Elder Richards Missionary Blog

Holy Numbers Batman!

This week's zone goal was the perfect week (20 lessons 140 contacts)

for everyone. We started it off with a fast on Monday night. We got

together as a zone in seaside and had a little devotional-esc meeting.

The blessings that come from work and fasting are incredible. The zone

now has 12 investigators being baptized on February 4th. That is

incredible! Unfortunately, our investigators that were scheduled for

the 3rd will have to be pushed back. We aren't too worried about them

though. They both still have the desire to be baptized though, so it

will work out.

Another highlight of this week is that we have been teaching a

part-member family with a less-active husband and a non-member wife.

The wife is on track to be baptized on march 3rd and her husband is on

track to baptize her. They are a really cool family. He played

basketball at the junior college here in Salinas (Hartnell) and now

they both go to CSU Monterey Bay. He is going in to accounting and

actually talked about a masters at BYU. I told him I would have to

bother them if he did.

Our numbers continue to climb and we hit 20 lessons and 140 contacts

in 6 days this week. Instead of jacking our own numbers up, we went to

help the seaside English elders, who struggle to teach sometimes. We

went on splits and the 4 of us taught 7 lessons in about 3 hours. It

was good to help show them how teaching actives is effective. If

nothing else, it makes the ward love you. Yesterday we got accolades

over the pulpit and in ward council. It is safe to say that our ward

likes us.

The work is going well. More and more investigators are coming and

more work is being done. We are trying to hit 30 lessons and 6

baptismal dates before the end of the transfer. We probably won't

baptize this transfer, but there will probably be 3+ next transfer.

I'm doing well, we get fed every night. All quiet on the western front.

-Elder Richards

mmmm pears.

I tagged him I promise.

Kick.

We played with missionaries from around the zone and some members

of the Seaside Tongan Branch. Our district leader looks pro, even on

Pdays.

So this week Elder Miller and I received word that we are both staying in Salinas. Yay! We messed with the Andrewsens by calling them and telling them we were both leaving and they were putting in sisters. Elder Miller and I had a good laugh...

This week was an excellent week. We got 21/20 lessons, 150/140 contacts, and 46/40 referral requests. The zone goal this week was asking for 40 refferals. The only bold word in preach by gospel comes in the phrase "Ask for referrals from everyone!" We really took that to heart this week. It is interesting that when you try to contact people on the street, when you talk about them they are shut down, but when you ask for a referral, they are almost instantly nicer. People don't seem to see themselves as changing, but a message about Christ for someone else is a good thing. Just interesting how that works. We received a few from investigators. They weren't much more then pleasant interactions and dropping off a Book of Mormon, but we are already seeing the blessings unfold from asking more and more people.

This week we picked up another part member family. We set a baptismal date of February 3rd with the mother and the 8 year old son. Rescue test at work. The father was a less active and the family's info was given to us by the ward council. It's great how that works.

Well, my first two transfers are over. I am off the training plan, and now only need to do 1 hour of companion study everyday instead of 2 (not that we get to do much anyway, since driving to greenfield and seaside every week and occasionally San Jose kills lots of time.) This transfer should be a good one. We will probably be able to have a few baptisms in it too.

Today we are going trail running in Mt Toro park. I'm excited. It has been warm here too. Thanks for the chex mix. It got finished today.

Hope all is well,

-Elder James Richards

Goals, Goals, Goals

The Mormon.org profiles are cool. They wanted us to set them up in the MTC, but there was no way to upload a picture on the MTC's super locked down computers. Maybe I'll revisit it later this week.

My correspondence is going well. Yesterday I laughed as I sorted the mail in my desk drawer into two piles; letters from family, and letters from girls. I enjoy all the mail I get.

Rugby was fun last week and this week. I'll send some pictures soon.

During the new year, President Watkins has been focused on setting more goals. More monthly and yearly goals. It is interesting to see the impact that it is having on the zone and the mission. For example, the Monterey zone, 11 companionship, has 11 baptismal dates for February 3rd/4th. Two of them, Tiffany and Skyler, are ours, but they are a little shaky. It is a mother and a son of a part member family, and the mother feels a little rushed. We haven't been able to teach a lesson since she brought this up, so pray that these dates hold. If those hold February will be a very, very good month for the stake and the zone. The emphasis on more baptismal goals has helped everyone here work towards getting more baptisms. One thing these goals bring is a positive attitude. The companionships that say "I can do it" and go out and work for it are the ones that succeed. Our area has picked up in the last 3 weeks since we really had the faith and the drive to go out and get those lessons, contacts, and baptismal dates. Our mission vision statement talks about how we set high goals and work hard to achieve them. We've been doing that.

Another big goal this week is for everyone in the zone to teach 20 lessons and contact 140 people this week. It will be amazing if all 11 companionships can attain that, and it is certainly within reach. It just goes back to having that faith and working really hard. When you expect miracles, miracles will happen.

In other news, both our recent converts continue to progress. They are both consistently coming to church now, and Gina, the one who has had the most problems, is moved in to a new place on the west side of town. It is important to have a good environment, and she found one. A lot of the pressures and temptations that came from the old place will be alleviated.

I really am learning to work hard here, and it is the most fulfilling work I've ever done. Thanks for all the prayers, mail, and support.

-Elder James Richards

The perfect transfer.

Our yearly goals haven't been formulated yet, but

we are shooting for 77 baptisms in the month of January. The most this mission

has ever baptized in a month is 65. We ended the year with 501

baptisms for the mission. Goals that make you stretch are always good.

Its like this week we got 21 lessons and 151 contacts with 6 member

presents. As we keep working, hitting 20 lessons in a week becomes

easier and easier. Elder Miller and I are trying to sustain this pace

for the rest of the transfer. We hope to be in the mid-20s for lessons

by the end.

This week also brought us a new investigator. A guy named John. He

came from a street contact referral, so we are really seeing the

fruits of asking for referrals from everyone. It is so easy to do, yet

so many missionaries complain about it. It is interesting how we do

that. It is like to Israelites who only needed to look at the serpent

to be healed. That story always seemed so odd to me. Why not do

something incredibly easy AND let the Lord bless you. That seems to be

what is happening with asking for referrals.

Another thing we did this week was started to work more with the Young

Men. There is one who was recently ordained a deacon and he is scared

to pass the sacrament. He isn't very social and really liked primary.

Big fish in a small pond type of thing. We taught a lesson about

charity and service in regards to the priesthood. Then yesterday, he

went to take sacrament to the shut-ins after church. This week we will

follow up and see how he is doing. It is funny how we have become Ward

Council bulldogs. If there is a problem that they talk about or need

done, and just don't have time or resources, we jump in and help. That

is the ideal of the rescue test. Strengthening the members is as

important as finding new members in this mission.

I'm going to play rugby with a bunch of Tongans now.

-Elder Richards

They are putting in sisters...

Today we are going trail running in Mt Toro park. I'm excited. It has been warm here too. Thanks for the chex mix. It got finished today.

Hope all is well,

-Elder James Richards

And to all a happy Boxing Day.

Well short letter today, and then some pictures.

Christmas was awesome. We had ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. On Christmas Eve we had tamales. It was just a bit different from the traditional swedish fair that I usually have, but I'm not complaining. They were good. We have so much stuff and food at our apartment. The ward likes us TOO much...

This week will be good. Our district leader challenged us to "the perfect week" (20 lessons and 140 contacts). Elder Miller and I have done that once, and taught over 20 lessons twice. We think we can do it this week. It is probably the last week both of us are together. It is most likely he gets transfered, but there is a small possibility that I could. We'll know on saturday.

-Elder Richards

The district opening presents at the DL's apartment.

Comanche building in San Jose. The Behemoth where they fed 210+ missionaries a steak and egg breakfast

Oakland Temple Visit

This week was very cool because we went up to the Oakland temple. It is a really odd temple compared to others, but it is really cool. We took up a less active we have been teaching and a recent convert to do baptisms. We were scared because our investigator bailed on us at the last second and you need to take investigators up to the visitor's center/ grounds to be able to go. Since the temple is out of our mission, there are lots of restrictions. We are blessed to be able to go when we can. We called President and he actually gave us the go ahead to go. It was a neat experience being on the temple grounds. There is always a unique spirit at the temple, even on the grounds. Elder Miller and I were able to sit and ponder and receive revelation for our investigators for a little while. The temple is the best place to do that. The Oakland temple is in a beautiful area. It overlooks Oakland and San Francisco and the bay.

The recent convert that we got up there to do baptisms had a great time. She really felt the spirit inside, and we are helping her prepare some names she can take for the next time she goes. The most exciting news with her is that she found a new place to live! Her place right now is probably less then 500 square feet and should have been condemned a long time ago. It is an awful environment, since it is tiny for the 1 adult and 3 small children that live there, and it is on the east side of Salinas, which is a very gang controlled place. It isn't very healthy for the kids either. The Lord opened up a place for her that she had been on a waiting list for for 8 years. It is an answer to the prayers of her, us, and all the leaders of our ward. We can't wait to get her out of there, away from the danger and bad influences.

This week is shaping up nicely. We picked up the new part member family and are now teaching 3 part member families. That is one of the aspects of the rescue test is that we really focus on working with part member families. Our lessons and numbers have taken a slight dip, but this week should be a strong week for us.

I am having a great time here, and am excited for the steak and eggs breakfast for all the missionaries on the 24th. I'll also get to see my old MTC buddies, so that should be cool.

Merry Christmas to all,

Elder James Richards

PS For information about why Temples are built and what they are for, visit http://lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples?lang=eng

Fountain out front, Elder Miller and I

Oakland temple

Everyone that went

Nativity out front