Week 13: Call 911! [October 23, 2017]

I had a pretty crazy week this week. We got to go on exchanges with the zone leaders and I got to do a lot of tracting. It went pretty well considering that we found three potentials for them. We also had a good lesson with one of our more difficult investigators. We taught her how the scriptures will bless our lives if we study from them and follow their teachings. We also had a lunch with one of the less actives we're trying to work with. He's a pretty cool guy and it sounds like we'll be able to meet with him more often. We also had dinner with a part member family and talked about baptism and why it's important. 

We had zone conference on Friday where we talked about how technology will help move the work along. I'm really exited for all the new things coming up! We got to watch some of the new district videos and see how cell phones will move the work forward.

I got to use my bike for the first time this week. I was on exchanges in one of the bike areas and the main thing I took from it was that I'm out of shape.

Now for the  crazy story. Sunday morning we were driving to see one of our investigators when we saw a guy running in the street and jumping in front of cars (not in a suicidal way but a "I'm on drugs kind of way). He then went into some bushes and started to make gun gestures to cars and acting like he was calling someone. When we drove past Elder Kopaunik gave him the peace sign and he gave it back and yelled at us. We called 911 and we thought that was that. A little later we saw him in a grocery store parking lot. We drove in and he started chasing our car trying to ram it with a shopping cart. At that very moment a police car drove up an turned on his lights. He yelled at the guy and we watched as the police talked with him and he started waving his hair brush like a sword and showing them his belly button. They eventually arrested him. It made us feel like we helped clean up the streets! (Elder Kopaunik got pictures).

We gave talks in sacrement meeting on member missionary work. And we got a new ward mission leader, Brother Gover. It was kind of sad that Brother Harper won't be our ward mission leader anymore, but he told us today that he'll be a ward missionary so we'll still be able to work with him.

That's all for this week!

Elder Jason Riches

Week 12: Over 100 Contacts!...Sort of [October 16, 2017]

This week has been interesting. Remember how I said that we had a lot of appointments this week? Well all of them except like one of them cancelled (usually they sent us a text about ten minutes before we would go) so there was a lot of running around trying to find people last minute. A lot of this week was meeting with less actives. We were able to do service for two of them. One was washing windows, the other was trimming trees. We also got to meet two of them who we've been trying to meet with for a long time (one was over a month).

Elder Kopaunik and I got to do something pretty cool this week. The scouts in the area went and biked to all the different churches to learn about what they believe. We got to teach the first part of the restoration lesson to all of them. The guy who did it with us said that we should tell people that we had over 100 contacts this week.

We also had stake conference this week. All of the talks were really good. One of the members of the stake presidency talked about how he had known his wife for 5 days and the Spirit told him to propose to her which freaked him out a little. He told us that she had had the confirmation that she would marry him a day before and so had her father (who was the bishop) so he was the last to know. 

My mission president gave some pretty good advice during interviews for when things get slow. He said that sometimes we just need to park the car and walk. Missionary work is kind of like fishing. You cast your line out all day and get nothing, but there will be those sweet spots where the fishing gets good!

That's pretty much it! 

Elder Jason Riches

Week 11: The Spirit Works in Many Languages [October 9, 2017]

Not a whole lot this week.

I can't remember if I said this or not, but our investigators Amar and Besin moved to another ward so we ended up passing them off to the other elders in that ward. It was hard to see them go, but I know that they're in good hands. We were also able to do some service for a less active in the ward, and he came to church and bore his testimony!

We were also able to go to a Spanish baptism for one of the Hermanas investigators. I didn't understand much but I could still feel the Spirit there. I've found that perhaps the times I feel the Spirit most are at the Temple and at baptismal services.

Nothing else super eventful happened. We were able to meet with some people and make appointments with them so hopefully we'll have a lot to teach next week.

Elder Jason Riches

Week 10: A New Beginning [October 2,2017]

This week has been pretty crazy. We had transfers on Tuesday and I got a new companion. His name is Elder Kopaunik (Co-pawn-ick) and we've been getting along quite well so far. Since he's new to the area and I sort of know it, I feel like I've been senior companion a few times.

On Wednesday we had two really long lessons but they were both really good. We met with Amar, and his brother Besin at their new house. Unfortunately they will not be in our area anymore but I am happy for the missionaries that will get to teach them. At some point we will be doing a hand-off lesson with the Elders in their area. Wednesday evening we also met with a guy named Dante who was curious about the church. We had a great restoration lesson with him and we ended up doing service for him on Thursday.

Friday was another really good day. I got to meet the new people in the district and start to develop relationships with them. In the evening we went to an eight year old baptism for one of the families in the ward. Near the end, one of the less actives who we have tried multiple times to meet walked in and sat down next to us. We talked to him afterward for a bit and he said that he wants to talk to us sometime. 

General Conference was amazing! I felt that I gained a lot more out of this Conference than I ever have before. One of the things that really stuck out to me was their emphasis on serving and loving those around you. I also really liked the talks on the Book of Mormon and how much it will bless our lives if we continually study it and follow the teachings inside it.

Thank you for all the love and support!

Elder Jason Riches

Week 9: The best week yet!!! [September 25, 2017]

This week has been pretty eventful. We had a great lesson with our investigator Cathy. We had it at her neighbor's (the Newberrys) house. We were planning on re-teaching the restoration but we had a scripture read instead. I think it really helped her get started on reading. We talked with her breifly later this week and she said that she read 20 pages! 

We also had a great discussion with our less active Kim. The Elder's Quorm President went with us and I think what he said really resonated with her. We talked how she needs to take small steps in coming back to church instead of jumping right back to the state that she was in before.

I also got to go to the temple this week with our ward mission leader Brother Harper. It was such a spiritual experience (as the temple always is).

I finished The Book of Mormon for the first time since coming out. It really strengthened my testimony and things have gotten a little easier since then.

 We had a really cool experience this week. We were walking to a potential investigator's house and we saw a young woman crying. We asked if she was okay, but she just waved us off. We walked away but felt prompted to go back and talk to her. When we got there she was gone. Elder Hansen said a prayer and we ended up finding her at the train station. We talked with her for a bit and when the train came she hesitated going on until the last second and she missed it. She started to walk away crying again and we left too because we felt like she would be upset with us now (because it was mostly because she was talking to us that she missed the train). We ended up feeling that we should go back again. We found her and by the time we were done, she was smiling and laughing. We invited her to say a prayer and she offered one of the most sincere prayers I've ever heard. We gave her a Book of Mormon and our phone number so we'll have to see if we come in contact again. If not, then I still feel good that we were able to make her feel better.

We also had the primary program this week and I had fond memories of when I was a primary teacher doing that.

By the way I will be staying in Simi Valley this next transfer, but I will not be with Elder Hansen. It's going to be weird not being able to talk about Murray anymore. It's funny though because my new companion will be Elder Hansen's MTC companion, and he trained Elder Ujhely (my MTC companion) this last transfer.

That's pretty much it. Thank you for all the love and support.

Elder Jason Riches