So last week, when I said that we passed for the people who were already ready and never arrived at church... they went to church but just to a different ward... Haha.  It was sort of a relief that at least they went, but it also means that we weren’t there to welcome them and help them know what to do. So they felt uncomfortable.  In the other ward they didn’t know where to go or what to do.  So yesterday, at church, they didn’t come. Aaaaahhhhhhh that was sad. So we all learned that the members can always be welcoming no matter what.  If they see a new face at church,  don’t worry, just make people feel loved. 

I sent a few pictures of what I wrote in my journal that you can all read because it takes a long time to write, but I really did like that experience yesterday. We can all be member missionaries!

We’ve been working really well together, my companion and I!  We are really enjoying working together. We are like Moses and Aaron hahaha. That is what people have said to us. It is pretty funny. But it is ok. My Spanish is still improving everyday... but we love the work!

I love you all!

Hermana Ashton

I’m with my new companion Hna Hernandez from Honduras!

She is great!  We arrived to the mission together and we had to do practices together in the CCM so she knows and testifies to the people of the gift of tongues!  Haha!

We are finding a lot of new people here and working hard! 

We have been working with less actives and their families because a lot of the time if there is a less active then there is a baptism in their house. We have found lots of less actives! 

They always gift us lemons, so today we are going to make lemon pie.  It is delicious.

My comp loves lemons. She taught me to cut up apples and to eat them with salt and lemon juice. It is really yummy. 

Haha and this story isn’t sugarcoated either. It has a lot of lemon and even more salt…… because of sweat eeewwwww...(I think Joy means she is sweating a lot). 

This week before we went to church we pretty much walked our whole area because a lot of people were committed the day before to come to church.  But  the members who have cars wouldn’t be able to know where the people live so we got up early and walked all over the world and made sure that everyone was getting ready to go and thankfully there was one investigadora who would have a car and she is friends with the rest of them so she would pick them up and all go together. We passed by for her and she was getting ready so we went to the house of another friend and she and the kids were all dressed and ready to go so we thought "MIRACLE" and so we went to get two other people who had said ‘very surely’ that they would go and we got to their houses and they weren’t there because they were at a wedding "but don’t worry, it is a Chrisian wedding" and we went to the other house and that house was locked and they couldn’t leave... so we hauled it to church and got there right when it was starting and we looked around for the investigatores who were all ready and they weren’t there and it worried us a little but we were patient and we waited and looked out the door and windows every time a car passed and we waited and waited and waited and in the end, no one showed up. The only investigator that we had was Yancy who was brought by members. 

So we learned yet again not to trust anyone...  because that is a lesson that we learn a lot down here. No one does what they say they will. I’m sorry to all you people who, if I ever said to you that I would do something and then didn’t do it. I have recognized a pattern and I know that I have done that several times in my life... but repentance is real. I am very grateful for it!  Jaja.

But at church I was sweaty and gross as usual. Sundays are like that. 

So we also learned that members are great people too who can go and get investigatores and I know that you all live in Utah and that there aren’t missionaries asking for your help but that is also because the members should bring their own references. So I want all of you..

ALLL…..

to think of a family who you can invite to your family home evening this next week. Plan it well. Have snacks, and invite the missionaries.   It also doesn’t have to be on a Monday. You never know who might want to learn more. 

If you do it, you will all see how the hand of God works.  Your own testimonies of missionary work will be strengthened. 

So pray today to know who you can invite to the family home evening and

then invite them to church. 

It is really fun!

Mom. You have asked about Mario’s family. They are never there to answer the door. So we’re not sure what is up with them... 

But I am good. All is really good here. I think this is my last change in this area so I am making the most of it!  We are going to give it everything that we have!

I love you all so much.

Hna Ashton

This week we killed a tarantula that was in our bathroom. We also went to a waterfall today. And, we carved out names in a tree.  Also, this week are changes and my comp goes home.

But a general authority came and spoke to us and told us that we need more faith. I liked when he said that everything we do as missionaries is to bring people to repentance. So when the spiders in the house are really big and scary, and when we have to kill them to take care of ourselves, it is to bring people to repentance. Cool right?

But the truth is, is that that meeting was super powerful. I was really motivated to be able to better my relationship with God and to be able to focus more on the repentance of the people.

Repentance is the gift that we bring to them and share with them that they will be able to accept and practice. 

Repentance is not a hard thing. I actually learned in a lesson that we were teaching that repentance really is such a gift from God. 

An investigator asked why we should be able to repent for the same mistake over and over and the spirit was able to teach when we shared an example of a child learning to walk. The parent,  after helping the child up the first time, will not stop helping the child every time he tries to get up again. In the same way, God helps us up every time because we are really trying.  We fall down but someday we learn to walk. We learn to be obedient to his laws.  She understood, and we learned too, and so the spirit was there. D and C: 50

But I know that this is true. That repentance is a process. We will not be perfect the first time , not the next time and never in this life, but we can get better. What God does not want is for us to get discouraged and stop trying because He sees our potential and sees how keeping the commandments will bless our lives.  We can be like him.  We just have to try and try and try.  That is repentance.  We cannot give up. We cannot say that we are diligent or determined people if we have stopped  repenting. 

That is not diligence.

I know that this is true and I know that God loves us!

I love you alllll!

Hna Ashton

I am quite well here. My faith has been strengthened this week while I have been working in our area and with the people that want to learn the gospel. 

This week we were able to find a family that is super awesome. They live close to the house and are really willing to learn. The father, Mario, we contacted in the bus and he asked for a Book of Mormon and then he told us his address and we went but we couldn’t find it! It was horrible because he was going to be waiting but we couldn’t find him. So we had decided to get over the fact that there were Jehovah’s Witnesses in the house where we thought he was.  

But we were walking in the street like normal and we passed by two men talking and we said "buenas" and kept walking because it is better not to contact men, but we were called back and it was Mario! and he asked us why we didn’t go to his house that day and we told him that we couldn’t find his house and he told us that he wanted to read more. That is when the guy he was talking with said that he had more to read. We were super surprised when he came back out with Liahonas that he gave to Mario. We asked him if he was a member and he said yes! 

So we set some appointments with them both and told them that we would pass by. It was cool because we were able to find a less active and a great investigator at the same time! 

We went and visited Mario and he was there with his whole family and they are super kind and they listened and were interested in everything that we shared. After the visit, they invited us back for dinner tomorrow. You have no idea how crazy that is. This never happens. They are going to give us dinner and they aren’t even members.  A lot of the time not even members feed us. 

But Mario and his wife and his 2 daughters and son are all going to read the Book of Mormon together and tomorrow we will have a family home evening with them. Pray that everything goes well!  They are a complete family.

I think my camera works. The charger is fried so I will have to look for a charger but one of the other missionaries has my same camera and has let me use the charger and I hope that it doesn’t stop again. It is charging right now. I don’t know if it is the battery because I was charging it and it says that it charges but then it doesn’t. Hmmmm.  Pray that it does. It is very nice of everyone to help me. I will try to figure it all out.

I am praying for you all a lot. I hope that you guys are safe and that daddy is recovering and that Jens and Karlee are healthy. Everyone needs to take care of themselves. Be good and pray and read the scriptures…. and go to church! 

I know that the Book of Mormon plays a huge part in our conversion process!  The spirit will always testify of its truthfulness. I am sure that the promise in moroni 10:3-5 can be given to all who read, reflect, ponder, and pray with sincerity. It is true. I know it. 

I love you all!

Be good!

Love, Hna Ashton