LMP's!!!

Hello Everyone!

 So, this week was pretty good. We had 13 lessons this week with three lessons with a member present (LMP's), both of which are RECORDS for this area (since I've been here). Our goal is to keep improving. Transfers are next week, but I refuse to be transferred (I'd better not say that too loud, since every time I say something like that the Lord seems to know better than me...) because I love it here, and there's so much work to be done. 

Shonna is WONDERFUL!! We invited her to be baptized, and she said she'd think about it. She's reading the Book of Mormon-- no, STUDYING the Book of Mormon. We went to have a lesson with her yesterday, and instead answered questions for over an hour. I'm so glad we had a member there with us, because a lot of her questions were about hell (we taught her the Plan of Salvation last, which lacks a specific place called "hell", so when Nephi brought it up it confused her) and Sister Coffelt was able to help us a lot. Shonna loves us so much, it's crazy. She's older and sicker, and not very sociable, so we're some of her only interaction. Apparently, whenever she does go out, she talks about us a lot. She told us that one woman said she'd never listen to missionaries, and Shonna outrightly defended us! She's a really neat lady. We're hoping to take her to Kirtland this week, which would be AWESOME leading up to General Conference. I'm so excited to use that as a tool for missionary work! We actually taught Shonna three times this week: We read 2 Nephi 2 with her, then taught the Plan of Salvation, and then answered questions yesterday. She usually says, "OK, that makes sense," and asks a lot of questions. If only we all studied as well as she does.

 

Saturday was a CRAZY day. We helped the other sisters man a booth and the Norwalk Autumn Leaves festival. Members loaned us a table and chairs and a canopy and other stuff to make a really nice looking booth with posters about Christ and lots of materials to hand out, as well as cookies and dum-dums. Between us four sisters and the members who came to help, over the whole day, we placed 32 Book of Mormons. That's pretty cool. It was really good. It was funny to see the difference between the people who were really interested, those that wouldn't be lured in even with cookies, and those that knew the cookies were a ruse but didn't really care. :) We also had our first Bible study class that night. Only our ward mission leader's family and one of the sister's less-active members showed up, but it was fun. Sister Hawkins and I taught it on coming to know Christ, the difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him, and led into our weekly topic of Christlike attributes. It was cool. We didn't prepare nearly enough material to last 45 minutes, but we made it work; no one knew. :)

 

Today we spent a lot of time with Shawn, and awesome lady from the ward. She always calls us the "Stinky Sisters," but she calls everyone "stinky." She cut our hair today, and I cut probably five or six inches off, at least. It's right above my shoulders now (pictures attached). It was really fun. But, now we're running late and Sister Hawkins and I are ending our P-day early to go to a lesson. This is a weekly thing now, though, since it's the only day she can meet. She's practically a dry Mormon; her grandma just wont' let her get baptized, but we're meeting with her anyway to kinda revamp her conversion. It's all good.

 

I love being a missionary. Keep sending the letters and emails; I love hearing how you all are doing! I love you lots and lots; have a wonderful week!

 

Love,

Sister Richards

Picture 001 is me role-playing the Restoration to our "investigators"- Sister Hawkins' lopsided lion, my Hump-day camel, and my bendy missionary.

Picture 002 is after we all went out and played in the rain in front of our house one night. It was POURING, and we all had to change before we went to bed. It was really fun, though!

.Picture 003: My new hair! (You can see the difference in color really badly in the picture... Silly perm last summer changed it. It's almost gone, though.) The library is in the background.

Picture 004: Sister Hawkins and I helping Sister Tobey patch her giant bubble! I am inside. :) They have a bouncy house, and use that fan to blow up the bubble. Sometimes they put ball-pit balls in there and the kids play in it. They have the COOLEST toys. And, they're an awesome missionary family.