Week 23

hola family!!

this week fleeeew by i cant believe its already monday again!

so highlights of the week:

Tuesday: we had to get the tires changed on our car, and a new battery, so we were in sears for hoours on Tuesday. BUT, tender mercy, there is a cafe rio in walking distance, and guess what sears is connected ta? A MALL. i may be a missionary, but i will never pass up walking around a mall. so thats what we did to kill time! it was so fun.

Wednesday: so we met a woman (we'll call her K) last week when we were trying a referral we got, and she had just pulled up in her car, so we talked with her and set a time to come and teach her, and that was Wednesday night! and oh my word, she is amazing. we taught her in the home of the member that lives next to her, and the spirit was so strong, she was asking so many amazing questions and sister Davies and I were on fire! it was the best lesson i've had on my mission, i loved it. its moments like that that make me LOVE being a missionary!

Thursday: SO Thursday was an adventure. because Sister Davies is a Sister Training Leader, she had a leadership meeting all day Thursday in Vail (two-three hours away) and so i was in Fruita with the other sisters whos companions are STL's. So i was with Sister Paongo, and sister Neslen. it was so fun!! Fruita is a small town right next to the boarder of Utah and Colorado, and it was so fun! the pictures of me holding a chicken, and feeding a horse? yeah thats from Fruita hahahaha

Friday: we had weekly planning which takes a big chunk of the day. It was still great though!! We also had a surpsise cleaning check, and the couple that does the cleaning checks are in their 80's, and we were home because of planning and so they talked to us for awhile, they are SO funny i cant wait to tell you what they did when we Skype.

Saturday: we were on another exchange! Sister Paongo was in Grand Junction with me, which was a little overwhelming because i feel like i still dont totally know the area, but it actually went really good! it made me feel a lot more confident in myself having to lead everything here for the day. but i was SO happy to be bacj with Sister Davies, she is so much fun.

Sunday: So yesterday was funny, after sacrament meeting, a member of the bishopric came over to us and said the teacher for the 11 and 12 year olds didn't show up so he needed us to go teach them.... uh sure!! we can do that! luckily their topic this month is the restoration and if theres anything two missionaries know how to teach its the restoration. the kids were a little naughty but it was fun!

This week we found a few new investigators and will hopefully see them this coming week! im loving it in Grand Junction and loving being sister Davies companion. mothers day is so soon!!!!! i cant wait!!!!!!!

Have a good week :)

Sister Richards

Week 22

HELLO EVERYONE!!! so much has happened it feels like i havent emailed in 500 years but here we go! 

first of all, Grand Junction is AWESOME!!!! (i'll send pictures) it is the opposite of Highlands Ranch that's for sure! its beautiful here and the people are so nice! just about everyone we meet will talk to us. they aren't interested in meeting, but they will talk to us which is the coolest ever. 

my companion is Sister Davies, and she is SO FUN. all day we are quoting nacho or shes doing some hilarious voice or accent and its so fun. i am soo lucky i get to be with her! she hit her 9 month mark this week, so she is an awesome missionary and i am going to learn a lot from her, im super excited for this transfer. 

so lets see, Tuesday i had to say goodbye to sister Fetuli at like 6 in the mporning, and that was super sad, i have loved my time with her and i will miss her very much! then was the 4 hour car ride to Grand Junction! luckily my friend sister broederlow was also getting transfweredout west so i got to ride with her! The drive was beautiful through the mountains! When i got here we did or food shopping, i got settled in, and we had a lesson planned but it fell through (there was a LOT of that this week) 

on Wednesday we taught one of our investigator! We'll call her P. she was so sweet and LOVES the book of mormon, she is having a hard time quitting smoking but she has a desire and thats all you need! the Lord will help her. she is awesome. On wednesday we had two lessons in the evening scheduled, and we went to the 6:00 one and she wasnt there, then oiur 7 canceled! hahaha so we were a little bummed. but its all good! 

Thursday was an great day!! i tracted in a trailer park and it was the BEST I LOVE TRAILER PARKS PEOPLE ARE SO NICE. we found a new investigator there too so it was awesome. We went and stopped by the the investigator who wasnt there on Tuesday and she wasnt home again, so we talked to her neighbor who had their garage open and we went and talked to them and they were so nice!! turns out the husband is an inactive member! They talked to us for awhile about our familes, and they showed us pictures of their grandkids, it was super fun. then they gave us each a bottle of water, a pepsi, and ginger ale! soooooo basically my kinda people. oh and three appointments canceled :-)

Wanna know a fun fact about grand junction? a member owns the Sonic so missionaries get free sonic!!! so i get to pay $0.00 for my sonic blast. i knew i'd like it here 

On saturday it was SO COLD. in Denver apparently it was snowing like crazy, but here it was just warm enought to be freezing and raining and windy and it was lovely. oh, and the heater wasnt working in our house hahahahaha LIFE IS GOOD THOUGH, we had an appointment cancel, BUT we got to visit an older, less active couple and sing for them (side not, sister davies is SUCH a good singer and can do the best harmonies ever its so fun) and the husband played his harmonica for us! and our dinner that night was homemade chinese food and homemade bubble tea! and lemme tell you, that meal made the blustery day all better

SUNDAY was soooo funny. so Friday night a member of the bishopric texted and asked if i could introdice myself in sacrament meeting and bare my testimony and "share some thoughts as the spirit directs" sure thang! so i found a quote about the atonement and planned to share Alma 7:11-12, and an into and my testimony! well, we got to church and looked at the program and it said "speaker: sister Richards" I DIED. i didnt prepare enough to be considered a talk!! it was sooooo funny. so sister davies and i sat up on the stand and i gave my "talk" hahahaha it was awesome. i mean, the talk wasnt awesome, just how funny and unexpected the situation was! i thought id just go up before the speakers and say my name and my testimony but NOPE. it was all good though, the spirit is real and helped A LOT. 

GOOD NEWS we figured out how to work the heater so now we have heat!! 

it was a long week with some dissapoitment (sister Davies and i counted, we had 10 canceled lessons) but it was still amazing!! i love grand junction and i love sister Davies!! 

I hope you all have a fantastic week!!! i love you!!!! 

Sister Richards 

Week 21

April 11, 2016

FAMILY IM GETTING TRANSFERED!!! 

im going to Grand Junction and I leave tomorrow!! and guess what? my companion is going to be a sister that sister Fetuli trained!! so basically im super excited. turns out, its SUPER sad leaving highlands ranch! more on that later. 

so highlights of this week- 

on Monday night we were at a members home teaching a lesson and the little boy wanted to say the prayer and here is a direct quote of that prayer "dear Heavenly Father, please bless my diarrhea to go away, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" hahahahahahah prayer works, and he's got some faith!! 

Tuesday we had interviews with President and it was so good!! I've been having a hard time and it felt so good to tell him what im feeling so he can help me to overcome it! and I have been feeling MUCH better. he also dropped the hint that I would be leaving so that was crazy 

on Thursday I got your package Rachel, thank you!!! you da bomb 

Saturday was an awesome day!!! Remember the lady we taught that we had to hand off to the elders in her ward? she got baptized on Saturday!!!! it was amazing! she asked sister Uhri, Fetuli and I to sing, so we sang come, follow me. The spirit was so strong at the service and she was so happy! then later Saturday we got our transfer calls! A sister from Gunnison is going to come be with sister Uhri, and im headed out west! 

SUNDAY WAS SO SAD. I didn't think I would be so sad, but I have grown to love the people here so much, it was almost as sad as leaving home! because it was fast Sunday, we bore our testimonies in both wards, and the first ward I did good keeping it together, but the second ward was a different story. as soon as I got up and could see all the faces of the women and families that have helped welcome us so warmly I couldn't even get the words "Grand Junction" out without crying! I was so grateful it was testimony meeting so I could thank everyone and tell them how much I loved them. seriously, if you're moving to Colorado, move to Highlands Ranch (preferably in the Daniels park or Heritage park wards- they're the best) and all throughout church people were hugging sister Fetuli and I (she is going home so it was HER last sunday too!!) and wishing us luck and saying they loved us and it WAS SO SWEET I LOVE THEM. im already excited to come back and visit these amazing people. our investigator came to Relief Society!! so it was such a good day. im so sad to leave, but im needed somewhere else I guess! 

I hope you all have an amazing week!!! I love you so much!!! 

Sister Richards

Week 20

April 4, 2016

Maddie didn't do a weekly email this week.

Week 19

March 28, 2016

hello family!! 

sorry I didn't get a weekly email out last week, time flies when youre emailing!! this week was a super slow week, spring break in a rich area means nooooo oooooonnnne is home. but its all good! 

this week on Tuesday it was 70 degrees and beautiful, and then on Wednesday it snowed like 2 feet... welcome to Colorado! Wednesday was my day to stay with sister fetuli which i LOVED!!! i really miss being around her, i love her so much. then Thursday i woke up with a fever, so i stayed with her again on Thursday! even though i was sick, it was till fun to be with her. 

Easter was amazing!!! we went to church in both our wards and the choir sang and it was so beautiful! i love Easter. We ate at a members home and she is SUCH an amazing cook, dinner was delicious and i ate way too much. Then had a lesson with members. have you guys watched the Easter video? hallelujah? if not, HURRY ITS NOT TOO LATE!! I've watched it so many times and feel the spirit every time. i am so grateful for the Atonement and all that Christ has done for me. Alma 7:11-12 is one of my very favorite scriptures now. 

I hope you all have an amazing week!!!! i cant believe it is April this week! I wish i could say time is flying, but it'll pick up soon im sure. 

i love you guys!! have an awesome week! 

Week 18

March 21, 2016

Maddie didn't do a weekly email this week.