This week has been awesome! August 31, 2015

This week has been awesome!

Tuesday we didn't do much because Sister Netherton wasn't feeling well. So I just read a bunch of really awesome talks, mainly by Elder Bednar. But we did meet with Ray. We invited him to Church and he was SO EXCITED!!! He is so awesome! He just loves God and loves going to Church. Sadly he didn't make it because he was sleeping when we went to pick him up. He is a very old man so we let him sleep... this time, Haha. But I think he has a lot of potential so we shall see. We had dinner with the Mains and they are so cool. They are an older couple and he has stomach cancer. But he is so cool.  He is a cartoonist and he has this cartoon about his cancer. But here is the best part. He meshes together Star Wars, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galatica. So awesome. Dad you have to check out his blog. He showed us some of his cartoons and they are awesome. And everyone is "ratatized" as he calls it. Check it out: northparkcritters.blogspot.com. So cool.

Wednesday was the best day ever!!! Sister Netherton still wasn't feeling well so we stayed in again but only till noon.  I finished all the talks in my binder... so that's fun. But once we got out, man what a day. We had a blitz in our area,which just means that all the Elders in our district came to our area to help us find people. So we all tracked for a straight hour in different parts of our area. I was so pumped and excited. I didn't even care that it was like 1000 degrees outside. Okay obviously I'm exaggerating. But it was definitely hot. But we found three new potential investigators from it so that was awesome. We went back to two and they were not interested. But we will try again later. After that, can you guess it, we went finding, which meant knocking on lots of doors... again. But something really awesome came from it so it was all worth it. WE FOUND A NEW INVESTIGATOR!!! Can you believe it? Cause we left shocked and amazed. God is real!! So we were trying to find less-actives and this one had moved so we just thought we would talk to the new tenant. Her name is Elizabeth and she is awesome. We asked if we could just share a five minute message with her and she just sat there for a while but then finally said yes. So of course Sister Netherton just hands me the Restoration pamphlet. I didn't know what to say so I just simply bore my testimony about the Restoration and the love of God and let me just tell you, it was so amazing. The Spirit was so strong there with her and I could tell that she knew that what we were talking about was new and good. So we invited her to Church and she said she would love to...and she asked us if we had anything for her to read. How cool is that? Um heck yes we did. So I gave her a Book of Mormon with a chapter marked and the Restoration pamphlet. She told us that we came at the right time and that she was looking for something different. She was tired of her church saying the same thing every time she went to church. Ah it was so cool. And we left like, did that really just happen? So we are seeing her this week again and we are so excited. But something that I have noticed is every time I go to testify of something, I never really remember what I say. That just testifies to me that the Spirit really is the true teacher and that if I just open my mouth with faith, words will come. It was seriously so amazing. But the day just got better. We had dinner with a wonderfully sweet family and the meal was something that reminded me of something you make. It was so good. But then we had two lessons after that. One with a less-active and one with a part member family. The less-active is Scott and he is such a soft- spoken person and is really gentle and nice. I really felt a strong connection to him for some reason. I just really want him to come back to Church. I think the connection I feel is God's love for him. I really hope he comes back to Church. But we are going to work with him. The conversation was a very interesting one because it was mainly taken over by his wife, who belongs to the reformed LDS church. That was just really interesting to hear about. And if anything, it just strengthened my testimony about this Gospel. So that was cool. I can't wait to see them again. The part member family had been taught a year ago but stopped so we just re-taught the first lesson. That was really good too. I got to actually teach part of it so that's good. I could definitely feel the Spirit all that day....and we taught four lessons! That never happens!! God is so real!! So many miracles happened and we were so blessed that day. Ah it was wonderful. But the best part about it, was I came home EXHAUSTED! We really worked hard that day and it was great and I loved it! 

Thursday was even better!!! But for different reasons. Elder Zwick from the Seventy came to our mission and gave us training... all day. I got to personally meet one of the Quorum of the Seventy! What?! He is so cool. He just speaks so powerfully and it was just pure awesomeness. But during one of our training's, we did some role plays. I hate role plays. So there were four different zones at the meeting and he picked a companionship from each zone to do this role play. We were to teach a principle simply and apply it to something that happened to us recently and then share a scripture that applied and just simply testify. And what do you know, my companion and I were chosen to represent our zone. I just knew it. I was so scared. But I think we did awesome. I shared the story about Elizabeth and we talked about the Holy Ghost working in her heart. I can't remember the scripture but it was really good. It was in 1 or 2 Nephi.  (She remembered later. It was 2 Nephi 33:1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.) But then we got critiqued after and he gave us really good feedback. And the rest of the zones did too. So it was really awesome. I learned a lot. But we just had training from him and his wife, who is also awesome, and President and Sister Mendenhall. It was just a really awesome day. I learned so much from it and I am really trying to apply it to my life and make the changes I need to be a better instrument in the hands of the Lord. At the end of the meeting Elder Zwick came up to me and told me that I did a really good job in the role play. That just made me feel so much better about how I'm doing. I am no where near perfect but I realized then that I am doing better than I think I am. It was just so cool. I sadly did not get a picture with him like I wanted to but that's okay. Such a good day!!

Friday and Saturday were not that great sadly. We have literally zero miles left on our car so we had to do a lot of walking. Which is fine with me except now I have a really awesome tan line on my feet from my shoes. Also my hair is getting blonder again. Not happy bob. But it is also stressful on us cause we can't really walk to any of our areas cause they are so far apart. But we just have to last till tomorrow. But something really cool did happen on one of those days. We got a call from an investigator that the sisters before were teaching but we couldn't get a hold of her. But she called and asked if we could find a ride for her. Heck yes we could. She is just the sweetest little southern lady every. She calls us angel. That was awesome! 

Sadly no one came to church on Sunday but I still have hope for the future.

In other news, mom and dad can I just say thanks for teaching me to be independent and how to live on my own!! Huge blessing! That is all I'm going to say about that! 

So sorry moo pooped on your bed. I keep wanting to call the cat we live with moo when I get annoyed with him trying to eat my hair!! Haha 

Oh and I loved the pictures from Scott and Lori's wedding!! So beautiful! Love it!

Also mom. They have the gummy bears here!!!!! We get them all the time and they are gone within a couple days. But Sister Netherton always eats all the good ones first! So I'm left with the not so good ones. Oh well.

Also dad. I got letter #4 Friday the 28th. But the mail is being super dumb. I'm pretty sure I have a letter in mail limbo. So that is fun. But I don't really know what is going on with the mail. So dumb. 

Mom thanks for the update on Stubbs. I still have hope for him. And Brian going to Poland. Awesome!!! That's so cool! And thanks again for Brian and Luke's emails. I love reading them. 

Um I think that is about it! Thanks!

Well I love you and miss you lots!!! I hope you are all well. 

Love, Sister Richards