April 23, 2012

Mom,

More photos for everyone!!!

Mom don't worry I completely understand that you didn't mean not to send an e mail. I thought that you just decided I was wanting to write to everyone else so you kept that time for them. Thanks for the e mail though I enjoyed getting to read a lot of e-mails in the morning. I still haven't received my package yet. You could try calling the service that you sent it with to check and see where it's at. Right now it's in the afternoon and I am about to get out to go work. Before I forget can you send an e-mail to Elder McGregor with some of my photos of the mission that he hasn't seen. He sent me an e-mail with some neat pictures of his past few months in the mission. Africa looks a lot like here. Anyways I know you are excited to hear wha'ts the new changes and all. I haven't left from Barranquilla, but I am in a new area. I am smack right in the middle of the mission. I am in the stake where the mission office is and so I am more in the central part of Barranquilla rather than on the out skirts. The stake is called Paradise Stake (estaca paraiso) and the ward is called Model ward (barrio modelo). My new companion is from Buenos Aries, Argentina. He is 21 years ond and has three months in the mission. We have been able to teach very easily and find the unity and spirit to make a successful companionship. I am ecited to have time to work here in this new area. The ward is small but the members are very strong. We don't meet in a church we meet in a house on Sundays. They don't have enough Priesthood holders to make it a real ward , but there are about 80 members. Since there aren't enough men in the ward we have to complete a lot more responsibilities like teach the classes on Sundays and give more talks on Sundays. Nothing better than teaching more haha. I am not the best teacher and especially in Spanish, but I have been able to develop a lot of gifts on the mission and I feel that teaching more clearer is one of them. I have been able to understand the spriti more and so it helps a lot when you're stuck at times. I have been reading my patriarchal blessing to find out what I can develop more or what more God has in store for me and what other goals I can make to develop more. The one thing it mentions is my testimony is very strong and that if I use it, I will be able to help others find theirs. So I am focusing a lot on that. It,s been great these last few months to be here and to share what I know. The mission is easy. At first it was hard, butnow it's super easy.

Elder Ridley



Love you