But as with all good things (At least in this life!), this too must come to an end. I have received news that I am heading off once more, back to the cityscapes of Concepcion. I'm going to be, as the title of this letter states, in Santa Sabina in Andalien. As it turns out, this has been the following sector for two of the last three missionaries to leave Yungay, so maybe this shouldn't have been such a big surprise for me. Either way, my time here in the campo is at an end, and though I am sad to go, this has been a glorious roller coaster ride, and I am quite ready for the next.
There have been some unforgettable memories here in this tiny little pueblito. Great companions, great members, and even greater stories have all been quite present here. Though I can't say with a straight face that it has been an easy experience, I wouldn't trade it for the world. There were some pretty great things that happened this week especially, that I would like to tell of.
On our way to the District Class in Chillan, we found ourself in a standing room only bus, feeling quite like Sardines during the hour and ahalf journey. After I paid my fare, my wallet ended up in the baggage rack up above the hustle and the bustle. As we desperately signalled and battled the flood of personages to escape, my wallet was left behind in the chaos. Though undoubtably hundreds of people used that very bus the same day, I felt an unnatural calm and peace that things would work out. My companion mocked, declaring that we needed to call the credit companies and make sure everything was cancelled.
As it was, I felt compelled to head down at a specific time the following day to the bus terminal, and sure enough that very bus was waiting. No one had returned a lost wallet or any of the contents, and so I was told that I could freely search. Maintaining a faith-filled attitude, I walked up the steps and put my hand up to the baggage rack, feeling instantly my long lost possession. Unbelievably, it had every last peso still intact, and nothing had been touched. My companion just couldn't believe it, and was amazed. I just know that God is watching out for us, even in the small and seemingly insignificant things.
After weeks of planning, we put on the branch talent show. We had some forty people there, and while the majority were children, there was a surprising amount of adults as well. The really big surprise was that everything worked out far better than we had planned. many people were willing to share artistic talents, including singing, dancing, and even a violin quartet with guitar accompianment. We even had some jokers, and beatboxing made an appearance as well. Everyone was well behaved, and we had no problems the entire night. Some of the less actives that we convinced to go to the activity even went to church the following Sunday, which made it all better. I was MC for a little bit, and told some cheesy jokes, and tried to help everyone have a good time. I'm sure going to miss the high stress situations of running a rama haha.
I am so incredibly grateful for everything that has happened here. There really is no doubt in my mind that God has a very specific plan for each and every single one of us. Never would I have imagined that I should be going to a little place called Yungay, but it has been something that I will never regret and always remember. I have grown in more ways that I could have imagined (Not horizontally, thank goodness), and that only thanks to the special eccentricities of this little town. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much, of that I can testify with all my heart.
Sunday night, we turned away from a bit of a disappointing lesson, a little bit downtrodden and not knowing where to go at the moment, as our plans had all fallen at that point. As we walked, a large and obviously drunk man stopped us, not that unusual of a thing at this point. As we tried to make a brief Gospel statement and head off, he told us that there was something that he needed to share. He shared a surprisingly powerful testimony of how he, and every single one of us, are God's children, and that He loves us so much. Though we were a bit saddened by the circumstances of this inebriated man, his alchohol-soaked testimony cheered us up far more than it should have. Far more and more, I am finding that there are no such things as happenstance, and that our Heavenly Father really is throwing our way just what we need. My thanks be to Him, and also to a hairy drunk man on Sunday night.
Well, that's about it for this week. Next time I will be writing straight from Conce! I'm excited for the change, and am ready for whatever comes my way, because I know that Heavenly Father is watching over me and every one else.
I love you all, and hope you have an excellent, miracle-filled week!
Sincerely,
Elder Richardson
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