8-21-17 - LAST UPDATE FOR THE MISSION

August 21, 2017

Crazy LIFE!

We had some crazy experiences this last week! 

On Monday I chipped my tooth playing basketball and then got it fixed in the same day!!! FOR FREE!!! Now I'm still ALL smiles and loving life. 

On Tuesday we went and visited Fey and her boys and taught the law of Chastity using head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!! It went really well!! Definitely the smoothest Law of Chastity lesson i have ever had with kids under the age of 18! We're hoping to maybe pull out a baptism for Kenny and Benny this weekend! It all depends on dad though. We have no idea how we're going to do it...but we're going off of a prompting!!! 

On Friday, Elder Bagley and I drove down to Fresno to have my exit interview. It's getting more and more bitter sweet as I go along. But I will say...

My mission has changed my life forever. I will NEVER forget the experiences I've had, nor wll I ever go back to what I once was. There's a scripture in 1 Corinthians that reads, "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?"  I bear my witness that the gospel really does set us free. And that it changes lives. It's changed mine and others and I know as we let it...It will change yours as well. I love you all and am excited to continue my discipleship as a true follower of Jesus Christ! Leave it all out on the field EVERYONE!! Love you!

Elder Richardson

Elder Bagley and me at the Wilcox's home for Dinner (mmmmm).

   

8-14-17 - MY LAST ZONE CONFERENCE

August 14, 2017

Nyob Zoo Swav Daws!,

This week was bitter sweet...I had my last Zone Conference and had to bear my testimony to all the missionaries there. It still hasn't fully hit me that I'm going home. It has in some ways, but not all. I want everyone to know that my mission means everything to me. And I wouldn't trade it for any amount of money that anyone would ever offer. I have come to know my Savior more now than ever. And it's help me set up patterns in life that will help me continue to grow in more ways than not! 

We went on 2 exchanges this week and had lots of fun doing so! 

As for finding, Elder Bagley and I picked up 2 teenagers named Shauntelle and Donovan, who I actually taught the first time I was here!!! We are also really working through the YSA to find more Hmong people and we know that our efforts are not in vain!! 

That's about all for this week though!

Love you all!

Elder Richardson 

CLEANING THE CAR.
2017 Malibu with Turbo... 

I like my apartment CLEAN!!

8-7-17 - NEW YSA REP - DAVID

August 7, 2017

Nyob zoo!! 

Hello everybody!!

This week was a little rough missionary wise, but we WILL bounce back! Our teaching pool is continuing to dwindle and we aren't finding (yet) but we will!

In good news though, We have an amazing just called YSA rep named David (although, he's been inadvertently filling that calling for weeks now). We are finding less actives and starting to bring them to light with the help of this man. We feel his fire and he feels ours. We know good things are going to continue happening as we all work together. 

I love my mission, my companion, the gospel, my family, etc...!!! I love you all!! Have a GREAT week!!! 

Elder Richardson

Goofy Pictures with our awesome new YSA rep.

7-31-17 - BIKING IT WHEN WE GO OVER MILES IN THE CAR

July 31, 2017

Hiya!

This week was ok! 

We had a situation...we ran out of miles...we actually went over our monthly allotment  and that being said........

WE HAD TO GET SOME BIKES!!! We borrowed some bikes from some other missionaries and went to work in our HUGE area!! It was LOADS of fun. I actually kind of miss being on a bike. Ya it's hot outside, you sweat a lot, sometimes people won't give you water...but hey it's still a blast! I have actually really enjoyed these last few days of biking and wouldn't trade it! Although, we still really need  a car so I am excited for tomorrow when our miles refill again! 

We found 1 new investigator this week! His name is Meng. He is the boyfriend of one of our members here. He is...interesting that's for sure! I have met with him with another missionary before and he says he's "opened minded" but how he goes about conversations with us about the Book of Mormon is very opposite. Although, last week when we met with him, his girlfriend (the member) was there too an he was WAY more toned down! And it was actually a really good lesson! I really hope he will open his heart to the message of the Restoration and come to know it's true by the power of the Holy Ghost!

That's about all for this week though! Love you all!! 

Elder Richardson

Here are some of the YSA's from the HMONG Branch here in Merced.

 

Members feed me. I like Hmong Food.

 

          

7-24-17 - MY HMONG IS GETTING BETTER

July 24, 2017 

Nyob Zoo!! 

Hello from the greatest mission on the planet Earth!! This week has been fun!

Elder Bagley and i picked up 3 new investigators this week! 

'Pao' and 'Mee' we found while contacting in an area where a former investigator used to live! We eventually set up an appointment with Pao (turns out he lives where the former investigator we were looking for used to live) and went back and had a great lesson! I understood most of the first part of the lesson! Pao kept going back from Hmong to English, but even when he spoke in Hmong, I was able to understand what he was saying for the majority of it! It was awesome! The rest of the lesson I didn't understand all that much but it still went well! We hope to get Pao and his wife to church this week, seeing as they only have 1 bike to work with!! 

We also got to go the Chowchilla this week to do an Interlude teaching at a baptism they were having. Guess who was there! President and Sister Mackay! It was so good to see them! The really are just so awesome! I believe later that night we were talking with those same sister missionaries from Chowchilla and turns out, they had been starting to teach a part member Hmong family!!! We quickly asked for the address and were fortunate enough to be able to go down there yesterday and pick up one of the non members in that household! Her name is Kathy, her husband is in the air force and apparently is a less active member!

Kathy is super cool! She is still kind of deciding if she wants to convert from Christianity or stick with Shamanism. It looks like she is definitely leaning towards Christianity. Especially because she ALREADY talks about being baptized. We are super excited to keep teaching he rand meet her husband this Friday, he's up in Oregon right now.

That's about it for this week though!  love you all!

Elder Richardson

This is where we email weekly.

7-17-17 - NEW STARTS

July 17, 2017

Hiya!

This week was tough, I won't lie. But we are going to bounce back this next week! I know we will! We basically dropped all of our investigators this last week, we had one kind of one the edge...and then he didn't come to church. So we will probably drop him this next week!

But in other news...

TRANSFERS!!

I will be staying in the Merced Hmong Branch! YAY!! My companion got called to be the District Leader and I'm excited for him (and a little selfishly for me because now I get to go on all sorts of fun little

exchanges!!!)

Love ya!

Elder Richardson

Little thought:

James 2: 17-18

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

We may have faith that things will turn for the better for us or that something we want will happen...but only after we WORK for it. That's how he show God our faith.

7-10-17 - TEMPLE AND BOOK OF MORMON CHAIN

July 10, 2017

This week has been fun!!

We found 3 new investigators. We also had interviews with President Mackay! I love him already!! We're really pushing helping people understand that the full purpose of what we do is to bring people closer to Christ.

Elder Bagley and I made a little lesson using the scriptures: 

Omni 1: 26     Mosiah 3:9      2 Nephi 25: 26     3 Nephi 11:10-11

It makes for a really good scripture chain! Go check it out!! I know that as we read the Book of Mormon that we WILL come closer to Jesus Christ and continue to build our faith in him! I love you all!!

Elder Richardson

Temple trip!