Me on a slide. Fun! Fun!

Igor, Bijú, Bella, Elder Bird, and me

A house for sale.

Elder Bird and me.

This is the last week of my mission. This is my last P-day. This is the end. I have thought about this day for a long time, and I'm sure we all do. I never thought it would come. But then I think, man it came way too fast.

I have had a good time out here, it has been great. All 2 years of it. The good and the bad, the boring and the exciting. It has all been good.

I would recommend EVERYONE to do it. Not everyone does, not everyone can, or so they think.

When I think about the mission, I think about it in many, many ways, and it is very hard to describe but I like to think of it like this:

Another turning point a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go

So make the best of this test and don’t ask why

It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time

[Chorus]

It’s something unpredictable but in the end

It’s right I hope you’ve had the time of your life

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind

Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time

Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial

For what it’s worth it was worth all the while

Thank you Green Day. I like the way they put that there.

I have worked hard and now it is here. Next week I don't know if I will send another one of these or not, I don't know if I will have time.

So thank you all for your support and for reading my blog, that my Mom has done for me. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Anywho, This last week was good. I enjoyed it. It rained, we worked, it was very hard, seeing as no one was home.

Some of the people we are working with are progressing rapidly and others not at all.
When it was raining, well we don´t stop and we saw and heard lightning hit about 15 feet away from us. We saw a flash of bright white light and then we heard a metal on metal sound and then the thunder. but we heard the bolt hit something about 15 feet away.

Also, when we were walking we saw a dude riding on his motorcycle, screwing around, like always. Brasilians love Motos. And his phone fell out of his pocket and we were the only ones to see it. So we called the last number on it and got his address to return it to him. We didn´t have a map and it was in another area so we just went off in the direction of where I thought the street was, we ended up in the Favela and then almost back to where we started in just over an hour trying to get the guy's fone back.

Oh and last Sunday, not yesterday but the day before, We witnessed a bar fight with about 20 guys... nuts.

So, anyway, that's it. Next Wednesday, not this one, but the next I will be home.

See you all then.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN RUSSELL!

and Happy Valentine's day!

See you all soon.

I am Elder Richardson, LD, and I end mine epistle, amen

2 MORE WEEKS!!!!!

Ok I'm not trunky in any way..... not at all. Ok, it's not easy NOT thinking about home and what will happen, and not thinking "I don't care!" But that's not the attitude I can have. hahahaha but it is pretty hard.

I love it here, ok and I will be truthful, I don't remember half of the week last week. I do remember Thursday and on. Ok and bits of the other days.

Monday was P-day

Tuesday we had District Meeting, it was the last one of Elder Rich seeing as last Friday was his last day. His parents came to pick him up. We just knocked on doors.

Wednesday we knocked on doors..... again and we met with our LMA..... [Ward Mission Leader]

Thursday was when everything started to go well. We met a guy named Fernando.... yeah that's not a name we haven't heard before. He was way cool and we are going to go back on Saturday. That was about all that happened of real importance on Thursday.

Friday we decided to take a look on a list of members and see if we can visit some less actives that are about our age. Seeing as kids don't care and adults também. So we got about five names and went to all of them, and at one of them we found, not the less actives but some other family that moved into the house. They let us right in and they accepted everything.

Then on Saturday we did a similar thing found the rest of the less actives about our age and went to all of them, we left with our LMA for a couple of hours and we taught a lady that didn't want anything and then we tried to visit some other people then we went to a reference from our ever famous "You Suck" cards. I will refrase that. They are "You Suck" cards if we talk to you. If not then you get one if you aren't home.

This family got one and called in for the DVD "Finding Faith in Christ" or Encontrando Fé em Cristo. That makes more sense to me. We went over there and they were awesome, the guy said he has been praying to find the right path. You found it dude!

Then we went to a less active family we are visiting. They are way cool. Then we went off to another investigator. Then Sunday rolls around and we do the same thing try and finish our list of less actives.

But a girl named Rosiane, that we found on Friday, went to Church so we went back on Sunday night to talk to her about Church and then her sister's husband was there. We had only talked to Cristiane and Rosiane, not the dude. It was great. They are way cool and want to go to Church and Rosiane wants to go back. She loved it. We are going back there tomorrow.

Man, it was a good week. We were so tired everyday. We walked a lot and taught a lot too.

Man it was a great week. We did so much and did our best. It was great.

I am Elder Richardson, LD, and I end mine epistle, amen

Well ok....I have 3 more weeks, that´s it, Then I will be home my friends.

I hope all of you are happy, I am.

This last week was good. It was very hard, but it was good and we did our best. That´s what we need to do, it´s not about numbers or anything like that, it´s how you feel, and if you did your best. That´s what we did.

Well, this week we went to an inactive family and only the member´s dad was home, this is a crazy family..... He always wants to give us abacaxi, so he always gives us 2 of them. and he always just puts us in another room with the TV and puts on one of the Novelas.... Then he always askes us the same questions and this time he fell asleep. He gave us a rotten abacaxi and then we decided because he was asleep we should go, so we grabbed our stuff as quietly as possible and left, we had to run out but it was way funny.

We were walking down the street and I stepped on a little milk carton and I didn´t know it was full and it sprayed all over Elder Bird. It was kinda funny.

Not much happened, except for not getting in to any houses. It was one of those weeks.I hope you are all well.

I am Elder Richardson, LD and I end mine epistle, amen

This is a pig's ear. Yummm.

Teeny tiny turtle.

Hey! Well, this week was not bad, it went well, it was very rainy.

We had like R$ 90 for lunch we only had lunch with members for 2 days this whole week, on Friday and Sunday. The rest we had money for lunch. So on Tuesday, we went and go sushi again. Man it was good and we only paid 2 of our own Reais for it. Man it was so worth it.

We got rained on a lot..... I ran out of dry clothes to wear.

But the highlight of this week was this: We, (all the missionaries) met 2 Apostles, Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Neil L. Andersen. We also met the Area 70 for Brasil, actually the presidente and the 2nd councelor. Elder Costa and Elder Mazzagardi. We also met Elder Jensen of the presidency of the 70. They talked to us about missionary work and it was very good.We got to shake their hands. It was a neat experience. I have now met 3 Apostles on my mission. I met Elder Russell M. Nelson in the CTM. It was a very cool experience and we had a special stake conference with Elder Ballard the next day. It was cool hearing him speak in English.

It was a pretty good week. We had 6 missionaries in our house for the last couple of days. It was pretty nuts.

Well only 4 more weeks of this great work! I love it here!

Happy Birthday Dante!

I love you all!

I am Elder Richardson, LD and I end mine epistle, amen

Hello, my fine American Friends (well and anyone else that will read this)

This last week was a good, hard, very hard working week.

We knocked on so many doors, we knocked on Doors for 5 hours on one day.

Man we had a great week, we worked so hard and because of that the Lord blessed us immensely.

I plan on doing the same thing for the next 5 freaking weeks. This way I will be working until the end of my mission.

We were knocking on doors and were invited in to a break off of the "Congregação Cristã do Brasil" which was located in the back of some lady´s house and we went in for like 45 minutes and we got really bored and my comp and I started playing with a kid and then my comp almost got his finger bit off. The kid bit him!

Then they asked us to read something from the Bible so I read Amos 3:7 which talks about profets.... It was crazy.

Then when we were at the store a member kid came up to my comp and asked where he was from and my comp told him and then he said to me I won't ask where you are from, you are from Mexico!

Then we were waiting for a member and his cat was looking at us through the window and my comp threw a dime at him and hit him in the face! It was pretty funny.

We heard a funny frase this week. "You can take them out of the Favela, but you can´t take the Favela out of them." The Favela is the Ghetto. Look in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and go to the Rio de Janeiro Levels, they are in the Favela and they are pretty accurate. I have been in Favelas, they have one here in Vila Virgínia.

Check it out.

Anyway we will be meeting 2 Apostles this week. Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Neil A. Anderson. This will be an opportunity of a lifetime. I'm pretty excited that it will happen when I am still here.

Love ya!

I am Elder Richardson, LD, and I end mine epistle, amen

This is the end, the beginning of the end, I am starting my last transfer today.

I am in Vila Virgínia with Elder Bird. I'm happy to be here.

"I know my mission and my business. God Almighty is my shield; and what can man do if God is my friend?

I shall not be sacrificed until my time comes; then I shall be offered freely." Joseph Smith

That is on the front of my last planner. It was a good quote.

Anywho, this last week was nutty, It was kinda hard for us. Not much happened and then at the same time everything happened.

It rained a lot, we got letters, and we went to an all you can eat sushi place. Man that was pretty good. I like sushi and man it was worth it.

It was all you could eat, and sushi isn´t big. so just go NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Right now at this very moment it is raining. The skys are grey and the thunder is loud. I honestly have heard some of the loudest thunder in my life here. It's so loud. Our week was filled with lots of door knocking and contacts... mostly doors and no one being home or answering or wanting anything, we even did this in pouring rain. We walked around soaked and knocked on doors.... It was a good time. I had fun.

We are working very hard and having fun. Just the way it should be. If it isn´t then you won´t be happy.

I love being out here for every reason.

I am Elder Richardson, LD, and I am ending my mission here, and I end mine epistle, amen.

Happy New Year!

So anyway guys, I hope it was good for you. I guess it was for me....

On New Year's Eve, we stayed up and talked and Played Chess.... Then at about a quarter to Midnight we finally looked outside and it LOOKED LIKE WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR MAN!!!!!!!!!!!

There was so much smoke in the air..... and then you´d see lots of lights flashing in the air and then an explosion! It was nuts.... Everyone was going crazy!

Then we watched for a couple minutes and then went in and went to bed.

This last week wasn't bad, we tried our best but when everyone is stoked about the weekend, of parties and getting wasted...... well there you have it. I had a good week and a good time.

Next week is transfers, we don´t know what will happen but we hope and think that we may just stay together..... I hope so, have a good comp at the end of the mission.

So anyway, Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Travis Cloward!
Happy Birthday Emily Landon!

I am Elder Richardson, LD, and I end mine epistle, amen

Then this last week was nuts, because not a lot of people were at home, kinda like last week.