Tuesday, June 17, 2014

8 Months Serving in The Lord's Army!

Hello family and friends!

This week has been a pretty good week. We taught 14 lessons again,
still trying to reach our goal of 15. Nothing too exciting happened,
just a pretty normal week. We had exchanges on Saturday and I went to
covina with one of the other sisters. It was pretty fun and I learned
a lot about myself while on exchanges.

So on Monday we went on a bike ride in the mountains again with the
elders in our district. It was fun. One set went today and told us
they saw the ocean, that's why we wanted to go to begin with but it
was always too smoggy to see the ocean. Oh well. What taught a few
lessons that night too. We are helping out recent convert prepare to
go do baptisms for the dead next month at the LA Temple with our ward. 
It is pretty exciting! She is excited to start her family history work
and find names to take to the temple.

On Tuesday we were going to have our first skype lesson but something
wasn't working. Our investigator told us she'd rather wait till she
was back in town. Skype stressed her out too much.  But we had a good
lesson with another one of our investigators  and it was perfect for 
what she needed at that time.

On Wednesday we went to the church and did Zumba with some of the
sisters and a few nonmembers. Talking to the nonmembers afterwards,
the one we thought was ready to accept the gospel said if she wants to
convert she knows where to go and who to talk to. The other one may be
interested. She doesn't know much about our religion. We then had a
lesson with a lady we received as a referral a few months ago but just
never heard back. Turns out she isn't in our area. The Spanish sisters
thought we had a certain street here but we have the east side but not
the west side and they have given us a lot of referrals for the west
side of the street, sadly. But tonight we are having a pass off lesson
with the elders in that area. She's so sweet and loves Christ! We then
went to do service at the Pomona Hospital and we did little jobs here
and there for different people. No one really needed help that day!
But after that we had another lesson with the man who asked about Gods
body. At the end we told him we were going to give his information to
the Spanish elders where he lives and he wasn't too fond of the idea
but hopefully he'll accept them. He is just doing work in Claremont
but lives in chino which is outside of the English mission. The
Spanish from our mission still got here though. Crazy boundaries.

Thursday we had district meeting. We were both super tired and a bit
grumpy so I didn't get the most out of it, which is my own fault but I
got my new shoes and some letters! We taught a couple from the ward
that we are helping prepare for the temple. Then later taught our
recent convert and that went well.

Friday we had weekly planning, long day! This whole week was really
long! Sadly the family we taught last Sunday said they aren't
interested because the wife isn't fond of Mormons. We're going to go
get our haircut by her sometime just to help move her along. Soften
her up! That family is so ready for the gospel and the blessings!

Saturday was exchanges! We biked all over the place! We found a new
investigator. It was crazy we were taking with her on her doorstep
about how faithful she is at going to her church and how she studies
the bible everyday and recognizes the difference in her day when she
doesn't read and how she understands she needs to go to church too,
just reading isn't enough! We asked if we could share a 2 minute video
with her expecting to just show her on her doorstep but she opened the
door and let us in and we showed her Because of Him. It was really
nice. She accepted us to come back and teach her more. Of course I
won't be there but I might be transferred there one day, who knows. It
was a pretty good exchange. I learned a lot in my Book of Mormon ready
that day.

Sunday was nice. The talks were nice and we had an investigator family 
and one of our investigators there. It was great to have them all there. 
Our one investigator spoke up a lot during Sunday school like always 
and then she did in relief society too! That was awesome! Later we went 
and had dinner at her house. She was so sweet and put together. Big meal 
for us! We had BBQ carne asada and ribs and baked potato and Spanish 
rice and a tortilla and chicken wings and fried tilapia and a big piece 
of neapolitan cake-- which we took home. She's so sweet and always 
wanting to do service! Then we taught our investigator family. We talked 
about church and why we go to church and why they go to church, trying 
to see their motivation to go or if it's just to please us. Turns out 
they go to feel the spirit although the dad has a really hard time 
recognizing the spirit. We then went by a former to see how she is doing. 
She's doing fine, lost a lot more hair due to her chemo.

Thanks for all the prayers and support from everyone! I love being a
missionary, some times it's tough but I know that means Heavenly
Father is just making us stronger. That's what trials and mountains
to overcome are. They are to build us and shape us into the person he
wants us to be! It's like the refiners fire. To shape iron into what
the iron man wants he puts it in the fire to heat it up and then he
hits it to shape it and purify it into a beautiful and useful thing. I
know this gospel is true and I am so thankful for it!

Love, Sister Riches

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