Earthquake!!!

Being sick made me reflect on the Atonement

Had to take medicine for my stomach

Eating Sunflower seeds....the best!

 

 

My new bag

 

Grateful for the USA

P day and McDonald's with the "Relief Society"

  

P day at the slide with the Sisters

Bags for the slide!

What an Awesome week to be a Missionary!!!!!

This past week has been crazy, to start with the past Monday, when we got done with our PDAY at 6 pm we were all changed and ready to go out to work and ALL the power here in my area went out.... IT WAS AWESOME!!!! We taught lessons in candle light and told fun stories and jokes with the Bayona Family and just had a cool time!!! We made it home safe and sound and all was just awesome. ON TUESDAY... there was an EARTHQUAKE here in Colombia with a rating of 6.6...... My companion and I were outside in the middle of a park contacting a young man brushing his dog on a park bench. As we were talking my legs wiggled a little bit, but I didn't think anything of it... my companion didn't feel anything! We then had a lesson in the house of a member and they were just freaking out...... ARE YOU GUYS OK, DID YOU FELL IT????? What happened what can we do for you.... hahaha, but nothing happened at all!!! Nothing got damaged everything is just all good. What a cool experience. Wednesday we had a meeting with our mission President and we learned so so much about the Book of Mormon. I left the meeting just so happy to be in the mission with so much desire to get out to work. Thursday was just a fun day, we had a bunch of lessons and are starting to find some new investigators to teach and to have progress and come unto Christ. Friday I was sick to my stomach... hahah but I had some medicine and all is just perfect now!!!!! It was just a little rough during some lessons ;) hahah Saturday our LUNCH WAS SO SO SO MUCH FOOD!!!!! I was just beyond stuffed afterwards and honestly could not even move hahah. On Sunday I got to pass the SACRAMENT!!!! It was so much fun, I have always seen a few things the could help the young men as they pass the sacrament so when I passed I tried to show a good example. ( Thanks for always teaching us DADDY!!! ) afterwards the young men's president thanked me for being so reverent and for showing a great example to the young men. It was a sweet Pay Day. And today, Monday we went to McDonald's as the "Relief Society" and just had a blast. Afterwards we went to a huge slide place and we just had the BEST TIME EVER!!!! It's just a huge normal slide and we just did the craziest things. All the workers laughed hysterically and gave us ideas of things to do and they let us use the slides for 20 minutes instead of 5 hahha. It was just a blast!!!

Ricks Family, I am just loving the mission!!!! This past week I had the opportunity to reflect a lot on my mission.... How it has been, what I am doing well, what I am doing wrong, what I can improve on, and just a lot of things like that.... It's sad and scary to honestly think that I almost have one year as a missionary for my Savior Jesus Christ..... It makes me want to work even harder each and every single day. This exchange has been a little tough, but I have learned more than EVER!!! We have dropped all of our investigators like I said, but we are finding a bunch of new ones. We found a couple that the wife is less active and the husband and daughter aren't members... we are going to work really hard and try to do all we can to bless their family. I Love the mission so so much and am so blessed. I know that the Lord is blessing each and every one of you all as well!!! Nothing special has really happened and I don't have any cool investigator stories because we dropped them all hahah but things are just going awesome!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to write you all next week and let you know how all things went. I love and miss each and every one of you all so so much!! Thanks for all you are doing for me as a Missionary!!!! Thanks for everything Mommy and Daddy, James and Janelle, Hannah and Cameron, CHAN MAN, Claire bear, and Gracie girl!!!!!!! I LOVE MY FAMILY!!! WE ARE THE RICKS!!!!!!

Your son, Your bro, Your brother in law,

Elder Michael S. Ricks

PS... PICS and videos are on the way!!!! Attack mommy for them ;) hahaha I LOVE MY FAMILY