I'm a Yorkshireman - Monday, August 15, 2016

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

I am so excited to come home but I am also torn. It sounds like every
one has been really busy this week. I haven't got the letter yet, but
it is probably waiting at the mission office for me. Well we had so
many miracles this week. I have really seen the Lord's hand in all
things.

Ah I am going to miss Carol and Thomas so much. They are so good. From
the time we first met them they have been so willing to learn. I have
seen a huge change in them. They are happier and it just seems
brighter in their home. It is amazing how the gospel can literally
change someone's life. Carol and Thomas came to church again and they
loved it again. They are getting to know people and are really fitting
into the ward. Meltham ward has done such a good job fellow shipping
them as well. Carol and Thomas say that they have been really feeling
good about the things that they are learning and that they believe it
all to be true. They are working towards September 3rd to be baptized
and they feel good about it. Carol is just trying to work off
nicotine. It was cool because she told us that she sold all of her
tobacco to her friend so she doesn't have any temptation, now she is
just on these nicotine inhaler things so we are going to help her get
off those now. They are doing amazing and I know that will get
baptized.

Ken is hilarious. This man will be remembered mostly for his laugh and
his happy personality. He could be talking about something really
morbid and still be able to make someone feel happy. Ken wasn't able
to come to church this Sunday, but we don't know why. But we are
almost done teaching him the lessons, now we are just trying to help
him make the commitment to attend church weekly.

We have a cool story this week. So we were finding one day and we
street contacted a man and his daughter. Well the man was not bothered
at all and the daughter didn't say much. So we left. Well about an
hour later we get a text from Olivia, she explained that we just spoke
to her and her dad and that she looked on the church website, liked what she
saw, spoke to a missionary online and got our phone numbers. She told
us that she wants to learn more and wants to be a member of our
church. So we met up with her and taught her. The lesson went really
well. She said that she felt good. We invited her to church and she
said that she didn't know if she could make it. Well Sunday came up
and she showed up. She loved church. She then texted us later and told
us that she felt a burning in her heart and can't wait to learn more.
She is scheduled to be baptized on the 3rd of September.

Joel is doing amazing. That man was definitely prepared to receive the
gospel. He was able to pass the sacrament this past Sunday and he did
an amazing job. Joel is doing so many good things. He is getting ready
to go home teaching now and go to the temple. Joel is ace.

Well this is really hard. I miss my family and I am excited to be home
but I feel as though I am leaving home again. I am really torn. My
heart will always be a Yorkshire Man. Whilst I have served the Lord in
the blessed land of England I have gained a very strong testimony. I
know that the work which I have been able to participate in is the
work of the Lord and it will continue to move on. I have had the
opportunity to witness miracles and see the Lord's hand in this work. I
will forever remember the people that I met, they are all now apart of
my family. The experiences that we had have impacted my life and has
changed my life. I have come to love my Saviour Jesus Christ I have
been able to experience the power of the Atonement in the lives of
many including myself. The Atonement is real and it works. Jesus
Christ did die for each of us. He knows us individually. I know that I
have a loving Heavenly Father. He knows me and has never given up on
me even though sometimes I have given up on him. He has a plan for us,
which allows us to return to him upon faith, repentance, baptism,
receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. This plan also
allows us to live with our families for eternity. For this I am so
grateful. It brings me so much joy to know that I will be able to
spend eternity with those I love. As I have had this great opportunity
to testify of the Restoration I myself have come to know that the Book
of Mormon is true and that it is the Word of God. Joseph Smith is a
prophet and was called by God to Restore the truths to the earth which
were once lost. I know that this church is true. I came to England
thinking I was going to convert everyone I met. But the greatest
convert was myself. I didn't realize this until really a few weeks
ago. I do know that this church is true and I won't deny it.

I love you all and look forward to seeing you in a few days.

God be with you until we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES.

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

  I have re-read that last sentence over and over a few times...

"I love you all and look forward to seeing you in a few days."

Wow!!! 

I get butterflies in my tummy every time I read it! :)

The two years that I wondered if they would ever pass...have!!!

It is still hard for me to really comprehend that my missionary IS REALLY coming home.  

Tomorrow night about this time we will only have an hour until we can put our arms around our boy and feel his love and speak to him in person. It warms my heart.  I'm not sure there are words to express how I really feel.  

I'm so every excited I can hardly stand it and yet too there is a part of me that kinda feels bad that this chapter of his life is over.  It has been a wonderful two years for him and us as a family having him out serving our Heavenly Father in England.  He has learned to LOVE the people and through him we have grown to love these people too.Our family has been VERY blessed over the two years he has been gone and my heart is so full of gratitude for this.

Thank you to all of you who have shared this journey with us. We have appreciated your love and support for our son. May we all continue to serve and share the gospel in whatever ways we can and continue in our journey of returning to live with a loving Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ. 

ONE WEEK is now ONE DAY!!!! :)

We are just a little excited!

The morning we took Tyler to the airport to leave for his mission, I woke up to seeing this on our bathroom mirror.  I convinced him to let me take a picture! :) 

Heavenly Father has certainly been with us through this wonderful journey. 

My last proper week :( Monday, August 8, 2016

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

Everyone sounds like they are doing good. Zone preparation day went
really well. Loads of people came. I have seen Elder Blonquist. I
haven't served around him but we have served in similar areas. Also
Elder and Sister Burnett are the senior couple in the zone. They are
great people. Also I am pretty sure I am good with money. I have
gotten Kylee a little something. I sent a few parcels home, but don't
open the box one until I get home. The other one is just letters.
Anyway things have been going really good here. We have had so many
miracles is week.

Carol and Thomas came to church again this week. They really enjoyed
it as well. Carol told us that she didn't have any doubts of coming
and she felt good the whole time. They have really come far this past
week. We have almost finished teaching them and they are just taking
everything on board. Carol has been working of stopping smoking. She
used to smoke about 15 cigs a day and now she has cut it down to 3.
She says she feels really good about it. She loves reading and
praying. Thomas was struggling with reading and praying and as a
result he was saying he wasn't receiving answers or the good feelings
that his mum has been feeling, but this past week we committed him to
sincerely read and pray. He said he would and he did and he said he is
feeling good about it now. They are excited to be baptized.

Ken was a miracle. We invited him to church and he told us that he is
going to struggle getting up, but he got up and came to church. He
loved it. Turns out he has actually been to church already in Leeds
and he knows one of the members as well. Ken is a character, he laughs
at everything but understands all that we are teaching. It was cool
because he saw Joel get the Priesthood and he asked if he was going to
get it when he was baptized.

We found Heather this week. It was a pretty interesting encounter. We
were walking to an appointment and we just said hello to Heather and
this drunk guy called Simon. Well Heather acted like she new us but
Simon started cursing us and telling us to leave. He then started
asking us why we came. Well during this we bore testimony and taught a
bit about the Book of Mormon. We found out that Heather is sitting on
the fence and wants to find out if God is there. We asked her if we
could come back and teach her, she told us yes. So we went back taught
her the Restoration and she took it really well, we then scheduled her
for baptism for September 3rd.

We met Steven, Louise, and Julie a few days ago. They let us straight
into there home. Well they had a Book of Mormon and Louise said that
she had been reading it, but just as a read. They said that they were
curious to find out more. So we started teaching them. Things started
out pretty rough, they just kept asking us questions and wouldn't
really let us answer. But towards the end we just bore testimony of
the Book of Mormon and told them that this is the only way they will
find out the truth. They said they would read and pray and come to
church next week. So then we scheduled them for the 3rd of September as well.

Yesterday we were knocking and Adam just let us straight into his
house. He is a really open minded guy who is looking for answers. He
believes in God and just wants to have an answer. So we taught him the
Restoration and told him that the way to find out is by reading and
praying about the Book of Mormon. The whole time he was listening and
he said that he is going to try this out. We invited him to be
baptized on the 3rd of September.

Well just an update on Joel. He is still doing great. Joel just got
the Priesthood and is going to start passing the sacrament next
Sunday. Joel is just an amazing guy.

This work is so good. I have learned to rely on Heavenly Father so
much. And I have seen His hand in the work. I love it and I am going
to miss it.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof100s. HE LIVES

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

Keeping it safe homies - Monday, August 1, 2016

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

It seems like you guys had a lot of fun with the whole family at the
ranch. It was probably great just chilling out. We will have to do it
again when I get home. Mum and Dad just so you know I am so thankful
for what you did for me and the things that you have taught me. So I
think it is good what you are doing. Anyway I have to apologise before
hand for the short email because we are having a zone p-day so we have
to prepare for it.

This week we have been having a lot of success. Carol and Thomas are
doing really well, they called us one day and asked us to come by and
answer some questions. We went by and Carol explained that she has
been feeling really good about the things we have been teaching.. She
feels good when she prays and when she reads. We explained to her hat
it was the Holy Ghost and that it was testifying to her of the
truthfulness of the message we are sharing. We rescheduled her for September 4th.

Joel is doing great as well. Whenever we go by he is just so excited
about the gospel and about getting involved in the church. He is
getting the priesthood next week. We are so excited for him.

We finally contacted Karleen and so we are going to teach her tonight.
We have been trying to contact her for the past two weeks and we
finally got in contact. Definitely a miracle.

We also found some cool kids. We were knocking and these teenagers just
walked up to us and started chatting to us like they knew us. We got
talking about the gospel and taught them a bit about the Book of
Mormon. We gave them a chapel tour and now they are wanting to find
out more about the Book of Mormon and find out if it is true.

Anyway loads of things are happening. We are just trying to re build
our area, we have been dropped by quite a few of our investigators. So
we are just hitting the streets again. We are going to find loads of
new people. I know because Heavenly Father will help us. All things
are possible through him.

I love you all and hope everything goes well.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES.

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

I believe in Miracles - Monday, July 25, 2016

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

Did Tanner's Eagle project go well? I forgot to tell you last week that Elder Cottrell and I are safe from everything that is going on. I will try to explain what Elder Cottrell does, It is better with actions and in person: "We are told in the white handbook to keep a bit of something to give to thieves" He then puts his hand in his pocket and then pulls out his fist. We will just beat em' up. Okay okay I am totally kidding. But in all seriousness, we are safe don't worry. I am so excited that you guys enjoyed the visit from the Williams. They came earlier than I thought. That red binder is a bunch of papers and notes and trinkets that I have acquired over the past. They are pretty cool. You are more than welcome to go through them, you might get a little taste of what has happened on the mission.

This week we have had many miracles again. I have been blessed to be apart of so many miracles throughout the Mission. I have learned so much from them and they are experiences that will be with me the rest of my life.

Joel is doing great. He is just diving into things. This past week we were able to talk to him about the Aaronic Priesthood a bit more. We talked to him about how he will have the opportunity to serve others and have the responsibility to hold this Priesthood as he is worthy. He feels as though this will be his way of doing missionary work and being able to help others, especially those who's testimonies may be weak. He will have an interview with Bishop this coming week and will receive the Priesthood next week. 

I can't remember if I told you about Ken. Well we found Ken just street contacting. He lives in the same block of flats as Karleen and Joel and many of our investigators. This block of flats was a jack pot. Well Ken is a character. He laughs at everything. Seriously, you say hello and he laughs. Well we were able to teach him the Restoration and he accepted everything. He said that he loves reading and wants to read the Book of Mormon. We explained to him that in order to find out if it is true he has to pray about it. He said that he would and that as he finds out the truth of it he will get baptized. 

Another miracle. We had some lessons cancel with us, so we decided to go by a referral that we got a few days ago. His name is Josh. Josh is 18 years old and he is really open minded. He told us that he went to the Mormon church when he was little. We taught him about Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel and the spirit was really strong. He asked us how prophets are called and how we know that there is a prophet. We explained to him that God calls prophets and he gives them the priesthood. We then told him that the way to find out is through reading the Book of Mormon and praying. We were about to explain the feelings of the spirit and he then asked us about how we receive answers and we were able to explain to him about the Holy Ghost. He was so intrigued and he was really willing to read and pray. We are seeing him tomorrow. We scheduled him for baptism for the 13th of August.

Aimee is doing pretty good. We haven't been able to see her lately because she has been on holiday but she has told us that she knows it is all true and that she wants to get baptized. We are seeing so many miracles. Too many to count. I wish I could tell you of all of them. I am so grateful again that I have been able to participate in this great work and that I have been able to see Heavenly Father's hand working in my life and in the life of many others. This is all true.

I love you all and hope all is well with you.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES.

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

Sunday Selfie! :) 

The deed was done. :)

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

First off before I forget, there is a young man serving in the Huddersfield zone called Elder Nielson. He is from Nephi. Well I got talking to him and asked if he knew Aunt Ilene and Doug. Well its a small world because he does know them. His father mows Aunt Ilene's Lawn I think. I will have to get a picture with him and send it home so Aunt Ilene can show his family. He is a great lad and such a hard worker. Also you will be getting a surprise probably on the 30th of July. I am not going to tell you what it is though! Haha! :) you will have to wait and see, but if I were you I would make sure you guys are in....and don't worry I am not coming home early, it is a different surprise. Tanner I knew you always loved me! Haha that is funny. Tanner you are a character.

This week has been so good. We have had many miracles and I have again learned so much. I can't believe how much I learn each week. Also lately I have been feeling as though I have very little time but I want to do as much as I can in the little time that I have.

Joel Wills was baptized on July 16, 2016. It was such an amazing thing to see. Joel has been so willing to keep all the commitments that we have extended to him. I have been so impressed by his faith that he has shown. He believes that it is all true and feels as though he will be able to make a difference in others lives with his conversion story. He sometimes tells us that he wishes he was born into the church so he didn't have to go through some of the things that he did but then he says that he knows that it is okay because he has had certain experiences which he might be able to share with others who are struggling with their faith. Joel is such a great guy. We were able to get so many of the members involved as well. I wish there was a way to thank all of them personally for all the things that they do for us and for the Lord.

We had a pretty interesting miracle with Karleen. So we went to see Karleen but she was sick. She was very very sick and couldn't see us. Well a few days later she explained to us that she hasn't been able to pick up a cig because they just make her feel even more sick. We then told her that maybe it is Heavenly Fathers way of helping her quit smoking. She said that that was exactly what she was thinking. She is going to stop smoking this week and we hope that from that point on we will be able to help her towards baptism again.

We also got in contact with Aimee. We taught her and a less active called Anabelle. Normally we teach both of them together. Well we have been at a loss of what to teach for the past few times, because we have basically taught everything. Well we felt inspired to teach about the Atonement and show the "Because of Him" Mormon message. This was one of the greatest lessons we had. Aimee opened up a lot and shared some very personal experiences with us. She told us that she knows that the church is true and that she still wants to get baptized. We rescheduled her for August 6, 2016. There are still just a few things that we have to go over and do before she gets baptized, but we are hoping that we will be able to move her baptism forward. Also another miracle with Anabelle. She has been struggling with reading her scriptures, and after we had the lesson on the Atonement the next lesson we had she had pulled her quad out and shared her favorite scripture with us. I just thought that is was really cool.

So we were at a ward activity but decided to leave early. It was definitely inspired though because we felt that we needed to go by some investigators called Veronica and Luke. We went by and it was a good thing because they have been struggling a lot lately. We listened to them and then explained to them that the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses family relationships and that if they trust us and more importantly trust in Heavenly Father they will be able to overcome these hurdles and they will start to feel more happiness. We committed them to meeting with us more often and reading the scriptures and praying together.

Carol and Thomas are so good as well. They take everything in that we teach them and they really enjoy it. Carol is working on quitting smoking and she really wants to. Well they weren't able to come to church yesterday due to other plans but we invited them to go to a little fireside the Stake President was doing. They came and had a great time. They don't really get out much, but they later texted us and told us that they had such a great night and were grateful for it. I feel as though the gospel blesses people in many many different ways.

There are so many other miracles. But some things that I learned was that first off like I stated before, the Gospel blesses us in many different ways. It blesses individuals. We just have to be willing to learn in and then live it. Also I learned personally that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always there. I know I talk about this a lot. I was looking back and I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have helped me and my companions and investigators and many other people through so much. I don't think anything is possible without them. I am so thankful for this gospel. I love you all and hope you are well.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

Joel's Baptism 7/16/16

'Everyone knows about my favourite place!"

I'm glad he still LOVES Utah!

Tyler has been spelling some of his words incorrectly (according to us) and I've been correcting them in his blog posts ...I'm thinking it is the "England way" of spelling words!  Today, with this picture above I decided to leave it the way he had spelled it so that in years to come we would be reminded of this! :) 

We have watched as Tyler's name has slowly moved up on this list over the past two years!  At times I wondered if this day would EVER come that his name would be at the TOP!!! 

With one of his good friends, Zac Jarman returning home from his mission on the 5th of July...it FINALLY happened!  :)

I decided to add the whole picture of the missionaries serving from our ward right now!  

The unpredicted Miracle

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

Well it is pretty crazy that this is my last transfer and it was definitely weird seeing my flight itinerary. This is a bitter sweet moment. I am excited to see my family but sad to leave (my) this great land of Britain! :) :( Well it seems every week I say another week of partying for the Rife family! Haha. It seems to me that you had a wonderful week. Nick is there anything that I can do for you? Thank you all for the Birthday wishes and cards. I really enjoyed getting them. President and Sister Turvey are great aren't they! I love em to death. It is great to hear Zac is back. His family is probably so excited. Austin sent a picture over and Zac looks great. Thank you for finding out those few questions. It is weird but now I can let my mind rest. Haha. I don't feel stressed about it anymore. Thank you for always being willing to help me out!

This week has been a week of miracles. But we actually had an un-predicted miracle. It was so amazing. So Joel is getting baptized on the 16th of July!! :) I was really bad because at the beginning when we first started teaching him I didn't really have the faith. Not because I didn't think he could make the date but because I didn't think he was sincere about it. So we met Joel knocking. He told us that we could come back. So we did. We didn't think that he was going to be in. But he was. We taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He accepted everything. He had all the right answers. He has a great love for Heavenly Father. Anyway, we continued to teach him. We taught him all the lessons, and he said he even read to Jacob. Well that really surprised us. So we invited him to church. We decided that this is what was going to be the deal breaker. If Joel comes to church than we know that he is serious about this all. Well 2 Sundays ago he showed up to church. He loved it and said that everything just makes sense. We asked him if he is still looking forward to his baptism and he said yes. He said he is a bit nervous but he knows it is something that he needs to do. He said that he likes it because he is deciding for himself if these things are true. Joel looks the part as well. The first Sunday he showed up in a suit and stayed all 3 hours which isn't typical in England. It was great. We are really looking forward to Joel's baptism. We have a lot to plan for but we are super excited. The ward is very excited as well because they haven't had a convert baptism for almost over a year.

 

We also were able to get in contact with Karleen. We lost contact with her for a while. Then we just saw her on the street. She explained to us that she felt bad that she didn't come to church last week and so that is why she didn't answer her door. We went by and had a good chat with her. We just talked to her about how we are here to help her come closer to Christ. We told her that we will guide her down this path so that she can stop smoking and so that she will be able to get baptized. She told us that she is really happy and excited again. We are seeing her this evening.

We contacted Aimee again. We didn't think Aimee wanted to learn anymore, but on Tuesday a member rang us and told us that we were teaching her that evening. So we went to the church and taught Aimee. We discussed baptism and what it is. We also discussed how conversion is a process. We helped her understand that we will not know everything but that we learn over time. She told us that she received an answer and that she believes the church is true. At that point we asked her what she feels she needs to do next. She told us that she still wants to get baptized. So that is what we are working towards next. We are hopefully seeing her on Tuesday again.

We are seeing so many other miracles. Too many to speak of. I feel I have been very blessed over the past two years. I have been able to bear testimony to many many people. Which has made it so my testimony grows. I truly know that this church is true, and nothing is going to make me deny it. I also have learned that each of us go though trials. I haven't had the easiest of times but I have learned that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are there right next to me. I am so grateful for that. I am not perfect at all, but I hope that one day I will be able to "feast at the Lords table" as dad would put it. I am grateful for the gospel and I am also grateful for all of you, especially my family, who have helped me and supported me through the mission but specifically through my life. I love you all and hope you are well.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES.

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

Sorry no pictures. :( I forgot my camera cord. oops

Tyler didn't send any pictures but THANK GOODNESS his new mission president did!!!! :)

Elder Rife with President & Sister Turvey

Transfer Week...I am.....STAYING

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

Thank you for the Birthday wishes. I still feel the same though...an immature teenager. I'm gonna stay young, wild and free...haha okay maybe not. Well Thanks again. I hope that you enjoy the parade. I really love the parade and the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite holidays as well. I can't believe I missed Tim McGraw. I will have to catch him another time. Well to answer your questions. I am staying in Meltham for the rest of the mission. I am really excited about that. I am also staying with Elder Cottrell which is amazing as well. We are hoping to see some amazing miracles this transfer. I did meet the new Mission President. He is great and has a desire to help the mission "March North" I am excited for him and sad that I don't get to have the opportunity to work with him longer. I don't know about the plans for my departure yet. I am pretty sure I will get them in the next few weeks and you will get them as well. I have a few questions for you as well. What is happening for Uni? Do I have a schedule yet? Did Kynsie talk to that guy for work? If not maybe you could talk to Dan Williams and Uncle Scott, I would love to work for them again. Also do you know when I am speaking in sacrament, what is the topic, and how long do I have? WOW those are some really trunky questions. Well back to reality, oh there goes gravity, oh its not that easy. (Quoting Eminem)

This week we have seen many many miracles. The first, we have been working with Joel. He is a guy in his 40s. We knocked into him a few weeks ago. Well we have been teaching him for the past few weeks and he has been giving all the right answers. Anyway, he is scheduled for the 16th of July. We were kind of lacking faith that he was being sincere. So we talked to him about all the things that he has to do and the things that we have to teach him. So he told us that he can give up tea no problem, doesn't smoke, drink, or drink coffee. Which was a surprise. So we went on and talked to him about the importance of church. He told us that he understands it and would come. Again he was giving all the right answers. So we asked him if he still wants to get baptized and he said yes. He told us that a few years ago he would have never done something like this but then he had an experience that opened his mind to so much more and helped him have a love for God more. He said that he has kind of been wandering looking for answers. Well the Church of Jesus Christ has the answers. On Sunday he showed up for church and stayed the full 3 hours. Incredible! We were so happy. He really enjoyed it and was getting on really well with the members. After he asked us when we could come again. Elder Cottrell and I really think he will get baptized on the 16th of July and that he really and sincerely wants this. He is a great guy.

We had another great lesson with Ammad. He is still on the fence just teetering. He knows that this is all true and that he wants to get baptized and he wasn't telling us what was holding him back. Anyway he has been meaning to talk to his dad about baptism but hasn't so Elder Cottrell and I felt inspired to show him the little clip from Meet the Mormons about Bishnu from Kathmandu. It talks about how we can still like our culture and live the gospel. I feel like it really reached out to Ammad. We asked him to fast and pray to know what to do and also asked him to make a baptismal date for himself. So we are going to see what happens. Ammad is such a great guy and I know that he has felt the spirit, he knows that this church is true. He just needs a little bit more.

That same day that we saw Ammad another lesson cancelled so we decided to go knock. We both felt inspired to knock the street next to Ammads. So we were knocking and came across this guy. Well I nearly jumped out of my trousers because 2 big Rottweiler's came to the door and it scared me. haha, He then pulled them back and put them in the next room. He told us that they were really nice. I am always scared when a big dog comes to the door. When they come I always try and judge the height of the fence to see if I would be able to jump it! haha. But back to the miracle that I was telling. So anyway we started talking to this guy. At first I though he wasn't too bothered but as we got talking about the Restoration of the Gospel and about how their is away to find out for yourself he just listened so intently. We asked him if he would test it out and he said of course. He told us that he is really open minded and really wants to know what is out there.

There have been so many miracles happening. I know that Heavenly Father will continue to bless us as we are obedient. Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. This is the true Church on the Earth. I know it and I love it.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES 

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

"We had  a ward activity...it was a Luau. They volunteered us to cut the pig...well there is a first for everything!"

"This is Ammad and us.  Ammad is the one with the beard and John Andrews is the one with the poofy hair."

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Have a wonderful day celebrating this wonderful country that we have been blessed to live in.

We Love America!

I believe in miracles - Monday, June 27, 2016

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

Well it seems once again that everyone had a fantastic week. I hope all is going well. Mum, Kynsie, and Kendra I am so glad that you enjoyed New York City. It seems like you all had so much fun. Tanner and Dad you took me back to the good ole' days of Timberline. I hope I am able to go up again. Tanner I hope you know that the experience you had up there was Heavenly Father working through you to help that young man and help all the other young men. Your influence will be with those young men the rest of their lives. Kylee I hope you had a blast as well.

This week has been a week full of miracles. We have seen so many miracles it is insane but I guess the Church is all about miracles. The only sad part about the week is that President Pilkington goes home on Wednesday. :( He really helped me a lot. I am so grateful for the things that he taught me. 

Karleen is doing so good. She still loves the church and is reading and praying. We are working with her right now to help her quit smoking. She only smokes a few but the addiction really has a hold of her. She really wants to get baptized. So we are hoping that we are able to help her so she can get baptized on the 9th of July. Keep her in your prayers. Any good ideas to stop smoking?

Aimee is doing good as well. She has been to Church so much and absolutely loves coming. It is as if she is a part of the ward already. She just looks the part. We weren't able to see her this week but we are planning to teach her on Tuesday. She is still struggling with her nerves a bit. She is afraid she doesn't know enough yet. We are just trying to help her realize that she doesn't need to know everything to get baptized. But she will get there. The members are so involved and her Dad is really supportive. She really wants to get baptized but she just wants to know a bit more.

So remember Golden that I told you about last week. Well I couldn't get him out of my head. It just kept ringing and I was thinking goodness the lesson we had with him was so good. What happened? Well I was praying that we would be able to teach him again. We were knocking the block of flats that he lives in and we were in the staircase making a phone call. Well Golden comes walking up and we get chatting. We talked about what he was told and explained to him that the way to know is to sincerely read and pray. He told us that he doesn't know what happened, he says that he doesn't feel negative towards the Church or to the things that we are sharing so he invited us back. We went by and read Alma 32 with him. The spirit was strong again. We were able to commit him to start reading and praying everyday. He said he would. Well as we were leaving he told us that he feels really good when we are around and knows that he needs to read the Book of Mormon more. He then asked us if we could come around more often. :) I think things will go well with Golden. We are seeing him on Wednesday.

We also met this lady named Isabelle. She is from Portugal. Well we were talking to Isabelle about the Church on the street. She said we could go around. So we did. Well we were running a bit late and she was heading out the door. So we set another time up and we taught her the Restoration. She told us that this is what she has been looking for. She told us that her husband who is a devote Catholic has been trying to get her to pray for ages and he will be so happy that we got her to pray the first time. She started crying and was holding the Book of Mormon near her heart saying that she is so grateful that Heavenly Father has answered her prayer. We are seeing her on Tuesday.

We started working with a former named Ammad. Well this is an interesting story. Ammad has been taught by the missionaries for a long time. He has been to Church loads and loves the Church. So members of the Church kept asking about Ammad and we were like who is this guy. Anyway, one day a few lessons flogged and Ammad's name popped into our head. We decided to try by and he was in. We set up a return appointment and we taught him about baptism and scheduled him for July 02 which is the end of the week. We are going to push it to July 09 though because President has asked to give him a bit more time. Anyway back to the miracle. After we taught him he was telling us that he had been praying only a few days earlier and asked Heavenly Father to-* have the missionaries contact him again. Well Heavenly Father answers prayers and we just pointed out that it was an answer. We are seeing him this evening.

So many miracles are happening. It is incredible the blessings which we are seeing. Heavenly Father really does bless His children and it is because He loves them. I know that Heavenly Father loves us. No matter what we have done or who we have been He loves us. He will always be with us. I love you all and hope you are well. If you need anything let me know.

God be with you till we meet again. On our way. #10sof1000s. HE LIVES

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

Car Contacting! :)

" Doing the Great work of the Lord.  Elder Cottrell is happy even though he isn't smiling.  Haha"

Miracle after Miracle - Monday, June 20, 2016

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

Well I think all you do is party all the time. haha. At least you are all staying busy. Tanner tell me all about how Timberline went. Man, also Boy's State is pretty intense, but you do learn a lot and it looks really good for Universities and for jobs. Kylee you gotta tell me all about Camp Big Springs as well. And everyone has got to tell me about how there week went this past week. I am excited you are all having fun. To answer your question, area booking is white washing. President Pilkington is trying to get rid of missionary lingo so we call it area booking and instead of greenie we call them stars. But yeah Elder Cottrell and I have "white washed the area" I have done it quite a few times on the mission. I did it in Leeds with Elder Zheng and in York with Elder Bailey and now here in Meltham with Elder Cottrell. But it has been honestly great. The ward is great and we aren't getting lost anymore. We are lucky because we have a car to go visit everyone in the Zone but it makes it easier to get around places in the area.

This week we have seen a lot of miracles. Karleen unfortunately won't be able to make her date for baptism but she is working really hard to quit smoking. She knows that this is all true and she loves the church. She loves everyone at the church. She is basically a member of the church. She gets involved and the ward loves her. We are hoping to make some more plans to help her stop smoking. We were told some ideas about drinking a glass of water or a glass of orange juice before smoking and apparently it puts you off a cigarette. We are hoping to re-schedule her for baptism for the 16th of July.

Aimee is doing great as well. Each lesson we have is just so spiritual and uplifting. She has nothing against getting baptised. She just wants to know a bit more so she too is working towards July 16th to get baptised. She fits in at the church as well. All the Young Women love her and get her so involved with everything. We are planning on seeing her on Tuesday with her dad. We are hoping to try and get her Dad involved in the lessons.

Well this week we found a guy named Golden. He is so cool. He is from down south but is originally from Zimbabwe. We knocked on this guys door who wasn't interested but then as he started closing the door we kept talking to him and Golden popped around the corner. He told us that he wanted to know more. He told us that we could come to his house in the evening. So we went by. We started talking to him and he informed us that he has been looking for the truth. We taught him about Joseph Smith and explained to him that he can find truth as he does as Moroni directs us to do. The spirit was so strong it was incredible. Golden said that this is what he had been looking for. His prayer was amazing as well. He accepted baptism and is working towards the 16th of July. Unfortunately we have not been able to meet with him. He got some anti stuff from his friend. But we are still going to see where this takes us. I know that he felt the spirit and I don't think he can deny that.

We are also working with Akmed and Alana. Akmed is from Egypt and Alana is from Romania. They are ace. We met them street contacting. Akmed is Muslim and Alana is Christian. They are both very open minded. So, at first Akmed kinda was bashing us but then we gave him an Arabic Book of Mormon and we told him to read it. Anyway, the next time we went by he said that he has been reading the Book and that it has been keeping him up at night. He said that he is interested in learning more. So we took him on a chapel tour last night. We asked him if he would pray about it and he said he would. We are seeing them on Tuesday.

Well so many other miracles have been happening. Thank you for your prayers and support. Because of them it has kept me going. Well I love you all and hope you are all well.

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

Elder Cottrell and Elder Rife

with Elder Laborero. 

 "He was my Zone Leader in Leeds.  I lived with him.  He helped me so much on the mission.  What a legend."

"This was our selfie with President and Sister Pilkington.  One time in a Zone Conference Elder Allen from the Seventy came and was talking about Ipads.  Anyway, they got a selfie with President and Sister Pilkington.  Later President got up and the first thing he said was, "I'm now a selfie man". haha!  He doesn't like technology at all."