May 25, 2015- Crazy Loco!

Fun letter this week.  Here is her group email

"HOLA TODO!!!

This week has been super busy crazy, but so fun!! 

Ok... so just a rundown...few quick stories.. trust me there is a point to all of these bear with me.. so last week we followed one of our investigators, ("M"), to Chick-Fil-A that said they were going to be home and we watched them pull out of their driveway as we got there.. so, we had a lesson at Chick-Fil-A.. ha, the next day we tracked down a family ("the T fam") that we had an appointment with as well that weren't home when they said they would be.. their oldest son was in the driveway washing the car and we asked where the rest were and he said "oh, at a field playing soccer behind the mall.." so we go drive to the mall and see field lights down the street a bit behind it, ha. We followed the lights and ended up finding them, but EVEN BETTER one of our other investigators ("E") that we haven't been able to see for a while since she has been so busy was just standing there by her car next to the field.. turns out her son and the "T fam" kids play on the SAME soccer team!! It was a miracle!! So we were able to talk with them.. THEN the day after we were trying to find a referral ("J") we had gotten from the 1st counselor in the stake presidency whom we haven't been able to find and right after we stopped by his house and he wasn't home he called us back!! He told us he was "at taco bell by Giant.." WHAT. Do you know HOW many Giants and HOW many taco bells are in our area??? So we just kind of aimlessly drove down a bunch of roads till we saw a Giant and I WHIPPED right into the parking lot when we saw it and we found this hidden taco bell that was joined with a KFC building.. OH MY. Guidance of the spirit I am telling you..

But basically the point of all those stories (trust me, we have PLENTY like that.. ha) is that we as missionaries are stalkers. Like literally stalkers it is nuts. I can't tell you HOW MUCH the spirit guides in helping us find people when it seems as though all hope is lost!! Heavenly Father KNOWS when His children are prepared to hear and receive the gospel, and He will FIND A WAY to get His representatives in their path!! It is amazing! I have seriously felt a change in myself since I was called and set apart in that initial moment that October night before I left on my mission. I have felt a change as I have become more and more an instrument in the Lord's hands as I submit my will to His and use my agency to bring about the message of the gospel to others. It is indescribable. I know I say this so much but I just have to let you know I LOVE BEING MISSIONARY.

So I was reading a talk this morning by Elder Lawrence E Corbridge and thought I would just share a quote from it that has COMPLETELY changed my life. Forever. And I know that if you apply it in your life it will change yours too. Many times we "bag" on ourselves, or say to ourselves or others.."Well that's just the way it is.." or "that's just the way I am." Losing all sight that it is possible to change! How horrible! If it needs be changed--change it! In Elder Corbridge's words:

"To believe that weaknesses and deficiencies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the Plan of Salvation."

Change is a dynamic process. We are ALWAYS changing. You cannot stand still! It is impossible!! We need to be planners and make goals, and work hard to achieve them!! "Whatever you become 'accidentally' (by just going with the flow/popularity of things) will not be nearly the full measure of your potential. God created EACH and EVERY one of us in order for us to figure out our true potential and learn to work hard to achieve it!! But how do we achieve it? I'll let you in on a little secret--Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ we can live up to our full potential as long as we trust in him and put all our efforts into becoming more like him. Trust me, I have seen such a change in myself as I have been given this opportunity to be his representative, and walk the path HE would walk as I have been here on my mission. I have seen how much happiness and peace can come from living the gospel joyfully. (Do you see that word? FULL of JOY. As we live it fully we will have joy!) Although we may not understand everything to the fullest, we can live to the fullest of what we know and the testimony and promised blessings of keeping God's commandments will automatically come!!

I know this email is getting real long but I really just feel so empowered. Being out here on a mission, distancing myself from the things of the world and focusing on doing the Lord's work has brought me so much happiness and hope for a brighter future than I could have ever imagined. I love this gospel and I love God's plan of happiness. It is perfect. He is perfect. 

I LOVE YOU ALL and seriously if any of you need anything let me know! I know there is only so much I can do on a mission, but I know that the gospel can solve any problems you may be having. I can PROMISE you that 100%. 

Hasta luego!!

Hermana Mariah Riddle :)

PS Sorry this pic is a little blurry but here is our lil adventure we had to Chick Fil A.. ;)"

Ahhh!  I hope you followed that letter without the actual names of the investigators.  I just wanted to make sure that we allow them to maintain their privacy since this blog is public.

We received a video tour of her apartment this week. Yes..she is spoiled!  Again, she has her own washer and dryer IN her actual apartment. They are so blessed!  They have permission to throw a load in here and there at night or before they go out teaching in the morning even if it is not P-day. What a blessing that is that they don't have to do all of their laundry on P-day. They have more time to do other things like...USE THEIR EMAIL TIME TO THE MAX!  Yes, that makes for one happy mom!

Also in her letter to me this week she mentioned that they moved the baptism date for the sister that is in the above pic to June 14th.  She is having a hard time making it to church because she works on Sundays,  So..Riah and her comp wrote a letter (WOW BOLD) to her boss asking if she would allow her to have Sundays off between 1-4 PM so that she could attend church.  She said that she doesn't know yet what has come of that but is hoping that something changes.  I'll be interested to hear how it went.

Mariah is working hard to achieve the goals that she has made for this transfer! Please continue to pray for her success. Thank you everyone for supporting this sweet missionary!!  

May 18, 2015-Transferred!

Well, it was bound to happen..Mariah was transferred out of the only area that she has been in while in the field. she spent 6 months in her first area and says that she will miss it a lot but she is excited for the new opportunity.

Here is her group email from this week...

"Hey everyone!! 

Sooooo there's not much time this week, but it was a super awesome week!! Super crazy and change-filled though, but that's ok, change is good!!

So I got transferred this week to a new area, I am now in the Sudley Spanish ward, and my new companion is Hermana Peabody!! She is from Park City Utah!! She's super chill and sweet we get along great :) This is going to be an awesome transfer. From the few days I've been here I really really like it here!! Oh, and my new address is:

*(Contact mom for new address-I didn't want it posted on this public blog)

The members here are awesome and the work is just a going!! My new apartment has a gym and a really nice lounge area that I can email you all from so it's pretty cool!! 

Being a missionary is seriously so awesome. You seriously walk out not knowing WHAT is going to be thrown at you that day, but in the end you ALWAYS end up learning something from every single day!! I love having the opportunity to share my testimony with those around me and being able to give my time to the Lord in bringing unto others the happiness that I have found through this everlasting gospel.

If you want to hear more of what happened this week, you'll have to get in contact with my parents, or just wait till I get home! There is seriously so much that happens, and just so little time to sum it all up!! If any of you are contemplating on going on a mission, DO IT. Because it is a decision you will NEVER regret, and you will learn things on your mission that you would NEVER be able to learn in any other way!! I love being here and being able to serve God's children, it gives me so much excitement and so much happiness!!

I love my family and I know that through this gospel and the promises we make in God's holy temples that families are forever!! 

I love you all and will talk to you next week!!

Hermana Riddle

Heres some pics of me and my new comp.. the elders are photo bombing in the back of one of them.."

 

In Riah's letter to me this week she said that she gets along really well with her companion. Her comp just finished training. The area that they serve in is HUGE!  It covers 1/3-1/2 of the mission and her companion has served there since she has been out in DC (3 months). She said that her comp told her that there is one part of her area that her and her previous companion weren't even able to get to yet. Good to know though that they are keeping busy. Here is a map of the area that she is serving in right now.

Below are some pics that Riah sent of the lounge area that they get to email from and a few that we received of her apartment.  Talk about spoiled!  I am ok with it though:)

                           

Mother's Day! Yay!

I just can't possibly put in to words how great it was to hear and see Mariah on Mother's Day! We had such a fun time talking to her.  She looks great!  We posted some pics and a video on Facebook which I guess I will include here too. But, I also wanted to include a video of her sharing her testimony in Spanish as well.  If you don't know the language I am sure you will be able to feel the spirit of it which is something that Mariah talked about in her group email this week.

Here is her group email from Monday, May 11th (the day after Mother's Day)

"Hello everyone!!

First of all, I just want to start out with... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY YESTERDAY!! I GOT TO TALK TO MY MOM (and family!) !!!! :) :)

We have transfers this upcoming Thursday, and I am pretty sure I will be leaving Springlake since I have been in this area for 6 months.. I'm going to miss it but I am really excited for the new adventures that lay ahead!! :) In that case, next Monday I will send out my new address.

So this week was crazy super busy!! We had a half mission conference last week and it was SO COOL. WE talked about being BOLD and the story of Nehemiah. I don't know how many of you have read that story in the Bible before, in the book of Nehemiah, but I sure hadn't until last week! I'll give you a run down.. So Jerusalem is destroyed by the Persians and there is a need to rebuild the wall. So Nehemiah is the cup bearer of the king and decides he is going to run this project, well long story short the wall ends up being finished in 52 days, and GUESS WHAT? We have a full mission conference where we will be switching Mission Presidents 52 DAYS from the day we had the 1/2 mission conferences!! WHAT?!! So, we are going to REBUILD our wall as a mission, and help a miraculous amount of people come unto Christ and receive this restored gospel! It's really time to buckle up and trust in God like we never have before! To seriously just lay in all on the line and give it all we've got! I am so stoked!! We talked about 6 different areas that our mission can be better bold in: Bold in Prayer, Bold in Obedience, Boldin Scripture study, Bold in Bearing Testimony, Bold in INVITING, Bold in GOALS!! I know these goals are something set specifically for our mission, but I encourage all of you to do the same!! Pray to your Heavenly Father for help and guidance in your life, and ask specific questions.. they will be answered! We need to be Passionate people!!! And you never know.. you may be someone else's answer to a prayer! :)

Well, I don't want to take up too much more space but I just want to share a really cool thing that happened this past week. So one of the members in our ward just moved to the English ward and so the English sisters that live in our apartment complex that we talk to a lot were invited to a lunch with both us and them at her house. When we got there before we knocked the Sisters asked if the member spoke any English and we were like... "Ehhhh, a little!" Well, come to find out yeah it really was only a little. But as we started to talk to her she started to open up to us about some of her doubts and things about the church, and COOLEST THING my companion, Hermana Mensinger had felt like she just needed to study this certain talk from the April 2013 General Conference called, "Lord, I Believe" by Jeffrey R Holland. We had discussed a few points we really liked that morning and come to find out that is EXACTLY what the member needed!!! She was so touched and overwhelmed by the Spirit, and it was SO STRONG in the room! Anyone in that room could NOT have denied what they felt!!  Later when we walked out of the house the English sisters afterwards were just in awe. One of them looked over at me and was just like, "I can't believe it." And I was like, "What?" She said, "I felt that. I didn't understand a WORD you or her were saying, but I felt that. And when you stopped to explain kind of what was going on it's like it was just a confirmation of what I had already felt was going on. I could feel and I KNEW what you were talking about and what was happening through the spirit. I don't even understand a lick of Spanish!!" It was amazing. The language of the spirit is real folks. It's not something I can even DESCRIBE. It is a language of feelings, and speaks to all, if you will just let it in. Doesn't matter what race you are, or what language you speak.. the language of the spirit is available to ALL, and can be understood as we open our hearts and come unto Christ by letting it in. It truly is wonderful.

Well I best be going now, I am excited for transfers this week and for the opportunity I have to be here serving a mission in Washington DC!! I love you all and pray for you! Have a fantastic week!!

Before I close I just want to say a few words letting you all know how awesome my mom is. She is one of a kind. I love her, and I know she loves me. You want to know why I know she loves me? Because of her ACTIONS. Her kind words, her worries, her cares, I feel like with how much she cares about me there is just NOT enough room in her heart for ANY MORE, but guess what? There is!!! My mom is a superhero. I love her with all my hear and I want her to know how appreciative I am for all that she has taught me, and for being the example to me that NO ONE ELSE on this earth could have EVER set for me. I will be eternally grateful for her and her genuine, kind, fun personality. Thanks for sharing with me mom ;) I LOVE YOU!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Riddle :)

PS this is a caboose in Herndon, VA that we couldn't pass up to take pictures by :)"

Mariah shared with me some of her personal goals in which she will choose to be BOLD. I know I am her mom but I just know that she is an AMAZING missionary! She truly loves her Savior and has such a strong desire to bring others to Christ.  She is continually striving each day to be obedient so that she is deserving of the blessings that come along with obedience. 

If any of you know me well you would know that I cried when I read that last paragraph in her group email.  What a sweetheart! I really am not deserving of how kind she was about me in that! Before I go on about how great she is and how she made my Mother's Day extra special I want to share the video of her testimony in Spanish that I was talking about. Here it is!

So..for Mother's Day I was completely surprised to receive a letter and gift from Mariah!  Like, how in the world did she have the time to think of me specifically!? Here is what she did...

Mariah sent me a really nice letter that included the pic below of her ready to eat Cinnastack pancakes from IHOP. (IHOP is one of the last places that she and I went together to eat before she left on her mission).  In the letter she said that she made the "sacrifice" to go to IHOP and order the pancakes so that she could take a picture of her there. She sent me a gift card to IHOP so that I could go and get some Cinnastack pancakes (which are my favorite) and "share" a meal with her.  WOW Riah!  That was so thoughtful.  A way to share a meal and have her close to me when she is so far away.  I feel so blessed to have such a special daughter. I'm going to take a pic just like this one below and send it back to her when I go there:)

Mariah has transfers this week and thinks that she is going to be transferred to a new area.  She has been in the same area for her whole mission so far so I'm excited and nervous to see what awaits her.

Here are some of the pics that we took on Mother's Day! Hope all of you Mother's had a happy one!

 

May 4, 2015

Group email from May, 4 2015

"Hey all!! Man I can't believe it's May.. What??

This week was SUPER awesome!! We had a sisters conference as well as a zone conference so lots of things that just got me SUPER pumped to preach the gospel and go do more work!! I love this church!! Man, I am so glad I have so much time left to dedicate to my Savior! With how fast these first 7 months have flown by though I dunno.... :(

Transfers are coming up this next week on the 14th of May and I am feeling like I'll be leaving, almost 100% sure I'll be transferred to a different area. I am going to miss Springlake, but it was fun while it lasted! Hopefully I will get sent back here and be able to finish up my mission in this area!! Right now one of our investigators, Luis, was really progressing. But some super difficult trials came up in his life that has taken him for a turn. He still loves meeting with us but you can tell he is in desperate need for the gospel in his life right now. Please pray for him!! Also, we met a guy two weeks ago as we were just walking out in the parking lot of our apartment complex. His name is Diego, and he was just picking up something from a friend real quick so he doesn't live in our complex, but long story short we had to transfer him to the elders but he said that once he received all the lessons why not be baptized?! He was super interested and I KNOW we were supposed to run into him that day!! The Lord really does work miracles!

This past week we have been going through our investigators and really just focusing in the ones who are wanting to listen and saving the ones who really don't for the future missionaries... :/ It sad how many people don't understand the full magnitude of this gospel and the joy it can bring!!! BUT there are SO MANY people that God has prepared in our path that are ready to hear and accept His message. It's our job as missionaries to find them!! That is why it is so important to pay attention to the Spirit and recognize when it is trying to tell you something, and ACT on it even if it doesn't make sense in the moment! Cuz something good will always come out of it!

That was one of the things we really focused on this past week in Zone Conference, was the role of the Holy Ghost in our lives and our purpose. A scripture I really like is in Hebrews 11:6-

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

God is a rewarder. We need to lay claim on the promises God has given us. Because how can we receive the blessing of a promise we don't believe is possible? You just can't! That is why it is so important to have Faith. Not only Faith. Because faith by itself is nothing. We must have faith IN something in order for things to come to pass. We MUST center our faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. His enabling power to heal us and lighten our burdens IF we will just put our faith in him. (Matt 11:28-30-read it :))

Quote of the week:
"As a human, we are in the "practice of" celestial life. :)"

Les amo MUCHISIMO.

Hasta luego,

Hermana Riddle :)"

We received this photo on the cloud and she put a caption on it saying that a member that she ate with that night cut the watermelon wedges bigger than their faces!  You can't tell in the pic but she said that it was seriously bigger than her face:)

Here are some other photos that came through from that day I'm pretty sure they were singing. We get a lot of videos of these two singing. Fun times:) Enjoy!

 

Busy life just gets the best of me and I continue to get behind with this blog.  Luckily for me Mariah writes some awesome group emails that share a lot. Something that is not included in this group email is that Mariah has been sick with stomach issues for the past few weeks. She has been taking some medicine and keeping in touch with the mission doctor so hopefully they'll be able to figure out whats going on.  Please pray for her!

April 27, 2015

Group Email April 27, 2015

"This week was super great!! We had a tornado warning last week here so we had to go take shelter for a bit, so that was fun!! It was raining SO hard!! Hmm let's see what else.. man, SO much happens in one week!! It's so crazy!! The weeks just BREEZE by!!

This past week I have really been able to see the effect the Book of Mormon can have on a person. If you haven't read it yet, DO IT. And if you have, DO IT AGAIN! And again and again and again!! God works in mysterious ways, a lot of times He answers our prayers or questions of the soul with the scriptures! Especially the Book of Mormon!! It is impossible to express how much I have seen that this book has blessed my life... I just want that same joy and happiness for everyone I come in contact with!! I encourage those of you who have gained a personal testimony and strong conviction that this book is true, to share it with your friends, family, coworkers, etc. Let's flood the earth with goodness!! :) And if you haven't quite gained that testimony yet, partake of the goodness!! I promise you will receive a witness and your life will be CHANGED. I know mine has!! :)

Yesterday we also had a SUPER great regional conference where both Neil L Andersen and Robert D Hales from the quorum of the 12 apostles spoke, as well as Linda S Reeves. It was AMAZING. Like basically, when Robert D Hales spoke I felt as though that was one of the reasons I came on my mission, and God knew it. I NEEDED to hear that talk and those words from a servant of the Lord. He talked about the future and raising families in love and righteousness. One of my favorite lines from the entire thing was "NEVER RAISE YOUR VOICE in your home, or your will find yourself in darkness." He talked about how the 62 years of him and his wife's marriage they NEVER raised their voice at each other, not once, and how happy they were! That pierced me to the soul. I know that in this day and age Satan is trying his hardest to attack the family unit and what the family is all about. He is distorting the perception of the family so rapidly and so sneakily that many don't even know it has hit them. I encourage all of you to BE LOVING. Towards everyone! Including and especially family. I know I have had my own trifles and arguments with family members, but as I have been on my mission and have come closer to my Savior Jesus Christ more than ever before, I have seen what PURE, true, GENUINE love can do and how if we all just had that same love our Savior has for each and every one of us how different this world would be.

On that note I just want you to know I LOVE YOU ALL. And I don't just say that I mean it!! :) Each and every one of you!!!

1-Here's a pic of a member we have become pretty close to, but she's leaving to Mexico for 3 months so won't get to really see her for a long time!! And oh man, the trees in the back?!! You just got a glimpse! Virginia is SO beautiful!! :)

2-We also went on exchanges last week, we have English Sister Training Leaders now, so it was interesting!! Basically I just spoke Spanish the whole time and didn't really have a companion who could do the same!! But it was fun!! We tried to visit some people who could speak English as well so it could be a bit easier.. haha :) #spanishprogram"