March 3

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow I can't believe that it is already March. That is so crazy.  This week was a lot better, thank you so much for the prayers!

We had a great Mission Tour with the 2nd counselor of the Philippines Area President, Elder Aldem, from New Zealand.  It was really inspiring.  He talked about using time effectively as a missionary.  He talked about how we should come home everyday super exhausted because we worked so hard, and then we you get off the plane when we come home, our parents shouldn't be able to recognize us and they should tell us how awful we look. But he said you will feel great and your parents should be able to recognize that.  It was really inspiring, just making sure that we don't waste a single second of our time here on the mission.

There is actually a song in the hymnbook that I have come to love here on the mission it is on pg 266 I don't know if have ever heard it, but it is a really cool song about missionary work. It is called The Time is Far Spent:

The time is far spent; there is little remaining
To Publish glad tidings by sea and by land
Then hasten ye heralds;go forward proclaiming;
Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven's at Hand

Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you;
The weight of you calling he perfectly knows.
Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.
His arm is sufficient tho demons oppose

It is just one of my new favorite hymns!

Anyway though, Elder Aldem also talked about becoming Master Teachers and how to really develop teaching skills.  He explained that becoming Master Gospel Teachers is a Life-long pursuit. He talked a lot about teaching skills in the leadership training too.  He talked about powerful doctrine statements, use scriptures -help investigators dig into the scriptures, bear powerful testimony, and then when the spirit is the strongest close the lesson, so that they have time to ponder when we leave.  It was really helpful.

So we are teaching this one family the Corrido Family, they are so cute.  For the past two weeks we had only taught the mom and the kids, but this week on Thursday the father joined us.   Brother Corrido has always read the bible and knows the bible really really well.  But he says that he always felt though that something was missing.  He went to a lot of churches, but there was something missing in all of them.  He first asked some questions to us Who was Joseph Smith, What is the Book of Mormon, and What is the nature of God.  Of course we were happy to answer those questions. We gave him a Book of Mormon and said I am going to study this. And when we left he was reading it. We taught them again last night about the plan of salvation.  It was so cool to see his excitement, he asked if we could come back every night to teach them.  Sister and her kids came to church, but brother had work, but next week he said he will be there.


This week really has been a lot better. I am teaching my companion Tagalog how they taught us in the MTC repetition.  I don't think she will understand all the rules and stuff, but if she says sentences over and over she will be able to teach more and more. She absolutely loves me because she is finally understand and learning Tagalog.  I won't feel that I have done anything.  I just want her so much to be able to teach and enjoy her time here in the mission, rather than just enduring.


Oh I have to mention this funny story that happened on Wednesday when the APs were helping us move apartments.  We were moving one of the desks and then there was this giant Spider or Gagamba.  It was so funny  to see these two american elders totally freaking out.  They immediately decided that they needed to kill it.  So they took a stick and chased the spider around the room for 10 minutes until they killed it.  I just thought it was so funny.  I was always told just to leave the big spiders alone because they get angry.  Haha anyway it was super funny.

Well I am learning to love this area.  It really is a great area.  I know that they Lord sent me here for a purpose with my companion right now.  Even though sometimes it may be challenging. I know that the Lord is here with me.

-Sister Richins