THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE
January 29, 2019
Oh boy, here we go again! A whole two weeks worth of updates! I almost wonder if I've done more catch up's than sending actual weekly emails. Regardless, here are some major highlights!
I went for the day to work with Elder Lewis in the Spanish area, and while Elder Lewis was talking with one of the people they were teaching in Spanish, I got talking with Mario, that man's grandson. I gave him an English copy of the Book of Mormon, and we sat down and read the first chapter, about a man who prayed to know what God had in store, and how God answered his question. As we talked about that first chapter, Mario asked if we could read the next one, too! And so we read it, and he said, with a smile on his face, "Wow, reading this makes me feel like there's something out there!" I promised him that as he kept reading the Book of Mormon, then he would come to know that there was someone out there, watching over him! These experiences, where you get to just testify of what you know to people like that, are the miracles you carry with you as you continue to be a missionary for Jesus Christ!
We've been working on those member lessons in our ward, and they are going well! We had lots of fun experiences looking for a lunar eclipse, being abandoned for pizza right before our lesson, and getting Jiu Jitsu'd, but the most fun experience was with one family and their daughter Carley!
Carley is just a rambunctious 2-year old, and she kept interupting our lesson because she wanted some attention. And so her dad told her that she needed to run to her room, grab her stuffed animals, and then throw them on the couch next to us! So as we continued to teach about why regular scripture study is important, we had baby dolls and Care Bears being thrown on us! It took all of our poker face skills to keep the discussion going while being buryed alive in Looney Toons characters, but it did keep Carley occupied, so I'm going to remember that one for later!
Elder Brown was itching to tract this one neighborhood, so I went tracting for the very first time. Tracting, by the way, is when you go in blind and knock on a door, and then just try to start up a conversation, and then offer service or to share the message we share about Jesus Christ and His Gospel. It's not always the most effective thing to do to meet new people, because a lot of the time people aren't super willing to even listen to your message when you randomly knock on their door.
But, we did it, and we met a super cool guy named Herb! Herb is a house flipper, and he was working on a house when we passed by, so we walked up and asked if we could help! He totally rejected us, but then he asked if we wanted to look at the house! We poked around a bit, and he described everything that he had done to make the house super cool! He wasn't interested in our message, but I think that one day he might be. He has a lot of things that have pointed him towards God, and he'll have a lot more as time goes on. But for now, he's a cool friend that we made!
We had another lesson with a family, and for some reason their daughter, Heather, and I are literal best friends. I don't know how it happened exactly, but it is so fun to be best friends with a 6 year old. Whenever she and her mom pass by us when their in the car, she always says, "There's my best friend!" And now, it's a joke in her family, too! We called the mom to ask about what we could share when we came over for a lesson, and the mom picked up the phone and said, "Is this my best friend???" And I said "Of course!" It was so funny!
We went and visited a wonderful old man named Roger this week, and he's been going through a bunch of health issues, so we took him a picture of Jesus to put on his organ. A few hours after Elder Johnson (we were on exchanges) and I left, we get a call from one of Roger's friends, who is a nurse. She was freaking out because we had shaken his hand, and she thought that we were going to die! She literally said at least 4 different times that we could die from what Roger had if we had caught it and if we did nothing about it. So we were freaking out a bit, and we ran into the nearest fast food rest room and washed our hands up to our elbows, just in case. But then when we talked with our Mission Nurse, she said that we would be fine and most likely wouldn't die. So we're good, but we were given a bit of a false scare, there.
Despite all of these fun stories, the real highlight of this past week was how Elder D. Todd Christofferson came and visited our mission this last Saturday. Elder Christofferson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, just like the Apostles the Christ called to lead His church in the New Teastament. It was awesome to have him here! I think one of the coolest experiences that we had was this: We were all standing and lined up in front of some chairs where Elder Christofferson and others would come in and sit to take a picture, we were all chattering together in line, waiting for them to arrive, and then he walked in. The Spirit just washed over all of us missionaries, and hushed us all. The Spirit just told us all in that moment, "Yep. Isn't that cool? That man is an Apostle!"
I know from that experience that Elder Christofferson is an Apostle of God, just like the Apostles talked about in the Bible. He does the things that they did, because they were directed to do so by Jesus Christ!
There is someone out there, Mario! His name is Jesus Christ, and He loves you, and He suffered, died, and rose again so that you can know that and be comforted by that fact! He restored His church again on the earth with Prophets and Apostles so that you can learn how to best make your way back to Him and your Heavenly Father! I know that that is true!
I love you all, and hope that you are having a cooler rest of your winter than I am! You're the best!
Elder Richardson
1) Biking at night! We've been doing a bit of that lately...
2) A Child had this sword, and he made the shield ALL BY HIMSELF, fully equipped with adjustable armbands. Sweet!
3 and 4) Reunited with old friends!
5) An Hermana in our District drew this, and it was just super cool!
6) Parenting Techniques: Bury the Missionaries alive to preoccupy your children, and then the Missionaries won't be able to run away before you give them your dessert!
7) "Wait, do that again! It'll be a funny picture to send to your moms!" Palm Springs Ward Member
Benjamin Richardson
California Redlands Mission
Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020
Hey Mom! I love you! Also, I forgot to send this picture to everyone in the thing, so here it is! That little girl, Heather, drew this picture of Elder Brown and I, and then another of just me! It was so cute!
I love you, just wanted to remind you of that! I'm cheering for you in this corner of the USA, and I know that you've got a lot going on right now, but I can trust in our Heavenly Father to help you out and to give you the hugs that you need!
Lots of Love,
Elder Richardson
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