July 9 - Zone conference, 4th of July, and a miracle

Nyob zoo,

This week we had Zone conference. A cool thing about the Appleton zone is that it is the only zone that has 2 sets of Hmong missionaries in the mission. The rest of the zones in the mission only have 1 set of Hmong missionaries. So we were able to spend some time with the Sheboygan Hmong elders which is always great to spend time with other Hmong missionaries. Plus the best part of zone conference is that we beat our fellow Hmong Elders for the gold plates. Elder D. Vang, Elder Chue, and Elder Berrett were a close 2nd, but not quite close enough haha. Sorry Sheboygan! 

This week was also the 4th of July. We tried to see some of the fireworks, but apparently, for some reason, Appleton does all of their fireworks on the 3rd of July.  So I didn't get to see any fireworks this year :(

One of the Hmong families in Milwaukee Jimmy and Ka have a daughter who lives in Appleton. This week we went over and ate dinner with them. It was awesome because her siblings were also at her house so it was fun to see them again. We ate chicken wings which were stuffed with egg rolls. So, so, so good. I loooove Hmong food so much. Sorry I probably have said that at least a million times. I wish you guys could all try it so then you would understand haha. 

This past week we spent a lot of time trying to find new people and inviting people to come to church. To be honest we really had no luck at all and we were both pretty bummed out. This week was one of those weeks that I was questioning “Why I am even out here? Why am I even wasting my time?”  We knocked doors for a solid 15 hours this week and literally got nothing -  I mean nothing!  It isn't fun to do missionary work when no one wants to listen to you. By the time Sunday rolled around our spirits were low and we were both physically exhausted. After setting up the translation equipment, we saw a Hmong lady. We went and talked to her. She was visiting and she is looking for a church to join. She also invited her sister to come too! They ended up staying for sacrament meeting and the 2nd hour. It has been over 3 months since a Hmong investigator has come to church in Appleton. It was literally a miracle. It was so cool.  Things like that make all the hard parts of missionary work worth it. I am so grateful for missions even though they are hard. It is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done but is also the best thing I have ever done. I am so grateful for these past 11 months to serve the Lord and help the Hmong people.

Love you all, 

Elder Rich

Happy 4th of July

Chicken wing stuffed with an eggroll

Throwback and a photobomb

Out tracting

July 2 - Made it to July - it's so HOT here!

Nyob zoo,

Wow, another week and another month! Today is my 11-month mark!  Where has the time gone?  Have I really been out this long mom?  It definitely doesn't feel like I have been out 11 months. Time has gone way too fast and I don't think I can comprehend that I am almost to my year mark.  That is crazy! 

Before I came out on my mission everybody said that Wisconsin is really hot and really humid. So far on my mission, it really hasn't been that bad...well until this week haha. I think summer finally decided to come to Wisconsin because it is suuuper hot and suuuper humid. It feels almost as if we are walking through the jungle or something. The humidity just drains you. At this point, I don't know if I like the summer heat or the winter cold better haha. It is a toss-up. We will see if the warm weather stays because yesterday was cold and rained super bad. Wisconsin is pretty confused on its weather still... 

This week I was able to go on exchanges with an elder in my district named Elder Raymer. I went to his area which was a lot of fun because I haven’t been in a non-Hmong area for a while. They didn't have any appointments for that day so it was a full day of finding. Knocking on doors for 5 hours isn't the funnest thing, but we both talked about how we wanted to look on the bright side of things and be positive. We could have thought, “Oh man 5 hours of finding. That sucks. That is such a long time.” Or “5 hours of tracting! That is awesome. That is so much time to find. Think of how many people we will be able to talk to.”  A lot of the things we are able to accomplish are based on our attitude and mindsets.  I definitely saw the difference when we stayed positive and made the best of things. We were able to meet a lot of people. Some were interested and some were not. A quick funny story - We met an old guy who we talked with a little. When we were about to leave we asked him if he would be interested in coming closer to Jesus Christ and he said: “Don't worry about me because I am getting pretty close to meeting him.”  After we left I couldn't hold it in. I was dying. It was so funny. 

Also on Saturday one of my old investigators from Sheboygan, Ariel, was baptized. I wasn't able to make it down there for her baptism, but I am so happy for her and her decision to be baptized. She is awesome. Also, shout out to the Sheboygan Elders!

Recently I have been reading the Old Testament which I actually have really enjoyed so far. Before my mission, I honestly wasn't a huge fan of reading my scriptures and I was quite bad at reading them too haha, but the longer I have been out on my mission it has been cool to see how my love and my desire to read the scriptures has grown too. I love reading the scriptures and learning from them. It is definitely my favorite hour each day, the hour I get to study the scriptures. I know daily scripture study is very important and there is a special spirit that we feel each time we read. I invite you all to try to find that time every day to read the scriptures. I know life is busy and it can be hard to find that time, but I know it is so important and if we can find that time to read, we won't regret it. The scriptures are awesome and I love them. They really do help us and are applicable to all aspects of our lives which is awesome. 

Love you all, 

Elder Rich 

Ariel's baptism in Sheboygan

It rained so hard yesterday.

It's so HOT here!

June 25 - 1st week in Appleton

Nyob zoo,

Wow! It sure is weird to be in another city. Appleton is an awesome city. It is smaller than Milwaukee, but still a pretty decent sized city. It is really pretty and there are lots of Hmong people. It has been fun to talk with all of the Hmong people here and learn another awesome area. It sure has been a big adjustment this week, but it has been really good!

The best part of the week was that I got to see my trainer formally known as Tub Txib Yim Leej. It was so fun to see "Elder Lewis" and talk with him. We got to speak some Hmong together and it was cool to see my progress from the beginning of my mission to now. As well it was good to see him again. He is a good friend. 

I knew that coming into this transfer it was going to be a struggle with the language and it has definitely been a struggle. These past few days I have probably studied harder and prayed more than ever before. I am grateful for this opportunity even though it is hard because hard things help us to grow. I have definitely seen that growth in only a few days. In my other areas, I have relied a lot on my companion's Hmong, but now I know I have to go out of my comfort zone and just open my mouth. It has been really awesome to see how much I have improved and grown in only a few days. I am getting better and more comfortable every day. I am excited to continue to attack the language. I know as I continue to go out of my way to learn and rely on God, I will grow tremendously. I am excited for this transfer and the growth I will have! 

Talk to you next week,

Elder Rich

Saying goodbye to our investigator, Yeechue

Reunited with Elder Lewis

Me and my new companion, Elder Parker, and Chia who is from Madison

The new Bucks stadium they are building

June 18 - Let your light shine...and headed to Appleton

Nyob zoo,

Wow, another week and another transfer finished!  I am officially starting my 7th transfer in the field and I will be in… Appleton. Yes, I am getting TRANSFERRED  again.  Pretty crazy right?  I don't think anybody saw this coming, not even me haha. We all thought I would be in Milwaukee for a while, but I guess the Lord has different plans. So like I said earlier I will be serving in Appleton and this will be my 5th area in only 10 months. I have gotten around to almost all 6 of the Hmong areas and after this, I will only have 1 more to go. My new companion will be Elder Parker and he is a stud.  Elder Fielding trained him and I have heard only great things about him. I am really excited to serve with him, but also a little scared because he has been out for only 4 transfers (2 less than me). We both still have a lot to learn with the language so it will be a challenge, but it will be a great learning experience for us both! Should be fun!

On Saturday, Lue Xiong and his wife Zoua got married and sealed in the temple. I wish we could have been able to go and support them, but it is out of our mission boundaries. Even though we weren't able to go, it was super awesome to have a Hmong couple be sealed in the temple. That is the goal for everyone we meet - to have them sealed as a family and it is super cool to have them do that. 

Also, this week we were able to go over to Jimmy and Ka's house. They are one of the active Hmong families in Milwaukee. The Hmong members here are so awesome. I can't explain in words how awesome they all are. Anyway, we went over to their house and talked to them about missionary work. They shared a very awesome missionary experience that they had this past week with us. This week Jimmy and his family visited his sister’s family and his sister said that she is thinking about coming back to church and wants to bring her kids to church. She said that she sees how Jimmy's kids have something different about them and that difference is the gospel. She really wants this for her kids and why she is wanting to come back to church. As I heard this awesome experience, it reminded me of a scripture that I read in 3rd Nephi this week. It is 3 Nephi 18:24.

24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do..."

It is so very important that we always remember who we are and let the light shine everywhere we go because we never know who is watching us and we never know who we can influence by our example. Christ led by example and we need to reflect that light of Christ that we all have. I know that when we strive to be that example, people will see the light that we have and that light is something that people are looking for in their lives. 

Have a great week,

Elder Rich

My district

Hmong ties we had made

Elder Vang and Elder Chue who came and stayed over

 Lue and Zoua who just went through the temple

Justin Xiong who served in Wisconsin before I came out.

June 11 - God loves us with all his HEART, MIND, AND STRENGTH

Nyob zoo!

This week we did a lot of finding and we were able to meet so many awesome people! The coolest person we met with was a lady whom Elder Vang and Elder Fielding had met in the past and gave a Plan of Salvation pamphlet to. This week we stopped by and followed up with her. We weren't able to teach the Plan of Salvation lesson to her, but we were able to talk to her for a few minutes. We asked her if she was able to read the pamphlet and she said that she did! She said it was exactly what she needed to hear because her brother recently past away and she said that she LOVED the hope and comfort that the Plan of Salvation gave to her.

We also had exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week. Elder Stephenson came with Elder Vang and me. On that exchange, we were able to go over to a less active family, Lee and Lisa. Lisa is a member, but the rest of her family are not members. We had dinner with them, got to know them better, and also were able to share a message with them. The family practices the Shaman tradition because, in the Hmong culture, the wife does whatever religion the husband does even if she doesn't believe it. Anyway, we taught a lesson on prayer and it was cool because at the end of the lesson we asked who they would like to say the prayer and Lee said he would try. He said his first prayer in his entire life and it was awesome!

For the reading challenge, we are up to 3rd Nephi chapter 15 as of today. I have really enjoyed this reading so far. The thing I have noticed the most is how much God and Jesus Christ truly love us and care for us.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “The first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life.”

I know life can be hard and isn't always easy, but no matter what God loves us with all his HEART, MIND, AND STRENGTH. No knowledge is better than this!

Love,

Elder Rich

Milwaukee

Our ward mission leader, Brother Mackey, who is moving out

Cool mural

weird beards ft. James Harden

Jesus statue

Probably the coolest comp ties ever (New Hmong Ties)

 Exchanges and signing our names. This is a place where every elder signs their name.

June 4- Charity is the Pure Love of Christ

Nyob zoo!

This week went by way too fast. I can't believe it is Monday already, but anyway, it is P-day again. Today for P-day our district is going out to eat, going to play mini golf, and then after playing some sports so it should be a fun day!

This week we had interviews with President Williams. It is one of my favorite parts of every transfer and is always a great time to talk with him. He definitely is a very inspired man and always has great tips and advice for me. One tip this week: He is wanting me to learn the area, so I am now the designated driver again. I liked chillin in the back studying and relaxing, but it will be a good thing for me to learn the area. It is a big city and the people drive crazy so wish me luck!

Hmong people care a lot about the social aspect about church. For example, they will go to a church based on how many Hmong people go there rather than what the church teaches. It makes it hard to find people that are actually interested in the truth, but this week we met an awesome guy named Mark. He literally is the most humble guy and is so prepared to hear the gospel. We knocked on his door and he let us right in. He told us that he honestly doesn't care about how many Hmong people are at church as long as it is God's true church. He is seriously searching for truth and it is really cool to see. We were able to teach him the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation this week. He is someone that I think has a lot of potential and has the right mindset to progress. 

So hopefully you have all had time to do the 3rd Nephi reading challenge. I would still love to hear what you guys have learned from the reading so far. As of today, I am on chapter 8 of 3 Nephi. This takes place right before Jesus Christ comes to visit the people and also right before Jesus comes to minister to the people in America. These next few chapters are some of my favorites, so I am very excited. 

As I have been pondering on ministering this past week, I came upon a quote that says, "Charity isn't giving someone something you want to give them, but charity is giving someone something that they need." I like this quote a lot and I think it is very true. We know charity is the pure love of Christ and when we have that love for others, we will look for ways to help them. As Christ served others he always served people according to their individual needs. He didn't serve everyone the same way because everyone is different and unique and they need different things. Things like a spiritual message, helping around the house, or maybe simply just being a friend to talk to. I know if we have this Christlike love in our hearts we will see others as our Heavenly Father sees them, as a child of God and we will know the things to help others the way they need it most just as the Savior did. 

Have a great week,

Love, 

Tub Txib Tshwj Xeeb

Eating Hmong food at a Hmong store

My new seat

Getting quite the collection of Asian Sauces

May 29 - There is Power in our Testimony

This week we finally got our smartphones. Man does it feel weird to have a smartphone, but it is awesome. We have so many tools and resources on the phone that I'm really excited to apply into missionary work. The only problem is I have to figure out how to use this phone. I didn't think I would forget how to use a smartphone in only 9 months, but I have. So this week a lot of our time has been spent figuring out how to use the smartphones and adding teaching records into the phone. It is a big change, but I am grateful for the opportunity and blessing to use smartphones in missionary work.

So a funny story this week, we were walking around and we saw a couple families in their backyard cooking food. We decided to go and talk to them. We introduced ourselves and could tell they were pretty drunk so we tried to leave, but one of the guys asked us a question. He said, “Do you guys drink beer?” And we responded, “No we do not.” He then went over to the cooler and grabbed 3 beers. He tried to give them to us but again we said we were fine. He then said, “You guys believe in Jesus right?” And we responded “Yes.” He then explained to us how Jesus created everything. He created people, he created the animals, he created the plants, and he created the whole world and we agreed with him. He then said so that means that Jesus created beer and Jesus would want us to drink the beer because he created it.

Also this week the Milwaukee Elders got a referral for a lady who requested a Bible, but they don't have a car. They asked us if we could go drop off the Bible to her. We went over to her house, introduced ourselves and gave her the Bible. We then asked her if she had ever met missionaries before. She said no and was curious about what we believe. She started quizzing us on all these different things. After we had answered them all we asked her if she had ever heard of the Book of Mormon before. She said she hadn't so we explained what it is and how it came to be. We then tried to give it to her, but she hardcore rejected us. She said I need my Bible and my Bible only. I then bore my testimony on the Book of Mormon and the whole situation changed. You could tell her heart had softened and could feel the spirit testify that the Book of Mormon is true. As we were leaving she said, “Actually I will take one of those Mormon Books.” 

Our testimonies are our strength and our best tool in helping us share the gospel. I am grateful for these past 9 months on a mission and how much my testimony has grown and has been strengthened. When I first got out to the field I was a little hesitant and scared to share what I knew to be true, but now I don't care. I want to share the message with everybody and give everybody the opportunity to know about it. There really is power in our testimony. Especially when we take the time to strengthen and nourish our testimonies. M. Russell Ballard gave us a 30 day challenge to read the book of 3 Nephi - chapter 1 to the end - starting on May 28th (yesterday) and while we read, look for ways that the Savior ministered to others and look for how we can be better ministers to others. I want to leave this same challenge with all of you and I am excited to share what I learn with you guys and also hear from you guys what you learned. I promise as you take just a little time each day to do this, you will come even closer to your Savior, your testimony will be strengthened, and you will feel of the Savior's love for you in your life.

Love, 

Elder Rich

 I got to skype in and watch the bro open his mission call to Ecuador Quito mission.  I'm excited for him. 
It was really fun to watch him open his call

Zone conference

Home cooking

Golden Plates winner again!

Our new smartphones

May 21 - Miracle week

Nyob zoo,

This week we met a lot of awesome people.  On Tuesday, we had about 30 minutes before we had to go back to the apartment, so we wanted to find "the one person" who was interested.  So we started driving around for about 5 minutes just driving by random houses until we felt inspired to go to one.  After a while, we felt like we should go to a house, so we stopped the car and went to the door.  We knocked on the door and a lady named Leda answered.  It was really cool because it ended up being someone that Elder Fielding had met at a Hmong party a while back.  We ended up talking to her for a little while and she is super cool. It was a cool experience.

We also met a guy named Vaaj and he isn’t a member, but his daughter is a returned missionary and right now she is attending  BYU Hawaii.  He is semi-interested, but it would be cool if we could teach him because of his daughter.  We also met a young college student named, Elijah.  While we were talking to him on his doorstep, he brought up a concern that he had. He said that he hasn't been to church for a while because all the churches teach different things and he didn’t know how to know which one was the true church.  And as missionaries, that’s the question that you want all people to ask you because that’s exactly what the message of the restoration answers.

On Thursday, we were doing weekly planning and all of a sudden we had the impression to call a potential investigator that we met about a week ago.  We called her and we talked to her for a little bit and then all the sudden she said her grandson wanted to talk to us.  So we talked to him and his name is Yungti Thao. He is from Laos and just barely returned back from his mission to Australia about 2 months ago.  He was really awesome and still had the missionary spirit with him.  He really wanted us to come over and share the message with his grandparents.  We went over there and we met with them and they were super awesome and it was really cool because the grandson was able to share his testimony of the Book of Mormon with his grandparents. It was really cool to see his love for his grandparents and how much he wanted them to know that our message was true.

On Sunday we had a family home evening with all the Hmong members.  We ate some bomb Pho and then after, President and Sister Williams came and they shared a brief message with us all.  Everyone really enjoyed it and it was good to be able to gather with everybody and have a good time together.  We are wanting to set another one up so we can continue to invite some more less actives and investigators to come and continue to fellowship more people.

During this past week in studies, we talked a lot on faith and having more faith. We wanted to do our best to eliminate our smallest thoughts of doubts and have 100% trust and faith in God.  And throughout this week we were able to see lots of awesome things.  For example, one day this week we set a goal to find 10 potentials for that day, which is a lot.  We went out and were able to find 5 very promising families and I know that is because of us finding with faith.

Have a great week.

Love, 

Tub Txib Tshwj Xeeb

Takraw ball.   It is a sport like volleyball but you use only your feet.
People do backflips and crazy stuff to spike it over the net

Another chicken foot

Making a wish

Yungti Thao