Week 48 - Monett, Missouri

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

Hey all!

Not a lot of time this week but I at least wanted to write something. This week has been a rollercoaster in so many ways. Here's some stuff we've been up to:

- MLC! Learned a ton from the powerful workshops from President and Sister Collins and the APs, then grubbed with some of the Monett vets at lunch. It's crazy how many missionaries I'm friends with that have served in my current area at some point or another. 

- Bentonville and Rogers got totally trashed by a tornado this week. It was so weird driving through my old area on the way to MLC and seeing trees down and wreckage everywhere. 

- Took the most gorgeous one-lane road through the Ozarks back to Monett from Bentonville and felt like I was on the Cars ride but it was actually real. W.

- Went back to that Church-member-owned trading card store and pulled this crazy hundred-dollar Pokémon card from a cheap booster pack. That one's not super spiritual, I know, but hey, it was a tender mercy. It counts.

- Went on an exchange with Elder Wasden, a missionary Elder Bigelow (one of my past companions) is training right now! He's such a cheerful, friendly guy. We had a great day together and I know he's gonna go far as a missionary.

~

Thought: why does God cut us down sometimes?

This is a video based off of one of my all-time favorite stories, "The Currant Bush." It's based off of Elder D. Todd Christofferson's April 2011 talk "'As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten"” which itself was based off of Elder Hugh B. Brown's BYU devotional entitled "God is the Gardener." Both messages are fantastic, and if you love this story then I'd invite you to study them both.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/inspirational-messages/2012-01-014-the-will-of-god?lang=eng

God always delivers His people. Stick with Him until the end and you'll be so, so glad you did.

Love,

Elder Rigby

Week 47: I almost died - Monett, Missouri

 A lesson in promptings from the Holy Spirit:

Me: "Man, I gotta use the bathroom but there's nothing for miles out here. Guess that silo in the field over there isn't a bad spot."

Voice in my head: "There's a snake in that field. Don't go in there."

Me: "What? ...Nah, I'm just being paranoid."

Voice: "No, there's definitely a snake in that field."

Me: "That's crazy talk. I'm gonna go walk through the field."

Voice: "Bad idea."

Me: "Oh well."

*thirty seconds later*

Huge black snake right in front of me: "Hey."

~

Hey all!

Week three in Monett and I'm still alive. We've seen a lot of cool miracles here lately, one of the coolest being that our friend Tyler accepted a date to be baptized on June 22nd! Please pray for him as he's preparing to take this step towards the Savior.

I went on two back fo back exchanges this week! The first was with Elder Ceb, my trainer from way back when and now one of our fearless APs. We found some cool new people to teach and had the most nostalgic day ever. Love ya Elder Ceb.

The second exchange was with Elder Evans out in Lamar, Missouri, and we saw some crazy stuff out there. First off, their apartment is totally infested with brown recluses. Not fun. After our arachnaphobic sleepover, though, things turned way better. From miraculously finding one lady after being prompted to drive a half an hour out of our way to finding another dude in a torrential downpour to going Walmart public contacting for our first time ever and finding a super humble lady there, our day was bonkers in the best kind of way. Plus, we almost got struck by lightning. That'll happen out here.

Other than that, here's some fun stuff:

- Set up a booth at the local farmer's market and a random guy bought us a huge plate of cookies so we shared with the Jehovah's Witnesses 

- some Church members in Monett own a trading card shop so we visit on pdays pretty often. Elder Fairchild bought a deck for Magic: the Gathering and the kid running the store comes out to lessons with us sometimes so he gave him like seventy bucks worth of free stuff. W youth. 

~

Thought:

"Yes, but not right now." I've been thinking a lot about that line from The Inconvenient Messiah lately, and I feel it's helped me gain greater insight in my pursuit of self-mastery.

I used to say "no" to half the thoughts in my head and it drove me crazy feeling constant guilt over things when they weren't bad at all—the timing just wasn't right. Now, I see the blessing that it is to show God I'm willing to put him first. If the ability to wait is as important as I believe it is, then thank goodness that our Heavenly Father is merciful enough to help us to grow it. 

So yes, I'd like to head to the movies sometime; yes, I'm down to play some Mario Kart; yes, I wouldn't mind a nice, long nap—just not right now. Not while I'm on the Lord's time. I can endure waiting for those things because I know that as I turn Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, Jesus Christ will help me do it.

James 1:2-4; 5:11:

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

"Behold, we count them happy which endure."

~

Hymn of the week: found it! Here's a recording of that song I wrote about last week:

https://uk.churchofjesuschrist.org/2022-how-can-i-keep-from-singing-the-tabernacle-choir-at-temple-square

Cool sermon: Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles by Elder Juan Pablo Villar. Wanna hear a cool conversion story? Listen to Elder Villar's. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/52villar?lang=eng

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

~

Jesus Christ is real! He knows you. Following His Gospel is the way to come to know Him. 

Love,

Elder Rigby

Week 46 - Monett, Missouri

Hey all!

Week two in Monett! It's been an adjustment for sure, but God has so much in store for this little town. He's taught me a ton already through my experiences with Elder Fairchild and the good people of southwest Missouri. 

I hadn't realized it before, but I think I got kinda Cookie Monster about missionary work at some point. "Me want find new people NOW! Me want convert baptism NOW!" type deal. To that end, Elder Fairchild's been an awesome example of patience for me. Sometimes, being a successful missionary means being active in our waiting.

Doctrine and Covenants 123:17:

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

~

Cool stuff this week:

- Mother's Day! I love you, Mom. Thanks to all the other "moms" in my life who have been there for me too. You're awesome.

-  Me and three other Elders in my district got asked to sing "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" in an a capella quartet for zone conference this Friday! Wish us luck. 

- Met a bunch of cool people from Burma/Myanmar that all moved to Monett for work. One guy we talked to actually messaged a bunch with some Karen-speaking missionaries in Minnesota over Facebook, so he might pull up to church this Sunday!

- a member family's dog followed us around this neighborhood we tracted and we found a lady while the members' dog peed on her porch. MPL? 

~

Alma 26:3

Thought: "How Can I Keep From Singing?"

I know I said I wasn't gonna do a song of the week anymore, but man, I just love music so much. I'll make it a hymn/Christian song from now on though. 

Anyways, I had a million different plans all going for what I could write about for this week's thought, but when I thought back to this song I felt prompted that this was what I needed to share. Honestly, I've only heard "How Can I Keep From Singing" once, but man, Isaiah 12:2/2 Nephi 22:2 deserves a callback for this one. The minute it came on the Church radio station, I knew this song was a message from my Heavenly Father of how much He truly cares. And, when we express our gratitude like this song does, we show God how much we care about Him too.

I don't have a recording, but look it up if you can! I promise it'll brighten your spirits like it did mine. 

~

"My life flows on in endless song;

Above earth's lamentation,

I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn

That hails a new creation;

Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul—

How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?

The Lord my Saviour liveth;

What though the darkness gather round?

Songs in the night he giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm

While to that refuge clinging;

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,

How can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;

I see the blue above it;

And day by day this pathway smooths,

Since first I learned to love it,

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing;

All things are mine since I am his—

How can I keep from singing?"

~

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

Cool talk: "Continue in Patience" by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/04/continue-in-patience?lang=eng

My new address is 107 Circle Dr Unit A, Monett, MO 65708! I love writing letters, so send me your address and I'll try to mail you one soon. 

Love,

Elder Rigby

Week 45 - Monett, Missouri

 Hey all!

Week one in Missouri! 

~

 

Flashpoint: Monett is like a parallel-universe Bentonville. If Bentonville didn't have the insane cash flow it gets from Walmart, it would be Monett. Also, a solid one-third of the town speaks Spanish and we have no Spanish missionaries for forty-five minutes, so we'll take any creative ideas we can get for how we can help these folks receive the restored Gospel en español.

The fairest of them all: My new companion, Elder Fairchild, is a great guy. He's temperate and soft-spoken and we get along well. He's on his last transfer before he finishes his mission, so I'll be killing him off (mission slang) in five weeks. 

Duplex lords: man, we're spoiled here. For unknown reasons way too convenient for us to question, we two Elders get to live in a three-bedroom two-bathroom duplex directly across the street from our local church building. Shame we're never in it cause we're always out working 

That'll happen: well, apparently some kind of tornado or high winds blew past a quarter mile away from us today. From what we've heard so far, the worst of it in our town was a few trees knocked down and a clean hole punched in the local McDonald's sign, but it sounds like some other areas got hit pretty hard. 

Victory for the dodgeball boys : good news - all three of the teenagers we'd been bringing to youth night in Fort Smith are getting baptized this Saturday! Please pray for them as they're preparing to make this special promise with God. 

~

Thought: The Sabbath Day.

Following last week's theme of promising blessings, I took a page out of Elder Shields' book and made a quick list of the blessings God promises us for keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Here's what I found in a few minutes:

"Make the Sabbath a delight," and you will...

(Isaiah 58:14)

- delight yourself in the Lord

- be caused to ride upon the high places of the earth

- be fed with the heritage of Jacob thy father

(Doctrine and Covenants 59:13)

- experience fuller joy

- be more fully kept unspotted from the world

(Preach My Gospel: a Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ)

- feel joy and peace

- be spiritually nourished

- be physically refreshed

- feel closer to God

- build a deeper relationship with the Savior

(3 Nephi 18:12)

- be built upon His rock

(Doctrine and Covenants 59:16-21)

- receive the fulness of the earth

~

In conclusion, come to church. Look for Jesus Christ there. Also, please invite all your friends to come with you. I promise it will always be worth it.

~

Song of the Week: I follow the missionary music standards, but thinking up a song that I liked back home every week is starting to get a little distracting. I'm probably gonna discontinue this one for consecration's sake.

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

~

Love you all! God is real and good.

- Elder Rigby

Week 44 - Fort Smith, Arkansas

 Hey all!

Sorry for no email last week! I'll be better at knocking them out sooner from here on out.

I'm just getting back from a two-day trip from Bentonville for exchanges with the Assistants to the President (APs) and then an all-day leadership council meeting. Sounds kinda boring if you're not a missionary but I promise it was a great time. We also find out transfer news tomorrow so I'll update this when we find out. 

*Update: I'll be heading to the Monett Zone, Monette Ward in Missouri with Elder Fairchild! Also, shoutout to my trainer Elder Ceb for being the new AP! 

 

Monett is the smallest zone in the whole mission population-wise with under 150,000 people spread across eight areas compared to 102,000 people in my last area alone, so this is gonna be a big change for me. I know it's God's will that I serve there, though, and I have faith that there are some amazing people waiting for the Gospel in Monett. I choose to make this the best area of my mission. 

~

Stuff I did this week:

- Drove a brand spankin' new (nine miles on the odometer) 2024 Nissan Rogue a hundred miles through the boonies between Bentonville and Fort Smith and both of our phones died on the way 

- Highlights from my exchange with Elder Shields: met a Ukrainian CSGO player who wanted to come to church and a Muslim dude I taught at a park in Bentonville six months ago, taught the absolute craziest lesson that I 100% cannot write about here, and met a Pohnpeian girl who wants to get baptized and just happens to be cousins with a boy we baptized in Bentonville! Fun stuff. 

- MLC! Big focuses of this month's mission leadership conference were promising blessings after every invitation we give and improving our council times. We set a new mission record for baptisms this month and set a goal of 100 baptisms in June (WOOOOOO LET'S GO ABM) to send off President and Sister Collins and welcome in President and Sister Hathaway.

- Hung out by the storm shelter for half an hour after a tornado touched down twenty miles south of Fort Smith a few nights ago. Not sure why people live where a giant whirlwind can just pop out of nowhere and launch them to Alberda,  but whatever. 

- Said goodbye to a few members I'm tight with here ;/. The last people I talked to tonight were some of the Deacons (11-13 y/o boys) who I'd passed the Sacrament with for the last four months and who are like my . One of them, Grant, looked me in the eyes and said "You are a good missionary." It made my day. 

~

Thought: 

I spent at least an hour today trying to come up with a good way to summarize this BYU Devotional I loved called "The Inconvenient Messiah," but nothing I wrote felt quite right. After saying a prayer about it, this is what I came up with:

1 Kings 17:8-24: The Widow of Zerephath

Consider the true weight of a blessing promised by a prophet of God.

What blessings were the widow promised? 

How did she have to exercise faith in order to receive these promised blessings?

This video impacted me when I watched it this week. I'd recommend starting from Elijah and the widow's conversation about halfway through:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2011-03-0071-elijah-and-the-widow-of-zarephath?lang=eng

As a representative of Jesus Christ, I have the privilege of being able to promise blessings in His name. I promise you that you will never regret following Jesus Christ. No matter the decision, I promise that you will always be glad you chose Him.

~

Songs of the week:

"His Eye is on the Sparrow" sung by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/music/music-from-april-2024-general-conference/2024-04-his-eye-is-on-the-sparrow?lang=eng

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

Cool devotionals/sermons:

"Illuminated Stories" by Robert T. Barrett. 

If you like art, check this one out. It's super cool. 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/robert-barrett/illuminated-stories/

"The Inconvenient Messiah" by Patricia and Jeffrey R. Holland

"Yes, but not this way."

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-and-patricia-t-holland/inconvenient-messiah/

~

Love you all! Jesus Christ is real. His Gospel really works.

Love,

Elder Rigby

Week 43 - Fort Smith, Arkansas

 4.24.24 

(Here's last week's email. Sorry it's late! I'll send this week's email later today.)

Hey all!

Hope everyone's having a good week. We were super busy today and I'm low on time, so I'll keep it short and sweet. 

~

Fun stuff this week:

- talked with a Vietnamese lady for like five minutes through Google Translate and she was cool. We didn't have a Book of Mormon in Tiếng Việt, but we'll swing by again when we track one down for her. 

- traded friends with the Spanish Elders. They introduced us to an English-speaking dude named Keonte and we introduced them to a Spanish-speaking lady named Guadalupe and both of them accepted a date for baptism right on the doorstep! The Fort Smith Zone is doing awesome right now and the number of friends we have who are planning to be baptized has doubled in the last week. 

- the Elders from Mena, AR came up for the day and we obliterated some potatoes with a sling handmade by Elder McKee (see Google Photos.)

- went to the Fort Smith Historical Museum and nerded out over WWII paraphernalia and other old stuff for two and a half hours. 

- ran into a bulletin board while playing games at the church today and somehow ended up with a thumbtack in my arm. I didn't notice for a full minute until one of the sister missionaries saw it and freaked out, so that was fun. 

~

Thought: Matthew 5:6

 Full transparency, these last two weeks were really hard. I've been fighting some demons that caught me off-guard and it hasn't been a smooth ride. However, fighting my battles alongside Christ has given me plenty of opportunities to ponder what I really desire from the life I've been blessed with. 

A lot of things I'd been pondering clicked together when I read this verse from Christ's Sermon on the Mount:

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

When we're hungry, we don't have food, when we're thirsty, we don't have water, and, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, well, we don't have righteousness. 

Christ is looking for those who are hungry for virtue. He's not asking if you already have it, He's asking how badly you want it.

"They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:31-32)

How badly do you want it?

~

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

Song of the week: "Back to the Shack" by Weezer

Cool stuff:

"Becoming a Consecrated Missionary" by Tad R. Callister: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13RTVR1czGPaiNDLVYQf6lcn_ptkRs9bQ/view?usp=drivesdk

"Our Identity and Our Destiny" also by Elder Callister (he's one of my favorites)

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/tad-r-callister/our-identity-and-our-destiny/

~

Love, 

Elder Rigby