Hey Friends and Family!
Before I start this email, guys I have a little rant I need
to go on. GUYS DID YOU KNOW THAT SETTING GOALS AND THEN PRAYING FOR THEM THEY
WILL ALWAYS WORK OUT (if you put the needed work into them)??? Guys if there has
been anything I have learned these past two weeks (Besides the experience I
will tell you all about later in the email) Is that goals are a thing!! As missionaries,
it is drilled into us that we need to set goals and set out to accomplish them.
So, I haven't had a companion who has set goals with me. and I really didn’t
think goals were that important. So, I would set halfhearted goals and just
would try to reach them if we had extra time in the day. Well Elder Jones has
changed that in me. We set meaningful goals each morning, then right before we
leave we pray for them. AND NO KIDDING EVERYTIME WE DO IT, WE MANAGE TO HIT OUR
GOALS. There was one time we wanted to contact 10 people hand out 2 book of
Mormons and serve someone. Well that day was coming to an end and we had
contacted 4 people (we were in the office for a good portion of the day) and
only handed out 1 Book of Mormon. And we hadn't been a service to anyone. So,
we were walking down the street and guess what?
Six people just so happened to walk past us. So, we stopped them and
talked to them for a bit. none of them were interested but they were very kind.
BOOM 10 contacts. It was starting to get late, so we were heading home. when we
saw a car that looked like it had stalled in the middle of the street. We
stopped pushed them out of the street and got everything all safe and talked to
them for a bit. We gave them a book of Mormon and left. I didn't realize what
we had done until I was lying in bed that night and was like "HOLY CRAP
ELDER JONES WE HIT ALL OUR GOALS TODAY" Elder Jones being the smooth dude
he is said "Yeah man did you just barely notice this??" I have like 8
more experiences that prove the principle of prayerfully setting goals. It's
awesome. Anyway...... Rant over *steps off soap box*
Today's email is going to be a little different than how I
have been doing the in recent past. Don't worry those who still read my emails
I will go back to the way I have been doing them. This week I just felt like
doing something a little different. And if you guys like this way better I will
keep it this way ;) just let me know! Shall we dive in?
Anyway, this week was a good week. Pretty busy again. We had
lessons with Jazlin, The Wilsons, And Robert Rowland. The lesson with Jazlin
went.... less than desirable. She said she wanted to go on a hike and have a
lesson at the park. So we thought, "SURE! why not! if it will get her to
continue to listen to the lessons I think we could pull it off" well, we
managed to pull it off. but the lesson was just kind of...... Disconnected.
Between people at the park, the Geese that are always hanging out there and
just kind of the poor place for a spiritual lesson, we still taught the plan of
salvation and she understood it, she just didn't feel it like the first lesson.
Heck, we didn't feel it like the first lesson. But it's okay though! we will
push past that. She was supposed to come to church this week but unfortunately
didn't show up this week. She said she was feeling sick and that we will still
have our lesson during the week. It's nice that we are meeting with Jazlin 2
times a week. Makes life easier. :D but yeah hopefully we are going to have
another bomb lesson with Jazlin this week!
We also had a lesson with Robert Rowland this week. It was
so good. No massive spiritual revelations, but the subtle presence of the
spirit was definitely there. So, because brother Rowland has had a lot of
contact about the church and knows a lot about it (Considering his wife has
been a lifelong member) we asked him if he had ever read the Book of Mormon, He
hasn’t. We are changing that ;) So we set his wife up with a reading schedule
we want them to follow. That way when we visit Wed evening we can read the
harder chapters together and discuss about them. So, no missionary lessons yet!
BUT! we are working our way up to that. We read 1 Nephi 4 with them this week.
We found out they read on the beach as a family!!!! I was so freaking pumped
about that. They have 3 boys. Robert Jr., they call him Boo. He is a senior in high
school, then there is David who just turned 8 and was baptized my first
transfer here. I got to stand in the circle while brother Beck (our ward
mission leader) confirmed him. That's so freaking cool can I just say that!?
And then there is JD who just turned 7 like last week. Super cool family, love
them lots. I'm praying really hard that we can start the lessons with brother Rowland.
and get him to church..... He has never been to church either. again, we are
working on that ;)
The lesson with the Wilsons was super good!! Connor (the 8-year-old)
was super attentive and loved the plan of salvation lesson. We made little
laminated cut outs of each stage of the plan of salvation. They are super cool.
Brother Wilson was attentive and helped teach as well. Sister Wilson wasn’t in attendance
which made me quite sad but it's okay. Hopefully she attends future lessons I
want her to be a big part of this ordeal with Connor. Baptism and church is
always better with family. They actually came to church this Sunday!!! Connor
and Brother Wilson that is! AND they met with the bishop which was super cool.
Sister Wilsons didn't though.... She stayed home.... D: makes me sad. But Connor
and Steve stayed. Only for half of sacrament meeting but they came none the
less. Didn't See or hear why they left early they just dipped.......
weird...... But yeah! hopefully we have a good lesson with them this week!
Anyway, those are all the big major events that happened
this week. We dealt with some tech problems and missionary tablet issues......
1 missionary this week will have to buy a whole new tablet because he destroyed
it..... I don't know how he did it but he did. And then Sister Morrison. (I
don't know if yall remember her but she was in the MTC with me.) Her tablets
data banks became corrupted....... so, we have the blitz the thing and hope for
the best. I had no idea what that meant so I Google it. (We have permission to
do this don't worry) and found out that there really isn't an exact cause for
it. Sometimes It just happens.... you wake up one morning and oops data has
been corrupted. There are some things that cause it but usually it's hardware
defects. Anyway, I know you guys don't care hahah but I thought it was
interesting. I'm learning lots.
So, one thing I wanted to mention was a spiritual revelation
I had. So, my entire mission, every missionary just seems to be super in tune
with the spirit. and that's something I have struggles with. I have no clue
what the spirit guiding me or directing me feels like. I can count 2 maybe 3
times in my life where I know the spirit directed me to do something. One of
the goals of my mission is to find out what that feels like, or just to overall
recognize the spirit more. I just don't know. Well me and Elder Jones were
reading in the Doctrine and Covenants a couple of days ago. We were reading in
section 6, when half way into the section I decided just to start putting my
name into the versus. I have heard that this is a good way for you to read the
scriptures it makes it feel like it's talking to you directly. So, I started
doing this around verse 6. At first I didn't make any sense but then while I
was reading we came across this. Everything in () is what I inserted while
reading this.
"13 (Riley) If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out
faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the
greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of
salvation.
14 Verily, verily, I say unto thee (Riley), blessed art thou
for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as
thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not
been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.
(Insert Elder Field crying right about here)
15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I
did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know
that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;
16 Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is
none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.
17 I tell thee these things as a witness unto thee—that the
words or the work which thou hast been writing (Preaching) are true.
18 Therefore be diligent; stand by my servant Joseph (Elder
Jones), faithfully, in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be for the
word’s sake."
Yeah...... so God absolutely answers prayers. Even though I still
feel like I'm not 100% in tune as other people are. I know at least whenever I
have asked to be guided or just had a question and asked. He has ALWAYS given
me something to help me along. And of course, right after those verses in verse
36 it says, "Look unto me in every thought, doubt not Fear not" so
yeah. God knows me. And loves me. Such a cool feeling :D Right after reading
this I was reading a past blessing I had received a while ago when I was in San
Rafael. In the blessing, Elder Siebach gave me. He said "The Lord knows
that you have difficulty feeling the spirit. But he wants to rest assure that
He is there and gives you enough to sustain you day to day" And to be
honest I didn't even realize be had said that or that I had wrote it down right
after the blessing. Until that day I read D+C 6. It was just a good day. God
really is there for each and every one of us. Just turn to him. And he will
guide you. That promise in D+C 6 13-18 is universal. Read it and ask God to
show you where he has guided you. And he will show you. To prove to you, that
you have NEVER been alone. God is cool. Can I get an amen? ;)
I love you guys lots! hope your week was as good as mine. I
now have to go prepare for Zone conferences. I get to teach about how we can
better use Facebook as a missionary tool....... WOOOOO!! Hopefully I receive
some inspiration here. because I have 2 weeks to come up with a 20-min
presentation for 8 zone conferences around the mission...... let's see what
happens!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!
-Elder Riley Field
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