Life throws you curves...

Several months ago, not long after Morgan arrived in New Jersey, she was diagnosed with a chronic medical condition. She was given medication to help control the symptoms, and, at first, it appeared the medication was working. In the long run, however, it became apparent that the medication isn't working as well as it should, despite some modifications along the way.
Last Wednesday, after a visit to a new doctor in NYC, a visit with her Mission President, and conversations with her local leaders and us, it was decided that the best course of action is for Morgan to come home so that she can focus on getting better. She will be better able to follow up with doctors, be in a familiar environment,  and be surrounded by family and friends. Mission life is making it harder for her to get better, and the condition is making it impossible for Morgan to be the missionary she wants to be. 
We are so proud of Morgan for having the faith to choose to serve the Lord on a mission, for valiantly trying  to remain in the mission field despite the difficulties and challenges she has been facing, and mostly, for her courage in accepting that the best course for her now is to come home.
Ideally, we will be  able to get the condition under control, she will have the option to return to the mission field. This is what she really wants to do. However, we know that nothing in life is certain.  No matter where this journey leads us, we know that it will be what the Lord has in mind for her. 
We are so grateful for all the family and friends that have supported Morgan on her mission so far through prayers, letter, and even just well wishes. We ask for your continued friendship, love, and understand as we start this journey.

*Coming home early from a mission presents some unique challenges. If you'd like more information on ERM (Early Return Missionaries), check out this article.

#aintnopartylikeabranchparty

Hey all! hope you're doing well! It's crazy that July and the transfer (!!!) are coming to an end. The fireflies have also come to an end- there's few, if any, that are out. :(

This week we had several really cool lessons! We also picked up 4 new investigators this week (crazy!) I don't recall if I mentioned last week or not, but a family in our ward has a niece staying with them for the month, and she came to church last week. She hasn't ever been in a LDS church before, but she really enjoyed it. We also taught YW last week so we were able to teach her there as well. She is a sweet young woman and she has so many good questions! She will hve to be baptized in her home ward, but we will send her back super prepared! We've taught her and the family several times this week, and it's been really good. the family is like our second family- we know where stuff is if we ever want food or a drink, and they take care of us. They are a great family. and I'm picking up spanish being at their house- they speak both interchangably. most of the neighbors only speak spanish and their door is open to pretty much anyone so someone will come in and there will be a rapid-fire conversation in spanish and then they will leave. it's funny.
On Tuesday, we had an appt with a headquarter referral. (HQ referrals are the ones we get from Salt Lake- they are people who have requested items or visits from Mormon.org) Wow. What an incredible lesson! We taught Daniel and his 2 roommates, and we brought Elder and Sister Shaw along with us. We were so glad we did, because there were tons of questions Daniel was asking that we wouldn't have really been able to answer- but Elder Shaw knows SO MUCH about the scriptures and they had a crazy conversation that almost went over my head- and it definitely blew my mind. It was also crazy the first time we met Daniel- because both Sister Shiman and I said after we left that he totally looks Mormon- a future Elder's quorum president or YM president or something. And in President Taggart's letter at the end of that week, he said that he feels we really need to focus on bringing priesthood holders, fathers and future fathers into the gospel. That is one thing this entire mission needs- but especially these little struggling branches and our district. Another crazy thing about Daniel- is that he reads SO MUCH of the Book of Mormon! When we first met with him he had read 50 pages... and he texted us today and said he was in Mosiah (about 150 pages in). He is definitely willing to do the work to learn, even if (for now) it's so he would be able to share the truth about mormons should anyone ask. he and his roommates are very awesome,  very spiritual people. That lesson was incredible, and I'm excited to visit with them all again later this week.
the other highlight of this week was the branch party! whoo! we did a pioneer day activity on Saturday, and it was a lot of fun! pancakes GALORE, food, bike rally, and some games. there was a 3 legged race and we had a stick pull it was funny and really awesome to watch everyone in the ward- from the junior primary kids to the branch president to some of the missionaries participating in the games. I had actually asked one of the members if they wanted me to take pictures with their camera, so I did. I played photographer... it was really fun! I got pictures of the Elders doing the three legged race- and Elder Taylor dragging his poor companion Elder Alforeza and when they both fell over. (pretty significant size difference- E. Alforeza fell and E. Taylor kept going until he fell too and they were both in the grass). And of the little kids trying to do it and falling, and it was pretty cool! and really funny. hahaha. it was awesome.
The stick pulls were even better! the Spanish elders actually ended up crashing the party too and they participated in the pulls as well. E. Alforeza was able to pull them both over. He's super strong! there is one family in the ward that has triplets (2 boys and a girl) and the little girl was going against her brothers and totally schooled him. it was too cute! the ultimate showdown was between the leaders- the Branch President and his (only) counselor went against each other, and President Bria totally won. then the Elders' Quorum President challenged him (and had never done a stick pull before) and beat President. Then Elder Taylor and the EQ pres. went against each other- and that was intense! The stick was definitely not straight- it was crazy how wavy it was. E. Taylor won out though! (he is built like a linebacker... he is a big guy!)

I think that pretty well sums up the events of this week! last week of the transfer, and who knows what's gonna happen! I hope Sis. Shiman and I get to stay together for another transfer, but it's not up to me, or even President Taggart. It is the will of Heavenly Father, and he puts me where He needs me.

Love you all!
Love Always,
Sister Richmond

Spiritual Connections!!

Hey all! I hope you are having a wonderful week!
This week has actually been really nice- a couple of times when we walked out our front door we were pleasantly surprised to find an absence of a wall of moisture- and a cooler temp of 75ish degrees! whoo! I can work with that! It will probably get hotter again though. At least we have 1 working air conditioner in our apartment, so we can keep our bedroom cool!

This week was really about striving to make spiritual connections- our focus for the month. That means that everyone we talk to, we strive to ask an inspired question or two to figure out what they want to be taught- and to teach about it. It has really helped in our contacting! We were able to talk to a few people this week, and have good conversations with them and set up times to visit with them again! (We pretty much tripled our teaching pool- we went from 2 people to about 6 people we are teaching!) It was really cool. One of them was a media referral (the people who put their info in online or call to get a Book of Mormon, a video, etc), One was a member referral (a niece of one of our members) One was a street contact that turned into a lesson, and one was a street contact that had been taught by missionaries in the past, and they were supposed to send missionaries to her in her new home- but never did. (Good thing Heavenly Father knew where she was, and guided us to her. She was just up the street from the media referral we got! Miracles!)

These spiritual connections are SUPER important- and they invite the spirit in to the conversation. We were able to learn a concern from many of the people we visited with, and we know better how the Gospel can help them! It is incredible.

One of the other fun adventures this week was exploring a little bit of our area- and we wound up driving around the METLIFE STADIUM. The stadium is in our area! along with all of the sports complex stuff next to it- the Izod center, the horse track... Crazy! There wasn't much else out there than those facilities- but we did see some construction so it's getting developed. The Meadowlands are HUGE and totally undeveloped. Really pretty!

Earlier today we got to go as a zone to the Great Falls in Paterson- a national park (what) and there's a lot of history there. Hamilton did a lot of work in and around that area (there's a huge statue of him there), and there were a lot of factories/mills nearby. It was really cool!

Sister Shiman and I also found this little boutique in Passaic that sells TONS of skirts(seriously. it was like wall to wall skirts, and they had several of the circle racks that were so packed you couldn't pull the skirts out. and a lot of the hangers had 2 or 3 skirts on them. it was crazy!)  its in the middle of a large Jewish community, and we were pretty excited to find it! The ladies working there were excited too- they kept throwing skirts at me while I was trying them on. It was pretty fun. (we were trying to find a thrift store, but that hasn't worked out... yet)

A little shorter email from me this week- but that is pretty much my week!

Love you lots!
Love always,
Sister Richmond

wirasldkjfh laksjdfh ldkjfhldsjfkasdfh {word vomit}

Hey all!
The title pretty much describes how I feel about this week! holy cow! it was NUTS, and we worked HARD.
We had some awesome moments amidst all the crazystressfulnutsinesaneness this week!
First off- we had no car for 2 days because it was in the shop! (soooooo much walking. also- the car was fine. just some visual damage from previous missionaries.) Monday morning we dropped it off, then went with the paterson sisters to do shopping and emailing and everything- and we got dropped off in lyndhurst after P-day was done for an appointment. On our way home (which took way too long- we left at 8 and got home a little before 9:30) we stopped to visit with this young woman sitting on the corner. We start talking to her a little bit and we said something that she really connected with, and we were able to comfort her and help her. It was an incredible contact- and a miracle as well, as she niether works nor lives in our area- she was visiting someone. It was amazing to talk to her and to know that Heavenly Father directed us to her.

Tuesday was Zone training! It was so cool to see the new monthly focus and what President Taggart wants us to work on and his vision to move this mission forward. We also did a "live" roleplay (first time I've done one of those in a training meeting) - the zone leaders sent everyone into downtown Paterson and had us contact using soul-searching/inspired questions. It was an adventure for sure! We had some crazy contacts and one really solid contact that was super awesome- and he was peruvian-italian. (SO COOL) and he, of course, wasn't in our area. (seems to happen to 90 percent of the people we find. but that's okay.)
After the training meeting we actually went on a baby exchange in the other sisters' area so I could help Sister Webb teach a deaf investigator... then he wasn't home. Sis. Shiman and Sis. Hindman taught a lesson though, when they went out contacting! (Sis. Webb and I were spazzing a little because we couldn't find them and they weren't answering their phone. I felt like I lost my kid in a store. holy cow. but everything's all okay now. we probably overreacted a little bit- but it's our COMPANIONs we can't just lose them! )

Wednesday we had our "meet the taggarts" meeting. it was really fun, and it was so awesome to get to hear from them and get to know their family. President and Sister Taggart have 6 kids, and their two youngest are here with them. They are all amazing and really funny and they are incredible. I'm so excited! :D
After the meeting we went on exchanges- so I was in Caldwell with Sister Shearer (super awesome and cute missionary)
However, Sister Shiman and Sister Dahl had an adventure- Heavenly Father guided them to a super prepared woman by doing something with the GPS. It did its wierd glitchy thingy and led them to where her car was parked. Heavenly Father truly works miracles! I got to meet her this week, and she truly is prepared! Another new investigator! Yes! (she understands spanish better though, so she will be taught by the spanish elders)

thursday was exchanging back (yay!) and part of weekly planning. (i don't know why i mention that every week. it takes up a significant portion of the week so I guess that's why. I like weekly planning, even though it takes 3+ hours) Friday we finished planning and had some visits and nothing too terribly exciting happened. (or i can't remember if it did...) Saturday we cleaned up our apartment in preparation for an open house on Sunday (the landlord is selling the house) then went out to lunch with our landlord, Pat. She is super cool- I love Pat soo much. She took us to Greek Town- where we had gyros. so good! then we went and helped out one of the branch members who is moving, and taught a young boy in our branch who has finished the Book of Mormon in the last 6 months by himself and is getting ready to be baptized... next year! he's only 7! he's super cool. his family is the best- the Valdez's. oh goodness. they make me laugh! it was around this time that the Branch president sent us a text asking if either one of us had ever spoken in Sacrament meeting. (best text ever) so we got to speak in Sacrament meeting yesterday! I enjoyed it. (news flash! Sister Richmond enjoys (or at least- doesn't detest) public speaking! and guess what- she's moved past the squeaking/crying anxiety-ness of public speaking too. it's awesome #neverthoughtthatwouldhappen) So that went really well on Sunday. I talked about Consecration. It was really cool to prepare for it- lots of different things came out for me. One of the verses I found was Doctrine and Covenants 88:67-68:

"And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."

Having our eye single to the Glory of God is being consecrated- turning over our time, energy, efforts, even our very will to Heavenly Father. That is what being consecrated is. How we get there- that's another adventure (: but that's where verses like Alma 17:2-3* come in- doing those things every day to help us come closer to Heavenly Father. Things like praying, reading, attending church, obedience... etc.

The thing I loved about these verses in Doctrine and covenants is the promises we receive when we are consecrated- there shall be no darkness in us, we will comprehend all things. We will see Him, at some future date when He wills it to happen. We will understand the mysteries of God. This light vs. dark symbolism could mean the Light of Christ, if you will- the Holy Spirit's influence. (Different than the Gift of the Holy Ghost. for details on that, I refer you to chapter 4 of your handy-dandy Preach my Gospel)

I love you, I love this Gospel, and I love my Savior.
I KNOW that this gospel is true. I know that through my Savior and Redeemer I can overcome all of the things- the pains, sicknesses, afflictions, sins...(Alma 7:11-13**) that have happened/are happening/will happen. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ- that same gospel He Himself taught when he lived on the earth two millenia ago- has been restored to the earth, and that it is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that prayer works.  I know that the priesthood is real.

I share my testimony with you as His missionary. and I close in His holy name- even Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love Always,
Sister Richmond

*you can press on the reference to go to that chapter in the Book of Mormon, or here is what it says:

 2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

 3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

**again, you can press the reference and it will take you to the scripture or here is the text:

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Storm adventures, the 4th and getting EATEN ALIVE!

Hey all! I hope you had a great week, and that you got to do something fun for the 4th! whoo!

This week has been a crazy one! Monday we went to Mix (froyo place that does wraps and salads too) with a member- that was super yummy! Then we went and visited less actives- we came to this apartment complex where 2 of the people on our list lived. We tried the first doorbell, nothing, then we went and visited the other. she was out on the porch chatting with her friend, so we got to talk to her a little bit and say hi. We were then heading back to our car, when Sis. Shiman tries the first door again, this time knocking super loud. and someone answered the door!! We were invited right in and we were able to talk with them and get to know them. They are incredible! We've visited with them a couple of times this week, and they have mentioned that they had been praying to get back on the path and then we knocked on their door. Those are seriously the best moments ever- that we are that messenger to answer prayers. #alwaysknock

Tuesday we had district meeting- AWESOME. and then we met with a less active that hasn't come to church in 10 years. We talked with her and got to know her, and understand why she hasn't been to church. She is still a firm believer, and we were able to commit her to come to church this past Sunday- and come she did! it was awesome! #thechurchistrue

Wednesday we did lots of service! it was super fun. we helped get groceries for an older sister in our branch who is going in for surgery today, and we helped another sister do some garden work- spreading mulch and weeding. Wednesday night was the fun one- there was a thunderstorm right over Rutherford. We got finished with dinner and we were heading to an appt, but niether one of us felt too good about being out in this storm where we can literally hear the crack of the lightning, and the thunder pretty much immediately follows. We head back to our apt and do some work on our area map and things, then we head out again when the storm had passed a little bit. Come to find out, there was a lightning strike right where we would have been driving- the street was being closed, and there was an electrical fire happening down the street. We were definitely grateful we turned around and went back in! We also lost power that night, right at the beginning of planning- so we got to do planning by flashlight, haha. and it was a little toasty in our apt, but not too bad. #planninglikepros

speaking of toasty- HOLY COW THE WEATHER IS SO HOOOOOOOOT. It's been in the 90's for a good part of the week, and then it stormed for 2 days... not sure which is better! I was super glad when it got down to 75 though, between the storms. that is perfect.  Humidity is another fun adventure, hahaha. It's always great walking out of the apartment and getting hit with this wall of moisture. whoo! #washingtonianinjersey #endoftangent

Thursday was another stormy day. and our walking day... hahahahahahaha. yes. we totally walked... then got stuck in Passaic under some scaffolding/overhang while there were two rivers on the cross streets and a lake on the main street. it was nuts- reminded me of the 2007 storm, and that has happened 2-3 times since i've been here. thankfully the member we were trying to visit picked us up and drove us home. While under that overhang, we - well, Sister Shiman - taught a lesson to the guy that was stuck with us. I had taken out my hearing aids and hid them deep in my bag so they wouldn't get wet. #hearingaidproblems

Friday we visited with a few people, and then most of our zone met up and went to see fireworks in Clifton. It was pretty fun- the fireworks were great!  Saturday we had a meeting and tried to visit some people, did some contacting, and we end up contacting this super solid guy! We had a good conversation with him, and he invited us for Sunday dinner. Something came up for him so we couldn't make the appt, but we hope to continue working with him!  #contactingmiracles

Sunday was incredible! We had an AMAZING fast and testimony meeting. the spirit was incredible and there were a lot of people who shared their testimonies- most of the missionaries and a good portion of the branch shared as well. It was incredible to feel the spirit in that little branch that day. Sister Shiman and I also got to teach Young Women! it was a really good lesson- the spirit definitely guided and made it powerful. I hope that those young women were able to get something from it. There was a baptism after church for a little girl, 8 years old! She was so cute, and it was great to see the turn out. (I also sang in the musical number whaaaaaaaaat) After church we went and visted the family we had tried to see on thursday, and I cooked dinner for them! The first time i met them, we were at their home for a BBQ and asked us to bring cake, so I made Aunt Thelma's cake. They liked it, and their son, who has been going through some tough medical stuff, really liked it and said it was his. They figured out I cooked so they said I could come over and cook for them whenever I want, hahaha. Last night I made slomgoliam for them, and they enjoyed it as well! We finished out the night by visiting our awesome family from earlier in the week, and arranging for the priesthood to give the mom a blessing. I am so grateful for the priesthood! I am also grateful I serve around incredible men who honor their priesthood and are always ready and prepared to minister.

I hope everyone has a good week!
Love always,
Sister Richmond

PS. oh man- I almost forgot the third part of my title- getting eaten alive. I am covered in bug bites! I got a TON towards the end of this week, and they are all over my foot and leg- right where my shoe and sock rub, of COURSE! (: I literally had to sit on my hands last night during planning so I wouldn't scratch. So. that is a fun adventure. one disadvantage of wearing skirts all the time... my legs are always exposed. it is cooler, I imagine, than wearing slacks all the time, so I won't complain too much. #missionaryproblems

PPS also- i don't know about the hashtags. I love coming up with them, so you get hashtags today haha. Ive had several zones where we describe our area/companionship/whatever with a hashtag... a couple we had in sparta were:
#spartaswag #contactingthedeer #watchforbears
and the main hashtag for Jersey City/Secaucus was #JCmentality. haha. we had a gang sign too. it was great.
Don't quite have one for Rutherford/Paterson yet. our signature on our phone is a hashtag, of course. #richMANshiMAN :D

there- random goofy mission things. We also went rain dancing this week. or maybe last week. I don't remember. (:
love yous!

she sent this pictures of her zone at the fireworks in a separate email - 

Sister Richmond is in Rutherford!

Hey all! Hope you had a great week!

This week has been crazy! lots of adventures to tell you about!!

Getting to transfer conference was an adventure, hahaha. Since Sister Taylor had to be at the mission home for a trainers' meeting (her trainee is darling) , I ended up being companions with my sister training leader, Sister Schwendiman. She's hilarious and a good friend, and we had some adventures getting to conference! We left from the mission home, went to her apartment to pack up all of her companion's stuff in the car, then we were going into Newark to meet a group of missionaries for lunch. However, on our way there I had realized I left my blazer in her apartment, so we turn around, and start hearing this really weird thumping sound... I kinda look in the mirror but can't really see anything except the tire seemed to be bulging a little bit. We make it back to our apartment, and check the tire. Come to find out, our tire was FLAT! (and I had noticed a hubcap in the street a little earlier, and we realized it was ours.) We change the tire like a BOSS and we get on the road again- and we stopped to pick up the hubcap. adventure 1 of the week!

Transfer conference was fun- I am now in Zone 1, so I was super shocked when my name was called really early in the conference! My companion is pretty much my twin- Sister Shiman. we are both into the same foods (which, honestly, is the only thing we care about being similar in, haha), we are both the first ones in our families to serve missions- first Shiman and first Richmond! We get along super well and it's gonna be AWESOME! Also- she's younger in the mission than I am! what! Other fun facts about transfers: my district leader actually stayed the same! he got moved into the same zone and even the same branch! also- I'm in a branch now! WHOO! and my area is definitely city! it's very diverse, and pretty similar to Secaucus. It's so crazy that it borders my first area! (it actually borders Sister Shiman's first area too. haha)

Wednesday was district meeting then a normal proselyting day, so that was fun to get to meet some of the people.  thursday was weekly planning, and walking day! got to explore Rutherford a little bit, and meet more people. Friday was SUPER busy, we contacted several people, finally got groceries (there's this place called Aldi and its literally my new favorite place ever. We went today and got a lot of food for super cheap. it's a missionary's BEST FRIEND.) and had coordination with the branch mission leader, who is super cool (and korean. whoo!) and there was a miracle that night as well- we were driving in Passaic and Sister Shiman practically yells- she says THAT'S EDWARD!!! Edward is a homeless guy that is super prepared, but they'd been looking for him for a while and we came across him! we definitely pulled over and talked to him!

AHH! I just realized I have just 8 minutes left. these silly computers only let us on for 45 minutes :( the library that lets us stay longer had no power today... merp

Saturday we did some contacting in Passaic- its a major hispanic area so that was fun. We found this awesome new investigator, hopefully we can see her this week! We had an awesome street lesson with her and she is super prepared! all of this area is super prepared- we are going to turn this branch into a WARD! WHOO!

I'm super stoked to be in Rutherford, and its a really pretty area. We actually saw some fireworks on Saturday night. (and I can't see NYC from here... :( ) little too far inland I think.

other random things that have happened this week:
my companion got licked by a little girl (haha)
I drove a subaru. those are nice cars- i like it a lot! reminds me of the malibu!
We have a marinia - haven't visited it yet though.
my comp plays flute like a pro
my comp is not from utah! she's from California

New address: 40 Jackson Ave #2, Rutherford, NJ 07070 (coolest zip ever)

I love you all, and i'm sorry I can't write more!

Mackenzie Joy- I love you and I am so excited for your baptism this week! I hope it is a GREAT day, and I know it will be!

Love always,
Sister Richmond

TRANSFER WEEK!

Hey all! Hope everyone had a great week! School's out, summer's here- hope you're having a blast!

I'll just jump straight into the big news...

SO- Thursday night we get a call from President Jeppson, and Sister Taylor is TRAINING! WHOO! 

Which means... I'm leaving Sparta! NOOO! Transfer conference is tomorrow, so I will figure out then where I'm going! It's pretty crazy- If i were to describe my mission thus far in numbers, it would be this (as of this week):

6 months, 5 transfers, 4 companions, 3 areas, 2 mission presidents, and 1 baptism!

THAT IS SERIOUSLY CRAZY. I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED!! AHHHHH!

As for the first half/rest  of the week- I almost don't really remember. haha. We had a good district meeting, (we talked about planning, and it really helped me out a lot!) and some good lessons and contacting. Thursday we did lots of planning and transfer cleaning, and found out Sis Taylor is training, so friday we were in Morristown for the meeting for trainers and I went with the spanish sisters for the morning- that was fun! Friday afternoon we did some visits, and visited Donna- she was super bummed I'm leaving and I'm super bummed to be leaving her! 

I don't even really know what to share! holy cow! the most exciting news of the week is transfers... and that takes like 3 seconds to explain haha. so- this will be a short email. and i forgot my camera so no pics either. next week will be a good one though- stories about my new area!!!

Love always,

Sister Richmond

*I will update Morgan's mailing address as soon as I get it. Until then, I would hold off on sending any "snail mail" to her - getting it forwarded can take quite a bit of time.

MIRACLE WEEK: BAPTISM!

Hello all! Happy father's day! 

So- What a WEEK! HOLY COW! We've been busy!

(this whole email will probably be about the baptism, because that's pretty much what we did. all week. so. you've been warned! :D) 

So- last friday, we started meeting with Donna, an absolutely amazing woman who has been investigating for some time. She had actually been to church twice already, with her son, Billy, who is a member. While we met with her, they mentioned that they wanted to have the baptism before Victor left for his mission (Billy's best friend and one who is close to Donna.) Victor... left today! So we definitely had some work to do! We went over the general things that needed to be done- Word of Wisdom, that kind of thing- and she agreed to stop ALL OF IT. COLD TURKEY. She is one determined woman!! That's for sure!

We met with her almost every night this week, trying to get her prepared and make sure she is actually ready. Ran into some stumbling blocks, but it all turned out- we found out officially on Friday morning a little before 9 AM that the baptism was approved and we could move forward, and we had the baptism on Saturday night! BWAH! We somehow managed to pull together an interview, cleaning and filling the font, getting people invited, a program set and made, and preparing for talks, filling o​ut paperwork, making sure we had suits... I know there is stuff we're forgetting! 

(Cleaning and filling the font was an interesting task. there were a couple of big nasty spiders and some other creepy crawlies in there. and Sister Taylor refused... so I got to do it. that font is clean! I scrubbed it! in a SKIRT! haha. and filling it is another story- to do it right it takes like 2 hours and we got there late so we had an hour and a half... we were boiling water and trying to figure out what to do, but the elders and Bishop showed up and they figured it out.) 

Anyway. shall we skip to the pictures? haha I don't even know what to write anymore. my brain is so jumbled from all the craziness and a super busy P-day. 

Left to right: Billy, Victor, Donna, and Sisters Richmond and Taylor

Donna has some back issues, so Billy and Victor were both in the font to help baptize her. Billy, her 18 year old son, actually performed the ordinance. it was incredible!

Donna and her "girls!"

I'm so sorry the email is short and jumbled- we are limited on time because we have an appt to get to for Sister taylor to get her hair done... 

speaking of which- notice anything different about my hair? (: we both dyed our hair this week. I dyed it darker on Tuesday.. that was an adventure for SURE! HOLY COW! I know you can't see my hair too well here- and it's not that much different. BUT I LOVE IT! Sister Taylor can't get over it!

Hope you all have a great week! love you all!!

Love Always, 

Sister Richmond

Manhattan and RAIN!!

Hello all! hope the coming summer is treating you well, and that your week has been good!

This week was pretty good! We went to the temple on Tuesday, and it was incredible! However- I was definitely glad to be back in Jersey. 

We had to meet in Newark (also- jersey people pronounce newark like nerk. 1 syllable. fun fact for you.) and from there we walked to the train. Definitely interesting walking through Newark! Sisters don't get that opportunity often, haha. 

We get on the train to New York, and we walk from the train to the temple. (It seemed so long- I found out after that it was from 33rd street to 65th. holy cow.) I will have to include some pictures of the sights we saw on the way! We get to the temple and it was a really good session. I really enjoyed getting to be there and to be in that spirit of the temple. 

Walking back was interesting- we had to wait a while for a couple people, and we ended up taking the subway to the train to get back to Jersey. We also got some street food- I ate a lamb gyro. It was pretty good! whoo! first time for everything.

One of the most incredible sights was getting to walk right past the World Trade Center- the Freedom Tower.  we got off the subway right next to the WTC and got on the PATH from there. Seeing it from a distance is one thing, but being right next to it was CRAZY! I did get a picture of it i think! It's sideways. sorry. (I fixed it before posting - Kristi)  BUT WHOA THAT TURNED OUT COOL!

This was literally in the middle of the street. this guy was sitting on a chair on a tight rope probably like 50 feet up answering questions. 

Me and my comp Sister Taylor at the temple!

random burst of pics. there ya go!

Anyway. The temple was awesome. we got back into Newark right around 5:30 or 6 i think, and we were like 1.5 blocks away from the chapel where we parked when BAM RAINNNNNN! I was literally soaked through to the skin- I had to change everything when we finally got home! My hair was a hot mess, we were soaked, but it was kind of fun to be in the rain. It was Sister Taylor's driving day so I had to back her out (white handbook for life), and one of the elders was like SISTER RICHMOND Get in the car! I'll back you up! so I did and then, of course, we remembered we had hid the GPS in the trunk (newark man) and so I had to jump back out and get it. I WAS SO STINKIN' WET IT WAS NUTS. so that was a fun day.

The next most exciting thing of the week was meeting with a sister that has come to church these last couple weeks with her son (who is a member) and she is bound and determined to get baptized! ON SATURDAY! she's been to church 3 times, has a testimony- we just have to teach all of the lessons again and make sure she is still solid! It's been a crazy couple of days and it will be a CRAZY week as we scramble to teach everything and put a baptismal service together. but that's okay because I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She is absolutely incredible! We had an amazing lesson last night- the spirit was present and very powerful and we (the investigator and I) were able to connect really really well because we've been through similar situations in our lives. I know that trials are sure hard sometimes, but she is one of the reasons I needed to go through that trial in my life. It was an amazing lesson as we taught with her son and her son's best friend (who is the one that really helped her to get to this point and leaves to return to his mission on the 16- hence the rush baptism) and we all were able to feel the spirit as it testified through all of the words that were shared that night.

I think that about sums it up for the week, other than the standard contacting/tracting/being a missionary. (and being exhausted. holy cow. I felt so bad- I totally nodded off during a lesson on Saturday! and she totally called me out on it... haha. she told me to get some sleep. I will have to get a picture with Jane- she is an adorable old lady that is pretty blunt and she is so happy and she loves the gospel. there you go- embarrassing Sister Richmond story of the week. story of my life)

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LOVE YOU ALL! have a great week and enjoy the sun & warmth! (or, warm rain. ha)

Love always,

Sister Richmond

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a great week!

This week was a pretty good one. Lots of walking and contacting and just plain trying to find people to teach! We weren't able to see any of our investigators this week, really, so it was definitely different. 

We went to the enrichment activity on Tuesday night (probably the first one in my life, maybe the second, haha) and it was a lot of fun. They talked about gardening and different aspects and applications to it, and it was really cool! definitely got me pumped to start a garden, but we a)have no land to make one and b) have no time, money, or other resources to really maintain it... haha. Anyway. Gardens are cool- plant one!

Wednesday morning was an interesting one- we get a phone call in the middle of our studies from one of the people we've been working with to get back to church, and she is just distraught. She was at her cousin's house nearby and so we went and visited with her. She just had no idea what to do with the situation that had come up and just called us up. We just listen and got the Relief Society President over there and we were able to come up with a sort of game plan for her. The next day, we ran into her again and she was doing SOOOO much better- we had been talking with the Relief Society President and we all agreed this was going to be a big blessing for her and her family. She was determined to come to church on Sunday, and to start coming back. She realized that there were so many blessings in her life that she was missing out on because she wasn't attending church. We saw her at church yesterday with her husband and daughter and it was sooo great to see them there! I love them so much. 

Wednesday during the day we did some visits, and heart-attacked the bishop's office for his birthday. It turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. That night we were out trying to get our last few contacts in- our mission president has set the standard of 10 contacts every day and Sister Taylor and I have really made that a focus for our work in Sparta- making sure we get those 10 contacts and be obedient to those expectations that we have. Well, we still had 4 or 5 to get for the day... and it was 8:40 at night. We were walking around our block just hoping and praying for people to talk to. We see one or two and contact them, but it's generally pretty empty... agh! We turn the corner and start walking up the hill, and we see this guy riding a skateboard down the street. We offer a card as he passes by and he stops and takes it and is like wait- Mormons! I want to learn about your religion! Turns out, he had taken a Book of Mormon from a hotel (Thank you Marriott!) and was really interested in learning more about it, but didn't really know where to go. He was super excited to have run into us and we were excited to run into him. We haven't met him again just yet, but I know we will! 

We finished walking around the block, and we were almost home and it was probably 8:55 and we just needed 2 more contacts. We are getting closer to our block and we turn again and we see two guys walking down the street. Heavenly Father definitely provided for us, in allowing our paths to be guided and guiding the paths of others so that we may be able to contact those that we need to! We contact them, and pretty much start running home. We speed-walked down the block and then ran around to the back of our apt and we were able to make it in in time. MIRACLES! WHOO!

Thursday was a good day, we visited with the person that we are doing the 90 day challenge with, and talked about the Tree of Life- it was a fun lesson. we drew it out on the whiteboard and just talked about it and helped her (and us) to understand it better. She was ahead of the game, and we are miserably behind- we have some catching up to do. We have been reading it as a companionship and it's been really fun. We also got a chance to meet the new neighbor that will be moving in across from us in our building, so that was cool too! 

Thursday during the day was more contacting and we had a rather interesting porch lesson with a new investigator- one that we had met last week and made an appt to see this week. He accepted a Book of Mormon and we talked about it and about some of the things he was concerned about. he told us to come back in like 3 months, when he'd had a chance to read. That's a new one. but okay. We'll stop by in 3 months then! haha

That night we were walking around and trying to contact some referrals, and we ran into the person that gave us the referrals outside of the house. Our landlords had given us the names of some of their other tenants that perhaps might be interested, so we were trying to contact them. Bro. Boyle was outside the apartment, and we were able to talk to him, get introduced to the people we were trying to contact, and in general get to know him better. We also helped him and his brother carry doors into the apartments- they're fixing them up and remodeling them so they can rent them out. That was pretty fun too. We did a lot of random service this week, and every time people were like noo! you're in skirts! You're all dressed up! Sister Taylor and I were like- we can do pretty much anything in a skirt- we wear these all day every day! (I practically would rather wear a skirt at this point to do anything besides working out. Random tangent) 

Friday we were trying to find some less-actives, people on the ward list that we had no idea who they are, what their story was, or whether, honestly, they even lived in the area anymore. We were headed back towards Newton after driving out a little ways, and we were going to try someone but took a wrong turn or turned into random street to turn around- and I'm like WAIT! I recognized the name of the street, and one of the people we are looking for lives on this street! Hadn't ever been there before, but we randomly found it. (well, not random, as we can see from the story that will follow, but you know what I mean) We find the home of the person we were looking for and we knock and a woman opens the door and just says oh! I haven't met these sisters yet! She had been in touch with the sisters recently but since we are both so new she hadn't had a chance to meet us yet. She is the sweetest lady- she has 6 kids, 3 of them under the age of 3- twin boys and another boy. (a yours/mine/ours kinda thing) and we were visiting with her and talking and one of the twins bangs his head super hard on a table- he bursts into tears and we think he's generally okay, but everyone still kind of leans over to check on him and his mom heads over to pick him up- and his head is gushing. he had a pretty nasty gash on his head that definitely needed stitches. She picks him up and runs to the closet to grab something to put on his head. I kinda follow her, and I end up holding the blanket to his head while the mom holds him and tries to figure out what to do- she didn't have a car, so she had her friend call an ambulance. Meanwhile, the boy is just screaming bloody murder and thrashing all over the place- I'm wrestling with his head, trying to keep the blanket on it as much as I can (first aid skills, whoo!) and his mom is trying to hang onto him. we're all trying to calm him down, and his big brother had found a balloon and blew it up and that calmed him down a lot, as well as just being able to see his big brother.  A cop shows up to get some info and let us know that an ambulance is coming. (and he gives me some gloves, haha) The ambulance finally shows up and we walk the kid out to the ambulance, I'm still holding onto his head and she's carrying him. It had stopped bleeding excessively I think by that time, what with all the pressure I was trying to keep on it. It was a really crazy little bit of time and when the ambulance was gone it was just kind of like... well. ok. what do we do now? I go inside to get cleaned up, and the friends that were going to stay with the kids offered us some water so we talk with them a little bit, and talked to the oldest boy a little bit, then headed out. Another one of those being in the right place in the right time. wow. 

Saturday morning we have correlation meeting/breakfast with the ward mission leader at 7 am (whoo!) and then we stuck around to play sports with the elders and the other guys that come to play basketball or whatever on saturday mornings. It was a TON of fun- Sister Taylor and I were on opposite teams since, well, we're the only ones that can guard each other, and it was a ton of fun to be able to play and to just run around and be really active (and competitive... hehe) We played basketball first (I got one good block in and a couple of those rebounds where I was just taller than everyone and grabbed it and put it back up. it was great. Elder Thresher is over 6 ft, and I think one of the other guys, Billy, is maybe my height but the other three people were all short), then went out in the parking lot to play soccer for a little bit. Sister Taylor's life passion is soccer, so she was super excited. That was a blast, and we got to talk to Billy and his buddy about missions and just life in general- Billy wants to go once he graduates next year and his friend is getting ready to return to his mission. It's awesome!

Saturday afternoon we visited a former investigator that lives in Blairstown- we made a trip of it and stayed out in blairstown most of the day. (it's 30 minutes away from our apt) and that was a really interesting experience. She told us all about her conversion to christ- from being raised jewish, to being atheist, then discovering a love of country and would quote the declaration of independence, but then realized that if she was going to quote about inalienable rights endowed by a creator, she had better well believe in a creator or stop quoting it (logical. i loved it) and so she made that choice to believe in God, and eventually to believe in Christ as well, but that is something that was hard for her to accept, having been raised jewish. She is now a messianic jew, who believes in Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew) and she is incredible. She wasn't ready for the Book of Mormon and what we had to share, but we were able to let her know that our purpose is to bring others closer to Jesus Christ. She was able to find her own path closer to Christ, and (as far as her situation/preparedness/interest level went) we were satisfied with that- that she had that belief in Christ. It was an incredible lesson.

Sunday was really good (holy cow this email is long. yay you!) and one of the most memorable testimonies was a young boy (10 or so) that just bore really profound testimony. I wish I could remember what he said- something about how Sundays are for us to worship and thank God, and it was just really simple, really profound words from a boy.

This week is already a little crazy! We have a shortened P-day today because of our temple trip tomorrow, and so our zone meeting is on Thursday and walking day is Wednesday. Everything is switched around, haha. It will be a fun week, I'm looking forward to it. I mean- I GET TO GO TO NEW YORK TOMORROW! whaaaat! haha. I'm super excited. 

I hope everyone has a fantastic week.

Rabbit, Happy June, and 

Love always,

Sister Richmond