Letter from July 9

My birthday was awesome. My pensionista made us good food and surprised me with a little party and a big cake!  We enjoyed it with their family as well as with another family of members. The best gift that I received though happened in the afternoon.  Elder Norris and I were proseliting and it seemed like all of our appointments were falling through.  We started to knock a few doors with the hopes of finding someone. If you remember Hector, he is the guy that was going to be baptized about 3 weeks ago, but left the city the day before his baptism without informing us.  For the past three weeks we haven`t been able to call him because he has been in a village where there isn`t any service.  Well we passed by his house hoping that he was home and to our surprise he was!!  He invited us in to the house and we began to talk with him. He apologized for leaving without telling us and said that there was an emergency in the family. Later in the conversation we asked him how he felt about being baptized and he asked us if he could be baptized the following day.  The next day Hector was baptized!! It was such a huge blessing to be able to receive such a great gift like that on my birthday.

In other news, I am currently in Tarma.  Last night we travelled to La Oroya to baptize Sebastian.  I can honestly say that yesterday was the best day in my entire mission!  I am sure of that!  We arrive at the chapel in Marcavalle excited to see the family of Dina and Abraham. To my surprise there was a ton of members there!  They had all come to the baptism of Sebastian and some of them heard that I was going to go to baptize him.  I went around the room shaking everyone’s hand with a smile on my face that only a kid in a candy store would have.  I saw so many of the members that I had worked with for months. I got to baptized him and let’s just say that it was a full house.  There were about 60 people there, which is more than I have seen at any baptism in my entire mission.  At the end of the program Dina and Samira were crying with tears of joy!  I got pictures with the members afterwards and got to speak with most of them for a few minutes. There is not a better feeling in the world than going back to one of your areas to see the members that you worked with and the people that you baptized strong in the gospel.  It was even better that they had all come out to see the baptism and how they all somehow remembered me and what we did there.  Afterwards we headed to Dina and Abrahams house where they surprised me with a birthday cake and a present!  I can`t believe they even remembered when my birthday was. We talked for a while and I heard so much good news about them. They repeatedly asked me if I would be coming back for their sealing.  So I might be going a few months after I get home!

Today we are headed to Lima for Conference with President!  Which means a great conference, excellent American food, long bus rides, and a jungle workout Wednesday morning with the boys.  I`m pretty stoked!  I think we have the best mission president in the world.  Most mission Presidents wouldn`t give permission to a missionary to go back to their old area to baptize someone.  After giving me permission to do it, he mentioned that it would be an experience that I would remember always!  Boy was he right!!  I hope you guys are all doing well!!  Thank you so much for the package!  I love you all.

Elder Riggs