Las Aradas - Week Six

Hey fam!

It sounds like the trek was quite an adventure. That was fun to read about your guys experiences.  Hard things definitely strengthen you, but they're tough when your doing it.  Ive already seen how a mission is strengthening me, but it would be a lot easier to just be at home in college.  The biggest thing im learning right now is the importance of praying daily.  A veces, (At times)I forget to pray, and it seems like those days where I dont pray in the morning are always more difficult, and my spanish doesnt seem to be as good.  Its pretty crazy. 

So our baptism date that we had didnt go through. Hes in San Salvador for this whole month, so we cant talk to him right now.  We have two investigators right now though that are really interested in the church.  One is a single lady thats like 60, and she has doubts but says she likes our church.  Shes been to church once.  The other is a guy named Edwin.  Hes probably like 30 or 35, and also really likes our church.  He works on Sundays though, so its tough to get him to church. Hes a great guy, and   Were just gonna try to call him every week.   Thats a tough situation for Allison and Guy, ill keep them in prayers.  Is it fun having them live with you guys?  

So I got a new companion.  Se llama Elder Solano, y es de Peru Trujillo.  El solo tiene un mas cambio de mi, pero es el lidre de districto y es un my bueno misionero.  (His name is Elder Solana and is from Trujillo Peru.  He has only been out on his mission for one more change than me but he is a District Leader dn a very good missionary)Im actually 13 days older then him haha.  Its an adventure because were both newbies, so we dont know what to do sometimes, but its an adventure.  I actually like having a new missionary, because I feel like I have to talk more then with my other comp.  En serio, el memoriza toda el libro de mormon.  (He has seriously memorized the whole Book of Mormon) His lessons are all just reading scriptures and explaining them, but his lessons esta muy bueno!  It was also an adventure because I stayed in my area, so I had to memorize my whole area, but I actually did pretty well.  Nosotros comimos pupusas cada noche, y pupusas esta muy bien!   (We eat Pupusa's each night and Pupusa's are very good!)

Jason and his new Companion

It looks like the reds are starting to fade.  5 games back?  Im just continuing to hope none of my teams win championships while im gone! 

Apparently a Cockroach infestation

Well have a good week fam.  Love you guys!

Elder Richardson

Las Arada - Week 5

July 5, 2013

 

Hey fam,

Okay, I dont have that much time to write today, but i'll send a short email! Time here is starting to go fast. Its crazy when your working all day every day how fast time goes. Right now, its just a lot of tracting and studying, how a mission is supposed to be I guess. I'm also starting to talk more in lessons, and some people can understand me and some can't. Its no big deal though I feel i

I'm improving slowly haha. I'm just hanging in there right now, and hopefully after a year i'll find myself able to speak spanish. The only thing i'm really struggling with right now though is i'm really not a big talker, and on a mission you have to lead the conversation. Also, obedience is tough haha. Of course i get sent to the mission that has to wake up at 6 in the morning. I think this is because I slept through classes in college so i need to learn how to wake up haha. I can definitely feel this mission changing my life, with only a month in the field.

July 4th was definitely really weird here. We had zone meeting, so all of the gringos were talking to each other about the 4th of July, but it was weird for it to just be no big deal for everybody here. Independence day here is July 25th, and I hear its a big party just like the 4th is in the U.S. Being here and seeing some of the poverty here definitely makes me happy to be an American. Downtown detroit here would be like the nicest city here haha. 

We were supposed to have a baptism on Sunday, but it fell through. He had been to church twice, and needed to go one more time, but wasnt at church on Sunday. Its tough to have your mind set on a baptism, and then have your investigator not show up to church, but if hes at church this sunday we should be able to baptize him this sunday. Its just tough because he has to work a lot of sundays. He seems like he has a testimony about our church though, and hopefully well get lucky this sunday. 

Youll have to send me a lot of pictures when kelly has a baby. 4 months! Also, glad allison and guy found a house. Hopefully their move will go well, and theyll get the house they want! How was the 4th of July, and did you guys spend it with richardsons? Last night was the first night ive felt homesick, but this is where I need to be at this time in my life! Oh also, I got your packages like a week ago, but just forgot to tell you last week. You should put a ton of hi chews in the next one haha. Ill fast for allison and guys move to work out on sunday. I thought fasting was tough before, but now having to walk 5 miles a day while fasting, its a lot tougher! We pay fast offerings, but no tithing.

So you guys wanted to know what I do on p day. On pdays we wake up and have personal and companionship study, and then after that go to an internet shop? and write families. Its just a place with a ton of computers haha. After we just go to the supermarket, and clean up our house. Our pday ends an hour earlier then its supposed to so we really dont have all that much time. Its tough not having a dishwasher and washing everything by hand. For washing clothes, we just have a lady in the ward that does our laundry, but most areas you do your laundry yourself. We pay her like 15 bucks a month, which is a lot but its definitely worth it haha. Well love you guys! 

Elder RIchardson

Las Arada - Week 4

June 28

Dear Fam

So i don't have that much time to write today because I had to figure out how to send pictures.  I sent them to allison too in case it doesnt work sending them to you.  So missions are tough haha, though.I'm starting to adjust to mission life.  Waking up at 6 in the morning is starting to become easier, and im starting to get used to walking like  5 miles a day haha.  (Below is a picture of the roads he walks every day in his area, I'm assuming that that is his companion, Elder Salas and this is Jason's view for much of the day)  My spanish is also starting to become better and better.  During personal study, I read the book of mormon in spanish and english, so thats helping a lot.

 

About the missionary fireside last sunday, I did watch it, but i didnt understand most of it.  We listened in spanish at our stake center.  Im starting to be able to talk more and more with Elder Salas though, because spanish is starting to come along.  We started just buying papusas every night haha.  Their seriously one of my new favorite foods.

We have a baptism date for Sunday.  The guys name is Fabian Antonio.  Hes really interested in the church, and has no problem with anything.  He thought not having to drink coffee was different, but he stopped because he has a pretty strong testimony that our church is true.  Hes an older guy too, hes 73 years old.  Here, everybody lets you in for one lesson, but a lot of times they dont want you to come back.  Its different then a US mission though because everybody is outside, so they kind of have to talk to you haha.  Ill probably be able to send a picture next week after his baptism. 

Also, I think zack went to michigan, but not detroit.

El Salvador is rainy, but at least where I am it only rains at night.  It usually starts at like 730 or 8 at night, and we have to be in our house at 830, so it doesnt really affect us that much.  Theres no sprinkling here though, its definitely a downpour every night.  Im just waiting for an earthquake my companion said hes had like three since hes been here. 

I guess everybody has a difficult time their first couple months of missions.  I guess ive wished a
couple times that I was in an english speaking mission, but I also know that if this is where the Lord sent me, then this is where i need to be.  Spanish is a skill ill use for the rest of my life, so i guess i'm kind of glad too to be able to learn a new language.  Its definitely tough, but this is where I need to be.  Oh also, we switched buildings for church, so im inside now.  We were actually always a branch off of a different ward, so we are just in that ward now.  Its fun being able to talk english with Hermana Peterson every week now haha.  Well I gotta go but love ya fam.  Ill send pictures of my house and church next week.

Elder Richardson

Las Arada - Week 3

Dear Family,

 

Yeah it rains every night here.  It only downpours for a couple hours, but when I say downpour, its definitely the hardest rain ive seen in my life.  Our apartment is pretty nice, its two stories, and we have a microwave.  We dont have an oven though haha.  I guess ill be in this area for twelve weeks, at least.  It kinda depends how long your in an area, because some missionaries I talk to change areas every six weeks, but my companion Elder Salas has been in this area (Aradas), for 7 months of his mission.  I havent really been handing out the pictures we bought that much, but I am handing out the rings to little kids here.  They think their pretty cool.

 Im getting to know my companion a little better, but my spanish is still pretty bad, so not that much.  Hes a pretty cool guy though with a strong testimony.  His moms inactive, but the rest of his family is pretty strong in the church.  My shoes are fine.  I just wear them untied because I get blisters when their tied.  Its all good though.  Yeah I like where im at.  Its definitely really pretty, and we walk probably five miles a day here.  Im pretty sure im losing a ton of weight.  The people dont have a lot of money, but their pretty humble and everybody lets us in to talk about the Gospel.  A lot of them like what our church says about being able to live with your family forever. 

Im starting to like the food here a lot.  Papusas are really good and frijoles here arent even that bad either, their definitely better then they are in the US.  They dont really it that flower papusa thing either, so I guess thats good haha.  Every P day here we get wendys or pizza hut, so i get a taste of home every week. 

Apparently my ward right now is a branch off another ward.  Because of this, my branch only has like 20 people in it.  Its a lot like the... greenfield brach in ohio?  Our  first counselor just got back from his mission in Argentina like three months ago, so that kinda tells you how small our ward is haha. 

I need to send some pictures.  I was going to send some today, but I forgot my camera so ill try again next week.  Life here is going well.  At least for now, this is the hardest thing ive done in my life, but im just hoping it will improve.  Ive only been here for a month, but im learning spanish slower then a lot of missionaries.  Mission life is good though, and im just trying to make this the best I can.  Well love ya fam, ill try to send some pictures next week. 

Pictures...finally! :)

Guatemala MTC District.  The guy in the yellow vest was a guide at a large map of Guatemala that the MTC President takes missionaries to and discusses the Book of Mormon lands

Jason's MTC Companion hard at work?

Pupusa's for lunch

 Pupusa's with beans and rice is the standard meal..he seems to be enjoying them.  Clearly the clock and calendar is off on his camera since he wasn't there in 2012! His house doesnt look to bad, 2 stories and three bedrooms....

  Jason's Companion, Elder Salas, from the Domincan Republic

Las Aradas - Week 2

Dear Fam, to answer some of your questions...

Companion    I have a latino companion, Elder Salas, as you guys know.  Hes collecting all the quarters, so do we have any of those quarter collection books lieing around.   It would be cool to give to him.  House is still pretty quiet since he doesnt speak any english.  I think thats one of the toughest things, just living in silence most of the time haha.

Shoes...  Those eccos we got... hurt.  My feet are all cut up from them, so today im just wearing them really loose.  Cant do anything about that though haha. 

We have a baptism date for the 29th of June.  Weve just given a guy two lessons, but he was definitely prepared, and attended church on Sunday and loved it! Here for baptism people have to go to church three times, and then they can be baptized. Elder Salas will baptize him, but it will be a great experience to be able to attend that.

Package... I havent gotten your guys package yet, but it will probably come soon!

Area... Yep I think thats right. Theres not that much in aradas other then dirt floor houses!  Theres a small neighborhood where the hermanas in my district proselyte.  Its a lot richer then where I am.   Its fun having a hermana from my district in the CCM in my district here. 

Temple...  We got to go to the San Salvador temple last saturday.  I should have taken pictures, but i forgot my camera!  I really dont have too many pictures right now of the mish.  Its a nice small temple though.  We took investigators up there, and just taught them about the temple.  All of the investigators we talked to about the temple loved being able to go up there and see it.  It was a great experience.

Food... Im not a big fan of the food here haha.  Papusas here are better then the ones we had, but i like them more with ketchup then the salsa.  Im just not a big fan of tortillas, and they eat tortillas here... for every meal.  They do have real milk here though, so i get to have cereal in the morning!  It makes me feel like im back at home.  Ive been sick for the last week though with big d. 

Serving here is really just two years of camping!  Were in the forest all day every day, so it really does feel like were just camping for two years.  Also, i guess its not really all that dangerous here.  Ive been talking with the elders who are about to go home, and none of them have ever seen anybody get shot.  I have faith that as long as I do what Im supposed to, I wont see anything like that either.

Ive just been praying every day for charity.  Im having a tough time caring a lot about the people here, but need to change my focus.  I guess Im kinda having a withdrawal from the Reds.  Who knew baseball could be an addiction! haha  Well fam one more week down, \but I guess im just not used to having to do hard stuff.  One thing an older elder here talked about was no regrets.  He just wakes up every day trying to make sure he doenst have any regrets at the end of his mission.  Im gonna try to take that motto too!  Well love you fam thanks for the support. Oh and... reds update??? haha

Mission Arrival Letter and Pictures

Dear Richardson Family,

            We are happy to announce that your son, Elder Richardson, has safely arrived to our mission. The night of his arrival, we enjoyed getting to know his in a dinner at the mission home, and we can tell that he is a great missionary. We are grateful for his sacrifices and your sacrifices to allow him to be here. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will pour out his blessings upon your family. We are very happy to have your son with us and we know he will bless the lives of many people here in the great country of El Salvador.

He has been assigned to the Las Aradas area in the Modelo Stake. His companion is Elder Salas from the Dominican Republic. We expect to see many miracles from this companionship.