SOME SNOW THAT STUCK AROUND!

Hey family!

Nothing to exciting happened this week. It was pretty much the same as the last except for the weather. It was pretty cold this week but has started to warm up the last couple of days. One day, I think it was Tuesday, it snowed 3", it was 8 degrees and the wind was blowing like crazy! It was by far the coldest I have been on my mission so far! I guess the following morning it was like -14 degrees when our branch president left for work. I really hope that is as cold as it gets this winter because if it gets much colder I will freeze! 

Another thing we got to do this week was speak in church! What a surprise - haha! Apparently there was supposed to be a couple guest speakers from Billings but when they didn't show up we were asked to speak! I seriously hate speaking! I cannot wait to be in a big ward where you speak like once every 2 years! Other than speaking, church was pretty good! We had 2 less actives come to church! It was L. and her mom. I think it was actually a good thing we were the ones to speak at church since they came. Unfortunately they left after Sacrament meeting, but at least they came! 

We actually had a few dinners this week which was awesome! Brother Mager gave us a big chunk of deer meat from the deer he killed with us! Elder Richins cooked it and it was actually pretty good. We had the roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls and corn! It was a pretty good meal for missionaries to cook themselves if I do say so myself! Haha. Other than that not much has happened this week. We found out this Wednesday we are going to Billings for Zone Training which should be good. At least we will get to see some other missionaries!

I am glad you got to celebrate your birthday this week Mom! I just wish I could have been there! Did you get my card? How was the movie? Was it as good as you thought it would be? I am so pumped for Thanksgiving! We have been invited to two different houses for dinner so I should be pretty full! 

I am seriously going to miss Thanksgiving at home! I can't believe I will be home next Thanksgiving though! It is pretty crazy to think about. That is awesome you are having the missionaries over for Thanksgiving! Those are the luckiest missionaries ever! 

That about sums up my week! I really hope you have a great thanksgiving! I thought instead of a challenge this week, I would share what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving -

I am thankful for a Mom that is so loving, supportive, and concerned about me. I am thankful for a Dad who is my best friend and shares the same interests I do. I am thankful for a supportive sister who is there whenever I need her. I am thankful for friends and family that are so loving and supportive. I am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord for 2 years even if it is hard at times! I am so thankful for the testimony I have of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings it brings into my life! Most of all I am thankful for my Savior who atoned for my sins and made it possible for me to return to live with my Father in Heaven! I love you all and am thankful for all of you! 

Have a great Thanksgiving!

-Elder Richardson

p.s. - Tell everyone I'm mail hungry!!!   

Jake would LOVE some mail...so if you have a free minute this week slip him a note -

Elder Richardson

PO BOX #655
Harlowton, MT 
59036

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Hey Dad!

This week hasn't been to exciting. It got super cold and I thought I was going to freeze. I think I got a little feel for what it was like for you over in Finland! I think I would have died! That is awesome that it is starting to cool down. Maybe it will stay cold until the December bow hunt starts and the rut will get started early! That would be awesome! Have you been able to shoot your bow this week at all. 

It sounds like you have been really busy with the changes in the ward and tithing settlement and everything! I am glad you were able to at least go out with mom and celebrate her birthday! That is so awesome that you are going to be able to go through the Temple with the Davidsons! That will be such a neat experience. I hope I will get the chance to do that with someone I have taught. That would be great.

We got invited to a couple of houses for Thanksgiving so I think we will be taken care of. We got an email today that told all the missionaries we aren't aloud to participate in any Turkey Bowls or similar events. I don't think they do one here anyways though. I don't think we will be going hunting with anyone else this year since the season ends at the end of the month and this was our last P-day to go, and we aren't. That is okay though. 

That was a great Idea to make the picture of my year mark shirt the background of your work computer! 

I hope someone says something about it to you and you can have a conversation about missionary work! I hope you get out this week and get to see some deer at least! I love and miss you. 

Do me a favor and do something fun for yourself this week!

-Jake

LOT'S OF SERVICE...

Hey!

 

This week has been good! We have been able to do a lot of service this week whether it be raking leaves or shoveling snow. Like you said mom we got a little bit of snow this week. If I remember right it snowed twice. Both times it put down a couple of inches not to much but enough to make it feel to much like winter - haha. What happened to it being 60 and sunny around Christmas! I am going to come home in November next year and it is going to be hot to me! I actually have gotten pretty used to the weather up here. 

Other than service this week we were able to teach a few lessons. We saw L this week and we found out she had to go to Billings with her Mom this Sunday so she didn't make it to church but she said she will be there for sure this Sunday. I guess we will see! Other than that not much happened this week.

 

I burned a white shirt this Thursday since I hit a year! Thanks so much for the package! The rolled up ones were cool but a pain - haha. Who ever folded that dollar into a buck did a good job! 

Since it was my year mark we went out to eat at the only place in town which is actually like a 15 minute walk - haha. It is called Wade's. It is the same place Bro. Sweat from Heber took that picture of us. It is pretty good food for the most part. 

This Sunday we had a pretty funny experience. Every Sunday night at 6:30 we go to the local Methodist Church because the Pastor there likes it if we come and visit I guess. All I know is everyone tells us to go  so we do - haha. Anyway this Sunday the Pastor was sick so he didn't show up. His congregation was waiting for him but then got tired of waiting and were all getting ready to leave right when we showed up at about 6:25. One lady kind of jokingly asked us if we would give a sermon! I said "I don't know about that" then another lady asked in a more serious way if we would really do it. I felt like I couldn't say no. I didn't know what we were going to talk about so I started looking through my Bible frantically! I decided we would talk about 1st Corinthians chapter 13. It's all about Charity. So we gave like a 15 minute Sermon on Charity in a United Methodist church! It was hilarious!!!  They were really happy and enjoyed it!
Since there is only one store in town they take advantage of it and it is really expensive!

It is crazy how much the ward grew with all the Tortilita ward members coming over! It's going to make my homecoming talk that much scarier! I seriously hate speaking. So Mom, do you still sit in the same bench every week even with the wards being rearranged? Lol. I wonder if I know anybody from the Tortilita ward that is now in our ward. That seriously sucks that we lost so many people!

Okay in my next box can I ask that you send me some food items that you know I like. Chips, snacks, cookies, mac n cheese, pb & j, etc. Since there is only one store in town they take advantage of it and it is really expensive. Also, we don't get invited to dinner very often here so I'm purchasing more food than in my other two areas, but with the same amount of money. Also, next time you make jerky to send to me will you do your terakki kind. I didn't like the plain kind - thanks!

Hey, mom, I'm sorry I missed your birthday yesterday but I'm sending you a card today. Not much you could do with it falling on a Sunday! Have fun going to dinner and a movie later this week with dad and jessica. 

Well I hope you have a great week and stay busy!

I love you guys so much!

-Elder Richardson

CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:

Really think about what your grateful for in your life and pray for those blessings. As Thanksgiving approaches I have been thinking about what I'm thankful for. I am blessed in so many ways and I want the Lord to know how grateful I am.

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Hey Dad!

This week has been pretty good! We have been able to stay busy with service and a few lessons. Most of the questions you asked I answered in the email to mom. To answer your other questions I am very tired of walking! It sucks - haha. We don't have to do to much in the Branch other than bless the sacrament and we have to participate in lessons a lot. I am sure we will be asked to speak! 

How was having the missionaries over on Tuesday? Are they cool Elders? How long have they been out? That is insane that you have to fill that many callings! That would be spiritually and physically exhausting! 

Things in Harlo are going good. It is pretty hard to be in such a small town where literally nothing ever happens. Everyone here is in their houses by like 6 pm and stay in for the night - it stinks. 

It is starting to get a little colder. We got a few inches of snow this week but not enough to stick around! When I get home we are going bow hunting in the snow somewhere! Start thinking of a place to go! 

Well I hope you have good week and that it is a little less stressful!

I love you dad!!!!

-Jake

A GOOD WEEK!

Hey!

This last week has been pretty good! We pretty much do the same thing every day which gets a little boring but that is alright. We did get about 2 inches of snow Sunday night and we spent a lot of yesterday shoveling off peoples walks! It's amazing how used to the cold weather I have gotten! I am a little afraid to come home to the Tucson heat! 

The biggest thing that happened this week was on Sunday night. Brother Mager, our Branch Mission Leader/President, took us home teaching with him to visit three less active members. It was great to actually teach a couple lessons. The second lady we visited has been less active for the past couple of years for some interesting reasons. After hearing her talk about her situation and what she thinks of the church I said something I really didn't expect to. I just said "I know your situation/trial is specific to you for whatever reason... but I know you can be at church. The Lord knows you can be at church, and I know you know that you need to be going to church." The room kind of got really quite and I could tell Brother Mager felt nervous about how bold I was, Heck I was nervous about how bold I was. She just looked at us and said "what time do I need to be there!" She also told us there was no way she was going in a skirt or a dress and we told her it was fine! It was a great experience to know that the Lord is working through me! I am also glad I was able to put my companion in a situation where he could feel the spirit so strong! 

This P-Day which happens to be today since the library was closed yesterday has been amazing!!!! The Mager's took us up to their cabin which is about 30 minutes from town to go hunting!! Okay...we didn't hunt, we just helped Brother Major locate and gut the deer - It was freaking amazing! There were deer everywhere! He was mainly after an elk but had a deer tag if he saw a big one. Well we found a bedded buck about 250 yards away. He was a nice buck in the high 160's. Long story short he ended up missing and we never saw him again. We split up to walk back to the cabin for lunch to see if we could jump up any bedded elk. Elder Richins and I jumped a great buck that was with 3 does! He was easily 175! We tried to get Brother Mager but he was to far. We met back at the cabin and had some lunch and talked about what we saw. Then we went back out! As we were walking up the road I noticed a buck off the road a little ways ahead of us. I told Brother Mager and he looked the buck over. He asked if I thought he should shoot him. I told him he wasn't as big as the other bucks we saw but he wasn't small either. He decided to shoot him. After missing the first shot he made a great second shot and dropped him! He is a nice deer and it was cool to be there for it. We gutted him out and dragged him back to the cabin. The snow mixed with a downhill angle made it pretty easy which was nice! All in all it was great! I will send some pictures of the area around there cabin and the deer!

So I thought I would give you a little more information on Harlowton. The Branch here had 25 people at church this Sunday and that was normal! Every one here seems to have had an experience with the missionaries or at least knows about the missionaries which makes it kind of hard. Everything shuts down around 6 PM. Apparently the Milwaukee railroad used to run through this area and that is what really started the town I think and then once it shut down, for what ever reason, Harlowton has really suffered! It is a neat little town though!

I am going to make sure to send multiple thank you cards out this week - one will definitely go to Barbara! That is great you got the picture from Brother Sweat! He was super nice and so was the guy that was with him. I forgot his name though. He was a pretty serious hunter that leases land in different states to hunt. He killed a buck in the 190's in Idaho this year that he showed me a picture of. They also knew Sister Baird who I served around for six months in Wyoming. She was in Powell when I was in Cody. It was great to meet someone who knew our Utah family members!

I hope you have a great week! Good luck with your new job Mom! You will do great!

-Elder Richardson

THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE: 

Make sure your prayers this week are sincere! By that I mean have a conversation with the Lord. Make sure to listen and not just talk.

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Hey Dad!!!!

I wrote a pretty long letter to Mom so I am going to make this one short because I am tired of typing -haha! You can read all about the cool stuff I got to do! Anyway I think we might be able to come back up after my ''mish'' and hunt on the Magers land for deer! If you hunted there for three days you would be guaranteed a buck over 150"! The place is crawling with deer and you can hunt in the snow!!! Which now that I have done it, is way better! 

That is a cool trail cam pic of whatever it is! (Scott caught a picture on one of his trail cams of a Coati) As for Javelina advice I would hunt wherever you have seen pigs! I know that isn't great advice but I don't know what else to tell you! I would definitely hunt with a bow! It will be much more fulfilling, and it shouldn't be to hard with how bad their eyesight is!

Glad your feeding the missionaries well and every month!!! I wish I could get a dinner like that! I have had freezer food for lunch and dinner for the last 2 weeks pretty much! I want some real food!!! I have thought about it and the first place I want to go out to eat at when I get home is... Well lets see is you can guess it...I think it would have to be Fat Dogs in the Tucson mall! Is that what you guessed??? I miss those things!!! I have used mom's recipe cards that she sent me and have also tried making chocolate chip pancakes, beanie's and brats, and pigs in a blanket!!!

So for my one year anniversary this Thursday I am going to burn a shirt. I made sure to save one that had a pen leak on it so I wouldn't have to burn a good one! Other than that things should be pretty normal. I'm excited to get your package! Tell mom that my clothes are still in pretty good condition. For Christmas, maybe some new socks and a couple of new shirts, and of course chocolate oranges!

It has cooled off a little around here. It snowed a couple inches Sunday night but warmed up to 60 today! Well I hope you have a great week and I hope it cools off before December so they might rut a little early!! 

I Love you tons!

-Jake

Outside of Harlowton, Montana

 In the mountains

Up in the mountains near the cabin

Road near the Mager's cabin

Also near their cabin

After we helped Brother Mager gut his deer

Our house - we have the whole thing to ourselves and live on a cute street. The church rents the house from the Magers our Branch President/Mission Leader

The view from our backyard

The view of our neighbors yard

A SWEET SURPRISE!

NOTE: I received a text message with this picture attached tonight!

We didn't get a letter today from our missionary because of the Holiday so it was such a sweet surprise to get this...

 
"Ran into these fine looking Elders on a hunting trip to

 Montana. They seem to be doing great. 

Paul Sweat - Heber Utah"

Well that just made my day! We messaged each other and Paul actually knows Scott Richardson's parents, Ralph and Norma, and he went to school with Tracy Richardson - his younger brother, and was the principal to many nieces and nephews in Heber! 

What a small world and how sweet to take the time to send us this picture of our missionary especially when he is missing his own missionary who is serving in Scotland!!!

A CRAZY BUSY WEEK...

Hey Guys!

This week has honestly been really crazy! I haven't even been in my new area for 3 days all together!  I left Cody Tuesday evening and went up to billings. I stayed the night there with some other missionaries. I had been out longer than both the missionaries I was with combined! Makes me feel like I have been out forever, but I really am only half way there! I spent the next day with them until Elder Richins my new companion arrived in Billings around 6 pm. While I was waiting for Elder Richins I got to see Elder Wiggins and talk with him for like an hour! I was really happy to talk to someone who actually knew people I did and knew stuff about Tucson!!! It was awesome. Elder Wiggins is a great kid and will be an amazing missionary! Then Elder Richhins and I stayed overnight in Billings with another set of missionaries! We finally left Thursday morning around 11 am for Harlowton! It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get from Billings from Harlowton, and was a very boring drive as it is flat and a whole lot of nothing! Lol. 

So a little about Harlowton or "Harlo" as the people around here call it! It has about 950 people in it. We cover a small branch of about 80 members and about half are active. We didn't even get to go to church this week and meet everyone because it was Stake Conference! So we left around 2 pm on Saturday for Billings and came back Sunday around 2 pm. It was a great Stake Conference but having 2 in a row is kind of tuff! Haha. 

We don't have a car or bikes so we are on foot. It is a small town though and you can walk the whole thing in a couple of hours and tract it out in about a week! There were sisters here before us for only six week and they didn't impress the members to much or something so they put Elders back in. There are 2 people they were teaching and both are what we call eternigators or people who have been investigating the church for a long time! Hopefully we can find some new people to teach though! Other than that it sounds like we will do a bunch of service around the town and out on some farms! 

The only people we have met so far is the Branch mission leader and his wife. They are really nice people but they almost seem like they are a little put off by missionaries. It is really weird to come to an area where you are not automatically loved and have to earn it. It will definitely be interesting the next few weeks!

Elder Richins is a pretty interesting missionary. He has been out almost 23 months and this is his last transfer. I wouldn't say he is as trunky as Elder Davis was and I hope it stays that way! He is from Coalville Utah and is about as redneck as they come! He is always talking about blowing something up or shooting something! Haha. (They should get along great since they both like to shoot & blow things up!) He wears nothing but camo he even sleeps in it haha! He is a nice kid though and seems to be a hard worker!

Well I hope you guys have a great week! I love you!

-Elder Richardson

THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE FOR YOU: Ask an inspired gospel related question to someone this week!

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Hey Dad!

This week has honestly been really crazy and I have only spent like 60 hours in my new area! Well, you can read all about my new area in my email to mom! I think it is going to be really different serving in Harlowton. I feel like even the members of the branch don't know all they should/can about the gospel.  It is definitely a different type of area and therefore I think the missionary work we will do in this area will be very different! I am very nervous for these next few weeks!

 I just wish I could be at home hunting with you haha! Hunting season is by far the hardest time I will ever have on my mission! The last area you hunted looks really good! I am glad you at least got to see some deer and you could have shot a spike! That is awesome! I agree after looking over 36a that 36b just seems like a better unit with more huntable areas! I can't wait to be hunting coues deer next year! Maybe one of us will get lucky and draw a December tag! 

You better start shooting your bow now to get ready for archery! I think hunting in the rut will be well worth passing up that spike! I would put the trail cam somewhere you plan on hunting! I would honestly maybe try to stay away from the biosphere this year but that is just me! I would maybe look into the area I showed you in 38m or try this area in 37b 32.68273,-111.02354 since you can hunt 37b in December! 

Wherever you decide to hunt just have fun!!! Well I hope you have a great week and make sure you shoot your bow!!!

Love you tons!

-Jake

SORRY THIS IS JUST GETTING POSTED...WE'VE BEEN WITHOUT OUR LAND LINE AND INTERNET SERVICE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS UNTIL THEY COULD COME OUT TO THE HOUSE AND FIX IT!