Happy Halloween to all. My comp and I bought masks. haha She’s the alien and I’m Frankenstein. We can only wear them in the house though. So this week has been something else... I have so much to tell you all. Be prepared to be blown away because this week has been the bomb!
We have seen miracles up the wazoo and have had numerous answers to prayers. It’s been humbling to see the Lord’s hand at work and we are just trying to go where he’s pointing us. It seems to be working pretty well. Where do I start?I got letters from mom and Regan. Thank you so much for those. They always boost me up during the week. Love you mom. The week started out pretty normal. We were teaching Nataly every day so Satan couldn’t get to her before her baptism. It’s what we do for all our investigators who will be baptized. And we were teaching Loana from the Rodriguez family. She is so incredibly smart. I just remember thinking on Tuesday, seeing them read their scriptures... "Wow, this is the greatest thing in the world when we can see these people making changes in their lives by using the gift of the gospel." I was blown away by how touched I was. It’s even better because we have more than one person at a time who is doing so. That’s how missionary work should be, right?
Miracle 1: Nataly
Nataly was baptized!!! Baptism days... oh man, they are always so crazy and stressful and bad things always come up, but we made it.
I don’t know how it has been, but this transfer we have had a renewal. The spirit of the work has changed. We worked really hard to make this baptism a great one. We had all the youth do the program and everything went so great. Nataly went to young women’s finally, even though she dragged her mom in there with her. What a champ. Pretty much the entire ward showed up to her baptism. 42 people (not all pictured). Alright, not the whole ward, but the families who go every week. 
The spirit was amazing. We were praying for a good turnout so she would feel loved and inspired. She went to a previous baptism and only the mom, us and the elders were there. I think she was taken aback, but she loved having the support, even though we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Everything went without flaw. Thank heavens, or Heavenly Father, I should say. It was fantastic. I finally put some of my flower talent into practice. My comp and I found flowers all throughout the day to make her a wrap. It was really pretty. I think she liked it. On Sunday she made friends with Belen and Sheyla. We all went to visit Sheyla with the both of them because her mom isn’t letting her come to church. So, she was baptized and confirmed and we have a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ and for that we are so grateful.Miracle 2 and 3 : Deina and Daian.
We went to re-contact a family we had set an appointment with, but they never ended up being there. It was a family: mom, son and 2 daughters (ages 9 and 11). We went to their house and they were there this time. The mom said we could teach them. So we did. I had this strange feeling as we were sitting with them that the girls would progress and be baptized, but not the mom. It was really odd. We taught the restoration and we were asking them all if they would like to know for themselves if Joseph Smith was a prophet. The two girls were just nodding their heads yes over and over again. And then I wasn’t surprised when the mom then told us, "This is nice and all, but really I just don’t have an interest. I don’t really want to know." Well alright, there isn’t anything we can do about that. It was said, but the girls were so into it that the mom said we could continue to teach them if we liked. The girls said yes and so they agreed to pray and re-read the pamphlet about Joseph Smith. Yes... so we anxiously waited until Friday when we could see them again. We sang with them, prayed with them and then verified how everything went. Welp they prayed... they didn’t get an answer though. They were expecting Jesus and God to come like they did for Joseph Smith, even though we explained beforehand that that wouldn’t happen. It was ok. They read the whole pamphlet too. So we started teaching them the Plan of Salvation. I don’t know if you remember those cutouts I made to teach the plan?... but we taught and used those and afterwards we tested them. They nailed it all. They pretty much re-taught it to us. It was great. We told them we were having a baptism the next day and they could come. They wanted to see how it was. Their dad is a pastor, along with his new wife, for some other church and they started telling us that they can’t be baptized in his church until after they are 18 (even though they were baptized as kids in the Catholic church). We told them in our church we get baptized at the age of 8 and they said they both wanted to. We told them we would explain that later. They are very smart and in tune with the spirit, because of the things their dad has taught them even though they think his religion is weird. As we left the lesson, I asked my comp what she thought... she said "It was weird. While we were sitting there, I felt like the girls were going to be baptized, but not the mom." I just started freaking out because we had both felt the same thing. It was so strange but sooo awesome.
We went over the next day to get them for the baptism. They got all dressed in cute skirts and we talked on the way to the church. They said they had prayed. The oldest of the two, Deina, said she had gotten her answer the first time she prayed, but she just wasn’t paying attention. She was looking for a different type of answer. But they said they knew for sure Joseph Smith was a prophet. It was awesome. We showed them around the church, they loved it. And they watched the baptism and also loved it. Every single ward member adores them... they kept telling us to take care of "our little princesses." The ward is in love and you will be too. At the end of the baptism, they said they wanted to be baptized. They wanted hymn books and Books of Mormon. We asked what they were going to tell their mom when they got home. They said that they want to go to church every day. So cute. We got to their house and they ran in so excited to tell their mom everything. I think she was taken aback by how much they loved it. They said they wanted to get baptized and she said, “Whoa, whoa! You gotta learn a lot more. You can’t be baptized RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW." She is very supportive though. She says she will let them do whatever they think is right in their lives. We explained they had more things to learn, but with time they can be baptized. We went and picked them up on Sunday for church as well. They loved Primary and we suggested the date of the 29th of November for their baptism. They love it. Now we just have to clear it by the mom. I don’t think she will have a problem with it... I hope not. We are a teeny bit worried about the dad. We’ll see. We continue to teach them, they continue to become smarter in the things of the Lord and growing in the gospel. Miracle 4: Alejandra
She still hasn’t been to church so we had to move her baptismal date back to the 29th with the other girls. But she has grown immensely in spirit and in testimony. She went to a Relief Society dinner this week and went to the ward cleaning on Saturday before the baptism and stayed to see Nataly be baptized. She felt the spirit there and was so sad when we had to change her baptismal date. But she is so excited. She is reading and praying, getting her clothes ready for the baptism and planning everything. We are pretty sure she will make it. We just gotta help her get to church. She is so happy though lately and we are happy for that.
Miracle 5: Rodriguez family
They also made it to the baptism. So Loana could see how it’s done. They all loved it. Yesterday they came to church and the ward actually had them stand so everyone could welcome them back into the fold. My comp got teary eyed. It was a tender moment. We talked to the bishop about Loana getting baptized and seeing as how we have 3 baptisms on November 29th, we talked about having her baptized then. They interviewed with him and the bishop suggested that date and also said he wanted Jose (the dad) to have the priesthood so he could do the honors!!! Whoa! He went with the bishopric later to their house, said all he has to do is come back to church, they will count him as active again and he can get the priesthood. Then he can baptize Loana and then pass the Sacrament and so on and so forth. This is amazing. We were in awe and just so happy for them.
On top of that, our zone leaders called us and said thanks for all our work. They said the zone has had problems and difficulties this week, but Hermana Laursen and I are pressing forward and with our faith, prayers and hard work, we are seeing miracles. It has been amazing!
I wish you all could have been here to see and experience the things I have this week. Prayers have been answered, miracles have been produced and the impossible has been made possible. That’s what happens when you are part of the greatest work that ever was or will be. I know this is the Lord’s work and I am so grateful to be part of it. I’m grateful he’s allowing me to see these miracles and participate in the changing of lives. I can honestly say that this has been THE BEST WEEK OF MY MISSION SO FAR. Every good thing that can happen on the mission, has happened. We are working with the ward, they want to participate in the work, they are seeing we are working by our own efforts and having success and they want to be part of it. They came, they supported, we found, we taught, we baptized and everything in between. I love this gospel with all my heart. I’m so grateful for this work.
I love you all so much. I hope you enjoy this week’s news, the pictures and the spirit. Be strong, be good, hold strong and we’ll talk next week. I love you all more than you know.
Love, Ash
P.S. We are getting washing machines!!!!
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