The Work, The Work, The Work is On Fire! Dec. 9, 2013

¡Querido familia, amigos, y otras personas importantes que yo quiero tener una conversacìon con en mi vida por que ustedes son los misioneros mas bacànes en el mundo!

Today marks another great week in the Mission Chile Concepcion. Every day brings new adventures, new challenges, and a new spirit. As we get closer and closer to the 25th, a joyous feeling has filled the air, and the people are happier and friendlier wherever we go. Everyone is inspired by this special season to be better, do better, and follow the example of the Savior, and it is a glorious thing to behold. It makes me wonder why we don't earnestly strive to keep this vibrant energy around us through out the year, since life is so much more enjoyable with it than without.

This week was, in addition, very strange to be a part of. The amount of lessons that varied from their original plans, dropped in favor of other lessons, or were completely and utterly changed was incredibly high this last seven days. Not to say that this was a bad thing! It has been a blessing to see Heavenly Father's hands in this grand work, and many of the changed plans directly brought about lessons that we would not have been able to plan for or have. These lessons blessed lives, and I have seen miracles in the last little while. Oh, how great is my thanks to be part of the work in this part of the Lord's Vineyard!

The sector of Chiguayante continues to grow, and we're seeing great things happening here now and things that will be soon come to pass. Our wonderful investigators are still progressing, and our large pool of menos activos that we can visit is warming up to us more and more. Some little backstory on some of the brightest of these stars:

Soledad was a reference from a less active sister that worked with her. She has met with some missionaries before, but the impression from them was that she only wanted to use the church to get employment and living status in the United States. Initially, we weren't overly thrilled to see her. That all changed when we actually met her. She is a teacher who part time works as a nanny, and was incredibly receptive to the message of the Restoration. She accepted a baptismal date the very first lesson and has actively committed to every single thing that we have asked her. Nothing seems to get in her way, it seems, and she is on fire. Her baptism should be either this week or next.

Juvelino is an example of an eternagator (Eternal investigator) that has finally committed to baptism. He has gone through enough sets of missionaries that my companion, who has been here for almost seven months, doesn't even know when he started taking lessons. Some papers say its been almost four years. Regardless of time, Juvelino is solid. He accepts every message that we have to give him with little objection and a commitment to pray about every single point. He is a hard working cowboy that lives in the city, and the power of his cheery personality is addictive. You can't leave a lesson with him and his family without a smile on your face, and I know that he'll be a strong member of the church.

Miguel is one of our menos activos, but his childhood baptism and subsequent thirty years of no activity in the church means that we essentially treat him like on of our investigators. He too is a bright and incredibly positive man, and we love every chance we get to visit with him. His family is vibrant and enjoys our visits as well, and we expect that as soon as he becomes active again, his whole family will follow. He loves everything that we talk about in the Gospel, and we have very high hopes for him and his family.

These are just a few examples of the incredible area that we have been blessed to serve. In the light of the Christmas season, as we walk by the gigantic Christmas tree that has been set up in a central plaza, we see the bright hope that only the Gospel can bring. Peace and joy are rampant, and it is a beautiful thing to behold.

Some more fun things to share: I have recently been able to count the number of Flea and Spider bites that I have on my body, and I came to the number of 136, a new record! I hope this information doesn't cause any undue alarm, as this large number only serves to occasionally annoy, and has no other adverse side effects. So far, as a blessing, these are the only bites I have received. Though several dogs have been very close, one even with its jaw around my ankle, none have even given me a small nip.

There's so many stories I could share about this wonderful time of my life, but I'm not that good at organizing my letters as I write them. If you have any direct questions, I would love to answer them in my emails!

Brother Shill: Thank you so much for the letter! Wow, it was a doozy! That much news and change is really hard to take in all at once, and I am still reeling just a bit. Aside from that, I am very very happy for you! Please give my love and congratulations to everyone, and wish them the best of luck as they continue their own grand adventures in life. Do people do Home teacher-Home Teachee reunions? Because I would love to reaquaint myself with everyone in two years time. By the way, tell Jordan that one of my good friends among the Elders here is a Nicholas Rodriguez from Milan, Italy. Does he know him, or have any tips on Italian living or speech that I can use to help out the Elder?  As for McKayla, tell her that Antofagasta is a grand place, and that I have many many friends here from there. If she likes desert and campo with a few nice cities mixed in, she'll have a great treat waiting for here. She is going to love being a Misionera! Thanks again, Brother Shill! It was great hearing from you!

Kyla: Hey Sis! Congratulations on the new addition to the family! I can't wait to meet little Blake one day. I'm happy to hear that the family is loving the little early Christmas gift, or at least is indifferent, in Alexa's case. I'm really, really excited to see you all when Christmas comes around. Our Skype calls last about an hour and a half, so I'm very enthusiastic about being able to talk to every single one of you. As for the future missionaries, It was only four or so years after David came home that I left. How crazy is that? Time flies! I just hope to continue to be a good example for your awesome children. I am so pleased to be the uncle to such great kids, and the brother to such a great sister. I love you all so much. ¡Nos Vemos en Navidad!

Elder Layton: Hey buddy. Have I mentioned in the past how much I love your letters? They are perfect examples of being short, sweet, and to the point. This Christmas season is my favorite part of the year, for the incredible spirit that accompanies it. It makes me appreciate just how much He did for us, and just how much He is willing to do for us if we will just reach out and open the door for He who knocks. That last little paragraph on some of the small things that we can do to improve the powerful feeling of this time of the year was especially appreciated. There is so much that we can do, in the little things mainly, that make such a gigantic difference in our lives. Oh, how I love this work and this beautiful opportunity that we have here to participate with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. This is such a short, short time, and we need to use it to the best of our ability. In this, with your incredible work ethic and ability, you are one of my biggest inspirations. By the way, thanks for singing with us today. It brought back lots of great memories. Love you, bro! Keep doing the best you can and being so amazing!

Elder Enright: Thanks for your letters buddy! Its great to hear about your quality experiences in Chile. Your powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon was also greatly appreciated and I hope to have a witness as strong as your's of this sacred record in the future. God truly does guide us, and He will give us the exact same aid that Nephi and Helaman and Ammon received, and more, according to what we need. Best of luck with Hilda, and know that I had my fair share of pains with the silent H as well, jaja. Keep up the good work, buddy.

That about does it, everyone! Thank you for your letters and your constant love and support. Your prayers are invaluable, and I thank you all for them and for the inspirations you continue to be to me. I hope that the Christmas season continues to touch your hearts and that you have the best that life can offer in this bright time of peace on Earth. I love you all so much!

With love,

Elder Richardson

P.S. Hey Mom, I got the package! Its gigantic! I'm so excited to get home and open it. I also sent off your package, and it said from two weeks to 22 days, so it should be there before Christmas. There's not too much stuff, so next time I'll have to plan things out better. I hope you enjoy it a little!