Wednesday, November 26, 2014

SISTER MELISSA RICHARDSON WEEKLY LETTER #61: SEPT. 9, 2014

SISTER MELISSA RICHARDSON
SEPTEMBER 9, 2014


There was a great moment in sacrament meeting yesterday when Montee
walked into church with her 3 kids!!! I love families! They all
enjoyed church and are planning on coming to Wednesday night
activities! Crystal and Rob were also at church and they are doing
great!

We have continued to help Crystal to get ready for her wedding in
October. She received her dress that had been handmade in China this
week and she tried it on for us and it was so pretty! Really made me
want to get a wedding dress in china just for fun...hahah. We also
helped her with envelopes and invitations this week. So Robs last name
is White so they are having an all white wedding! Isn't that cute? All
of the wedding guests and party are being asked to wear white! So
basically it's going to be an awesome precursor to their temple
sealing in a year!

At our lesson this week, Montee told us she is READY to be baptized!
She still hasn't given us a date, but maybe this week she will! She
is so happy and shining with the spirit and the happiness of the
gospel. Wow!

Had an incredible lesson with Sister Giles and her neighbor about the
Plan of Salvation! Sister Merchant officially decided what we had
already discussed, that Sister Giles is an incredible role model! She
is so Christlike and her testimony just strikes such an inner chord
whenever she shares it. She is so sensitive to the spirit and acts on
those promptings. She is kind and loving to all that she interacts
with and speaks to, especially her kids and family! Wish we could take
her to every lesson! But J*** her neighbor said that some things in
the plan of salvation were new but that it all made sense! That's an
open and ready heart! Has the ability to recognize truth through the
Holy Spirit!

We have been helping a sweet sister in the ward that is going through
a divorce. So many emotions involved! But we have been there to
comfort her and help her get her house packed up. It's taught me a
lot!

I had a fun experience this week when we were tracting! Crazy things
always happen. So we knock on this door and a Chinese woman opens the
door and doesn't speak English. She is trying to get her 3 or 4 year
old granddaughter to translate for her. And then all of a sudden I
realized I was understanding what she was saying! I didn't know every
word she said but could understand for the most part what she was
trying to communicate. And then I started speaking Chinese! My few
phrases and words that I could remember from 6-7 years ago! I asked
her where in china she was from and then told her my whole family was
living in Suzhou right now. She showed us her Chinese hymn book and
said she goes to a Christian church nearby. I think I remember seeing
a Chinese church somewhere in st. Augustine. But we will have to find
a Chinese Book of Mormon and take it to her! We gave our card to the
lady after we were done talking and walked away and sister merchant
just busts up laughing and with huge eyes exclaims you know Chinese??
What was all that? That was crazy? Haha I told her I don't really
speak Chinese...but that was some gift of tongues remembrances placed
in my head! Hahaha we've had fun joking about that experience. It was
pretty crazy!

We volunteered helping out at a craft fair that was raising money for
a non profit called Canine Companions. You'll have to look it up, it's
a near program I'd be interested in participating in someday.

This past Monday night we had dinner with the Luna's and they had some
friends over who were from Mexico. They brought delicious empanadas!
And we helped one of huge he friends study for her us citizenship test
that she was about to take.

Here's a quote I really liked this week: The adversary succeeds when
we relax our commitment to the Savior. - L. Tom Perry, the Sabbath and
the Sacrament

I've also been thinking a lot about the line from Preach My Gospel
that says no matter what your concerns or challenges or questions, the
gospel of Jesus Christ will help you! It's so true! In the long run,
efforts out in to sharing the gospel will do more good for the world
then efforts to end world poverty...even though things like that are
important too. But missionary work and the gospel is the MOST
important because that is what will eternally help us and give us
lasting joy.

Lots of good going on in this area. Transfers are next week!
Sister Richardson

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