Week 35: Joy - Fort Smith, Arkansas

 Hey all!

Greetings from Monday. I figured I'd stay on top of things this week so I'm writing this a little early. 

*note: I wrote exactly five sentences on Monday. 

~

Man, last week was kinda tough. We set some really high goals and air-balled a couple of them, so the past few days went from excited to frantic to gloomy. I felt exhausted and full of doubt, and as I turned inward in self-pity my feelings of divine abandonment only increased. However, the Lord in His mercy picked me up and put me back in the boat just as He always does. 

Sunday night, our local senior missionaries, the Halls, shared a message on our zone call about the joy of serving others, and I kinda goofed off with my roommates instead of paying attention. I felt bad about that, so after a long journal entry that happened to be all about joy and feelings of unworthiness, I decided to study the Halls' source material, a message by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson entitled "Joy and Spiritual Survival" after looking for any reference to happiness and joy I could find in the scriptures. 

Not only were the two relatively obscure Book of Mormon books I studied (Enos and Jarom) packed with references to the joy of those who followed Christ, President Nelson's message was 100% exactly what I needed to hear. 

Here's a few quotes from him:

"For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy! That is why our missionaries leave their homes to preach His gospel. Their goal is not to increase the number of Church members. Rather, our missionaries teach and baptize to bring joy to the people of the world!"

"It doesn’t seem possible to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior offers. His joy is constant, assuring us that our 'afflictions shall be but a small moment' and be consecrated to our gain."

"My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives."

~

Says Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

"I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?"

Psalm 16:8, 11, a song the Israelites sang through years of war, famine, and enslavement:

“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. … In [His] presence is fulness of joy.”

Acts 5:41, after the Apostles have been arrested twice in two days and then beaten by the chief priests and scribes for testifying of Christ:

 "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name."

Alma 28:8, where the sons of Mosiah choose to literally go on a mission to "the bad guys" and repeatedly get thrown into prison, starved, and/or forced to fight for their lives:

"And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy."

2 Nephi 2:24-25, where Lehi blesses his youngest son after his oldest sons betray him, his homeland is destroyed, and he lies dying in the wilderness:

"But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

~

None of their lives come close to "easy." Not a single hero in any scripture story ever had a walk-in-the-park life, and no example of suffering was greater than that of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the one true Protagonist of our story. 

So why in the world were they happy?

~

 My invitation to you all this week is to evaluate your habits. 

 Which ones bring you joy? Which ones don't? If you're habitually doing something that leaves you feeling hollow, unsatisfied, and further from God, then find joy in daily repentance and go do something better with your time.

"Seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written," and God will lead you to joy. 

~

"Oh! Tango Suerte" by Casiopea

"On This Day of Joy and Gladness" by the Tabernacle Choir (Oct 2016 version)

"Joy and Spiritual Survival" https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival?lang=eng

~

Love,

Elder Rigby

More Photos and Videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sk1refRidSszyYk7

Week 34: Home on the Range - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Hey all!

I have all of two seconds tonight, but next week I'll make it up to y'all. 

Eight months!

Highlights of this week were amateur goat-herding, a 7-hour road trip to Springfield, Missouri, and a jog in the park with our good buddy Juan. 

Elder Keller and I are seeing serious miracles here. The Gospel works. It's funny how consistently I'm surprised by that simple truth.

I'll read about Jesus Christ in the scriptures and be like "wow, I feel better now" like it's some huge revelation. We'll teach someone and then they come to church and love it and somehow that's shocking. My tiny human brain makes me laugh sometimes. 

God acts in our lives daily. The times I notice just a few of the numberless little mercies from Heavenly Father are the times when I feel joy. He is the source of all happiness. 

Alma 30:44:

"The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

Love you all!

Elder Rigby

More Photos and Videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sk1refRidSszyYk7

 

Week 33: Air - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

Fine I'll start writing it Tuesday night

~

Hey all!

Happy Valentine's Day(?)

This week's been a good one. Elder Keller's an awesome companion and he's taught me a ton already. We've seen an abundance of tender mercies, all of which can be summarized into one line I've said at least ten times in the last few days: 

"Dang. The Church is true."

~

So here's some stuff we did!

- Found a ton of new people to teach by tracting 

- Put a few friends on date for baptism! Pray for Melanie, Nathan, Keshawn, and Alicia, please! 

- Got stood up at a lesson with some teenagers at the park so we went basketball contacting and hooped for a little with some Hispanic dudes. They didn't want to come to church though 

- Gave a blessing to a guy in the hospital who isn't part of the Church, but specifically asked for us after he was healed by the last blessing he got from missionaries (see James 5:14-15.)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/james/5?lang=eng

- Tried maté a couple of weeks ago. Overrated imo.

- Our young Marshallese friend Neinei got baptized on Thursday! She and her family are awesome. They even gave Elder Bigelow this cool Marshallese necklace/bolo tie made out of dried coconut leaves and seashells. We taught Neinei's older sister Melanie tonight too and she's awesome. 

- Went with our district to these indoor batting cages owned by an inactive member who loves missionaries. He let us play for free for hours and even ordered us all pizza. P-day MVP.

~

Fort Smith is the American Frontier's Gotham City. It's huge, gloomy, and absolutely ripe for some Gospel harvesting. What makes it extra real is the frontier legends like the original Lone Ranger (Bass Reeves) and the Hanging Judge (Charles Parker) lived here, and they even based all the True Grit movies in this here town. John Wayne starred in a Western about my mission area.

~

Song of the Week: "Float On" by Modest Mouse

Cool BYU Devotional: "The Power of Your Words" by Craig Manning, Performance Psychology Consultant for BYU Athletics

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/craig-manning/power-words/

~

Thought: 2 Nephi 22:2 / Isaiah 12:2

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation."

Friday night ended with the departing testimonies of missionaries finishing their 18-24 months of service here, and this time around, the testimony of one Sister I'd served around named Sister Lebaron hit me especially hard. I didn't know her super well besides an ill-fated Christmas activity we ran at the Bentonville square, but what struck me was how she decided to listen to the Spirit and drop everything she planned to say for a simple thought on this scripture. I'll paraphrase as best as I can:

"My favorite name for Jesus Christ is 'my song.' When we sing, our lungs fill with air and that air becomes our song. When anxiety sets in and I feel like I'm drowning, I sing, and Christ is my air."

Every time the Atonement of Jesus Christ is illustrated as a source of relief, I feel the Spirit. Water in the desert, light in the darkness, air when we're drowning. Jesus Christ knows us intimately and feels our sorrows in a singularly, inimitably, utterly perfect way. He felt our pain for us because He loves us. This is one of the greatest truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

~

I love you all! The Church is true. Hope you have a great week, and thanks for reading my emails. 

- Elder Rigby

Elder Smythe

Box of corn from some Marshallese people

Cool hawks

Goober

Elder Keller and I after giving a blessing to a friend in the hospital

Mission fleet at the batting cages

More Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sk1refRidSszyYk7

Week 32: Viktor Krum - Fort Smith, Arkansas

"Short haircut" < "Bulgarian Quidditch fade"

Hey all!

Well, it's 10:20 and I'm hitting writer's block already, so I'll probably end up scheduling this to send tomorrow morning. This week might not be as polished as I'd like it to be, but I hope it still gives you a picture of life as a missionary for Christ.

~

- A family I taught with Elder Kemp in Bentonville, the Juarez-Andrianos, got baptized last week! 

- I gave a 15-minute talk on 15-minute notice last Sacrament meeting. Fun stuff.

- Transfers! Elder Bigelow (my main companion) is going to Cassville, MO and Elder Smythe (my Spanish Zone Leader companion) is going to Springdale, AR, so I'll be hitting the streets of Fort Smith and Barling, AR with Elder Keller starting this Friday. I hear he's quiet but hardworking, experienced, and very obedient, so I'm looking forward to learning from him. 

- I went on a bunch of exchanges with other missionaries this week: 

1) Elder Fife, AP: quiet, relaxed, skillful, and consecrated. We went searching for Marshallese families to teach for hours with no luck, but we had a great time and even got some free Gatorade

2) Elder Miller, DL: a kind missionary who's finishing his two years just a couple of days from now. His smile is even bigger than his muscles. 

3) Elder Illguth, Elder Miller's trainee: the Arkansas Bentonville Mission's resident polar bear. Hails from the small town of North Pole, Alaska. We went finding in this one neighborhood and a little dog there went door-to-door with us for a solid hour and a half.

Throw in Elder Bigelow, Elder Smythe, and soon Elder Keller and I'll have served with six different missionaries in one week. Social butterfly status achieved. 

~

Song of the week: "Kyoto" by Phoebe Bridgers

~

Thoughts: oof it's 10:50

1) How should I measure success as a missionary?

"Wrestling with Comparisons" by J.B. Haws

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/j-b-haws/wrestling-with-comparisons/

2) How can I deal with faith-shaking questions?

"Stand Forever" by Lawrence E. Corbridge

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/lawrence-e-corbridge/stand-for-ever/

~

Well, I have a favor to ask before I wrap this up that I'd really appreciate your help with. 

This area has a lot of potential and I have the feeling I'm about to get a very good companion. The adversary sees this and is going to be working overtime to try and break us down this transfer, but that opposition simply will not matter if we go in the strength of the Lord. So, if y'all wouldn't mind, would you pray for us here in the Fort Smith Zone, please?

The power of prayer is real. I know that when we reach out to God in faith, He will always be there.

2 Nephi 32:8-9

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/32?lang=eng

~

Love you all! Your support means the world to me. As always, if there's anything I can help with while I'm down South, just let me know.

- Elder Rigby

Elder Fife

Also Elder Fife

Dog we tracted with for an hour and a half

Neinei's baptism 2.8.24

Elder Illguth from North Pole, Alaska

Elder Miller

"Stand Forever" by Lawrence E. Corbridge (BYU Devotional)

More Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sk1refRidSszyYk7

Weeks 30 and 31 - Fort Smith, Arkansas

"Have you rebuked your sickness yet?"

- Elder Smythe

Hey all!

I was debating whether or not I should bait you with funny stories before blindsiding you with teenage crack theology but I'm late so I figure I'll just play my cards straight this week.

~

Claudia: Well...things took a turn for the worse when the doctors found out she had a disease that had gone untreated for a long time and she never came out of her coma. After a departing blessing and a few days in hospice, our dear friend Claudia headed off to paradise three weeks to the day after she was baptized into the Good Shepherd's fold.

God's plan, the Plan of Redemption, Salvation, and Happiness, gives a cool perspective on life and death. I heard in a devotional this week that this life is only one act in the great play of existence. No matter what happens in Act II, everything always works out in Act III—every time. No exceptions. 

1 Corinthians 15 in the New Testament is a great place to start if you'd like to learn more about what happens after we die:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/1-cor/15?lang=eng

40-day Fast: try one sometime, they're cool. Don't go forty days without eating food, but I'd invite you to make a change in your life and tracking it for forty days and hold yourself accountable to it. By the time it's over, odds are you've formed a new good habit. My "fast" this time is writing in my journal every night and so far I'm at twenty-eight entries. It's hard to find the やる気 to yet started sometimes, but Elder Whetten makes a good accountability buddy. 

MLC: Elder Smythe and I packed up our bags on Monday and made the beautiful 90-minute drive up to Bentonville for our monthly in-person Mission Leadership Council Tuesday. We listened to an awesome talk called "The Mortal Messiah" by Jack Christensen in the car, then met up with our buddies Elder Cebollero and Elder Atuaia (my trainer and one of our old roommates) for a birthday dinner with some members Elder Smythe knew from home before sleeping over at the APs' apartment. 

MLC itself was awesome. After presenting our goals for the Fort Smith Zone to the rest of the council, we had like four hours of workshops and inspired teaching from the APs and our mission leaders, President and Sister Collins. Big themes of this month were leading with principles rather than rules, helping our friends see what step is next for them in God's plan, and leaving our nets to take up our cross with Christ every single day (Matthew 4:20, Galatians 2:20.) 

Rounding it all off was my piano accompaniment of #193 "I Stand All Amazed" for our closing hymn. I'd played it through just fine at lunch, but alas, performance anxiety makes jazz out of the most classical of concertos. After ten sublimely awkward seconds of abstract noise from my fumbling fingers, I stopped, cracked a joke to my audience of literally every single mission leader in the Arkansas Bentonville Mission, and proceeded to play the rest of the hymn with just my right hand. Nothing wrong with a little extra dose of humility. 

~

Songs of the week: 

1) "Smile" by Weezer.

2) "Theme from 'The Law of the Harvest'"  from the New Testament Seminary Video Soundtrack. One half safari adventure, one half Super Mario.

~

Pensamientos espirituales:

"Fourth Floor, Last Door" by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (October 2016 General Conference)

"A Robe, a Ring, and a Fatted Calf" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (BYU Devotional)

Acts 5 : https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/acts/5?lang=eng

Galatians 2:20:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Love you all. Talk to you next week!

Elder Rigby

Golf ball

Elder Whetten

More Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sk1refRidSszyYk7