Hey people of America!!!!!What is up?

Not much is going down here, just the normal missionary work. Finding, teaching, listening to the Spirit, failing, getting rejected, and going home hungry and tired and satisfied.

I love it out here.

Man, yesterday we were looking through our addresses that we have gotten over the last few weeks and we looked at one my comp got and felt like we should go there. We didn't know how to get there, it was a place that we had never been to. So we followed the map and to our surprise it was very close to a member´s house. So I already knew how to get there. So we taught the girl and she felt the Spirit so strongly when we told her about Joseph Smith. She was amazed at that, and I´m sure she already knows that it's all true. She said she will go to conference with us on Sunday and probably Saturday and will be baptized the next week, she agreed to that, so we will work with her on that.

We found some other people and they have agreed to read the Book of Mórmon and we will need to go over there this week. This week for us will be busy. Very busy. But will be good. We are very excited for General Conference. We are planning on bringing people to watch it. The Girl we taught that lives far away is named Livia, and she was excited at the fact that we can actually listen to the Prophet.

That was about it, oh yeah the Correios or the Post office is having a strike but it will only affect us to a small effect. Our letters will take a little longer to get to the destinations, so I will get your letters but it will take a little longer than normal.

I am Elder Richardson, LD and Pai do Elder Castro, e eu posso escrever esta carta inteiro em Português mas eu não vou. and I end mine epistle, amen

So anyway my beloved friends from the North, I'm back.

So anyway, this last week was pretty good, it went by really fast. That only comes when you work your butt off and do everything the way it should be. Listening to the Spirit in absolutely everything, teaching by the Spirit, finding by the Spirit and being guided by the Spirit. Man it's awesome.

On Saturday we were walking in a part of Jaboticabal that I don't know and we got a little lost and couldn't find the street name to find ourselves on the map. And a little girl walked down the street and so we asked her where we were, and then we asked who she lived with and she told us her Mom, and we asked if we could go up to her house and talk to her Mom. She took us up there and we taught her Mom, her name is Shirley and she even had prayed to have something happen in her life, and we showed up like a half hour later. She even accepted to be baptized, so probably next week which is conference weekend she could and probably will be baptized!

We are working with some wonderful people and finding even more. This week will be an even better week to find people and teach them and bring them to the knowledge of the Truth! This is my work, I love it. I bring others unto Christ, who is our Savior.

Oh yeah I forgot last week

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIMONA!!!!

and anyone else in September that I forgot.

Oh and UTAH UTES BEAT BYU 54-10 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

THAT'S WHAT I CALL A VICTORY!!!!!!!! As one of the few Utah fans on the mission, this is really good for us, there are not that many of us.....so yeah, that was my week!

Love you all!

I am Elder Richardson, LD, father of Elder Castro, Utah Man, and I end mine epistle, amen.

Elder Ilustre, Elder da Costa, Elder Richardson, Elder Campbell, Sister Santana, Sister Albequerque
Back Row: Elder Britton, Elder Holmes, Elder Boren, Elder Wright, Elder Ramos, Elder Belland on the far right at the piano, Elder Porter

Sister Prieto, Presidente Prieto, Elder Castro, Elder Richardson

Elder Britton, Elder Richardson, Elder Campbell, Elder da Costa, Elder Holmes, the Trainers!

Well, this week has been nuts. My comp is a total stud, he wants to work and wants to be here.
His name is Elder Castro, he is 20 and from Brasília. His dad even served a mission. He's an awesome kid, I love him a lot. We are going to make a difference here in Jaboticabal!

And I am known as his Dad! or his trainer!

It’s pretty fun training, you have to explain a lot though. I have forgotten what is was like to not know what was going on.

I’m way way way into the groove of things so it’s kinda hard to remember that and have to explain absolutely everything.

But sometimes it can be good, especially when you know your way is a good effective way to do it, for sure your comp will do it.

We got into Jaboticabal on Wednesday, we missed our bus on Tuesday, but it was ok, we ended up teaching a girl in the Rodoviária. We only had one Book of Mormon and it was in English, and luckily the girl spoke fluent English. So she got the Book.

Then we got our bus the next morning and we ended up having an ok day. Not much happened, but we did find a lady who owns a restaurant, and we taught her and she loved it, we ended up teaching her many times this week and she really wants to hear more, and she loved the Plan of Salvation.

We talked to Josiane, the mother of the 2 girls that me and Elder Negreiros baptized and we made a goal with her to be baptized this month. She accepted.

We had a great week and on Sunday we went to the Catholic Mass, man I told my comp that the Spirit would leave and to be prepared for that. We got to the first step and the Spirit was gone. We stayed for maybe 2 minutes and had to leave. It’s so sad.

Then we prayed to know where to go and we walked for about an hour knocking on doors, and finally at 9:10 we found a family who was ready to hear about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It was pretty good.

Good week.

I am Elder Richardson, LD, father of Elder Castro and I end mine epistle, amen

Me Elder Lund, Negreiros, Christian

E aí galéra!
Como vai?
Cara esta semana foi ótimo, foi legal mesmo.

Ok sounds good, my mom will get mad at me if I write the entire letter in português.

So anyway, this week was the last of the transfer and we had a good week, we couldn´t like find anyone at home. So it was fairly uneventful.

But it was a good week.

My comp got transferred and I will stay in Jaboticabal and I will Train! Hooray! That´s all I wanted to ever do on the mission. Now I can.

I´m freakin´ stoked for this, I will let you all know who he is next week.

I saw a Brasilian Biker gang this last week.

That was something I haven´t seen yet. It was cool.

Man I don´t have much to say this week, this next week will for sure be full of adventures, with my son.

I´m so freakin´ excited for this!

I hope you all have a good week!

Love you all,

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

Baptism of Elder Negreiros' Mom

Stuffed Peppers (of course Taylor would have never eaten this at home)

I am Elder Richardson and I am writing this epistle to the Americans of the Northern Continent and I say unto you:

Elder Richardson, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be a Missionary, separated unto the gospel of God, (which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy Scriptures,) concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: by whom we have received grace and missionary service, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in the USA, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift and some worldly gift for this I am sending this epistle, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
I am debtor both to the Americans, and to the Brasilians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in the USA also.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Americans first, and also to the Brasilians.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.

So yeah that´s how I feel, I found that in Romans, Chapter 1 verses 1 -19. It was changed a little bit, for me.

So anyway, this next week is transfers and I don´t know what will happen.

Ok this last week was nuts, my comp had an ingrown toenail and had to get that removed so on tuesday we didn´t work at all. He couldn´t walk. Then he got sick and I gave him a blessing and had a cool experience with that.

Then we had a normal week but not a lot of people wanted to let us in.

Then on Friday we were in Monte Alto, going home from lunch when Presidente Prieto called and he said that he wanted us to go to Ribeirão Preto on Saturday at like 3 in the afternoon, so we said ok and that was all he said. We wondered why.

Then Saturday came ( seemed like forever) and then we went to Ribeirão Preto and Presidente came and picked us up and then he took us to a church and he told me to do an interview, so I went and did, and you´ll never guess who I interviewed....

I did the Baptismal Interview for...... are you ready for this?????

Elder Negreiros´ Mom!!!!!!!! That´s right his MOM.

His mom wasn´t a member and she took the missionary lessons and then she wanted him to baptize her so she talked with Presidente Prieto about it and Presidente said it was ok for her to come here for him to baptize her.

Elder Negreiros almost fainted when he saw his Mom. It was pretty funny.

Cool cool cool experience.

So now his mom is baptized and confirmed.

By him.

Awesome huh?

So anyway that was the highlight of our week.
and the highlight of my comp´s mission.

I hope you all have a good week and we´ll see what happens next week.

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

Well we had another nutty week in the podunk town of Jaboticabal.

This is like the second smallest city I have served in, the smallest was my first, Américo Brasiliênse.

It was a pretty good week, we worked so hard and we got so tired.

This week I will make a year and six months on my mission, oficialmente on Wednesday. Man that means I got a sister mission done! So anyway, this last week was great, we went to a lot of places and found some really cool people.

Me and my comp are getting along just great and we are working very hard. It can be hard, but you can´t give up. The harder it is the better and more worth it it is.

The mission is great, and I love it here in Brasil.

This last week was a battle to get people to church, this old dude who's wife is a member went to church and he said he loved it, he has lightened up with the missionaries since I got here. Then their Grandchildren went too, and a lady whose daughter has been going for like a month straight went for the second time and so we are going to work with them to see if we can baptize them this week.

The girl who speaks English (Amanda) she didn't go to church sadly, this is getting really hard to get her to go to church. The Enemy doesn´t want her to go. So we are doing absolutely everything we can to get her to go on Sunday.

We are working with Josiane as well, the mother of Maiara and Tainara, she is still smoking but we are helping her with that.

This week was an awesome week. We are going to work even harder this week.
I had a goal to read to Alma 32 by the end of the Transfer in Português seeing as I was a fubeca and had never tried to read the Book of Mórmon in Português, because I always heard that if you study in your own language then things are more profound for you. So I studied in English. Now I repented and am in Alma 58, so I am way ahead of schedule. I have 2 more weeks and I think I'll be able to finish. Every chance I have I just read the Book of Mórmon. I am also studying Preach My Gospel in English and Português and Jesus the Christ for the second time. Oh and I made a goal that I wanted to read the Bible cover to cover once on my mission, I'm in ROMANS!
I'm getting there!

So anyway, that´s about it. I love you all and I'll see you in 6 months!

I am Elder Richardson, LD, único Americano em Jaboticabal, and I end mine epistle, amen

Only in Brazil do they have a Beatles Wall!

So Hey....
My week was good.

Long, crazy, Hot, and hard.

But as always so worth it.

We went to Ribeirão Preto to have a meeting with other missionaries. It was fun, and I realized I was one of the oldest missionaries there. I am the oldest in my zone. I realized that when I didn't really know anyone there.

And I got a package. Man getting a package was cool. I got some cool candy that I haven't seen before and some I forgot about and some that was normal but still awesome to get! I even got an official Rubik's cube, I've waited like a year and 3 months for that! For those of you who don't know, I can actually do a Rubik's cube, I think it's a rule for missionaries to try to learn it, and if you don't then you are a fubeca. It's actually very easy to do.

Man yesterday I remembered the Bumpuses from a Christmas Story, we were at like a farm visting a member and they have like 10 or more dogs there..... and they had a bunch of food from a Father's Day party (it was yesterday here) and they gave us a ton of food and homemade fresh cheese. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......cheese.

I ate some sort of chicken thing for lunch on Saturday, it was very good, and it reminded me of my Mom's Chicken Pot Pie. It was fairly close but it wasn´t the same, so it was like the filling without the crust, still very good but not the same.

I would like to take my time to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!!!!!

and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE I KNOW THAT HAS A BIRTHDAY IN AUGUST!!!!!!!!!!

So yeah, that's about all I have for this week, keep praying for us and everything will go well!

I am Elder Richardson, LD, only American in Jaboticabal and I end mine epistle, amen