Continue in Patience

Hiya Mum, Dad, and Family,

To answer your questions. I guess I was just trying to figure out how to teach again. I had taken a step back I think, but I have been studying more intently and trying harder to understand the things I study. That was the stretching part. Elder Miles and I are being 100% obedient. The reason we are up usually that late is because we are on the phone with the Assistants talking about the Zone and how we are going to help them for the coming week. I am getting enough sleep. Don't get me wrong I am tired but there are loads of things that keep me going. Like the love of the Gospel and the people we meet each day. It really is crazy how many people we meet who are so prepared to hear us out. We have had quite a few experiences of that this week.

We are working with three separate families, they are all so amazing. We have been working with Mel. She is so good. Mel has an amazing desire to learn about the gospel and learn how she can be made clean. Sometimes she gets down because of her stumbling blocks, but she keeps pushing. She is trying really hard to stop smoking and drinking. The last time we saw Mel she was feeling overwhelmed about the 27th of February to be baptized. She didn't think she would be able to make it. She got really scared. We talked about how Heavenly Father will help us. That through him all things are possible, we then felt it better to make some goals with her to quit easier. She most likely won't make it on the 27th but is still wanting to be baptized within the next month. I know she will make it and she felt better about taking smaller steps to cut down. She is an amazing lady and her prayers are so good as well. You can really see her desire.

Quick tidbit Nigel from Hull is doing amazing. I heard that he has cut down on the smoking and he has been to church 2 times now!!! :) Also we got some bad news from Hull, one of my favourite investigators passed away. Tony, he has family in the church and was really trying to figure out if what we were saying was true. But I know that he has accepted the gospel. He was an amazing lad.

So we are also teaching the Polish family still. Alex, Anna, and Maggie. They are really open minded and really love God. We took them on a chapel tour. We were showing them all the paintings around the Church. They saw the one where Christ is giving his apostles the Priesthood. They took loads of interest in that picture. We taught them again about the Priesthood authority and then it lead into the Holy Ghost somehow. Alex expressed to us how he wants to feel "good". He said he has felt this "happy" feeling in the past but doesn't know what it is. We explained to them that it is the Holy Ghost and that they can have that feeling with them always. We taught them about baptism. The Spirit was so strong you could really feel it. Oh my they were listening to us so intently and asking so many questions. They said that they would pray about baptism. We asked them to pray about the 27th of February and they said they would. We haven't seen them since Saturday but we are hoping to see them a few times this week.

So the Beever family... These people have been prepared. I told you a bit about them last week. Well we wanted to schedule them on Friday so we decided to fast for them. We fasted that day and we were feeling really good about it. We got there and the lesson just didn't go how we planned whatsoever. It was really frustrating. We didn't know what happened. It was just chaotic. We left and we weren't able to invite them or schedule them for baptism. I was really confused. I kept thinking "Heavenly Father is supposed to bless us" "we are doing our best" I just couldn't figure out what happened. I shamefully have to say I got a bit upset. We decided to go and see them on Sunday, just to pop by. Well as we drove by Joanne (the mum) was looking out the window almost as if she were waiting for us. haha. We walked in the door and one of her daughters was leaving. She looked at us funny and then left. Well we taught them the Restoration and it went perfectly. We were able to schedule them for the 27th of February and they are really excited to test it out. Well then her daughter that left came back. She started asking us loads of questions and then expressed to us that she thinks that it is a sign from God for her to test it out too because she is never home on a Sunday. Well who knows but I know that they will get an answer. I got a slap in the face though. I realized that I just needed to be patient. I should have just waited a little longer. Heavenly Father does bless us but it is in His own time. If we continue in patience like President Uchtdorf exhorts us to do we will be blessed. I know that it is true.

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

Love, Elder Tyler Rife

YIPPEE...We got pictures!  

Elder Miles and Elder Rife

in a random field near where Mel lives

Elder Rife and Elder Miles 

preparing for Zone Training -- "It was quite boring. HaHa"

Not sure what is going on with that look of his! He definitely makes his Mom smile! :)