1/23/17--The Doctor

Well this week was a little more comfortable I am adjusting to being home but trying not to adjust too much because I can't wait to be on a plane ride back to New York as soon as possible.

So we went to the Doctor on Tuesday and honestly I felt like I walked away with more questions then answers. So the doctor is said that my ear is looking really good. He said from what he can see is that there isn't anything wrong with my ear but I have been taking medicine and putting ear drops in my ear for the past week then I got a CT scan today so from this we should find out if I do or do not have a cholesteatoma or not. Then on February 3rd we have another appointment and then we believe we will find out if I will or will not have surgery and get all the information we need for everything. So that is my update with the doctor and everything.

The rest of my week was pretty good! I am developing some projects to keep me busy with my free time. I started on Michael's t-shirt quilt but had to pause because he has a shirt in Utah that he wants on it. However the miracle is that my parents are going to Utah this week so they will pick it up from him and I can finish it this weekend. So in the mean time I started in on Tanner's quilt blanket. As well I have been spending time with Christopher. He, Tanner and I went and saw he high school's musical can in the heights. I have to say it made me very New York sick! A different kind of homesick but a missionary sick. The musical was taken place in New York and half of it was in Spanish so I was at home with everything. I loved spending time with my brothers. Not mention my sisters I have been watching a romance hallmark tv show with them and mom all week. Sadly I finished the three seasons that are out but I can't wait to go and come back and be able to watch season four with them.

Anyways that is the life here at home!! I love y'all and have a great week!!

1/16/17--What?? Is Home??

Ahhhhhh!!!! I am HOME! What is this? Well so everyone knows I made it home safe this week and have been trying not to act funny or strange because I don't know what to do with my life. It is weird to think a week ago I was still in New York and a missionary.

Last week was a roller coaster. Monday we went to see some castles that, may I just say, were beautiful in the snow. Hermana Voss and I had so much fun taking so many pictures and enjoying nature!! Then we visited a member and, may I just say, I love her so much! We took pictures to remember the moment! Then Tuesday was a day full of meetings, doctor visits, and packing. Tuesday was a very uneventful day because we had to do everything to get ready for the next day.

Then Wednesday was the day that changed my mission. I have to say it was very nice and fun to see my family. The rest of the week I spent some good time with family and friends and trying to adjust to the new life. I go to see the doctor tomorrow to find out all the missing pieces to everything going on with my ear! I am excited to get some answers but I am not excited for surgery!

Pictures to come in a moment! I hope y'all have a great week and we will keep you posted on everything!

Con Amor
Hermana Ashford

1/9/17--A Turn of Events

Well a big turn of events has come this week that I wouldn't ever imagined happening. The impossible became a possible. So to explain everything that is going on in short terms my ear is messed up and I need surgery so I will be returning home hopefully only for a short time to have surgery then returning back to my mission! So to keep from being a Debbie Downer I will focus on some of the highlight fun things of the week!

Last Monday we had a district activity and we went bowling! It was a ton of fun! Of course I was the worse out of everyone and had the lowest score out of everyone but that is ok! We had a ton of fun (NOT) listening to non missionary appropriate music. As well the whole group came into agreement that my companion was the most awkwardly adorable bowler of us. It was so cute she would just walk up to the line and throw the ball down the lane and like kick her leg back to give the ball momentum. She even beat me in bowling! It was so fun and cute! Later that night we had a second birthday dinner with one of the families and she feed us pupusas. Then she had us all comparing our belly fat. She told me no wonder I was the bigger one between my companion and I because I have been on my mission for 10 1/2 months. Great now I am fat! On Tuesday we had interviews with President Reynolds which was a ton of fun! We got to see him and his wife which was great because Sister Reynolds was very concerned that I had a good birthday which made me feel special!

Then later on in the week we were helping the branch president take down the Christmas decorations from around the church.

On Thursday I wanted pizza and it said it heated up in the microwave. I have to say it didn't turn out quite as I had expected it to. The pizza kinda fell a part on me! It made me very sad! However because I am in the Spanish program the Hispanic or non existence there of in me came out so I folded it half and ate it like a taco! I have to say it wasn't half bad. 

Then came the snow storm of 2017. Saturday it snowed from 10am-12am. Basically it didn't stop snowing all day Saturday. We had gone to help with bishop store house which was super fun and enjoyable as we organized food for everyone! Then came the scary part! I had to drive in the snow! Ahhhhhh!!!!!! I was so nervous the whole time! I thought we would hydroplane into something what I don't know but something! I don't know why my companion had so much confidence in me! Eventually our mission president told us we had to leave our cars parked at our apartments and just walk everywhere. So we did some service shoveling snow and wiping it off people's cars. It was a ton of fun! There was so much snow everywhere I think my companion thought I was crazy because I kept saying wow that is a lot of snow. WOW that is a lot of SNOW! WOW THAT IS A LOT OF SNOW! So yeah snow happened!

This is our investigator who had is baptismal interview yesterday and will be getting baptized on Sunday! I am so excited for him! I can see he has come a long way and made many of changes in his life to be where he is now. For me this past week in a couple of different moments I could feel why I was serving a mission. So many people like him just want more and a change in their lives! They want peace and joy and love! I love my mission and the people around me! I know they have changed my life and I will be forever changed because of it.

This a scripture in Alma 7:27 which brought me much comfort and peace this week. This week the message of peace and love are two that have been on my mind constantly. The peace that if I follow with faith and put one foot in front of the other I will make it to where the Lord wants me to be. For now I am not needed in New York. There is a reason I am to be home at this time. What that reason is I still don't know but I know the Lord has it all under control. As for love the scripture in John 14:15 that says "If he love me keep my commandments" takes on a whole new meaning to me. If we truly love God then we need to be willing to keep all the commandments he has given us. And sometimes he commands that we return home from our missions for a short period of time to get surgery. Why we don't know. But what I do know is that I love my Heavenly Father and Savior way to much to not follow his commands!

I will keep everyone posted in this turn of events! I love y'all! And have a wonderful week!

Con Amor
Hermana Ashford

1/2/17--Every sickness and a birthday!🎉

Well I think the title of my email about explains what this week has been like. I have to say this weeks as another slow week in the work however this week is already looking up in our lesson numbers because we have so many people already lined up for lessons. Especially other people we haven't had a lesson with since I got here. So I hope this week will look up in terms of some of the missionary week.

Some of the highlights were one lesson that was absolutely crazy and all the kids were running everywhere. It was the hardest lesson I have taught because no one was paying attention. Fun news one of our members finally got permission from her less active husband to get her daughter blessed and she is going to do it when they go to Ecuador next month. Then a miracle happened with Wednesday we had a meeting with out branch president to discuss the less actives and Hermana Voss said we usually do it at their house so they will feed us. So we did t eat and I was starving. Then we found out it wasn't at their house so we wouldn't eat and we were trying to figure out what to do. As soon as we pulled into the church parking lot a member called offering to feed us! Miracle! Then after the dinner we did a look up trying to find someone and they invited us right on in to the birthday party. They allowed us to show the Christmas video then made us stay for cake. So we ate and left as soon as we could. We felt bad just walking right on in to this Dominican party. It was funny we went from staring to having a ton of food! So there were some perks to missionary work this week.

Anyways now on to explaining the title of my weekly.

So last week Monday through Wednesday I had a nice little cold so I was sneezing and blowing my nose all the time. It wasn't fun at all. Hen on Thursday we went back to the doctors so that she could attempt to clean more earwax out of my ear and she couldn't. So I have to put more drops in and hope the wax loosens up. Hopefully this week we will have more answers. The funny part was a I had to take a hearing test so hey left Hermana Voss in a small waiting room with a guy. I came out and she said "Why did you have to leave me? I got left in this room with a boy and I didn't know what to do!" Oh the life of a missionary when you leave your companions sight and have a small heart attack. Then on Friday I woke up with a terrible stomach ache. I really didn't feel good like all day! So I called our nurse and she said I most likely got he bug that most of the mission has. So I spent most of the weekend with a stomach ache.

Now on to the fun part of my birthday! So to start it off on Saturday we went out to eat at a place called PS Burgers and they have a Texas burger that may I say is so good! It was a burger with BBQ sauce and bacon. So of course I wore my Texas get up! I loved it! Then we had some funnel cake fries with strawberry sauce to dip it in. It was so good. Then for New Year's Eve we had to be in our apartment at 6 so we went home and I watched the Lindsey Stirling face to face which was really good! I highly suggest watching it! Then we found a trivial pursuit in the coolest so we played. I have to say I learned a lot from it! However will show you my favorite question! I thought it was super funny my companion however didn't find it as funny as I did.

Then we went to bed and I set an alarm for 11:55. So we woke up and my companion was half out of it so she sang happy birthday to me about 4 times before midnight. So we rang in the new year in bed with my companion singing feliz cumpleaños a bunch of times. Then for my birthday one of the member's was so proud he got me a big thing of cookies. When he saw me his face lit up and he was so happy to give it to me! It made my day! Then Hermana Voss told everyone we saw that it was my birthday and they all would hug me first and say happy new year then they would ask if really today was my birthday and I would say yes so they would hug me again. It was so cute to see everyone get so excited to tell me happy birthday! Then we had a linner at the branch president's house which was super good! It kept me full all night! Then we spent most of the evening knocking. It was so funny at one house the little kids answered the door en ran away yelling strangers! It made us laugh so much! Then when we were looking up a person they had two doors. The first to a covered patio the second into their house. So you have to go through the first one to get to the second one. So Hermana Vos went to go through the first one and it wouldn't open all the way so she pulled the handle to close it and pulled a little too hard that she pulled the door handle off! It was sooooo funny! Overall we talked to a bunch of people, made some memories, laughed, and ate our little hearts out!

I know some of you may have already seen this but I just absolutely love this video for he new year. So here is a link to an awesome video!

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-12-21-new-years-look-not-behind-thee?lang=eng

I know when can put our past behind us and start new. Become the person we want to be. I know that through the Savior we can change. I love how this is a gospel of changing and becoming He person God wants us to be. I love y'all have a great week!