Highlights and Advice

This week has been quite an adventure! I have so much I want to say
and such little time to say it! Here are the highlights:
-"Cat cake" is a new flavor of cake with a secret ingredient: cat hairs
-We got a pogo stick for helping clean out someone's basement!
-We have a few Chinese investigators who are wonderful! It is such a
different experience teaching people without any Christian background.
It is so great to be able to practice teaching the gospel incredibly
simply and to be able to testify so much about the Savior
-I adore my companion
-African food may come back to haunt you four or five times during the
next few days. Be careful!

I love working in Philadelphia and loving such a diversity of people.
I will forever be grateful for this incredible opportunity that I have
to serve! The gospel is TRUE!

Also, I wrote to one of my EFY boys about some things I wish I had
known/ done before my mission and I thought I would share:

1. Missions are HARD. Super, duper hard! For sure the hardest thing I
have ever done in my life. It's physically exhausting and emotionally
draining and sometimes spiritually difficult.
2. All of the pain is worth it! The person that you become BECAUSE of
the hard times is someone you will never want to give back. Change is
hard, but growth from the change makes life better than you can
imagine.
3. I wish I had been a better member missionary! All it takes is
simply loving people enough to invite them to do things: come to
dinner, come to church, come to mutual/institute, come to church, read
the Book of Mormon, pray to know if God is there, come to a ward
activity, etc.
4. Go out with the missionaries and ask them about what it is like to
be a missionary. What is a normal day/ week like for them? What is the
hardest thing about being a missionary? What is the best thing? Etc.
5. Also, when you think that you are the only one struggling and
having a hard time, YOU ARENT! Everyone else is too, they are just
trying to be strong. Be willing to talk about it with people. It makes
everyone feel more comfortable.
8. DO NOT DEVELOP THE MISSIONARY VOICE!!! Just talk to people like
they are people and you will have success!

Love you all!

Sister Amber Ricks