First P-day email

Dear Family; First of all I must say that the key board here is so weird. The buttons are all in different places. It might take me a while to get used to it, haha.
Thank you for writing me. Like always, it is good to hear for you all. I am so glad to hear that you two had a great cruise. It sounds nice. Pretty much, Pau is pretty sweet. It's pretty big and kinda small at the same time. It reminds me of where they filmed the Jason Bourne movies. The houses are all cool like that. I like it here, but like you said, Dad, it takes some time to get used to. It's really not too bad. I just wish I could understand what people are saying to me. I hope that that comes along. I'm sure it will. It's already started to get better. I like it here, but the work and stuff it is super hard, even more so than I thought, but it will be so sweet when I can speak French. Oh, the Ward here in Pau is amazing too. They are super nice and patient with my "not so good" French. Yeah it's too bad we didn't get to speak last week. Sorry about that. The traveling was messed up and the phones where all weird, but at least we have email. To send packages and letters, just send them to the mission house. It might take longer, but it is safer to get to me in case of transfers and stuff and it doesnt take much longer.
Well it sounds like all is well back where you are and things are going well here. It's just an adjustment period and oh, it IS an adjustment. France is so much more different than I thought. Like for sacrament, there were bagettes in the tray, which was sweet! There are six in our district, four specifically in Pau and for the most part we are tracting to find investigators. so I get a bit nervous trying to talk to people when I know I can't understand them when they talk back, but that hasn't stopped me yet haha. Well you all have a great week I love you all and want to thank you all for all the prayers and letters and stuff. You're the best.
Love

Elder Geoff Ritter

How to Write to Elder Ritter

Oh and by the way my mission president allowes us to email friends so we dont take too long to write letters so you can tell people to email me but also that I might not respond right away because I have limited time each monday to read and respond. I have an hour and a half which is much better than the MTC but it still goes by fast. So yeah, Tell them to email me if they want or if they prefer write me at.

La Mission Française de Toulouse
4 rue Allaric II
Compans Caffarelli
31000 Toulouse
France

Thanks again love you much and just to reassure you I am doing great. I'm glad to hear, though dad, that it gets better. Love you all keep praying for me and I'll keep praying for you bon Semaine!
(See email address at the top right)

Elder Geoff Ritter.

Elder Ritter's First Photo from France

We got an email from Elder Ritter's (aka Geoff) Mission President and his wife. Along with that was the above photo. Here is the email:


Dear Brother and Sister Ritter;
We were so pleased to welcome your son in the best mission in the
world, the France Toulouse Mission! He is doing fine, and he will be
working in Pau for his first transfer. I enclose a picture of Elder
Ritter with my wife and I just before he left for his area.

We are grateful that you have made the sacrifices for him to be able
to come. We assure you that we will do all that we can to make his
mission a wonderful, joyous experience that he will remember and
cherish for the rest of his life.

Should you have any question, do not hesitate to contact me.

May the Lord bless you always.

President Michel J. Carter
France Toulouse Mission

Well, you are absolutely right. The time is very much flying right by. In fact, we just got our flight plans. So crazy! We leave Aug 3 at 4:40. Our flight will be from SLC to Paris and then from Paris down to Toulouse. Our whole district is very excited. We have become very good friends though so we are a bit sad that we will be parting ways but the excitement over rides the anxious and sad feelings.

So that is very exciting for me to hear about what Dad is up to. That is crazy that he is doing that much work and is waking up even earlier than me haha. I am so glad to hear that he is reading his French scriptures every night. I think I will be sending you a French bible and Preach my Gospel because I have a extra of each. So hopefully he would like that and if not feel free to just pack them away. It's also way cool to hear that Dad is using his French. I'll have to try and talk to him in French on the phone. I wrote you all a letter today also and I have a "birthday Card" for Amy in the mail so that should come hopefully soon. There is also a few pictures in the envelope. I will send the card home soon.

I'm Glad Amy had a good birthday. I'm sorry no one was not around for it though; that's too bad. Oh and Yeah I heard through Elder Coleman that Amy saw me on my P day haha. That's so funny. I saw Whitney because she yelled my name but I didn't see Amy. I guess she was in the back seat or something. How is Skyler doing? Better question how is Jill and Rod doing? I know you all think about me a lot but I hope you are not sad at this point and are not missing me too much. Thanks for being so on top of things for me Mom. I heard that you sent a message to Bridgette. That is really funny/cool I think! She really thinks highly of you. OH and yes I got that last package. It was great I loved the pictures and got all the other stuff. Oh and I do need two other thinks but these can be sent with just a letter. I don't think I have my patriarchal blessing here for some reason do you think you could make me another copy and get it to me? And with that do you mind sending the things we wrote down from my setting apart blessing that would be very helpful as I'm about to head off to France. Well, what more can I say other than thank you all a ton. I feel you love and influence here daily and it helps oh so much. I hope I can send you more in the near future and am really excited to talk to you all on the Phone. Oh and Mom have fun in Cedar City with Robin. That sounds way cool.
Alright until next time.
Love You all,
Elder Geoffrey Ritter

The Rest of The Story...

We had a great time with this email. To get the full effect you need to first go to the family blog (www.ritterhappenings.blogspot.com) to read about Amy seeing Geoff in front of the MTC last P-day while she was riding with her friends Whitney and Hailey to Seven Peaks. Geoff did not know Amy was in the car. I heard the story from Amy first and then received this email a few hours later. Also, I really enjoyed that Geoff felt my father's presence in the Temple that day. It was very special. Read on for Geoff's latest email...


"Thanks for the e mail it was awesome! Well first of all, Skyler. I have been thinking of him a lot especially when I was able to help all the new missionaries who came to the Provo MTC on the 15th. I almost thought that I might see the now Elder Halford. It doesn't supprise me that he woke up all nervous and even sick. I was nervous to go to Provo, but the fact that it was Provo made it so much easier. It's awesome to see how the Lord takes care of his children, though. In this case it was in the form of a basketball friend for Sky to feel more comfortable. I was glad to go to Provo first but right now I am super jelous of Sky.... I mean Elder Halford. I wish I was completing my training in France. I would only imagine that the language would come much faster and it is an adventure. Not to say the MTC here is bad I do like it a lot, but at this point, I'm sure all missionaries can't help but long to be in their respective areas. I am very excited to get to France. The idea of getting there and not being able to communicate very well can be scary at times but I know just like the Lord did for Elder Halford, I will be helped by the Lord. D&C 6:36 look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not. When we look to the Lord with the goal to accomplish his work we have no need to fear and doubt. Easier said than done though haha. Well moving right along I have two cool things that happened today. One is I was walking to the temple today and I heard my name shouted out and when I looked behind me I saw the Halford's van stopped at the light right next to the MTC. So I was able to wave and say Bonjour to what looked to be Whitney Halford and Hailey Halford so that was cool. The other cool thing happened in the temple. I was going through a session and there was this man sitting next to me and my companion who was quite old. He kept struggling with the changing of ceremonial clothes throughout the session and it reminded me of how Dad said Gramps would always have the hardest time with that. Which in turn lead me to think about Gramps and I dont know it was just kinda cool to think of him in the temple with me.
Okay I really have to hurry. The most important thing, Yes I can call from the airport and I leave as of now Aug 3 and my flight is at about 4 o'clock I will give you more detail but probably be able to take my call sometime between 2 and 4 o'clock. Alright I am out of time sorry for the rush and I hope all is still well. I love you all and I will send pictures soon for the blog.
You're All the Best!
Love, Elder Ritter

A Vampire in the MTC??

We didn't get much news from Geoffrey this week so I went back through his letters and pulled out an entertaining paragraph. Check it out...

"...Also, I thought you all, espically you Dad, might want to hear about one of the Elders in my Zone. It may sound impossible, but I think this particular Elder in my zone is a Vampire. I know how much you love good vampire movies Dad, so I just wanted to tell you why I think he is a vampire. First off, he has unnaturally long and sharp K9 teeth; he is really pasty; he hates the sun and wears sunglasses often; he seriously sounds like he is from Transylvania; he hates garlic; and he was just looming around the outside of our room door the other night and would not come in until my companion finally invited him in. Not a good idea as I'm sure you all know vapires can't enter into a room unless they are invited in and now since he has been invited in once he can always come back. Of course I don't really think he is a real Vampire but it is convincing evidence."

Elder Ritter's Latest email

"Well I found a little bit more time to e mail today so I thought I might as well send another quick email that talks about things I forgott to mention. Tomorrow is the fourth of july which is awesome because like I said we get to, at least I'm pretty sure we are able, to stay out a bit late and watch all the fireworks. It is going to be sweet mostly because it is diffrent from our typicall day in and day out schedule which never seems to change. So to have something different is a real treat. On the subject of French I have made a lot of progress but with that progress come the realization that I have an infinite amount to learn but I'm excited to try and speak maybe a little bit of French to you when I get to call from the air port. Hopefully Dad will be able to understand my probably horrible French. (Because by now after reading scriptures in French you are probably back to your highest fluency level.) Its cool/ amazing to think you already know this language. I wish I did. But when I think about myself in the somewhat near future speaking French, hopefully at least pretty well, I get so excited and my worries just seem to go away. It really is such an awesome language I really enjoy learning it even though somedays I think it would be a lot easier to be teaching in English. I wouldn't have it anyother way, though. Oh question, for you how is the cruise planning/ scuba tranning coming? I am super excited for you and want to hear all about it. Oh and Amy, if you have a second like on Sunday, you should write and let me know what you thought of the Stadium of Fire that is if you are feeling well enough to go. Hopefully you can I know how much you love them Jo Bro's. My companion actually likes them haha. Not that he listens to them a lot he was just really good friends with a family in his ward and the kids like them so he likes them too. He calles this family his "ward family" because they are really close and he is the only member of his family. He was baptised two years ago and his family wasen't too happy about him going on a mission, and because of that he is a huge example to me. It seems like going on a mission would so much harder without support which is probably why I thank you all everytime I write because it really is such a huge blessing to have you all backing me up. Well its just about dinner time and I better go. Hope to hear from you all soon. Love you all!
Elder Geoffrey Ritter"