Crazy Weeks!

Hello All!

So I guess I have a few weeks to write about. Here are the highlights.

10/6: we have FHE at an elderly couples house every Monday and we made cards! It was so fun! 

10/7: we taught a less active about the Book of Mormon, that was fun. She's been reading it and loving it!

10/8: we helped the Huntington sisters out because one has bronchitis. This is where I got a little bug. But I went out with her companion in the morning then stayed home with Sister K. in the evening while sister W. went out. It was nice to sit and talk. We were able to talk about a lot of things that were stressing us out and get each other's advice. I definitely needed it!

10/9: weekly planning.... Then we saw A. and had an awesome lesson about the plan of salvation. We were able to teach to his needs. He is about 6'8", 58 yr old, black man with blue eyes! He is awesome! 

10/10: we had a special zone meeting where we met 2 hours earlier and had zone meeting then a watched  meet the Mormons in the chapel! It is such a good movie!! Later that day we stopped at subway for dinner and our investigators J. and M. saw us go in there and they ate with us. I was able to give them a subway card I got from my bday so they could get something. We had an awesome lesson where we all teared up in subway and talked about the atonement. 

10/11: we had missionary correlation with the assistant Ward mission leader and elders. Our wards mission leader was in Vietnam because he is a composer and one of his songs was being sung for the President of Vietnam! Pretty cool. His wife is the daughter of Tom Ngo who has an I'm a mormon video and an article in the August 1993 ensign--my birth month ensign! He is also in my ward and he is one of the counselors in the bishopric and his wife is the relief society president. In the I'm a mormon, it videos in their house and I've been there and helped make dinner in their kitchen! Pretty exciting. Haha we had some more good lessons Saturday. Met a guy on the street invited him to church and he ended up coming! We gave him to the elders. We had a lesson with A. who was a former investigator but had a hard time giving up smoking to be baptized and now we picked her up and after our first lesson she called saying she was quiting! She's doing Awesome! Sadly she was sick this past week. This is the night I found our S. was getting baptized three weeks earlier! 

10/12: we had an awesome plan of salvation lesson with a less active who's husband died a few years ago and she's been really depressed about it until she's been coming back to church. We are teaching her sons family! It's awesome. I was fasting and I had a cool thought. 

Here it is: 

So today I am fasting to find new investigators and to help investigators quite smoking and to be happy. Ha, I haven't been very happy today, I guess I get hangry on my mission....yikes! Anyway, I came to a realization just earlier. As I am fasting I am depriving my body of the nutrients it needs to work and keep going and to satisfy myself. And to be honest I've been really cranky and irritated and angry. I know that once I get to this dinner appointment I will be so happy and relieved when I take that first drink of cold water and first bites of food. This is just like the gospel. Those people who don't have the gospel are spiritually fasting. They don't have the substance they need to keep going, be relieved, to be happy. As we bring them the gospel they are relieved and strengthened and happy. BUT a they can't only eat once spiritually otherwise they'll get hungry again and everything with it, angry, stressed, unhappy, unsatisfied. So they need to continually work to feast on the gospel just as I am about to do. 

Later that night I started to not feel well.

10/13: first day of being sick...it was a little difficult to work today not being pday but it was okay. We had a good lesson with a returning member about courage. I taught the lesson at FHE on strengthening the family with grandma and grandpa. Oh yeah, they've asked us to call them grandma and grandpa, they're so great! 

10/14: we helped the Huntington sisters again and because I was sick I stayed with sister K. and had awesome studies. And I was able to write in my journal- which I'm far behind! And we had carrot ginger soup a member made, really good! Then we exchanged back and I went to a relief society activity. I made a terrarium! Good thing I made it for someone else because I kill every plant I pant. The south Pasadena sisters (Sister R. Sister M!!!) slept over to get a ride with us in the morning for the temple. 

10/15: TEMPLE DAY! We went to the LA temple and it was amazing! We went to the 6:45am session. Woke up at 4! Wahoo! But it was great! I really like the LA temple! I saw some members from claremont! It was nice. Afterwards we took some pictures then went to Denny's just me and sister W. and sister A. who took us. Then I took a nap! For three hours straight!! It was so great, except it just made up for the hours after 4... Then we had dinner at grandma and grandpas it was good. Then we helped at the young men young women activity. We taught them to talk to their friends about the gospel and told them to role play. Not many role layer after but that's okay they remembered cash: compliment, ask a questions, smile, and help. 

10/16: ONE YEAR MARK!? We had a good district meeting on the Book of Mormon then did service for grandma and grandpa, we got decoration boxes out and cleaned their windows. They have a hard time coming to church because of health problems. We then had a good lesson about the restoration with J. and M. and then we got stood up for our dinner. We waited for about 30 minutes outside their house and called the numbers we had but one was the house and the other went straight to voicemail. As we were waking away she drove up and took us to get burritos. I didn't realize how hungry I was, I ate the whole things and it as huge! Then we had a couple good less active lessons.

10/17: weekly planning day! We then had a good lesson about the atonement with a less active and had a really strange lesson about the plan of salvation. It's really sad what drugs does to people.

10/18: we went on exchanges! (Third time in the last two weeks) but this time I was with sister M. in south Pasadena and el Sereno. It was awesome! We had a lot of fun. Just like old times! I got bit by a dog (more like scratched with his teeth it didn't even leave a mark), saw an ostrich, saw a magical toilet! It is a self cleaning toilet..supposedly. It is a free public toilet and it's crazy! I have pictures. We taught some good lessons too. 

10/19: we had stake conference. It was really good. Then we had lunch with the stake president and his wife, they're in our Ward. It was really nice. Then we tried to have some lessons but no one was available. Then we went to claremont! And S. was so excited to see me and it was so great to see everyone again! A few almost cried I was there! It made me feel really good. I realized that I made an impact on more people than I thought I would. It was such a spiritual baptism and she was so excited and so ready! A lot of the sisters said they were going to kidnap me. One of the older primary girls asked where I was and I told her Pasadena and she said I'm not supposed to be there I'm supposed to be there. It was so sweet! I love that Ward! And I get to go back next month for a baptism and then in March and probably in between! I love it! 

I love you all sorry for this novel! I love being a missionary. I love knowing that I have helped bring at least one person closer to Christ and that means so much to me! I love the opportunities here and the growth I am seeing in myself as I am on my mission. 

Love, Sister Riches