A Brazilian Bar (if you enlarge the picture you can see "Texas")

Araçatuba Turtles in the river

Motos in the rain

So.....How ya doin'? Isso aí! Opa, e então, everything is going great here in Araçatuba.

I'm now an LD (District Leader) and my work pretty much hasn't changed. So in otherwords my work is this, be a normal missionary and work hard and then at night call the Sisters and get thier numbers. Then after that call the LZ's and report the numbers. And when needed give a training, I will tomorrow for District Meeting, and do the Baptismal Interviews for the Sisters and the LZ's.

That's about it. So that makes me cool right?

This week was good, I got to know the area, it was great, I like it here, except our area is huge. but it's good, we walk a lot. And we have lot's of good people to work with, we had so many cool experiences like doing a contact with someone and not finding the house for like a half hour because she didn't know the house number and so then we said a prayer to guide us to her house and we asked a group of people, and they knew where she lived. And so then we met her aunt and she was very nice and we will visit them this week.

And then I did a contact with a girl and saw her in white being baptized. So we went back and her mom said (before we said anything) No, I don´t want anything, I'm Evangelical. And then we asked if the girl lived there and she did and asked us to come back another day and kind of acting secretive against her mom. So that is definitely a good sign, we will go back this week too. We helped a lot of people and found a lot of good people to teach.

One lunch we had was a Churrasco (barbecue) and the man there was telling a story about a couple who got married recently and he said they got hitched when the girl was meia-gravida or half pregnant.... wait how does that work? Either you are or you’re not. There is no half.

Then in Church I played the piano......I DON’T PLAY THE PIANO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't read Treble Clef music. Only the Bass Clef. Que isso?!?!?!?! But I did, and it was a disaster.

Then we had to give 3 blessings this week and it's really hot here. I mean HOT!!!!!!!!!!!! There are a bunch of people who speak English here, including my comp. So we help members out. It’s fun.

All in all it was a great week, I love it here, I had a fun, work filled week. I say everyone should do it.... Be A MISSIONARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is one of the best things you can do.

I am Elder Richardson, LD, Missionary in Araçatuba, and I end mine epistle, amen

Don´t be a Brasilian pig
Don´t throw garbage here
Respect others and the Church

This is on the back wall of a church in Ribeirão Preto

My shoes at 1 year, 1 month

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say hi really quick and tell you where I´m going!

I´m going to Araçatuba and my comp is Denysczcuk (Dennis Chook). He is an alright dude, I have already met him.

I´m now an LD, or District Leader. Now I have responsibility, crap. Oh well, the Lord is calling, so I must answer.

This last week was good, I was with Elders Robertt, Brower and Brewer. We Baptized 2 people, Juliano and Rayane. They are way cool.

I was in Ribeirão Preto for the week. I had fun. Now I´m off to Araçatuba--it's about 7 hours from Ribeirão Preto on the west side of the mission. I hope you all have a fun week and I´ll see you next week, I´ll send pictures then. I love you all, I just wanted to let you know that.

I am Elder Richardson, LD, Missionary in Araçatuba - SP, Brasil and I end mine epistle, amen

Taylor sent this after he arrived at his new city.

Happy Birthday Justin Richardson!

This week was nuts, I went to Ribeirão Preto on Monday after I played soccer with the guys in São Carlos. Then I was alone for like 3 hours, that was weird. Then I got to the house where I would stay, the Elders were Elder Brewer and Elder Robertt.

They are some LZ´s there in Ribeirão Preto. Then Elder Robertt got sick and I ended up staying at home with him all day Tuesday. Then Elder Brower came, he would be my comp for a week, because his comp was a fubeca (slacker). Then we went out to work and the whole week was like nuts, going to all kinds of places, I even went back to Avelino Palma, the ward I passed in when I was in Ribeirão Preto in January. Then we pretty much switched off everyday who would stay with Robertt, but then we got permission to leave him alone so we could all work. We baptized 2 people this week too. We had fun this last week. Made some new friends.

Oh here in Araçatuba we have me, my comp Denysczcuk, Sister Martins and Sister Vogel and then Elder D. Souza and Elder Hudson. I´m actually here now it was a crazy 7 hour bus ride. I´m so tired right now.

I hope you all have a fun week.

Front, Elder Nolte, Huxford, Malaquias, Holmes
Back, Elder Lund, Me, Espínola, Botello, Bentley,
Super back Passos






This is the caqui (I believe this is a persimmon--we called it slime fruit in Italy)







Correos is the Post Office

St. Patrick's Bar

Hey, what’s up?

Well my week was good, but on Sunday night at ten to eleven Presidente Prieto called me and asked me 3 questions.

Are you being faithful to the mission rules? Yes
Are you being faithful to the commandments? Yes
Are you worthy? Yes

Scared the crap out of me. then he said he had a huge favor to ask of me, because I was going to leave São Carlos next week and become a District Leader (which is kind of a big deal in our mission) that’s why the questions.

Then he said that the missionary that will take my spot had some problems in his area and had to leave and asked me to go to Ribeirão Preto for the week and to leave Monday (yesterday) and he said come when you want and you need to leave your comp with some other missionaries and come alone and bring the phone to call me when you get here. So I went, that’s why I didn’t email yesterday. I got the opportunity to email today.

So I’m here in Ribeirão for this week and I’ll maybe email on Monday or Tuesday next week, it depends on where I’ll go and I’ll be and LD.

So that’s why I didn’t send this yesterday.

So this last week was good, like I said, and I will be transferred next week so same deal as always, I may not have time but maybe I’ll find time on Tuesday or something!

Well Happy Birthday Tara Rowley! Sorry it’s kinda late.... but still I remembered!

Happy St. Patrick’s day! Remember Green!

Man this last week I heard the Blitzkreig Bop in the background and almost lost focus, it had been over a year since I heard that song.....

I exhort all of you that need to go on missions to go! Don’t wait! Don’t be scared and don’t look back! Remember Lot’s wife!

Next week I’ll have a year and a month on the mission.... Crazy huh?

So this last week we saw a dog sitting on the bench in the Rodoviária, and so we took pictures, and some of the others are of São Carlos. Then one of me with Irmão Betão and the Salgados he made. Then a tomato lookin’ fruit called Caqui, it was way good, I actually ate it in the CTM, we called it the “Forbidden Fruit”.

I am Elder Richardson, soon to be LD, and I end mine epistle, amen

Beautiful Brasilian countryside

Taylor said he thought this sign was funny.

Capela da Moda is "Chapel of Style"

The delectable goo

Taylor and his sweater (and a lot of hair??)

Tut tut it looks like rain, tut tut it looks like RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, it rained from Sunday to Sunday and it even continued just a little today. So anyway this week was crazy.

This week I ate a goo of miraculous goodness, of frog eggs. The aforementioned goo had a slight berry flavor to it, and it was also possible that it had fish eggs as well, in other words, "Brasilian caviar." Quite delectable.

I ate a corn thingy called canjica or manguza in the nordeste.... it was pretty good it was like corn in milk or something like that.....

Then we had lunch with our Bispo on Friday and he took us to a Churrascaria. it was awesome, may I repeat, AWESOME! I mean all the meat you can eat. It was great.

Oh I used my sweater again. Not because its cold but because it helps me not be wet.

Here´s a cultural thing. Everyone calls their aunts, uncles and cousins not by name but my the title of 'aunt' 'uncle' and 'cousin' and in Português that is, Tia, Tio, and Primo, Prima. So yeah that´s something that I found out that is kinda cool.

Today we played Futebol again, it was fun, I really like it, I played as the goleiro. I can´t remember that in English. I really like it here still, I love being on the mission, I hope everyone will make the right choice and go.

Here are some words from our Profeta:

"I plead with you to make a determination right here, right now, not to deviate from the path which will lead to our goal: Eternal Life with our Father in Heaven. Along that straight ad true path are other goals: missionary service, temple marriage, Church activity, scripture study, prayer, temple work. There are countless worthy goals to reach as we travel through life. Needed is our commitment to reach them." (bolds and italics added)

Yeah I want you all to think about that.

I´m pretty happy here, I like São Carlos, it´s good here. I hope you are all happy. I love you all.

I am Elder Richardson, missionary, servant of the Lord, and I end mine epistle to the Americans, amen