This week we had intercambios with the Hermanas de la Pacifica. Hna Capellan and Hna Cabrera!  They are great and we enjoyed every moment.  Capellan, my one other companion who is still in the mission, and I went to the part of our area where there is a lot of brush and fields and stuff.  It was fun to teach with her again and we were able to set the goal to get baptized with Hna Angelina.  But in that part of our area there are hardly ever buses, so when they come they are super full and we have to squeeze in  and hold on tight because the doors don’t close and they drive sooooooo fast with so many people standing up.  So when a bus finally passed, Capellan and I were pushed in, right in front of the door of the bus and holding on to a slippery bar for our dear lives.  Hna Capellan had her eyes wide open and was probs crossing her heart and praying while we were taken back to civilization.  We finally made it back and in one piece. 

Other stuff that happened this week was that in front of the whole ward I fell on my face. 

I also LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Be good!

Love,  Joy

inglish es rilly jard.

Jaja!  It was so fun to talk to everyone yesterday!!!   Things seem to be going well there! Sorry we couldn’t figure out how to add Jens and Cath. That was sad but it was good to see them added in by phones! Technology!  I filmed my testimony but I don’t know if it will work because it is sideways.  Maybe April can magically make it normal... 

Wow it was really hard to talk yesterday in English. That is a very bad thing because it means that I am not teaching my companion well enough. I was literally translating as I spoke. It is a struggle, but I guess I will learn again someday. 

For my birthday the familia Guevara got me a cake made of pure chocolate and it was so rich and perfect and they had me eat two pieces of it. After that I couldn’t eat anything for dinner. They were very sweet to do that. I really enjoyed my birthday.  It was really fun and now I have 20 years!!!!!!!  I am super old now.  I never thought that I would put a 2 in front of my age but life is life and it flies. You all got me a hammock for my birthday and I really appreciate it.  We get home and pray and then we put our feet up and relax. It is quite comfy. This week it has been wanting to rain but it only rained a little bit on Sunday. We just sweat so much that it looks like it is always raining. Jaja. Gross. Sorry that I haven’t sent many pics lately.  The internet is soooooo slow, but I am grateful that there is internet.  President Hinckley says to be optimistic. I am working on being better at that.  Hey, but I’m pretty optimistic about my new jeep that Niel got me ;) jaja!   There are a lot of really wonderful people here in Chapa. I love this area a lot. The members are really sweet and it makes me want to serve them more. Be sweet people. Sorry for being a brat in my lifetime. I am trying to improve.  For my birthday, Hna Salguero woke me up with a plate of whipped cream with a sticky note saying "20" in the middle, and she sang Happy Birthday.  Then, 2 minutes later, the zone leaders arrived with breakfast. They made baleadas because one is from Honduras. Haha, it was a good start to my day. 

I love you!

Hermana Ashton

I’m in San Miguel again!!!!!!!!!!!! They closed Jucuapa for Hermanas because there was only one pair of elders in the district so they threw us out. But, guessssss what!!!!!!!!!! I’m still with Hna Salguero!!!!!!! On Wednesday we were so sad as we cleaned the house and packed our things  that we couldn’t even talk to each other. We got to the terminal and we wanted to know where we would go so we went directly to Elder Murillo and asked "Where are we going?!" and he said, "really, you don’t already know? You two are opening Charparastique together" and we screamed and I did not believe him at all. So we asked to see his agenda which had all the changes and we confirmed that this was true!!!!!! 

So we went to the house and we started to clean because the house is ginormous and filled with dirt. Although the sisters who lived there were clean, it is really open and all the dirt gets blown in. We also have a ton of rooms in the house and as we were taking the tour, we entered the very back room and we ran out because there is a bat who lives with us. We have named him Frederico. He doesn’t bother us very much, he just hangs out in his room and poops. 

We had to call all the Hnas again and because they closed La Union as Hna Lideres, now we are the Hnas of Oriente and there are Hnas of Centro too. But thank heavens that San Vicente is closer to Centro than it is to us, because we would have to take care of 6 pairs of sisters. It is better with fewer.  But our mission almost doesn’t have sisters. We are now only 21 Hnas and 120 elders in this mission. It is like we don’t exist. 

But heyyyyyyy! Yesterday guess what I ate! Garrobo!!!!!! Finally. I know that I had the opportunity in the beginning of my mission and I didn’t take it and I regretted it all the time, but now I am proud to say that I have eaten a lizard. It is like an iguana. But Hna Deisy made it super delicious with a sauce of tomato that was super rico (rich). I won’t lie, it was actually quite delicious. It tastes like chicken. La verdad (the truth). 

But I live here again. Yeah!  My mission should be called the El Salvador San Miguel East Mission!!!. I probably won’t ever leave Oriente but I am happy here. Everyone says that Centro is hard and that the people are rude. But here the people are more humble. This ward is really good and the people want to participate which is awesome. I am glad for that. 

I don’t know what else I can say. We have been so tired lately but now we can sleep. 

Today for p-day we are here in the stake center writing with air conditioning which is really nice. There are a lot of people here that will be able to progress. Pray for us that we will be able to find them haha!

Mothers Day:

I believe that I will not be able to talk that late at night, but mom you can get on to skype with the I pad and I will be able to talk to you and dad and those who are in Salt Lake with you guys. I will use Jens’ skype info to talk to you guys and you all can use April’s or someone’s. If that is ok with you guys. It is just that 5 or 6 at night is not reasonable. If I can, I will get them to agree with that but really, you all just have to be alert on Sunday to know when I will be on. Lo siento

(I am sorry) but it will also be short and sweet…. only 45 minutes or so. 

Sorry for not having pictures. I forgot to bring the adaptor. I also haven’t taken pictures. Sorry.

I love you all!!!!!! Be good! Read your scriptures. Say your prayers. Go to church and choose the right!

JoyJoy

I am leaving Jucuapa. I am going to miss it with all my heart. We are both leaving and they are going to put elders in our spot. I am actually really sad. Everytime we are about to have a bath of baptisms I’m taken out. In Pacifica we were to have 6 baptisms and I didn’t see them and now when we are about to have 4, I won’t see them. I am going to miss Hna Salguero and Jucuapa con todo mi corazon. This change has been soo fun and perfect. Pray that i go to a great area with another awesome companion. Pray hard. I am scared. Pray. Pray. Pray. I am super sad. Again, I hate cambios. This change was too perfect. 

Today we went up a mountain and the elders were all excited with their machetes ready and thankfully we were able to get a car to take us up part of the way because if not, we wouldn’t have made it even part of the way there. But it was really pretty and super green and fresh. We were in a place cool enough for pine trees. They were so beautiful and then we played scum as a district up there which was fun. I was super tired when we finally got back to earth. It was actually really gorgeous up there. I will have to ask for the fotos that everyone took. I unfortunately forgot my camera in the case charging. Poo, but that is why there are other people...

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the restoration of the gospel is what has given us the Priesthood restored on earth to be able to receive the saving ordinances. I know that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet of God and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet who holds all the keys to the Priesthood. I know this with all my heart. I know that Christ lives and that his atonement has made it possible for me and for everyone to repent, and be able to be clean of all our sins. 

En el nombre de Jesu Cristo amen.

Hermana Ashton