¡Hola familia, amigos, y Élderes y Hermanas!
Things are going great here in Chillán. Life
continues to get better and better, strangely enough, largely in thanks to the
mountains we’ve had to climb. Thankfully not literally, as walking up stairs is
the only major elevation change I’ve experienced so far. We’ve had many
challenges here, but through them we’ve grown and learned and these
difficulties have better enabled us to have success in this great and marvelous
work.
This week was free from the major diversions that
affected last week so much, and it showed in the progress we were able to make
with the people here. There were two days most of the way through the week when
we had phenomenal activity and energy, and our words had incredible effect. Our
number of New Investigators nearly doubled, and the Spirit present in our
lessons had genuine effects in their lives. It was absolutely amazing. Additionally, we had the great experience of
listening to a General Authority. Area President Walter F. Gonzalez. It was a
powerful, lasting lesson, and the energy in the missionaries present was so
palpable you could almost touch it. We were inspired to make changes to how we
do things here, and we fully expect September to be one of the best months we’ve
had. Another fun thing to experience this week was a ward fiesta in preparation
for Septiembre 18, and it was a blast! More on that later.
Firstly, responses to your wonderful and wonderfully
received letters!
Sam: Thanks for your letter! I hope you’re enjoying
College a whole lot. It was certainly a life changing experience for me.
Cherish this awesome time and love the memories that come from it. Have fun and
work hard, and there won’t be a single thing to regret! Chile certainly is very
amazing. The culture is incredible, and the people are amazing. Thanks for
everything that you do! You are awesome, Sam. Keep being such a fantastic
person and inspiration for those around you in keeping a smile on your face!
Zach: Your letter was a fantastic thing to read. It
made me ridiculously happy, ha ha. And to be perfectly honest with you, there
are mountains of stuff that get left out. This brief time I get to write down
stuff, I try and jam-pack with as much quality as I can afford, as a sort of
recompense for not being able to tell you guys all of the amazing things that
happen on a mission. When that mission call comes your way in about a week or
so, get ready. This is the biggest experience of your life, so far. You will
love it! It’s really the greatest thing to ever happen to me!
It’s great to hear that you’re loving college. The
time I spent in the higher institutions of learning were thrilling adventures.
Enjoy it! The worst thing you can do is get bogged down in the serious,
especially at this point of your college quest. That doesn’t mean you don’t
take it seriously, mind you, ha ha. I don’t really need to tell you that stuff,
you’ll be the very best you can be, just as you’ve always done. Such an
inspiration! Your classes sound like excellent choices, especially for you. But
I am (jokingly) disappointed in your choice of institute sport. Everyone knows
Ping Pong is where the real fun is.
It is a whole lot of fun to hear about some modern
nerdy news. I laughed out loud at your video game story, and became happy to
hear that in two years time, we could all be watching these titanic movies
together again. Can’t wait! But I can wait… No letting myself get trunky, nor
should you before your mission even starts, ha ha. Thanks so much for your
letter. It was fantastic, and I hope to hear about where you are going very
soon!
Mom: I sure am loving the hefty letters, full of
wonderful questions! Thanks a whole lot for your words, stories, quotes, and
experiences. It is a wonderful strength in my week, and keeps me motivated and
fired up during the challenging times.
The Spanish is coming along. My studies took a hit
recently, but several all-Spanish experiences really struck me back into remembrance
of my duties ha ha. Chilenos speak a very different language, but I’ve got the
hang of it, and can’t wait to get even better at it.
Now to questions! There are three missionary zones
in the Chillán area with each representing a stake or branch. My zone has one
stake, with four wards in it. Two of the wards are powerhouses, just doing
awesome with attendance and missionary work. I have the privilege of working
with one of those wards. The Stake Center is only about a five minute drive
away, in the center of Chillán. We have our own building though, so I’ve only
been there once.
We exclusively walk. From time to time, we’ll take
Colectivos, taxis with a preset route (genius really, super cheap) to get to
Centro for P-day or a similar thing. Some of the Elders with larger areas to
cover get bikes. City buses aren’t really used by us, except in Concepcion
itself, with the larger area to cover quickly. To get from city to city, the
bus lines aren’t too expensive, and are pretty comfortable. Unfortunately, we
keep getting late night or early morning bus rides, so I haven’t yet been able
to see the scenery. I keep my fingers crossed that the next visit to Concepcion
will provide the experience I’ve been waiting for, ha ha.
Great work on the Blogspot! I checked it out, and my
extremely high standards for blogs have been met, ha ha. I’ll send more
pictures whenever I get the chance!
It was very good to hear of home. Your dream had me
laughing. I had several strange dreams in the CCM, as did several others, but
the exhaustion of missionary life has deprived me of my normal nightly shows.
Rest assured that of the earlier dreams, several were in Spanish. I loved it
then, and look forward to any future dreams as well! I love hearing about the
family! I am glad that they’re all doing quite well and loving life. I keep you
all in my prayers! I also hope that Jared heals quickly. That certainly doesn’t
sound like an incredibly fun experience. Send them all my love.
I don’t know how you’ll be able to send me music. If
it would be less of a labor for you, CDs make the journey fine and can be
quickly ripped and put onto music players. Don’t feel any pressure to send me
anything though. Elder Jory recently shared his stockpile of songs, and I have
been quite contented listening to this bounty of good music. The quotes from
the talks you sent were both excellent and inspiring. Our ability to choose for
ourselves how we act and react during the calm seas and troubled tempests of life
is absolutely central to the Plan of Salvation. What we do with this time, how
effectively we use it, if you will, is incredibly important. This was plain to
see before my mission, but has only become more and more crucial during this
time. As missionaries, we’re always trying to squeeze a little bit more time
out of the day, cut out unnecessary things whenever possible. It certainly
shows in how much we enjoy these days, and how much success was had. A well
planned and actualized day changes everything. thanks again for your letters
and everything, Mom!
Now to experiences from the week! Several very
powerful spiritual situations occurred, and I was lucky enough to have many
enjoyable moments with other Elders and the people of this area as well. The
Spirit really can make incredible changes to our lives and the lives of those
we encounter. One morning, my companion was giving me a short lesson during our
studies. However, I didn’t really understand one of his questions, and while I
could see where he had gotten his answer from, I didn’t really feel “converted”
to it. This bothered me, and I got to thinking about how our investigators feel
when we go long periods of teaching and teaching all these new concepts to
them. They can probably understand where we’re coming from, maybe even
understand our joy in this message, but there is a lack of real weight to it, a
lack of application for them. I brought this up when asked about it, and to his
eternal credit, Elder Jory instantly changed his lesson plan to that of
inspired questions. We had a fantastic experience learning about, and then
practicing fully the ability to ask questions when prompted by the Spirit.
That night, we were incredibly blessed to teach a
family, and the actual lesson followed almost exactly how we had planned that
morning. The real kicker came most of the way through, when we asked the
Hermana how she felt about the lesson. She replied, “Good. It feels good.” But
Elder Jory, instead of turning the conversation to a preplanned part, felt
prompted to dig a little deeper. The question that he asked was truly inspired,
and the Hermana broke down into tears. She explained her doubts and fears about
conversion, the things holding her back for some time now. We were given the
opportunity to bear powerful testimony on what she needed to hear, rather than
what we wanted to teach. This situation was certainly a blessing for everyone
involved, and I felt incredibly enriched from it.
The ward party was absolutely amazing, and had a
valuable learning experience for us as well. The cultural dances and foods and
the festive spirits were all excellent to behold and partake of. However, the
party was still going strong when our planned time to leave came around. With
just a quick call to our next appointment, we found out she wouldn’t be home
and decided to stay at the fiesta, rather than exploring other options for the
evening. The cultural celebrations soon finished, and the gathering became more
modern, with heavy music and an atmosphere more likened to house parties I’ve
seen. While it was a normal experience for the Chilenos, and a lot of fun for
us missionaries there, the atmosphere did not in any way help with our calling.
We came home at the end of the evening spiritually devoid and a bit grumpy for
it, despite the fun evening we had just had. Our regrets struck us all, and in
no time at all, we demanded better of ourselves. We made plans that this occurrence
would be one of a kind, and that we wouldn’t put ourselves in situations, even
family friendly ward parties, that could do anything to withdraw the Spirit
from us. This lesson has affected us deeply, and we’ve recommitted to doing our
best and using our time wisely.
I had a wonderful experience this week Snow book and
the fullness of Jesus the Christ. These powerful works have hit me hard, and
caused much self reflection and desire to improve. To paraphrase Lorenzo Snow, “This
religion is one of improvement. To improve the mind, the health of the body,
the spirituality…” I looked deeply into things that I needed to improve in my
life. Some big things here and there, and a legion of smaller things caught my
attention, that maybe wouldn’t have been noticed without this period of
meditation and examination. But as I have worked to develop these attributes in
myself, I have seen wonderful blessings. A life of progression is a life of
happiness. Striving to get better and actual accomplishment trumps the menial,
prolonged agony of a life without development or change. Even the smallest
changes, when consistently applied, have great and lasting effect. Just as it
says in the scriptures, small things really do bring about great things. One of
these things I’ve applied effort to apply is strengthening my personal
relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. The masterful writings of Talmage
have certainly helped in this regard, as have several beautiful pieces of music
I have taken to listening to. My reading into His life and ministry in this
world, His tenderness and love towards the people that believed on His name,
His incredible knowledge and the depth of His lessons and parables, and His
great and eternal sacrifice for all of us has permanently strengthened my
resolve to be His representative. Sluggish inactivity has given way to a
vibrant willingness to do His will. I desire to become more like Him, to live a
life worthy of the promised blessings He taught of. I think that this study,
more so than any other reading or activity, has initiated an energy of soul to
do what is truly right, for the right reasons. The timing, location, and
situations of the past have prepared me for this moment in my life. I want to
lose myself in this work.
I love you all! Thank you all for the many, many
things that you do. My life has been far more blessed by your associations than
you, or I, realize. Thank you so, so much. Your love and support carries me
through times of difficulty, and lifts my soul during times of happiness. I
know, with surety of heart and soul, that this is the true and only course of
happiness that lasts, not only for the remainder of our time on Earth, but
throughout the eternities. Love for God and for our fellow man will bring more
joy to our souls than any other way, and following the teachings of the Savior
and Redeemer will enlighten our minds and fill our hearts with joy and bless
our lives more than we can possibly know. I know this to be true! I love you
all so much, and pray for you each daily. Keep being the fantastic people that
you are, and being the wonderful examples that you are to me and to many
others.
With love,
Elder Richardson
P.S. I believe the mail strike is over now. Next
time I am in Concepcion, I’ll be able to pick up anything that has been sent.
Can’t wait for that, ha ha!
No comments:
Post a Comment