Richardson, Olivia PT

Sister Richardson's Super Split Seconds It got cold literally overnight. I looked like a complete fool walking around in my puffer jacket and fur boots in 50-degree weather. East coasters can roast me all they want, I simply don't care. You can take a girl out of AZ, but you can't take the AZ out of a girl. Someone called us to ask if they could come to church! Oh, how the tables have turned, and I'm here for it. Shoutout to Ryan for making our day. Life is full of trade-offs. Following God's plan is the same. We are oftentimes forced to give up something, but in return, get something better. The hard thing is that we don't always get the "something better" on our timetable. There was a point at the beginning of this transfer where I was so frustrated. We were giving our all, and nothing was happening. I felt overlooked and mad that we were giving 100%, only to receive blown-up toilets and snarky remarks. It felt like my "something better" wa...

Sister Richardson's Super Split Seconds Another crazy week. So much so, that I feel like I only have two remaining brain cells. In the spirit of that, here are my two brain cells in writing. In all honesty, watching general conference (online church broadcast) has never been something I've been good at. But it turns out, staying awake AND watching all 5 sessions is incredible for the soul. Amazing how that works, eh?! My favorite quote from GC came from Elder Giraud-Carrier. He said, "How we treat others is a direct representation of how we feel about the Savior." WOW. OK. Call me out, why don’t you? I've felt my heart soften and grow immensely these past few months, but to love as the Savior did is an entirely different ball game. Translating our love for the Savior to those around us is not easy. As I've been reflecting on what it takes to translate the love we have for Christ to those around us, I've come to see that the only way to do so is to love thr...

Sister Richardson's Super Split Seconds We have interviews with our mission president once every 6 weeks. My group's time slot happened to fall during the time of an African dowry ceremony at our church building. My mission president is from Zimbabwe, so he and his wife were eating it up. So much so that they took us to the wedding. The whole thing was in Twi, everyone was dressed in elaborate outfits (except for us), and the walls were literally shaking because the base of the music was so loud. The best part is, no one even batted an eye at us as we completely crashed a random couple's wedding. Owen Wilson didn't make a guest appearance, but there's always next time. We survived Hurricane Ophelia. Mostly just some rainy and windy days. Fall is in full mode here, and I love it. Quote of the week from my man Reggie at Habitat for Humanity: "Romance without finance is a nuisance." Talked to a ton of people. Lots of crazies, but also some solid normal people...

Sister Richardson's Super Split Seconds Gretta the Jetta's legacy lives on here in Alexandria. Gretta and I found ourselves on the side of multiple roads waiting for C-Rich to save us from a blown-up tire. Lucky for me, after forcing my dad to save me, I did semi-learn how to change a tire. This came in handy on Wednesday when we got a flat tire on our way to pick up some sisters for zone conference. I ate it handing out food boxes. It was absolute mayhem trying to get everyone what they needed, so much so that I didn't see one of the volunteers set down a box behind me as I picked up another box. One thing led to another, and I was left with a bloody knee for the rest of the duration of my time at the lovely Audubon trailer park community. The best part is, no one even batted an eye as I literally toppled over holding a box of potatoes. Good times, rest in peace to my yellow pants and my pride. Remember my blown-up tire? Yeah, well, I left out a little miracle. As I was tr...

Sister Richardson's Super Split Seconds Transfers were on Friday, and I'm going for round 3 here in Huntley Meadows! Unfortunately, the party trio was split up, which was so sad, but I'm grateful to be with Sister VanDyke for another 6 weeks! The area is definitely starting to feel small, but I'm grateful for the chance that I have to be here! Time has become a literal warp. I don't know how it's September, but I also feel like it should be March of 2026. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's how I'm feeling. A literal snake slithered into our apartment. Absolute mayhem broke out. Sister VanDyke killed it, I disposed of it, and all three of us nearly vomited. I pride myself on being able to handle most things, but snakes are where I draw the line. My mental sanity about evaporated. Turns out, our dungeon of an apartment could, in fact, get worse. All things considered though, we are safe and we have a roof over our heads, so I can't compla...