A serviceable week.

This week was great. Our numbers are up, our investigators and less actives and recent converts continue to improve, and we continue to grow as missionaries.

One of the great things that came about this week was getting in to see a family that we haven't seen in a bit. Turns out they are still interested, they were just busy. Most of the time when people tell us they are busy, they usually aren't, they just don't want to see us anymore. Not the case with this family. We also helped them with their yard on Saturday morning. Service really has been a great way to get to know people better. Working with people really helps them know we actually do care for them. This week will be a big service week too.

This week we took full advantage of the ward mission process. We went on splits with the ward missionaries. Not many wards/areas can support splits with ward missionaries, but we were excited since this is the first time we've done it. It was also successful which is always good. Our ward has also concentrated on revamping home teaching. It will be a huge help, especially with our recent converts in giving them responsibilities and fellowship. This is an amazing ward and they really work to help us out. When the ward works with the missionaries, and vice-versa, big things get accomplished.

This coming week is week 11/12 for training. Elder Platt gets to take the lead in planning and teaching this week. It is going to be a good week. We have a lot of things planned already and lots of service. Elder Miller's outgoing fireside is also this sunday, and a helping hands project for us, while the recent converts go up to the temple on Saturday. I love having a temple so close here. It is funny to hear some members complain. It is about half the distance of our house to Orlando.

Have a good week.
-Elder James Richards

Work moves on.

This week was good. We were able to find a new guy to teach. He is 16 and goes to one of the local high school's here (there are 3 in our area). We found him while trying to get a hold of his brother, who is an investigator. We also continue to teach some great families, our boxer friend, and a few part-member families. All of the converts are doing well. Gina is having trouble with her kids at church. She is a single parent, still very new in the church, and has 3 high energy kids under the age of 6. The 5 year old and the 4 year old do not want to go to primary and she is starting to get a little frustrated. The primary presidency is going to visit her this week. Hopefully they will have some ideas.

We've started doing some new lessons for active members that involve teaching them how they can do missionary work. The first one talks about using church websites for missionary work. We show them how to use Mormon.org, make a profile, and then invite them to share it with 3 friends. It has been great to use that in addition to Justserve.org and Familysearch.org. Many people don't think of these different ways to share the gospel.

The area is coming along well. One thing that is really exciting is that we have reactivated 4 people since I've been here, in addition to the 4 baptisms. The ward is very strong and supportive. It is a great ward for missionary work.

Love you all, and appreciate all the mail.

-Elder James Richards

Drinking from a fire hose.

This was a great week. We had a good time at the temple. It was cool

to be able to go through the Oakland temple. It is an old school one

that was recently renovated. I was able to learn a lot this time, and

pick up on things that I had never even thought of before. It is

amazing how we can do that in the scriptures, the temple, patriarchal

blessings, and other things. You can read/go over and over again and

never know it all. I also noticed the clarity I have when I am in the

temple. I can sit and pray for a long time, and my mind doesn't wander

to other things. It is focused and razor sharp. The spirit brings an

incredible clarity. Only bummer is that I have to wait another 6

months before I can go inside again.

Other fun news about the temple, Our investigator's wife will be going

through the temple! This is another part member family, and she was

less-active for a while and has been active ever since I have been

here. It has been a long road back, and she is really excited to go.

We can go up to the temple with investigators, so we'll be able to be

up there with her husband, Jason, on the grounds and the visitors'

center. We are just glad we will be able to make it up there for it.

It's too bad we can't go in for it, but we can still be there. It has

been amazing to see these two grow. We started teaching them way back

in October. I am excited.

Frank continues to do well. He missed church, and he needed to go to

make his baptismal date of the 28th, but that was probably optimistic.

Frank will get baptized, it will just be a little later. He is a great

guy and has been reading the Book of Mormon consistently. I hope I can

be in the area when he gets baptized. If not, I'll just have to come

back for it.

I've been in Salinas now for exactly 6 months. I have about another

month at least. I'll probably be moved in early May when the next

transfer period is. Hopefully I stay though. I love Salinas, and the

Monterey stake is the best in the mission. Collectively, we have 19

baptisms this year and are leading the mission. It is the place to be.

Also, this ward is incredible. All the leaders do great work and help

us out a ton. It will be sad when I have to leave.

Sounds like Savior of the World production went well, that was probably a great

missionary opportunity. I've really been diving in to the New

Testament lately. Lots of great things that I'd never got before. I've

never read through the whole New Testament, so that is one of my

goals.

Glad to hear you are all doing well.

-Elder James Richards.

Keeping Busy.

This week was a great week.

This past Saturday the baptism went smoothly. Crystal was baptized by

her husband Ian. Ian's family are Utahans transplanted to Hong Kong,

and there were many people in town for the baptism. This was another

opportunity to help a family start on their way to being an eternal

family. They have two young sons. Ian fell away from the church in his

early college years, but felt a desire to return as his family started

to grow and they knew they were missing something. We were able to

teach them and they were golden from the start. Now the temple is in

their sights.

Speaking of the temple, this week is the week that CA-SJM missionaries

get to go up to the Oakland temple and do a session. Normally it is

the week before conference, but this past week was transfers, so we

are doing it this week. It will be a good experience to be able to go

up there and go inside and feel the spirit there. The grounds of the

Oakland temple are absolutely beautiful. We are also blessed to have a

temple so close here. The temple is about 2 hours away and we are the

stake that is the furthest south. We are also blessed to be able to

use the temple, even though it is out of the mission boundaries. If we

couldn't, it would really stink for all of the missionaries up north,

where the temple is literally 20 minutes away from them.

This week was a very good week. We continue to teach Frank the boxer.

We learned that his career was cut short when he got into a bad car

wreck, injuring his back. He has some bitterness and resentment

towards certain people, and he knows he has to change. He is a very

nice guy. His baptismal date is for the 28th of April and we are

moving for that date. We were also able to get in and teach a

less-active brother who hasn't been to church in a long time, and

hasn't met with missionaries in about 2 years.

We figure I have about 5 weeks left in Salinas. Transfers are the

second week of May. That will mark 7 and a half months in Salinas. I

would be fine with staying, but president probably won't keep me here.

Thanks for the package.

-Elder James Richards

A Boxer and a Baptism

This week was a good week. We found a new investigator from our

contacting efforts. His name is Frank. He is a 71 year old black guy

who is a former boxer. He is awesome. We invited him to be baptized on

the 28th of April and he accepted. He is a real character. He tells us

stories of the hood in Oakland and LA and how he fought people like

Ali and Fraser in the ring. He's been all over the world boxing. We

taught him about the gospel of Christ and taught him about increasing

his faith. We are going back to teach him on Wednesday and Sunday, and

he is coming to a session of conference as well. It is funny that you

wrote about the Ft Lauderdale ward last week, because Frank reminds me

of one of the converts that went up to the temple with us when I rode

the bus up with Dad. I can't remember his name though...

For this coming week, we are going to be busy. We have a baptism

between sessions of general conference. This is another part-member

family and the husband will be baptizing his wife. It is really cool

to be able to help these families on their way to being an eternal

family. We are very excited and have been teaching them since early

December, and they have been strong and faithful the whole time. They

will be a part of the "real growth" that general authorities have been

talking about.

Well this is the start of my last transfer in Salinas. Not quite ready

to leave yet, but it is a ways away. This will be a good transfer.

-Elder James Richards

A Big Week

So this week was a testament to goals. We set our monthly goals, and

the past two weeks have been hard, so we needed to put up some big

numbers in the last two weeks of March to make our goals. So we did.

It was great to see the Lord help us in our work as we worked as hard

as we could. Elder Platt is learning a lot and he started driving last

week. It is funny to watch his driving get a bit more aggressive as he

goes from small town driving.

It has been really interesting to teach one part member family that we

do. The husband is what some might classify as the  "eternal

investigator." If we were to look at him and try to teach all the

lessons in preach my gospel and get him to do the commitments that are

there, we would fail. We have really had to rely on inspiration and

teach more then the standard lessons. Slowly, but surely though, he is

changing. His faith is increasing and he professes a belief in God.

Sometimes people just take time. We have to be patient with them and

keep going. Everyone runs at their own pace. We just had to help them

run in the right direction.

Sorry I don't have much to write this week, but I am doing well.

Love you all,

Elder James Richards

Apostolic Guidance

Yea we had just as many appointments fall through this last week. We scheduled a ton yesterday at church, so we can afford to have a few fall through this week. This we still a good week though.

One Tuesday we got to go up to San Jose and hear Elder L. Tom Perry speak to us. Elder Maynes of the seventy also spoke, and Elder Packer, the area authority, was there as well. Elder Perry spoke about using the media coverage to our advantage, even if it is negative coverage. He also spoke about how amazing it is that we have so much access to priesthood in our day. For the majority of the time, the Melchizedek priesthood has either not been on the earth, or reserved for prophets. Today we have to ability to have that power and authority in our homes. He also spoke about using and aiding the ward in everything, especially the ward council. I also got to see Elder Miller and we took a "family picture." My "brother" is training this transfer as well. 

The other great moment from this week was that we started teaching a family. Mom, Dad, 11 year old and 1 year old. We gave them a chapel tour and talked about what we do as missionaries. We are going to their house to teach them the restoration on Tuesday. They already know a family in the ward and that will be a big help. 

Yesterday I also had an exercise in following the spirit. When we were planning on Saturday night, the name of one sister popped in to my head as a back up. I had only visited her once in my whole time here. We put her down. Then on sunday, sure enough, our appointment fell through. We went to visit and had a great lesson and I was able to give her a blessing. She is older and has a lot of health issues. I felt guided as I gave the blessing and then immediately after is was over she said that she felt better, and it didn't really hurt to breath anymore. It made me think back to Elder Perry's talk and I was glad we have so much access to the priesthood and that I am able to hold that priesthood. Miracles happen everyday as a missionary. 

Good luck this week.

-Elder James Richards