No pictures this week :(

This week was pretty usual.  We had p-day last week when I wrote to you and now it is p-day otra vez.  On Monday we had a family home evening with a menos- activo which was fun and we have these family home evenings a lot.  People really love them.  They are a great way to invite not only your own family, but others to have a fun time and learn principles of the gospel.  I was reading a conference talk or a discurso in a liahona  or something like that that talked about how important the family home evenings are and how they are the way that we teach in the home.  We have schools to teach us math, English, science, etc.  but the home is where we learn respect, love, integrity, etc.  It is true, with so many homes that don´t have a good base, if the family doesn´t have the confianza, it reflects in other things such as in school or work or words or actions.  The home is so important. 

On Tuesday we had the interviews with President and Hermana Vasquez which were great.  I liked the things that I learned from them about the ways we can talk to people and find nuevas personas.  I told him about how you wanted to find his daughter in temple square and that he would send you something through facebook.   Presidente y Hermana Vasquez are so cute.  They gave us water candy that we could enjoy and share with others.  We were the last people in the capilla con ellos so they took us home.  Past our curfew but, really, it was the president. ;)

I got sick on Wednesday which I didn´t like.  But Thursday was the Dia de Independencia for El Salvador so there was a giant parade in the middle of San Miguel on the Avenida Roosevelt.  The whole street was packed with people and no one was in their houses because they were at the 8 hour parade.  It was cute though.  There were schools that performed and people in the dance typical.  You really couldn’t move through the people it was so packed.

I got to reflect on the Atonement this week and that really, Jesus loves us SO MUCH!   He has gone through everything that we have to, and will have to go through.   He knows what the problemas feel like and that there are always things that can discourage us, but when we realize that he knows how we feel, we can lean on him.  We don´t have to go through anything alone because we have a teammate, a friend, really, our best friend, who knows the exact measurement of our problem and he will comfort us. I love Jesus. 

And don´t forget to watch Women´s Conference this week?  Is it this week?  Pray for the speakers and remember to pray in your families. Pray in your fields. Pray in your bathrooms, and your closets. 

I love you!!!!!  And be good!

Hermana Ashton

  

This week was great as usual; however,  Hermana Jara, on Saturday woke up with the gripe(the flu).  She had a fever and chills so the mission nurse told us to stay in the house all day. Poor Hermana Jara felt so bad Saturday and on Sunday we went to church but she was dying there, so after we called the nurse again, she told us to stay home until the fever was gone. 

I got to read a lot of the conference talks, which was like Christmas and I cannot wait for the talks of the conference coming up.  We have less than a month to prepare for conference!!!!!  I cannot wait but I guess I have to. 

We were at church yesterday and we were introduced to una hermana de Japan who is here to teach Japanese.  She speaks English and is learning Spanish, so when we were meeting her, I had to talk in English which was so hard. It was awkward how the words wouldn’t come.  When we teach her I will have to teach in English and I don’t know if I can do that.  Everything has its name in Spanish now. It isn’t the word of wisdom, it’s the palabra de sabiduria.  I have a lot of pictures to send too because the last week I couldn’t send them because the internet was slower than a snail.

A funny thing that happened this week was when we were at the church for a ward family home evening. They chose me to direct the himno because that is one thing they can trust me to do... so they said that we would sing himno 132 and I thought, “well that is weird that we are going to sing a Christmas song,” so I said "132?" Hermana Rhina nodded so I was ok with it. Because they don’t have pianos we have to give the tune so I started singing the first line of "The Primera Navidad." That was when the truth came out.  Everyone was so confused and Hermana Rhina started laughing because when I had heard 132 she had actually said 138.  It was pretty terrible.  Haha, I couldn’t stop laughing to direct the himno well, but in the end it was all good.  Now we have an inside joke. 

This week was so awesome! On Tuesday we got to go to the temple as the mission and it was the best ever. I have seriously taken all the temples in Utah for granted and I want to say sorry for that. This was the best day ever. We woke up at 2 am and hopped on a bus for a few hours. We got to the temple and it was the best. I love the temple and the spirit that we can feel when we are there. It was so peaceful. There is nothing like the peace that I felt there out here in El Salvador. It is a whole other world.

 And I want to send a big thank you to the Primary for the cute package and the stickers with their testimonies of the scriptures! They will surely strengthen other testimonies as well! The scriptures are some of the best places to learn about Jesus and how to be a little better every day! It is so important to have them be a daily habit. Like eating good food makes us strong and helps us grow, the scriptures help our testimonies grow strong too.

And... GERSON GOT BAPTIZED!!! It was a very beautiful baptismal service.  Gerson already has such a strong testimony and is so happy with the gospel. I am so happy for him and for how happy he is!

This week I´ve been having to talk more and more. It is sort of scary to talk to new people in the street when I don´t know them, but it has been good. I am practicing more and more to be able to do this on my own. Hna Jara just stands next to me and smiles. It’s scary but it is also really fun becasue I can actually see how much I´ve progressed. On the first day I was the one smiling and standing while she talked. Heavenly father has blessed me so much to be able to do this now. I could not have imagined doing it then. Yesterday we were walking and I started talking to a woman about her garden that she had, we talked and were able to share algo pequeño and she even gave us some of her flowers. They smelled sooooo good. It was maravela. It is a purple-pink flower that they have a lot of here. It was really great. What helps is that the people are really nice here.

Today for p-day we went to La Union, which is mas cerca a la playa so we took a bus to a lookout. It was very pretty. But, even more hot than San Miguel. It was the p-day as total las hermanas en oriente.

I loved reading all of your letters this week! It is so funny how it doesn’t seem like I’ve been gone for 3 months. The times since I´ve left  home feels paused. I don´t know how, but every Monday is a shock that one more week has passed.

I love you and I’m praying for you!

Keep praying, reading, and attending church and you will be able to recognize the blessings that Heavenly Father has for you. I love hearing about your missionary opportunities! Keep it up! It is not easy but it isn´t impossible either!

I love you and I love the gospel!

Hma Ashton!

           Joy labeled this picture at the temple as ....."with a healthy gap between elders and hermanas."

Joy received this sweet package from our Primary!   Thank you Sister Love!