Date
May 16, 2016
Area
Arvada Colorado
Companion
Elder Laney
Well this week has been a good one. Last Monday we went hiking. It was pretty cool, Elder Laney and I decided Sunday night that we were going to go, and we invited all of the Elders in our Zone. All of them ended up coming with us, so it was cool to have the whole group. I was able to have a really good conversation with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Lomax, and it was cool to grow closer with him. It really is true that you grow pretty close to the people you serve around. I will send some pictures of our hike. I know my mother will be pleased that I kept her in mind and avoided most of the stupid things I would normally do like climbing on the cliffs. So she should be glad I tried to stay safe.
We also ran into our friend Thomas, the homeless man we saw in the rain the week before. He is a very nice and generous man, and it was cool to see him again. I hope that we will continue to see him around.
We had a cool Zone Meeting this past week, and there was a lot of really good training given. I definitely learned a whole lot. I really am grateful for the opportunity we have to continue learning throughout our whole mission.
I had an interesting but good encounter with my companion. We were still just getting along so-so, and there was tension between us for no real reason. Finally on Saturday, we just got real with each other. I told him we weren't out here for ourselves, that what we wanted didn't matter anymore, that we were here for the people and that we were here to do what the Lord asked us to do. I said we couldn't do what we needed if we didn't have unity and that if we weren't doing things the Lord’s way. It definitely cleared the tension, and we were able to speak super openly. Things have been super good between us since. I know that personality really doesn't matter very much when it comes to getting along with people. We just need to see others through God's eyes.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to go over and help the Bishop give a blessing to the mother of a less-active family. They are the nicest family, and we visit them every week. They really like us, and we can tell because they let us in their house. They have no problem telling us that they don’t like some missionaries. The dad always gives us elk jerky that he makes, and it tastes delicious! Their son wrestles and he is actually not a member. He’s quite good at wrestling, so they told me next year for the state tournament, they are coming to get me wherever I am serving, so they can take me to the tournament to watch him wrestle. I really hope that we can help them feel the desire to be more active and give up some of their habits, in order to better know God and Christ.
Our Bishop is literally the most amazing man. He is so genuine and wonderful. I really look up to him and am so grateful to be able to serve around him. He cares so deeply for people and you can just feel his love for people as he talks to them. The experience of helping him give that blessing was definitely a defining experience for me. He has definitely become one of my role models.
Things with Anthony are going well. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover in the next 40 days. He accepted and we are really hoping that over the next 40 days we can help him feel the Spirit answer the questions of his soul. He is so close to baptism, he is right there. He has an honest heart and a real desire to know of the truthfulness. There are just a few things holding him up.
We also had dinner this week with Brother Stoehr. For families back in Wisconsin you might recognize the name. He is from Shawano and is cousins with Stan Stoehr in the Neenah Ward. Literally every time he sees me he gets like a little kid and loves to talk about Wisconsin! He is an awesome guy! It is fun to have connections back to home, and I seem to have connections quite a bit.
We have seen several times this week that the Lord has different plans for us than what we originally planned. Several times we went to visit a family or a person, but the Lord led us in a slightly different way and we found another person that we were there for. It is interesting to me, that instead of always telling us exactly what he wants, the Lord directs us little by little and nudges us into the direction he wants us to go.
I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord. It is both heart wrenching, and heart warming. I have the blessing of watching the gospel touch people’s souls, and I also see people take the gospel and scriptures for granted. With this in mind, I love the words that Alma speaks to his Father in Heaven in Alma 31. He is praying and speaking of the great wickedness among the Zoramites. And then he says this, "Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious."
Every soul is precious unto God. Every single soul. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to work with those very souls, all of which are precious.
I love you all. Thank you for your support. You are in my prayers.
Elder Richards
We also ran into our friend Thomas, the homeless man we saw in the rain the week before. He is a very nice and generous man, and it was cool to see him again. I hope that we will continue to see him around.
We had a cool Zone Meeting this past week, and there was a lot of really good training given. I definitely learned a whole lot. I really am grateful for the opportunity we have to continue learning throughout our whole mission.
I had an interesting but good encounter with my companion. We were still just getting along so-so, and there was tension between us for no real reason. Finally on Saturday, we just got real with each other. I told him we weren't out here for ourselves, that what we wanted didn't matter anymore, that we were here for the people and that we were here to do what the Lord asked us to do. I said we couldn't do what we needed if we didn't have unity and that if we weren't doing things the Lord’s way. It definitely cleared the tension, and we were able to speak super openly. Things have been super good between us since. I know that personality really doesn't matter very much when it comes to getting along with people. We just need to see others through God's eyes.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to go over and help the Bishop give a blessing to the mother of a less-active family. They are the nicest family, and we visit them every week. They really like us, and we can tell because they let us in their house. They have no problem telling us that they don’t like some missionaries. The dad always gives us elk jerky that he makes, and it tastes delicious! Their son wrestles and he is actually not a member. He’s quite good at wrestling, so they told me next year for the state tournament, they are coming to get me wherever I am serving, so they can take me to the tournament to watch him wrestle. I really hope that we can help them feel the desire to be more active and give up some of their habits, in order to better know God and Christ.
Our Bishop is literally the most amazing man. He is so genuine and wonderful. I really look up to him and am so grateful to be able to serve around him. He cares so deeply for people and you can just feel his love for people as he talks to them. The experience of helping him give that blessing was definitely a defining experience for me. He has definitely become one of my role models.
Things with Anthony are going well. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover in the next 40 days. He accepted and we are really hoping that over the next 40 days we can help him feel the Spirit answer the questions of his soul. He is so close to baptism, he is right there. He has an honest heart and a real desire to know of the truthfulness. There are just a few things holding him up.
We also had dinner this week with Brother Stoehr. For families back in Wisconsin you might recognize the name. He is from Shawano and is cousins with Stan Stoehr in the Neenah Ward. Literally every time he sees me he gets like a little kid and loves to talk about Wisconsin! He is an awesome guy! It is fun to have connections back to home, and I seem to have connections quite a bit.
We have seen several times this week that the Lord has different plans for us than what we originally planned. Several times we went to visit a family or a person, but the Lord led us in a slightly different way and we found another person that we were there for. It is interesting to me, that instead of always telling us exactly what he wants, the Lord directs us little by little and nudges us into the direction he wants us to go.
I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord. It is both heart wrenching, and heart warming. I have the blessing of watching the gospel touch people’s souls, and I also see people take the gospel and scriptures for granted. With this in mind, I love the words that Alma speaks to his Father in Heaven in Alma 31. He is praying and speaking of the great wickedness among the Zoramites. And then he says this, "Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious."
Every soul is precious unto God. Every single soul. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to work with those very souls, all of which are precious.
I love you all. Thank you for your support. You are in my prayers.
Elder Richards
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