"I can't leave Jesus Christ" (In Loving Memory of Donald and Rita)

Read this book.  You will love it.

This week was a very emotional one. It was one of those weeks where you just really come to love
and appreciate the reality of the Gospel more than ever before. It was full of mixed emotions, very sad and heartbreaking moments, but also very wonderful and joyous ones as well. I am going to start with the great ones first:)

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO THE BESTEST DAD THAT ANYBODY CAN HAVE IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD! I love you like crazy and I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for your unfailing love and example. So thank you.  Also, a shoutout to my two grandpas, Grandpa Ranck and Grandpa Jarvis.  I love you so much and I'm so very grateful for you both.

Monday was my girl Helena's birthday so to celebrate we went to her house and she gave us a makeover while we jammed to the good ol EFY music:) haha it was the best. She has over 10,000

P-Day is now called Make-over day (haha)

pounds (money not weight) worth of makeup. So we spent the evening on p day with her for her birthday and it was a great time! I love that girl. If I were to come back to visit England, I would come straight to her first.

So we found some great new investigators this week!! First of all a family from good ol Ghana!!! They are wonderful and we are going to be seeing them again tonight! They have 3 young children and the mother is really excited about reading the Book of Mormon. I am so excited about the coming weeks with them:)

Also, our whole mission has this thing with Chinese investigators. Because there are tons of Chinese people here in England and they are so willing to learn and just accept everything. For example, up in Norwich where Sister Hernes is right

Fiends in the Aylesbury Ward. I Love this Ward.

now, they have like 15 Chinese investigators at church every Sunday.... Crazy. We are lucky if we just get 2 investigators at church! Ha.....

But no fear because we found a wonderful Chinese family this week!!!:) we were going to contact a potential investigator but they weren't home and Sister Obley (oh ps I absolutely LOVE Sister Obley. We have become really great friends:)) and I both had the thought to knock a few doors... So we did and this Chinese lady opened on like the 4th door and she doesn't speak like any English but she let us in anyways. Their 13 year old son who speaks a little bit got our their laptop and went to google translator and we were able to communicate with them on that. We told them that we can teach them English as well as the gospel and they agreed!!:) On Thursday we went again and started teaching them English which was

My District

interesting... Haha. And they came to church as well and enjoyed it even though they didn't understand like anything.... Bishop speaks Chinese though!!! So that worked out well:) and we also have a translating app on our iPads that we used the whole time! Gah they are GREAT.

Okay now for the sad news... 2 beloved members of this ward have passed away this week.... 2 people that you all know as well.

First, sweet Rita has passed away. She was a brilliant woman with a perfect mind trapped in a failing mortal body. Visiting her was always one of the highlights of the week as she entertained us with the wonderful stories of her life. She was hilarious as well and we would always be laughing when we were with her. She could barely hear so in response to her questions we would have to almost scream haha and repeat ourselves 3 or 4 times. We would always sing to her as well which she absolutely loved. When she knew the song she would clap and when she didn't she would Alma 40:11 just stare at us blankly and say, "What in the world was that!" But now she has been "taken home to that God who gave her life." What a brilliant verse of scripture.

The return of Annabel from her mission.

I have been asked to sing a solo at her funeral on Thursday. I am going to be singing "How Great Thou Art," and I need the help of angels because I am no soloist..... So please pray for me.

The second person who has passed away is everyone's example and hero. A man whose life was literally changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, I am talking about my good friend Donald. I am not sure if you know his story but Donald was one of the top weed growers in the country for years until he had a stroke that changed everything and met the missionaries as he was recovering. He has completely embraced the gospel now and was preparing to go through the temple. Just a few weeks ago Sister Christ.. I can't leave Jesus Christ." I will never forget the first time I heard him say that. Now, not only will he never leave Him, but he probably has met him. As Bishop said when he told us the news, "He died happy."

I have really grown to love sister Obley

Obley and I helped him to prepare a talk for sacrament meeting. His favorite phrase to say is, "Can't leave Jesus 

I feel very privileged to have met both of these people. It is times like these where I love the gospel the most.

Then to top off the week, I got a call on Saturday morning, after my personal study, asking if I would speak on Sunday. With 3 major things on that Sunday... Father's Day, the passing of sweet Rita and Donald, and also a missionary who came home in the ward this week, I was thinking about all day what I might say as I knew it was going to be a day full of very mixed emotions.

I had a few thoughts and wrote it all down but when I got up to speak, the Spirit completely took over and filled my soul and my mouth with words. I don't know what I said, but I remember being encompassed with emotion. There has only been one time in my life where I have experienced the death of someone close to me and my family, and I know that there will be many more to come. Which can seem scary sure, but it's not. Because we were born to die. Some die sooner than others, but that is all part of Gods perfect plan. Remember..... When we die we are "taken HOME to that God who gave us life." Don't you see it? We are Spiritual

Love you Dad and Grandpa and Grandpa

beings. This is not our home... We are not meant to last on this earth forever... Who would want that anyways! That is what the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ is about. It changes us. It binds us together for ETERNITY. And if we follow, we have the promise that we will have eternal life.

This is real.

Nothing has struck me more on my mission than the reality that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has a perfect and complete plan for us, who has given us everything we need to succeed in this life.

Nothing has struck me more than the fact that we have a Savior Jesus Christ who makes all of this possible.

We are so blessed. Let us never forget what really matters in life.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. This is the best experience I have ever had in my entire life and I love this gospel with my whole heart and soul. It is real life my friends.

ONWARD AND UPWARD.

Sister Ranck