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
No comments:
Post a Comment