MAY 8, 2018 - WEEK #10

FORWARD WITH ELDER BEARMAN BOLDNESS!

April 24, 2018

Transfers: Noun. A dreaded but loved event in Missionaries' lives which involves a lot of stress for some, but next to none for others. Also, a Unit of time of about 6 weeks (length varies between Mission Areas). 

Transfers are when the Mission President shifts people around the Mission; mixing up companionships as needed, opening, closing, or merging areas, etc. 

So when Elder Ogden left, he drove to the mission office with Elder Holton, which meant that I was put with Elder Clarkson again for two days! I love this guy! He's so funny, and he's such a great missionary, too!

The sad part is that I had to say goodbye to him again, but one day, hopefully, we can be companions for realsies! But then Elder Bearman came, and it was so awesome! (Fun fact, the first time I tried to type his name on my phone, my phone called him Elder Batman, sooo... Yep...)

Elder Bearman is such a great missionary! I think he forgot to say hello to me because he was so pumped to get to work! He's really on top of everything, so much so that I think he already knows this area better in 5 days than I did with 6 weeks! We've reached out to so many people, and we even taught two lessons with people investigating the church this last week alone! He has such a great vision of what Missionary Work can and should be, and I'm doing my best to learn from his example!

One thing that Elder Bearman does, just to demonstrate how motivated and on top of things he is, is whenever something good happens, he yells, "Let's GOOOO!!!" It's so great and I love him already!

The only weird thing was that during our Device Audit (Where we look through each others phones each week to make sure we're using them correctly), he did the standard things: He checked my photos and battery usage on each app, just like Elder Ogden did. But then, Unlike Elder Ogden, he started going through my Notes app! I was just super shocked, and felt really weird about it. It's like if somebody just took your sketchbook without your permission and started leafing through it; THAT kind of awkward feeling. But I'm guessing that Elder Ogden just never thought to do that, and that you are supposed to check those too. But just felt really weird!!!

Speaking of those two lessons, they went really well! One of them is someone named Brenda, and Elder Ogden and I had been trying to contact them for weeks! We had set up an appointment, but it fell through. Like, we thought that they would actually be in their home, but it turned out that her husband was in LA (or something else ridiculously far), and she was in Ontario. And that was the first that we heard of that!!

However, we actually saw them this week! And we did talk to them! We got caught up on how they were doing, and we got to learn a lot about their desires to come back to Church and God for the sake of themselves and their kids! It was remarkable to be able to serve these people as Jesus Christ would, Teaching and committing them to live and learn more about His Gospel! Their schedules were busy, but we invited them to come to come to church this next Sunday! We can't wait to see them there!

We also got to teach Riley again! We realized during the lesson that we had covered too many things too quickly during our last visit, and so we reviewed a lot of what we taught last time. He's eager to learn, but we just need to slow down and help him process everything. We reviewed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we talked especially about Baptism. When we were planning for the lesson with him, we had decided that we wanted to invite him to be Baptized, and Elder Bearman wanted me to be the one to invite him for some reason. 

As Elder Bearman was teaching about the Importance of Baptism and about being Baptized to just like Jesus Christ was, I looked at Riley and said a prayer asking if it was the right moment to ask him. I felt nervous because of my weaknesses, but as soon as I said the prayer in my heart, I felt the peace of the Holy Ghost fill my heart, and I was able to invite him to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being Baptized, and he said yes! We're going to set up a date with him, and he wants his friend who invited him to church to Baptize him! But Ultimately, it was the Spirit that was present that invited him, and that testified to him that it was the right thing to do! In the meantime, we have more to teach him, and more to learn as well!

The moral of the Story is that I don't know what I'm doing, but I know that Jesus Christ loves me and wants to help me live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. They want that for each and everyone of us. So if I testify of that, then the Holy Ghost will testify of that truth. That is how we Missionaries teach: we invite the Spirit, and He teaches.

And with that, I must leave. And in the words of Elder Bearman:

LLEET'SS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Elder Richardson

P.S. Woah... Letter Number 10?!?! Time is flying like crazy!! Oh no! 

1) Elder Bearman and I

2) I got these REALLY good tacos this week! And it was taco night, too! Plus they looked really pretty!

Benjamin Richardson

California Redlands Mission

Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020

NOTE FROM MASON:

Hey Ben, it's Mason, just wanted to send a letter and 2 Pokemon I made up. So how are you? We haven't really talked about so I don't know what's happening. Can't wait to see you on Sunday for our Skype! Wish you good luck on your mission.

 From, Mason. 

P.S. Here are the made up Pokemon.

FROM BEN:

Hey Mason! I'm super excited to talk to you as well! Sorry I haven't been able to email you as much! I've been kind of busy doing missionary things. 

Hey, so I only got Flameby! Is there another Pokemon?

Thanks for the Letter! I love you, Mason!

Elder Richardson