Hola,
I was given the
opportunity to e-mail today. My trainer is Elder Keddington from Centerville
Utah and he is about 6 foot 4 and blonde. He is a hard worker and loves some of
the same stuff I do i.e. baseball, orchestral music, and many other things that
I do. Ready for this?!? You want to know a few minor details I am sure and I am
going to tell you them.
Here we go! I have
seen Elder Mower, a friend from BYU-Idaho, Elder Hatch, a fellow trombonist,
and I this morning I saw Sister Schieving at our transfer
meeting and she is the trainer for Sister Rosa who was in the new arrivals
group with me. She said to say hi to you. We are both excited for when
Elder Grant Smailee gets here!
I live in a large
trailer....it is my house and I love it. I got sent South for a reason and it
was about a four hour drive, but it was awesome!!!! My first area is about 40
minutes outside (North) of El Paso and South of Las Cruces and is called the
Miranda North area.
My address is:
2620 El Camino Real #52
Las Cruces, NM
88007
My companion once
again is the District Leader and that is so cool, he is awesome and speaks some
pretty awesome Spanish. We drive a silver truck, because in our area we have to
cover dirt roads, and go off-roading to get to both members houses and investigators
houses and to tract.
Yesterday was pretty
crazy, but awesome....Once I arrived in the airport the signs were both in
Spanish and English… it was the most foreign thing to me, but I am loving this
place! They lost nine pieces of luggage on the flight, but we got them all. It
wasn't my luggage though. I stayed with the Assistants to the President last
night and slept on the couch. At the Mission Home upon my arrival President
Miller and his wife Sister Miller were very glad to have me and I will send
some photos hopefully next week to you of the temple, mission home, and the
experience so far!! The members here love to cook for the missionaries it is
incredible and the food is so delicious! I never thought that a salad would be
so tasty and then Hawaiian haystacks with so much fruit and vegetables on them
that they would fall over. We already have a dinner appointment for tomorrow. I
will not go hungry ever, and I will definitely send pictures of what I
look like in the New Mexico land of enchantment, haha. The water here is an amazing ally,
because it reached nearly a hundred degrees in Albuquerque yesterday!
Today in my
mission area, it has been anywhere from 104 degrees to 110 degrees, pretty
ridiculous....but I do love it. Every person here offers water, because it is
so hot. In fact, this could be a great way to break the ice for potential
investigators to share a message with them!!
I have not had the
chance to try the famous green chiles of Hatch yet, but I will. Yesterday I had
an incredible first time tracting, the first door I knocked on was the right
one, they were waiting and prepared. However, the woman was feeding her baby
and did not have time for us so we decided to schedule a return appointment at
3 for Wednesday. Today we had an appointment with a mujer named Elsa who we
contacted through a referral. It was incredible and the Spirit on her deck was
just wonderful to feel and to hear her express her doubts and questions and
then we tackled them and made sure she knew exactly what the Lord requires of
each and every one of us.
She was really
receptive and she invited her daughter to listen in to us and she was very
knowledgable about Mutual and many things. I expressed my experiences from when
I was in Mutual and she appreciated that someone knew what it was like. Elsa
the mother, was so receptive that within one visit, our first visit with her we
taught her four lessons in one, it was incredible! I hope and pray that her
husband will be willing to listen to our message. Elsa and her daughter are
coming to church on Sunday and we are either teaching their whole family on
Saturday afternoon or next week sometime.
She lives in a
trailer, but she works somewhere where she was wearing scrubs. I do not know
where that it is, but she is the the true light of what missionary work is and
inviting others to come unto Christ is through His restored Gospel and all of
the blessings which proceed out of it. My companion and I are so excited to be
companions and to relate on so many levels, the most important one being the
Gospel of Jesus Christ restored on this Earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith
and our Father in Heaven's glorious and majestic works of light, love,
happiness, and families.
My Spanish
comprehension, retention and understanding when people speak, and
picking up on the actual speaking of this amazing language is really becoming a
huge miracle and blessing to me. My companion and I are unified and we are
excited to be serving over this area.
Con Mucho Ama por todos personas!!
-Elder Sterling G.
Richards
No comments:
Post a Comment