MAKING THE ROUNDS...

Hey Guys!

This week was another very uneventful week unfortunately. We just made our rounds to those less actives we visit. I had a really good experience yesterday though that helped me know I am still doing what I am supposed to be doing even if I am not teaching an investigator and setting baptism dates. We ate dinner over at the O's last night. They are a really nice younger family. At dinner Sister O made the comment that a less active family we go visit the A's have really enjoyed having us over and are really thankful. I could tell that the A's like us but I didn't realize what we have actually done for their family. 

Sister O shared some stuff with us that I won't talk about for privacy reasons but it really helped me understand that even when I think I am not being the most busy or most successful missionary, I can still make a difference in peoples lives. Hearing this news about the A's has really helped me pick my head up and want to do everything I can for those families we see even if I don't think it matters to them!

It is great to just be able to focus on one ward. It stinks because half of our work is gone, but we met with the ward mission leader and he met with the Bishop to go through the ward list and get some names for us. We are meeting with the ward mission leader again tomorrow night and hopefully we will have enough names to stay busy for awhile. C came to church yesterday and is doing well. We talked to Brother W about him and found out that he does want to be baptized but now he wants to wait until November so his friend L  can make it. It is sad that I will most likely not be here to see him get baptized but I am so glad that he still has that desire and will eventually be a great member of the church!

Not much else happened this week. I am trying very hard to get permission to go back up to Columbia Falls and perform a baptism for a lady we taught up there named J. You might remember her. We baptized her two sons B. and A.  Well she and C. got married and she is ready to be baptized and they asked if I could come up to be there! I am so excited for her and her family and how the Gospel will help strengthen them!

 Today is probably going to be a pretty boring P-Day but that's alright. 

Well I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Richardson

THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE:

Elder Jeffery R Holland said  "Never check your religion at the door"...well you should be proud of who you are and what you believe in. Don't ever check your religion at the door so you can act differently around friends, co-workers, neighbors, or class mates. 

Remember to be the REAL YOU!

Elder Richardson with a snake friend!

ON-LINE MISSIONARY...

Hey!

Well, this week has probably been the slowest week of my mission and I honestly feel awful. We had a great P-day on Monday and played a bunch of golf which we will probably do the same today! Then we received good and bad news on Tuesday. At District meeting we were informed that we would be getting Sister Missionaries in the 2nd ward that afternoon! Man I was not ready for this! They showed up around 4 and we gave them the area book and everything else they needed. More than half of the work we were doing was in 2nd ward and now we have all of one investigator and like 4 less actives. We met with our ward mission leader on Thursday and I expressed to him that we just don't have enough work to keep us busy. I gave him an area book we created (It isn't the actual area book) and he is going to go through it and get back to us sometime this week. He has actually been really busy with his work and has been in Africa for 2 weeks filming some hunts! 

So some big news kind of - haha! This past Saturday we got to help move Brandon Davis and his family! Yup - that is right, Brandon Davis! Probably the coolest thing I have done on my mission other than missionary work! He is seriously so awesome! He even invited us out to shoot with him past 1000 yards, but I had to say no. That was super hard. He is such a nice and genuine guy. I think we are going to go to lunch with him sometime in early September! Also when we were moving him he had a huge tub full of hunting magazines and was going to throw them away! He said I could have them. There is way over 100 magazines! Anyway, I think I am going to write my name on the box and hide it somewhere in the Potts and then pick it up when we visit after my mission!

 I am now an online missionary! I have a facebook and you guys can follow me but you can't be my friends. Not sure exactly how that works yet but I think you just send me a friend request and I just say not now and then you are following me. Any way my facebook is Elder Jake Richardson. It is a really cool way to do missionary work and I hope it will help us find some new investigators!

Yeah - I saw the pic and I did get the camera! Thanks a bunch!!!

I think that is it for this week!

I love you guys tons. 

-Elder Richardson

P.S. -     

Oh, for my package this month I would love some money so I can get some more body spray and hair gel - if that is possible! 

Thanks,

 love ya!

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Dad!!!

So your thought on knowing when you have the spirit and when you don't is spot on! I hate to admit it, but there have been times on my mission when the spirit obviously wasn't with my companion or myself and it sucks. You can simply not be the missionary you are supposed to be without the spirit! After all - the spirit is what converts, not us!

I am seriously so pumped to hear you are getting in better shape! When I get back I want you to be able to hike further than me! Sounds like you are on your way! Mom was saying she is riding a bike and trying to lose some weight and get in shape?!? Please don't let her kill herself!!!

I can't believe you didn't see any deer at that roost! We saw 3-4 bucks when we went last year? I hope you are getting excited for your hunt! I am and I am not even going -  haha! So I got to help move Brandon Davis and his family! Holy crap he is so awesome and such a real and nice guy! First off he knows everybody! Lee and Tiffany, Michael Waddel, Pete Sheply, Stephen Renelli, etc.. Anyway some cool facts. The owner of Best of the West is an active Member also the owner of the gunwerks is also an active member and they go to the same ward in Burlington! Can you say awkward - there have been tons of lawsuits between them and then they go to church together hahaha! Also Brandon Davis fought and knocked out Jim Burnworth from the show Western Extreme. Anyway I wish you could hear the stories Brandon has and could see the pictures he showed me on his phone! He is actually headed to AZ next week to help film an elk hunt on the hualapai indian reservation. Apparently it is a $100,000 tag one of there clients bought and he is guaranteed a 420"+ bull!!!!! Anyway maybe one day when we come up to visit I can introduce you hahah! I continue to keep my eye out for ammo and those are 20 round boxes for $20 which is the price I paid before my mission. Iit is the Vmax ammo! 

Anyway keep getting in shape and scouting! Also Brandon gave me a bunch of hunting magazines and one of them is even an Eastman hunting magazine that was guy eastmans brother!!!!! Anyway one of the magazines has a 3 page coues deer story written by none other than Jake Lindsey Himself! I will make sure to send that one along with some others home to you!!! 

Anyway Love you tons,

Jake

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW JAKE'S ON-LINE MISSIONARY WORK YOU CAN GO/CLICK; 

HERE

STILL LOVING CODY!

Hey Guys!

This week has been pretty interesting with transfers and all. For p-day our whole zone got together and played dodgeball, basketball, soccer, etc. After that the other Cody elders, and Elder Davis and I went and played golf - haha. There is this really nice guy in Powell, WY that has a sweet 9 hole par 3 course in his backyard and he lets us play for free! He is way nice and we try to do service for him in return! 

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent packing and saying goodbyes. Then we dropped off Elder Davis in Lovell, WY and I picked up my new comp Elder Wood. It is weird to know that Elder Davis isn't a missionary anymore - haha. The rest of the week was spent introducing Elder Wood to those people we teach. It was a pretty good week for the most part. Elder Wood came out a transfer after me so he has been out 7.5 months. He hardly says anything when we teach or are at a dinner appointment. People ask him why he is so quiet. (Missing excerpts due to privacy)

Thanks so much for the quotes! I have really come to love quotes on my mission and I am probably going to start a journal full of just quotes I hear or find! I hope everything with (name has been removed for privacy) situation works out. It must be hard for him and his family. Mom do me a favor and ask him if they are paying their tithing. Tell him that I know the challenge the Lord gives us in Malachi 3:10 is true!  I have seen it work in the lives of my investigators! Also ask him if he is reading and praying daily! Tell him that I want to challenge him to do these 3 things and if he does that the Lord will bless him and his family and that it will make this situation they are in much easier. We cannot go through things of that nature by ourselves peacefully. That is something I have learned and observed on my mission!

Well that is it for this week! I hope you guys have a safe and successful week! O yeah my challenge for this week. This was a quote shared in church yesterday. 

"Sometimes we worry to much about what the worst thing is that could happen, that we don't have enough faith in the best thing that could happen." 

This quote really stood out to me and I am going to try and apply it the best I can to my missionary work. You also should try to apply this to your lives and have faith in the best outcome!

I love you guys tons!

-Elder Richardson

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Hey Dad,

So this week has been good but you can read about that in my other email. To answer some of your questions. We heard the backpack rumor but nothing has been said to us about getting rid of them and I think it might just be for new missionaries coming in from now on, but I am not sure. 

I haven't been doing much as far as working out goes-  haha! But I went from 198 lbs to 185 lbs so biking last transfer helped! Sisters aren't here yet. They will probably come in next transfer if they can find housing. But I seriously can't wait to just focus on 1 ward!!!! 

We actually didn't teach Gospel Principles yesterday but we do sometimes. By the way our ward mission leader, Brother Taggart, who works for the "Best of the West" just got back from a trip to Africa. You should record all the Best of the Wests for me so I can watch them when I get back! 

My jaw is doing better and I hardly have to wear my mouth guard anymore which is great! It seriously kills me to know I can't go hunting with you this year. Probably the hardest thing I have ever done - sadly! Well keep working towards that goal we set and get in shape!

Love ya,

Jake

 ELDER RICHARDSON & ELDER DAVIS

 WILDLIFE EVERYWHERE

 THE REST OF THE PICTURES ARE FROM OUR P-DAY 

LAST MONDAY TO YELLOWSTONE.

I'M STAYING IN CODY - YEAH!!!

Hey!

This week has been pretty much the same as the last three. We are really just focusing on 3-4 less active/ part member families. One of which is the A's! They are so awesome. We found out some information on why one of them was excommunicated, which was pretty sad. I don't know if there is much we as missionaries can do for them which sucks...but we are going to try are best to just visit the family, bring the spirit into their home, and invite them to church! C. is doing good still. I hope this next week we can really get things moving again like it was before!

Yesterday was Elder Davis's last Sunday so everyone was coming up and saying goodbye to him at church which was pretty weird and we couldn't really do anything because so many people stopped us to tell him bye. He is ready to go home for sure and I am ready for a new companion. I love Elder Davis to death but he has gotten really trunky.

So transfer news! I am going to be staying here in Cody for at least one more transfer!!!! I am really excited about that and the other Cody Elders are staying the same as well - which I am happy about! 

My new companion is Elder A. Wood. Because of something President Mecham told me in my interview last week, I think he has put us together as companions to see how I handle it. (Some parts were removed from his letter for privacy reasons) I think it will be a challenge but I also think it will be a great opportunity for me to help a missionary!

For p-day today we are going over to Powell with our whole zone! It should be really fun. We are having lunch and then playing dodge-ball amongst other sports I guess! I don't think the next couple of days will be very productive seeing as Elder Davis is just packing, cleaning, and getting ready to go home but hopefully the end of the week will be productive!!!

Do I miss you?!? HA-HA! Of course!!!

I don't think you guys honestly understand how hard it is for me to be away from home! Seriously  -sometimes it sucks bad!!!!! I am doing fine right now, we will see with this new companion! I love you all tons!

So here is your challenge for this week - "Many get to caught up in knowing the words of the Shepard so much so that they forget to know the Shepard himself." 

The quote goes something like that but the point is that to many people think the church is all about how much you know or how many scriptures you have memorized when really all that we need to do is understand the simple principles of the gospel, and live them. This life isn't a test on how much we know but the decisions we make with what we know!

I love you guys so much!

-Elder Richardson

 ZONE CONFERENCE 07-17-13

FRONT: Christensen, Morgan (visa waiter), Taylor, President & Sister Mecham, Ayala, Fisher, Sister Erin Worleg (guest speaker)

MIDDLE: Warner (ZL), S. Ross, Hayes (DL), Richardson :), Davis (Jake's Companion), Baird, Greenfield, Erbe, Lasson, Hopkins (ZL)

BACK: Olsen (AP), Greenwall, Decker, J. White (DL), Nelson, Smith (AP)