More news from Glen Allen, Virginia

Great New Motto!

This last week has been REALLY busy! We've been contacting a lot of people and getting a lot of things done! It's been good and somewhat frustrating!

I'm feeling like my companion doesn't have a huge desire to serve....but it's all good...because if I have to drive this band wagon...then I will! It's gonna be a tough ride, one that I hope will be worth it.

I don't understand. Recently I've been worried about the lack of baptisms I've seen for myself versus the abundant amount companions have had and yet they lack the desire to do the work. Those have been my thoughts lately.....but I do have a desire to improve and become better as a teacher. I've noticed that in most areas of my mission - it's tough to improve when my companion doesn't seem to have a desire.

...but I MUST remember that I can build a foundation and convert my companion and those serving around me and in the church. I may not see many baptisms on my mission but a successful missionary, from the Church's standpoint isn't judged by the baptisms; but their personal commitment to the work and since I've started my mission, that's what it's been for me.

This week we're planning to contact 10+ scheduled appointments with people, and hopefully set some for baptism. We also have some possible service opportunities...which I really enjoy doing! I'm also getting my notes organized and have been working hard to have a desire to return back to my journal and read what I have written. It's hard for me to do that - but I know the times I have, have been testimony building moments for me...because what I wrote down was worth it.

FUN AT THE FAIR!

He WON....again!

Who????....Us????

We recently had a Stake Fair and a bunch of missionaries played 'Corn Hole'. I can't describe to y'all how much fun that game is - it's probably one of my favorites! I took a bunch of pics but not of me really...haha! I'm nervous to ask people to take my picture most of the time. I just like to take a bunch myself.

Great Missionaries!

Army of God!

So I'll send those ones out to y'all. Enjoy!

I love you all!

Elder Richards

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

P.S. Thanks for your emails - they really help me out. Tell all the COUSINS I said hey!  Helaman 10:7

P.S.S. Evidently, one of E. Richards' past companions has a bike he doesn't want...so he's giving it to E. Richards to send home for his dad. It's a Diamond Back Trail Mountain Bike and he says it's a SMOOTH ride as he has ridden it a few times. It's a bike which is worth $800.00 that he is giving us for free!  I think we are going to be a 'riding' family! He needs to also get together with Bro. Jeff Klumker...I hear he's a 'biking' man!

TRANSPORTATION!

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

Pray that People will come......with Real Intent!

So this last week hasn't gone all that well!  :-( We tried to BLITZ the Glen Allen area and unfortunately....no success. Currently we only have 2 investigators and one of them is not progressing. We also had a 'Munch and Mingle' this week and no non-members showed up. There were only about 12 people that came out of the dozens that we invited.....so missionary work here is better than in any other area that I've served in...but struggling in it's own ways. (I'm guessing that the ward is working well with the Elders...just hard to find interested people!)

The one thing that gets me the most - the thing I have seen in all of the areas I've served in - is that the members don't share the gospel or fellowship. Those 2 things are required for our own Personal Salvation as stated in Ezekiel 3:17-21.

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.........."

We should do as Captain Moroni did with the Title of Liberty....living our beliefs in ALL we do and say and it will catch the notice of others and they will ask about the Gospel. It's difficult trying to tell the members to 'wear their religion' better and put themselves out there to be in a position to answer other's questions about our beliefs. I feel strongly also about how we home teach and visit teach our members......SORRY...I'm just trying to voice my frustrations......but it's all good because I know what's right and that answers to my prayers will come! 2 Chronicles 7:14....

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

(Powerful counsel that is needed for each of us and our country!)

We're working on seeing ALL our potentials and former contacts and also finishing the assignments given us by the ward council. Hopefully we'll find more people to teach. PLEASE PRAY that people will come to us as we work...those with real intent!

I stumbled upon these great videos from Elder Bednar - they were a great reminder and subject for study for me. They are in a 3-part series...so look through all of them. They're very good!


http://mormonchannel.org/mormonmessages?v=1737858982001

ENJOY!

I LOVE you ALL. Thank you for your support. These things are REAL; because people can and do change for the better!  :-)

Elder Richards

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

Hello Family!

Hey Everyone!

Things here in Glen Allen are going great! We're having some success and we're slowly getting somewhere with the work. When I came here we really didn't have any investigators other than Vince and Kay and they are doing great!

We have been tracting lately around our appointments and have had great success. I think tracting is good the way we use it today compared to how it use to be. Sometimes if we feel inspired to see someone and go there and nobody is home - it's because the Lord knows there is someone there for us to meet other than our original appointment - or an experience that is meant to help us grow....so I like it! We just recently found a Cambodian man last week that said he'd read The Book of Mormon - so after emailing we're going to deliver a Book of Mormon to him in Cambodian, that way he will understand it better.

As far as bikes go...I have been helping my new companion repair his. It's a bit rusted so hopefully we'll get some spare parts here soon to get his ride running smoother. Mom, it's great to hear that your biking! I hope your crash wasn't too bad. My companion, the other day crashed on a wet road and got scraped up a little and I slid also, but caught myself for the 1st time...Haha! but it's all good!

So lately, I'm putting all of the notes and notebooks I have into my study journal....to save space. It's nice to  save space and be done with all the papers flying around my luggage. I hope to be sending a few more things home soon...(letters, mission newsletters, etc..) (As long as he keeps the bedbugs there in Virginia I'm fine with that - if not we're prepared with bedbug juice here!)

Also, I'm really stoked to vote this year! If you could, I would love to get things started with the voting so I can give my 2 cents. I'm also creating a list of things to work on when I get home - that way I won't have any chill time to sit on my butt doing nothing. If there are any job opportunities available be sure to tell them when I get home. I would LOVE to start working.

Anyway, lately I've also been working on role plays with my companion and with keeping our place clean...since the bedbugs have been everywhere. So we're slowly working on it!!

Right now I'm in Chapter 2 of "Preach My Gospel" brushing up on my study skills. To make sure I get things organized when I go back and refer to my notes and journal in the future. Other than that things are going great!

Sorry I don't have any pics this week. We're still getting things organized and finished with our apartment and with the area....but I will send pics soon.

I LOVE y'all!

QUOTE: "Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God at His disposition and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts."


Enjoy this newest message....spread the word of God!!!!

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#sharing-your-beliefs


Elder Richards

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

Glen Allen

Hey Everybody!                                                        27 August 2012

I'm in a real nice small apartment. It's tiny, haha! I feel like I can reach to the stove from my bed! It's all good!

As I came in (to this area) we don't have any investigators; but two potential baptisms! So we're getting to work and hopefully getting things done.

My bed is super comfy and I pass out almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I am really impressed with our ward. It's between the sizes of Norfolk (small) and Portsmouth (large). Our ward mission leader is the man! We're planning some new finding activities for our ward on a monthly basis for us to help find new people.

Also, I'm right next to downtown Richmond; our zone leaders and the other missionaries in our District live downtown so we'll usually go there every now and then. It's really nice to see a nice big city. It's much bigger than Norfolk and much taller buildings.

So my area has tons of hills and what I mean by tons is an understatement. I'm using 1-4 gears a lot as opposed to the usual 2-6 gears! Haha! Today I cleaned my chain and gears and got ready for my new area. Things are running very nicely and quiet too. As far as my bike goes...it's working fine!

It's good to hear that Owen and Aidon are doing great! Good to hear they are on bikes. Haha! I hope to ride with them when I return home. Hopefully, I'll be able to ship my bike after my mission.

Lately I've been reading "Jesus the Christ" and it's been really interesting the similarities between Christ's time and ours. Of course, it's a pattern today that we're in. With war and political parties and with different religions. The chapter I just finished was about the "The Meridian of Time" and I'll be continuing on from there. Mainly this chapter just explained the time and place that Christ was in just before his birth and during his ministry.

Also, my companion's name is Elder Herron. He's from Utah and he's the man! There is stress too but not the kind I've had in the past 7 months....but it's all good!

I love my mission and I am stoked to hopefully finish here in Glen Allen.

Love y'all!

Elder Richards

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

I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED!

Hey Everyone!                                                         20 August 2012

I'm getting transferred to........a far off land named Glen Allen. It's north of Richmond in a VERY hilly bike area...it's in the suburbs. I'm not sure if I'll be in that area through my last transfer - but it's going to be AWESOME! (SEE MAP BELOW!)

This week....we taught a sweet lesson with a woman on her porch. She didn't want us to come by later; but once we both bore our testimonies and sang a hymn on her porch, she invited us back for this coming week. It was great to see the change in her countenance once we testified and sang "I Am A Child of God".........plus her dog loved having a nice back scratch. Haha!

We also had a great time talking to a bunch of people that want us to come back this week. It's great to see how the gospel changes people. Hearing the testimonies of other people and their experiences helps to lift me up....also when they are lifted up in their hard times.

It is only in our service and action that people can see us and feel our light!

This week we're also getting things going with our investigators and helping them in their reading of The Book of Mormon; we're hoping they will progress.

The missionary that will step-in for me served as the Assistant to the Mission President. The President always releases his Assistants when they have only one more transfer. He (the Elder) is an AWESOME missionary; one that I think Norfolk really needs.

Meanwhile, I'm going to get packing this week, getting things cinched up and ready for my move.

From what I hear, Glen Allen is a very rich area and has TONS of hills! It also has the smallest missionary apartment in the Virginia Richmond Mission so I'll be a bit cramped; but IT'S ALL GOOD!!  :-)

Something great I learned this week ties into the principles of Charity and Love found in "Preach My Gospel". If you ever have a difficult time communicating with others...ask them this question: "How do you show charity and concern for me?" and then ask "How can I show charity and love for you?" This is a good way to understand how to solve problems and fix issues with another person. It works great to ask those questions to others around you, i.e. investigators, friends, family, relatives or acquaintances It has a deep application but it makes sense. People will know that we are the Disciples of Christ when we have love one to another.

If I work that way with my motives then people will see a vast change for good in my character and behavior. The Savior explains it a bunch more in John Chapter 14 about love and action/behavior. I see it as a psychology lesson/observation that the Savior points out.

Anyway, I'm STOKED to be moving. I've been here forever and I'll be scratching my head as to how to pack all over again......BUT IT'S ALL GOOD!

I love you all!

Elder Richards

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

P.S. Thanks for the email.....I am STOKED to hear that you found Elder Harter. He's the man! That is so cool that you were able to see him. I love seeing your faces and him together...Haha...it seems like yesterday that I was chasing chickens at their house...Haha!

I love you guys! Thanks for all you two do!!!

Elder Harter serving in the Tacoma, WA mission
Elder Richards knew him and his family
when he served in
Wakefield, Virginia, USA

GLEN ALLEN, VIRGINIA
Elder Richards' 6th area of Service
Just a little north/west of Richmond.

An EXCITING week!

A week of great ALARM and great EXCITEMENT!

So this past week has been verrrrrrrry interesting! We had interviews with our Mission President. Our rides for Zone Conference got confused and we ALMOST didn't have one; so we planned out a route to bike to Virginia Beach from Norfolk; BUT we got a ride at the last second! Haha!

We got lost on the city bus transit system and ended up leaving our area. So as we were waiting for a bus we taught some people along the way clear over in the Virginia Beach zone! After we had waited for a while for the bus - as it was pulling up - we saw that it  had a FULL bike rack - soooooo we decided to catch the bus at the light rail station. It was a 2-3 mile bike ride and we ended up arriving there at the same time that the bus got there. The bus driver had this really puzzled look on his face....like 'haven't I seen you guys before'! Hahahahaha! We were sweating BULLETS that day.....it was great!.....but alas! No luck with that bus either, so we just rode home.  I also got my bike fixed a bit!

Our investigator is progressing.....and his girlfriend is somewhat interested.

I almost got KILLED by a car on Thursday....so if any of you ever had the thought to pray for my safety that day.......THANK YOU! I did have a few scrapes here and there but I'm OK....It's all good!

(Don wrote him: Did you fall? Did you get hurt by the bus? Did the driver stop to see if you were okay?????)
(His reply: Uhhhh just my arm and shin got scraped up. My  head is intact; the driver of the car came within a foot of hitting me before they stopped. They got out and said 'I just felt that I needed to stop." I said in a delighted way "Thanks...I'm REALLY glad you did." I will say, at the time I was more worried about my sock that got torn up big time than I was with myself. Haha!)

My companion even said "You handled that way better than I would have. I would be crying right now." Haha! It's all good! No Worries...It's all good! My companion gave me a blessing in the park nearby. Just please pray that I remain focused on what I'm doing and protected as I ride PLEASE.

Don then wrote:
"Remember you are wearing the armor of God. Please be careful. I'm glad you are OK and that you got a blessing. WE pray for you EVERY day plus about 13 million + members!"

Elder Richards responded to his dad: Thanks, I LOVE you Dad! Your the man! Be safe while you're gone too.

*********************
(I sure hope Don and I can get through this mission without having heart attacks!)

More news:

So Norfolk might be changed a bit this next week. There might be some changes made to the areas of Norfolk 1st & 2nd Wards. All of us missionaries here have either served here for 6 months or more (E. Richards has now been there for 7 1/2 months) and the other two Elders are here for their 2nd time on their missions. Chances are I might be transferred, but who knows. We'll find out this next Sunday.

My studies this week have been sweet! I'm learning to put trust in the Lord and relying on Him to make the changes that I can't make. Also learning about how I can apply that trust in my life,

In working with people..what I'll usually do is ask a person about what problems they may be having in life....then I'll ask..."what is usually associated with that behavior?"....i.e. drugs, crime, crummy environment, etc...(these are the major things mentioned) Asking these things usually helps to reveal to us what they need to know about to make better choices in their lives. In return we try to teach them about repentance and show them how that can help their lives be better. We will also talk about how to have hope, faith and Charity and helping them to see how those qualities will ultimately help them in their lives to be happier. So I'm learning how to ask more inspired questions with our investigators and it's WORKING!! Yeah!!  This really helps us to narrow things down for understanding them and if they are going to want to continue with us teaching them or not.

BTW if you were watching the media about Gov. Romney in Norfolk and if you happened to see 2 confused missionaries in white shirts and ties riding in the streets...THAT WAS US....HAHAH! We  had no idea what was going on. We were on our way to get my bike fixed in Portsmouth and we had no idea that they were coming to Norfolk.....HAHA....Plus we were lost...so it's all good!

Anyway...that's been my week so far. It's been crazy and really fun all at the same time. I hope everyone enjoys their week.....this week!

I LOVE you all!

Elder Richards

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


P.S. I would also like to extend my thanks to all of you who pray for our missionary and all the other missionaries from our ward. It helps a TON!!