Thanksgiving ...

Pues como estan familia mia?
Feliz navidad! Or at least that is commin up soon! Yeaaaaaaa!
I love Christmas time more than any other time…its sooo happy and even the church of Christ ppl don’t hate us as much in this wonderful time of the world!
I kinda already talked to you for a bit but this is the stuff I didn’t cover at all.
Anyways for thanksgiving we had a turkey bowl estilo latino! Which means we went and played soccer. It was colder than I ever expected and the wind was blowin a ton…now I think it was about 38 degrees out but I am not going to lie the cold that comes here in the south is a whole different beast to that of Idaho or Washington…the humidity is killer and everyone played in sweaters and thermals but the hispanos around here make true sacrifices for futbol…if only it was the same way for church…jaja. Anyways we played in the freezing cold and even with that the tempers got a lil heated at times, but all in all it was sweet. Brother Maranon drove us down there to Brentwood and we played at a park over there and the whole time it was 98% overcast….soooo cold. After that we just went home and cleaned up a bit (the house, we didn’t even sweat at all because of the frio) and later that night we went and had a classic thanksgiving dinner at the Ruiz family house and it was sweet it reminded me soooo much of our thanksgivings with Grandma and Grandpa Richardson because the whole family came together there were more than 20 ppl there and there was a ton of food and they also had about a gazillion kids there (all cousins) runnin around doing there different things and it was awesome…the only bad part was that the MP wanted that we would be in the house at 7 o clock and we had to cut the night short…but oh well…
As for the Maraon family there doing good, still truckin along the Sister Maranon had a tough time with tithing but only because money is tight for them right now. But we talked about it and when they learned that nobody is paid in the church for there callings and that tithing is basically just a giant leap of faith and relying on the lord it cleared up a bunch of doubt…but they just still need to make that leap of faith. But other than that they are doing super awesome. She doesn’t drink coffee jamas and he hasn’t smoked for over 2 weeks. And they tell us about there spiritual experiences that they have and there sweet…idk what it is with a lot of Hispanic ppl but they are very open to dreams and receiving their answers in dreams… Brother Maranon is like that and its pretty sweet. The spirit is workin hard on them.
An for the rest of the stuff going on around here the last week went by super fast, I don’t like that tooo much, I am not gonna lie that is kinda sucky but I deal…
As for this week its going to be super busy as well, the sisters in Madison called me and told me that one of the ppl that I know up there and that plays soccer with us is going to get baptized and he wants me to do it. That was a awesome call to get, his name is Ciro and he is about 17 and he told me that he is super nervous so if you could keep him in your prayers too along with the Maranon family and that they can not be nervous and not doubt. We had a great lesson with them last night and Brother Alduenda and Brother Alduenda shared his story and his conversion and it was really powerful and then we talked about actions of faith.
God makes us do challenging things so that we know more clearly and without a doubt that he was the reason we received a blessing, that is why there written in the scriptures. We see the promises and the challenge and after completing it we see the blessing and the testimony comes. Keep making those great leaps of faith, not the easy ones but the hard ones…
I love you all and hope you all had a super fantasticle thanksgiving day.
Elder Richardson(nide haizi)

The best man ... and a family needs your help

there is always way to much stuff to write and not enought time to do it...crud but what iam going to do is try...haha
ill start off withthe fact that last week i was the best man in the nortons wedding. in case you forgot there a family from cookville and john norton called and got special permission frm the president to be able to take me over there and when i got there he told me that i was going to be the best man... that was sweet. i didnt know what best men do so i just kinda stood arround and smiled and looked eagerly at the food and then told john that i was decided that if he decided to run that i would go to and beacuse of my spanish speaking abilty we could get arround pretty good...haha. it was a good wedding...there going to be going to the temple in april and getting sealed then and so you might be able to meet them then...but a few other questions i had asked to ask you all are if you might be able to send a post card from the differnt states (idaho washinngton, oregon if you go) beacuse a member is doing a project and needs internacional help. and jsut send them to my address of to
alduenda familia
1809 barnwell ct
hermatage tn
37076
also we had a super sweet lession with the maranon family last week...we had a plan to teach a lesson that we planned out in the morning but as we came up to there door the only thing that i could think about was watchin the movie "together forever"...well we started the lesson and for some reason elder velazquez asked me what we were going to be doing and i jsut said that movie beacuse it was super strong in my mind and i hadent remebered the other lesson that we planned it and in the middle of the movie i remebered that we had todally planned a completely differnt lession and so we started it and after starting it i remebered the other lesson and thought...crap...what happened there...
well after the movie i was thinking about what to say when jose just started talkin, he started saying how that movie was really good and how there was one of thoes stories that was alot like him and then expressed many things and told us that he and marisol were on the point of gettig a divorce when we started commin arround and how thing after thing that happnded that they did and learned that they felt themselvs growing closer to there hevenly father and to eachother and havent argued and faught scince that time and in tears(and you dont see mexican men cry ever) he told us how it saved his marrage and the tear in the family and somany things have changed for them. it was sooo super awsome...the spirit was so strong and it wsa a super good lesson. we are going to be preparing them for the 28th of november to get baptized, there so happy and such good ppl and right now need your prayers so that they can take this first step...they understand it really good and want to do it. its sweet.
well...family the week was good...so much happened and i really cant tell it all but we had a sweet lesson with a venesualian who owns a store arround here and that guy is a baller, super straight foreward and open and funny too. and well...today we dont have p day but were writing beacuse thursday the libaray will be closed. and also beacuse thursday in the morning were going to be having a turky bowl latino style...Soccer! and i wouldent have time to write even if the libaray was open...hahaha jk.
i love you guys tons
-elder richardson

Baptism got delayed

Man, I swear that the very first letter I sent had my new address in it... I know I had sent it but oh well...the address here is
1404 crystal springs ln
hermatage TN
37076
ya ya la teneis
well, you dad totally hit that one on the head when you said that p days were for rest or something like that...crud...about sunday night at 4 or 5 pm I am sooo done and we still have a few more hours left so I do a quick flashback of some Gladiator or Braveheart or Rocky scene and look at my planer that has GOTTAWANNA on the front and kick the last few hours butt. haha. but honestly when we get numbers in and planning done, I give a loud shout to Elder Valazquez and say "P DAY EVE!!!!" ...(he still asks why its called "eve" but I can't really translate that...but he gets what it refers to good enough) haha.
bad news but good news the Ortega family didn't get baptized on sunday, they just weren't ready, and there was a few other things holding them back, good news now there way ready and we are planning for there baptism on saturday and this time even
Sister Ortega is rite ready...i cant really explain everything but please keep them in your prayers, especially the Hermana Ortega.
yesterday we had another family go to church the Maranon family from Jalisco MX and la hermana ortega couldn't cus she got a huge bad bad migraine and they went to the hospital(she is back to 100%) and we also had another kid come named Aslan(if your thinkin lion witch and the wardrobe you got the right aslan) he is a stud but super shy and so while elder valazquez was with the maranon family i went to his class (he has 13-14 years) and byron vasquez was the teacher and it was a hecka fun class. byron is the ward clerk (one of many callings) and a stud he is from south Guatamala, everyone has nicknames around here and elder velazquez is trofeo(which means trophy but byron usually emfasized the "feo" part haha) and so we call byron la pulga(the flea) or patachucu(stinky feet) or frodo(the hobbit) haha...anyways it was a sweet day yesterday because the patriarch brother rose from madison came down to talk and it was sweet to see him again...
the maranon family really liked church...well the girl ingrid and the mom marisol more than the dad...he didn't really say much but we have a appt to go back and teach them on tuesday.
we also went by to see a guy named carlos last night, he is a joven from Gurrerro MX (actually not to far from where veronica and fransisco are from, the ones who are in clarksville) and it was kinda funny yesterday he started talking in a bunch of slang to elder valazquez trying to make it so i didn't understand but i started talking to him back and he got super surpised that i knew what he was saying and then got kinda embarassed (because it wasn't very good stuff) and elder valazquez was lost the whole time haha...we laughed but it was kinda sweet because it lead up to a good lesson, it totally was kinda sweet because when he was talking about the stuff he was there was no spirit there but then when we started to teach and talk with him the spirit came super strong and it was a hardcore contrast that everyone felt...and then kinda at the end of the lesson carlos got distracted with something and was about to start talkin about some stuff again and then realized what happened and said" wait...i better not talk about that now because were in the word of god and all and dang...you see how satan is trying to mess this up haha..." and it was super sweet because the spirit was straight up talkin to him because right after that he started putting a ton of things together and the gears started clicking and it was ballin.

anyways life is still good here, I am basically just loving the heck out of all of this...elder valazquez is like a brother, the kid is such a stud. but bad news is that transfers are commin up and no one want us to change...
well...not alot of time left and i have to write my MP
oh and tell brock that i haven't met even one uruguyian in my whole mission but for some reason everyone says that i talk like an uruguysian...which is weird because I don't try to and I don't even know how one talks but....oh well...
anyways i love you all bubba keep kickin butt at football and brie, you do the same with soccer everyone thinks its cool that you play and that your sooo good....bubba, sorry hispanics just don't understand football...so they think that's cool too but ...then again they really don't..haha. but i think its ballin!!!!
love you all
mom be good and just remember come what may and love it! if the house looks like a pumpkin ...it will be really easy to give someone directions to! haha
-elder richardson

Baptisms!

For Brock: yo quiero que sepas que te felicito. vos seras buen padre y yo me asombro que por fin llego tu tiempo! te quiero mucho che pero todovia opino que sos "un fatti" por casarte 2 semanas antes que regrese a la casa...y ahora ni tengo esperanza en verte jamas...me pongo triste vos...pero que me mandes fotos o te mato por seguro! jaja. bromeo...?o bromeo?...te quiero che. disfrutalo vos. que viva uruguay! y que gane a costa rica a fin que vayan al mundial!

Irmina y Manuel have a date for the 25th!
the rama [the branch president] was super stoked to hear that the familia ortega are going to be getting baptized the 25th of this month! Manuel is super super ready...he himself told us after we asked him how his prayers are going and he said that he feels 100% prepared...he is a stud. Manuel is a bigger guy: about the height of dad but has a Buddha belly and glasses like the dali lama and a sense of humor like I would imagine President Hinkley having. And Irmina is still praying and isn’t 100% sure but she still wants to do it. And their boy Imanuel or Alex went to church and liked it alot...its kinda hard to teach them all como familia because Alex speaks spanish but speaks more inglish and the gospel words go right over his head...so we kinda have to do bilingual lessons and through all of that the lil one called Abraham is runnin around like a lil ball of SUPER compact energy...its fun though... Irmina asked is she could adopt us... I told her I would ask...haha
but honestly other than that and a few other lessons our week was hecka rough...we were on bikes agin... and the cold came in...elder valazquez does not like cold...haha. he asked me if i was freezing cus i had a sweeter on and he had a long sleeved shirt a sweater and a SUPER thick wool coat and said he was freezing and i think it was only 55 degrees...haha. the bad thing is that at 55 degrees the wind feels about 30. the cold here is nothing like the cold in the west the humidity is pretty hardcore. and elder valazquez isn’t enjoying it. haha. but we get alot of hot chocolate and other mysterious hot drinks from our hispanic friends...haha.
Hermatage is a cool lil town its weird being in an area were there are borders that we can reach haha. Sunday a lady named Sister Martinez from El Salvador decided to just give us about 10 tamales after church because she loves us and that is fine with me cus she is a baller and I love tamales.
we still walk around all day quoting Hno Chacon and the Salvadoranos because their accent is cool... and Brother Chacon says some hecka funny stuff.
today were going to go and eat with the Ruiz family agin, and she is making pozole which I am stoked about!
well family i love you all and hope you are all still alive cus I haven’t gotten your letter yet. but by time is up...
i know the lord lives, and Joseph was his prophet.
-elder richardson

Short update

DON’T STRESS!!!!! if there was a HUGE accident with me in Tennessee, I truly don’t believe you would even need to worry enough to stop court, but also if there was a HUGE one you would be notified hecka quick...I do believe that Sister Hutchings works faster than ambulances...honestly.
...you know that a letter is going to be good when it starts off "well we lost a branch on the walnut tree... boi...an yer sis got 'er fut stuc' in da malth of en ole passu'm"haha...just givin you a hard time...haha
man, grandpa is a stud...don’t tell him I said this but he is kinda starting to get a lil older than your regular whippersnapper and he is still just truckin along...he reminds me of this old 90 year old mexican from Oaxaca who is working construction 4 days a week still!
mom, as for shoes I AM actually pretty good, I have these ecco's that are lastin and lastin no matter what I do to them...there great shoes and are most likely going to last till the fin...
as for extra stuff...idk...are there still some of the sunglasses that I had over there...I lost the last ones...grrr...that might actually be the only possible thing that I could possible use.
well bad news on the workfront...Rodolfo and Emilio are back to drinkin...we really couldn’t see them much this week due to being on bike and them livin in the boonies and 4 bike tire flats(where as we had not even one before now) and they didn’t go to church either...if you could pray for them to be humbled and have a real desire to do something that couldn’t hurt...its going to happen anyways...
the crappy part is they are studs...but its just hard for them right now...I don’t know how sure they are of if they really wanna stop drinkin or not...that is probably what were going to be talkin about tonight. but keep them in your prayers. there still truckin, and Myra stopped smoking! we did the stop smokin workshop and now she is a nonsmoker!
well I AM sorry for the not much written letter, time is about up.
I love you guys, thank you for your prayers, they really do help...without them thinks would be very very different for the lives of so many.
I love you all
Elder Richardson

If it isn't ok, it isn't the end ...

well, this week was a sweet and sour one...about how most are. for every blessing there is a hurricane of heck...but that is why I love hurricanes! haha.
last week we went to go and see a man named Rodolfo Escaramuza and Emilio Escaramuza and Myra Palamore. (try to say there names 5 times fast, with a good accent...haha) there uncles of the family Ruiz and we actually had a ballin lesson with them and they decided to start workin for the date of the 30th to be baptized!!! we totally pulled out a calender there in the lesson and filled it out and put there date and showed them that its ok (because they had the doubt) that they aren’t ready right now because we are going to help them out, all they need is to want to truly take upon them the name of their Savior through baptism and we will help them prepare. it was sweet. they are totally stoked and both Rodolfo and Myra prayed and Emilio said he would pray the next time and they would all do it every night.
honestly we need your prayers for them, Myra wants to quit somking and Emilio drinking and Rodolofo wants to quit drinking too. they are great ppl who are praying for help themselves and could use your prayers too.
Fatima is still truckin along as well...she is reading a ton but the biggest problem is that she still hasn’t gotten the work from the hermana at church. the problem is they need to finish up some things at the house so that they can start working and they still havn’t done it...if you might pray for that too. Fatima is working hardcore shifts from like 3pm to 5am friday-sunday...and sunday morning is half dead from work. so the new work is super important. she said that she feels good about the BOM and the restauracion when she prays and is growing alot in her testimony.
basically other than that the bad news isn’t important, because the good blessings and miracles that we have the opportunity of seeing are soo much better.
also there is a kid here from Veracruz, Mx named Iran Geronimo and basically his family came over here a few weeks ago with him and last week had to leave agin(because they came over on visas and there time expired or something) and Iran was able to stay with his visa. anyways right now there trying to change it to a student visa so he can study a lil but in the meantime he just pretty much chills with us...
we went over there one day and it was right when his parents and brother and sister were leaving for MX another time and they said goodbye and the mom asked me to watch over him for her and then they left! it was crazy... I still don’t completely understand what the plan is but the dad(you know how dads are) said " you might as well take him out every day all day, he dosn’t have anything else to do" haha. and Iran was totally down with it...so he has been going out with us a ton and been doin the work! the kid is such a baller! and we have a blast...its almost like Elder Jensen is back...except Iran speaks alot better Spanish haha.
oh speakin of Elder Jensen our MP told us it took him 4 days to get to his mission...he left here on a 12 hour flight to buenos aries on monday and eventually got to his mission on thursday...poor kid...oh well.
so that is life arround here, the work is sweet, I love it. I have really been focusing on my prayers at night and giving thanks for all the sooooo many things and I have had some incredible times talking with my Heavenly Father...prayer is maybe one of the most underestimated things...the Lord promises that everything will be ok in the end, if its not ok its not the end. ETTE
i love you guys
have a good week
-elder richardson

Rely on the Lord

hey dad could you do something for me and tell Jordan that he is a great football player but I think he is still a big fatty ‘cus i told him he could write me in Portuguese so that he would write something and he still doesn’t write anything...tell him he is a stud though...and Brock and Jared too... Brock can write me in Spanish if he wants... I can have a ladyfriend write him in Spansih if he wants...whatever...
anyways I really got to tell you guys about this...
on Wednesday we had a hectic day but we had an appt with Fatima and not a ton of time until our next appt and we were on bike so we rushed over there and upon arriving there and talkin for no more than 2 min Sis Ruiz told us that Fatima was going to be moving to Mexico...
it was honestly like a "screech stop" moment in a movie, I was like haha...dumb joke Hermana.. and she said "ask her" and i turned to Fatima and said "tell me she is a liar...you can’t go to mexico, you’re just flat out not allowed" and she said it was true...she only has work on the weekends and it isn’t enough...she hasn’t been able to get any work anywhere else because they ask for SSN# or that they speak english and so she hasn’t found anything else and said that if she didn’t find work before the end of the month her dad (who is in MX) told her to go there so she could be with him... I told her "heck no you can’t go to Mexico and were going to teach you english...your first line is... I am not going to Mexico"and I wrote it on a pass-a-long card and gave it to her ...when they found out what I taught them to say they laughed...but we had to get going at this point and so we left to our next appt.
well...we got there and the person wasn’t there....and honestly I was pretty dang frustrated and while we waited to see if our appt was going to show was talkin to Elder Alvarez about the fun luck we have been gettin...but that we were going to find work because the Lord wants her to stay and be baptized and not leave like Benedito and Moises. well it just so happened that the appt came up then and she is a member and we talked to her for a bit as she said her sorries and vented about how she has a crappy work crew who just put down hours but not actual work and she is just to nice to really be a business lady... I shared with her about Jeff Port and how if I did a crappy job he told me even though they’re friends of the family and how I am thankful for it cus it kept my fat nalgas(butt) movin and that (because we need to relate everything to the gospel) that we cant throw our pearls before swine...anyways we tried to sneek in there that we have a friend that needs work and it was shot down very quickly cus she has heard so many ppl tell her that there good workers and they weren’t and she didn’t need more problems...we didn’t push it at all and we talked with her about some stuff and right as we were leaving she stopped and looked at us and said ...who was that that needed work? and we told her Fatima and she remembered meeting her in church and said that she liked her and that she was going to give her a try and on Friday she could start workin.
we were straight up stoked!
on our way back to Fatima’s (because we had to go tell her the good news) I fought with a dog and that was cool and we rode our bikes so fast that by the time we got to her house we didn’t even have the breath to tell her what happened...and finally we told her "we just had a miracle" and they laughed at me cus they think I am a big jokester or something and then looked at Alvarez for the confirmation...and it was confirmed...and right then came in Sister Ruiz's brother in law and his family just in time for us to tell her what happened...
it was soooo sweet, the lord dosn’t want her to leave and we told her she needs to be a hard worker(which she really already is) and as everyone was talkin in the kitchen she picked up her lil girl and told her “we got work baby! !e got work tell the missionarys thank you”, it was soooooo sweet!

I want you all to know to rely on the Lord, I really do know that he helps us with everything.