The One with all the New Investigators!

January 25, 2016

 

Kaitlyn and Sister Killpack celebrating Kaitlyn's half birthday!

So miracle on miracle this week! this week started out ruff but after transfers on Wednesday we have seen soo many miracles.  So this week started out ruff because sister young was a mess about transfers. Originally she was supposed to got St. Cloud and be in a trio but she called president Forbes and he said that he'd pray about it and get back to her that night (Monday). So she was a nervous wreck all day and he ended up not making a decision till Tuesday night around 9:30. So sister young was a nervous wreck Tuesday as well and broke down several times that day and was literally making herself sick with worry. So we were just about to leave Pat and Sister B's house at 9:30 and we get the call from president Forbes telling us that sister young was now getting transferred to cottage grove to be in a trio, and she LOST it. Like it kind of scared me, she was sobbing, and I finally called president Forbes back and got permission for her to call her parents. So two hours later we finally leave sister B's house at like 11:30 after she'd calmed down a bit and went home and proceeded to pack till 4:30am because she'd been in Anoka for 6 months so she'd accumulated a ton of junk that she wasn't keen on getting rid of. So we took a three hour nap from 4:30-7:30 then got up loaded all her stuff in the car and headed over to Bloomington for transfer meeting. It was really ruff. So this is the second time I've had a companion break down on me and I do not have very good comforting skills so I'm thinking maybe this is something Heavenly Father is trying to teach me. How to comfort people. I don't know... Maybe. So yeah only three hours of sleep was hard. I was on the struggle bus hard on Wednesday.

Sooo getting into all the good of this week. I met my new companion Sister Killpack!!!! She's from Hyrum, Utah and she's just out of training so she's been out a transfer less than me (3 months) and I'm her missionary dad! (First companion whose not your trainer). She's so great! I'll include some pictures but her and I are ready to work so hard, teach people, and see miracles. We're pumped that president trusts us enough to trust us with the Anoka area. We stayed in Bloomington for a sweet worldwide missionary broadcast and then sister Killpack, Peterson (MTC Comp.) and Brett all went to red robin together for lunch. I've been craving it for such a long time so I was really happy. I'm so excited that sister Peterson and I are finally in the same zone! We want to be companions so bad!

 

So we gained 4 new investigators since sister Killpack and I got together!!! That was one of the big miracles of this week. First new investigator is Cecelia. We found her while stopping by potentials (people missionaries have previously met) and she invited us and we talked for a while. She's a sweet old German lady who moved to the US from Germany because of world war 2. We are gonna see her again and found the PERFECT joint teacher to come with us through a dinner appointment that I'm sure was divinely inspired cause we didn't have a dinner and sister Sophie randomly called us up and invited us over. We're pumped for Thursday when we are supposed to go over again. Also that day we went over to see Peggy and it was cool because as we were leaving she was like I really needed you guys today, how did you know? And we just said the Holy Ghost does amazing things. That's one of my favorite parts of being a missionary is being put in people's path exactly at the right moment when they need us. It's the coolest thing ever.

Then miracle 2! Oh my gosh I still can't believe that it really happened. So we got a referral for a couple that requested a bible online and we went to deliver it and it was FOREVER AWAY, but we decided that we just needed to spend the miles and go. So we show up to the door and this heavy set man without a shirt on answers the door, so I just blurt out "hey we're looking for Larry and Brenda?" And before we say anything else he's "like come on in! I'll get Brenda!" So we were super confused (never happened to me before) but we go and sit down and are talking with them about the bible and we give them a Book of Mormon and they gave us a few bible books to read and they downloaded gospel library and said they might come to church on Sunday. (They didn't make it but oh well) and we are going back hopefully Tuesday night and they wanted to invite some of their friends from church over too, so any prayers that it'll go well and not turn into a bible bashing session would be MUCH appreciated. So new investigators 2 & 3.

Then on Sunday there is a nonmember friend of a member whose name is Jerri. She's been coming to church for a while but hasn't been able to have the missionaries over because her mom does NOT like the missionaries or that she's going to a different church. But we were talking with her yesterday and she wants to take the missionaries lessons at her friends house. WE ARE SO PUMPED! She's golden, like she could potentially get baptized this transfer! Which makes new investigator number 4!

Then also yesterday pat came to presidents fireside! It was really fun, I love being around all the other missionaries and seeing people I've served with. Sister Peterson was there, Sister Jolley, Sister Kirkby, elder Judd, and sister young was there. She's doing a lot better that she's now in Bloomington instead of cottage grove. We got home a little late but we realized that yesterday was my half birthday! So we made a really funny video of us celebrating that I'll hope to attach.

Love, Sister Richardson

Spiritual Thought of the Week:

So I'm in the book of Mosiah right now in the Book of Mormon and I came across a part in chapter 24 verse 17 that stuck out to me. God was commanding his prophet alma to do something not particularly easy and he said "... Go... And I will go with thee...". This really stuck out to me that if we are willing and faithful in keeping the commandments of God and put our trust in him that he will be with us strengthen us always.