OPPORTUNITIES!
August 7, 2018
Ni Hao, WoDe JiaTing!
I'm sure I butchered that Pinyin and Chinese Grammar. I'm a little bit out of practice. Or rather, I never practiced, sooooo...
So there Elder Ford and I are, last Monday Morning, and we wake up to find a text on our phone from the Sister in our ward who signed up to feed us dinner on Wednesday. She tells us that she has 2 girls from China staying with her, and that she wanted us to teach them before they flew home on Friday. We were SO STOKED!!! But what were the chances? That I would be in Yucaipa, and that I would still have those memories of living in China a few years ago fresh in my mind to be able to talk with them about it.
At first we talked a lot about the differences in our cultures, and then we started talking about our individual beliefs. We talked a lot about who God is, and how He loves us, and so He teaches us how to be better people. Our Ward Mission Leader happened to have two Chinese copies of the Book of Mormon, and we gave those to them. Apparently, Lily, one of the girls, was reading it constantly after we left. She said something along the lines of, "I don't quite understand everything this Book says, but I like the feeling I get when I read it!"
Would someone else have been able to talk to and relate to them? Probably. But God placed Elder Ford and I in this area for this opportunity to prepare them for when Proselyting missionaries can find them in China.
When we are doing what we can to invite the Spirit into our lives, and doing what we are supposed to do, there will always be something that God wants us to do. Whether it be something that we need to learn, or someone that we need to help. We just need to be ready for that opportunity.
After dinner, we went to read in the Book of Mormon with John, who is going to be baptized on August 25th! As we sat down to read with him, we saw a girl sitting nearby. We invited her to come and read with us, and she accepted. When she came and sat down, though, John just started telling all about us, and how if she had questions, she could ask them right away and that we would do our best to answer. He is so awesome!
Madison, that girl, had an awesome experience reading in the Book of Mormon! She said that she really wanted to meet with us again, and so that next morning we did! And after that lesson, she asked if we could have a Bible and/or Book of Mormon Study with her throughout the school year!
That morning, we had our Zone Conference all about our studies! We really learned a lot about how to study for the people we are teaching and working with, rather than just study for ourselves.
I was feeling pretty bleh that morning, but after the testimonies and the Spirit I felt in that Zone Conference, I was ready for both that dinner and that lesson! Otherwise, I may not have been ready for the opportunities that my Heavenly Father was presenting us with!
Always remember that God is mindful of you, what you've been through, and is giving you the opportunities to see miracles because of those things! When we remember that, it becomes easier to reach out to our Heavenly Father, which means that He can open the gates of heaven to drench us in every blessing and tender mercy!
That's a lot of random things tossed together, but that was this week (Last week. Sorry, I'll explain the lateness in the next one). It's all good stuff, and, ultimately, I've just been learning about how much my Heavenly Father, how much God Himself, cares about each and every one of us. And I'm doing my best to show and communicate that I love Him too!
Working Hard!
Elder Richardson
1) Look at this Puppy! Her name is Lucy (like after Lucy in "I Love Lucy") and she is super cute!
2) This is a Street Corner food, Eloté. It's literally a corn cob, Butter, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and cayenne pepper. It ... was interesting...
Benjamin Richardson
California Redlands Mission
Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020
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