Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Happy New Year!

" The most difficult thing- but an essential one- is to love life, to love it even while one suffers, because life is all, life is God, and to love life means to love God."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Yay! I cannot believe that it is 2011. I do not have the slightest clue where the year went. Crazy! I am excited for what this new year has to bring.

Julia was baptized on Sunday. It went perfect. The ward really stepped up and did their part making it less stressful on me. I sent some pictures yesterday. It was a really good day. FINALLY---JULIA GOT BAPTIZED! :)

My new companion is Hermana Ruplinger and she is from Orem Utah. It has been an adventure that's for sure. On Wednesday morning President Saylin had a meeting with all the trainers. I almost cried through the entire thing(almost) because 1-I really missed my trainer, Hermana Hammar. It made me realize how much she did for me and how much I love her. 2-I was scared out of my mind! HAHA!! Training is hard! I have to basically be perfect all the time. I have to speak Spanish all the time(I should be doing that anyway) and the whole salvation of your area is on your shoulders because your comp is new and doesn't know anything yet(Breath). HAHA!! I am doing ok. HAHA!!! Most of the time I find it kind of comical(kind of). BUT she is really nice! She was born in Germany and speaks fluent German. So she doesn't know really any Spanish. I have really had to teach almost everything. Its a little weird.

On Friday night we had to be in early because of New Years. Well, about 2:30 am my companion starts throwing up. She got some weird bug and didn't stop till about 3pm that next day. We had to spend the entire day inside cause she felt like she was going to die. Poor girl. I felt SO bad! Welcome to Texas!.....sick for 3 days straight.She tries really hard to speak Spanish and really loves being a missionary. I am just trying to better help her be involved in the lessons. She cannot understand much of what is going on and can bear a simple testimony. Lets just say that I have spent a lot of time on my knees. :)

We are emailing on Tuesday because the library was closed yesterday. Then this morning we went on a 4 hour road trip to the doctor. The mission doctor is that far away and in the middle of nowhere! At one point I was going 10 miles an hour following a tractor(I think that's what it was). HAHA!!! We went to try and figure out my migraines. He was nice and had awesome suggestions.

I am doing good. I feel like I don't have a minute to myself but I am over it. I figure that the Lord will help me continue to press on and He will give me the strength that I need. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and this opportunity I have to grow and learn. I love the quote at the beginning of my email. Hermana Ruplinger's mom gave it to her. If I love the Lord then I will be willing to do anything for Him even if it hurts sometimes. :)

I love you!
Hermana Richards

Monday, January 3, 2011

Christmas Awesomeness!!

First off, it was so great to talk to all of you on Christmas! I loved hearing your voices and laughing with you(even though I was literally sitting in a closet, HAHA!). My Christmas was SO amazing!

Wednesday-Dulce got her hair and make-up done by a cosmetologist in the ward. She said she had never got her hair done before and felt so special. She had gone out and bought a beautiful pink dress to wear and her two little girls looked so cute! Jorge had a full suit with matching tie and everything. We got to the church and I did a photo shot for them by the trees outside the church. We then went in and the Bishop married them. It was a little weird cause Dulce had asked me to be a witness which means they had to announce my first name in front of basically the whole ward. Right after the wedding Dulce went and changed into her white dress. We took a few more pics and then she got baptized. It was SO amazing! I was waiting by the side of the font to give her a towel when she got out and then went to the bathroom to help her. I cried while she got baptized. We then walk into the bathroom and she just stands there and puts her hands to her face and starts bawling. I gave her a huge hug(yes I got soaking wet) and she just kept telling us thank you. I was probably one of the most incredible moments of my mission. There in the bathroom, her dripping wet, crying. I LOVE her!! She is not just an investigator(well recent convert now), she is my friend. I love her so much! I got her a framed picture of the Houston temple so she can always remember her goal. The next time we came to her house she had it hung up right next to the Family Proclamation. HAHa....I really dont know if I could be more obsessed with her or her little girls. Dulce said that Lupita(the 4 year old) always asks when Hermana Richard(no s) is coming by. Dulce said once I go home she will probably ship Lupita to me in a box cause she always wants to be with me. I would be ok with that! LOL!! Lupita came running up to me after Primary on Sunday and dropped all her candy on the way. SO CUTE! I really want you all to meet them.

Chirstmas eve and day went perfect! We Ended up having over 100 presents to give out to the little kids(I sent pictures). Hermana Stevens and I were wrapping for SO long. But I wish you could have seen the face of those little kids when we ave the presents out! I was probably the best Christmas I have ever had! The funnest was when we would leave the presents on the doorstep and then knock and run. Some of the ward members suspect it was us because I made sugar cookies as well and no Hispanic would do that they said, only a gringa. LOL! I loved it!

I received a phone call from my mission President Sunday night and he asked me to train a new missionary. I reluctantly accepted the assignment. He said he has felt for a long time that I needed to train this Hermana. There are just SO many more Hermanas that are just as old as I am and probably have much better Spanish than me. I hung up the phone and cried. Super stressful!! I told him at the beginning of my mission that I never wanted to train and he knew that. I just didn't want the stress and I didn't want to mess it up. Luckily, I had an amazing trainer and I really want to be a friend to her like Hermana Hammar was with me. The first few transfers of the mission are super hard and she will probably be homesick. I pray that I can help her love the mission and I hope I can be a really good friend to her. Please pray for me!

Julia is all ready and set for her baptism on Sunday! We had a lesson with her last night and she is so ready. She just kept talking about how she feels a such peace with her decision. Her cute little 8 year old boy Kevin(baptized just a few months ago) is going to say a prayer and I have a group of kids in the ward that are going to do a cute musical number. I am really excited for her! Pray that all goes as planned.

OK---so we recieved this awesome training last week about mormon.org....you HAVE to go on there. They have redone everything and it will help so much in spreading the gospel. There are these "I am a Mormon" movies that are amazing. My favorite one is Paris. You will have to go on and watch it! Also....go on and make a profile. We are trained now to have every member go on and make a profile. You will need your membership record and confirmation date. DO IT! Also, put it on your facebook or share the link with friends. I sound so much like a missionary right now. LOL!! It is just an easy way to share the gospel without feeling awkward.

I am so thankful for each of you!!! All the kids presents you sent. I cant tell you how much it helped these people and how much they appriciated it. You are amazing! I love you so much!!! Have a fabulous week!

Hermana Ricarda!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

There is a reason I put that as my email subject. Not necessarily because I wish I was home for Christmas. I was reading a talk by President Eyring this week entitled "Home for Christmas". He talks about our longing for our eternal home. If we during this season feel the need and longing for home, how much does our Heavenly Father want us to come home to Him one day. One of my favorite quotes from the talk is:
"There have been times, often at Christmas, when we have felt parts of what we will experience when we at last come home to the father who loves us and answers our prayers and to the Savior who has lightened our lives and lifted us up I testify that because of Him, you may have an assurance that you can go home not only at Christmastime but also to live forever with a family whom you love and who love each other."
I love Christmas. I think I have been very blessed this season with not really any homesickness. I think that the people I am serving here have filled that void for me. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for how much He has blessed me recently. What a wonderful time to be a missionary! Hermana Stevens and I this morning were preparing our Christmas message that we will be sharing Christmas Eve and Christmas. I, of course, had to have a theme and visual aid. We are using the star and how the Wise Men used the star to find Christ. And when they found Him they bowed down and worshiped Him. Oh how great it would be if we could find our Savior this year but, in our hearts. Let us use the star that is placed in our time so that we may find the Savior. The star could be many things....the scriptures, prayer, the prophet. But lets go out, like the wise men and look for Him, and when we find Him let us bow down and worship Him.

Guess what???!! Dulce and Jorge are getting married on wednesday and right after Dulce is getting baptized!! I for these last 2 weeks have been working my butt off. Calling the court house, Mexican consulate, getting plans ready, PLANNING A WEDDING, and baptism..etc....Dont worry-I have a cosmotoligist in the ward doing her hair, the Relief Society is doing a few gorge decorations and refreshments. I am SO excited! Who knew I would be planning a wedding on my mission. Dulce is so amazing! I also have a framed picture of the Houston Temple to give to them as a wedding gift so they can focus on their goal of gettting sealed as a family. I am really trying to make Wednesday a special day for them. I will take pictures adn get them to you next week. Pray that everything comes together!

Julia is either getting baptized this Sunday or next. I hope this Sunday because I want to be in this area for her baptism. We are meeting with her this afternoon to decide on a date.

I totally am sick! I have a nasty cough. I hope that I have a voice to talk to ya'll on saturday. I lost my voice Friday and Saturday last weekend. Dont worry mom, I am taking plenty of meds adn drinking OJ like it is going out of style. LOL!

We have Christmas Zone conference on Thursday. I am excited! We then have plans to go by Christmas Eve and Christmas day to members, investigators, everyone and bring sugar cookies and share our Christmas message. "Its the most wonderful time of the year!"

Well, I gotta run cause we have a short p-day today. Not much time. I love you and am SOSOSO excited to talk to you on Saturday!
Sarah

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Wise Men Shall Seek Him

"When we find Him, will we be prepared as were the wise men of old, to provide gifts from our many treasures? They presented gold, frakincense, and myrrh. However these are not the gifts Jesus asks of us. From the treasure of our hearts Jesus asks that we give of ourselves. 'behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.'"
-President Monson

I seriously LOVE Christmas! I love sharing messages about the birth of our Savior and of this season. This time of year can be some much more enjoyable if we would forget ourselves and help others. It is then that we are really happy. And we can say that when He shall appear that "we shall be like Him". (Moroni 7:48)

Ok...first off. I for some reason feel sick so it is hard to type. Sorry if this email is short.

Hermana Stevens hurt her foot last p-day so it was a rough week. She couldn't walk for too long. Which totally hinders missionary work. Hopefully this week we will be back to normal.

Dulce and Jorge are going to the Mexican consulate on Wed. with the Bishop to get her ID so they can get a marriage licence to get married. She will be baptized as soon as that all comes through. It is SO tough to get non-citizens married. We are hoping that either this Sunday or Christmas she will be baptized.

Julia officially has a date for Jan. 2nd but is praying to see if she should get baptized the 26th. She even already asked Hermano Osorto to baptize her. I am super excited!

I saw Jhon Wilches....my favorite convert on Sunday. He may or may not have run after me in the church to see me. HAHA! He is awesome.

I am excited to talk to you all next week! I included the phone number on an email so you can call me. Calls are in the afternoon this time at 4pm(my time). I am SO excited to talk to you!!!

Have a wonderful week!!!!
Hermana Richards

There Can Be Miracles

I want to recount to you my day yesterday but to fully understand I need to start back almost a year ago.

While in my first area I received this really cute skirt from someone. I immediately fell in love with it but it didn't fit me. But in that moment I thought to myself, "who knows maybe I will lose weight on my mission." Ever since then every time I was transferred and packing my bags I saw the skirt and thought to myself "Why am I keeping it?? It is just more stuff to cart around." But something inside of me said "just keep it".

Yesterday was a crazy day. We had to get everyone to church in order for them to be baptized on the 19th(weekend in white-mission goal). We had a ton of people scheduled to come and I felt like I hadn't tried harder to get people to church. A few of our investigators showed up but Jenny and Juan-an amazing family that we are working with were not there. It wasn't 12 hours that we had left their house from an amazing lesson with the Bishop where they said they were for sure coming. As the sacrament started, I cried. I think it was more of the stress and pressure but I was SO sad that they didn't come.

Right after church and meetings we went to their house to see what happened. Jenny then proceeds to tell me that she felt embarrassed because she didn't have the money to buy a skirt. She said if she was going to church she wanted to give a good first impression to the people. The Christmas Devotional was that night and Jenny expressed her want to listen to the prophet but needed a skirt. It was Sunday, I couldn't go buy her one. But my thoughts immediately went to the skirt packed tightly away in my suitcase where it was been for a year. We ran back to the apartment to grab it and then I prayed the entire way to her house that it would fit. I thought it would be too small. She put the skirt on and it looked like it was made for her!!!! It was so amazing to see the smile on her face. She looked beautiful. It was a small miracle for me yesterday. They came to the devotional and the baptism of another family right before. The spirit was so strong. I leaned over to Juan and said that one day he will be the one baptizing his little son Steven. He then smiled back and said "It would be an honor for me." The night before I asked Juan how he felt when we were in his home. He then said that he felt protected and safe. Like there are angels in my sight." This is the same Juan that had never prayed and didn't even know what faith was when we first visited him.

Another family we are working with(Dulce and Jorge) I hadn't been able to get a hold of at all yesterday. But finally she called us at 5:45 and said she wanted to go to the devotional but didn't have a ride. I then proceeded to call EVERY Hermana in my phone to see if they could give her a ride. I finally called Hermana Nolasco and she told me that she wants to but because of economic troubles they cannot afford the gas to go to the church again. She said she wouldn't have the gas money to get to work the next day. I then told her that no one else could do it. She agreed that she would do it even though she didn't have a clue how she was going to get to work. She came to the devotional with Dulce and her girls and as they were leaving I handed her $10 but she refused to take it from me. REFUSED! I had tears in my eyes as she said, " I know that the Lord will provide a way." This Hermana has been a member less than a year. When was the last time I had that much faith? I pray that the Lord pours blessing upon blessing to her family.

A scripture comes to my mind. "Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Matt 16:25. I have found more of myself here in this work then doing anything else. As I have stressed and cried and suffered, but I have found the real Sarah Richards. The Lord breaks us down into little pieces only to build us up stronger and more whole(maygen 2007). I know that the Lord can do more with us than we can do for ourselves. Miracles can happen. I saw it manifested yesterday as I saw Jenny in that skirt and as I looked into Hermana Nolasco's eyes. Any sacrifice I have ever made, any trial, every tear---HAS BEEN WORTH IT! I found myself Saturday in a lesson saying to myself that I would sacrifice ANYTHING for the Lord and the gospel. It is THAT worth it. And great has been my joy to see that same love and peace in the eyes and faces of my investigators and the many members who sacrifice everything. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know He is the Son of God. He is my Savior and my Redeemer. He lives! Shout it from the rooftops....He lives.

I love you!
Hermana Richards