August is a month of birthdays
so first I have to wish my dear daddy Happy Birthday this Saturday!
Everyone treat him real nice and be good to him! I love you so much dad!
Hope you get to golf! Also a happy birthday to my awesome
brother-in-law, Ryan Rudd! You are amazing and my sister is super lucky
and I hope I get just as lucky as I earn all my "hot husband" points out
here on my mission! ; ) Ha ha...and "honorable priesthood holder who
loves God and adores me points!" ; ) That's who you are to my sister and
I thank you for taking such good care of her! Eat a bite of Cold Stone
for me on your big day!
OK so...I have a really funny story for you all this
week! I went on my first exchange (where I trade companions and areas
for a day with another set of sisters) and I was sent to a Spanish area
with a Spanish speaking companion. I was thinking, "Welp, this will be
interesting! How on earth am I gonna help anyone when I don't speak
Spanish!" The day actually turned out to be really fun for me but here's
the best part: We were teaching this sweet sweet woman named Yuri. My
companion told her I was a singer and they wanted to hear me sing and
they of course didn't know any American singers so I asked if they knew
Selena. So I sang a Selena song and they were blown away...really...they
were so cute and she was so sweet and wants a CD ha ha...Now, I don't
speak Spanish but I grew up around it and took French and Italian so I
can follow a conversation pretty well...actually way better than I ever
knew I could! So Yuri was so confused when I would respond to her
questions or comments and laugh and nod along. She looked at me like, "I
thought you didn't speak Spanish???" We read from the Spanish Book of
Mormon and I read verses in Spanish, I felt like I was saying it all
wrong but was doing my best. I asked a question about the story and Yuri
just looked at me and said, "How can you read and pronounce Spanish
perfectly but you can't speak it?!! Your Spanish is really good! I
understand your sentences as you read them!" Ha ha...she was just so
shocked and so impressed with how well I was doing and at how hard I was
trying to communicate with her as much as I could. I told her why I
knew a little bit and how, because of majoring in vocal performance, I
had many classes on diction and foreign language courses so I could sing
in different languages if I had to. So I can usually read and
pronounce well even if I have no idea what I am saying. But for all the
rest of the lesson my companion translated for me my testimony I bore
and questions I asked and things so we got along pretty well...but at
the end of the lesson I was bearing my testimony in English while she
translated....she speaks Spanish but has struggles with it still and at
the end I was saying something like, "I know Jesus Christ truly is my
Savior and that He can heal every hurt. I know that His gospel is true.
If it weren't I would be here, embarrassing myself trying to speak
Spanish!" (You know...just letting her know how much I wanted her to
know for herself this was all true....) So my companion was talking and
she came to a point and said, "I don't know what the word embarrassing
is in Spanish....so questioningly she said, "ebmbarrasado??
embarrassido??" And Yuri's face lit up with some shock kind of like,
"Oh! Really? You?!" And she started speaking really fast and I heard
somewhere in there "bebe" and I looked at her like, "What? Did she just
say baby?" And then she made the motion with her hands of a pregnant
belly....she pointed at me. I was like, "NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ha
ha....come to find out embarrassido means pregnant...Seriously???!!!!!
What are the odds?! Ha ha...oh we laughed so hard and I think I laughed
for an hour after...."If the gospel of Jesus Christ weren't true I
wouldn't be here....pregnant..." Ha hahahahahah oohhhhh heeee
hehehe...man....just to funny...she must have been very confused! We
cleared that up though! Don't worry ; ) But my first thought was, "Can't
wait to tell my family that one!" I always wanted one of those funny
language barrier stories from my mission! Didn't think I'd get one
speaking English! ; ) It was too funny though...but it was amazing
though. I was in another lesson that day and the lady was dropping the
missionaries and I just listened intently and knew pretty much what she
was saying....and although I didn't know 100%...I knew what I needed to
say to her and bear my testimony of...and I felt the spirit sooo
strongly....tears welled in my eyes and I didn't even know why
really...but I knew the spirit was there testifying, and after we left
my companion said I asked the perfect questions and said exactly what
she needed to hear....I was just stunned really...they didn't accept the
gospel but we knew we had done all we could...we both bore testimony
and the spirit touched their hearts....that is all we can do!
I had the opportunity to go inside the San Diego
Temple today and do a session for the very first time. It was so
beautiful and I couldn't believe my eyes. I sat and cried as I felt of
such peace and literally felt like I ascended the stairway to
heaven...as I walked down the grand staircase the thought crossed my
mind, "You truly are my Princess Ralynne...and I am teaching you how to
become a Queen." I will never forget my first experience there....and
long for and look forward to the day I will stand hand in hand with my
sweetheart there and be sealed together for time and all eternity....I
stepped into a sealing room and looked in the mirror and tried to
picture it...I have faith that wonderful blessing will come....in the
Lord's most perfect timing it will. What a happy day that will be!
I have another baptism on Saturday (my dad's
birthday, how perfect!) Sierra and Cheyenne...the two 9 year old twins!
We helped them clean their house yesterday and one said, "I am so glad
you Sisters are here. You're just the best!" = ) They are the sweetest
and I am so happy to be part of such a special day with them!
Love you all and pray for your most desired blessings to come!
Have a wonderful week!
Love Always,
Sister Riggs
