Feed My Sheep: So. Many. Miracles. November 4

My goodness, I really don't understand how I got to be this blessed! I'll tell you something that most of you don't know: I had a hard time in the MTC. A really hard time. And I'm so darn grateful for that because I learned a LOT and I feel like I had to go through a really hard time to then be ready for Heavenly Father to pour out blessings. How awesome is that? Heavenly Father lets us struggle a little (sometimes a lot) and then He overwhelms us with blessings. He is so good to His children. Do you see it in your life? I promise you it's happened and it will continue to happen that way.

This week was absolutely incredible. I literally witness miracles on a daily basis. God has done so much for every one of His children. It is so heartbreaking to see those who ignore His help and direction and choose to do things that prevent them from further blessings. But it's not that He's punishing them, He just CAN'T send blessings because they chose to disobey. This leads to my first point:

1. Agency. I love the topic of agency. Maybe I've written about it before... I can't remember. But really, agency is incredible, and is a HUMONGOUS gift from Heavenly Father. I'm afraid that too often we forget that we have agency, and we try to get other people to make all of our choices for us. I know that I'm guilty of that- sometimes I just want Heavenly Father to tell me what to do. But that's not what He intended for me. He intends for me to exercise agency so that I can learn. Maybe you can do a scripture study this week on agency, because there is a lot of cool things to learn about it.

2. Bible bashing is never worth it. I'll be honest. Sometimes I get a little prideful and I think that I know a lot. So when this man asked if he could meet with us and we expected that he was just going to Bible-bash, I was kind of excited to see how well we could do. And I'll be honest again... my companions and I did a pretty good job of using our scriptures to counter his questions. BUT then the Spirit taught me a very important lesson. This man came with no intention of learning. Therefore the Spirit could not teach him. After a while, I finally just bore my testimony. There was nothing else to do beyond that- but he kept bashing. I felt pretty bold-sauce when I finally just asked him if he intended to learn anything or if he just intended to prove us wrong. He said that he intended to convince us that the religion we had chosen was wrong. Immediately we told him that that would never happen, and we would not be able to meet with him again. Wow. Crazy experience, but really- Bible bashing is not worth it.

3. "Courageous Parenting" by Larry Lawrence of the Seventy is amazing. It's a General Conference talk. Really, look it up and read it. No matter how old you are! I've read it a few times this week and sent it to a few of our members because of how powerful it is. I'm excited to one day be a "Courageous Parent." :)

4. Sacrifice is not really sacrifice at all. Think about this. We are asked to sacrifice something that is important to us. But then, because we were obedient, Heavenly Father loads on the blessings that are BETTER than what we sacrificed. What? Why are we so lucky? Coming out on a mission has been a sacrifice- a pretty darn big one. But I came because I want to help other people. However, these other people seem to be blessing me more than I can bless them. I've had so many answers to questions come from the very people that I am supposed to be helping. And then, these people go out of their way to serve me. Wait a second- aren't I supposed to be the one serving them?! It's incredible. I guarantee you, I'm working hard out here. But the blessings that I'm getting in return are so much more than I deserve for this work. How does that work out?

5. Going to the temple is a HUGE privilege. A lot of times we think of it as a sacrifice to go to the temple. But now that I CAN'T go to the temple for at least another year because it is out of our mission, I've learned that it really is no sacrifice at all. Unless you think of it in the terms of what I explained up above. Because really, the blessings that come from the temple are soooo incredible. I was completely spoiled living in Gilbert and in Provo where temples were so accessible. I'm dying to get to the temple! The members out here and dying to finally have a temple within an hour! If you're close to a temple, PLEASE GO THIS WEEK!

6. The Spirit is another major privilege. We came across a heroine addict this last week. That was an intense experience, but one from which I learned a lot too. The Spirit is POWERFUL, up against Satan's influence. It was amazing how real that became to me from that experience. Live worthy of the Spirit. Not doing so is scary.

7. I'm supposed to be here. On Sunday I had the distinct feeling that Amber Ricks is supposed to be serving this is ward in New Jersey right NOW. That was a wonderful, blessed feeling to have. And a great confirmation that I made the best possible choice by coming out here. I'm supposed to be right where I am.

I'm happy. Certainly I have difficult days, and I can feel Satan trying to bring me down and convince me of his lies. But mostly I just have incredible experiences and opportunities. I'm so glad that I'm out here. I feel my testimony and my conviction of the gospel increasing each day. I know that this work is real and that the devil is after us. Helaman 5:12 is one of my favorite scriptures, because it explains how real Satan is, but also how much more powerful Jesus Christ is. Lean on Him, and you will be strong.

I love you all so much! As always, I'd really appreciate hearing from you!

Love, Sister Ricks