Dec 9th 2015
Good morning!!!
We are having preparation day today because Elder Lynn G Robbins came to the mission on Monday. It was so neat to be able to meet him and be instructed by him. A lot of you will be surprised to know that a huge part of his training was on parenting and how parenting principles relate to teaching investigators. He also taught a lot about how we are here for a reason, the Lord knows who we are going to interact with, who we are going to teach and He prepares these people to meet us, He puts them in our path. I saw that this week. He shared many amazing stories in his instruction. It was a really powerful meeting! I was so amazed that so much applied to experiences I've been having lately. He did say how hard missionary work is and that a mission is the Lord's University for life and we're taking the hardest courses: Diligence 505, Obedience 505, Patience 505 and so on. This week definitely was the hardest test I've taken in the course Patience 505.
Our exchange was bumped back a week so it was actually last week on Tuesday. The Sister Training Leaders serve in many small towns in the middle of nowhere in eastern Arizona and New Mexico. Their area covers 1/3 of our entire mission. Well it took a long time to finally get out there because of the drive to the area after studies and a doctors trip for a sister with asthma who lost her inhalers. We had some set appts but nothing worked out. We tried to confirm but didn't hear from them and we don't have phone service in their area like at all so we would drive 10ish miles off the road to a cancelled appt... The worst was when we tried to find dinner and we got so lost in the middle of no where for a couple hours trying to follow the directions given to us that were like go to mile marker 49 and go past the white cattle guard, left at the blue fence, and so on. It was frustrating. We couldn't call because of no service and when we did see people we stopped to ask for help with directions and those didn't even help haha We tried to come up with as many positive things about the day as we drove around. We finally just had to get on the highway and head back to Show Low where we were going to exchange back. We made it to Eagar at about 7:30 and got some dinner there. I was so hungry! We had had lunch at 11. I was the only one who packed water or a snack. I feel so bad for those sisters, their typical day is full of lots of driving! I told them they need to have water and food and blankets in there because they get lost quite a bit!
So we made it to Show Low and I had quite the story to tell Sister Ylisaari and we went to go back to Taylor and our car started making the most horrific screeching noise as we drove, braked, everything. We figured it was probably a rock stuck somewhere but we couldn't get it out. Our vehicle coordinator said we had to stay in Taylor so the Senior couple came to drive us back to the sisters apt to stay the night there and take the car to the Ford dealer in the morning. Since our exchange was just a day I didn't have anything packed and neither did Sister Ylisaari so we borrowed clothes from the sisters, got the worst night's sleep on their couch and chair and got up the next morning, put back on our previous day's clothes and went to the Ford dealer. We had district meeting at 10:00 and didn't know if we would make it or not. On the way to the Ford dealer the rock fell out but the car got looked at anyway. I know that God knew I would be in the middle of nowhere in Quemado on exchanges and that my car would break down and we would be stuck in Show Low and that we would go to the Ford dealership even though the noise was gone because I needed to talk to this man there, who was from Quemado and I was able to tell him I was just there the day before and we got lost and he gave me exact directions where he lived and then he said my wife is LDS and wow, what do you know? I found a part member family reference to give to the sisters!! Even though that whole experience was so frustrating I realized something important. God is in the details! I know He is. Everything happens for a reason.
We made it back to Taylor just in time for district meeting and then I got a shower and brushed my teeth after 24 hours and got a nap at lunch and life was good again.
Monday night Sister Ylisaari and I got the news that we were being emergency transferred, just like last transfer. I'm with Sister Lyons right now, which is quite crazy because exactly a year ago we became companions! We'll have an interesting week until transfers next Tuesday!
Exciting news: Tonight Velda (Katy's sister who lost her baby a couple months ago) is bringing up her family and her kids are getting BAPTIZED! Their lives have really turned around and it's been amazing to see. They're active in church, the kids were taught by the Elders down where they live and I've been in contact with Natalie and she's so excited to be baptized. I am so happy for them!
Tomorrow Tabby who I taught in Mesa is getting baptized! I'm so excited! President is allowing me to go! :)
I love you all! Thank you for your prayers! I hope you're enjoying this Christmas season!
Sister Richards
The scripture I'm ponderizing: 2 Corinthians 3:3 My mission is engraving the gospel of Jesus Christ in me so that I may always be an epistle of the Lord!
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