week 46: australia style

Gday mum!!

This week was pretty good!  We were able to see a quite few miracles!  The first half of the week, we tried getting Steve prepared for baptism for the Sunday.  Unfortunately he just was not ready, and we didn't want to push him to do something that he wasn't ready to do.  But we were able to set 3 baptismal dates this week with a guy named Adib, who is awesome he asked us if he could come to church with us everyday.  Haha he is really excited to read the Book of Mormon and he said he would read the whole book this week.  So we will see how he went when we catch up this week.  He is the man, we also set 2 more dates with Navid who is Persian and he has a Muslim backround but is interested in switching to Christianity.  Also set a date with Muhammed who is also Muslim, and he is really excited to read the Book of Mormon.

My companion and I were so blessed this week, and we were able to find so many potential investigators on the train this week.  We are really excited to follow up with all of them this upcoming week.  I love my companion he is the man, he is a sponge and I really admire the work he is doing at this time, even with the language barrier he is an example to me of diligence.  Today I am grateful for the many tender mercies and blessings that God has bestowed upon me, I really do know that my mission has really developed my testimony and I am so very grateful for that.  I will serve the Lord to the end and I am doing my best to do the things that he commands me to do, because I have come to know that they are worth it.

Gday mum!!  How are you going?!  I am so glad that you guys had an awesome experience on trek, besides the rain hahahaha!!  I remember trek being such a tender experience for me as well, even when I was carried off in the emergency cart hahahahahhahhahaah!!  It is truly special the sacrifice that those families made to cross the plains, and the reason they were doing it was because they had a firm faith in the Lord.  I am very glad that you had such a great time, and I am so very grateful for the ward back home and their love and support for me.  It truly is a wonderful ward, with wonderful people.  This week for me was pretty good, we are starting to see some of the fruits of our labors which is always good to see.  The work is really moving forward here in Eltham and I am glad to be a part of it.  The land down under is the land of MIRACLES!!!  Mum I am so thankful for you and the loving mum you have always been to me, although I didnt express it much back home I am so grateful for those things you have done for me.  I love you so much and I am thankful for you and dad going on trek. I know our Heavenly Father is so very proud of you.  There is a scripture that comes to mind when thinking about this Gospel and it is found in Matt 11:28-30.  I really know that following the Savior and putting his yoke upon us brings us great peace and rest.  The Savior's promise includes everyone, that has the desire to follow.  I love the Savior.  That is a huge testimony builder for me and it makes me cry every time I think about it. I love you!  Have an awesome week!

Love, Elder Richins

aka:COOPDAWGYDAWG

week 45: australia style

found this cool as playground

Gday mum!!!

This week was pretty good!!  I really feel like I have grown quite a bit spiritually this week.  We had some pretty rough times this week, but my companion and I really feel like we have really developed a greater love and appreciation for Jesus Christ.  We had the opportunity to see Steve in the hospital this week, and he is doing heaps better.  We talked about Faith in Jesus Christ with him and shared with him the story of Alma and Amulek and how because they had faith they were delivered out of bondage.  He really enjoyed the story, and he is still looking good for his bap date this Sunday.  He sent us a text out of the blue the other day that said "I believe in Jesus Christ."  I wanted to do a happy dance!  He has come such a long way, and it is wonderful to see how much he has grown, as he has put his faith in Jesus Christ.  

As for the rest of the people we are teaching, they are having trouble with having the desire to learn more.  So we focused quite a bit on finding this week, and saw some success, and have some pretty solid potentials to follow up on this week.  I had a really cool miracle happen to me this week, so I was riding the trains with my companion talking to people.  And we needed to switch train lines in order to get to an appointment on time, and I reached into my pocket as I walked into the train station and I lost my white handbook which had my bus card in it.  I started panicking pretty bad, because I didnt want to get on a train illegally, so I sat down and said a prayer.  After the prayer I really felt calm and I knew that God would help me.  Two minutes later a man walked into the train station and he was part of the metro police, and he saw my companion and I and he said "Hey Elders!"  I was like "What......"  Then he said that he was a member of the church in Sunbury ward.  After he told me that I told him about my situation and he wrote me a ticket, so that I could ride the train back to where we needed to be!  WOW!  I really do know that prayer works, and our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers as we have faith.  This experience really strengthened my testimony of prayer.  

Gday mum!!!  How are you going??  Sounds like yous are pretty busy preparing for trek!!  Lagoon also looked like heaps of fun, I remember going on that swinging death trap SCARY!!  This week for me was pretty rough, everything that could go wrong went wrong except with Steve.  But my testimony grew in so many aspects this week, and I am really thankful for that.  My companion and I are getting on really well, he is so funny!!  He says heaps of funny things, he is trying to get the Aussie lingo down so sometimes we will just be sitting in the car totally silent and he will say "bewdy mate" and we both start busting out laughing!!  It is funny because he still has a really thick Spanish accent, and it is hilarious when he tries to mimick aussies!!  I love my companion!  I got 4 new sweaters and it is cool to have some variety with my winter stuff and I am definatley warm now!! I am really excited for this upcoming week, I just have a feeling that it is going to be an awesome week for both me and you!!  TREK!!!!   You guys will do great and I am really excited to hear your experiences!!!  I love you so much mum!!  Thank you for all that you do for me!!  Have an awesome week, and stay safe!!  Yous are in my prayers!  Cheers!

Love, Elder Richins

aka:Coopdawgydawg

week 44: australia style

tiffany's baptism

my ultimate masterpiece

Gday mum!!

This week was really awesome!!  Well first off.... Tiffany was baptized this week, and it was awesome!!  She was so ready, and it was so cool to see her excitement.  We had daily contact with her this past week, and she told us everytime we called her, how excited she was!  I was very honored to baptize and confirm her into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She will be a great addition to the church for sure.  It was really cool, because at the end of the baptism program she got to bare her testimony, and I felt the spirit so strong...  She truly had a change of heart which enabled her to change her life through baptism.  She is so EXCITED!!  

This week was a little bit hard as well, two of our most progressing investigators dropped us and that was a bit hard.  Steve is doing heaps better, and he is in the hospital right now and he will be there for another two weeks.  I had the opportunity to visit him in the hospital with my companion and we had a really spiritual discussion with him and he expressed his appreciation for us always making sure he is ok.  He said that he wants to be baptized again on the 29th of June, but we will see how he goes!  I have faith in him!!!!  

We did quite a bit of finding this week, and my companion is doing so awesome!!!!  He found two people on the train, and man... I am so proud of that guy!  He has NO FEAR!!  Elder Garcia Kempf is doing really well, and his English is coming along very well.  He gave a talk yesterday in church and he spoke perfect English, it was such a miracle!  I am so glad to be with Elder Garcia Kempf, I am learning a whole lot from him, and hopefully he is learning something from me too haha!!  I love having the opportunity to serve, I am never going to forget the people that I have met and taught like Tiffany, she was truly prepared by God and I am very grateful that the Lord used my companion and I to help bring her back to the fold.  MIRACLES!!

Gday mum!!!  How are you going??  Happy fathers day to DAD and POPS, and maguire.... hahahahah!!!!  I hope you guys enjoy your time and mimsley and pops!!  Sounds like you have had a full on week, with work and preparing for the good ol trek!!  This week for me was mui frio!! (Cold)  I have kinda stopped running in the mornings now that it is like a freezer outside in the morning!!  I never really thought that Australia would be this cold, but it is hahah!  It has been a pretty productive week, we are in the works of building up a teaching pool again, so it is a bit hard at times but everything will be ok.  On saturday after the baptism Elder Garcia Kempf and I went to hungry jacks (burger king in the states) and we had a feast to celebrate the baptism, I spent 20 dollars on myself, and I thought I was going to die...  My stomach is still getting back to normal, I probably wont try that again haha!!  Elder Garcia Kempf is a crackkup!  He does a werewolf inpersonation, and it is pretty stinkin scary but I cant help laughing!!!  He is funny as, as I have gotten to know him a little bit more!  I am really enjoying life right now and all is going well!!  I will be on for a bit longer if yous have any Q's!  I love you so much mum!!!  Thank you for all of the love and support you give to me, it really means allot to me.  Have a great week!!  Say hi to errybody for me!  Cheers

Love, Elder Richins

aka: Coopdawgydawg

happy saturday

week 43: australia style

 Elder Garcia Kempf!!

one of the members in our ward has a neighbor that has heaps of snakes and different reptiles.

Gday mum!!  

This week has been pretty good!  I have a new companion, and his name is Elder Garcia Kempf!!  He is from Spain, and he is 20 years old!  But there is a twist!!!  I am teaching him some good ol English.  He understands English very well, but as far as speaking goes, he struggles just a little!  Makes me wish I would have payed more attention in Spanish class haha, because I would be able to communicate with him heaps better haha!  He has a great desire to be obedient and work hard, and he is doing a great job, he is pretty good for only being out for 5 days haha!  He is the man!!!

As for Steve this week we had a bit of drama arise with him.  Due to some medical situations we were not able to see Steve this week.  He told us not to come back until he gets better, so he is feeling a bit better now so we will see him tomorrow.  

Tiffany is doing so awesome!!  We taught her the commandments this week, and she accepted all of them, and she is really excited for her baptism this Saturday!  She is keeping all of her commitments, and it is awesome to see that!  I am really excited for her baptism this upcoming Saturday.  

We saw Sue this week and set some expectations with her, and the lesson we taught to her was really strong, and we committed her to come to church, but unfortunately she didn't come.  So this week we are going to have a drop lesson with her, she is just not keeping her commitments.

I am really excited for this area though, there are a ton of good things happening here in Eltham, I am really excited for the opportunity to train and serve with Elder Garcia Kempf.  I am grateful for the opportunities that the Lord is giving me to serve, I love this work so much.  It is changing my life for the better.

Gday mum!!  How are you going?  Sounds like you guys have had a full on week, poor Olive…  I had a pretty good week, pretty flat out just like yours haha!  My new comp is a great man, and he wants to work hard so that is good.  It is freezing here in Melbourne right now!  We went for a run this morning and I thought I was going to turn into an ice cube!  Today for P day we are having a zone basketball day, so it will be good to get with everyone this afternoon and put up a couple of jumpers haha!  Man….  We went to see this guy across the street from one of our members, and he had heaps and heaps of snakes!!  I got to hold some of them…  Creepy as, I hate snakes!  He had one of the most deadliest snakes in the world in his collection, and a baby croc.  The work is going really well, and we are seeing heaps of miracles through our obedience and hard work!  I am glad yous are getting excited for trek, and getting all trekked up!!!  Tuaine is so awesome, her family is the best she is taking good care of my companion and I!  I am loving this ward!  Well, I love you so much mum!!!  I hope You have an awesome week!  I will be on for a bit more if yous want to chat!  Cheers!

Love, Elder Richins

Aka: CMONEY

week 42: australia style

                 "wheels" (elder wheeler) saying goodbye to the one and only sis Alessio!

Gday mum!!!

So this week was pretty interesting!  We saw some pretty amazing miracles with our investigator Tiffany, we taught her twice this week in a member's home.  She recieved her answer through prayer and reading and she told us last night when we were teaching her that she had "found the truth."  It was so cool to hear that, she loves reading in the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon we gave her is marked up to the max, with notes and highlights she is a great student I reckon!  The ward is doing a really awesome job with her too, she has 3 very solid fellowships in the ward, and we are taking her to a ward family home evening so she can meet some new members as well!  Tiffany is one of the most prepared people I have ever seen, it is an honor to be a part of her spiritual progression.

We had a bit of a setback with Steve this week, that is ok though.  Yesterday at church he had a couple really spiritual experiences, some of the testimonies shared in fast and testimony meeting yesterday really hit home with him he said.  He has such a great desire to be baptized and to change his life, he is struggling with the Word of Wisdom at the moment though.  I have complete faith in him though, so his new baptismal date is for next Sunday.  So far he has been clean from smoking about a week, so he is doing awesome!!  Just need to keep the faith!!  

This week we also had the opportunity to fast with our investigator Sue.  Her mother is going through some health problems.  It was so cool to see how willing Sue was to do a fast with us, she had absolute faith that her mother would be strengthened through her heath troubles.  When the fast was all said and done, Sue told us that when she was fasting she could only think about Jesus Christ.  How cool is that??  We were so happy to see her happy!  Unfortunately she was not able to come to church this week, but we will keep working with her.  

Eltham area is on fire at the moment, there are so many great things happening here.  I am so grateful to be here, Elder Wheeler is being transferred and I am training a new missionary.  I am excited to train, it will be a great experience!  But I am so thankful that the Lord has called me to this work in spite of my many imperfections.  I know that through Christ I have been changed and I will continue to change.  I love being a missionary.

Gday mum!!  How are you going??  Sounds like yous have had a good week, with zacs homecoming talk and everything in between!  I still cant believe that it is summer over there, it is freezing cold over here now!  I have been dressing like an Eskimo whenever I go to bed haha!  This week was pretty good though!  Saw some miracles with Tiffany, and ate way too much food!  I am starting to run sprints every morning to combat the food lol!  I am excited to train as well, it will be cool to give it a go.  I will most likely be district leader as well, but I find out tomorrow so we will see!  I was talking to Elder Richey this morning and he is staying another 6 weeks in Tasmania!  Far out...  He has been down there for ages, he has dethroned me as the Wizard of Rosny!!!  It was good to serve with Elder Wheeler, it was a really testing transfer but I feel so much stronger coming from it.  He taught me to have heaps of patience, although I still struggle with it, I have gotten heaps better with it I reckon!  I laughed pretty hard about the story about Papa!  It sounds like you are still in one piece!!  I love you so much mum!!  I hope you have an awesome week!!!  If you have any Q's I will be on a bit longer!  Cheers!!

Love, Elder Richins

aka: Cmoneylove