week 53: australia style

Gday mum!!

This week was pretty awesome!  We have been working quite a bit with our investigator Julianne, and trying to get her to come to church.  We were able to teach her at the chapel, and the spirit was so strong and we were able to commit her to come to church.  So she came to church yesterday and she loved it!!  She will be baptized next Sunday after church, along with our other investigators Tui and Ayen!  I am so excited for them! 

I was able to do my first baptism interview this week, and it was an awesome experience.  The Sisters in the district had a baptism this week for a man named Brother Fiffita and he is the man!!  He has an awesome family too!  They love Nacho Libre, so we got along really well going back and forth with different quotes it was definitely an experience I will never forget.  The baptism was such a spiritual experience, the whole Fiffita family got up and started to sing to their Sister missionaries Sister Roberts and Brodie.  The spirit was so strong, I love being a part of this work.  It makes me feel so very lucky!  It is amazing how the Lord prepares his children to receive the Gospel, I cannot deny the spirit I feel each day, I know it is real and I know without that spirit we would not be able to do missionary work.

Gday mum!  Man those videos you sent were crakkup as, I wish I could send you some of the videos that I have taken haha!  I am glad that you had an awesome week, my week was really good and the weather is starting to get heaps better gearing up for spring I guess.  This week I found a hidden talent, I was able to sing in front of some families this week and apparently I am good at singing I think they are lying hahaha....  It sounds like someone is dying when I sing lol!  But my companion keeps telling me that I am good at it, he is a good man.  I would never ever sing in front of someone back home, but since coming on my mission I think I have come out of my shell a bit more hahahha!  It has been really good, I love President Maxwell I might get to see him next week because it is transfers!!!  This transfer is flying by, ever since the year mark, it seems like the days fly by!  I love you so much mum!!  I hope you have an awesome week!!  YOu and mac should go on tour lol!!  Cheers!

Love, Elder Richins

aka: COOPDAWGGGG

week 52: australia style

at an investigators house

elder noble got a bloody nose on our exchange

Gday mum!!

This week was really good!!  My companion and I saw so many miracles this week it was amazing!  A miracle that we saw yesterday, was with this girl named Ayen.  Ayen a week prior to us visiting with her, had her car break down in front of the chapel and there were some missionaries there to help her get her car up and running again.  Those missionaries who helped her out referred her to my companion and I, and we were able to teach her last night.   She is prepared as!!  She accepted a baptismal date for the 23rd!  It is amazing how the Lord prepares his children!  

I am so very grateful to be a part of this work, and to have the opportunity to serve the Lord with all my heart.  This blessing becomes more and more real to me each day as I put on my name tag each morning.  In D&C 103:36 is states "All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness and prayers of faith."  I try each day to magnify this, I love this work!

Hi mum!!  Sounds like you have been having a fun time babysitting Olive hahah!  I am loving life right now, although times are tough sometimes the good definitely outweighs the bad.  I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Noble this week and he was with me when I was in the MTC, and he is a good friend of mine in the mission.  We were able to speak of some good times we had in the MTC, and he told me that I had changed quite a bit since we were there.  It was kinda weird to hear that but it is true, it is amazing how much the mission has changed me as I have allowed my father in Heaven to change me.  I love being a missionary...  Today we are going to a bounce house for a zone p day so it should be pretty killer eh!!!  I am stoked, cuz I haven't been on a trampoline since I was back home hahaha!  I love you so much mum, and I am so very thankful for you in my life.  I hope you have a great week!  Cheers! 

Love, Elder Richins

aka: Cmunz

week 51: australia style

Gday mum!!

Man this week was pretty awesome!!  My companion and I are seeing heaps of miracles in our area and in our district.  My companion and I were able to set 2 baptismal dates this week with a boy named Daniel who is the son of a member who has been less active for quite a long time.  He is really cool, and he has a great desire to be baptized, his baptism will most likely be this week but we need to plan out some details.  We also set a date with a man named Steve, Steve is best friends with one of our investigators named Alex and we were able to get a chance to teach him about Eternal Families and following Jesus Christ.  He accepted a baptismal date, and Elder Parsons and I were really excited!  The past two weeks have just been awesome miracle weeks, we are now working on helping these investigators we have progress towards their baptismal dates! 

My companion and I have been praying and working very hard, and some names have been coming into our minds of people that we need to go see.  One person that I keep thinking about is a guy named Tui, Tui has told missionaries in the past that he has no interest in changing.  He came to church yesterday, and it was probably the most spiritual fast and testimony meetings I have ever been to and I just know he felt the spirit strong.  He told us to come over on Tuesday, and we hope to set a date with him. 

My love for the Saviour continues to grow each day, I know that he leads this work.  I just need to make sure I don't get in the way of him making miracles through me.  Because I cannot do this on my own one bit, I would fail every single time.  But with Christ I am made strong.

Gday mum how are you going???  Man I am glad yous had a good week this week!  My week has been pretty awesome, still eating heaps of food!!  The food that we are getting is mostly fast food that the members bring us, but we also get huge island feeds with tarro, lou, pig, and all that good stuff.  I am not gaining much weight though, just 4 pounds in 3 weeks lol!  Man I am loving it though, I really need to start eating healthy again...  Man the weather over here has been shocking, rain everyday and it snowed as well.  But today is really nice, it is like a summer's day pretty warm out there!  Fortunatley I have a car still because I am a DL, so that is a nice little perk.  My companion misses the bikes though, because he is gaining heaps of weight lol!  It feels good to be over the hump mark, but there is still much work to do, but man I reckon it flew by!!  I love you so much mum, and I think we are playing B ball again today hahah!  Have an awesome week!! Cheers!

Love, Elder Richins

aka: cmoney

week 50: australia style

Gday mum!!

This week was way good!!!  The district saw so many miracles this week it is crazy!  My companion and I were blessed to set 3 baptismal dates this week.  There names are Julianne, Malueth, and Maboot.  We have been so blessed, we have really been focusing on just working hard day in and day out and we are seeing results come from it. 

We experienced a huge miracle, we got a call on Friday from a guy named bro Brown.  He asked us if we could come to a place called Footscray to give a blessing to a non member that lived in our area.  This non member's wife is a long time less active member of the church, and she said a prayer because she was worried about if her husband would survive, and she received the answer to invite people to give her partner a blessing.  Her partner had a fall at work, and went into a coma and while in the coma they found out that he had a brain tumor.  So we went to the hospital and we waited for ages, and it was time for our cerfew so we just left...  The day after the 2 brothers that stayed gave the blessing and said in the blessing that this man would be fully restored to health.  One of the men that gave the blessing grabbed the arm of the less active woman and said after the blessing was over "don't you forget this miracle that is about to happen..."  As of last night the man that received the blessing woke up from his coma, and has a clean bill of health!  If that is not a miracle I don't know what is!!!  We are going to teach them both this week, and I am so very excited!!  I love this work!

Gday mum!!!!  How are you going???  Man I really like my new area, it has been a blast getting out to all of the new members!!  I am loving being a district leader as well, I have such an awesome district that is working so hard right now!!  As for the family trip I will go anywhere!!!  But I would like to go to Hawaii or costa rica!  Mum, I love being a missionary it has been such a blessing to me in my life...  My companion is really cool still, we love playing b ball together and that is what we are up to today!!  I cant wait!  Lets just say though, I have never ever ever ever ever seen so much food in my life.  I am in the danger zone mate!!  Hahahahahha!!!  I love you so much mum!!!  Thank you for all that you do for me!  have an awesome week!  Cheeers!

Love, Elder Richins

week 49: australia style

Gday mum!!

Well I have been transferred to a place called Hillside in the Deer Park zone.  Haha it is an islander area, so if I was worried about gaining weight before I should be heaps more terrified hahaha!!  It is good as though, I am serving as district leader so that has been pretty good!  My companion is the man, his name is Elder Parsons he is from New Zealand.  He is a very humble man, and I have really enjoyed serving with him the past couple of days.

The work this week went very well, my companion and I worked heaps with former investigators and were able to set 2 dates with a man named Riiny and also another man named Domingo.  They are both very keen, to learn more about the Gospel.  We also worked with a less active named Brother Williams, and we shared a message with him and he came to church for the first time in like 10 years.  He was so happy to get back, and it really strengthened my testimony that people can change, and that through Jesus Christ we can change.  I really love my new area, and the ward is great they are always looking to serve the missionaries I am excited to see the work progress here and also in the district.  My life is being blessed from the people that I am meeting!

Gday mum!!  How are you going??  I am going to have to apologize that I cant put any pictures up on the computer because I forgot my adapter.  It sounds like yous have had an awesome week with everything.  That story that you told me about the man that paid for your food was awesome as!  I am in an islander area right now, and lets just say I have never seen so much food in my entire life......  I am running wind sprints every morning to keep off the weight, and I am fasting during the day so I don't die at dinner time.  Haha I will send a picture of the feeds we get, it is awesome!!!  I am loving my new companion he has been out for 3 months and he is the man.  He loves basketball so we get along really well.  The district is pretty good as well, I have one of the Elders from my intake in it named Elder Noble.  I am excited to serve.  I love you so much mum!!!  Have an awesome week!  Cheers!

Love, Elder Richins

aka: Coopdawgggg

week 48: australia style

lava cakes

Gday mum!!

This week was pretty productive, we were able to teach quite a few lessons.  First off Navid, one of our progressing investigators came to church for the first time and he loved it, he really enjoyed the piano and the songs we sang.  His English is not the best, and he didnt understand a lot of the things said but you could tell he felt the spirit.  Another miracle we had this week was, we went to a funeral home and put our names down as clergy for people in distress and we got to talk to two very nice people working at the funeral home.  One of them had been to the states and had seen the Book of Mormon theatrical play and he was interested in learning more about the church.  So we set an appointment to see him on Sat!  It is crazy how the Lord prepares his children to learn about the Gospel.  

We had quite a few lessons fall through again this week which was a bit frustrating, but we managed to find some solid new contacts to follow up with in the coming weeks.  Elder Garcia Kempf is starting to lead in teaching, and man....  He is doing a great job.  Although he still speaks broken English, I could feel the spirit so strong when he taught.  I have really enjoyed my time with him these 6 weeks.  I am being transferred along with my companion.  It was a huge surprise to us both, mostly because the area is going really well at the moment.  But the Lord has a plan, and I will follow where he tells me to go.  But it is a little bit sad, to see this area go, because I felt like there are still people here for me to help.  The Lord needs me somewhere else.  I love this Gospel with all my heart, and although times may not be easy, as we rely on Jesus Christ and his Atonement all is possible.  

Gday mum how are you going???  Sounds like it has been a bit of a full on week.  I am sad to hear that Mac is struggling with his health a little bit, I am definatley keepin him in my prayers daily.  Man....  I am pretty suprised that I am leaving hey....  Kinda bummed out too.  But everything will work out.  This week has been pretty beautiful weather wise, there has been quite a bit of sunshine goin so that is really good.  I am really excited to see where I end up, to see who I can help next.  Today I need to pack, and then we are playiing basketball with the district and some members of Eltham ward so that will be heaps of fun.  I hate packing lol.  No folding required just chuck all my clothes in a bag a call it a bewdy mate hahahahah!  I love you so much mum!!  Thank you for all you do for me.   Cheers!

Love, Elder Richins

aka: CMONEY 

week 47: australia style

sparklers!!

spreading the gospel with an elderly man at the library

Croike dingo!!!

This week was pretty good, although we had quite a few appointments with our progressing investigators fall through.  We were able to do quite a bit of finding this week, and we found some solid people to follow up with this week.  We are seeing some massive miracles as we continue to use members as our focus for spreading the Gospel.  We were able to teach one member referral this week named Bianca, and she was really interested in prophets and how the Gospel was restored through a living prophet.  We have been leaving specific commitments for the members each week we see them, and this week's commitment was to invite one person to church or to learn about the Gospel in two weeks.  This got the members pretty excited and we are seeing some solid referrals in the making as we have done this.

I am loving being in Eltham, there are people being prepared here and my companion and I are doing all that we can to find them.  We are seeing blessings and miracles come as we are exactly obedient to the mission rules.  I feel my testimony growing so much in the past couple of weeks, specifically my testimony of Joseph Smith.  I have been basing allot of my studies lately on Joseph Smith, and because of that I really do know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  I know that I have been called by a prophet of God to come to Melbourne at this time, and although I am very imperfect I know that I can do all things through Jesus Christ someone that suffered and died for all of my imperfections and heartache.  I love this Gospel so much and it is so real.

Croike dingo mum, how are you going??  Sounds like you have had a pretty full on week, with mac...  This week was really good.  I did get a chance to celebrate the 4th a little bit, we went over to an American couple's home in the ward and they had a big barby and rootbeer!!!  I hadnt seen rootbeer in ages!  Been like a year lol.  They also had jolly ranchers and a bunch of American lollies, they went all out they are awesome!  They also gave us a pack of sparklers, so Elder Garcia Kempf and I that night after planning went outside in the freezing cold and did sparklers!!  It was sweet!  We have done quite a bit of finding this week like I said earlier, and I am excited to follow up with the contacts that we found.  Although there is not much to report on, we still had a really productive week, and we are working as hard as we can.  I wish I was there when yous sang in Sacrament, I bet yous did great!  I love you so much mum, and I am thankful for all you do for me, I looked at my watch today and it said July 7th, and I was like "woah" I thought it was june still.  It is flying by I reckon!!!  Have a good week!!  Cheers

Love, Elder RIchins

aka:C$<3