July 8th Letter

Hola Todas las personas!

Madre, my fourth of July was a blast and even in the mission field there is still a little pyro in me…when the locals get tired of lighting off fountains and such. I will send some pictures. The language, like I said, is improving each and every day and immensely each week, but I still am faced with trials in it a lot of the time. I am absolutely enjoying the work, but there are times when it is hot and no one is home and then you get a prompting and you run into an ice cream man who was an old investigator who dropped, but then tells you he is coming to church. Those moments are absolutely the best, and his name is Javier!

The hardest times are when nothing seems to be happening, and you do not realize that there are little blessings, but you just aren't noticing them. A typical day is to wake up at 6:24 and to pray and then get up and get on it and exercise for thirty minutes around the dirt and asphalt roads around our house running, sprinting, jogging, and walking. I sometimes lift some little weights to get my heart rate going and then we go in and eat breakfast and prepare for the day and get to studies by eight. While training we have studies until noon usually, except for specific days. Then we eat and go out and see people from 1 to 5 usually and then we eat dinner sometimes it is a quick stop at a fast food restaurant. We go visit some less active and part-member families in the evenings mostly, or sometimes we will have a dinner with somebody, we usually do. We get home, plan and then go to bed. That is the typical schedule of a missionary. I hope I answered your questions!

Let's see tell the ward that I love them and miss them, but tell them that if you are doing your part the Lord will send forth miracles and blessings and answers to prayers like you wouldn't have ever imagined. Tell Bishop Eldredge that being enthusiastic has been something that has kept me going and actively engaged in a great cause while being out.

We had many miracles this week, but it was a major trial of our faith, especially mine. We decided to follow promptings and found people we wouldn't have found before. We talked to a Jehova's witness at a members home as well as her other sister, who came to church yesterday along with the Segavolla familia y la familia Gallegos! Fue un milagro para nosotros! Este semana fue incredible!

We had a record of two families attending church and seven new people! It was amazing! This new President and his wife are really making some cool and effective changes to this mission.

P.S. when you send a package make sure you put my first name and middle initial, because there is another Sterling R. in this mission.

Have a great week,

Love, Elder Richards

Miracles and Mariachi Music

Hola everyone,

 

This week was pretty interesting to say the least and I had several new experiences....but no dog bites or sun burns. Half of the week it was super hot like in the upper 100's and one time I looked at our truck and it said 120 degrees and I was very concerned....luckily it cooled down and out of the blue it started raining! This week was pretty tough, because we lost a lot of lessons because of people not being home when we showed up, but we prayed to find miracles and people to teach.

 

We did a lot of teaching with the Paisano/Acosta family this week. This family is very awesome and they have so much potential, because two of them are already members! They make some really pecoso or super spicy food that is very delicious, but you cannot get around the burning sensation in your throat and stomach as you eat it. They always have their grandma and aunt over and they give me a hard time. Mexicans like to joke about setting up Elders with their daughters....but they just joke, however, they started calling me cunado or brother in-law this week, which was pretty strange to me.

 

We heard a lot of mariachi music and when I heard a tuba I could locate it. In fact, a miracle came from my sense of hearing. We had gone to Silvia Villescas' house and no one was answering so I heard a tuba in the back yard and we walked around the corner of the house and there was one of our recent converts Erik! He walked up to us and we had a short 15 minute lesson from both sides of the fence and said a prayer and were on our way, but he hadn't been coming to church for a while and it was good to talk to him.

 

Also this week we had the opportunity to teach an entire family not just Elsa. Her husband Obtavio wasn't too sure about having the missionaries over, but he wanted us to come over. He is paying his tithing and is prepared. We taught their family and I am looking forward to inviting them to be baptized this next week. They are awesome! Their daughter Miriam plays trumpet and piano, which is super cool.

 

Ricardo's dog Pelluza didn't bite me this week. She ran away, but Ricardo is much happier now as he is changing his heart and growing closer to Jesus Christ. We taught him several times this week and he started reading more in the Book of Mormon and is liking what he reads and feels a lot more.

 

Cesar and his family are doing awesome. Jonathan and Julissa were going to be baptized this Saturday, but Cesar has to work and he wants to perform the ordinance, so we are going to wait a couple weeks until he can be there, but they are prepared!

 

We experienced another miracle in finding on Friday night. We had an appointment cancel on us right when we got there and we had no clue what we were going to do, but then we felt like we should walk and go visit a man who we got a referral for. Previously, we visited the wrong apartment number, but then we knocked on Apt #1 and there was his wife Irma, but Carlos was in the back tending to his garden in his sombrero. We walked up to him and started talking to him and he had us follow him. This man liked to talk and he talked for two hours and we taught for about 5 minutes, but he is being softened.

 

The Gomez' apartment was full of Catholic symbols and it was a new experience for me. Their home was decorated in a very unique manner, but apparently this one wasn't as subtle as Mexican homes. The couple accepted the Restoration pamphlet and we are going to visit them. They are great people!

 

Two other miracles that we saw were with a referral and then with not having enough miles. The first occurred on Wednesday. We decided to go contact a referral. The woman had about 4 kids and her name is Marta. She already has fellowship with Silvia, and she is super prepared. She had the exact same questions as in the Plan of Salvation lesson: "Who am I, Why am I here, and where am I going?" It was awesome. Yesterday we didn't have enough miles to go teach the Paisano/Acosta family and the investigator and recent convert Cesar came and picked us up and it was such a miracle! We had a great lesson about the importance of church and Carlos is definitely progressing. :)

 

 Have a fun 4th and a great week!!!!

 

Love,

Elder Sterling Grant Richards

(your son) :)

 

PS: niece is la sobrina in Spanish. 

Sunburn...OUCH! (Letter from 6/24/13)

Hola todos personas!!

This week has been really interesting and full of miracles and tender mercies from the Lord. On Tuesday my companion and I had the wonderful blessing and opportunity of going up the '70 and having a noche de hogar con la familia Gallegos who are an awesome less active part member family. We watched the Testaments with them and the Spirit was so strong in the room, it was truly incredible! After the movie many of them were in tears and I was too because of the Savior coming down to the Americas as described in 3rd Nephi 11 and the Atonement in our lives is truly a powerful and wonderful privilege and an ultimate gift.

After that movie I pondered about all of the people whom I serve whether they are other missionaries, investigators, ward members, part-member families, or less active members how they might come closer to the Savior throughout anything life throws at them. I had a special experience in a lesson with Ricardo Malduno. I told him that he was a miracle in my mission, because he had the faith to stop smoking and to start reading the Book of Mormon and he will be baptized in mid-July sometime which is truly a blessing and tender mercy from our Father in Heaven.

This week was full of excitement, because my companion had his "golden" or his twentieth birthday and we celebrated the best way we knew how to. As a district we went to Sonic because of their 1/2 off shakes and celebrated. Later that night the Orduno family (the dad is a recent convert of 3 weeks ago) Cesar, Roxanna, Jonathan, Julissa, and their whole entire family had us over for dinner and threw my companion una fiesta! Earlier that day, we decided to weekly plan for nearly three hours in 108 degree weather and I came into our trailer really red and burned. At the party they served enchiladas verdes, but in New Mexico they put all kinds of hot peppers and spicy seasonings on everything they make so my companion and I were turning red and sweating. Green chiles here range on the spicy scale and we had been given some of the hottest ones.

We were given Tres Leches right after that, and I was so full, but my sunburn helped me to not worry about the pain from eating too much. We took lots of pictures and there were so many words just shooting by in the air that I did not understand. Here, they use a lot of slang and do not think anything of it. However, my companion warned me about the words that I shouldn't say and pointed them out. Mama Cantana the mom of Roxanna and Nayelli is very into gifts on birthdays, but not only did my companion get a gift bag I got one too and what better to give missionaries than a Hershey's bar and a tie!

The sunburn has been painful, but it has taught me to think of the atonement and although we are all going to fall short, we can better ourselves through leaning on the Savior and praying to find an answer!! No dog bites this week, but the dog that bit me sadly ran away and the investigator Ricardo was pretty upset, but he has shown such an amazing increase of faith lately and it is miraculous the way the Lord works!!

Saturday, we took a map and marked all of the less actives in our ward, which is about 3/4 of the ward and we started making visits and being constantly productive. Saturday we did not see much success, but I had a wonderful opportunity. The same investigator Ricardo that night we told him about the priesthood a little bit and then he asked for a blessing. This was in Spanish and it was my first annointing in Spanish, but my companion helped me out and it went just fine.

Yesterday, my companion conferred upon Cesar Orduno the Aaronic Priesthood and he is going to baptize his son and daughter Jonathan and Julissa hopefully in two weeks!! The last speaker Hermana Garcia spoke about George F. Richards and she pointed me out to the congregation and it was incredible. We had the blessing of doing service for her last Thursday and we got to help out so much, and it was really fun!!

We had a worldwide missionary leadership broadcast yesterday and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and President Monson shared messages on how missionary work is changing in this "digital age" and progressing in a way that it hasn't ever before!! I am really excited to see how much that will increase productivity, instead of just tracting and wasting time.

Hasta proxima semana,

Con Amor,

-Elder Richards

Dogs, 1. Missionaries, 1. Tied:)

We are at the NMSU library to e-mail and we stick with Elder ONeill and Elder Fenner (the other District Leader and his companion in our zone) on P-days and they do laundry at our place, because we don't have to pay like we would in a laundry mat. Anyway, this last week was really interesting....What I mean by that is that none of the people  we felt inspired to see were ever home. However, it did give us a chance to do some finding through tracting and street contacting.

Throughout the week we had dinner with Hermana Staggs and Hermano Flores, and Hermana Garcia. It was KFC on Wednesday night and I believe it was roast on Thursday night, but it was a good experience and at the first dinner with a member I shared the scripture, which was pretty scary, but I was relieved and spoke what I could in Spanish and the members truly appreciated that.

On Friday we had a lot of success and saw so many miracles. We were just walking down the street and this guy sort of limping comes out of nowhere ahead of us and normally we wouldn't run up to someone and scare them, but we felt impressed to call out to him. It turns out he was looking for some help and was walking and miserable, but was helping his brother out. His name is Richard and we have an appointment with him on Tuesday.

This street within itself is a miracle: West Ethel Street. We walked up to another house after that and knocked and a pitbull ran out and charged at us, but for some reason it quickly dashed back into the house. A younger guy came out and soon after that we figured his name was Manny and he wanted to meet with us, but not at his house. I believe that we can get a member involved with him to both fellowship him and create that support system and also have their home be a place where we can teach the lessons.

 After we left his home we went to the house one down to him on the right hand side. This house was full of barking dogs, and the gate was sealed shut and locked up tightly. We felt inspired to walk one more house down and little did we know that we had caught someone home who was never home, especially on Fridays because of sports and other things.

His name was also Manny and he had three sons who all played sports (baseball mainly) and one of them played the violin. I know that already there is a specific reason I started in this area. I played baseball and I play musical instruments. Now when we start to teach this family, Manny, Jessica, and their three kids, I will be able to relate the Gospel to them in such a way that they can apply to their coaching, sports, and instrumental experiences. Three in a row on the street on Friday....Boom Boom Boom!! It was such a miracle and now we already have eight lessons scheduled before Wednesday!

I am really excited to find more people to teach. We have focused pretty heavily on less actives and even members, because we feel like they will be a blessing to the investigators. My Spanish in lessons is finally picking up and I am able to speak it a lot more. Before, I would share a testimony and testify of a couple things here or there, but now I hope to be able to switch off every now and then with my companion.

This past week it was over 100 degrees every day. Today, it is 93 and overcast and it definitely feels so nice. District meeting on Friday morning was a blast and the role-plays were actually pretty fun. I know Grandma did not like them, but I am like Grandpa when it comes to that sort of thing. The Zone Leaders, Elder Lish and Elder Kemp, sat in on it and I role-played with Elder Kemp who has been out here for almost 10 months and it was truly awesome. Our district is made up of my companion Elder Keddington (District Leader) and I (Miranda North Area), Hermana Faddis and Hermana Nunez (Miranda South Area), Sister McShane and Sister McBride (Picacho Area), and Sister Stucki and Sister Montini (Dona Ana and University Area). I really enjoyed eating out as a zone at Cici's after the meeting.

Also on Friday, Ricardo called us to bring him a quesadilla and we made him one, but we also used that as a teaching moment and took a member, Sister Snyder from the English ward, and we taught him about the atonement and committed him to baptism. We don't have a set date yet, but he is definitely making a change in his life. He is seventy years old and when he stops smoking he can get baptized. His dog Pelluza bit my leg, but she didn't latch on, so now I can relate to Jeff already within a week, but it is awesome!

On Saturday our ward had a Father's Day Activity and I got my first real taste of home cooked Mexican food at the park. I am worried about eating menudo ( the inside of a cow's stomach), because most everyone says it is a common dish here .We played football with the youth and played games, and I was with one of the teachers in the ward (dad for the day) and I helped him have a good time. I met the members of the ward and started to see if I could help them out in any way.

 I met the Bishop and we actually ate dinner with him, his wife, and their in-laws Hermano and Hermana Hernandez. Hermano Hernandez teaches Gospel Principles and put me on the spot, but it was good for me and apparently I pronounce words really well, although, I don't speak as much as I would like to. Also in Sacrament Meeting yesterday, I saw that our ward was not even half-full, but I got up and bore my testimony in Spanish and it was a great experience!!

I am excited for this next week. We may have a baptism or two with Julissa and Jonathan Orduno and their dad is getting the priesthood on Sunday, which is exciting. My companion is an awesome trainer and is teaching me to be super organized in everything that I do. Last night, we had to take numbers for the Zone Leaders; you know that one scene in "The Best Two Years."

Thanks for everything, I hope that you all have an awesome week. Remember this verse this week: Alma 37:37! :D

Love,

Elder Richards

First email from the field:)

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

More MTC Pics!

gained a little weight!

before haircuts

hosting arriving missionaries

In the tunnels

Service Friday

Wall of cans

with Elder Akagi

My district

with Elder Whetten

More district

with Elder Mortensen

Last P-Day in the MTC!

WOOHOO!! Last week in the MTC and then I am officially a missionary out in the New Mexico, Albuquerque Spanish speaking mission!!!! I am so excited and I have been having so much fun and learning a lot. I am finally getting the conjugations in Spanish working well and French is not standing in the way as much anymore. :) I have learned so much and I got my travel plans last Friday!! Okay, so here is the deal....I do not know exactly when I will be calling from the airport or how long I will have before I board my plane, but I will make my best effort to call. What I might do is use some quarters and call first to make sure you will pick up and then use the calling card for the official phone call....I cannot wait!! They give very specific instructions on how to pack for each airline. I am flying out on Delta at 9:50 I believe it is. I will probably be boarding about 9:20. Anyway, I will be calling for sure, because I have to be in the travel office between 5:50 and 5:59 A.M. on Monday morning! That is actually getting to sleep in for me now....well, almost anyway! I will land in my mission before noon on Monday, crazy huh?!?

I got Hayley's note and I really appreciated it!! My goodness, her handwriting is really good, and she responded to my letter in its entirety. I never did see Boston, but I have seen Sister Barton every single day!!!! In fact, she is sitting three chairs away from me in the laundry room and we have the same meal times, and gym times in which we play basketball and volleyball together! How awesome!! I bet Isaac's baptismal service was so amazing! I wish I could have been there and I wish I could be at Hayley's, but I am really excited to see the pictures....Hint Hint! That is crazy that the Walch family has so many missionaries going out, but there is not a better time than the present!!!! I hope that I will get the package right on Friday. 

Okay, official update continued....

Last week was pretty good, except Friday I was sick all day!! I recovered by Saturday, and even when you are sick as a missionary you still study and work hard and speak mucho Espanol, even if it is from your bed in your residence! My companion took the term be bold a little bit too seriously this week and almost got thrown out of our investigator's house!! It was bad....you really should remember before you share a scripture that instills the fear of God in somebody. We were not thinking....but, we still got our point across. I have been learning so many skills and building habits while here for a month and a half. Time flies and I always find joy in the work and effort and building of the kingdom of God I am contributing toward on a daily basis! The MTC President's wife Sister Kay Nally is the sister of my Mission President's wife so this week we get to go to her office and take a picture with her and kind of get a step up ahead of the other missionaries in the New Mexico, Albuquerque mission. There are only 4 of us going to the Spanish speaking mission!! There are 26 of us in my travel group for Monday.

There is so much inspiration and help I have received while in the MTC it is insane! You should really buy a copy of Preach My Gospel and read it, it is not just for us missionaries in the field it is for EVERYONE. "Every member a missionary!" That rings true for me, especially after hearing so many talks about families, genealogy, and enduring to the end! I am a host tomorrow so I will definitely look for Bristine, I mean Sister Bennion. :) I just cannot wait to see what experiences I will have in literally "another country"; the foreign land to me at least....of New Mexico!!!!

Next P-Day you will hear from me from Alba quer Q....Haha!

I appreciate all of the packages, treats, letters, and all of the love and support. 

This Gospel is truly progressing forward in such a rapid manner, it is wonderful!

Con Mucho Amor

-Elder Sterling Grant Richards