March 14, 2016
hello family!
so this week was a little crazy, but im learning a lot! There isn't tons to report, so my bad in advance.
The main crazy thing that happened this week: so last month, on February 15th, sister Fetuli hurt her knee, and I think I've mentioned that before right? anyways, last week she got an xray and an MRI, and we got the results on Thursday and she tore her ACL! a 90% tear. So she is getting surgery this morning and is out for the rest of her mission! I've been a sad/stressed mess all weekend. BUT on the bright side, she will still live with us!! President hasn't figured everything out, but we will have her at our apartment, but between us, the companionship in the area next to us, and a trio farther away, someone will always be with her, and there will always be two missionaries working each area everyday. its a big operation but im just so happy she wont be shipped off to a members home and i'd never see her again!! all is well.
anyways
We had a lesson with R, our miracle referral, and she moved her baptism back to April 16th. She works on Sundays so she is trying to find a new job to be able to have Sundays off. She is amazing though!! And now sister Fetuli will be here to see it!
And guess what else is awesome. So we were teaching a woman, P, and she is a friend of someone in the ward, and she lives outside our mission boundaries so we had to pass her off to the missionaries in the Denver North mission, but SHE IS ALSO GETTING BAPTIZED! say whaaaaaa???? and we have permission to go, because she wants us to sing!
So there were highs and some major lows, and im really missing home a lot, but I got this.. right? that's what I keep telling myself.
Anyways, I hope y'all have a great week and BE SAFE IN MEXICO PLEASE. take lots of pictures!!! I love you guys!!!
Sister Richards
March 7, 2016
Maddie didn't do a weekly email this week.
February 29, 2016
hello family!!!
THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME!!! there were many highs and few lows, but I learned a lot this week and am so grateful for prayer and a Heavenly Father that is so aware of us.
Monday was a crazy Pday trying to make room for our new sister! and Monday night we went to Crave (look it up, its awesome) a really good burger place in Highlands Ranch, and we called it our babymoon! you know how sometimes couples will go on a trip before their baby is born, like as a last hoorah? hahahaha that was our babymoon!!! it gets weird if you think about it, so dont think too hard. it was super fun though. a last hoorah before we were a trio.
TUESDAY WE GOT SISTER UHRI!!! (pronounced yer-ie, everyone asks) and she is seriously so fun, she fits right in with sister Fetuli and I and our weird sense of humor and its just been so much fun. she is 19 (turning 20 on March 8th) and is from California! To make things better, we had TWO lessons on Tuesday!! Sis U was overwhelmed but of course she killed it. We met with our Investigator from Tibet, he is moving to Chicago :( (maybe caroline can teach him, holla) But it went well! we read 1 Nephi 1:1-12 with him and helped him understand how to apply what we read in the scriptures to his life, and committed him so continue learning when he gets to Chicago. Then we met with the miracle referral!!! We'll call her R, cause its hard to differentiate them without telling you their name hahah so, R, she is amazing. she is so ready to learn and change her life, teaching her is the best, we read with her in the Book of Mormon, where she was at (1 Nephi 11) which is when Nephi asks to see what Lehi saw, and it went really well! we were able to help her realize that just like Nephi, we can all ask for ourselves through prayer, if what he are learning is true.
Wednesday was interesting, we didn't have our GPS, because sister fetulis broke. I know gift of tongues is a thing, but im pretty sure gift of direction is too cause SOMEHOW we were able to find our way around. it was good though to have to learn the streets better! and it made life interesting reading from a map, never done that before! oh the joys of only having a flip phone
Thursday we taught R again! (yeah, that's twice in a week, cause shes amazing) and we taught her the Plan of Salvation! which for me, is hard to always explain the principles right, but the spirit was there, and she loved what she heard. She hasn't told her mom yet that she is planning on being baptized, but she committed to tell her this week! and we got our package of hi-chews!! (they're basically already gone, so that's concerning) and it was my 100th day as a missionary! exciting stuff
Friday we had a meeting for all the trainers and their new missionaries, and since sister fetuli and I are training, we went and it was awesome! I've been really stressed about being a trainer, cause I feel like I still hardly know what im doing half the time, but the meeting helped me feel motivated to help Sister Uhri the best I can!
Saturday we did service for an elderly woman in one of our wards that recently broke her femur, and we were able to clean her house and visit with her. she is so sweet, and I felt so happy to be able to so a small thing to help brighten her day!
Yesterday was stake conference, and Elder Anderson of the 70 came and it was amazing! I never appreciated how cool stake conference is until my mission! I loved it so much and learned so much. We were also able to teach our part member family! we'll call them the S family so make life easier. it went so good, the wife has really warmed up to us and will share more of her thoughts and how she is feeling about what we teach her, which has been the biggest blessing! we love them so much
and I don't know if you all follow the weather here, but it has been BEAUTIFUL! sunny and 60's everyday, I love it. this coming week is going to be AWESOME. we got to the temple on Wednesday, the stake variety show on Friday night, DAVID ARCHULETA AND BRAD WILCOX FIRESIDE on Saturday, and sister fetuli's birthday on Sunday!!!!! life is so good, im telling you. I am SO happy. I have struggled with homesickness pretty much my whole mission, but the last two weeks or so I have found myself still thinking about you guys (duh cause I love you) but not dwelling on it, and i am SO grateful for that. I am so grateful for prayer, and a Heavenly Father who knows how i am feeling and how to help me. i am so grateful to be a missionary and am loving it so much.
I hope you all have an awesome week!!!! i love you SOSOO much!!!
love, Sister Richards
February 22, 2016
hello everybody!!
so this week was amazing!!!
GUESS WHAT?! remember the family we taught that moved? They have two little girls, and the wife is less active, the husband wasn't a member? they were the sweetest people ever and we love them so much. anyways. The wife texted us on Tuesday night and told us her husband has decided to get baptized!!! we were SO happy!!! they don't have a date yet, but he is going to, and I couldn't be more excited for them.
Wednesday was amazing too! we met the girl that was a miracle referral last week. We met her at the church building and did a little church tour, and taught her in the chapel about the restoration. the scouts were doing an activity in the gym, so it was a little loud but that didn't stop the spirit from being there, and she excepted the invitation to be baptized! As of now she is on date to be baptized on April 2nd! we are so excited for her, she is so prepared. we meet with her again today, so I'll let you know how that goes next week :)
Thursday we had a zone meeting all morning, and that went well! we had an appointment with our investigator from Tibet, and he told us he is moving this week :( WHY DOES EVERYONE MOVE? so we're going to call the missionaries where he is going and helping him get in contact with them.
Saturday we did a service project in the morning, making blankets it give to hospitals, and that was so fun! we did it at the catholic church where we help our at the food bank twice a month. We also went to a convert baptism that day! we took our investigator from Tibet, and he really enjoyed it. he had never seen a baptism, and it helped him understand how it works, and be able to feel the spirit that is there! He says he wants to be baptized, but he wont until he sees God's face... soooo we're working with him on that. He is a character to say the least. Saturday night we got our transfer calls!!! aaaand, we're both staying!! yay!!!!!! its Sister Fetuli's last transfer and im SOOSOSO happy I get to stay with her. we have so much fun together and have so many inside jokes, it'd be so sad to have to say goodbye noe. BUT THERES A TWIST we're going to be training a new missionary! so thatll be very interesting. I am super nervous about training, I feel like only 40% of the time I know what im doing, but "fake it till you make it" right? We pick her up ay 6:30 tomorrow morning, then we'll get to work! Im so excited to meet her, I hope she can handle all our crazy.
Tonight we're teaching our new referral, and the part member family we've been working with! I am so happy to be on a mission, I can feel myself loving it more and more everyday, and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.
I love you all, have an amazing week!!
Sister Richards
February 15, 2016
hello family!!!
so this week the work really slowed down, because of last weeks sister fetuli being sick, so it was a lot of running around rescheduling appointments. but I have some good stories to share!
Wednesday we taught our (one and only) investigator. it went well! we read from Alma 32 and talked about faith, and having the faith to continue on, and trusting you will find answers, or comfort or whatever you need. I always notice when we're teaching a lesson, I could learn form what I am saying! its always humbling
Thursday morning was AMAZING. We had our companion prayer at 9:00am, and lately we have been praying for miracles a lot, because this area isn't the easiest. so we said our prayer, and asked Heavenly Father to bless us with miracles in our work, and I KID YOU NOT less than a minute later, we got a call from a number we didn't know, and it was a girl from Arizona giving us a referral! her friend lives in our boundaries, and has been asking questions, and wants to learn more and talk with the missionaries!! WE WERE SO EXCITED!!! we have an appointment with her tomorrow at 4! we cant wait. we have a real good feeling about her.
Friday, we had our weekly planning which takes awhile, but I have a good Sister Fetuli quote. we were talking about marriage (idk why, I guess cause we're girls) and she is a very sassy, independent little Tongan, and she said "if I get married, it will be a blessing- I will follow a commandment. BUT, if I stay single, it will be a MIRACLE"
maybe y'all wont think its funny, but I died
Saturday we went to visit a former investigator, and when we pulled up and he was sitting on his porch (sidenote, it has been sunny and in the 60's all week- basically, heaven) and we went and talked with him, he was super nice and he was asking us questions, and we just talked about what he learned form the previous missionaries. Theeeeeen, his phone rang, and he got up to check it, and HOLY LEG he was in his underwear!! his tiny little underwear!! it was soooo funny. me and sister fetuli looked at each other (and because we're bffs) made the exact same face. it was hilarious. he wasn't interested in having us come back, but hey. I got a good story out of the deal.
Yesterday was super fun!! since it was Presidents day, we couldn't email, so we went to Red Rocks! I had never heard of it, but turns out its awesome! (ps, we got to wear pants, so when im lifting my leg in all the pictures, that's me saying "look what I can do cause im in pants!" just fyi)
All in all it was an awesome week!! this is the last week of the transfer, so Saturday night we'll find out if we leave or stay. very stressful.
I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!!
sister richards
February 8, 2016
Maddie didn't do a weekly email this week.
