Hey all!
Lots of content and not a lot of time. Into the news:
Our friend Robert told us he got his answer about the Book of Mormon and is going to join us for church this Sunday! His sister joined the Church in another town a while ago and he tried once to refer himself to the missionaries for a Book of Mormon, but he has a crazy work schedule they never got in contact. We happened to knock his door at just the right time when he was home and ever since then we've been able to meet about once a week to check in on his study of the Book of Mormon. This time, he told us when he read and prayed about it, he felt unusually calm and like what he was reading was "normal in a good way," and that the reason he makes time to meet with us is because he feels that way when we teach him the restored gospel. Sweet!
Our friend Dacyn accepted a baptism date for May 10th (my companion's birthday 
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Shout out to the Anderson Missouri Elders! I checked the teaching records of some friends Elder Perry and I met there and I was pretty blown away haha. Not only had Kelsey been baptized, but three other friends we taught chose to join the Church too! God is good. 
Some members of the congregation invited us and Marvin over for dinner and it made his day. He said it was the first time he'd eaten real mashed potatoes since his wife passed away. He's so perfect 
The 13th International Art Competition for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is happening right now! You can view all of the submissions and vote for your two favorite works here:Let me know which two you voted for and I'll tell you mine!
When someone we talk to on a doorstep tells us they're not interested, we often ask them if they know anyone who would benefit from our message or if there are any new move-ins in the neighborhood who might be looking for a new church. A lady directed us to a house where someone just moved in, and while we'd already knocked it and no one had answered, we felt prompted to mark it down on our map and try again another time. Imagine our surprise when, a couple of days later, we knocked their door again and a young dad named Sam came out and told us he just moved from Provo and used to be a member. He wasn't interested at the time, but he was super cool and I got the feeling he was more than likely a returned missionary by how well he treated us. I have no idea what'll come of us meeting, but it's yet another testament to me that the Lord will never forget His covenant children. Isaiah 49:15-16:
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Songs of the week:"Julia" by Mt. Joy
"What Would You Say?" by Dave Matthews Band
Awesome speech from last General Conference: "Compensating Blessings" by Bishop Gérald Caussé
Love you all!
Elder Rigby
Went to a plant swap at the library to try and meet some new friends who'd want to join us on Easter Sunday and I somehow won a raffle for a free plant and got a "pink panther" inchplant. Not sure who's gonna catch the Pokémon reference but it's basically just the shiny version of the other inchplant I already have haha. But hey, it's got a good name. Speaking of good names, while we didn't end up finding anyone who wanted to join us for church, I brought some of my own lil leafy guys along just for kicks and ended up coming home with a flapjack, a bachelor button, a pencil cactus, four tiny dog tail cacti, and a "wandering dude." Peep the Google photos for the succulent garden: 
Twenty months ago, my trainer and I were able to be part of our friend Luis' baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, he had some pretty complicated life circumstances, and by the end of the year he'd moved and stopped attending church regularly. However, a few days ago day I hopped on Facebook messenger for one of the few times that whole week, and within the minute I planned to be on it, he saw my username and called me up saying that he really missed church and was wondering what he could do to get a temple reccomend again! Not only that, but he was back in Arkansas again in the area of the assistants to the mission president, both of whom are super cool. One of them is actually a Spanish missionary too! So many little random things came together to remind me that the Lord never forgets His covenant children. There's always a way back. 
"Awkward for Jesus" - best description of missionary work I've heard yet
One of my old comps and I reconciled this week and it was real cool. Sure feels good to be pals again. 
Marvin's doing awesome! Since we've met him last Monday, he's come to three lessons, two scripture studies, church, and a baptismal service out in Joplin. Who says 80-year-olds can't change? Marvin is all about learning and is determined to be reunited with his wife in the next life. His last big hurdle besides a couple of cups of coffee (yup, the rumors are true - we avoid coffee and all other addictive and/or destructive substances in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you're curious about why, feel free to ask me!) is gaining a witness that the Lord truly has restored His kingdom to the earth again preparatory to the Second Coming. 
) had immediately decided to drop coffee for a week when we first taught her the Word of Wisdom, but...uh...it kinda backfired. She's so old now that her system physically can't handle caffeine withdrawals and she was super ill all weekend, so her doctor told her if she doesn't want to actually die she had to keep drinking coffee. One morning and five cups later, she was pretty much back to normal. Guess she gets a doctor's note on this one 
Our friend Richard, the lost recent convert from Idaho who we went to a Chinese buffet with a few weeks ago, has come to church every single week since then! He's become buddies with the two other members we ate lunch with that day and they hang out all the time. He describes their group as "basically those two grumpy old Muppets who make fun of Kermit from the audience." He's a lot nicer than he gives himself credit for, though. 
Goodness gracious, they really are making a Minecraft movie. I'll miss it in theaters, but at least I can buy the Minecraft movie collectible meal at McDonald's. Worth. 
