SISTER MELISSA
RICHARDSON WEEKLY LETTER
DECEMBER 16, 2013
It
has finally started to feel like Christmas time for this week! Thanks to kind,
giving people!
This
past Thursday we had a mission-wide Christmas party...all 230 of us
missionaries there. There was a talent show...hilarious....missionary-fied
Christmas songs and skits. The best part of the Christmas party though
was just being able to see all my missionary friends! People from my past areas
and past companions and mtc friends. So so happy :) There was a
great musical devotional to that was an incredible experience. All of the
missionaries got presents from the stake that we are serving in. We got
lots of good practical gifts! My favorite item was stamps! Best missionary gift.
We also got lots of candy and some stationery as well.
Also,
I have the best Arkansas friends in the world. A normal day turned into
the best day ever when I received a huge box from Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
Morgan, Ashley, and Kailey sent me a cute little Christmas tree with 12
seperately wrapped presents for the 12 days of Christmas. I have had
soooooo much fun with those!! Every morning I can't wait to open another one.
So far, they've given me an adorable advent calendar where I can count
down the days. Ornaments for my Christmas tree. And some cute Christmas
cards/stationery. Somehow, someway they know the perfect gifts for me and
for me as a missionary. Thank you all sooo much! I had to have my
companion hide the presents and only give me one at a time..because they were
so tempting and exciting all sitting under my tree.
A
family in our ward also gave us a 12 days of Christmas present thing. We
read the scripture on the item then try to guess what is inside. So far
it has been practical things like toothpaste, tissues, lotion..but still so fun
to open presents :)
We
had lunch with Sister Wade this week. She is an adorable deaf old lady
who has been widowed for the past 5 years. She was so cute and made us
tuna sandwiches. She signed REALLLLY fast. But I got the gist of
most of what she said. She told us a lot of life stories. She also
is obsessed with moose. Her home is decorated in anything moose you can
imagine. Moose clock, stocking, puzzle, plaque, figures, ornaments,
license plates....so funny.
We
had a dinner with Brother and Sister Greer this week. She is the relief
society president and he is the new ward mission leader. He has so much
energy that I get tired just meeting with him...and he's probably in his 60s.
But they have a pond in the back that has an alligator in it. We
didn't see it, but I told them they should name it Melissa since they didn't
have a name for it yet.
This
past P-day...the best part was going to Barnes & Noble and buying a
Dictionary! I've been missing mine. I also got an ASL dictionary and a
new calendar! It is of travel pictures and the picture right now is Mont Saint
Michel in north France. I love it.
I
found out from Sister Spendlove in St. Marys that a lady that I helped find and
teach got baptized yesterday! Hooray!
One
of the deaf members here taught an ASL class on Tuesday..for the rest of the
missionaries and other members in the ward. It was so fun. Deaf
people are hilarious.
We
had dinner with our Bishop this week as well. Talk about being bathed in
the Spirit...they are so great. I was able to relate to the Bishop's wife
on the difficulties of adoption. The Bishop gave us blessings since we
are new to the ward...and they were very personal. We both left there
amazed.
Also,
it doesn't feel like December. It's 60-70 degrees everyday.
Sometimes it rains...but not usually. This past week, a lady in the
ward took us to lunch at this cute wrap restauraunt that is in a beach shack
looking thing. And all the seating is outdoor picnic tables. And
the beach was just one block down the road. It felt like vacation! Not
the middle of December!
We
had lunch with a sweet widowed ward member this week--Sister Christiansen.
I walked into her house and knew instantly I would love her. She
had huge bookshelves all filled with books and beautiful art framed all over
her house. And artifacts from the Middle East. We sat down to lunch
and I looked at the table and felt like I was back in France. Just the
simplicity of the meal and the way it was presented in lots of seperate little
dishes. Then come to find out, she's German! That's why it felt so
European and comforting. During WWII, her family spent two years
homeless, finding abandoned barns to live in. At the end of the war, they
moved up to north Germany and went to a Danish school. Their family ended
up being converted by some missionaries in Denmark..then they immigrated to
Georgia when she was 12! So English is her 3rd language!
A
cute little girl from St. Marys sent me a christmas present...a little
dictionary she had found in her house. She had heard me talking one time
about how I wanted a dictionary. So cute and thoughtful of her :)
I
also got a great Christmas present from the Fayetteville primary! They sent me
a pillowcase and lots of letters! I liked seeing Mason, Daniel, and David's
signatures on the pillow :)
There
is this adorable older couple in our ward that coordinates their outfits every
Sunday so that they match. So so cute.
Today
we are going to the Alligator farm in downtown St. Augustine!
Also,
I'm playing organ prelude in sacrament meeting and guess who shows up...my ASL
TEACHER FROM BYU!!!!!! It was so weird and took me a second to realize who he
was and how I knew him. But he is deaf as well and they are spending the
holidays with another deaf family in the ward.
I
got hold children now...so I've started keeping a whole bunch of candy/candy
canes in my bag. And I give them all candy. Especially the deaf
kids because I just can't stand how adorable they are and their little hands
when they sign.
So
I should probably talk about missionary work here!!! Sometimes I feel like I'm
doing something wrong because missionary work and mission life is just so much
easier and enjoyable here in St. Augustine. I think it was good for me to
get a change of environment. People are so friendly and helpful. I
never realized what a difference a friendly, helping ward makes in the life of
a missionary. It changes everything.
We
are making headway in teaching Recent converts, less-actives, and we finally
got a new investiagor this week!!!! IT was so great. It was someone
that hte Elders had stopped teaching a couple months ago. We went back
and he'd read half the Book of Mormon and knew that it was true! We just have
to get him to church now.
I
love Sister Sullivan a lot. She is great and we get along well! We are
loving learning more sign every day and trying to conquer this area.
Merry
merry Christmas!
Sister
Richardson
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