Outside Ashley's humble abode
........Inside Ashley's humble abode
First off, we had a conference with President about working in level 3. We have our work cut out for us. We aren’t even working on level 2, so we gotta gently ease our way up. That has been the biggest difficulty of the week. We have been concerned with how to help the ward do the work. We’ll figure something out. At the conference I got my happy hump day package. I was not expecting it so it was all the better. You didn’t need to send me that though, but thank you. I loved it. THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE NEW CTR RING. I LOVE IT. I also got your Dear Elders mom about Education Week. It makes me miss school when you talk about BYU.
My comp and I have felt some nudging towards Natalia’s family. There have been far too many coincidences with running into them and so we talked to her about it. She said that’s funny because right now they are at a really hard time in their lives. Her parents are getting divorced. So maybe that’s why we’ve been thinking of them. We’ve been trying to contact them forever and finally this week we did it. We walked past their house and then decided to go back and try and see if they were there. The mom was. We talked to her for a little, but she said she didn’t want anything and maybe we’d see each other later. Every missionary knows that means it’s a no go. But I was persistent and told her we felt impressed to go and see them. She started crying and said she had seen us pass by and then turn around and that day was a really difficult day for her. She told us her whole story about getting divorced; her kids who were suffering and getting into trouble... then we got talking so much she invited us in. We just got to know her and her other daughter came home and we talked to the both of them. They were around when Natalia was taking the lessons and so we talked about the missionary that was there that taught her. They think so highly of her and she means so much to them, then they said we were starting to take her place. We are gonna have to go slow, but we have a return appointment and we’re excited to see what might come of it. HUGE SUCCESS THAT WAS.
Ashley and her beloved friend, Camilla
On the flip side, we had to drop Camilla. She flat out told us she didn’t want to get baptized; maybe later in life but she’s not willing to give up the things of the world. So sad. She has been asking for my old CTR ring for forever so I gave it to her. She was sooo happy. I told her she had to live it and I explained what it meant. She agreed. With time she’ll be ready to accept the gospel. We are also teaching some less actives who recently moved here. We invited them to church a few weeks ago, but they didn’t come. We went and saw her again and she said she didn’t feel comfortable going to church without a skirt and she didn’t have one. So we found one for her, took it to her and she showed up to church. It was awesome. Then we went back to her house and her 13 year old daughter wants to get baptized. Her name is Nataly. We think it might be her mom more wanting her to get baptized. She is soooo quiet and won’t talk to us. The only thing she could muster up the courage to ask was if we had been to California and Hollywood. Her mom said she has cried because she wants to go to the states so bad and see California. So when I got your package the next day, I put together some hand sanitizer, gum, candy and goodies and gave a little package to her and her sister. Turns out she loves that so much that she won’t even eat it. She’s keeping it to show all her friends. People love the states!
It’s weird being senior comp because now when people ask me how long I’ve been out; they all are starting to say I’m almost finished. That’s crazy! Also, I walked in somewhere and felt like I was in the states. The strangest feeling came over me. I’m not ready to come home. Good thing I have a ton of time left.
The thing that has been on my mind all week is the Emma Smith movie. I’d seen it before but... it hit me so hard here. She is seriously my new hero besides you, mom and dad :) I want to be like her! I also started and finished our Search for Happiness this week. Boyd K. Packer talks about an experience he had on his mish, a silent strong experience that changed him. The spirit hit him hard and changed him. That's how I’ve been feeling. It was such a drastic change from the first half of the mish to the second. I’ve been reflecting and I have changed, but for the better. It’s impossible to describe, but so great... I love it here. I’ve transformed and I love it. I love the gospel and I love all of you. I hope everything is well. Hold tight to the rod.
Love, Ash
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