A screwdriver and a bunkbed.


This week has two themes. Service and fasting. I did a ton of service
this week. As part of the new pilot, Just Serve, missionaries are
placing an emphasis on service during daytime hours that would
normally be down lesson times. We are now volunteering at the food
bank on a weekly basis. We also put all my tools to good use when we
were setting up bunk bed for a recent convert. It has been incredible
the support that the ward has lent. All of a sudden she has a washer
and dryer and some spiffy new bunk beds.
I was also up in Watsonville this week when Elder Miller had to be up
at a meeting in San Jose. It was cool because I got to be with Elder
Howard, who was in my MTC district, and another Elder for most of the
day. We helped people move, and at another food bank. We got a call
from a sister in the ward and she got in a car wreck and she wanted a
blessing. We gave her a blessing and I didn't think much of it until
Sunday. Turns out it was our investigator's wife's mother. We gave her
a blessing as well after our lesson with them.

Another cool thing this week was fasting. We were short of our goal on
Sunday and were down about 5 lessons. Turns out we taught 6 with two
lessons with investigators that fell into our laps. I think the Lord
wanted us to sweat a little bit this week....

This is the last week of the transfer and probably the last week Elder
Miller and I are together, and we are going out with a bang. We are
going to try to teach 30 lessons! We haven't even come close to that
before, so we have some good plans for the week. I'll probably stay
here next transfer and Elder Miller will go somewhere for his final
two. It will be a little intimidating to take over the area, but it
will be ok since our teaching pool is so large. As long as I get
another companion that wants to work, then we'll be ok.

Thanks for all of the support
-Elder James Richards