Friday, September 21, 2012

Another Great Week!

Hey Family!                                                           17 September 2012


Elders in Glen Allen, Virginia


This last week has gone really well. We were able to get a less-active member back to Church. We've also been able to excel in our goals and key indicators.

Lately we've been praying that those that are ready would approach us and that we would be able to teach them. Sure enough we had a gentleman give us a referral for someone who wanted to be taught. We saw this person the other day and he told us that he would like to be baptized so we're meeting back with him soon to sum-up the lessons and continue with his progress.

Things are going well in my studies. I keep a journal of comfort/encouraging scriptures that I write in each day. It's hard to go back and read it though! Haha! It's strange to me but I have felt that I need to do so.

I have a bunch of really good entries that I've put in lately. One such account is of a memory in Lawrenceville, VA with Elder Zollinger.

"During the aftermath of the Hurricane in 2011 after we were done giving support in Lawrenceville, we traveled the next day to Emporia, VA. We were worried about the "King" family and were coming to assist them. We found that Bro. King had extra generators and fuel and had been traveling all day lending all he had to assist those around  him. He and his sons had also taken with them a chainsaw working all day the day before and the day we arrived. He related an experience to me of the recent disaster and the blessings he had received."

"He came to me and said 'I fueled up my truck and got to work. Working all day yesterday and most of today, helping everyone with their generators and helping the city workers and since I started I have never had to fuel up since then.' I looked at his fuel gauge and it was hovering at half. That truck eats fuel like it is a buffet. As we worked that afternoon and into the early evening I never saw that fuel gauge move at all. I had ridden in that truck several times. Bro. King said to me later that night 'I believe it's God helping me so I can help everyone else'. I told him 'the Lord provides to those that serve him, the Lord can do anything."

That was just one account in my journal that I've written in it with all my scriptures and quotes. It has helped greatly. As I was reading it for the first time I felt a soft comfort throughout the whole time that I studied.

The "infamous" bedbugs!!!!!  YUCK!

This last week has gotten irritating with all the bedbugs we have. We keep finding them in our apartment, in our beds, bathroom and on the walls. They're not everywhere but just here and there. We're having an exterminator come today to spray the apartment for the 4th time....but things are still good!

The Lord is amazing! I know that God really hears and answers my prayers. He helps me all the time as long as I heed his precepts. Those precepts are actions that I need to act on, and the thing is, that I have nothing to lose if I act on them to see the blessings. What holds us back is the thought and time we spend thinking that it won't amount to anything;  however, the counsel is true - by small and simple means are great things brought to pass.

I LOVE you all and I  hope y'alls week is going well.

Elder Richards

Virginia Richmond Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints