MEETING ELDER RUSSELL M NELSON...

Hey!

This week was decent and ended in an awesome way! Nothing to exciting happened throughout the week. Just teaching the same people. We are really trying to find some new people to teach but that isn't as easy as I would like it to be! We are really focusing on getting referrals and contacting them within 24 hours which has been successful in past areas so we will see. As for the districts attitude. It just seemed like none of the missionaries in my district were really enjoying there missions and had an attitude that missionary work isn't fun. So for District meeting we just played games (gospel related like scrpitionary) so they weren't stressed out by another meeting. I was also hoping they would see that if we could have fun at a meeting that we can definitely have fun doing missionary work. Tomorrow we have another District meeting that will be focused on attitude and the blessing it is to serve the lord! Also the joy that those that served the Lord in the scriptures felt. In other news I have been asked to speak this coming Sunday. Oh Joy! Haha. I am sure it will be fine but I still am not a fan of speaking in church!

So the big news for the week! On Sunday we had a special dual Stake meeting that only lasted 1.5 hours and was the only meeting for that Sunday. We had a couple special guest, Elder Russel M. Nelson and Elder Stanfill the area 70. It was an amazing meeting and it was awesome to here an Apostle of the Lord in Person. We got there 2 hours before the meeting started to get good seats which worked out perfectly. At the end of the meeting we got to go up and shake his hand and what not. We waited until the very end so most of the people were gone which gave me the perfect opportunity to ask a question to fulfill a bucket list item of mine which is to trade ties with an Apostle. That is right I asked Elder Nelson if he would trade ties with me!! He laughed and told me that the tie he was wearing was a Fathers Day present from his wife. It was worth a try though. I was so scared though haha! Also Elder Stanfill was my Stake President while I served in Columbia Falls so it was great to see him again and get to hear him give a message in his new calling as an area authority!

Things here are going well and I am nervous for transfers this Sunday! I hope nothing changes and Elder Natay and I stay together. Elder Natay and I have hardly anything in common but we love serving with each other and the members here seem to like us a lot! I love you tons and will make sure that I write on Monday next week so you don't worry!

-Elder Richardson

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​Dad,

I am glad your tag found you safe and sound!! I was a little nervous!

I don't have a ton to say as I have told Mom pretty much everything in her email. We did have interviews with President Mecham yesterday which are always awesome! I love getting to talk to him. We discussed a lot of stuff mainly focused on my District. By the sounds of it I will probably be staying in Laurel which is fine with me! I also got to talk to him just as a friend about golf for a little and how to fix my pull slice when I drive! He is an amazing person!

I loved the pictures you sent! I honestly miss the desert so much. It is a lot greener down that way than up here. Where do you plan to put the trail cameras? I am going to send you the other trail cam and the bullets here soon. I honestly can't wait to put a coues on the ground!

Love you tons!
-Jake