Sister Caroline Richards: Week 40: Goodbye Harare, Hello Mutare (I wish)

Hello my people!

What a crazy but wonderful week. Today we got HOT WATER BACK HALLELUJAH AMEN! It's been two weeks too long, shamwaris. Too long. But it's back so everything is okay! On Wednesday we had 8 fall throughs IN A ROW, but ended the night with some killer pizza to make it all better.

We got to go to Mutare to flood the place with the gospel (the people there are convinced we're satanists) and it was so stinkin fun! All of the Harare missionaries, so like 60 of us, got to go down and we just contacted for two days until we died. It was amazing!! We had to wake up at 2:30 in the morning to leave for Mutare but it was so worth it. We also had our Christmas devotional there and it was so powerful. Such a great weekend. Mutare is SO BEAUTIFUL and it seriously was just a blast to be there. We gave a billion Light the World pass along cards out and it was the best. I've started praying for next transfer if you know what I mean...

We're having a wedding this weekend and hopefully four baptisms! These past couple weeks have been the calm before the storm. The baptisms are about to come! W'eve found some really great new investigators this week who are just so prepared for the gospel. Heavenly Father prepares His children, all we have to do is find them!

I was touched by an experience we had last night with an investigator. We were teaching one of our investigator's mother for the first time, and happened to be discussing on the Book of Mormon. Tinashe, our investigator, has been praying to know if it's truthfulness. He handed the book to his Mom and said, "This book is the truth. I know it." There's nothing I love more than seeing investigators gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and then sharing it with others!

This week as I was reading in the Book of Mormon, I was touched by Helaman 5. As Nephi and Lehi were being persecuted, they were surrounded by a pillar of fire so they could not be touched. Then this voice comes from heaven right after the earth has shaken and a cloud of darkness overshadow them. The voice tells the people to stop persecuting the servants of God, and it did pierce them to the very soul. Then Aminadab sees Nephi and Lehi conversing with angels and the Lamanites ask Aminadab what they have to do to get the cloud of darnkess away from them. Aminadab tells them to repent and cry unto the Lord. Verse 42: "And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shake the earth; yea they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed." I thought it was so cool that the same one who had shaken the earth was the same being they turned to for deliverance. It reminds me of the scripture that says the Lord chastens those whom He loves. Sometimes God has to cause our earths to shake a little bit and even tumble for us to turn to Him. The same being who caused the earth to shake is the one who has power to deliver us. He shakes our worlds because He loves us!

Let us all remember the Savior in this Christmas season (even if it's 80 degrees outside) because He is the reason we are here! Love all you guys AND FAMILY CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR CUTE FACES ON SUNDAY!!

Love, Sister Richards

sister beckstead and me taking selfies for days

pictures from Mutare

mbare district

roasted chibage!

THE MOST AMAZING PIZZA EVER

stripes for days

in one of our areas. so stinkin pretty!

us being awake at FOUR OCLOCK IN THE MORNING to leave for mutare. wow.

obvious i slept for the whole 4 hour car ride until the elders started singing "we are daughters of God' at the top of their lungs. doesn't even make sense. please.