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