MARCH 27, 2018 - PICTURES

PICTURES FROM CALIFORNIA

AAAAAHHHHH!!! I have to send another email now! I promise this won't be a regular thing... But this time there are pictures, so... It's ok...? I don't know. Have some Pixel collections. 

1) Me in Fontana!!! Actually, we're 27 steps away from a different 

city's limits, so... awkward. (Email 4)

2) Elder and Sister Stockett with the sign! (Email #4)

3) The District with our copies of The Book of Mormon! (Email #3)

4) Elder Ogden and I! (From right to left) (email #4)

But that's assuming they send in that order... Or you get these pictures... Whoops... 

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

MARCH 27, 2018 - WEEK #4 - FONTANA, CA

FONTANA -- NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MONTANA

(I'm still in California!)

March 27, 2018

(Ok, I am SO SORRY for the second email today. I just added a lot of people to my email list, and already I'm flooding their inboxes. I've been behind a week on emails from the beginning, and if I didn't remedy it today then I'd never fix it. So here you go, sorry again, have a great day.)

Wake up in the morning and finish packing. Meander around, see the pretty pictures in the buildings, and just continue the goodbye process. It had started that Sunday night I'd mentioned, where we had said goodbye to the entire district. 4 am Monday morning, we sent off Elder Guymon and Elder Birch, but it was too early in the morning to be emotional. At least, externally. 

And now, with way too much candy I'd gotten from somewhere in hand, we boarded a bus with our travel group at noon on Tuesday. There were twelve of us heading on the same flight to Ontario: Six going to Redlands, and six going to... um... another mission we bordered! We went on a train/tram/transit thing-y, and then hopped onto another one to get to the Salt Lake City airport. That was an experience! I tried my best to keep the group together and moving, something you pick up flying around the world with a family of 14, but I may have just stressed a lot of people out. But we all made our flight, so I'm ok if some stress was needed to make that happen!

We were told that we had some time at the airport to call our families. And so a lot of us did that, understandably. I probably took way too long on my call, but it was good. I enjoyed getting to talk to everyone I was able to talk to, and I enjoyed being able to share what I had learned. A lot of people in the airport were probably confused by the Mormon Missionary ON THE PHONE pacing back and forth with no companion in sight, so that's funny to think about!

We landed in Ontario, and I was so excited to meet our Mission President (the Mission President leads the missionary efforts in the Mission area. So President Dixon leads in the California Redlands Mission). We get out to the escalator, and there's President Dixon, his wife Sister Dixon, a senior Missionary couple, the Stocketts, and a big sign that said, "Welcome! California Redlands Mission!" I got super excited and started waving at them, and then ran down to be the first one to shake President Dixon's hand (Yes!!!!!). The main thing that got me excited wasn't the sign or their waving or just the prospect of meeting them for the first time, but it was their smiles. My first thought when I was them was that they had "Hassel Smiles." (In our ward at home, a few years back, we had the Hassel Family. And their most distinguishing feature was that they always wore the biggest smiles. And when their mouths weren't smiling, their eyes were, and because of that, you knew that they loved you when they talked to you). And so I knew right then and there, because of those Hassel Smiles, that they were on the right track, and that if I wanted to be an effective missionary, I could listen to them, because they were listening to God. 

We met another Elder who was coming in from somewhere else, and then we headed out to the Mission home (Where the Mission President and his family live), and had a great dinner, and also some more Mission Specific training. But as we were driving that night, and the next morning away from the Mission home, I just looked out on the space I'd be dedicating two years of my life to serving, and I was so excited! I keep saying that, but this nervous excitement is a prevailing feeling out here. Because you have to be an instrument in the Lord's hands, and that means that you have to act in His name according to His will, but you don't usually know what's going to actually happen after you act.

Wednesday morning we went to the Mission Office (the head office for the Mission) to receive even more training, but it was all good stuff! And then, the crowning moment, I got to meet my Trainer!!! Elder Ogden!!! He's so cool! And he's actually on the opposite end of the spectrum that I am! I'm starting my first Transfer (a six week period in a Mission. Every transfer, Missionaries get swapped around, people get new companions, new missionaries get in, and we set new goals to achieve by the next transfer), and Elder Ogden is beginning his final transfer! This means that for my second transfer, I'll get a new trainer to finish my training, but that should be fine. I'll send a picture of the two of us in just a bit. But he knows the Fontana area (the area I'm serving in) super well. He's a great teacher, and I can't wait to learn more from him! 

We've gotten to meet so many people, and it's really hard to keep names straight, so I started a list in my notes of names and details I learn, at Elder Ogden's recommendation, and I feel like I'm going to want to use that trick the rest of my life... I'm sure I'll talk a lot more about these people that I've come to love, but I'll do the funny stories for now, because people like those. 

So my first full day in Fontana, Elder Ogden and I, along with our roommates Elder Patterson and Elder White, we went to go and do service for this man named Al. He was 50-something and had a ton of stuff in his yard. Like, if you've seen my room after a while of not getting around to cleaning, just scale that up and replace knick-knacks and clothes with cars and poles and all sorts of other things. So in the heavy rain (which I didn't realize existed in California), we were set to work attaching a winch to a super old "Scooby-Doo" van (which had had most of its insides removed). It was very whelming. I got set in the van and was told to steer while the winch pulled on the back. I just kind of sat there and turned the wheel one way or another and hoped that it would do something. I wasn't sure. Old van, plus there was no way for me to know entry way the wheels were facing. 

Very stressful, but then he thanked us for the help and told us about how it blessed him to have us there, so that made me feel a bit less freaked out. It was good. 

And then somebody told me about the Book of Mormon Class that we apparently teach. What?? Where'd that come from?? So every Thursday night, we read through and discuss a chapter in the Book of Mormon with a bunch of members. It was a huge surprise, but I was so Hyped for this class! We were reading some Isaiah, and I somehow got a hold of Elder Tripp's student manual for a Book of Mormon course, so I was so ready to tackle that project! We had a great discussion, and I think that with a few changes, we can really invite and strengthen more testimonies of Jesus Christ through it!

The last thing I'll talk about is my Bike. I'm in a Biking area, so Elder Ogden and I have to ride a bike or beg for a ride everywhere we go. So Saturday, we biked 16 miles! 16! That's absolute insanity! I haven't ridden an actual bike in four years! But you know how I was able to make it through those bike rides? A very patient companion. But you know how else? A prayer. I asked my Heavenly Father to help me through my weakness, and to help me to do His work and His will. And it still hurt, but whenever we'd stop at a house, I would set my Bike down and not be distracted by any pain in my legs, and by the time I'd get back on my bike, my legs wouldn't ache any more. Heavenly Father loves His children, and He blesses them, even if it's something so inconsequential as me being terrible at riding a bike. I know that God's love for me is evident in my life, and I know it's present in yours. I'd encourage you all to look for, and maybe even make a list, or the ways that your Heavenly Father has blessed you in your lives as you go about this week. I know it helps me to find those blessings!

And one final story! There's a woman here named Sister Caroline, and I love her to death! And whenever she prays, and she can't think of anything else to say to her Heavenly Father, she says, "That's it. Amen."

So That's it. Amen.

Elder Richardson

P.S. Caught up! Yay! Also, my P-days (the Emailing days) are on Monday now! I'll probably only have a short window for writing emails (can still read any point in the week), but I'll try to reply, starting now, to as many emails as I can! I've just been trying to stay caught up up to this point, so sorry about not getting back to you... Well, Bye! Enjoy your week!

AWKWARD UPDATE

March 27, 2018

This is my 3rd cousin, Sister Bentley (far right). We met at the MTC. Also, Cousin Birch (That's his neutral face, don't worry), through the same line from me, so we're all related. It's pretty awesome. They're pretty awesome. So, yeah. Just thought I'd let you know. 

Awkward update,

Elder Richardson 

P.S. I FOUND MALCOLM AGAIN!! AND I GOT PICTURES!!! I'll send them separately. 

FROM DAD (Vernon)

Cool!  Love the pix!

This is from Wikipedia about Fontana.

Fontana (/fɒnˈtænə/) is a city of 207,460 residents in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913,^[2] it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regional hub of the trucking industry, with Interstate 10 and State Route 210 transecting the city from east to west, and Interstate 15 passing diagonally through its northwestern quadrant.

It is home to the largest of the San Bernardino County system libraries, a renovated historic theater, a municipal park, and the Auto Club Speedway on the site of the Kaiser Steel Mill. Fontana also hosts the Fontana Days Half Marathon and 5K run. This race is the fastest half-marathon course in the world.^[14]

The United States Census Bureau estimated Fontana's 2016 population at 207,460, making it the second most populous city in San Bernardino County and the 19th largest in the state.^[10] The name fontana is Italian for fountain or water source, being in close proximity to the Santa Ana River to the east.

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

MARCH 21, 2018 - ARRIVED IN REDLANDS, CA

MADE IT TO THE MISSION HOME

March 21, 2018

I made it to the Mission Home! Redlands is beautiful! President and Sister Dixon are fantastic and I love them already! Apparently, tomorrow is training and then we'll meet our trainers and be in our area that afternoon! My P-day is Monday, and also pictures will be posted on the Facebook page: California Redlands Mission LDS Pres. Dixon 2016-2019. Sister Dixon has said about the mission: "It's the hardest work that you'll never want to leave!" I'm really excited. 

I've got to go, I love you all! 

Ready to sleep now,

Elder Richardson 

FROM DAD (Vernon Richardson)

Yay! Enjoy the journey!

FROM BENJAMIN:

So I got special permission from President Dixon to say that my first area is a biking area! Hooray!! I'll be less fat!! But that does mean that I'll be Buying a bike today. President Dixon said that it normally totals to around $500 dollars, and I said that that should be ok, but I wanted to confirm real quick. I was planning on just paying with the credit card. 

There are some loaner bikes, but they usually are just temporary until I can buy a bike. 

See you in the next cycle!

Elder Richardson

FROM DAD:

Sounds good. Thanks for letting us know. 

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

MARCH 21, 2018 - FINAL WEEK AT THE MTC - WEEK #3

M-T-SEE--YOU LATER

March 21, 2018

(I had sent this email about the my final week in the MTC, which was the week leading up to March 20th, but due to time contraints I sent it my first week in California, or the week leading up to March 27th)

Oh boy, last week at the MTC!  What's gonna happen? Well, a lot. We were busy, but it was the busy where you know you're busy, but you don't always feel busy. This letter, by the way, was brought to you by the word "busy."

In our classes, there was beginning to be this creeping realization that our time together as a district and with our teachers was beginning to come to a close. For me, it hit when we started counting down the number of volleyball games we'd all get to play with each other. But we tried to just enjoy the time we could spend with each other while we still could. 

Also, Elder Tripp is the best! And I had the absolute pleasure of helping him out with this project. So earlier in our time at the MTC, we went to the store, and he bought 10 hardcover copies of The Book of Mormon, and them moved down the counter to send them to an engraver to get everyone in our district's name engraved on them. So we each would get our own personal copy with Elder/Sister (last name) engraved on the cover. But that's not all, Elder Tripp was sneaky, and got everyone to write our testimonies down on sheets of paper. We then went and copied and sized them to fit in the backs of the copies of the Book of Mormon, and we spent a couple hours taping them in for everyone. So now, we'd  each have each other's testimonies with us as we'd go on our missions. It was great! Kudos to Elder Tripp for creativeness! I'll have a picture of all of us with the books in this email. 

We finished up with our TRC's, and got to learn more about the one we'd been teaching from the beginning! So, context, at the beginning of the MTC, we went and taught our teacher Sister Karren, who was acting as an investigator she had taught while on her Mission in Ukraine. The investigator we taught was a woman named Dina, and we all grew attached to her as we learned more about her and taught her. So finally, in the last class all of us had with Sister Karren, she told us Dina's story. And we got to see pictures of her adorable child! We all loved her, and it was a great way for me to practice loving the people out in my mission field. 

One of the other things that happened in this last week was we got to do was have "Member TRC's." As a missionary, one of the things we do is strengthen the members and encourage them to invite their friends to come unto Christ themselves. So, we went to practice this. And we met Sister Finnegan. 

Now, Sister Finnegan is a Scottish lady, who joined the church many, many years ago, and she is one of the most fantastic people I've had the absolute pleasure of meeting in my life. She had a powerful testimony of the Gospel and great love for her Savior, and, pretty quickly, the discussion became less about how we could strengthen her, and more about what she could share with us from her experience. And she had had a lot of experiences. 

One of the things that she said really struck me, because I'd been thinking about faith recently, and she put it perfectly. See, I'd been thinking about what increases our faith. I had read a scripture (Alma 5:45-47), and it's about this prophet who talks about how he came to learn about the Gospel himself. He says that he prayed and fasted, and then God taught him through the Holy Spirit. Praying, fasting, as well as reading the scriptures and attending church can all increase our faith, but it all boils down to our personal encounters with God through the Holy Spirit. Those are the things that invite His Spirit to help us grow our individual faith. And that's something that I think may be unique to what we teach, is that our conversion to Christ is strengthened if we go directly to God and ask Him whether or not what we've learned is true. If that's not true and other denominations teach that, let me know. But I think that regardless of what we've been taught, the pursuit of an individual testimony is still something worthwhile. 

Now, back to Sister Finnegan. What an incredible woman! I wished I had brought my notebook to write quotes from her down. But she started talking about her own conversion to Jesus Christ, and she related it back to the story of Joseph Smith (Recap: Joseph Smith was reading in James 1:4-5, and had a question he wanted answered. So he decided to "ask of God" as James directed. So he went out to a grove of trees behind his house, and pray. Long story short, he received a powerful answer). And Sister Finnegan said that, "Every heart has to go to the grove." With that same desire to learn and change and grow, we need to go to ask God for ourselves if we want answers. That's what Sister Finnegan did. She was stubborn in accepting God's love in her life, but then she went to the "Grove," knelt before God and asked, and then she received an answer. And that is such a beautiful image to me. 

Sunday night was kind of rough. We had gone to the devotionals, and gone to listen to talks after, and then we got together for some pictures, and said a prayer altogether. There were a few tears, but I looked at everyone present and knew that they would all be fantastic missionaries, even if they didn't think so. I'm excited to hear from them, and the miracles that they will experience out there.

That's the majority of Week 3 at the MTC! Hopefully I'll get caught up more soon!

Ready to go! 

Elder Richardson 

P.S. So thus far, I've really haven't talked much about the physical "Goings On," and more on some of the spiritual experiences I've had. That's mainly because those are the things I remember better, and I've been a week late. As I catch up, do you want more everyday play-by-play? I don't know. What do you want to see?

P.P.S.S. Also, this email is for my final week at the MTC, so the Subject is a bit misleading. But it was so funny to me, and didn't really fit the next email, sooooo... Yeah... :P

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

MARCH 14, 2018 - MTC WEEK #2

THE MTC PROPER

March 21, 2018

So there we were, all six of us Elders in my district, sitting in the commons area of our residence hall, journaling away about our MTC Day 2, and listening to the other Elders in our Zone (A Zone is a collection of districts of companionships of missionaries) as they were yelling in their room behind the closed door. I had mentioned in passing that I had brought a pack of face cards with me, because, you know, maybe someone would like to play Mao or Go Fish on P-day. The Zone leader heard this, and asked to borrow them. And that's how they ended up playing "Lies" and yelling in their room.

So back to us precious angels dutifully journaling in the commons room. Soon, we hear footsteps from the hallway from the entrance. Brother Brenchley, the 1st counselor of our Branch Presidency (a Branch is kind of like a small-ish congregation, and the Branch Presidency presides over the Branch), and he's scary. Like, imagine Richard G. Scott wearing glasses, but more of the Elder Holland temperament and fire. 

He had come to drop by and talk with us after a meeting, making sure that there weren't any breakdowns happening after Day 3, and then everyone starts yelling in the other room. Brother Brenchley looks in their direction, because up until this point the occasional outburst and the like had been heard, but not like this. He starts walking to the door, and we all started cracking up, because we knew what would happen. 

Brother Brenchley knocked on the door. "WHO IS IIITT!?!?!" 

After the third knock, the Zone Leader finally stood up from their game and opened the door. 

"He- Hey, Brother Brenchley!"

"What is going on in this room?"

We were just silently dying outside, because the situation was just so ridiculous, and probably really hard to explain for those Elders. We love them so much! And actually, at the end of this second week, we had to say goodbye to them. They gave good final advice, and they're going to be fantastic missionaries. 

But now that the funny story is out of the way, I need to talk about my second week at the MTC (Yes, I am aware I'm behind, but I think I'll get caught up soon)! So, where to begin...?

In the MTC, one of the tools, in addition to the Missionary Handbook (which outlines the Missionary rules that are set to help us feel and teach in God's way), Preach My Gospel (a Missionary reference, which takes what we know from the scriptures and applies it to Missionary work, creating a guide to help us teach), and the classes at the MTC (Taught By the Terrific Brother Tongish, the Lovely Sister Karren, and others, like the Stupendous Sister Schmitt), we also have TRC's (Teaching Resource Center), which are a mixture of actors and real investigators that we prepare lessons for to teach. So it's just like an actual lesson. The other cool thing is that after a lesson, we receive a survey that these TRC's have taken. That way, we can gauge what it is we need to improve for our next lesson. 

Our first TRC was someone by the name of Andrew, and he was a tough cookie. He had no concept of who God was (He was from Japan, so not even the Christian culture that you can gain from Osmosis in America), except for the bits of what he heard from his fellow students at BYU. We went in and taught a lesson, my companion Elder Tripp and I, and we felt ok leaving. Like, the lesson wasn't great, but we were still learning, so what else could we do? 

Well, later we got that survey back from Andrew. It tore us apart. One of our main goals was that he would feel of God's love, and he specifically said that he didn't feel any of that, and he felt completely confused. That was really rough on me in particular, and I just went home and cried that night. If I couldn't teach this man, my first investigator, then how could I be a Missionary and Emissary of my Savior for the next two years? 

That next day sort of drug on, and I was really mope-y. But then, I realized that I hadn't been reading in the scriptures. I had gotten busy, and had just forgotten to do so. And so, with another lesson with Andrew lined up that night, I turned to the scriptures, specifically The Book of Mormon, and started reading. And it was incredible what happened. 

I had a good reading and studying time in the scriptures, but then we went to the lesson. I felt more confident. I spoke much more during the lesson, and when the survey came back for that night, it was better. Not great, I had more learning to do to ever achieve that, but still much better. 

There is power in the scriptures. Specifically, there is power in reading the words of The Book of Mormon. Opening its pages opens a door to invite the Spirit of God into your heart (Also, power in prepositions). And if we really read, and really study his words, then we can really invite his influence into our lives. 

We kept pushing on, kept learning, and kept teaching. Our lessons got better, and Elder Tripp and I figured out how best to work with each other. 

And that's the most I can recall from week two. I could probably say more, but I really want to get caught up, so sorry for brevity. 

Keep loving people, everyone!

Elder Richardson

P.S. PICTURES! I have some, and I'll dump them all on you later, but for now, here is my district!

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

MARCH 7, 2018 - MTC WEEK #1 - the full story

 the full story ..... A STRANGE BEGINNING

March 7, 2018

I AM A LIAR!!! Not even 5 minutes after I leave my family in a tearful goodbye, I lie to the Government!

Ok, so maybe I wasn't intentionally lying when I told the Airport Security Lady (who was super nice, by the way) that I didn't have any food in my carry-on, but I also didn't disclose the fact that I had two boxes of candy in said bag! I opened my bag later at my gate to find the smuggled goods, and realized what had happened. So either I managed to evade airport security accidentally with my Gobstoppers and Sprees, or the very nice Airport Security lady just let me go through. I'm not sure how I feel about either of those options.

And then I boarded my first flight, and I'm off to a brand new adventure!!! No, wait... Not yet... Hm... Yes, I see. A Call from Maintenance has delayed our flight by ten minutes, because a sticker was found on the outside of the plane. Modern transportation shut down by Hello Kitty stickers and griping Maintenance workers who now have the strangest piece of paperwork to fill out.

In Dallas, I actually found a missionary who was flying home to Salt Lake City from the same mission as Marcus! Elder Williams and I talked for a while, and then this guy came up to me and asked if I had lost my name tag. How cool is that? Someone thinks I'm a missionary for some reason! I said no, and later he told me that I'd never fit in at the MTC because my suit looked too nice (What a nice fellow)!

Arriving in Salt Lake City, Elder Williams and I talked a bit more and walked out of the airport, and Elder William's family was there to greet him. Never have I been so proud of a person I'd only met a few hours before...

After retrieving my baggage (the non-emotional variety), I decided to find the place where my sister Melissa had told me she'd pick me up at. But then, suddenly, a challenger approaches! A vending machine held a chip bag by its top two corners within the evil clutches of its swirly-twirlers of gluttonous doom! And so, I devised a cunning plan to overcome the beast before me and rescue the victim. If I just bought the Cheddar and Sour Cream Baked Ruffles located directly above the dangling distressor, then I might be able to knock it down and get two bags of chips for the price of one!

Um.. In the name of Justice, of course. 

But rather than give a strangely descriptive account of a bag of chips falling out of a vending machine, I'll just say that the plan failed. Further attempts may have proved successful, but even I have standards, and buying a bag of Cheetos would have meant stooping below those. 

And these are the adventures of my first day set apart as a missionary. From there, Melissa brought me home, and I ate good food with her and Hyrum. I slept and journal-ed much more than I ever thought I would, and then spent that next morning with my cousin Jared, asking all sorts of questions and getting some good help in seeing what being a missionary is really like. Thank you!

Melissa and Hyrum dropped me off at the MTC. I can't really remember much beyond them abandoning me in a parking garage (I jest! I jest). I gave them my final hugs and walked off into the wild blue yonders (actually, it was more grey with orange-ish lighting). I'm so glad that I was able to have them in the area to drop me off. It was a little scary and a fairly whelming experience heading in on my own, but it was great to know that they, along with my family at home, were cheering me on in their hearts (metaphorically, I don't know that anyone was actually thinking about that at the time.)

I got a badge, and I put it on. Now, I literally bear the name of My Savior, Jesus Christ, on my heart. One of my teachers once talked about Michelangelo (not the turtle) who went in and chiseled his name on his sculpture of Mary cradling Jesus in her arms. This Teacher went on to talk about how we should bear the name of Jesus Christ on our very souls. I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to literally have his name inscribed over my heart. What a privilege and an honor!

I met my district of fellow missionaries, which is sort of like my classroom group of four other pairs of missionaries. Then the last one to arrive was my companion, Elder Tripp. I LOVE THIS HUMAN! He is one of my favorite missionaries EVER! He adds so much to our class because he actually spent time in the field before coming to the MTC! (Clarification: He is actually High-functioning autistic, so he served 3 months in Idaho Falls as a missionary (To make sure he could handle a full 2 years), and now is going to the California Redlands mission for 21 more!) I have so much to learn from Elder Tripp, and he is such an example to me of the attitudes of missionary work and how to effectively teach!

And if he sounds awesome (which he should, because he is), then Oh Snap! Because every single one of these missionaries in my district is a powerful teacher and a wonderful friend! Every single one of them has something to offer to everyone else. Knowledge of the scriptures, an example of true Charity, and personal stories filled with faith and repentance in action. I love all of them. 

I know I've ranted about my district a lot, and I'll do it a lot more, I'm sure. But honestly, they are the part of my time here that I remember the most. I have lessons I'm learning here, and I'm able to apply it all. But amidst the blur, I remember the special moments where we were all working together to be better missionaries, and where we were able to work on our missionary purpose, which is "To invite others to come unto Christ..." And that is what being a missionary is about. 

Well, this is it for the first week. I don't have a lot of content for the first week, but I'm thinking the experience is more important than the day to day. I know that this where God wants me to be, and I've been called to serve him. I just need to start getting better at writing these emails is all... 

Called to Serve!

Elder Richardson

P.S. My conclusions could use some work as well...

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

MARCH 7, 2018 - MTC WEEK #1

"A STRANGE BEGINNING"

March 7, 2018

Not procrastination, but just being way too busy and not having enough time to do it all. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up better next week, and send my mission email. I'm doing great, and I'm having a blast at the MTC! I love my companion, and he helps me learn the schedule.

So I'm still alive, just really, REALLY busy.

I'll contact you next week! (Sorry!)

Elder Richardson

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020