The Power of Prayer

This is how they pick up the garbage cans... by horseback!
As I stated last week, we are going to start having activities every Tuesday: FHE for the ward. Last week we had a pretty good turnout… more than I expected... 25 people. Everyone really had fun, we just watched the Joseph Smith movie and ate and talked afterwards and it was fun. We planned out cool activities for the rest of the transfer and the next one, if we are still together. They include things like a scavenger hunt, bonfire and s ‘mores, because we can totally do that here in the middle of nowhere, (except we just gotta find a way to make s ‘mores without marshmallows and graham crackers) haha, water balloon volleyball and some other things. We are doing water balloon volleyball tomorrow night and I will make peach cobbler and some members will bring vanilla ice cream. I hope they like it. I’m trying to do what dad said about using our "states" skills to further the work here. We know how it should be done so we are going to do it. The members want to be involved. It’s awesome. Wish us luck with that. Maybe you could send a pie recipe to me mom so we can make pie one time. Oh! And I need Minute It To Win It games! We wanna do that too, but I can’t remember very many. Will you send me some? Thanks! One of the millions of cows in the pastures... gotta love the country!
Miracle of the week. Last week we had two people show up to church. Then he came to our activity on Tuesday and brought a cake to share with everyone. His name is Augustine. Although we haven’t had a REAL lesson with him, we keep teaching him little bits and pieces. We keep finding him everywhere. It’s hard to describe, but we in reality have taught him a lot. His girlfriend doesn’t really want much to do with anything. After the first time at church, she decided she didn’t like it and didn’t come back, but he did. He’s great and really REALLY wants to know. He came to church yesterday and in between classes we asked him if he read what we left him about the Plan of Salvation. He said he read all of it and he had a million questions. Questions are good. Latins don’t talk much in lessons or have questions so when they do, it’s a good sign. We were all over the place trying to explain all his questions and finally I just had to stop and say we really need to sit down and have an actual lesson. We need to explain the Plan from the start. It won’t do you any good if we are talking about every principle of the gospel to answer your questions. Things won’t connect or make sense. We asked if he had prayed and he said he didn’t really need to. He said he just wanted to keep coming and if it felt good, then he’d stay. We explained the purpose of us asking him to pray. We explained how people here are too stubborn to pray a two-minute long process and no one will put forth the effort to find the truth. We ask tons of people to pray and they just say... uuhhhh no! He said he wasn’t stubborn and he wanted to know, so he would pray. When we asked if we could end with a prayer, he asked if he could say it. Well, of course. His prayer... was probably one of the most sincere and real I have heard from anyone. It was amazing and the consequences of it were amazing. He thanked Heavenly Father for us, for insisting and insisting that he pray and then he thanked Heavenly Father for the opportunity to learn more and to be involved in a good thing, to have met so many caring people and... everything and he ended. He didn’t look up, so we sat there... next thing we know he is in tears. As a missionary, you have to learn of the importance of silence so that the spirit can speak to people and that was exactly what happened. I’m not sure how long we waited while he cried and experienced something amazing. It was so incredible that he couldn’t even explain it to us. My comp asked what he was thinking or feeling. He couldn’t find the words. She asked if it was good or bad. He just said different. In a good or bad way we asked. He said, so good. The spirit was sooooo strong. I couldn’t even believe it. It was awesome. I think he knows it’s true now. He said he wants to be baptized. It’s going to be a little complicated because he’s living with his girlfriend so they have to get married or separate AND since they live in a tent, it’s going to be a little hard to separate. Yes, that’s what I said: they live in a tent. Oh man... life is rough. He’s so cool though. Tomorrow we will see him again. Keep him in your prayers. I hope this is the start of something really great happening. Patience really is a virtue.

We are going exploring today. I’m excited! Also, a girl in the ward just got her mission call today so tonight we are going to go watch her open it. How fun, huh? Reminds me of one day I had similar, about a year and a half ago. Weird...

Love, Ash