Week 43: Salmonella, amebas, and joy
Monday, July 8, 2024
Que tall yall!
This week flew by! Here's what happened this week
-had two more rounds of traimates. Got to see my friends Elder Mitton, Tillman, and Collins as well as some of the other dawgs.
-Had a really good salteña that Elder Manzano said was safe to eat... it was really buss but recked my stomach later
-Felt the spirit so much more this week and very strongly. I took my dad's advice to heart and really just tried to focus outward this week on others and on the Savior.
-Felt the spirit especially strongly in a lesson we had with the 3 kids we are going to be baptizing on August 3rd. And they did too! It was so powerful. I really just felt Heavenly Father's love for them and it was incredible.
-I got my results back from the doctor and as the title says I have amebas and salmonella. Haha wasn't expecting both! I have to kill the salmonella first so I have about a week left of pills for that and then I can take pills for the amebas. So I've just got worms chillin in my stomach right now for about another week lol and then I can start killing them. I can't eat milk or butter or soda which is tough haha. Elder Manzano makes sure to tease me at meals! He's so funny
- shoutout to my grandma Nona who had her bday this week! Love you Nona!
-went on a fire exchange with Elder Smith from Texas. It was nice to be able to speak English again!
Spiritual sprinkle
This week I just felt so much more joyful and happier. It wasn't because the work got any easier in this area (it didn't). It was because of my focus. Instead of focusing on my medical problems, the fact that we cant find people to teach, that nobody is interested, that I sleep on a rock, I focused on others and how I could help them. The fact that there are people who have so many more problems than me. People who don't have food on the table every day. People whose family circumstances are super hard. People who don't have Christ in their lives. People who just want to feel love and happiness. I decided to forgot about myself and try my hardest to smile and offer the hope that the gospel brings, while remembering christ and focusing on him. And I was just so much happier and joyful! I felt the spirit so much stronger.
There's a quote from President Nelson that I love.
"The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives"
This is so true! I have absolutely experienced this for myself this week! What we focus on really matters. If we focus on all the negative and hard things then we won't have joy. We won't be happy. But even in the midst of all of our challenges, if we focus on christ and our blessings and the good, we can have joy! What a blessing. What a miracle.
I challenge you guys this week to focus on the good. On christ. I promise as a representative of Christ that you will have more joy.
Love,
Elder Richards
