TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ..........
January 15, 2019
Who is your Companion?
My Companion is Elder Brown from Blanding, Utah! I managed to make it 9 month out on my mission without having a companion from Utah, which is a little surprising, haha! He is awesome! Elder Brown is a super obedient missionary, and he really just wants those around him to succeed at whatever it is they want to do, whether it happens to be learning about the gospel or learning how to teach people about Jesus Christ!
Where are you serving?
I am serving in the California Redlands Mission, which is based primarily in the city of Redlands, but spreads through more of Southern California. I've been serving in the city of Palm Springs, California for about 3 months now, serving in the Palm Springs Ward. We just had our transfers, but I didn't get moved, so I will stay in Palm Springs for another 6 weeks, at least (hopefully more!!!!)!
Palm Springs used to be a big place for movies stars, back in the day (like, we're talking about when some movies were still black and white!) I've seen a house that belonged to Elvis, one that belonged to Debbie Reynolds, and I'm pretty sure that Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball have houses down here too, but I haven't found them yet! It has since then become more of a retirement community for super rich people, mostly Canada, who fly down here for the winter months when the temperature is somewhat reasonable (we call these people "Snowbirds!").
There are also just a ton of people from everywhere! A lot of people that we end up working with are from all over! The Philippines, Tonga, Samoa, China, you name it! It's really neat! Last night, we had a dinner with one of our favorite members from the Philippines, and had a huge Filipino feast! There was Panzit (think Filipino Chow Mein), Lumpias (Filipino Springs Rolls, but SOOO Good!), and I was too scared to try the Filipino Meat Loaf, I think it was because of the raisins... But it's so fun to have all of these cultures!
What's mission life like?
It is nuts, but it is so fun! We are always running around everyday, up at 6:30am and running, teaching, and talking to people until 9pm! It's exhausting, but it's super rewarding!
A big part of what we do is help people to come to church! Like this week, we met a big Samoan guy who hadn't been to church in a while. He still had a testimony and everything, but was just a little worried about how he'd fit in. But we invited him to sit by us, and he showed up in a Lava-lava and sandals, and he just had a blast! He really felt the Spirit, and just loved it! Afterwards, our bishop and tons of our members just flocked to him and they all became friends! It was awesome!
Have you spoken in church a lot?
Not too much, but it's gotten to be so fun! I just get to ramble about gospel topics for 10 to 15 minutes, and people listen! No, but honestly it is really cool to go up and speak to the ward as a whole, and to address all of them about the things that they need! Also, there are a couple people that we know that really like missionaries, but aren't always super excited about coming to church, but they will come to church when they hear we're speaking!
What can I do to help you?
I know that a lot of you are praying for me, and I feel it! It helps me so much when things get tough. Really what makes me happy and gets me excited to keep doing this work over here is an occasional assurance that good things are happening where you are! I like hearing things like "I found this scripture when I was reading the other day," or, "I was able to serve somebody this last week!" These things are actually really inspiring to hear, because it tells me that even though I'm not about to help out where you are, you're doing the things that allow God to take care of you and help you! That brings me a lot of joy, and also helps me know that some of my prayers are being answered!
I hope that's helpful to someone... But that's my update for this week!
Lots of Love! Mahal Kita! (That could be wrong...)
Elder Richardson
1) We were having a really crazy, rainy day on bike, and we turn around and see this rainbow! Blessings!!!
2) I forget that when I'm talking to people on my bike, they just see my awkward helmet... Hm...
3) We had an FHE with a family, and we played THE MOST INTENSE game of Jenga EVER!!! At least for me... I haven't played that much...
4) This is an example of me taking random pictures of the things that crack me up, because we've all been there.
5) We found these Sunglasses in the Hermana's car during car checks, and so we snagged an awful picture.
Benjamin Richardson
California Redlands Mission
Feb 28, 2018 - March 3, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment