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