Joy's 4th Week is complete!                                    Letter received June 28, 2016


Hola amigos,

This week flew by. I don't know how it happens. Basically everyday we go to class and study by ourselves for two hours and then have companionship study where we share what we learned and plan for our investigators. We live in our chairs which kills me a little bit, but I will soak it up since in TWO WEEKS I will be living on my feet. 

So, last week Speth and I got rings from the market but that night she lost it while she was making her bed. She was so sad and we tore up her bed and looked for it but it was not anywhere to be found. That night we were saying prayer and we asked to find it and the next morning we were getting ready and she looked in her closet and right in the middle was her ring. It was pretty cool because it was definitely not there the night before.

So, in sacrament meeting we are just called on randomly to give talks. In the group of Americans before us, there were a couple who never had to give a talk so I was hoping my visit here would end the same way. But alas, when I heard "Hermana Ashton," I went stiff, and the MTC President just smiled at me and my wide eyes. Luckily, I had written one for just such an occasion the night before and was able to share about enduring to the end. It went well enough, and all the sweet little latina hermanas smiled up at me and told me I did a good job. 

Hermano Bajan is one of our new teachers and the other day he was doing the accents of our missions and when he talked like a Salvadoran it was really sing-songy and it made my heart melt. I loved how it sounded. I hope that I get that accent because it is so sweet and smooth. I made him do it again the next day because it sounds like a warm blanket. I cannot wait to get there and be able to speak spanish with those people!

We were praying right before we were going to give a lesson and for those situations we pray in English so I was praying in English that we would be able to have the spirit with us and I said a few more things before I realized that I was saying "por favor" rather than please. It is so amazing to me how the gift of tongues truly is a gift of the spirit. When I recognize that the spirit is with me, I do much better at the language. I am working hard and I am trying my best, but with the spirit in my life, I can do so much more. 

I love seeing your pictures! It looks like this has been a fun busy week! I'm praying for ya!

Love,

Hermana Ashton