:D

Yeah. I’ll get to all that in just a sec. Sorry I couldn't rotate it. 

Anyways, how’s everyone doing? I hope well, and I hope, once again, you’re all ready for an awesome email.

This week was seriously WAY fast. Faster than any other week in the mission honestly. But, it was super rewarding, and although our numbers didn’t look fantastic, I feel like I gave it my 100% and it paid off in the long haul. Also, I’m writing this letter from Echarate today, not Quillabamba. Our President changed some of the rules, so now we don’t go to Quilla every P-Day. Which is all good, but the internet here is slower than cold tar, no one here can wash our clothes, AND there is just about 0 things to do here. We’re gonna clean today.. I’ll let ya’ll know how that goes. But yeah. There’s that.

Well, last P-Day, for our last P-day together as a zone, we went to see some waterfalls. It’s called Siete Tinajas, which means like, seven bowls. It’s just a big waterfall with 7 different tiers. It was pretty awesome. We played for a while, and I’ll put a bunch of pictures so ya’ll can be real jealous. But, after we played soccer (like always) but it was our zone leaders birthday, so at the end, we cracked eggs over his head and threw flour at him. Peru knows how to wish someone happy birthday.

Oh. Just a fun story. On the way home from Quillabamba that night, some girl in the bus was trying to hit on me. We’re all going home, and we have 4 people in the back seat of a minivan, and she fell asleep. Later, she fell over on my shoulder, which happens a lot because we’re all so crammed in the back. Anyways, so I was wedging myself into the window so I could try to make some space for myself, and this girls hand started walking toward my hand. I was like, “Whoa whoa whoa whoa! What are you doing? Stop! Are you serious?” And then I went into my “I’m a missionary, representative of Jesus Christ” all that fun stuff that we are supposed to say when someone tries to bust a move on us. She then continued pretending to be asleep, and fell asleep the other direction on her friend. It was pretty uncomfortable. My comp thought it was pretty funny though.

Another fun fact for all of you back home. In the internet café I’m in right now, some kid is looking over the shoulder of his friend while he is using the internet, and this kid is like, just chilling against me like I’m a chair. All righty.

Um… this Thursday we had divisions again. I went to Quillabamba with Elder Hoefelmann. It was pretty good. Taught a few people some good lessons. But, while we were at lunch, some dude came and tried to sell us some candy, and we told him we didn’t want any. I guess he insulted us pretty hardcore, cuz my zone leaders (who eat in the same spot in Quilla) were fuming hardcore. But, later in the day, we taught this lady named Hermana Luzmila. She is like, the oldest member here, and she is THE sweetest old woman I have ever met in all of my life. She has a pretty tough life honestly, but we went, she made us hot chocolate, and we shared a scripture. She then proceeded to start crying and telling us how grateful she was for the missionaries always coming to her house to keep her company, and that she thinks of us as an answer to our prayers. It was really cool. I think she MIGHT know Roger. Oh, and for dinner that night, I ate tongue! It was actually really good. This week I ate tongue, intestine, and stomach, and ALL without puking.

However, I did get super close to puking the other night. So, we were visiting with a member here, and we stood up to leave, and his mom came out with two MASSIVE plates of pasta and rice. Like, seriously, the same amount of food that would feed my family, on each plate. She was like, “Hermanos, please, eat! But, you have to eat it all or I won’t ever feed you again.” Straight up, I don’t care if she feeds us ever again or not. But, you do not leave food on your plate here in Peru. So, we ate it all. Holy cow. By the end, I was dry heaving, and dying. But, I did it. Be proud.

Another great story before I get into the good stuff. So, this week, Elder Gallego and I were walking along a dirt road out in the jungle, so there’s big trees all around, right? Anyways, we’re walking, and all of a sudden it started raining! We looked up, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. So, we were really confused, and were looking around to see what was going on, when I heard Gallego go, “UGH! Look!” So, I looked. So you guys know those big ol’ bugs that sit in trees and make super loud noises all day? Yeah, those. The tree above us was full of HUNDREDS of them, and they were all PEEING! I have absolutely no idea how such little critters could hold so much water, but yuck! We ran away and then showered afterwards. It was pretty funny, but pretty gross too. Haha.

OKAY. Now the good stuff. This week, we kept working with Rosa Nina, and we kept challenging her to get baptized this Saturday. Every time, she told us, “No creo..” which means, “I don’t believe so…” But, we kept encouraging her to read and pray. Basically, she kept getting a stream of answers, through dreams, and through feelings she felt while reading and praying. In the end, she said she would get baptized! So Saturday rolled around, and we went to talk to her. She told us she didn’t want to do it now, because she had talked to some lady in Quilla who told her she shouldn’t do it. So, we talked for a while, shared some scriptures, and reminded her of all the answers she has gotten. In the end, she realized she should get baptized. It was interesting to see that in reality, the adversary works hard to keep people from being baptized. 

BUT! So, we went to Quilla and got everything ready. She told me that I could baptize her, so I was stoked. She got in all the clothes, and we were going to enter the font, and she had some black slippers. We told her she couldn’t wear them, to which she responded, “No, like this is okay.” So, we talked for a while, and she was super super close to not being baptized because of her slippers… but, she did it! Afterwards, she was super happy. She told us that she was nervous, but she was glad that she went through with it, because she knows that is what Christ would want of her. 

Yesterday she was confirmed, and also at church, we had a lot of people, and less actives who haven't come in a while! So, it was a great week. We had to focus a lot in less actives, and in Rosa this week, so we didn't get to visit the familia Quispe much this week, but this week we are gonna focus on them a lot. But, it was a very rewarding week. The feeling of baptizing someone is something very special, and sacred. The feelings and happiness I felt, I can honestly say I have never had them before in my life. What a blessing to be here in Peru, helping bring these people the blessings that can be found in the gospel. 

I know that this church is true. I know it. I know that Joseph Smith, in reality, saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and was called as a prophet to restore this gospel on the earth. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon, and I know that it is the word of God, written for us in these days. Through obedience, we can receive more blessings than we can imagine. For those of you that don't have this knowledge, I extend to you the same challenge I extend to people here every single day. Read the Book of Mormon, and pray with faith to know if it is true. God is not going to lie to you, and I know that he can answer prayers. This isn't a promise I am offering you, this is a promise that God offers. Try it. 

Until next week. Thanks for everything. Love and miss you all! Crazy that I'm gonna hit my 4 months this week, and finish my training! 

Elder Richman

Gah... this internet is super slow, so I don't know that these photos are going to send. If not, I'll send them another week. Sorry! I have some from our meeting with the President, some of the baptism, and some of Siete Tinajas... I hope they load! (Nope, they didn't want to load. Super sorry. I really wanted to let ya'll see the pictures! Next time!)

Sept 23, 2014

So.. yeah. This week was the bomb DOT com. Seriously. And ya'll have the special priviledge to hear all about it. Buckle up! 

So, I'm gonna talk about Palma Real real fast. So, we went again, and taught Lea. She was doing well, but she wasn't able to come to church again this Sunday. It's just hard to go so far. I understand, but still. But, our lesson with Maritza was really cool. We talked about the Book of Mormon, and she was really interested. But, because of lack of time, I'm gonna talk about the end of our lesson. As we were wrapping up, she stood up to make us hot chocolate, and she was telling us that her knees have some problems and they always really hurt her. So, we told her that through the Priesthood (which we had taught that day too), we could give her a blessing, and through her faith, she could be healed. So, we gave her the blessing, and afterwards, she stood up, walked around, and then turned to us, and said, "Hm. They don't hurt anymore." It was a pretty cool experience. I hope they keep progressing. Oh, also while we were out there, we were walking, and we heard someone yell, "¡Elderes!". So, we went and talked to this lady who called us, and it turns out that her son is serving a mission in Mexico, but she's not a member. So, we are gonna start trying to teach her.

La familia Quispe. Wow. I seriously LOVE them. This week I'm gonna take a picture to send ya'll, so you can love them too. But, remember how I had a lesson with them a few weeks ago about how they needed to read and pray every day? Well, we met with Yhoseli this week, and she has been reading and praying, like, every day! So, she is excited for baptism again, and she had questions about the Book of Mormon that we could answer, and it was super good. But, I think my favorite was with Rony. We were talking to him the other day, and we asked him, "Rony, do you think that this message has helped you?" So, he sat, and thought for a sec, and then said, "...Yeah. Yeah. I think so, because I have seen God blessing my life more and more since you have started coming, and since I've started doing the things you have taught me." Basically, that's the most rewarding thing you can hear as a missionary. Oh, but at the end of that lesson, he gave the prayer. It was like, a super long, beautiful prayer, that brought me to tears, dead serious. Not because it was such a good prayer, BUT, because the last time I heard him pray, he had to use a contact card to remember how to do it, and now, he's having a full blown conversation with Heavenly Father. They are gonna get married soon, and baptized after, and I can't wait. They seriously are the best. 

Okay. The other investigator I want to talk about. We got her as a reference from the sister missionaries here, but we haven't been able to get in contact with her. But, last Sunday at the conference, we finally met her, and got an appointment. This week, we met with her Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (2 times), and Sunday. I'm 100% convinced that this girl is a paid representative from the church to see if I got trained right. (Just kidding, that is not how the church works at all, but it's just a joke). Her name is Rosa Nina. She has 17 years, and she is studying Civil Engineering in Cusco, but this semester she took a semester off. She is CRAZY smart. But this is what happened. I guess she was in Quillabamba, and she saw the chapel there, and she said, "Hm. I'm gonna go check that place out." So, she went, we got the reference, and now she's investigating the church. So, she's really curious too, and just loves to learn. So, we started teaching her. Her questions are always super well thought out, and fun to answer, because I have to think about scriptures I know, and all that I have learned in the mission to help teach her. So, after lessons with her, I always have a headache, but I feel super happy, cuz I feel like I have learned a ton haha. But seriously, she is the perfect investigator. She has been reading and praying every night since we taught her, and she is progressing SUPER fast. We think we'll baptize her this Saturday. But, due to lack of time, I'm gonna summarize what happened on Saturday with ya'll. So, she has a hard time understand the Holy Ghost, and that it helps her to know if these things are true. So, really, it comes down to a bit of lack of faith to know if she can recieve answers from the Holy Ghost. So, Saturday, we taught the Holy Ghost and faith, and after, watched Finding Faith in Christ. Afterwards, we asked her what she thought. She sat and thought for a minute, and then asked us a little hestitantly, "Do you think people can receive like... revelation in dreams?" So we told her that it was possible. Then she said, "A little while ago, I had a dream that Christ came to me. When he came to me, all he told me was, 'I am preparing something for you to learn about me, and you need to find it.' And... I think maybe I found it." And THEN, in her closing prayer, she said, "Thank you Heavenly Father, because I know that I have felt something today, and I know it was the Spirit." My gosh, the heavens split open, and the heavenly trumpets began sounding right then and there! Okay, not really, but it was a SUPER cool experience. Because, like 2 days before, she told us she didn't believe that the Holy Ghost could help her feel something to know that these things were true. 

So, this week has been full of blessing and miracles, and I know it has been because I have been focusing on the Lord, and being more obedient. The blessings TRUELY come when we are obedient. I could see that this week. It gave me more motivation to be a better missionary, always. It's a beautiful thing, that even though I'm not perfect, if I'm trying my best, the Lord makes up the rest.

So, now that I've brought you all to tears with my awesome stories, I'm gonna make you laugh. Remember that rat thing I talked about a few weeks ago? This week, we were visiting with that family again, and we asked about it. The mom started laughing, and pulled up the woven basket thing... and this rat thing had eaten a HUGE hole out of it, and gotten out. I'm not a huge fan of the idea of that thing running around free... 

Anyways, I gotta go! We're going to Waterfalls! Until next week, love and  miss you!

Elder Richman

¡Purificándome!

Hey there everybody! It's time once again to hear all about the life of Elder Richman here in Peru! I hope you're excited. 

This week was good. Learned a lot! On Wednesday, we went to Palma Real again. To help relieve some amount of stress, I'm not going to talk about the drives there, or back. Let's just say... we made the hour and half trip... in 40 minutes. But that's all I'm gonna say. But! The families out there are... pretty cool. The first one we visited was frustrating, cuz we asked her (Ana) if she read the pamphlet, and she told us, yes. Okay, cool. So we started trying to talk to her about it, and she wouldn't answer. Basically, after 15 minutes, she finally told us she couldn't read. So, we taught her in very simple terms, and I think she started to understand. I think she has a learning disability of some form, cuz her father walked in and said she never really understands things properly. So we'll see how she goes. 

The second family was like, YES! Their names are Jacobo y Lea. Lea went to a church here called Peruanita, but now she doesn't go, and Jacobo is Catholic. They have a little baby boy. Anyways, we started talking to them about the law of Chastity, and Gallego challenged them to live the law... they seemed sort of hesitant, and I felt like I should talk about... familias eternas. I can't think how to say that in English. Families Eternals? That doesnt sound right. Anyways, I told them about that, and bore my testimony about how I knew that after this life, they could live with together, and with their children. After that, they were really interested, and before we told them about church, they asked, "Do you have a church we cuold come to attend?" YES! Haha, it was a really good lesson. We challenged them to be baptized, but we can't set a date until they're married. 

The other family, Maritza y Antonio were good. They're devote Testigos de Jehova, but they want to get our lessons... so yeah. So, they have a crazy amount of knowledge about the Bible, and it's awesome. So we taught them about the Restauracion, and challenged them to pray. We'll go back to Palma in Wednesday, so we'll see.

Franklin y Judith! They are a less active family that we found. He served his misson in Trujillo Peru 4 years ago. So, we went and visited them, and taught about the temple. It went well, and I think they're gonna start coming to church again. 

Rony y Yhoseli (la familia Quispe) are doing well. They're still crazy busy right now, so we can't teach alot, but we visited with them last night. They have been reading and praying a little more, and now they seem a lot more interested in being baptized again. So, that was good. I really hope they keep it up. 

Um... la familia Velasco! They're some investigators we've had for forever here. They're son and daughter are members, but the parents aren't. But, right now, they really are having some tough times, so they are trying to turn to the Lord, which is great! So they're starting to progress a lot faster than in the past, so that's good. 

Well, other stuff this week.. we had a meeting with the mission president and the assistants! It was really good. We talked a lot about obedience. It is really the way that we can see the blessings here in the mission. So, they challenged us to do an activity, and I'm gonna do it this week. It's called Purificándonos, or Purifying Ourselves. Basically, we start out with a fast, and during the fast, we write down a few things that we think we aren't being perfectly obedient. Then, for 40 days, we do everything in our power not to do those things. Basically, the idea is to turn our thoughts always to the Lord. So, I'm excited. I want to see the miracles that come from obedience, and I know that if I try to be obedient, the Lord will bless me to have success. So, I'll keep ya'll posted on how that is going. 

Saturday and Sunday was District Conference here, so Saturday, we had a priesthood meeting, and then a general meeting for all of Quillabamba. There weren't a ton of people, but it was still good. I actually went with our Zone Leaders during Priesthood to visit a less active member here. His name is Boris, and he served his mission in Italy, and he made us some bomb pasta. But, Sunday was a broadcast for all of Peru from Robert H. Hales, and David A. Bednar. and some other people. It was awesome. A ton of people came! And they were good talks. They talked a lot about the importance of the youth here, and the value of women, and how they are the most important creation of God's. Pretty cool. But it was a cool experience.

Um. I think that's it for this week... Just something I want to say in closing. Something that the President talked about with us that really hit home. I'm a represantive of Jesus Christ. I literally, have been called to say the things he would say, act how he would act, and do the things he would do. It's pretty powerful, and it reminds me of what kind of person I have to be while on my mission. I hope I can live up to it, and I know that with His help, he'll help me to live up to it Thanks for everything everyone. Until next week. 

Elder Richman 

I don't wanna be a bishop!!!

Phew! First off, sorry! Power was out in Quillabamba on Monday, so we couldn't email. Also, my letters are FINALLY starting to come through! So, thanks! Monday, I got 13 letters haha! I feel so full of your love I don't think I could take one more bite. Mmm! But, no. Keep writing me.

So last Monday, we bunked our beds, and we finally got a fan. That may be the best thing that has ever happened in my life. Now, I can FINALLY sleep in peace. And study. Basically, my whole life is more comfortable, and less sweaty now, which is always a beautiful thing. 

So, question. What's going on with the US and Syria right now? I don't know why everyone has lacked telling me about this, but I'm a teensy bit out of the loop. But, to give you an idea of how frustrating it is, I'll give you the dialogue I've been having this week. Me: "Hi, I'm Elder Richman. I'm from the USA!" Random Peruvian: "Oh yeah? Did you hear about the war? Everyone thinks World War 3 is going to start, they're going to bomb Syria....blah blah blah...."  Me: "........what?" So yeah, if anyone would like to enlighten me a bit, that'd be super cool.

So, I did exchanges with Elder Mendez, my zone leader, on Wednesday. He's from Mexico, and he is super awesome haha. He's like... 27 or something though haha. But, it was a good day. I learned a lot, and taught a lot, so it was really good. It was the first time I've done exchanges with a Latino, so they're trust me with the language now! Haha. 

Our investigators are all right. We were on splits on Sunday, and I went and met with the familia Quispe, and I was pretty bold and straight up with them. I told them that they needed to read and pray, or they weren't ever going to get their answer if this gospel is true. So, I got them to commit to try to read at least one verse every day, and then to pray. We'll see. We still can't seem to find Guillermo... but yeah. Another new investigator, Benedicta, has a fecha for the end of this month, so we're working with her. She's an old investigator, but she is interested again, so that's good.

So, this Thursday, we went to Palma Real. So, to give you an idea, Quillabamba is the main city, then you drive 30 minutes into the jungle, to get to Echarati. THEN, you drive another 1 1/2 to go to Palma. But, we had a reference there, and we wanted to go. The problem is, when we asked about Palma, we had two responses that we heard from different people. "Yeah, it's normal there, don't stress." and "Yeah, go if you wanna die." Terrorism.... uh... más adentro (I don't remember the English for it... sorry.) is pretty prevelent, so we were worried... but it was awesome! I loved it there. All of the people were happy to listen to our message, and the town just had such an awesome feeling. But, from what we could figure, we were the first missionaries to ever go there. So, that's cool! We're going again today to work with some of our contacts. I'll let ya'll know.

Um... Sunday, was not a happy day for me, at least in the morning. We have some problems with the leadership here not helping us, but I won't go into that, but, Sunday, we had no leaders... so... I got to preside, and direct the Sacrament Meeting! I don't wanna do it again. But, I was frustrated about that. But, I taught a lesson about the Millenium in Sunday School, and it went well, and the rest of the day was very successful, so all in all it was good haha. 

Wow, this letter is long... I'm keeping going. Sorry.

Oh! Just something interesting. I can't remember the word for it, but we were talking to a member this week, and they had a woven box thing that was shaking, so we asked what was in it. They told us to go look at it. Basically, it was like a 2 foot tall rat, and it was inside huffing and growling... so we asked what it was for, and they told us they were going to sell it was a pet. I was seriously busting up, cuz they were like, "When it's trained, it's like a puppy!" Nah. It's just a giant rat. But, it was only a baby, so they showed us its mom (who they had in the freezer cuz they were going to eat her... ughhhhhh) and it was like seriously 3 1/2 feet long. Giant pet rat. Welcome to Peru!

Um... this Monday, the power was out, but we went and had a picnic as a zone at a river, then played football, and soccer. So, I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but on yesterday, we went to Abel's in the morning to celebrate his wife's birthday. They made me hold the legs of a chicken while they killed it... I didn't like that... but later, we tried to catch their rooster to kill it... after an hour of running through the rainforest, tripping, falling, grabbing thorns, and ultimately failing, I would have been more than happy to kill the stinking thing... but, like I said. We failed, But! I am quite sore today. Haha. 

September 11, 2013

So, I just have a few more minutes. Funny things that happened this morning. While we were walking to the internet cafe, I stopped to turn around to look for something, and some little 4 foot tall abuelita (like.. little old lady..) ran into me, and then started rambling away at me in Quechua, then walked away. It was just really funny for me. Also, we got the priviledge of sitting in the front seat on our drive here today. Usually we sit in the back, but I never want to sit in the front again. This is how I imagine the driving test to become one of the drivers is.

"You are driving, and go to pass a car, and when you are side by side, another car is coming towards you in your lane. Do you:

A. Slow down and give right of way

B. Speed up

C. Never Surrender

D. Both B and C."

The correct answer is D.

Anyways. This was long. Sorry. Hope all is well back home. Love and miss you all! But, I'm doing good! President Harbertson is coming tomorrow to give us some training, so I'm excited for that! The work is moving along. Maybe not so much with our investigators right now, but I feel like the group here is really starting to strengthen, which is really good. I know this is where I need to be! Until next week! Hope to hear from you. Thanks for your support!

Elder Richman

Cusco!

September 2, 2013

Hi!

So, this week was slow as far as investigators went. Honestly, we didn't have tons of time to visit a lot of them, but, we were able to visit lots of members and less actives... but, I'll talk more about that in a sec. 

So, this week, Tuesday night ( I forgot how to say Tuesday for a sec. Haha ) we got on a bus and drove to Cusco. Let me put this in perspective for you. So, it's a HUGE charter bus. However, the road we drive on is basically like the road in Payson Canyon... so it's really narrow, but it's CRAZY steep, and CRAZY curvy. So, it's like a 7 hour drive of that. We left at 9 at night from Quillabamba, and I was super hot and like sweating, and when we got to Cusco at 3, it was raining, and I was freezing haha. It was crazy. So, we went to some missionaries house there, kind of sat around for a bit, and then we went to the meeting. So, our meeting started at 8 in the morning, and ended at 4. Elder C. Scott Grow of the Seventy came and talked with us. In the beginning, he started by shaking all of our hands, and asking our names, and where we were from. So, that was cool. But we just had basically a big lesson with him, and with other leaders, talking about how we need to involve members a lot in the work, and how we need to focus a lot in less actives. So, it was a cool experience. But at the end, Elder Grow is like, I'm going to interview 6 of you missionaries here. There was over 200 missionaries at this meeting, so I was like, "Hahaha... poor sap that has to get interview by a Seventy." Elder Grow: "I'm going to interview Elder Castro, Elder Blahblah, Hermana Blahblah. Elder Richman...." Me:".....dang it." My whole zone was sitting on the same bench and they all like peered over at me and started laughing. I have no idea how I was one of the people haha. So, I was kinda nervous, but excited at the same time. 

So, I went in and interviewed with a Seventy! It was cool. He asked about my family, my comp, my area... we just talked. I want to tell ya'll about 2 things he told me in the interview. The first, when I was talking about my comp, I said that I really like him, but sometimes he was kind of disobedient and that frustrated me. He said, "Yeah... sometimes that happens. Heres the thing. Maybe he can be disobedient and feel the Spirit. You? You can't. You know too much!" Not in like a prideful way, but it just made me feel a little better, because I was frustrated that sometimes he still seems to have the Spirit, even when he is lax with the rules. The other thing is something that he told me I'm supposed to write home, but it was really cool. He told me (the wording might be a bit off cuz my memory isn't perfect... haha.) "Elder Richman, thank you for this interview. I have felt your excitment for this work, and your energy, and it's a good thing. When you write home this week, I want you to write about this interview, and let people know that a member of the Quorum of the Seventy looked in your eyes... and saw a man ready to serve, free of guile, and someone with whom the Lord is well pleased and in whom he can trust. Thank you."

So. Yeah, that was a pretty cool thing. Yeah.

But yeah, the rest of Cusco was cool. We went to the Plaza de Armas, and we ate hamburgers,  and then we went back to Quilla. I put in some pictures of the Plaza de Armas, but it was dark, so they're not great. 

Rest of the week was normal. We worked a lot with members, and met with lots of less actives, but most of our investigators were gone with week.. I dunno why. But, Saturday, we went and did a service at the house of Abel. He is trying to build a new house, so we dug out a ton of dirt, and then sifted it so he can make bricks. The shovels here are like, 3 feet tall, so my back is broken still. Haha. But it was good.

So, I want to talk about church yesterday. We were fasting that lots of members could come, and they did!!! So, it was good. But I was fasting personally that I could help motivate the members to help us out. So, again, the Presidente de Groupo didn't have a lesson planned for Gospel Principles, so I had to give the lesson. I didn't have anything prepared, so I asked, "Is there anything anyone would like to talk about?" Some sister suggested the chapter about sharing our talents. Phew. It was awesome. I somehow was speaking Spanish completely fluently, and involving all the class, and they were laughing together, and brainstorming, and it was seriously AWESOME. I was so stoked. But, I used the topic to motivate them to use their talents to help the less actives. Then, I went and got each of them to promise to do something this week with their talent, to help build this group here. So, it was good. I hope they actually do it haha. 

But yeah. Not too much else. Took some pictures with our new zone, while we were on a hike this morning at Estudio de Zona. I like our new zone a lot, but now, we have like no gringos haha... I'm gonna have to speak Spanish all the time... ugh... No, but the Spanish is like, here now! It's great. I can communicate and understand pretty well now. It's good. I'm blessed.

Thanks for everything! It was a good week, and I'm excited for the coming week. The Lord is truely looking out for me. I appreciate all the love and support. This work is awesome, and I'm so excited to be a part of it. Until next week! Love and miss you all!

Elder Richman

I'm Building a Boat

August 26, 2013

Phew. This week was craziness. The whole week just felt like the pits. But, there's a light at every tunnel! That was Sunday this week. So, I'll tell ya'll ALL about it!

So, the work was way slow this week. Didn't have too many new investigators, all of our appointments fell through, and all that fun stuff. But, Wednesday, we had intercambios, and I was with my Zone Leader, Elder Nolan, in Echarati. That day was awesome! I felt like we worked really hard, and I got to actually call some of the shots that day. So, it was a good experience. He was the missionary in Echarati before me, and the people there just love Gringos, so they were stoked to have us there haha. 

Saturday, was lame! Everything fell through, our baptisms, citas... With our baptisms, we could not get ahold of Guillermo all week. And then, with Alexandra, every time, she has told us she is 9. So, what she meant was, she is going to TURN 9. So, because she is 8, and her mom is member, we can't do anything without the permission of both parents, because she's not in our jurisdiction. So, that stunk. But, when she does get baptized, she wants me to do it! So, that's cool haha. But, yeah. Saturday was just not the best.. except, it rained like all day, so the weather was really cool and I loved it.

So, Sunday was the bomb.com! The 1st Counselor of the Mission came, and I was like ready to have a migraine, cuz I was stressing. So, he comes, with the District President from Quillabamba, his counselors, and then the Branch President from Quilla... how many members came? 2 adults, 2 youth, and like, 7 kids. I was just sitting there thinking, "Yup. They're gonna kick us out of here cuz they will think we aren't working." So, I was stressing hard. But, President... ugh, I can't remember. Gonna call him President A. President A stands up, and starts talking. So, since we are a family group, it's pretty informal. So, he was asking everyones names, and then thanking them personally for coming. And then, he compared Echarati to the boat that Nephi built. He was like, "We're here trying to build this boat.. but we need everyones help to do it. Can we all do it?" I was like, "YEAH! BUILDING BOATS! LETS DO IT!". Okay, not really, but I was pumped. So then Elder Gallego and I got to meet with him for a bit and create a bit of a plan of what we need to do here, so that was super nice. Then, we went with all the leaders, and members that were there, and we all split up, and we visited a TON of members and investigators. Ah. It was so awesome. This is what we need here, is other people getting involved in the work. (And the missionaries where ya'll are need you too!) Anyways, it was a good day. Oh, and then halfway through our meeting with President A... Guillermo came! It was like Christmas morning. He apologized, because he had to work in his chakra all week, and so he couldn't answer his phone. But, he still wantsto be baptized, and we're planning on the 31. Hoping that still goes through! But that night, we went and visited a family of Old Investigators, and wow. I have such a good feeling about them. We taught about the Book of Mormon, and they were asking all the right questions, and the Spirit was so strong... yeah. Feeling good about that. The Familia Díaz. I'll let you all know how that goes.

Anyways, Rony and Yhoseli (Familia Quispe) are doing well, and still progressing. They're little son is so funny, cuz every time we come, he knows what to do, and he shakes our hands, and gets our stools... he is so cute. We couldn't meet with Cynthia, Rosalia, or Edgar this week... so that was too bad. But this week we have plans to. But, tomorrow, we're going to Cusco!!! I'm stoked, cuz we're gonna listen to a Seventy too. But I'm gonna get Dr. Pepper. My mouth is already watering...  

Um... oh! I'm putting in a photo of my pensh, and then my zone. I love my pensh haha. She is so awesome. "Pa", her husband is so funny. When he heard it was my birthday, he just threw out his arms for a hug. But its funny, because he calls her his "gordota". Basically, he calls her his big fattie haha. But that's not mean here, so she just giggles, and her giggle is so hilarious cuz it's like a little girls. Cracks me up. 

Sorry, this letter is kind of short! But, I want to share a thought! Ether 12:6.. I believe. The one that says that we won't recieve a witness until after the trial of our faith! But, this week, I really saw that. At the end of Saturday, I was feeling pretty hopeless. But, I offered up a sincere prayer that Sunday could be better, and wow! It was honestly probably my favorite day in the mission so far. It was awesome. I am so incredibly blessed. 

Sé que esta Iglesia es verdadera. Sé este, por que he orado a Dios, y he recibido una respuesta. Si alguno de ustedes quiere saber, hay una manera! Lean El Libro de Mormon! Este es la promesa que enseñamos a nuestros investigadores, y sé que con todo mi corazón que es verdad. Si leen el Libro de Mormon, y oran... van a recibir una respuesta de Dios. Estoy haciendo el barco de Echarati, y estoy agradecido por esta oportunidad. Gracias a ustedes por todo. Les quiero mucho, y les extraño mucho. Pero, estoy haciendo la buena obra. Hasta la próxima semana. 

-Elder Richman

Crazy Week Here in Peru

August 19, 2013

Hey everyone!

So, time is short so I'm gonna try and be fast haha. 

So, Monday, I ate a freaking hamburger. Oh my goodness. I bought it out of some sketchy bus, but it was fantastic. Seriously, made my day. 

But Tuesday was my birthday! It was honestly totally normal haha. A sister who is super less active, invited me to a hamburger (again, yum), and for dinner, our pensh bought chicken from a polleria, with french fries. I love the french fries here. Although, theyre not really French Fries... haha. So that was awesome. But other than that, we worked all day like normal. But it was good.

The next day we had our Reunión de Distrito, and they got me cake, so that was cool. I have pictures. I think it was supposed to be a pig? I dunno. But after my zone sang, they shoved my face in the cake... so that was fun! Haha. 

Thursday, nothing really happened. But Friday! My gosh. Friday was weird. 

So, Friday, I really learned how horrible alcohol is. Seriously. Don't do it. We went to visit Rosalia (who has been drinking again ) but her boyfriend was there, and he was drunk. So, they were outside their property, and we walked with them back to their house, and when we rounded the corner, he punched her in the face and threw her to the ground. So Gallego and I were freaking out, and we jumped between them, and he was yelling, and threatening her, and we were trying to talk to him. But he kept like trying to pick up rocks to throw at her and stuff. So we finally got them somewhat calmed down, and then Rosalia goes, stands behind me, and then starts threatening him! So, he is trying to come after her, and shes using me as a shield! I was freaking out. He left, and we took Rosalia to stay with her daughter for the night, because we aren't allowed to involve ourselves with the police here. So, its kind of sad, but I hope we can help in other ways. 

But, we have a family we have been teaching. The mom is a less active member, and the daughter wants to be baptized. They live with our pensionista, because the mom, Liz, is sisters with our pensh. So, we have been teaching her daughter Alessandra! She is gonna be baptized this week, but on Friday, when we went to eat, their step-dad, Ivan, was totally wasted. He was yelling at us but I didnt understand him. Our pensh told us that apparently he thought we were attracted to his wife and thats the only reason we were teaching his daughter. So, he was taking his anger out on us, but then he was yelling at his daughters and his wife. SOOOO.. the thing you have to understand, is that Alessand reminds me of my little sister, Kailee, like crazy. She is honestly a Peruana version of her haha. But, when he was yelling at them, she started crying, and it just was really frustrating, because it was like someone bullying my sister. So that was hard. Fortunately, the next day, he came up and talked to us, and apologized, and said, "Elderes, quiero cambiar, por mi familia. Esta semana, voy a asistir Iglesia, y quiero aprender." Basically, he said we wants to change and wants to take the lessons. They couldnt come to church this week, cuz they had to go out of town, but next week!

Um... another thing this week was just that tons of our appointments and stuff fell through. Wasn't a terribly successful week. We worked a ton, but just didn't see a ton of success. So it was frustrating, especially when like no one came to church. But oh well. Thats the mission! I have a spiritual thought about it, but I'll write it at the end. 

So, something funny that happened yesterday. We went to our neighbors to see how they were doing, and they needed some wood cut, cuz they're kinda old and can't do it. So I'm cutting wood, and I hear Gallego talking with the little old lady who lives there, and he's like, "Oh, Hermana, we don't need to eat. I'm still full from lunch. Thanks a lot, but I can't. This is for my compy." I was like, "Wait, what?" cuz I just dont like to eat a lot, and I was full. So then he comes outside, and he says, "Hey, compy, shes inviting you to some soup!" So, as I'm walking inside, making sure she can't see, I give Gallego a death glare and he just laughs. It was chicken noodle soup, which I like, but the thing is is they only put one piece of meat in the soup, right? So, the piece in my soup was the neck of the chicken! Which, normally, isn't bad, but the way that most people kill the chicken down here is by breaking the neck, which makes the blood pool in the neck, and then they cook it. Basically, the neck is full of blood Jello. I couldn't do it. I took one bite, and about lost it. So, I ate all the potatoes, noodles, and then was like, "Phew, I can't eat another bite! But that was so good!" Afterward, Gallego was just laughing haha. It was pretty funny. 

That's about it I think. Guillermo is doing well, and I think he is gonna be baptized this Saturday, and Alessandra too. The Quispe's are doing great, they made me a birthday dinner yesterday that was super yummy. But they're gonna be awesome. Um. I dunno what else! 

This week was pretty tough! I won't lie haha. But, it was good! I grew a lot, and I continue to learn to trust in Heavenly Father to help us. In Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9, there is a scripture that has really bolstered  me this week. First off, all of our trials are for our benefit. Second, Christ knows exactly what we are going through, and he had it worse than all of us. Third, keep on keeping on! My days of trials and tribulations aren't going to be forgotten, and the Lord is ALWAYS with me! It's powerful! And the same goes for all of you! I love this gospel, and I love Peru haha. I'm doing well. THANKS FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES! Seriously. I'm going to try and write you back now, but time really is short. Sorry. But yeah. Thank you everyone. 

Pictures are of my birthday, and then the wallet I bought myself for my present. It's pretty dope. Anyways, love and miss you all, but until next week!

Con amor,

Elder Richman

It is SO hot!

August 12, 2013

Hey everyone! First off, thanks a ton for all the birthday wishes. I blushed. No but really, its been great to hear from all of you! I may not have time to write all of you back, so if I dont, know I love you, and you rock! So, I have a lot I want to talk about this week, so we'll see how fast I can type.

So, this week the language is really starting to click. The problem I have now, is that I can speak Spanish a lot easier, so I think less about what I have to say, so I'll randomly switch between languages when I talk. Its pretty funny, and it trips out my comp haha. My accent is coming along nicely too. 

So, this week was crazy. Tuesday, I was sick as a dog. Long story short, I cant count how many times I went to the bathroom that day... BUT, when we are sick we have to call the President and his wife. So, I called Hermana Harbertson and was talking to her, and it was just super funny, because she was talking to me, and heres what happened, "So, this is your bodies way of saying you ate something bad, so right now, you just want to let it flow out of you.". When she hit the word "flow" she kind of started giggling, and it was just so funny haha. But yeah. It was not a fun time.

But, Wednesday, we had intercambios! Basically, I came to Quillabamba to work with this other gringo from Utah, his name is Elder Haefelmann haha. We just call him Elder Haffy, because the Peruanas cant pronouce it haha. Anyways, we both struggle with the language, so we both had to be really bold! And it was super good, because I was more confident with my Spanish! We taught a great lesson about tithing, and it was really good for me I think. So that was a lot of fun. But, I found out, that one of the plants that a ton of people grow here, Coca, is the main ingredient in cocaine. So... yeah. Theres that! 

So, another fun thing I found out this week, is that there were two missionaries here a while back that went on a baptizing spree, without attendings of church, and permission of their parents, so theres a ton of inactive people, who are baptized. So that was NOT good. Kind of sad. 

Um, so sad news about the family Quispe. They had all their stuff in order, and gave their money to their uncle to pay for the wedding... and he ran off with it. So. They cant be married this month. So that was seriously heartbreaking. But, hopefully theyll be married and baptized next month! 

Other investigators.. Rosalia! She is one who approached us, and told us she wanted to change her life, because she drinks a lot. So, we have been teaching her, and we have seen such a difference in her! Theres this new light in her eyes that is awesome.  

Um, another cool thing. We were frustrated because we didnt have any of our investigators come to church this Sunday, but we saw a new guy with one of the really old members. So, apparently, when I taught Sunday School a few weeks ago about mission work, he felt like he could really help with it, so he invited his friend! So, we taught him yesterday, and he is gonna be baptized! He is super prepared, he was like, "Im looking for a church with these things", and we were like, "Chevere, cuz we have all that stuff!" Im pretty excited about him. His name is Guirmo.

So, another investigator we have is Cintia. She is new this week, and she only has like... 22 years I think? But we taught her yesterday, and it was really great! She is really prepared too. She said everything we taught made a lot of sense, and that she wanted to really know if it is true. So, she is gonna pray and we are gonna meet again tomorrow. She is really chevere, and her mom is gonna start listening to the lessons too, so thats cool. 

Um... so, my leader of our zone told me that we need to work on having lots of families join, especially with worthy priesthood holders, and we need to teach tithing, because if we get enough, we can become a branch, and if we do that, Quillabamba will become a stake, which is AWESOME. So, we went and visited this hermano called Renzo this week, and he is bien chevere tambien. He has a ton of faith, and he is really prepared, the problem is, he isnt married too, so we are gonna teach him about that this week... but I think thatll be good.

But, speaking about tithing, yesterday in church I taught about tithing, and it went really well. I told the story of mom and dad after they got married and tithing, and it really affected the members. After, I saw 3 of the people in the meeting get tithing slips and pay. It was really cool, and it was good, because I feel like we can become a rama soon! 

So, thats about it as far as investigators go, so I'm just gonna talk about some of the other fun stuff this week haha. So, just something funny this week, after we got back home one night, Gallego went to the bathroom. So, our bathroom is basically an outhouse in our courtyard, and theres a big open window outside. So, I snuck over right outside the window, and started cracking my knuckles and neck. He was like, "Ri...Richman?" and then I shoved my hands through the window and he yelled haha. He was mad haha. Later, when I was going to the bathroom, he was like, "Si hay un zombie.. no te preocupes." (If there is a zombie, dont worry yourself). It was funny.

That same night, I was sitting outside, and I saw something glistening out in our courtyard so I went and looked at it. I took pictures. But, it was a MASSIVE spider, and there was like, a billion little baby spiders on its back. Freaking nasty. Its dead as a doornail now, but bleh. It was huge! Ridiculous. 

So, tonight, because its my birthday tomorrow, Gallego and I are going to go eat hamburgers. I am so stoked I cant even believe it. If I'm REALLY lucky, they MAY have Dr Pepper. Im hoping. Last week, we found Mtn Dew, so that was delicious. Haha. But, as far as soda goes, Im starting to get addicted to Inca Cola. Its actually really good... strange, but true haha. 

So, the pictures this week, are of my mosquito bites that I had last week, which were gnarly! Also, some bird that chills outside our window every day when we study. Then some pictures of intercambios, and then of the spider. Oh! And the other one, the house next to us, that tractor lost its brakes, and plowed into that house. Its been like, 4 days and its still there haha. Kinda strange. The other one is this monster moth that was outside our door the other day. It was seriously huge haha. 

Well, I think thats all for this week. Thanks for all the birthday wishes and the support and love. I miss you all, and you rock! But, Im having a good time here! I am really starting to love these people, and be confident and have a good time. Language still isnt perfect, but its coming, and I can communicate most of the time haha. I hope to keep hearing from all of you! Weird that my birthday is tomorrow, and I'll be celebrating it with Elder Gallego, and all my investigators haha. The birthday parties here are nuts, so everyone thinks its super weird that I wont be drinking or really partying for my birthday haha. But Im excited, and excited for another great week! This week flew by! Crazy. These 2 years are gonna fly haha. 

I know that this church is true! It truely can change lives, and I have been able to see that change working in people! The Lord truely is preparing people for us to teach, and I can feel his help in this work! Im excited to be here. Thanks for everything everyone! Until next week.

Con Amor,

Elder Richman

2 Months!

August 5, 2013

Hey everybody!

What a great week, seriously! So many blessings this week it was ridiculous! 

So, first off, I want to talk a little bit about one of our families who has a baptismal date on the 18th. La familia Quispe! Seriously, their faith is such a inspiration to me. Wow. They are a young family, and have a little boy. So this week, we taught them about fasting, and tithing. They were so receptive to it, and their faith and desire to follow Christ was great. On Saturday, we went to start our fast with them. After church yesterday (28 people came. That is AWESOME.) we concluded our fast, and Rony, the dad, told us that he was really thirsty Saturday night, and went to pour a glass of water, and all that came out was a cockroach! So, he kept fasting! Haha, pretty cool. But yeah, Theyre great. I love them to death. 

Another thing, the rain storms here are SO COOL. The clouds just drop down into the valley and the mountains, and it just pours. Its breath taking really haha. Just a cool experience. But yeah. As far as weather goes, it is SO hot here haha. 

So, this week we actually had a lot of success. We got lots of new investigators. One thing we did was play soccer with some kids, and after, we taught them, and they are gonna meet us again this week and take them to their families. So thats cool! We also tried really hard to talk to every person we saw, and we were blessed for that. Speaking of that though, I met someone this week, and dead serious, it was Peruvian Rob Brimhall. It was so funny. He wore the same clothes, had the same hair, glasses, beard... it was uncanny.  

So, another cool thing about Peru, is the stars at night. Best star gazing in the world. But, theres no Big Dipper. Its weird haha. 

So, the people here are so tough and strong. Its really humbling when you see an 80 year old woman, who is like, 4 feet tall, carrying a MASSIVE bundle of sticks up a hill that is like, / <- That steep. Wow. Its crazy. haha. 

So, Elder Gallego and I are gonna try getting the members here pumped about missionary work this week. So, we'll see how that goes. I think we have some good ideas. We want to make each of the members feel specifically needed in the work. I'm excited! 

Um... oh, just something funny. When people here see something kinda sad or whatever, they say, "Pobresito!", which means basically, like, poor little! Its funny, but it reminds me of when Grampa always says "Poor little sucker." Its pretty great haha. 

Hmm... okay, story time! So, yesterday, I found out how much protection I have from our Heavenly Father. I was eating at our pensh, and all of a sudden, a fly flew right infront of my face, so I swatted it away. Then the neice of our pensh was like, Elder Elder, that was a spider! So, Elder Gallego got up and looked on my back, and sure enough, there it was! Freaking Black Widow!! So, we killed it. But yeah. I was seriously so blessed that it didnt try to bite me, because it could have, easy. I'm so grateful for the hand of the Lord, that I have the opportunity to see so often during my mission. I know he is watching over and protecting me! (And its a good thing too, because yesterday I learned there are 6 foot long snakes here that are poisonous. I was like, "...what?") But yeah. I know I'm being blessed! Sorry if that freaks you out mom! But it was a good experience. 

So, another thing we did this Saturday was kill and eat a duck... yeah. It was good to eat, but I don't like killing/gutting things. They were teasing me because I was like dry heaving and having to run away. But its okay haha. It was interesting.

So, Elder Holland I think, said that the first convert you need to have on your mission needs to be yourself. And wow, I just think its crazy how true that is. I have felt my testimony solidifying, and becoming really strong lately, because I really have to rely on the Lord! Its really powerful. But this week, I just want to really bear my testimony of Joseph Smith. I KNOW that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know it! He was called by our Heavenly Father, and through him, the gospel of our LIVING Savior, Jesus Christ, was restored onto this earth! This church is not the church of Joseph Smith, or Thomas S. Monson, or any other mortal man, this is the Church of Jesus Christ, the same church that Christ organized during his earthly minestry! Joseph Smith was an incredible man, and I really wish I could have met him. This church is true. When we turn to our Heavenly Father, and humble ourselves, and truely ask for his guidance and help, he WILL bless us. I really have seen that this week, as we recieved successed, and as I continue learning Spanish. I am so blessed. I hope to keep solidifying my testimony, because its great to do haha. 

Thanks for all of your love and support. Its absolutely CRAZY that today is my 2 months! Thats 1/12 of my mission. Pretty crazy, its going fast! I got a lot to do in this short time! Love and miss you all, but this work is pretty awesome. I'm happy to be here and to be doing this. Until next week (my birthday! Well, on martes.)

Con Amor, 

Elder Richman

Semana 2

July 29, 2013

Hola! Not much time, so I'll write fast.

First off... All my pictures got wiped from my memory stick. I have no idea how, but I was SO sad. All my family pics, CCM pics... gone.Sigh. So, mom, if you could send a bunch of pictures of the family and stuff, thatd be sweet.

The work was kind of slow this week. A lot of people were working in their chakras (farms) or on vacation, so it was slow. But it's moving. I hope this week we have a bit more success. We had 2 baptismal dates this week, so that was good! They're a young family, and they are gonna be married next month, and then baptized the next day! They already have strong testimonies, so thats really cool! I'm excited to keep teaching them. We also finally made some headway with this other Hermana, named Doris. So that was good. I'm excited to see where that goes.

So this week I have been craving American Food. Mostly a hamburger... but pizza too! So, we had pizza this week! It was definitely NOT the same, but it was pretty good nonetheless haha.  Food stories this week... I didnt have to eat it, but I watched someone eat a chicken foot... YUCK. Ugh. Not excited for my first experience with that haha. Also, yesterday for dinner, we had beef and potatoes... halfway through my potato, I looked down... gosh,I still wanna puke. I saw little holes in my potato, and 2 worms that I could see. I couldnt eat more after that. Gosh. 

So, our area is pretty big... so we walk a lot, and there are a lot of hills. Haha. I am going to die here. I realized how out of shape I am this week, and how in shape I'll be when I'm done! Haha. Beautiful walks though! I have pictures. Um... oh! There are fireflys here! I was really excited when I saw them!

So this week, we went at did service at the Chaka de la familia Escalante. It was a crazy hike up a mountain, but they have a coffee farm haha. So, we picked coffee all morning! It was actually pretty fun just to do something different. 

Um... yeah. The language is coming! But it's slow. One of our investigators teases me by saying, "No hablo espanol" everytime she sees us... she thinks shes real funny... But it's good. I was reading my Missionaries Book of Teaching Tools this week, and there is a way to teach about the Plan of Salvation that you put a bead on a super long piece of string, and say that the bead signifies our time on earth. It really hit me, that yeah, this is kind of hard, and I miss my family, and my old life. But thinking about the fact that my mission is an insignificant fraction in the eternal perspective of things is powerful, especially considering that the reason I am here is so that these people can continue on to have eternal life. Pretty awesome.  

So, this is totally worth it. Haha. I have some pictures. I have pictures of cacao, the view from some of our trails, and then just some of the area, and then some crazy clouds the other day. 

Thanks for your love and support, and everything! I appreciate them all so much, seriously. Love and miss you all, but I am really starting to love these people and care about them. It's pretty great. Hoping this week is a bit more successful, but it's not my work, it's the Lords work. Gotta trust and pray hard haha. All is well in Peru. Hope to hear from you all!

Elder Richman

Hola from Encharti!

July 22, 2013

Hey Everyone!

I'm not dead! Yay! I thought I was going to be able to email before I left to my mission. Okay. I have a lot to write, not a lot of time, and this keyboard is freaking weird. Lets start!

So, after 3 hours of sleep last Sunday night, we woke up at 2:30 to leave for the airport. It was weird driving through Provo/Utah for the last time. Anyways, we got to the airport, and my bags were 2 lbs over... which means I was supposed to pay 150 dollars per bag. So I was like, cringing, reaching for my wallet, and the lady just said, "Don't worry about it. You'll just be known as the disobedient missionary who can't keep his bags under 50lbs." So grateful. So, I called home for a bit, then we flew to LA. In LA, we had a 5 1/2 hour layover haha. Way long. So, I called home, but I also had the opportunity to talk to a guy from New York. We talked for a while, taught him a short lesson, and then gave him a Book of Mormon to read on his flight. He seemed interested, but probably not haha. 

Anyways, we got on our plane to go to Peru. Oh. My. Gosh. Nicest plane ever. I have pictures, but I forgot my card reader today... sorry. I have a lot of awesome pictures too.. haha. Anyways, it was like, 9 seats across, huge seats, TV's, and like this crazy color changing ambient light thing, and the windows tinted themselves. Crazy. Haha. So, it was at least comfy. But we couldn't watch TV or anything, so we played games, and watched our progress on a mini map. AND, our flight was 8 hours! So, we get to Lima at midnight, right? So we're all exhausted and ready for bed. We get out of customs (funny story, while in customs, one of the people asked one of the missionaries how long they were planning to stay, and he said, "2 years" and the guy said, "Ha. 6 months. Max." stamped his passport, and told him to go. Haha) So we get out of customs, and are greeted by some MTC staff who say, "Yeah, you're flying to Cusco at 8". Ugh. So then we waited in line for 2 hours to check our luggage again, then went to a sketchy hotel. Lima is kinda weird, but I liked it. It was super humid and a little chilly. And still bustling at 3 in the morning... haha. So, we get to the hotel, and lay in our beds, and they were like ROCKS. Elder Brown and I just started laughing. So, we got another 3 hours of sleep, and then woke up to fly to Cusco. So we flew to Cusco! It was way different. (Sorry, I have very little time to elaborate). Basically, it was high. Haha. The houses are small, the people are poor, and it's kinda dirty. But it's still a beautiful place! So we went to the mission home, which I am convinced is the nicest house in Cusco, and ate, did interviews, and talked. Then we went to our Reunion de Cambios, to get our companions and areas. It was sad, because after 6 weeks together, Elder Brown and I got split up! Sad. (He's going to Puno)

Anyways, I was assigned to the Quillabamba zone, Echarati sector! (Roger served in Quilla, right? ) Anyways, so I found out that was ANOTHER 6 hour drive. Which we were going to commence at 3 in the morning. So, I have gotten about 6 hours of sleep in 2 days... So my companion wasn't at the meeting since Quilla is so far away, so I hung out with the Assistants to the President. So, Cusco is at like, 13000 feet, AND it's winter. It is FREEZING there. And we got locked out! So there we are, standing outside this building at midnight, me knowing I have to be up AGAIN in 3 hours, freezing my butt off, not knowing what these people are saying because they're speaking Spanish, and in a new place. I was like, "What did I sign up for?" So, we finally got in, and I took a shower and went to bed. So we woke up the next day at 2:30 to catch our Combi (big bus van thing) and I was like in a daze. I was just so frustrated because I was so tired, I couldn't understand what was happening... yeah. So we got on the bus, and I PASSED OUT. Whole time, I was completely gone. 

So, we got to Quilla. Again, crazy different... but I love it. It's so beautiful! And it's actually warm here. It's like, right at the edge of the Amazon basin, so, we still have mountains, it's warm but not too humid, and like the rainforest... yeah. Basically, everyone wants this area. Pretty bomb! So, I met my new compy/trainer/papa, Elder Gallego. He is from Lima, and speaks like, no English. (Rob, he is from the Lima Norte Mission. ) I really like him though! It's kinda difficult communicating sometimes, but he's very patient with me haha. So, we drove to Echarati, and I slept again. But Echarati is not a city, it's a pueblo... basically, it's a little town. Really small. It's good though. Just wayyyyy different. The members here don't have a ward, it's just called a groupo. Basically, it's too small to be a branch, but in the next few months they will change to a branch because there are enough members. A lot of the people here are inactive though, so we do a lot of reactivation. There is no chapel, it's just a little house that we use as a church. We hold sacrament meeting outside haha. Our little room is behind the casa capilla (house church). Our bathroom is in front of that! Haha. There's no toiletseat, but I should be grateful that we have a toilet. Our shower water is shipped here directly from Santa's Workshop. I feel like that is something that I will not get used to soon. Basically every day, I spend 10 minutes working up the courage, and like, .5 seconds actually in the water. It's pretty funny haha. Um... yeah. 

So, it is like, crazy different. Already though, it seems kinda normal. If anyone has specific questions, write to me and I'll try to answer. Anyways, the people here are really nice, but I just feel bad because I literally cannot communicate. The people in Echarati have kind of thick accents, so it's sometimes hard to figure out what they are try to say haha. Um... we had our first baptism yesterday! His name is Abel. His family is members, and he wasn't, so it was a really cool experience. We have 2 others, Joselin and Rony who are going to be baptized in August, after they are married. 

So I'll just share a few stories. On Saturday, we found a Spider that was dead serious as big as the palm of my hand. It's fangs were like, a centimeter long. I did the heebie jeebie dance, and we cut it in half. But that night, Elder Gallego and I put on head lamps, and I found out that spiders eyes glow. So we looked out around our little courtyard... wow. Hahaha. It was like someone tossed diamond shards all over. Freaked me out. And there are cockroaches everywhere at night. So, at night, I will go in the bathroom with my flip flop in hand, and just go to town. What weirds me out is there aren't bodies in the morning...

So, our area covers a few pueblos, but after a certain point, we can't go farther because there is a lot of terrismo I guess. So, we were walking to one, called Mira Flores the other day. Basically, we walk down a huge hill through the rainforest, come to a river, cross a sketchy bridge, and keep walking. But while we were going, Elder Gallego gave me cacao. It is the stuff that Chocolate is made of. It's super weird. It's red outside, and the inside is white haha. So, he gave me one, and you just like take the seed in your mouth, suck on it, and spit it out. I have pictures. I'll try to remember haha. But that was cool. Speaking of the food... it's... interesting. I won't say it's bad, but it's not my favorite. And it only took 3 days til I was feeling kinda ill... but everyone says that just the way it is for the next 2 years. Oh well. But they feed you a TON. My plan of getting thin here is flying out the door. I swear, every house we go to, they give you 6 pounds of rice. 

Ummmm... yeah! It's SUPER hard. Seriously. I was struggling the first couple days. And I still can't understand anything haha. But it's coming. I can feel it coming. And I can feel the Lord helping me, and when I turn to him, I really can feel the blessings and the love and comfort. It's good. I love it. I'm excited to be here! And I'm excited to start to understand Spanish so I can help teach these people, cuz they seriously rock. Vale la pena.  So... don't be mad. I forgot my paper with the mission address on it, and no one here knows it... I am SO sorry. I'll let you know as soon as humanly possible though. It's just the mission home address,, but I think it's a different one than you have. Email me I guess! although I don't have a ton of time to email, and this internet is kinda slow, I'll do my best, and I love hearing from all of you!!! Thanks for your love and support. The work is moving forward, even if I don't understand what is happening all of the time. I'll try to talk about more stuff next week, when I don't have so much to report about. I only covered a fraction this week too haha. 

Love and miss you all. Until next week!!

-Elder Richman

I can do pictures! Let me know if these work... The first one is of the casa capilla, the second is at Abel's baptism, and the third one is of the mountain that looms over Echarati (can't remember it's name but its awesome.). I will try to send more next week haha. But yeah. If they don't work, let me know.

:D

July 10, 2013

It's been a crazy last week in the CCM!

 

So, this Monday, Elder Brown and I recieved our travel itenterary for flying to Peru on Monday. So we were all super stoked. Then our teacher told us we may want to go and ask the travel office. So, we went, with high hopes. When we asked, the guy working said, "Oh, no . You aren't going if your visa doesn't come, these are just in case. Good questions though! (Good question... I wanted to kick him)" BOOM. Hopes smashed. So, we walked back to class dejectedly, and we also told anyone celebrating about going to Peru that we saw, that no, it wasn't real. Also, we found out we wouldn't get our reassignment until NEXT Thursday! So we'd be here for another week!

 

So that night, we were talking to some Hermana's going to Cusco too. They said they had talked to the travel office, and that someone thought that maybe we had gotten our visas, and we were going. So Elder Brown went on Tuesday morning to ask. We asked the lady, "Hey, what's going on? Did we get our visas?" She said, "Nope. You didn't get your visas!" Heart broken again. But she continued, "But we got you travelers visas. You're flying to Peru on Monday."

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. A week from now, I will be in PERU! l am so stoked. I leave the MTC at 3:30 in the morning Monday, and I fly out at 7, to LA. So that's a two hour flight, then I have a 5 hour layover in LA (Yuck) and then fly to Lima. I don't know what I do after that, but I'm sure I'll be taken care of.

 

So yeah. I'm stoked. Freaking out. But it's been a good week too besides that! On the Fourth of July, we got to have a devotional, watch 17 Miracles, and then watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks. Pretty amazing! Way fun, and a good experience. Um... I had a Coach Missionary Study with Hermano Hale this week, twice, and both of them were awesome. He knows exactly what to say to help me out and get me going on the right path to find my answers. So, one of the things was to help with an elder in our zone having a tough time. So, we met with him the other day, and did a study with him of the scriptures. We searched for answers for his questions, and helped him find out how to do it for himself. It was a really cool experience. I think we helped. Our zone seems to be doing pretty well right now.

 

Oh. So today, we randomly got two new roommates in our room.. which doesn't happen. So.. yeah. Kinda funny, but I'm not super happy, because we only have 4 days left, so I'd like to kind of spend them with the people I've come to know and love... haha. Also, there's no more room in our room... We'll see how that goes down hahaha.

 

So our investigators are doing good. They both have committed to baptism, so that's exciting, but tomorrow is our last lesson. Pretty sad.

 

Oh, so this is just kinda funny. Because we are missionaries, we are not supposed to refer to each other as "guys", only Elders and Hermanas. So Elder Christiansen bore his testimony this week, and I was sitting up on the stand as a zone leader, and I busted up. Because, he gets up, and he is like, "I just want to tell you guys, oh, I mean, Elders and Hermanas, yeah. I just wanna tell you guys you're awesome." Then he proceeds later to be like, "You guys are the best. You guys are rockstars." Our Branch Presidency was glaring daggers into his back. I think he used it about 17 times and I was just choking on laughter. It was awesome. Also, there was some senior couples that walked in, and I saw this senior sister, and I was like, "I know her. How do I know her?" I even mentioned it to Elder Brown. So after the meeting I asked her where she was from, and she said "Albeqerque New Mexico." So, nope, that wasn't it. So I asked where she was going, and she said Cusco Peru! Dead serious. Weirdest thing EVER, because, like, I KNOW I know her somehow. Gave me goosebumps.

 

Ummmmm.... Elder Brown gave the prayer at the devotional last night, so we got to sit up on the stand at the Marriot Center in front of all the people. It was pretty cool. I was on TV, so that was actually really weird haha. But it was fun. We had a really good post-devotional review afterwards too.

 

So I have two cool experiences to share this week, and honestly, that's not even a fraction. This week has been amazing haha. So the first was on Sunday night, we watched the Joseph Smith movie. Right about the end, I remembered that our teacher, Hermana Winder, had asked us to pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. So, I just said a quick, simple prayer to know if he was. I kept watching, and as Joseph Smith rode out of town, to Carthage, BOOM. Joseph Smith was a prophet. He HAD to be. That's all I could think. He was a prophet. I was blown away by the power of the Spirit in this second. It was seriously amazing. I cried. Again. I wish I wouldn't cry so much here. Sigh.  

 

Other experience was just about my visa. One of the things that Hermano Hale challenged me to do was keep trying to trust the Lord more, especially because my lack of visa was causing me a great deal of stress haha. So, he challenged me to trust in the Lord that whatever would happen, would be for my good, and for a reason. So, I started trying to more. I just let it go. But, Monday, I woke up, and for some reason, I KNEW I was getting my visa that day. It was so weird, because I just had this feeling, but it was more of a knowledge. So, I thought, "Okay Heavenly Father. I trust you. I guess I'll get it today." So we got all that flight stuff, and then got our dreams crushed, yada yada... and I didn't lose faith, but I just was kinda like, "Okay. If that's what's going on, I guess that's what's going on. I trust you." And then the next day we found out we were actually going. Straight up, Heavenly Father has to have a sense of humor. He has to. Because, I feel like stuff like that happens to me a lot. I feel like he kind of jokes with me, so see how I handle it, and I guess He thought I handled it well. May not sound that great to anyone else, but it was really cool for me haha.

 

I've loved my time here in the MTC. I'm so happy and blessed that I came here, and I know for a fact that I needed to come here, and that's why I didn't get my visa before. Seriously, I feel so blessed. I will remember my time here not only for the rest of my mission, but for the rest of my life. It's been a place of such spiritual growth, and I've learned an insane amount. I've felt the Lord behind me every step of the way here, and although I'm SUPER nervous to get into the field, I know that with the Lord, I can do all things. I can't wait to get to Cusco. Thanks for everyone's love and support, seriously. I know I haven't had time to email/write all of you back, and when I have, some of them have been really short. I promise I'm not ignoring you, it's just a busy life being a missionary! Wouldn't have it any other way. I will let everyone know my new address in Cusco as soon as I can, but I'd still love to hear from you with DearElders and letters and such haha. I love and miss you all so much, but what an amazing work to be a part of. It's truely incredible. Super weird to think that my next email will be from Peru... Until then!!

 

Con Amor,

 

Elder Richman

Almost in the Clear...

July 3, 2013

Hey everyone!

So, the week went by fast, again!  No surprise there, really. So, just want to clarify. Our investigators are NOT real investigators. They are teachers here at the MTC, but we practice with them, and it's impressive how much we really learn.

So, we had a good lesson with Yessenia last week! Our secret: Bring Hermanas. Seriously. So, Yessenia can't read very well, so we got a picture book to compliment her Book of Mormon, so she can read, and see those. So we taught her how to read a bit easier, and a bit more about the Plan of Salvation. She really liked the idea of being with our families for eternity, and the knowledge that before this life, we lived with our Heavenly Father. We sang Families Can Be Together Forever (in Spanish) and the Hermanas bore testimony and invited her to come to church and stuff. The Hermanas were being members of the ward, and they also invited her to come over after dinner for a meal. It was a really good idea, and she was eager to work. Elder Brown and I are really hitting our stride as a companionship, so that's good. We had a lot of good experiences like that this week.

We also prepped an awesome lesson for Walter, twice... both times, Hermano Hale wasn't here! We were heartbroken haha. But, we have started teaching the other companionships in our district to practice more. Our new investigators, Isabel, and Esperanza, are good. Esperanza has no church background, and Isabel has been diagnosed with some illness and is going to die in 2 years (Yeah, I know. It's like, the most awful scenario ever, but I guess it's good practice.) Our lesson with them was pretty decent as well I thought. Still lots to improve, but it's getting better.

We had TRC again yesterday. So, TRC is just with members, being members, and basically we have gospel discussions. It's pretty awesome. I like it. But yesterday, we taught a Sister named Lisa, and her dad, who is a stake president in California. It was a good lesson, but I had an epiphany during the lesson. We were like, 15 minutes in, and all of a sudden, I was like, "WHOA!" I realized I wasn't like, actively translating the discussion, but I just was understanding like it was English. It was really cool, and showed me that the language is coming. (Oh, by the way dad, she served in Salta. She was stoked when she found out you had served there too.)

So, this week we had a Zone Talent Show that some of the Hermanas in our district put on. It was interesting haha. Just a lot of silly and good stuff, but it was good to have something different. Also, we've been watching a lot of Mormon Messages lately. Straight up, I am such a little girl. I cry all the time in the MTC. I just get hit with the Spirit a lot haha. But I love it. And also... it's like a billion degrees in here. Oh my gosh. Walking outside is horrible haha. Especially in suits. Esta bien.

So this morning, we got to clean the temple. It was a pretty cool experience! We got to go into the Bride's room (which is gorgeous) and then clean in there. It was a cool experience. Our service leader's name was Gale. She was kinda crazy... but the good kind. She was really old, but super funny. She was great. It was a really fun time, and a great experience to participate. Kinda weird that I may not go to the temple for 2 whole years, so that may be the last time for the duration of my mission!

So, like 2 weeks ago, Elder Christiansen and Renshaw were made Zone Leaders, and then last week, Elder Rempel was made District Leader. So, Elder Brown and I were joking around later about how we stayed below the radar. Ha. Sunday, we were called as Zone Leaders. Let me also clarify, our zone is going to be containing, like, record missionaries, because instead of recieiving a district every 2 weeks, we get one every 1 week. So... yeah. We're responsible for like, 60 people. It's fun though! I love our zone, and they're all great. We've had to deal with a couple problems already, and I got to give my first blessing the other day, but it's good. I love it, and my Heavenly Father wants to help me grow. So, yeah! But it's kinda lame sometimes, because I really don't have any free time at nights now, because we spend all of it teaching our zone a spiritual thought. We got together with our Sister Training Leaders and set a few goals for our zone, to be more Unified, and to be "Real" missionaries.

Oh! So Elder Lee and Mann, our original zone leaders, got their visas to Peru! They already went to Wisconsin, but they were only there for 6 days! So, they are giving them out! Maybe I'll get it in time, maybe not. It's all good either way.

I'll explain the "real missionaries". So, we had two rocking devotionals this week. Sunday was really good, and I learned a lot . But the devotional last night was killer. It was Brother Richardson. He is the second counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. He talked about an experience he had here at the MTC in which a little girl saw him and his companion, and asked her grandma, "Grandma, are those REAL missionaries?" When he grandmother responded in the affirmative, he said the little girl broke into a fit of the giggles like she was meeting a celebrity. He then talked about how this one experience paved the way for his entire misson, and his life. He wanted to be a REAL missionary. He also talked a bunch about "What e'er thou art, act well thy part." Pretty powerful. But a few things I took away from it. Heavenly Father has an expectation of me. I may not know exactly what my purpose is yet, but that's my purpose, and I have a DUTY to do that to the best of my ability. But, I do know, that He wants me to be a missionary. I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I wear Christ's name on my chest. And I want to be a REAL missionary. I want to be the missionary that the little kids in Peru, can look at in awe, and think "Wow! Is that a real missionary?" I want to be able to reach down, shake their hand, and tell them that I have a message for them. A message of hope, and love, and a message which can improve their lives. I have a big duty, and I have big shoes to fill. But I know that with Heavenly Father at my side, as long as I am doing my best, He will provide the rest. What a wonderful time to be doing this work. I love this church, and cannot believe I'm already a month into my mission. That's 1/24 of my mission. And seriously, that makes me a little sad. It's already flying by, but I'm not sure I want it to sometimes.

Yo se que esta Iglesia es verdadera. Yo se que la obra misional es muy importante, y que yo necesito estar haciendolo. Yo se que con el poder and amor de Dios, yo puedo hacer todas las cosas. Yo se que nuestro Padre Celestial me ama, y nos ama! Mucho! El es nuestro literalmente padre, en los cielos. Es muy poderoso, y le amo. Esta obra, algun a veces, es dificil. Algun noches, yo voy a mi cama, muy cansado, y frustrado. Pero, cuando yo oro a mi Padre Celestial, y yo pido por su ayuda, siempre, yo recibolo. Yo amo esta obra, mucho. Yo amo el CCM mucho tambien, y el Espiritu que es aqui es muy bonito. Necesito tener el Espiritu conmigo, todo el tiempo, y es muy importante en nuestros ensenanzas. Yo se que con mi llamamiento nuevo de el lidir de la zona, yo necesito la ayuda y el Espiritu mucho, pero yo se que recibirelo. Yo amo este Evangelio, mucho. Yo se que el Evangelio puede bendicir vidas, de todas las personas en el mundo! Estoy animado para ensenarlo a el gente de Peru! (O en los Estados Unidos... Yo sabre la semana proxima jaja)  Lo siento si mi español es un poco malo, pero, yo estoy aprendiendo.

The pictures are of Elder Lee and Mann, who went to the Lima Peru North mission, before the left, and then last P-Day, Elder Brown and I realized our outfits were clashing. We are awesome. Haha. I'm gonna take a picture of my scriptures sometime and send it home, because the Book of Mormon Project deserves to be shown to the world.

Oh, also, congrats to Rob on his call! Thanks for all your love, thoughts, and prayers. Please write! I love hearing from you, and I feel really cool when I get letters. Like, for real. Highlight of my day. Hope I covered everything, almost every week, I walk out of my email time, and remember something, and just shake my head in shame.

Con Amor,

Elder Richman