.  But all the weeks of a mission can't be perfect, or we would start to expect to much.  So this week was a definite learning week. 

Tuesday, we were in Salem.  We tried and tried to meet people in the branch and the investigators we had there.  No luck.  NO one was home, or no one had the time to meet with us.  It was very trying to keep getting doors shut hour after hour.  Finally, when we thought we couldn't do anything else, we tried one more family.  The Taylors.  THEY WERE HOME.  We got to visit with them and read from the Book of Mormon with them for a little while.  They are so sweet.  They don't really go to church often, but they are returning.  They are super sweet.  They love the missionaries and told us all about the granddaughters baptism and the Grandpa's trip to the Nauvoo temple to see the grounds.  As we were leaving, Brother Taylor said, "Get permission to go to the Circus with Brittany tonight. She would love to have your company."  We didn't know the chances of that, but we asked...and we got to go!  Brittany is adorable. She is recently baptized and is 19.  We love her.  She told us all about her life while we were at the circus and she was happy that there was sister missionaries now. That was a much needed tender mercy. 

In Salem, we also met this lady named Briana.  We were trying to contact a woman named Peggy, but she had moved.  Briana let us come in and talk with her for a few minutes.  She is letting us come back for a family home evening.  Then as we were leaving, she said, "Are you okay.  Do you need a phone or somewhere to stay?" She thought that we were going to stay with the lady that we were trying to find, and that we didn't have an apartment.  It was super cute.  She is so nice and i am excited to share the gospel with her. 

Back in Rolla, We had another meeting with Penny.  She is awesome. We watched the Restoration video with her.  She loved it.  She is the only member in her family who is not a member.  She was going to get baptized and then at the last minute she bailed out. Now, 30 years later, we found her, and she is taking the lessons again.  She said she believes the "Mormon way" but that she doesn't feel after this many years that she needs to get baptized.  She is going to come to church this week and says that it is a huge step that she is willing to try.  She is so open to the gospel.  I love and adore her so much.  She knows a lot about the gospel and wants to do her best to follow Christ.  This week we are going to try to help her understand the importance of  Baptism and how she can feel so much closer to Christ with the help of the Holy Ghost.  I am so happy to know her. 

We also had another meeting with Deon.  She is so happy in the gospel.  She wants to get baptized so bad. Right now, she is working towards the baptismal date of October 10.  We taught her about fasting this week.  She is going to fast with us on Sunday so that she can receive answers to her prayers and receive help with her concerns so she can be ready for her baptism.  I am so grateful for Deon.  She is so sweet and genuine.  She loves us coming to see her and she thanks us all the time for helping her learn about  Christ.  I know that she is going to be a strong member in the church one day.  I am excited to see how this week goes with her.  

This week was incredibly difficult and frustrating.  But as i have been typing this, i have learned something.  As we look back at our week, we had so many wonderful meetings and opportunities to share our knowledge of the Gospel.  We have helped people come unto the Savior.  Even though the majority of our week was hard and without much luck, we were still doing our job as missionaries. It is all in the attitude of your service.  I know that if i would have had a more positive outlook on life this past week, it might not have been so hard.  I might have been able to better enjoy the work in 2 areas.  

I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the Sacrament.  I know that because of Christ i can have a clean slate this week.  I know that He forgives our weaknesses as we change and realign our will with Heavenly Father.  I know that i cannot do this work without the help of the Savior.  It is the Lords work, and sadly, i know that because of my stress and fears, i missed out on blessings that could have been mine if i would have faced the challenge at hand in a different way this past week. 

Here is to a great week full of happiness and success in Rolla and Salem. 

I love you all so much!

Love, 

Sister Ritter

Pictures:

1) Salem Circus day with Brittany!

2) I was obsessed with the elephants. Isn't Sister Hill a pro photographer??

13 Months!!!

Dear Friends and Family:

This week has been absolutely crazy!!! 

On Tuesday, we had a super awesome lesson with Mykala.  We were talking with her about Enduring to the End.  I can't remember how it came up, but she shared the scripture Alma 7:11-13.  She said, "This scripture talks a lot about the atonement and what Christ has done for us." Then she said, "I remember the sisters asking this question. What has Christ done for you TODAY?" It made me think a lot.  We always talk about what Christ has done for us.  He atoned for us.  He suffered for our sins.  He came to earth to show us the way.  But do we ever really think about what Christ is doing for us today? This exact moment?  I know that that was such a testimony to me that Christ is with us every single step of the way.  He is helping us more than we will ever see or know.  I am so happy that we had that lesson with her and that she was able to help me draw closer to my savior.  Mykala has such a powerful testimony.  She is incredible. I always learn way more from her than she learns from me.  I am so grateful to know her. 

On Wednesday, we got permission to go with the Elders to Salem, so we could meet some of the people there before they left.  It was a really fun day.  We met a lot of the people they are teaching.  We got to meet some of the members and just figure things out before it was left to me and Sister Hill.  JJ (the mayor of Salem) took us out to lunch.  He is such a cool guy.   I am so excited to teach him and see what comes.  The elders talked about him a lot, and so i think it should be pretty exciting.  We also met a lady named Jessie.  She changed my whole mission.  I love her alot.  We were only with her for about 15 minutes, but i felt so much love and concern for her.  She knows the church is true. She knows the Book of Mormon is true. She is struggling with some things in life and it just helped me realize that there are people EVERYWHERE who would have a much better life if they had the blessings of the gospel.  They don't even know how much happier they would be if they were able to come to church and read the Book of Mormon.  I cannot wait to continue to help Jessie and go by and visit her.  

Thursday was transfer day.  We drove with Sister Ownby to drop off Sister M&M.  It was a long drive, but transfer points are super exciting, because you get to see a lot of missionaries that you haven't seen forever.  It is like a big hangout point for a few minutes until everyone gets rearranged.  After some other sisters got there, Sister Hill and I headed back to Rolla to begin our transfer together.  I am so happy to be companions with her.  I have been praying for this for 13 months.  The Lord truly blessed me. 

So the first 24 hours of me and Sister Hill were a little crazy! Probably one of the funniest 24 hours in my life.  We had to drive up to salem Thursday night, because the elders left the apartment unlocked with the keys on the table...we didn't really appreciate that too much, so we drove up there to make sure nothing happened.  Well, there is bunkbeds in the salem apartment.  I was laying on the bottom bunk and Sister Hill got in the top bunk.  The boards bent so much, they were a U shape.  So i told sister Hill to lay on the bottom bunk so i could show her how sketchy it was.  I got on the top bunk and she thought it was super scary too.  Well....I tried to get down, and my inner true personality came out.  I totally fell off of the top bunk and fell flat into Sister Hill's suitcase.  I thought i broke my body. I was super sore, but it was the worlds funniest.  Sister Hill said, "Sister Ritter...i don't know what we are going to do with you."  We laughed for a few minutes and then went to bed.  The next day, Sister Hill said, "I am not feeling too well" and started gagging. I told her not to puke in the car, we were almost home and i would give her the keys and she could run upstairs.  Right at this time, the Elders called and i said, "We will call you back, we have to go."  We pull in our driveway and she jumps out of the car and pukes everywhere. Then she is laughing hysterically and pukes everywhere again. Sister Hill says, "I was laughing because i was puking outside. Then i choked cause i was laughing and puked again." It was  SOOOO funny!!! Then the elders called and i answered, right when i answered sister Hill said, "I can't open the door i have puke on my hands." The Elders said, " Now i know why you hung up so fast. I hope you are doing okay." It was basically hilarious. If this is how our transfer is going to be, it is going to be awesome. I can't even wait to see what other crazy things happen to us.  

We also had another super awesome lesson with Deon this week.  We asked her why baptism was important and she said, "Because...it is a submersion in Jesus." Holy smokes....we laughed for decades. It was super funny. Then she committed to baptism on October 10.  She is really excited to be baptized.  I can't wait to see all the wonderful blessings she is going to receive. 

This week has been super hard, and i have been kind of stressed, but i am also super happy. I know that the Lord has great things in store.  I am so excited to work hard, and be the best missionary i can be!  

Love, 

Sister Ritter 

pictures: 

1) Salem day with the Elder Hardy and Elder Naef.

2) Shut the Front door!! We have been out for 13 months!!!(: 

Looking For Miracles‏

This week was actually a wonderful week!

On Tuesday, we had absolutely NOTHING set in our planners. It was really slow, and we just set the goal that we were going to work hard and make the time go by.  It was super, super hot. One lady we met said it was 103 according to the heat index.  That didn't stop the dynamic duoX2.  Sister M&M and I went tracting on the right side of the road, and Sister Hill and Mykala went on the left side of the road.  We had 4 hours. So we figured we would have some pretty good things happen in that amount of time. Sister M&M and I knocked on a door right across the street from our car. THE DOOR OPENED. Such a miracle, and the lady, her name was Loretta, She was so nice! She let us share the Book of Mormon with her, but she said she didn't have time for a lesson. So we said a prayer with her, and we went to the next house.  We didn't have any luck on that street, but we met some super nice people.  About 20 minutes later, we walked past Loretta's house again, and she offered us some water. Then...this is the best part...she said, "Actually, would it be okay if you came in and shared your message with us?' WHAT???? The Lord softened her heart super quickly and we were able to teach her and her mom Juanita.  It was SO cool.  They are both so sweet and are anxious to learn more. It was such a blessing that we were able to meet with her. The Lord blesses us when we work hard.  After we finished with Juanita and Loretta, we went to a new street. We knocked on a door and met a man, we were talking to him and we asked him if he believed in Christ? He said, very quickly, "No." Then he turned around and walked in his door. The very next door we knocked on, this is what happened, Sister M&M: "Hey, we are the missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latt...." The lady said, "I don't have time for that." She slammed the door and we moved on.  As we were walking away, Sister M&M said, "Who doesn't have time for Jesus Christ?" It was super funny.  And finally the 3rd door on this street, we knock and no one answered. So we knock again, and a guy pulls up the blinds, slides the window up a crack and asks what we need. We again begin to explain to him who we are. He says, "Im really sorry, but I believe in Satan."  Then Sister M&M says, "Hey we do too. But we don't worship him." hahahahhaha She made tracting an absolute party.  One of the Elders once told us, "You are either tracting for the elect, or you are tracting for a good story."  It was definitely a great day for tracting.

We also had an amazing lesson with Deon this week.  We talked to her about church, praying, and reading scriptures.  The spirit was so strong in her home, and she knew it.  She told us that she knows what we are teaching her is true.  We felt prompted to invite her to be baptized again.  She said, "Yes. Can I be baptized on Sunday?"  It was super cool, and we were all really happy to hear that she has the desire and the testimony to be baptized.  She is just struggling with some other commitments, but we told her that as she prays, studies, and comes to church, she will definitely be blessed and see the miracles that come from being obedient.  We showed her the baptismal questions and she took the paper from us and hung it on her wall.  She wanted them so she can prepare to be baptized and be reminded of what she needs to do.  It was so cool.  I love Deon so much.  I know that she is so prepared and that she will be able to be baptized one day. 

We met this Less active man named George.  He is so cool!!!! I felt an instant responsibility to help him come back to Christ.  We read Ether 12 with him. We talked all about faith and asked him what we can do to help him.  He told us that coming back and reading the Book of Mormon with him during the week will help him.  He committed to reading everyday.  He has such a strong spirit about him. I can't wait to go back and get to visit him again.  I care about him a lot already.  I am glad Heavenly Father led us to him. 

We also got transfer calls.  Sister M&M is being split trained and she is leaving.  She is going to Springdale and Sister Hill and I are staying in Rolla. Except....plot twist. We are now over the Elders area as well and they are both leaving.  So we are over Rolla and  Salem.  I am super scared to see how this will turn out, but I know the Lord is on our side and as we work hard, we will be able to do all the things He has in store for us.  I am super excited to be apart of this area. 

I just love the gospel.  I really do. It is so amazing and so simple.  I have learned that it is the tiniest things that we do that can change our entire lives.  Something as simple as reading the scriptures every single day can keep us safe from the harm Satan is throwing at us.  I have such a testimony that the Gospel path is the path that we need to be on to receive eternal life.  I love being a missionary and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I love you all.

Have a great week.

Love,

Sister Ritter

Pictures:

1)Getting milkshakes after a meeting!(:

2)Me and my fave DEON(:

3) This is Meramac Springs. We went here for our labor day BBQ with the Elders.

4) Labor day with Sister Hill

5) Elder Lopez sacrificing his toe, so that we can all be "unified"

6) Happy Labor day from The Dirty Rob