September 23, 2013 E-mail!!!

Hey there one and all!!!

Here is the latest e-mail, received today!!!  

Love you all!!!

Happy Reading!!!



Hello Everyone!!!

Life is great out here in Moscow, Idaho! It's starting to get a bit colder, so all of the super cute clothes are coming out! The winters have always been a struggle for me, but I know that this winter is going to be an epic one! I was able to experience being a "true missionary" this week where we were able to ride our bikes in the rain! My companions and I were singing as we rode and it made it 10 times better! Yesterday we were able to experience the same thing...except this time it was about 40 degrees outside and raining.... needless to say i need to invest in some gloves while biking during the winter or else I won't have fingers when I come back! 

I've also been able to experience what a migraine feels like for most of the week! I know my mom gets them, but I guess that was the Lords way of making me gain more respect for my mother in that way! :) Throughout this week I've learned that Satan will do ANYTHING in his power to stop the progression of the work of the Lord. God's work will never stop. His work will progress now and throughout eternity. "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" Moses 1:39. God wants us to live with him again and He will do all in his power to help his children see how much he loves them. That doesn't mean life is going to be easy. "...if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" D&C 122:7-8

I know that we are given trials for our own benefit! I know God loves us and helps us whenever we ask for help, but we have to be willing to try.

I have come to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ so much better than I ever have in my life before and it is amazing!

I love the Lord. He loves me. He loves you. Keep praying. Keep asking for help. He always has His hand extended to help you in any way He can. Read the Book of Mormon. It will help. 

I love you all and I think of home often, but I know what I'm doing out here is what the Lord needs me to be doing right now. 

Keep the faith and stay strong.

Love,

Sister Richardson

September 16, 2013 E-mail!!!

Hey there everyone!!!  

Here is this weeks e-mail!!!!

Love those funny stories!!!  

Happy Reading!!!  

All our love!!!

Hello EVERYONE!!!!

Funny story of the week. This actually happened last night:

As we were riding home from an amazing day out on the mission I was with my two companions (S. Workman and S. Hardy) and they were singing disney songs. I thought to myself....this would make a great video....so skillfully as I pulled my camera out of my bag, took it out of its case, I started recording these two lovely women that I have come to know and love so much. When they realized I was recording this didn't deter them at all they kept singing to their hearts content. For about 5 min as we were biking we were about to come to a corner. Realizing that my camera was in my right hand (my braking hand) I began switching the camera to my left hand. Just as I did so my bike hit a bump I didn't see (it was kind of dark). This bump knocked my camera out of my hands. In this moment there was a string of words going through my head that I'm sure wouldn't have made Christ very happy.... but I also knew my parents wouldn't be very happy when they found out that my camera was broken either (I still have yet to hear from them on that). Me being myself however decided that I would fix it after we planned for the next days activities. As I pulled the camera apart to see if anything was loose....everything looked ok... As i tried to turn it on nothing was working. I decided that since it was getting late I would try and fix the inner workings the next day, but could fix the cosmetic injuries that had occurred that night. I bent things back to their rightful place and started reassembling my cute little camera. I started with the faceplate and worked my way backwards. As I began putting the middle piece back on my finger slipped onto a metal plate and the next thing I knew I felt the painful energy course through me! I'D BEEN SHOCKED! I mumbled to myself and laughed a little as my companions stood there with puzzled looks on their faces. Sister Workman finally spoke saying, "Did you just shock yourself?" Laughing I responded in the affirmative! I could hardly believe it myself, but indeed I had been shocked. I didn't know how or what had shocked me....but I knew it hurt and I didn't want it to happen again. As I continued reassembling, my thumb on my right hand touched the same plate that my previous finger had... this shock lasted a little longer.... dropping the camera I responded with hysterical laughter, saying "FREAK THAT HURTS!".... Long story short...my companions think im crazy... I think i still have a little bit of electricity left inside my body, and never try to fix a broken camera when you're extremely tired when you have NO idea what you're doing! :) 

Like everything however, this can be related to the gospel. A lot of times we are enjoying our time with our friends and family and we see an obstacle coming up fast. When we realized we aren't prepared for these things, we try and fix things at the last second. What we don't realize is that there was something in the path that we didn't see, a bump in the road that wasn't expected. These unexpected bumps can produce accidents that have dire consequences. When we pick the problem apart to find the injury beneath, our uneducated eyes don't know where to look, yet we persist and try to make it look good on the outside. It might look ok on the outside, but if what is going on inside doesn't work there is no point trying to use it. When we try and fix these problems by ourselves without the help of an expert we get shocked, both emotionally and spiritually. It hurts A LOT when it happens, but we know that as we seek counsel from those who know what they're doing, who have experienced it before, our insides will be repaired to the point where they can look like new, but operate perfectly as well. 

Life isn't easy to deal with sometimes. We will get shocked. We will think we can do it on our own, but we know that if we want to be able to look like new and function properly there is one person that has always been where we've been. And he will never leave us alone as long as we ask for His help and guidance. People might think we're crazy, and we will still learn from our mistakes, but don't try and fix it without the help of The One who knows. 

I know Jesus Christ is my Redeemer and that He has been through everything for me. All I have to do is ask for His help and He will be there. 

I love this gospel!

Love,

Sister Kayla Richardson 

September 9, 2013

Hey Everyone!!!

Here is this weeks letter from our missionary!!!  Fun pictures too!!!  Just love those!!!

Happy Reading!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!!!



Hello Everyone!!!

This last week was a tad CRAZY! We went on exchanges again and I went to Pullman with Sister Stevens!! She's so much fun! She's from Cali and I'm from Vegas and we both just clicked...especially since we both share a love of the beach! We were constantly reminiscing about being at the beach and in swim suits and such...*sigh* Anyways... Back to real life. 

I went to the store the other day and saw a weird looking thing on a shelf. I asked Sister Lin (she's from Taiwan) if she knew what it was. She said that it was a dragon fruit. I decided that I wanted to try it.... I won't go into details, but it was a tad strange. haha it has the same consistency as Kiwi....but without the taste...really any taste haha but attatched are pictures we decided the other half might have taste if we froze it... we have yet to try that yet.... At least it looks cool! :) 

We had transfer calls this week!!!!! Sister Hardy and I were waiting by the phone last night for seriously 30 minutes!! ..way to be prompt Elders...then when they finally did end up calling we both reached for the phone bonking our heads while doing so and squealing like pigs because we were so excited to see what our next 6 weeks were going to be like! We found out that we both are staying our companionship and are staying here in Moscow...what we didn't even imagine was that we were getting a third companion!!! WHAT!?! I KNOW RIGHT!?! Sister Workman, another sister here in Moscow, is being added to our companionship to make our awesomeness a trio!!! We were all SO excited! Sister Workman and I get along VERY well! You could say we are kind of like the same person, just in two separate bodies...haha...but really. I am sooooo excited for this companionship to take off....it's going to be so dynamite! We are all so stoked!

Work-wise things have sadly been declining... :/ Three of our investigators that we thought were going really well, told us they didn't want to meet anymore...or just stopped answering our texts and phone calls. It's sad to see people have the experiences they do, then not want to learn anymore about such amazing truths that will literally save their souls! I'm not going to lie, sometimes it's disheartening; however, I am always called back to a blessing my dad gave me before I left on my mission. In it he told me that I would be planting a lot of seeds in the hearts of the people that I came in contact with. As I see this part of this blessing being unfolded in front of me I can't help but feel grateful for being a member of this church and to know that my father in heaven knows me well enough to bring that promise in particular back to my memory whenever I get discouraged. I know that whether people are being baptized or not, I am still bringing the gospel to everyone I come in contact with!! There is a quote that I came into contact with this week that explains what I mean perfectly. 

It says,

"Your life is carefully watched over, as was mine. The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give. you will not recognize those opportunities perfectly, as I did not. But when you put the spiritual things first in your life, you will be blessed to feel directed toward certain learning, and you will be motivated to work harder. You will recognize later that your power to serve was increased, and you will be grateful." -Henry B. Eyring 

I can testify that what President Eyring said is 100% true. I'm not on my mission for myself. I might be effected by what I learn on my mission but it is not FOR me. It is for those I teach, those I talk to, those who I love back home, those who I have yet to bring into this world, for that person I will spend eternity with. This mission is for the people in my future and I am constantly being guided to things that the Lord wants me to know for the rest of my life so I can help those around me. I love what I've learned so far, and I can't wait to keep learning for the rest of my life what my Heavenly Father has in store for me. 

Oh ya! And remember to smile, you're all prettier that way anyways! ;D

Love, 

Sister Kayla Richardson 

Kayla with Sis. Hardy, her Companion!!

With Sisters Lin and Workman!!

Loving Comp's!!!

Crazy Dragon Fruit!

September 3, 2013 E-mail!!!

Here is Kayla's e-mail from this week!!  

Happy Reading!!!

She sent some cute pictures!!   It's sooo good to see how happy she is!!!  


Hello Everyone!!!

This week has been so crazy!!! We had two transfers and have seen so many miracles working in the area!! We now have 7 investigators!!! Yay!!! I love teaching the gospel, and I love it when members refer you too them! If a member is present at the lesson, they are so much more likely to keep wanting to know more about the church! Members are sooooo important!!! I can't stress that enough!! 

On one of the exchanges another sister from my district, Sister Workman, came into my area and we had so much success that day!! Things started to fall into place! She during companionship study she also gave me a quote that I thought I'd share with everyone:

"I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master, and He has chosen me to represent Him; to stand in His place. To say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts. My words are His words, and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done, to say what He wants said, to be a living modern witness in word and in deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous latter-day work. How great is my calling?"

 Now all of the punctuation might not be right, but man! *Sigh* I LOVE THIS!!!! THIS IS SO TRUE! But not only is it about full time set apart missionaries. Everyone who has been baptized and has taken the name of Jesus Christ upon them is a missionary of the Lord. We are ALL HIS MISSIONARIES!! We are all called; we are all chosen. Gospel literally means "good news" so why not spread it!?!  I LOVE THIS WORK! Christ walks with us! I love you all! Keep the faith!

Love, 

Sister Kayla Richardson

Soooooo .... Funny Story!!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

It sounds like this week was a good one!!!  Enjoy this one!  I laughed and laughed!!!

Hey Everyone!!

I went on my first exchange this last week and it was AMAZING!! I went to Pullman.... like 10 min down the road from Moscow... and worked with Sister Johnson there....who happened to be in one of my classes last semester at BYU!!! Weird RIGHT!?! Anyways we had an awesome time!!! We worked so well together... contacting was so easy because their school WSU was already in session so we got to do a lot of contacting while walking to the institute, and conversations were much smoother than stopping someone walking the other direction and explaining that we were missionaries...blah blah blah. We got to learn about different people and eventually they asked us what we were doing, then we were able to share the gospel! AWESOMENESSS!!!

And I thought the hills in Moscow were bad....I hadn't biked in Pullman yet.... they don't have hills....they have mountains! and it's not just mountains....these mountains have no flat parts on them WHAT SO EVER.... therefore, we were either biking up a mountain or biking down a mountain....I prefer the down part....but then once you get to the bottom....the uphill part starts and it really is just an endless, merciless cycle. SO.... I got quite the workout, but we were able to teach a lesson to a girl we contacted and had a good conversation about acting and being acted upon.... There's a really good part in a talk entitled " The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality" by Elder Bednar if you want to look that up.... however she was the later...and it was kind of frustrating, but we got her to pray to ask God if she needed to start reading the Book of Mormon again... so I guess we could consider that a success :) 

We were also able to teach this super cute girl while still on exchanges....she had sent Sister Johnson a text the previous night saying that she didn't want to take the discussions anymore. We asked if we could meet with her to talk about why that's how she felt. When she came we had a good lesson with the Spirit present and she still decided to drop us... I literally felt my heart break, because SHE KNEW! She did! You could see it in her eyes, but as she left I had a thought come into my head. Maybe she has to experience life without it again to realize what she is missing... as i voiced this thought to Sister Johnson and the member we had with us, the member, Hannah said, " I thought the SAME THING!" The church is true people! :) haha the spirit is felt everyday and it's amazing to experience it :)

Funny story: 

Anyone who knows me knows I HATE bugs.... especially bees and hornets.... well.....while cooking dinner the room started to get a bit smokey so Sister Hardy and Sister Richardson decided to open the two doors they have in their living room to get a cross breeze going so the fire alarm doesn't go off. It was so nice outside they decided to leave them open for a little while. While Sister Hardy excused herself to use the restroom, Sister Richardson was doing dishes. As she turned around to put some things away she was greeted by a hornet coming in her direction.... She whispered, "Sister Hardy" as the threat advanced on her, her whisper turned into a scream, "SISTER HARDY!!!!!!" As she ran away from this terrifying threat Sister Hardy came out of the bathroom to see Sister Richardson with a kitchen towel ready to defend herself against the terrible monster. As it landed on the screen of the window (which was also open) Sister Richardson was getting ready to pounce and kill this threat to her life then Sister Hardy in the most calm manner possible went over and shut the window, locking the hornet inside the window and said, "There, now we just wait for it to die!" Satisfied she started walking away. However, now seeing the hornet trapped and trying to get out, hopelessly facing its doom, she felt sorry for the creature and was determined to save it...... I know.... don't ask questions. With a bit of coaxing on Sister Richardson's side they opened the window to try and help this hornet who minutes ago was trying to take her life, when out of nowhere a second hornet appeared!!! Still determined to save these two hornets. Sister Richardson and Sister Hardy got two cups and with amazing skill managed to trap both of them against the screen. Sliding a piece of paper between the screen and cup they had successfully captured the two hornets. They looked at each other, "Now what" As they were trying to decide what to do the chances of escape from these two hornets was imminent! They couldn't be held forever! "How do we open the door!?!" As Sister Richardson maneuvered her elbow into the grasp of the door handle she was able to push down and open the door. As the two sisters set the cups with the hornets on the floor. They decided counting down would be the best option. They readied themselves... " 1....2.......3!" Knocking down both cups they dove into their apartment screaming and slamming the door behind them. They had SURVIVED! curious to see if they were successful in freeing their new friends they looked out the peephole. They didn't see anything. Sister Richardson bravely opened the door a crack. As the door got wider she stuck her head out and looked out in both directions.....The coast was clear. They had done it! 

moral of the story EVERY CREATURE IS GODS CREATURE! If it's not a threat don't kill it! ....except spiders...always kill spiders! :) 

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! 

Spread the gospel!!! The world needs to hear it! 

Love,

Sister Kayla Richardson

Ok!  

Now here is the e-mail that we received today!!!

Sounds like she's loving the miracles!!!!

Happy Reading!!!!


Monday, August 19, 2013

Hey there everyone! 

I have seen so many miracles this week! One of them being on myself! ...Let me explain... I'm a rugby player.... I like to work out! So one morning I decided to start a workout program with our RS president in our singles ward. the program was the one that they had the stars of the new superman movie do (Thank you Brian)... Well this workout involved a lot of squats, plyometrics, and cardio..... ya.... I noticed that throughout the day it became a little more difficult to bike and walk....I knew I was in for a treat the next day. 

When I woke up....I had a difficult time getting out of bed. My legs were so tight I had to walk with them straight for a little while for fear of snapping my quads in two... so here I am waddling down the hall like a penguin to the bathroom...lets just say sitting on the toilet was not a pleasant experience that morning! I went out to "work out" and decided stretching was the better alternative. I rolled my legs out with my 5 lb hand weight and was almost crying in the process. I knew I was in for it today. We had a full day of biking and tracting ahead of us and I had no idea how I was going to do it. However, my pride kicked in and said...."Suck it up, You're a Richardson... You play rugby... You can do this!" So I did... We biked and tracted for 5 hours total that day... 4 of which were in the beginning of the day and with little to no success anywhere!! I tried not to complain, but my mind was far from the work as I was trying to concentrate on not crying in front of my companion or our mini-missionary that we had with us...

Eventually we made it back to our apartment for dinner... Begrudgingly I went and took a nap instead of eating... when I woke up, I felt so beat up I did the best I could to kneel and I prayed. I asked the Lord to take the pain away long enough for me to do His work and for my mood to be lifted. When people speak of miracles working within them....this is LITERALLY what i felt. My legs kind of tingled and although the pain hadn't completely subsided I knew He was numbing them to a degree where I could do His work and His will! After the pain was gone...my mood did become lighter....funny how that works hahaha anyways.. we did our last hour of tracting we had for the day and we had so much more success than we had the previous 4 hours! 

Many people believe that the Atonement is only used for sins....but I know without a doubt that it can be used for EVERYTHING and ANYTHING! even the leg pain of a stubborn missionary! I thank my father in heaven for sending me on a mission everyday and I just want to do His will! He is my rock and stay! 

 

Keep the work moving along!

Love 

Sister Richardson

"This is Truly God's Country!"

Hey everyone!!!

Here is Kayla's e-mail from last week!  We didn't get it until Wednesday, (which was a really crazy day for me, by the way)!!  Kayla was able to attend the temple, on Wednesday, and that changed her p-day!!!  (Good to know for future reference!)

Happy Reading!!!


Wed. August 14, 2013

HELLO ONE AND ALL!!!

I am sooooo grateful to be on my mission!! The Lord has blessed me in so many ways! I have an excellent companion, I have a beautiful apartment, and the field is white and ready to harvest! (no really, there are wheat fields EVERYWHERE up here!) 

This truly is God's country! *sigh* It is so gorgeous up here! and I love being on campus to talk to people that are my own age! 

We do a lot of campus contacting and tracting, but a lot of service as well! We have helped numerous amounts of people move out and in just because there's a big law school and medical school up here and their schools start earlier. However, we are starting to get a lot of the sorority girls coming in, so maybe we can convert a whole sorority!! That would be fantastic! Keep that in your prayers. ;)

We had what was called a mini-missionary last week! She was soooooo amazing!!!! It's this program that the stakes up here in our mission have where teenage girls (in high school) come out and are a missionary for a week! They do everything we do! It's so cool! Her name was Sister Blake....and funny story...She knows Ali Smith!! One of my rugby girls! But she doesn't just KNOW her....oh no....THEY'RE BEST FRIENDS!!!! How AWESOME is that!!!!???!!!! I love how the Lord put people in our lives just to say... "hey I'm thinkin about ya!" She went home on sunday, but we are getting another one today! We are so excited!

We have had so many miracles and tender mercies this week! We've been looking really hard for people to teach and have prayed to know where to go, and the last couple days we have seen the Lord soften the hearts of his children so many times! We were contacting on sunday and literally had 3 batismal invitations on the street and 7 mini lessons as well as 9 church tour invites!! That is SO many compared to what we've been getting, and the miracle, is just that the numbers have been increasing throughout this week! We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us!

One thing that has been hard for me to do is to initiate a conversation about the gospel with people...I mean I can talk to someone about life for hours, but the gospel is something that is so near to my heart that it's hard for me when people reject it, so I've made goals to increase talking to people about the gospel, and I have already seen the impact not only change my life but those around me as well!! 

I know this is the fully restored gospel on the earth today! I know there is a living prophet named Thomas S. Monson who is the Lords mouthpiece to direct His church on the Earth today. I know the 12 apostles are righteous men that are all called of God to bear witness of Christs divinity and His sacrifice through the Atonement and resurrection. I know my Father in Heaven knows my name, and knows how I'm feeling at all times! I know He loves me and wants me to be happy! I know that even though I may go through trials, that He STILL loves me! I know that we are all brothers and sisters and God loves everyone...from that beggar on the street to the CEO of that major corporation and He wants EVERYONE to live with Him again. I know families can be eternal! I'm so grateful for my Heavenly Father for calling me and for qualifying me to be His servant in this day and age where people just don't seem to understand the love and blessing that come from our loving Heavenly father!! I know He's real. I love this gospel and I know with no doubts in my heart that I am here for a reason!! Time is running out for those around you who do not know the truth! Help them understand and see that God loves EVERYONE! 

I love you all and I'm grateful for all of your support! You're in my prayers! 

LOVE, 

Sister Kayla Richardson