Tuesday, December 16, 2014

14 Months Serving In The Lord's Army!?

Hello All!

Time flies by so fast! It's crazy! Well I promise to make this email
better since the last two weeks have been really brief. Sorry about
that. Let's see...Where to start...

On the 6th we had our Ward Christmas party! That was great! We went
and helped prepare the food around 11-1 then went out for a few hours
and tried to find people home to teach and went back at 3 for a
correlation meeting then helped again at 4-the end of the party around
8:30. It was great to help serve the Ward and by doing that people
noticed us and talked to us and we're appreciative and it was great we
were able to get to know people! The next day at church people came up
and gave us hugs and said hello! This hadn't really happened before.
So it was really nice! We would get a few hellos and some handshakes
so hugs and smiles were great! Sister Baker and I also made a list of
the families we know and little things about them so we could remember
and it has helped a ton! Also being in Ward choir has helped! Sister
Baker is singing a solo with the choir next week! It's been fun to
sing with the choir, I've missed it.

It's rained a lot the past two weeks! And Sister Baker has given me an
Indian name! (She is half Native American, Zuni and Navajo.) My Indian
name is Big Puddle Little Jumper. We aren't the greatest and puddle
jumping...we've landed in the middle of a few. Whoops!

Last Monday we went to the Huntington gardens (pictures to follow). It
was beautiful and so peaceful! Then we went to the church to email for
an hour then went to dinner with the D's. They are so sweet and
such spiritual Giants! They served on the temple presidency at the
Alberta temple. They are visiting their daughter for three months to
try to bear California winters! They are so nice! And so missionary
minded! We invited them to pass out all 9 he is the gift cards found
in the insert of the December 2014 ensign and they passed them all out
by Friday! Then we went to the K's (aka Grandma and Grandpa's) and
decorated more for Christmas and then had a fun FHE with the elders.
We sang Christmas songs and taught the elders tricks to singing.

Tuesday we had a good day. We talked to a lot of people on the bus and
street. It was great! Then we taught two less actives. Then went to
Souplantation with one of the sisters from the Ward! It is so good! It
is a buffet of salad, soups, pizza, and desserts! Yum!

Wednesday we had a really off day, at the service we do at the food
panty there was almost a fight and Sister Baker got yelled at by one
of the ladies that came in. We were really shook up and down so we
went to the K's to see if we could help them with anything and we
helped her with cute hot chocolate ornaments. We tired red ribbon on
them with a jingle bell and put them in gift bags, so cute! Then she
taught us how to make paper boxes. She is so crafty! We made the
flowers to go on top too our of paper! And ink and stamps, so fun! It
was a nice pick up for the day and for them as well. People were just
being rude all day to them and us. But dinner was good! We ate with a
younger couple and her sisters are both on missions right now so
that's fun.

Thursday was zone meeting given by a zone leader and AP (the other
zone leader was sick). They asked us to come with a question we would
ask the Lord if we were to stand face to face right then. So we came
with those in mind and then talked a bit and then asked us to go find
a room to pray. It was weird I felt as if I was just talking to
myself, I felt numb. When we came back together they asked if we
received an answer. Both Sister Baker and I hadn't but we half raised
our hands. Later the Assistant to the President who was there asked
how we were feeling and one elder was saying how hopeful and better he
felt and assured. Then he asked me and I chuckled to myself cause I
felt so confused! Not what he was probably expecting and I ended up
crying in front of the whole zone...3 sisters and 14 elders...yeah I
felt embarrassed just a bit. But it was good. We were all able to talk
about how we've gotten through certain problems we have all faced as
missionaries. Being a missionary is HARD! But life is hard and a
mission prepares a person for the rest of their life. Just like our
life on earth is hard it prepares us to live with God again after this
life. We went back home to study things out cause we were both a mess.
Spiritually, mentally, emotionally. We then tried to have a lesson and
both fell through. So we went to dinner then to the relief society
activity. That was good. People brought friends.

Friday was weekly planning day. However, we both had breakdowns before
we planned, it's definitely been a roller coaster week! Then we went
out and visited with a referral President V. gave us of a less
active. She is President B.'s mission presidents daughter.
President B. - my previous mission president- served in the
Arcadia California mission. While he was here this lady's father was
his mission president. Since then he has passed away and his son and
daughter have gone less active. He has a few active children still. So
president B. worked with the son and he is now active. He wanted
us to visit the daughter. It was awkward. She doesn't have too much
desire or intent, she just agreed to President B's request to
have sisters come by. But we will keep going.

Saturday we went to help the D's with a Christmas party they were
holding. We helped prep the food and decorate. They needed the help
because the rain had put them way behind schedule. We dropped by
Friday night to ask for a ride home and ended up chatting and we offer
end to help. So we went and helped for a couple hours and then had
correlation and dinner then went back for the party. They had friends
they wanted us to meet and talk to. They were praying for us to find
someone to teach there. And we may have. We started to talk to this
sweet lady. Very friendly and outgoing and we all clicked. Later we
asked M. D. who she specifically wanted us to talk to and
she told us we already were! It was perfect so we talked with her more
and got her info. We are going to build that relationship then invite
her to learn. We may go shopping in Old Town Pasadena with her one of
these Monday's. She said to call her anytime! So that's exciting! She
awesome! Saturday night was transfer calls...we didn't get a call!
Wahoo! This was a 5 week transfer due to Christmas and next is a 7
week transfer. It's weird to think I have only 3 transfers left.

Sunday was good. Choir was fun. Then after church our lesson got
cancelled with our investigators and we got a call from our housing
inspector who was very upset at us for something we didn't do. It was
an emotional time. Then we had dinner with a family who is in need of
a Christmas miracle, so sad. They just got settled in their new home
and now they're being asked to leave by December 31st. They're looking
for homes now. Then we went to the Stake Christmas Concert. M.
invited her friend from her party but she wasn't able to make it but
other members brought friends that we could meet and talked to for a
bit. So that was great! Seeds are being planted!

I am so thankful for this Christmas season. We have a time
specifically set aside to celebrate our Savior's birth! He is the
reason for the season. It isn't about gifts and presents and
materialistic things but about the miracle of christ and the gift he
is to us. "God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son" John
3:16. The church has a beautiful new video for Christmas. If you
haven't seen this already go to Christmas.mormon.org. #HeistheGift!

I love you all!

Love, Sister Riches

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