Date
September 6, 2016
Area
Boulder Colorado
Companion
Elder Layton
Where to begin... Boulder.. It is one of a kind and boy am I LOVING serving here! It is different... very different from anything else, but it is amazing.
For starters, Elder Layton and I are LOVING serving as companions again! The really cool thing is we have already gotten to know each other so now we are aware of the other person and how they act and everything so we know how to handle each other and we are communicating really well. It has been cool to watch us grow and we are excited to learn as much as we can in the time we have with each other. So far things are going GREAT!
We have found that this area is very tough. We continue to find new people to teach, but they are over the age of 30 so we have to hand them off to other elders, which doesn't bother us, because we are all on the same team. However, we are here to support and strengthen and grow the YSA ward in Boulder and we don't want to put that task aside. So it has been tough, but we are extremely focused and agreed that we will be ALL IN because without giving everything, we won’t be able to see the success that we know is waiting here.
This past week we went downtown Boulder for pretty much the whole day and it was EXHILARATING! I felt like I was right at home. We meet some very interesting people, but we are getting over any fears we have and are talking to everyone we see and teaching them about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is such a privilege! Little by little we are seeing progress. This past week our district had one of the highest numbers of lessons taught in the whole mission! We were really excited about that!
We also went hiking with some of the Elders on Monday which was a BLAST! There is sooo much beauty out here! We just love it!
This morning, Elder Layton and I were asked by the Stake to go to a Middle School and be filmed explaining what the Church is and what we are all about. This video will be used for the school curriculum this year as well as in the future. It was a little weird at first, because we weren't being interviewed, we were just talking. We are used to asking people questions as a part of our teaching, but we did a pretty good job. We will get a copy to watch when the teacher is all done editing the video. Sorry mother, I didn't realize I was slouching. Next time I'll have better posture. After we were done being filmed, we invited the teacher to both the Fort Collins temple open house, as well as Church on Sunday and he is planning to attend both. #MissionaryWorkNeverTakesBreaks
Which brings us to this upcoming Sunday.... ELDER CRISTOFFERSON IS COMING TO THE STAKE! We are super excited about this and have been using this in a majority of our teaching, presenting people with this unique and special opportunity of coming to see and Apostle of The Lord Jesus Christ come and speak. So far, we have several people who will be attending. We are excited about this and know it will be a great opportunity!
We had a lot of meetings this past week, which is nice because we learn a lot, but it’s sometimes frustrating because it takes up a lot of time:/ I was able to attend a New Leadership meeting, which was really cool, because all of my companions except Elder Heiner were there and it was good to see all of them! I sure love all of them! Serving alongside people has a way of building a connection!
I want to close with some thoughts I have had this past week. In one of our meetings, we were talking with President Mendenhall about some of the issues in the mission and things we can do to help other missionaries with these issues. It just kept coming back to me that they don't understand their purpose. As missionaries, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in trying to find ways to stay busy as opposed to being as productive as possible. Some missionaries get caught up in counting the days until their 2-year mission is over. Our purpose isn't to be here for 2 years. That time won’t change. Whether we talk to no one, or teach 50 lessons a day, that two years will stay the same. What we can control, is what we do while we are here. Whether we will overcome our fears and do whatever it takes to help other come closer to Christ, or sit around and kill time is up to us. But our purpose isn’t time, it’s to give everything we have, for as long as we can, and see miracles in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve. It is no different in life. Our purpose in coming to Earth isn't to merely hold on until life comes to an end. Our purpose is to learn and to grow. To discover how we can give everything we have, as long as we can, and see miracles, and know that God is real, and it is only through Jesus Christ that we can learn and grow in this way.
I am so grateful for the blessings I have. I have received far more then what I deserve, but as one of my favorite Hymns says "Because I have been given much I too must give." I am so grateful for this time I have to give. I pray I will learn to give everything I have with all of my heart, the way Christ gave everything to us. I love you all!
Elder Richards
For starters, Elder Layton and I are LOVING serving as companions again! The really cool thing is we have already gotten to know each other so now we are aware of the other person and how they act and everything so we know how to handle each other and we are communicating really well. It has been cool to watch us grow and we are excited to learn as much as we can in the time we have with each other. So far things are going GREAT!
We have found that this area is very tough. We continue to find new people to teach, but they are over the age of 30 so we have to hand them off to other elders, which doesn't bother us, because we are all on the same team. However, we are here to support and strengthen and grow the YSA ward in Boulder and we don't want to put that task aside. So it has been tough, but we are extremely focused and agreed that we will be ALL IN because without giving everything, we won’t be able to see the success that we know is waiting here.
This past week we went downtown Boulder for pretty much the whole day and it was EXHILARATING! I felt like I was right at home. We meet some very interesting people, but we are getting over any fears we have and are talking to everyone we see and teaching them about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is such a privilege! Little by little we are seeing progress. This past week our district had one of the highest numbers of lessons taught in the whole mission! We were really excited about that!
We also went hiking with some of the Elders on Monday which was a BLAST! There is sooo much beauty out here! We just love it!
This morning, Elder Layton and I were asked by the Stake to go to a Middle School and be filmed explaining what the Church is and what we are all about. This video will be used for the school curriculum this year as well as in the future. It was a little weird at first, because we weren't being interviewed, we were just talking. We are used to asking people questions as a part of our teaching, but we did a pretty good job. We will get a copy to watch when the teacher is all done editing the video. Sorry mother, I didn't realize I was slouching. Next time I'll have better posture. After we were done being filmed, we invited the teacher to both the Fort Collins temple open house, as well as Church on Sunday and he is planning to attend both. #MissionaryWorkNeverTakesBreaks
Which brings us to this upcoming Sunday.... ELDER CRISTOFFERSON IS COMING TO THE STAKE! We are super excited about this and have been using this in a majority of our teaching, presenting people with this unique and special opportunity of coming to see and Apostle of The Lord Jesus Christ come and speak. So far, we have several people who will be attending. We are excited about this and know it will be a great opportunity!
We had a lot of meetings this past week, which is nice because we learn a lot, but it’s sometimes frustrating because it takes up a lot of time:/ I was able to attend a New Leadership meeting, which was really cool, because all of my companions except Elder Heiner were there and it was good to see all of them! I sure love all of them! Serving alongside people has a way of building a connection!
I want to close with some thoughts I have had this past week. In one of our meetings, we were talking with President Mendenhall about some of the issues in the mission and things we can do to help other missionaries with these issues. It just kept coming back to me that they don't understand their purpose. As missionaries, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in trying to find ways to stay busy as opposed to being as productive as possible. Some missionaries get caught up in counting the days until their 2-year mission is over. Our purpose isn't to be here for 2 years. That time won’t change. Whether we talk to no one, or teach 50 lessons a day, that two years will stay the same. What we can control, is what we do while we are here. Whether we will overcome our fears and do whatever it takes to help other come closer to Christ, or sit around and kill time is up to us. But our purpose isn’t time, it’s to give everything we have, for as long as we can, and see miracles in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve. It is no different in life. Our purpose in coming to Earth isn't to merely hold on until life comes to an end. Our purpose is to learn and to grow. To discover how we can give everything we have, as long as we can, and see miracles, and know that God is real, and it is only through Jesus Christ that we can learn and grow in this way.
I am so grateful for the blessings I have. I have received far more then what I deserve, but as one of my favorite Hymns says "Because I have been given much I too must give." I am so grateful for this time I have to give. I pray I will learn to give everything I have with all of my heart, the way Christ gave everything to us. I love you all!
Elder Richards
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