Week 23

June 24, 2013

 

Familia!

 

We had our second Spanish FHE! This time there were nine people, and they were all from Hopkinsville. That is a success because last week we relied so heavily on the Clarksville Spanish Elders to help us out. We had one less active, three members, a member's friend, and two investigators and then some of their kids. Sister Healey and I taught the 10 commandments with hand signals and that was pretty fun to get everyone involved.

 

The Broadcast last night was pretty cool! It was sad to see it at the Marriott center though. I feel like that place is another one of my homes... but some really cool things were said. I'm super excited to see what changes come in the mission for us, and my new mission president was in the crowd somewhere, that's a weird feeling. I don't know if I have told you this, but the Tennessee Nashville Mission is a pilot mission for facebook. President McKee in his email today wrote about pushing more of us missionaries to get on facebook.I have the option to be one if I would like, but I really don't know how I feel about being a facebook missionary to  be honest, but we will see if the Spirit directs. I just think that there are so many better ways I could be using my time here in Hopkinsville. There is so much finding that we need to do and so much more building to really prepare the way for a Spanish branch....

 

I wish I had some funny stories to tell you, but everyday is funny with Sister Healey. We always find something to lift our spirits. We don't take any pictures, so hopefully I will be able to change that soon with the new camera you sent me! (Thanks Dad!)

 

Also, Nolan looks so different. Sorry to break it to you fam: he is the best looking one of us all... haha. But he is so big, I can't beleive it! And Cougar... hair cut soon? Your hair looked so good before I left... I like it short...

 

Hopkinsville Miracles?

 

I will tell you about an investigator of ours named Jasmin! I think I might have mentioned her before... I found here with Sister McNab last transfer. We had a really amazing first lesson with her and soft committed her to baptism. It was awesome! Then she kept being busy... had school... and then finals... and then she went to Mexico... but then didn't really leave for Mexico... but then did leave...it was a mess. Sister Healey had only met her once but then last friday we went to try and see if she was back from her trip to Mexico yet. When we got there she answered the door, and let us in. She got out her book of mormon that we had left her and she told us she had only read a little bit of it. We asked her how much she read and, what do you know? She was in 2 Nephi 4.... are you kidding me? So then her aunt came into the room and asked about the book. I caught her aunt up with the Restoration (try giving that lesson in 5 minutes or less) and then we taught the Plan of Salvation with them. We asked them to be baptized for the 14th of July and they are both praying about it. The next challenge is getting them to come to church on Sundays. Hispanics are hard to get to come to church because they work ALL THE TIME. Also, the church building here in Hopkinsville only has services in English, so we will have to find someone to translate for us. I guess these are all just little things on the road of miracles that Heavenly Father has in store for us.

 

Angel and Oscar were also the investigators that were able to make it to our Spanish FHE. We heard a rumor that they are moving to Nahsville. I really hope that is not true because they are awesome! Super funny and such a blast to have around. Angel has prayed about baptism and wants to be baptism. We haven't been able to have him come to church yet though... so we will have to do some adjusting for a baptismal date....

 

There is also another investigator that we have been working with named Roberto. We met Roberto trying to contact an old potential named Fernando. Instead he answered the door and started asking us questions. He had a lot of good questions and since we spoke to him in English the conversation flowed so naturally. We have taught him a couple of times now and he came to one of our Spanish FHE's a couple of weeks ago. The other night we had a lesson with him and he went off talking about how he didn't think it was coincidence that we knocked on his door looking for Fernando, but found him. It was amazing how he recognized for himself that we were sent to him. It is also crazy that he is in Hopkinsville because there are so many reasons for him to not be here.... he is stationed at Ft. Campbell military base and his wife is stationed at Ft. Knox. He was at Ft. Knox and his trying to get back there, but he will be in Ft. Campbell for a while until he can get out there. If there is anyone prepared, it is Angel, Roberto and Jasmin... I can't even tell you. I haven't had any baptisms my whole mission. Before coming out, I knew that I didn't want baptisms to be just a number to me, but it is getting to me that I'm almost a third of the way through my mission and I haven't had one yet... I know there are so many miracles that lay ahead for Hopkinsville and I know I have worked so hard to be here. Opening new areas is tough, especially when I'm still learning all a lot about missionary work. Also, I got another cold virus... again! I swear I have had the same cold virus four times on my mission already! I was feeling really sick on Saturday, but was still trying to convince myself to go out and work. Let's just say, I had a "conflict" with the curb... in a mission vehicle... so Cougar, don't feel too bad about your accident in dad's car. Your sister out in Kentucky left a nice mark on the bumper of the Lord's Ford Fusion...

 

There is also a maintenance guy that works on our apartment a lot. He saw our apartment loaded with all kinds of church material and one day asked us for a book of mormon. We gave it to him willingly, then yesterday we saw him around the apatments. We asked him if he had had any time to read and he said that in his spare time he tries to... and what do you know? He tells us he is about a fourth of the way through it in Mosiah... are you serious? haha.

 

We are also teahing another neighbor who likes to sit out on her porch at night. Awesome person to visit for the awkward 8:30 hour? YES. Well, if anyone needs the gospel, it is Tina. She is super cool though and we love being able to talk to here when we can. We gave her a book of mormon yesterday, so I really hope she reads it. I'm not sure how long it will be until we can get here to read the book, but

 

Also, have y'all heard of Duck Dynasty? Well it is huge here in the South and I think you should start watching it. 1) So you can give me an idea of what it is like 2) So y'all can have a better insight into what Hopkinsville, Kentucky is like :) Haha, let me know.

 

Also, we find out about transfers next week, but I feel like I should be staying. I feel like I still have so much more of a duty to fulfill here in Hoptown, and I feel like I'm still waiting to see the fruits of my labors.

4 people pryaing for baptism, 3 progressing investigators and others who are starting to come out of the woodworks. Please start praying for them to be able to make it to church! That would be super awesome if they could come. I know a lot of them know it is true and I just want them to be able to come to church to help them in their conversion process...

 

Love ya fam. Still trying to work my hardest, but I never feel like my hardest is good enough. Sister Healey has a saying, "The Lord is easily pleased, but not easily satisfied." I am working so hard, but still trying to satisfy the Lord here in Hopkinsville.

 

Good luck with all your endeavors family. Can you beleive it is almost July? THAT's crazy. I'm sorry I don't have time to write y'all back individually like I would like too, but I feel like there is always so much more that I could be doing that I'm not. I have to learn to how prioritize through it all.

 

But...

Mom & Dad: good luck refinancing the house!

Cougar: good luck with football this summer? and piano lessons! you don't beleive how incredibly blessed you are to have that opportunity

KC: awesome news about ragnar! and you are moving to Arizona this summer?

Katie, Nick & Nolan: hope the fam is doing well. is there another one on the way soon?

 

Love y'all.

 

Hermana Kristy Rich

 

Week 22

June 17, 2013 

Family!

First Spanish FHE group this week: At the last minute there were several people who bailed on us, but we got one active member, one less active, and an investigator who came late. I was so stressed out trying to get it all together, but I'm sure happy that we were able to pull it off. All thanks to the Spanish Elders who lived in Clarksville, TN who brought a couple of people to support the group as well. Building blocks to a Spanish branch in hopkinsville. 

Also,we are teaching these three guys from El Salvador. THEY ARE HILARIOUS. We have really started to focus on one investigator in particular. His name is Angel and he has been in the states for about a year. He has an amazing story about how he made it from here to there. Anyways, one of our first visits with him we were closing the lesson and taking about if we could keep in contact with him through our cell phone. Then he asked us a question, which I had been dreading to hear... Anyways, he said something and all Hermana Healey and I understood through our broken Spanish was the word "novio" we looked to each other like uh, oh... We asked him to repeat himself a couple of times and he was just asking if it would be alright for him to text us. He didn't want to get in trouble with our "novios" or anything. It was a funny contact. The other day we were teaching him again and we asked him how old he was. He told us he was 21 and we were both taken back.  We guessed early twenties, but didn't think he was our same age. Then later we were talking and he asked about going to church. Then he looked at me and was like, "After I get baptized I'll go to your church and "nos casamos" I looked at Hermana Healey and she was confused. She doesn't know that much Spanish vocab as I do from my 4 years of high school spanish. It was really funny. He is such a flirt! But Hermana Healey and I like to call him and another investigator "our star student" because they are progressing. Speaking of progressing investigators, it is such a challenge to get our investigators to attend chruch. Hermana Healey and I have been working really hard to try and get a June baptism before President McKee leaves, but if we can't get our investigators to church, we can't baptize them. Angel has taken the lessons fantastically so far and he has expressed to us his desire to be baptized. I don't know what we are going to do. We fasted today and we have prayed a lot. The June baptism goal was a challenge given to us by the mission presidency, and we know that if he gave us a challenge he was giving it to us by the spirit. That tells us that there is a way. 1 Nephi 3:7. I'll keep you updated next week our June goes for us. We are teaching Angel this evening 

We have been challenged by our zone to approach awkward teaching situations. Last week when I was on splits with an English sister we gave a book of mormon to the lady at mcdonalds on the other side of the drive thru window. Book of Mormon in exchange for some ice cream... pretty good trade if you ask me. 

The other night Hermana Healey and I contacted these two Spanish guys drinking beer outside of their house. They probably had ten bottles around them and were listening to some ghetto hispanic music from their car.. TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS! Juan and Luis... those names are orginal, right? That makes for three Luis investigators that I've had now... haha. And I don't know what it is but all of me and Hermana Healey's real success is coming from our male investigators. They have been a lot more open to us and love to tease us and always invite us back. Where as all of the hispanic women we work with are pretty cold to us... kind of a funny thing that we have going for us.... Anyways, teaching males means potential priesthood holders and that is what you need to start a branch, right?

I love Hermana Healey! She is seriously a gem! Always willing to work, always willing to smile and go into awkward situations. I have found that since I've been training I do a lot more of the talking in our teaching and contacting situations. Most of that is because of my Spanish, but we went on splits last week and she stayed in the area and I left. I left her to our El Salvadorian investigators and she led a whole lesson without me! I just need to work on giving her more opportunities to let her open her mouth and develop her Spanish as well. I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time, but I fake it til I make it... especially with Spanish! 

So I went on splits to Princeton, KY. I went with an English sister to her area and we hit a lot of small towns that they work in.... Cadiz, Fredonia... and when I say small town. It is small town! Small town, Kentucky drama is a hoot! Wow! My favorite quote from the exchange was this lady who was talking about how her mom's neice had an affair with her dad while her mom was passing away. After the dad died he married this lady. They were married for four years. So that means that this lady's cousin married her dad and became her step mom. Well when the dad passed away, a day after the funeral this lady hooked up with her brother... ew. they were cousins! Anyways, I loved Jennifer's comment, " I know we live in KENtucky, but it is Kentucky K-E-N, not K-I-N." Then when she said when she sees that lady again "God don't got her days numbered. I do." Anyways, I went up to the heart of Kentucky and it was a hoot. Every contact was an adventure!

Well, I've got to peace out, but I hope this email had a lot more meat to it than the others. Love you. I appreciate your prayers. They go a long way!

Que Dios les bendiga!

Con Amor!

Hermana Rich

"Choosing Jesus is a decision you will never regret."

"No matter who is president, Jesus is king"

"Let Jesus calm your trobled waters" (they had a typo there.....)

"God will reign, but the son will shine" (Think about that one, pretty clever, eh?)

Week 21

June 10, 2013

 

FAMILIA!!!!

 

Last night Hermana Healey and I had the hardest rejection of our life. I will just call our investigator "she-who-must-not-be-named." Anyways, I felt like something smelled pretty nasty and then after Hermana Healey told me that "she-who-must-not-be-named" was drunk. It all makes sense when we put it all together. It was ROUGH. We had a good cry and a good laugh after that one, but mostly a laugh to cover up the hurt.

 

Anyways, I told Dad about Sister Fletcher! That was AWESOME!!

 

Lots to do in Hopkinsville! We will be holding our first Spanish group night tomorrow. Please pray for us! This will be the predecessor to hopefully starting a Spanish Branch in Hopkinsville!

 

I have lots to tell you and unfortunately.... never enough time.

 

On another note, I guess a funny story..... we have quite a few investigators who beleive in the trinity, right? Well, the other day Sister Healey goes off talking about the trilogy.... and I think to myself? what are you talking about? We later discoved she meant to say trinity, trilogy, get it? Yeah, sorry it is not that funny.

 

Love y'all!

 

Hermana Rich!

Week 20 Hoppin' Hopkinsville

June 3, 2013

Sounds like lots happening to the family right now! Again, I don't have a lot of time to write this week, but I love you and I'm so incredibly grateful for all of your prayers. I'm working on getting myself "lost in the work" and everyday I realize how much more I'm forgetting about home and how much the work encompasses my every thought.

Hermana Healey and I are having a great time in Kentucky! I don't think I wrote too much about her last week, but she is also a 2011 graduate. She is from Taylorsville, Utah. She has grown up LDS most of her life... she was baptized at 11 when her and her mom joined the church and her dad was reactivated as a member. We are both 20 and so excited to be serving missions at this time! It is such a crazy thought that there might not have been Spanish missionaries in Hopkinsville, KY had it not been for President Monson's announcement and us responding to the call. I KNOW that Hopkinsville needs us though and I'm so incredibly humbled to be apart of this work that is greater than us. Hermana Healey is a hard worker and I'm so incredibly grateful for her here! I know that she is much needed in this area before she gets her visa to Argentina. I think I should have mentioned this last week, but she is going to the SAME MISSION as my MTC companion, Hermana Sasser. ARGENTINA RESISTENCIA. That means 2 of my 4 companions are going to the same mission, but a different mission than the mission I was called to! I guess we know which mission I would have gone to had not I been called the the greatest mission ever, the Tennessee, Nashville Mission.

Love you all! Hermana Healey and I went to our first Spanish branch yesterday in Clarksville, TN and the spirit was so strong! I have loved serving under English wards since I've been out on my mission because I have felt like there were members whose lives were supposed to touch mine and I in return.

Our baptismal date decided to drop us. That was a hard day for me and Hermana Healey, but we are continuing to work hard and are finding new investigators left and right. Since I now more Spanish I really have to take the lead, but I'm learning how to charm the Spanish population of Hopkinsville, KY! We are working with people from all over- Mexico (that's a given), Guatemala, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama... did I get them all? Pretty cool, but lots of new accents to learn! Lots of ways we are being stretched by the master's hands. 

Hasta lunes!

Con Amor, 

Hermana Rich

Classic church marquees worth mentioning this week...

"Pray your hardest when it is hardest to pray"

"No matter who is president, Jesus is King"

"Friends don't let friends die without Jesus"

Semana 19

May 28, 2013 Hey Family! I can't even remember what week I am on anymore! Crazy! Week 19! A lot has happened this week, and I'm so sorry that I wrote such a short email last week and I will have a short one this week. I wasn't able to write yesterday because our whole mission was called together for a mission wide conference where our misison president announced he will be leaving this summer as opposed to next. The first presidency called him last week and we will be getting a new mission president. I'm sure it will be in the church news soon, so y'all should look our for President and Sister Andersen from Ogden, Utah who will be my new mission president in July. Actually, that would be really cool if you went to his farewell! Just a thought. I have loved President McKee and he has taught me a lot. I can't even express it. I know that if anything, I was sent to this mission to serve as a missionary under him, even though it may have been for only a short time. His family is inspirational and I won't be suprised if I see him speaking at the next General Conference. I'm excited for President Andersen. I know that he will have something unique to offer to the Tennessee Nashville Misison as well. Just as I prayed my companion, Hermana Healey into Hopkinsville, KY, I will be praying him in as well. Love you family so much. Thank you for all of your prayers and emails. I have so much to say, and so little time to say it all. Kentucky is an adventure everyday. Love you all! Until next week Hermana Rich P.S. Hermana Healey and I set a baptismal date last week! Hurrah for Israel, Pray for Leticia!