Hey all!
Nine months! This transfer's absolutely flown by, but I'll still be staying with Elder Keller in Fort Smith, AR for another six weeks. Transfer calls always feel like a mixed bag, but I'm happy to be sticking around because three of our friends are being baptized in April!
Speaking of baptism, our friend Melannie was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this week! She's amazing and her family is so fun. 
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Fun stuff that happened:
- found a frog, a snake, and a couple of crawdads 
- taught a lesson at an El Salvadorian restaurant in tornado weather
- became a jump-roping fiend. Simply the ultimate cardio
- an ambulance beat us to our media referral 
- taught a lesson to this family while their friends were over, and, when we started teaching about the Book of Mormon, one of the little girls' friends was like "hey I have that on my phone already" and whipped out the Book of Mormon out of nowhere. Turns out her family had been visited by missionaries in the past so we popped over there with one of the youth a few days later and taught her family too 
- bought an eight-dollar "bag o' burgers" at Braum's and proceeded to eat a bag o' burgers. Well, half of it.
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Thought: "The pattern is simple but not easy to follow."
*Note: I am not a dietician. There are arguments for and against keto as an actually healthy diet, but just bear with me for the analogy.
When going keto, the primary objective is changing your body's fuel source. When you eliminate carbs and replace them with fats, eventually your body starts running off of fat instead, and that conversion makes cutting weight exponentially easier.
In a spiritual context, consecration works the same. One of the biggest reasons we're asked to strive for 100% obedience despite the obvious fact that we're inherently imperfect is because God is trying to help us change our fuel source.
Even after cutting out social media and a few other distracting habits, I still find myself seeking out spiritual sugars at times, and, through seemingly inconsequential acts of escapism, miss out on spiritual ketosis. Big bummer. However, I know it's possible. The Lord promises that there will always be a way forward (1 Ne 3:7,) that He will always receive us as we repent (3 Nephi 9:22,) and that we will always have His help when we humble ourselves and rely on His strength (Ether 12.)
Some of my biggest role models are the missionaries whose spiritual engines are fueled by the powers of Heaven. As we strive to "'give away' even [our] favorite sins" and center ourselves upon our Savior, we too can become disciples who are powered by Jesus Christ.
Says our latter-day prophet, Russell M. Nelson:
"As we strive to live the higher laws of Jesus Christ, our hearts and our very natures begin to change. The Savior lifts us above the pull of this fallen world by blessing us with greater charity, humility, generosity, kindness, self-discipline, peace, and rest.
"Now, you may be thinking this sounds more like hard spiritual work than rest. But here is the grand truth: while the world insists that power, possessions, popularity, and pleasures of the flesh bring happiness, they do not! They cannot! What they do produce is nothing but a hollow substitute for 'the blessed and happy state of those [who] keep the commandments of God.'"
Invitation: What are your "spiritual sugars?" What things could you let go of today to become more fully converted to the infinite energy source of the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
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Sources:
"Overcome the World and Find Rest" by President Russell M. Nelson
"Act in All Diligence" by Elder Henry B. Eyring: https://www.
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ: https://go.
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Songs of the week:
1) "Always In My Head" by Coldplay
2) "Ninety and Nine" by Michael McLean. I've never heard this song before but I absolutely loved the lyrics when someone quoted them in church on Sunday.
3) "Panacea" by Disasterpeace. Just started practicing this one on the piano so maybe I'll send a recording sometime down the road.
Cool devotional: “Lay Hold upon the Word”: The Power of Wholehearted Living by McKay Christensen
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Love you all!
- Elder Rigby
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Melannie's baptism 3.16.24 |
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| The Fort Smith missionaries |
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