November 26, 2013

Hey Family!!! Gosh I miss you guys! I hope you all got my letters I wrote you? I sent each of you a personal letter last week! I hope you all got them!:) Mom.....Thank you SOOO much for the packages of cookies....haha everyone in my district LOVES them! We ate every single one of them! Thank you Thank you! Thank you for the letters and dear elders. You have no idea how much they mean to me. I reread them over and over. Can you tell Grandma Ruth thanks SOO much for sending another package! IT means the world to me! She is SO sweet! My whole district loves when Grandma Ruth sends packages! Ha we all share it:) We ALL LOVE HER! haha and Thank Grandma and Grandpa Leifson for the cinnamon rolls and candy and MOST OF ALL THE MINTS! I LOVE LOVE LOVE mints! haha its all I can have because we cant have gum! Thank her SOOO much for the letters! They meant so much to me! I about cried when she said she wanted to help me pack...ha I wish she could! I LOVE HER! and tell Grandpa that I obey his advice ALL the time and it helps so much:) It always makes me smile:) haha I miss and love him like crazy. Also Tell Linda thank you so much for the packages and letters!!!! They are sooooo sweet! It means so much that I have such loving and supporting family. I LOVE YOU LINDA!!! Gosh and thank grandma and grandpa Wilson for all the letters and postcards!!! It serioiusly makes me feel so much better to recieve mail and packages because I remember that I am not forgotten and you guys still love and remember me! haha please don't forget me;) THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL THEY HAVE DONE FOR ME! It means the world. And Mom, I love and miss you and Dad and the boys more than you could ever imagine....Please let them know how much I love them...and how much I honestly miss you guys. I pray soooooo hard for each and everyone of you every night. Please never forget how much I love you guys and miss you guys and can't wait to see you guys again:) Make good choices.....Seriously. haha:) LOVE YOU GUYS!

Alright, well this week was good!!! Ha so my companions.....yes BOTH of them...have had colds..(Yes just a cold) but because of their colds they have legit stayed in bed ALL WEEK. Missed every single class and devotional and EVERYTHING. So I have made a transfer companionship with Sister M and S. But then Sister M got really sick....and Sister S wanted to stay back and sleep...but I have dragged her around with me cuz I don't wanna miss ANYTHING. We are only here for 2 weeks....I wanna make the most of my MTC experience! So after much effort and complaining...me and Sister S havent missed a single class or ANYTHING:) ha yayyy! I did it! :) I have learned SOOOOOO MUCH! I am so glad I haven't missed anything. I feel so bad for all my companions and all they missed out on! Alright so earlier this week we were teaching our TRC investigator. Her name is W....the first time we taught her (last week) It went AWFUL. The spirit wasn't there AT ALL and Sister T and Sister B were just using logic and not applying anything to her so she completely shut down and didn't talk. I also didn't say anything the whole lesson. But then this week Sister M and me, totally opened her up. IT WAS AMAZING. We just completely taught by the spirit. I have no idea exactly what I even said....but she teared up at the end and said she would commit to praying that night. That was a huge deal because she didn't beleive in God or anything. It was cool.....So that was our last night teaching her...and we found out that she was a real actual investigator!!!! For TRC they usually have people act it out....but our teacher said every once in awhile they use real people who are wondering about what we as missionaires do...and she was one of them! It was AMAZING! I am sooo happy I met her.

So on Thursday...it was in field orientation....and everyone was sick. So me and Sister S went and it was cool! We just did all these different workshops and classes teaching us how to be a more effective missionary. Ha my district President pulled me aside and said how proud he was of me for coming to every single thing and not missing anything even tho I was just as sick as my companions:) It made me feel good that I was doin the right thing:) Then that night,....Sister T was havin a really rough night. She was yelling at everyone and having a mental breakdown...So I took her out in the hall and sat her on the couch and asked what was goin on. She ended up telling me that her Dad had passed away from cancer a year ago that day and she was havin a really rough time. NO ONE had any idea that her Dad had died or anyting! She is so closed off and keeps it all in. We ended up havin this super deep conversation about it...It was cool. She actually opened up to me....and I was able to just comfort her and help her through that moment. It was really cool. She is such a sweet girl and I love her with all my heart. Its been a little difficult having all my companions sick because every day we have to teach a new investigator....but since me and Sister S are the only sisters here....we have had to teach DOUBLE the investigators. haha its been WAY cool though! We have had the opportunity to get double the experience! I'VE LOVED IT! :) I have been able to grow a TON. Ha don't get me wrong...it was super hard and frustrating at first because we had NO time to prepare anything,...we would just have to go in and roll with it. But we have just made sure we are full of the spirit all day and focused and the lessons usually go AMAZING. We had this old couple come in who were less active and just wanted to meet with us. They didn't feel welcome or loved in their ward because all their kids have done drugs or just messed up in their lives. They felt judged and not needed. They just wanted to talk with us.....SO IT WENT UNREAL. They were from Tennessee and had the SWEETEST accent. We became absolute BEST FRIENDS. Ha the grandma and me were laughing and crying and I bore my testimony SO strong that SHE specifically was sooo important and needed. I just went on and how people will judge and not follow Christ's example....but this is Christ's church and that's not what he would teach. She just needs to look past all the imperfect people and do her best with handling people and the Lord would bless her and be so proud of her. We need to just rely on the Lord and do what He would have us do.....who cares what anybody else does or says or thinks. HE IS ALL THAT MATTERS. They committed to go to church this Sunday and she asked for my email to continue writing me!!! My district President said that was fine:) It was unreal:) I am going to continue bearing testimony to her throughout my mission and keep her strong in the church.

So this week we had a new district come in. There is this one girl named Sister D! She is from Germany and has become my BEST FRIEND. I absolutely LOVE HER. She came from Frankfurt and she knew Nick!!! He came and ate dinner with her family every once and awhile! It was cool! I asked if she knew Josh but she didn't :(

I am actually really sad I am leaving the MTC. I LOVE IT HERE! I have made seriously AMAZING FRIENDS. ALL the elders are like my brothers. We have all made such amazing friendships here...and most of them are from UTAH so we are gonna party when we get home!!!! We all cried last night cuz we all had to say goodbye:( No worries I WILL CALL YOU! and our whole district is going to Omaha so we are all flying together! I AM SOOO HAPPY! They are my best friends:) and we actually fly to Minneapolis....have a 3 hour layover and then to Omaha! ha its ridiculous...but oh well:) more time with my district:) We get to stay in the mission home till Friday then we get our new companions and all that Friday:)

A ton more experiences have happened this week but I am running out of time....so there is a few:) but I just wanted to leave my testimony with all of you saying that I KNOW without a single doubt that this church is true. I know that at times life can be hard....and things don't always go the way we want them too, or the way we expect. But if we just TURN OUTWARD.....everything else seems easier. When the natural man would turn in, the Savior would turn out. That's what we NEED to do. Forget ourselves. Think of someone else. When you are going through something hard....or in a bad mood...FORGET YOURSELF. I promise you will feel better. In every single instance, in every situation, no matter the circumstance....JUST TURN OUT. When you lose yourself in others and obtain a character like Christ..you'll find yourself. and not only that...but you'll find yourself happy. So turn away from being selfish and, get over yourself and get out of the way, and TURN OUTWARD. Another thing we need to keep in mind....a testimony just isn't enough. We need to be truly CONVERTED. If you are truly converted to the Lord...(not just the church...but to THE LORD) then when people let you down or turn away from God....it won't affect you. YOU ARE CONVERTED TO THE LORD. Not the imperfect people that say they have a testimony.....Don't let someone else bring you down. Who cares....the Lord is the only person you should be worried about. and He will NEVER bring you down. So BE HAPPY:) Just make your life according to God's will and then you have nothing to be scared about or worried about:) I find that so comforting. Nothing else matters but our relationship with God.:) Sorry I just went off there...haha I just LOVE having that knowledge....it makes life easier and better:) Well I LOVE YOU all and miss you all! You are all in my prayers every night and I am SO grateful for the amazing examples you are to me. All of you have impacted me in my life. I LOVE YOU! and have a great week!:)

November 19, 2013

MOM!!!! and family! Oh my heck I miss you soooo much!!!! I want you to know how much I love you! Ok first off...I am so sorry I have been SO busy and have no time AT ALL to write any letters! But today I have some time so I will make sure to write you and Dad and all the boys an actual letter! I don't have much time on here so sorry if it isn't too long. I wanted to thank you guys SOOOO much for all the dear elders and packages and letters! You have nooo idea how much it means to me! Even tho I cant respond to them because I am super busy, every night I get so excited to go home and read those letters! They seriously make me feel so much better and I look SO forward to them! Mom, thank you soooo much for writing me every single day. You have no idea how much comfort it brings to me to be able to read something from you every night, Please continue to do so. Dad and boys, thank you SO much for also sending me emails! IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY to hear from you! Gosh I miss you all SOOO MUCH! but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here. Mom, please tell Grandma Ruth thank you SO much for the package! Haha my whole district ate the cake and LOVED all the food! and please tell Linda, and Kristine LaMay and Grandma and Grandpa Leifson and Maren and Skye and Katie and Emily and Andrew thank you sooo much for the letters! Alright, Well this first week has definitely been crazy and a full on rollercoaster. Ha Not gonna lie it's been real hard. But at the same time, its been beyond AMAZING! I have learned so much and my testimony has grown SO much. The first couple of days here were actually pretty good....I felt at peace and wasn't homesick or anything. I missed you guys, but was beginning to love it here. I ended up being in a 3 some companionship is....DIFFERENT. Most definitely though, I LOVE them. I have truly come to love them and am really gonna miss them when we leave. They are amazing girls and I learn so much from them:) They truly have amazing testimonies and we teach really well together. We all have different characteristics that make when we teach, work SO well.

My district is AMAZING. They are soooo fun. My favorite is Sister M. She is polynesian and has literally become my best friend. We are so much alike and just make this experience fun. The elders are all really fun too! We all get along great! It's soooo nice. I am so grateful to have met these amazing people. Alright, I can't even tell you how much I have already learned. This truly is an amazing experience and the best decision I ever made. Not gonna lie there are times when I wonder what I got myself into....but then I ALWAYS come out on top and know this was the best decision. It's been really frustrating at times....so we have investigators that come from around Provo who actually are investigators. Yesterday we taught this girl and it was AWEFUL. We started teaching her about how God is her loving Heavenly Father and how to pray and how it was a 2 way communication...she pulled out some stones and put on all these weird stones to "make sure the devil stays away when we summon him". She was an energy healer and didn't like "talking to ourself" Then she shut down and didn't talk the rest of the time. We would ask her anything to get her talking again but....not happening. Ha so we left....but I did ask her if we could come one more time and she accepted!!! So we are preparing real hard to see if we can actually do something for her. Pray it works out.

The rest of the week has just been classes and workshops. It's a lot like EFY. I like it A LOT. I learn so much and my testimony grows more and more every day. Yesterday was by far my hardest day. I kinda crashed when that investigator went so bad....I got really discouraged and everyone in my district was as well. I was praying real hard to just be able to feel comforted and continue on and keep doing my best. Me and Sister M and the elders were in this huge volleyball tournament. I had to miss it because my companion was sick and we had to go to the doctors. :( but Then later in class time, Brother C decided to switch his lesson to "How to cope with stress" cuz everyone was so down. IT was an amazing lesson and helped all of us. Proud to say I haven't cried once while being here:) haha instead every girl here has had mental breakdowns and I am the one to comfort and help them. Ha whenever one starts having a mental breakdown in class....the teachers come and get me and I help comfort them:) I like it:) ha I'm kinda the mom here:) Well I'm running out of time....sorry we don't have like any time on computers....but I would just like to leave my testimony with you that I know without a single doubt that this church is true. There is NO denying it. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can each return with him again. I am so grateful for the sacrifice He made....so that he could know exactly how to comfort us and lift our burdens. I know he knows each of us individually, and LOVES each of us individually and really is there in EVERY aspect of our lives. If we make Him our best friend, we can do anything:) When times get hard, just remember that Jesus Christ knows exactly how you are feeling and TURN to him. HE WILL help you through it. Just trust him :) I love each and every one of you and sorry this email is all over the place and not making sense!!! PS. Our flight leaves Wednesday morning at 6 AM! so we have to meet the travel agents at 2:30 am!!!! I will die that night.:( I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! and write you letters today:) One thing I forgot to tell you!!!! Sister Leifson and me have met each other every night and been able to talk!! It has been AMAZING!!!! :) And at Relief Society we were able to sit with each other the whole time:) it has been soo comforting!! I also have seen Mason McDonald a couple of times:) and I have seen a bunch of people from school!:)

Ashley and her second cousin, Linzi

November 14, 2013

Dear Mom, Dad & Family, I want you guys to know how much I love and miss you. Thank you for your prayers and support. I really can feel it. Please, please keep praying for me. I am in a 3 some companionship. So that's different. I know I can learn from them. I know the Lord gave me them for a reason. I will love them and learn from them. Well this, without a doubt, is one of the hardest things I've ever done but it's also rewarding. Already I've learned so much. Every hour is jam packed with stuff that really helps you teach better and be a better missionary. Already we've taught investigators and had many teaching experiences. Ha I'm not scared at all to bear my testimony and participate anymore. It's cool when l really focus then the homesickness goes away. I have two companions. They are sweet girls with strong testimonies. In our district there is a Polynesian Sister named Sister M. I LOVE her! We get along good. Ha there's 5 sisters in our district. Sister M. and I get along great. We all sleep in the same room so that's nice. Except my companions snore sooo loud! Ha, I didn't sleep at all last night! Just please pray for me!

I saw Linzi for a second! Ha, she waved to me through a window. She's companions with a girl I knew in High School!! I also saw Mason McDonald! That was such a comfort! I've also seen Ryan Morin's mom here and Levi Fisca (a kid from school). It's always comforting to see familiar faces. Well, in our zone we are with another district but they are all elders. So just us 5 sisters but it's fun! I really do like it here. I am learning lots and its only been 2 days! I found out my P day is on Tuesdays while I'm at the MTC so I'll email you guys then. I want you to know I pray for you guys every day and love you miss you all. Tell the boys that I love and miss them and to make good choices :) I know without a doubt this church is true and have learned so much while preparing. I have honestly seen and felt God's love for us. He always comforts me when this gets too hard and lonely. I've also felt his love for those who are searching for the gospel. It's amazing, you feel that love for them when you forget everything else and focus on them and their needs. I've felt that with those investigators who came in. I just can't wait to actually get to Nebraska and get to work!!

I still know I have a lot to learn. I'm feeling more confident after every class. Ha the classes are my favorite part! Surprising, I know! But they aren't boring at ALL!! I know if I just give this my all, and never give up and rely on the Lord, I'll get through the hard trying moments here. I just need to lose myself. Ha, it's a whole other world here. It's kinda scary because you forget about your life completely... but I never forget about you guys! I love you all soooo much and am so grateful to have so much love and support and prayers from you guys and also to have had such amazing examples as parents. You guys are AMAZING! I love you! And Mom, you are my hero. I want you to know that. I want to be just like you. Dad, thank you for such an amazing example of a worthy priesthood holder. I want to marry someone exactly like you. And boys... I love and miss each and every one of you more than you could imagine... Just please know that this mission thing is hard...and gonna kick your butt... so start preparing now!! Seriously, make the Lord your best friend or else you won't be able to do this! Also want you to know how AMAZING being a missionary is!! You feel the power you have and things come into your head so fast and you are able to speak your testimony so much clearer. I can't wait to actually go to Nebraska! I've been here 2 days and learned a ton! ha I can't imagine what lies ahead. This is the best decision I ever made, even tho at times I wonder what I got myself into! haha I LOVE YOU guys but I gotta go so I'll talk to you guys on Tuesday! :) LOVE YOU! Sister Wilson :)