JANUARY 8, 2019 - WEEK #45

THERE ARE MIRACLES!

January 8, 2019

Transfers are this week, and I'm staying in Palm Springs with Elder Brown! It was really exciting to find out, because I thought that I was going to leave, but now I get to stay in the best area with a sweet companion!

We had some super awesome exchanges this week! I got to go to Desert Hot Springs, and we had a lesson with a woman who had her nephew over. We showed a video about a man's journey from the world and sin towards God, and it really spoke to her nephew! He couldn't stop talking about the Spirit that he felt! We set up a return appointment with him, and he will be taught by the Elders there now! We had no idea that he was going to be there when we decided to share that video!

At church on Sunday, we walked out of a meeting, and then some other missionaries walked up and introduced us to Nick, who they had been talking to. Nick is a super cool guy! He just showed up at church, because a friend invited him to try this church. He was asking questions like crazy, and we told him about how we had another book of scripture like the Bible, and he was thrilled! "Sweet! I have more scriptures to read!"

We were sitting in church, and the whole time, he was practically bouncing in his seat next to me! "I love this!" When people started going up to bear their testimonies, he leaned over to me and said, "I want to go up, but I'm so nervous!"

"If you go up, then I'll go up too!" I whispered back. Nick grinned.

"Well, I want to hear your testimony, so...!" And then he went up, bore his testimony, and it was great! Everyone went up to him afterwards and told him how he did such a great job! 

After church, he said, "Wow! I think I've found my church!" 

It was a miracle of a day!

Another story! On another exchange, I was in Palm Springs with one of the Spanish Elders, and we went to a lesson with a family in our Ward. We had the lesson, and it was super awesome, and then the daughter, who was home from college, shared that she had been thinking a lot about serving a mission herself, and that she had wanted to ask a bunch of questions about serving a mission! We were so excited to answer her questions, but we didn't have time that night. 

As we were biking home, there were a lot of things that struck me that seemed to have lined up perfectly. after talking with the Elder that was with me, we decided that he needed to be there to talk with this girl about serving a mission, and that the wacky circumstances had come about to make that happen! His experience with deciding to serve a mission lined up with hers, and so we wanted to get him back into that home to share his testimony and experiences! And so, that very next night, he and I were back with that girl and her family, sharing about how she could be blessed if she decided to serve a mission, and also how she could learn for herself what her Heavenly Father wanted her to do.

I've been noticing that a lot more this week! just how as we go about our daily lives, we can see the hand of God throughout! Even in things like, this morning, we needed to do a lot of Aldi shopping very quickly! We pulled into a parking space, and there was an unattached cart, without a quarter, sitting nearby. Like, just how did that  get there? We shrugged our shoulders and took it, but then I realized that we hadn't taken any thought about bringing a quarter, and without that cart, we would've been stuck!

I'm grateful for all of the small miracles like that, and the big miracles like finding Nick yesterday! I love this work, I love my God, and I love my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ!

Oh, and I love all of you, of course! Keep it up this new year! I'm blessed to have the opportunity to serve God all of 2019 on my mission, and I'd encourage you to consider making a greater effort to reach out to others for God, too! I know that you'll see miracles and  have a blast, too!

Lots of Love!

Elder Richardson

1) My Proof that it has been kind of rainy in the desert!

2) We visited at a thrift store, and this Legolas Lunchbox made me smile. Of course this exists!

3) We had a dinner with one of our nonmember friends, and he treated us to a very entertaining evening!

4) Yay! Awkward district photo!

5 and 6) OK, so we have an awesome friend that we played Monopoly with today (I won!!!), and he had an infinity Gauntlet, and so Elder Brown and so had a competition to see who could look scarier. I think I won!

Video) Either you will understand the reference (#AllRegion), or this will be a very strange experience.

NOTE TO MOM:

Hey Mom! 

I love you! Yep! You and Dad are the best! Thank you so much for showing me why I need the Gospel, so that I can hopefully be an awesome parent like you some day! 

I know that I haven't sent those measurements yet, but I'll make sure to take them tonight and send them next week! 

I heard that Luke came for Christmas! How was that? Was he pretty cool? Cool enough for Bethany? :D

I love you! Tell Daniel and Mason and Joseph that I'm thinking about them! Also, tell Joseph that he needs to send me some updates and tips on finding people to teach!

Love you!

Elder Richardson