Rikarika Rodeback???? Who is that???? - August 27, 2012

People of Amedica, I present to you! THUG LIFE - By  Elder Rikarika Rodeback!

Ahhhahaha! What's up people? Another week and another update! Sorry I didn't get one out last week.  Sadly, the library internet was down all day last week so I had to go up north to Maple Wood and had just enough time to write my momma. Just for an update I hadn't been sleeping at all for a week so I went to the doctor and he said that it was most likely caused from racing thoughts caused by ADD (I told you mom). So he prescribed Aderral form me  and I got home and decided I would leave it in the Lords hands.  No medication or nothing. That stuff is way too scary for me. Welllp let's get to the week shall we?  Oh yeah let's do this thang!!

Monday 8/20/12
Today we did the usual "P" day stuff.  We got up at six did laundry, studies at seven but at eight we did a switch-up.  We went Transformer hunting FIRST!  We went to Toys R Us and it was a joke so we went to WalMart and, OH YEAH I bought an Iron Hide!  Then we went to the library and then did a Zone volleyball tourney.  We had a BLAST!  The only part that was the pits was, I hadn't slept since Thursday and I was nasty sick ALL DAY!

Tuesday 8/21/12
We had a lesson with Alex who is a killar investigator! He is sixteen and guess what we have in common….We both Adore MMA!  We had a super solid lesson with him though and I am absolutely positive that he will be baptized this next transfer! (thats all I can write because I ran out of time to write in my journal on Tuesday)

Wednesday 8/22/12
Today was sweet. I went on exchanges with Elder Montes. He and I get along so well. He is my District Leader and he lives in the same apt. as me.  We taught Teresita who was baptized the Sunday before and she is the sweetest lady. The funny thing though is for some reason Elder Montes only baptizes old people haha. Then we taught John who has been investigating the church for a while and it was a good lesson.  Luckily all the people we taught today spoke English so I was able to participate. After John we got juked on an appointment with Carlitos so we went and saw Cesar who is bi polar and special in other ways he was cool.

Thursday 8/23/12
Today, was kind of a joke. Super irritating! We had TAC (Transfer Apartment Cleaning) then we had weekly planning.  After that we did service so we didn't do any proselytizing til 7:15 :( super stunk but I felt good for helping Sister Alvarez. I knew that we had helped someone feel Christ's love.

Friday 8/24/12
Today we taught Alex again. He is such a stellar kid! He understands everything but  he just isn't sure if this is the right path for him. I am pretty sure if we work really hard, we can help him to see that to be able to return to Heavenly Father someday and truly come unto Christ, he needs to step through the gate of baptism. Baptism is not the end it is merely the beginning of the long trek back.

Saturday 8/25/12

Yeah I totally spaced writing in my journal today!  Whoops! L

Sunday 8/26/12
Today, was the end of the first transfer...wait what? Where in the world has the time gone??? I can't believe that I have already been in Jersey for six weeks, that blows my mind! Elder Heward has been called to be District Leader today.  I'm pumped for him! He is gonna be a killa district leader!  We taught Doris today who we met on saturday and she commited to prepare to be baptized on the 30th of September!

Wellp my peeps,  that's some of the high lights of my week :) I know that this gospel changes lives and  that people truly come to Christ through repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. I know that miracles come from having undying faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I love this gospel more than I love anything in the world and I know that people are prepared to hear the gospel from me. Heavenly Father needs me here and  there is not one other place I would rather be. I love you all!  Until next week,  remember "Called to Serve.  Here to love!"

Peace from the East.

Elder Rodeback

My First Baptism! - August 13, 2012

Hey, guess what time it is? Yeah you guessed it! Yours, mine and our favorite time of the week!  IT'S FREAKIN UPDATE TIME!!!!!!!!!! What's up people of the kushie Alpine, haha!  It's been an awesome week since the last time we talked and a lot of cool stuff has happened!  So let's do this thang!  By duh way... I was emailing Elder Richard (Peper) and he said,  "You sound black, I think Jersey is already diggin in it's roots."

HAHA!  I love that kid to death!!!

Monday:

"P" day is seriously awesome!  Being able to talk to my momma for an hour or so is awesome!  I straight up miss her like CRAZZZYYYY! We went Transformer hunting.  Back up to before we left the apartment to goTransformer hunting.  We always say a prayer as an apartmentship before we head out together.  It was my turn to pray and yeah you guessed it,  I straight up asked Heavenly Father that "As we go out on our hunt we can find our prey that they might be killed and brought back to the den."   Guess what happened?  I FOUND THE TWO I WANTED!!!!!!!  Yeah, I found my Star Scream and my Sideswipe!  I was so pumped Heavenly Father even double blessed me in letting me find a Mike Aitken signature flick trix at the toy store and it came with a Mike action figure. Did I buy it? Obviously, I'm not dumb enough to pass up that kind of a blessing! When I'm blessed I take it and RUN. We also started an exchange with the zone leaders.

Tuesday:

I ran the area fo da first time eva!! We taught Carline and had a killer lesson with her! Elder Taylor is a stellar missionary.

Wednesday:

Today was specialized training for the new elders and their trainers (sisters are also included in that).  I was so pumped to get to see some of the MTC buds again. Me and Elder Thompson met up and we are still tight.  We joked and laughed and had a killer time.  Me and Elder Call are still buds too.  We taught Nombes but sadly Pierra had to drop us.  :(  Her parents who are in Africa said they didn't want her to talk to us anymore.  Luckily we had a killer lesson wit the Beldores (less actives) and they committed to come to  church. Whooop!

Thursday:

Today was walking day.  Such a drag... we walked around for six hours, it was so fetching humid and HOT!  I got heat exhausted so we had to give elders Christensen and Montes a call to come and pick up. As soon as they did we went and got food.  I ate healthy while they got Wendy's.  HAHA fatties,  but as soon as we walked into Wendy's a torrential down pour smacked the city in the face. It was seriously like an instant flood. Stuff was over flowin' people were wiggin' out it was HILARIOUS!!!  The rain out here is so pretty!  We had the opportunity to teach Eric today. The lesson was stellar,  he really wants to do what Heavenly Father wants for him to do.

Friday:

Today, wasn't as eventful as Thursday except we had a solid lesson with the Martinez family (part-member and less active family).  Joe is not a member but his wife is,  she is just less active. We were gonna teach the atonement and then I had a super solid impression to ask him if he had ever had the missionary lessons before, and why not. And bam it was like an instant break through.  We switched and taught the restoration and he was very receptive he even committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.

Saturday:

Today, was much needed.  We had meetings with the mission president, President Jeppson, and it helped me truly understand some things.  I can with 100% confidence say that he is called of God.  We had a sweet lesson with a new investigator tonight. His name is Frets.  His wife is a member and he hasn't had the lessons yet so obviously we jumped all over dat.  He is 100% prepared by God.  He had so many questions and the Gospel answered all of them he even committed to be baptized!

Sunday:

Today, was my first baptism!  I had the opportunity to help Laventure begin his journey to Christ and the kingdom of God.  I am so excited for him!  He was about to jump out of his skin after it was over!  My entire  view of missionary work has been changed because of that one moment in time.

Today:

Today, we woke up at six so we could hit the laundry mat by seven, begin studies at eight, and hit the library at ten (sorry it took so long to write dis momma) I even got to see a picture of two of my closest buds.  Cody and Kevin.  I really miss you guys!  Hope life at home is treatin' you well and Cody, have an awesome time at the MTC!  I absolutely loved the MTC.  Just be who you are and shake things up!!! Also ask my mom to show you the MTC angry birds video.  haha if you play it on "P" day you will have a blast!!!!! I love you two knuckle heads be good!

Wellp, there it is. Update of da week suuuu whaaaaaa! haha I love all yals out there readin'  dis. I love this Gospel and I love seeing the happiness it brings people.  By the way there's a few people I wanna yell at through this email.  The people who said they were gonna write me... I am very disappointed to have not received anything as of yet.  You are breakin' commandments when you don't write missionaries. Look it up in proverbs 25:25.  Yeah das was up... my address is:

Elder Patrick Rodeback

859 Cross Street

Elizabeth, NJ  07201

I better get something dis week from all you punks (especially

my little sister) Hahaha

Peace and anarchy!

Elder Rodeback

August 6, 2012

What's up, people from outta the hood! HaHa!  Life out here is killa tight!  I'm really beginning to adapt... yeah!  So we were so rushed that I totally forgot my journal when we left the apartment today so this letter is gonna be a brief recollection of what happened in the past week.

Monday:

Today was "P" day. It was a good day, nowhere near as rushed as the first "P" day. We went to da library and did email and honestly, something I will never EVER get sick of, is hearing from my momma. It makes my day every time! Getting letters is even better! We then went shopping and then you guessed it. TRANSFORMER HUNTING! We went to Walmart,  Kmart, and Target and to my dismay they had absolutely NO GOOD TRANSFORMERS!  Not one Starscream, or Optimus or Jet

Fire or Mega Tron, nothing.  I was so disappointed!

We then went and taught a killer lesson to Laventure.

So because I forgot my journal everything else blends together,  so today I decided to do it a little different. What I'm gonna do is write down our investigators and the lessons we had and then at the end say some funny stuff that happend.

Laventure:

He is such a stud! He is 13 and absorbs everything we teach him and his dad is completely on board with him being baptized. To my excitement he axed( thats how people out her say asked) me to be the person that baptizes him! Whooo! I'm so excited he really understands everything and as soon as he learns something he does everything he can to apply the teachings to his life. As soon as I get pictures at his baptism I will send them home. We played at the park with him and his cousins again and his little cousin Silva held my hand again, such a cute kid!

Charlene:

She juked our first appointment this week and the second one we set, she also juked.  But at the second one we taught her sister so all is good!

Kevin:

Kevin is a solid guy.  He is 23 and he really wants to know the gospel.  He came to church yesterday so he is on track for his baptism date of the August 26th.  whooop whooop!

Those are our three dates.  We had some sweet contacts and we are working hard and really striving to be 100% obedient and we are pretty good at it.

We had 4 investigators at church yesterday, 3 of which have dates and are progressing well! We also taught Pierra.  She is from Belguim and is 17, even though she looks 20!  She is super solid and really wants to know of the gospel and its teachings.  

Well I hope mom is posting pictures. Miss you all! keep it thug out th're haha peace from the hood!

Elder Rodeback!