So I guess they use ducks and we use goats.

Well, this week, we had a great time. I think the coolest thing was seeing the effects of our planning and knowing that we made good, and guided, decisions. We had a lot of lessons with members this week, and each lesson we taught was very different. But each one was exactly perfect for each family. It was a good week for teaching for us.

Unfortunately, it wasn't so great a week for finding. We got a lot of appointments, phone numbers, etc. and it was looking like it would be really good. But then no one came to the appointments they made and they don't answer their phones or call back. So that was a real bummer.

Another cool thing we got to do was go on a hike with a local Boy Scout troop. It was way fun and super 懐かしい for both me and Elder Mendoza. We both got to remember the different things that we liked about working at scout camp. And a couple of the things we didn't like as much. (^-^) But it was a really good service opportunity and they were really excited when we were able to come and show some scout skills to the boys. One of the leaders mentioned to us how good he felt it was for the troop, being a really small troop, to have some leaders that aren't way older than the boys so they can look up to and connect easier with. So they are way happy to have us there. And it was super fun.

So that's about all that happened this week.

This week I learned something that was pretty cool. Right now I am studying the Book of Mormon and focusing on what it says in the title page of why it was written. And highlighting it in three different colors.
1. to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things
the Lord hath done for their fathers
2. that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not
cast off forever
3. And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the
Christ, the Eternal God

So I realized through marking these things that the great things the Lord does for us and the Covenants and prophecies, etc. of the Lord are the same thing. The only difference is the timeline. Covenants are just future blessings and all the great things the the Lord does for us are past covenants and prophecies. I thought that was really interesting. And that goes really well with D&C 130:20-21. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated--And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that
law upon which it is predicated.

Well that was just one small thing that I learned this week and I thought that it was cool. I hope you all have a great week and learn something new that you think is cool. And you can email me the thing
that you learned so I can learn it too. Then we will think that it is cool together.

Elder Richardson
 

 Dinner at the Kawabata's

 I fell asleep during Language Study at the church and this is how Elder Kojima decided was to best use his time.

Eucalyptus trees that they use to feed Koalas at the zoo. (Starring Mr. Mishima)