Far Far Away on Judea's Plains Nov, 30th

BUENOS DIAS ALL YALL!!!!

This week was a little slower but we still saw amazing miracles!!! The other day we were following up with one of our investigators, Irberto. He wasn't home but his room mate, Benmerito, was home. We taught him the restoration and two days later taught him about the book of mormon. We also contacted a man named Alejandro. We were able to teach him the restoration and he told us about his mormon friends in Hondorus and how happy they were.

We have also seen miracles with our investigators Hector y Giselda. They have started to slowly progress. We finally figured out why he doesn't read. He has a very difficult time reading and we told him about the app he was really happy. He started playing it so it could read it to him.

We also we able to see Juan and Carla and reviewed the restoration with them. They told us they gained an understanding of the importance of the book of mormon.

We had an awesome thanksgiving at the mission home. It was really neat! We were also helping out with the angel tree at the mall.... on friday.... i just got tired from the crowds there... HAHA

My spiritual thought comes from

Another great soul in the history of the Church is Scottish convert John Menzies Macfarlane. He joined the Church with his widowed mother and brother, and the three of them journeyed to Salt Lake in 1852. He was 18 years old. Over the years, he became a surveyor, builder, even a district judge, but it was his music that distinguished him. He organized his first choir in Cedar City and took his ensemble around southern Utah. After a performance in St. George, Elder Erastus Snow, an Apostle and leader of the colony, encouraged him to move to the southern Utah community and bring his family and music with him. Times had been very hard in 1869, and Elder Snow asked Brother Macfarlane to stage a Christmas program that would lift the people’s spirits. Brother Macfarlane wanted a new and engaging musical piece for the event. No matter how hard he tried to compose, nothing came. He prayed for inspiration and prayed again. Then, one night, he woke his wife and exclaimed, “I have the words for a song, and I think I have the music too!” He hurried to the keyboard of their small parlor organ and played the tune, writing it down while his wife held before him the flickering light of a bit of flannel floating in a bowl of grease. The words and music flowed forth: Far, far away on Judea’s plains, Shepherds of old heard the joyous strains: Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest; Peace on earth, goodwill to men; Peace on earth, goodwill to men!  Brother Macfarlane had never been to Judea to see that the plains were more like rocky hillsides, but the inspired message of his music poured from his soul as a witness of the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem of Judea, a beginning that would change the world forever.  I bear my witness that our Eternal Father lives. His plan of happiness profoundly  blesses the lives of each of His children in all generations. I know that His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the babe born in Bethlehem, is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that dear President Thomas S. Monson is His prophet on the earth today. These words of praise speak truth in my ears: “Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth, good will to men.”

Yall are awesome!!! Stay good. MAKE GOOD CHOICES!!!!
Elder Richardson

So fresh and so clean.

Come ye Thankful People

BUENOS DIAS ALL YALL!!!!

So I will be staying in the BR for another transfer but Elder Tuttle is getting transfer. Estoy muy Triste...... I am pretty sure I know who is my new companion and he is one of my really good friends in the mission so I am really excited.


This week was really awesome and was full of miracles. We continued to do some tracting in a neighborhood. We found a couple of people who we shared the message of the restoration to. One was a man named Irberto when after we shared the restoration. After he asked if we could share a prayer with him. We later scheduled a return appointment with him.

We did an awesome service project at the Mall of Louisiana with an angel tree project. It was really fun. We will be doing service again this friday... black friday..... HAHA! That will be fun!!!!!

We had a really amazing experience sunday night. We had a follow up appointment with a guy we contacted and taught the restoration lesson named Hector. We went to his place and he had invited his whole family and a bunch of neighbors to here the message of the restoration. There were 10 people in that lesson listening to us about the restoration. It was a very powerful moment. During the lesson we had a prompting to ask them who is Jesus Christ to them and they all gave powerful answers. They all loved the message of the restoration and accepted a return appointment for the Book of Mormon. After Hector asked his wife to give the closing prayer and the spirit was really strong while giving the prayer. It was one of the most amazing moments of the mission.

So yall can probably guess what the spiritual thought is on.... GRATITUDE!!!! President Monson gave an amazing talk called the Divine Gift of Gratitude. In it he gave a quote by President Joseph F. Smith  “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love over powers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life.” He continued: “Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!"

Continuing President Monson said, Do material possessions make us happy and grateful?Perhaps momentarily. However, those things which provide deep and lasting happiness and gratitude are the things which money cannot buy: our families, the gospel, good friends, our health, our abilities, the love we receive from those around us. Unfortunately, these are some of the things we allow ourselves to take for granted.

I share with you an account of one family which was able to find blessings in the midst of serious challenges.This is an account I read many years ago and have kept because of the message it conveys. It was written by Gordon Green and appeared in an American magazine over 50 years ago.

Gordon tells how he grew up on a farm in Canada,where he and his siblings had to hurry home from school while the other children played ball and went swimming. Their father, however, had the capacity to help them understand that their work amounted to something. This was especially true after harvest time when the family celebrated Thanksgiving, for on that day their father gave them a great gift. He took an inventory of everything they had.

On Thanksgiving morning he would take them to the cellar with its barrels of apples, bins of beets, carrots packed in sand, and mountains of sacked potatoes as well as peas, corn, string beans, jellies, strawberries,and other preserves which filled their shelves. He had the children count everything carefully. Then they went out to the barn and figured how many tons of hay there were and how many bushels of grain in the granary.They counted the cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and geese. Their father said he wanted to see how they stood, but they knew he really wanted them to realize on that feast day how richly God had blessed them and had smiled upon all their hours of work. Finally, when they sat down to the feast their mother had prepared,the blessings were something they felt.

Gordon indicated, however, that the Thanksgiving he remembered most thankfully was the year they seemed to have nothing for which to be grateful.

The year started off well: they had leftover hay, lots of seed, four litters of pigs, and their father had a little money set aside so that someday he could afford to buy a hay loader—a wonderful machine most farmers just dreamed of owning. It was also the year that electricity came to their town—although not to them because they couldn’t afford it.

One night when Gordon’s mother was doing her big wash, his father stepped in and took his turn over the washboard and asked his wife to rest and do her knitting. He said, “You spend more time doing the wash than sleeping. Do you think we should break down and get electricity?” Although elated at the prospect, she shed a tear or two as she thought of the hay loader that wouldn’t be bought.

So the electrical line went up their lane that year.Although it was nothing fancy, they acquired a washing machine that worked all day by itself and brilliant lightbulbs that dangled from each ceiling. There were no more lamps to fill with oil, no more wicks to cut, no more sooty chimneys to wash. The lamps went

For the Beauty of the Earth!! November 16, 2015

Buenos Dias All YALL!!!

So this week was awesome. We saw some amazing miracles. We did a lot of finding and tracting. We tract in a trailer park on Gardere. We were able to teach a couple of people the restoration but sadly they didn't want us to come back; however, we saw the lord provide us with miracles as we contacted some people. We contacted a guy named Amos. We were able to teach him the restoration. He said he wanted to learn more about the book of Mormon so we set up a return appointment with him. We also taught Hector about the Restoration also. It was really awesome because he had questions about why there are so many translations of the bible while we talked about the apostasy. It was so perfect to be able to share the experience of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. He was so thrilled to learn about he Book of Mormon especially that it was kept in its purity. We also scheduled a follow up appointment with him to discuss more of the Book of Mormon.

We also had a couple of follow-up appointments with our new investigators from last week. We visited with Noel and Luis and shared the Book of Mormon Lesson. They really enjoyed it. When they read the introduction they had a lot of questions about the tower of Babel. When we read Moroni's promise they shared experiences when they had felt the Holy Ghost. We testified to them that they would feel that same feeling while reading the book of mormon. We also had a follow-up appointment with Raphael. He had a lot of questions on the Priesthood and how Joseph Smith used it while he was prophet. It gave us the opportunity to talk about Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon.

We also had a lesson with out progressing Investigators Juan and Carla. We discussed a little bit about the Plan of Salvation. They had questions on families especially about if homosexual marriages were allowed in the church. We told them No and they agreed and it gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about the Proclamation to the World. We didn't have copies with us but we told them we would bring pamphlets with us next time. They were really excited to receive a copy of the Proclamation.

We did this crazy service project for Veterans day and the African American Museum. We helped them with a remembrance thing for African American Veterans. We did this march with them under the Interstate of all places. I am not going to lie. I was biting my lip to not laugh. Lets just say that one of the speakers said and I quote "Freedom is when you are the son of an immigrant and have a mother of a different race and are elected the first african american president..." 😕..... WOW!!!!!!! In the museum there was a huge Obama shrine..... OH MY!!!!

We got to help out at a food bank which was fun. We also taught English class.  Do we notice the little things in Life? One of my favorite hymns is "For the Beauty of The Earth." As with Borghild. Do we reconize the beautiful things in this world, or do we take them for granted, May we continue to give thanks to God for the little things in Life. For this beautiful world. For the trees, the flowers, the sunrise. Do we have a lot to be grateful for.

One of my favorite talks of President Monson is Finding Joy in the Journey and The Divine Gift of Gratitude. One of my favorite stories in Finding Joy in the Journey is the story of Borghild Dahl. She was born in Minnesota in 1890 of Norwegian parents and from her early years suffered severely impaired vision. She had a tremendous desire to participate in everyday life despite her handicap and,through sheer determination, succeeded in nearly everything she undertook. Against the advice of educators, who felt her handicap was too great, she attended college, receiving her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota. She later studied at Columbia University and the University of Oslo. She eventually became the principal of eight schools in western Minnesota and North Dakota.
She wrote the following in one of the 17 books she authored: “I had ony one eye, and it was so covered with dense scars that I had to do all my seeing throughone small opening in the left of the eye. I could see abook only by holding it up close to my face and bystraining my one eye as hard as I could to the left.” 7

Miraculously, in 1943—when she was over 50 years old—a revolutionary procedure was developed which finally restored to her much of the sight she had been without for so long. A new and exciting world opened up before her. She took great pleasure in the small things most of us take for granted, such as watching a bird in flight, noticing the light reflected in the bubbles of her dishwater, or observing the phases of the moon each night. She closed one of her books with these words: “Dear … Father in heaven, I thank Thee. I thank Thee.” 8

Borghild Dahl, both before and after her sight was restored, was filled with gratitude for her blessings.

In 1982, two years before she died, at the age of 92 her last book was published. Its title: Happy All My Life. Her attitude of thankfulness enabled her to appreciate her blessings and to live a full and rich life despite her challenges.

In 1 Thessalonians in the New Testament, chapter 5,verse 18, we are told by the Apostle Paul, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God.”

Do we notice the little things in Life? One of my favorite hymns is "For the Beauty of The Earth." As with Borghild. Do we reconize the beautiful things in this world, or do we take them for granted, May we continue to give thanks to God for the little things in Life. For this beautiful world. For the trees, the flowers, the sunrise. Don't we have a lot to be grateful for?

I love you and miss yall. I will still be emailing next monday because they moved transfers to Tuesday because of Thanksgiving. Love yall so much stay safe make good choices!!!!

Elder Richardson

Prayer of Thanksgiving!!

HEY ALL YALL

This last week we saw many miracles in finding. We contacted a referral from the English missionaries for a guy named Frank. We taught him the restoration and he told us that he felt warm and that he knew the message was from God. Is was really neat to feel the spirit in that lesson. We were able to find a bunch of families and couples. One of the couples we contacted was Ricardo and Noel. We taught them the Restoration. They asked us to come back this Saturday. They became really interested when we told them that part of the restoration was the doctrine that families can be together forever. We were also teaching two brothers named William and Luis. We taught them the Restoration also and they were engaged in reading the pamphlet along with us. They also had questions why there are so many churches. They were also wondering why there are no more prophets today. They were very excited in learning about the restoration.

We also had a really cool miracle with some guys named Daniel and Samuel. Daniel already knew about the church and Samuel knew a little bit about it. They told us they did not like the idea of the Book of Mormon. It almost started to get to the point where they were bible bashing. Then we got bear our testimonies about the Book of Mormon and how it is evidence of the restoration and that we can the church is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet by reading the Book or Mormon. They were stunned. They thought the Book of Mormon was suppose to replace the Bible but they didn't realize that it was through the Book of Mormon we could gain a knowledge that the Church is true. They wanted us to come back and they also asked for a book of Mormon!

We also got to go to Branch Temple night. It was so much easier to go through in Spanish this time. I didn't think I was going to die this time. HAHA! It was easier to understand. Plus it was my favorite film where all of the comets are hitting the earth. It was really cool to see it in spanish. Plus it was SO AWESOME!!!! The first room has a mural in it!!!!! It was really awesome mural!!!! It had the Louisiana swamp look. There was an aligator, a deer, rabbits, ducks, pelicans, and other birds. It was really neat!!!! The Celestial Room had new furniture. It was awesome. I definitely needed that temple trip HAHA.

We also got a new Branch Mission Leader! He actually was the last Temple President, President Huerta. He is really cool. He told us that he is going to try and get President Hansen's permission for us to perform Initiatorys in Spanish. He thinks it would really help us with our spanish! THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!!!!!! I am excited to have him as our branch mission leader.

So my Spiritual Thought is on.... Guess..... GRATITUDE!!!!!! AGAIN!!!! In the Scriptures we read continually about giving thanks to to Lord. Having a Prayer of Thanksgiving.  For example. Alma 37: 37

37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day

May we continually prayer with Thanksgiving in our thoughts and continually thank our Heavenly Father For the blessings which we have receive. May continue to live with an attitude of Gratitude daily!

I love yall so much!!! YALL THE BEST!!!!!
Elder Richardson

Because I have been given much November 2, 2015

HEY ALL YALL!!!
So this week has been awesome! We were able to do some contacting and taught the restoration. We are making new progress with some of our new investigators Juan and Carla. Hopefully next week they will come to church. Last night we read the first chapter of the Book of Mormon with them.

One thing that is interesting this week is that our mission president got rid of contacting as a key indicator. He changed it to service hours. He was really into contacting and would talk about it all the time. It is really interesting about a new effort the church is doing that i have not talked to yall about. The church recently released a website called Justserve.org It is away for the church to provide volunteers for other organizations and churches. It is away to build bridges to elminate false ideas about each other on both sides. We had an instruction on it a couple of weeks ago and there was a survey about churches and the "public" opinion of them. Mormons rated fairly well but the thing that people said about Mormons especially those in Utah is that Mormons are very seclusive, meaning we tend to only be around each other. The church is wanting members to build bridges with other faiths and organizations. It has been interesting seeing this start up. It will be interesting getting this stated up. We have looked at a couple of service projects.


On saturday we were hit with a big storm. It was cloudy and we knew a storm was coming. We were walking around contacting in this neighborhood. And it got dark and green really quick. It was really creepy. And then did it pour. We even had our umbrellas ready and we were still soaked. The area we were in flooded really quick so we hurried and got in the car and went to a walmart to take shelter. We still heard the rain and thunder in walmart. We were did not want to leave until it slowed down a little. Well everyone in Baton Rouge except us got a text to stay in because we were under a Tornado warning. Well we ended up not getting the lock down text haha.

Well I my spiritual thought today is on one of my favortie poems written by Grace Noll Crowell called "Because of Thy Great Bounty" In 1985 her amazing poem was transformed into a hymn called Because I have been given much.
Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live;
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care,
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
My roof’s safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord,
I’ll share thy love again, according to thy word.
I shall give love to those in need;
I’ll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.


It is so easy for us to forget the blessings the Lord has given us. May we use this wonderful month of November to reflect on the blessings the Lord has given us. May we also not only live with the attitude of gratitude, but may we live with a heart of giving as we live the new emphasized fourth fold mission of the church in helping the needy and poor. I am so grateful for my Family and this gospel. I have received an abundance of blessings from these two. May we share the love the Lord has given us with others. Thus shall our thanks be thanks.

LOVE YALL!!!! MAKE GOOD CHOICES!!!!!

ELDER RICHARDSON

Truth reflects upon our senses

Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net>  Oct 26 at 9:47 AM
To
Message body
HEY HEY HEY ALL YALL!!!!

So This week was awesome! Very Wet and Raining though! We saw amazing miracles during our finding this week. We tracted into a couple of familes that were interested in learning more about the gospel. There was a crazy miracle that happened where we took a member with us to our most progressing investigator, Leo, to an appointment we had with him. When we got there he wasn't home but his neighbor who we had already tracted into opened his door. He ended up inviting us in and the member was able to answer difficult questions which would be hard to explain in spanish. He also bore his testimony how he was like them, a catholic, had questions about life, and didn't want to change. Then he asked. When are you going to come back? It is so true that god puts you into situations where you are needed when you dont expect it. We also contacted a guy named Luis who was interested in the book of mormon we were holding. We shared the restoration with him then asked if we could return. He said he would talk to us at our church on Sunday. Well of course he didn't come so we follow up with him and he told us because of the rain he didn't go. So we decided to do the Book Of Mormon lesson. He loved it and asked us to come back on Wednesday. We have been having amazing experiences as we have been diligent in finding and doing the work of the lord. We have seen Miracles!

So yall probably saw the Pictures but it was so awesome!! I GOT TO GO TO AN LSU FOOTBALL GAME IN TIGER STADIUM!!!! Which is acutally one of the largest football stadiums in the US. LSU sisters hooked us up with free tickets in the lower bowl!!!! They played against western Kentucky! IT WAS SO AWESOME!!! They of course won. We weren't able to stay for the whole game so we could make it back home in time for our curfew. IT WAS CRAZY!!!! Very loud. AND SO MUCH RAIN!!!!! But SO FUN!!!!!! I am so glad I went!!! Definitely want to do it again!!!! It was a little difficult without having the yellow line the computer does for the first down but it was awesome!!!!


So for my spiritual thought comes from one of my favorite hymns Truth Reflects Upon Our senses. So I took the challenge from the talk "What Lack i Yet" and also an instruction that President Hansen gave on Repentance and asked what lack I yet. I got the answer to think more postively about others. So what I have been doing is reading a hymn every time I think judgmental or criticize someone called Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses It says

1. Truth reflects upon our senses;
Gospel light reveals to some.
If there still should be offenses,
Woe to them by whom they come!
Judge not, that ye be not judged,
Was the counsel Jesus gave;
Measure given, large or grudged,
Just the same you must receive.
2. Jesus said, "Be meek and lowly,"
For 'tis high to be a judge;
If I would be pure and holy,
I must love without a grudge.
It requires a constant labor
All his precepts to obey.
If I truly love my neighbor,
I am in the narrow way.
3. Once I said unto another,
"In thine eye there is a mote;
If thou art a friend, a brother,
Hold, and let me pull it out."
But I could not see it fairly,
For my sight was very dim.
When I came to search more clearly,
In mine eye there was a beam.
(Chorus)
Blessed Savior, thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore
Where the angels wait to join us
In thy praise forevermore.

May we Be people that look for the good in others as we go about our days. May we continue to have the mindset that we are all brothers and sisters of our loving Heavenly Father. May we see people as the Savior sees them. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows us to change to become better. I know the church is true!

I miss all yall! Be safe!!! And Make GOOD CHOICES!!!!!!

Elder Richardson

Lord accept our true Devotion October 19, 2015

HEY ALL YALL!!!!
So this week fairly good. We again did a lot of tracting and contacting... We saw some crazy things in the ghetto like always. HAHA. We contacted a bunch of people. Some of which were families who wanted us to come back. So this week we had a lot of finding miracles. We have contacted a lot of families and taught them the restoration. One of these families, William and Rosia, we taught them the restoration and testified how families can be together forever. They really enjoyed it and were very excited when we offered we will come back with a Book of Mormon. We also have been having luck with some of the younger adult hispanics. One of these was Omar, we contacted him while walking through a neighborhood and taught him the restoration. We also saw Hector and Giselda. We Finally got Giselda to pray!!! It took a lot of convincing from Hector. We also found a member that will come to us with to our most progressing investigator Leo. He reads the book of mormon, and wants to come to church, but I think he is a little nervous because he doesn't know anyone. We are so happy we have a member with us going on Wednesday and we think that would help him attend church.

It has been so amazing seeing the miracles in this area when we first opened it to where it is now. I am so grateful for the help the Lord has given us as we have seen these tender mercies of how receptive the people are to our message.

So my quick spiritual thought comes from the book of James where it says

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

May we show our faith in Christ by the way we live our lives. As we follow the savior may we show are Christian belief through the way we live our lives. I know that as we follow the example of the savior we will increase our faith in him!

Love yall so much!!! Stay safe!!!!

Elder RIchardson