4/17/17--THE BEST WEEK EVER!!! With a sad ending...And new beginnings!

So today we found out transfers. We had a big guess what was going to happen because on Friday Hermana Reeve got a call from President Reynolds saying she is going to be a trainer! Yeah! I am so excited for her! So we had a meeting amongst the baptism and temple trip and everything this past weekend. So we pretty much knew that I was out and Hermana Reeve was staying all weekend which gave a very sad twist to everything that was going on. Then today was the day to actually find everything out! So the zone leaders got and on and started reading the list of what was happening and they got to us. They said Sister Ashford out then Elder Corbett said Sister Reeve out!! We both stared at each other in pure shock and horror. We both started bawling like crazy! We were super sad! Then at the end they read of the list of people who were out and Hermana Reeve's name wasn't on it so we freaked. So we quickly called the zone leaders. Come to find out it was a prank and apparently Elder Corbett had said just kidding right he had said it but neither one of us heard! Oh Hermana Reeve was not happy for a moment there. It was only a little funny. On the other hand I am really sad to be leaving and have to say good bye to my beloved Brentwood.

Wow this week has been super crazy! We ran around like crazy and ended up with so much success! To begin the fun on Wednesday we had a zone training which was amazing! Hermana Reeve gave an amazing workshop or lesson to the group! Plus it was super fun to see Hermana Gourley and other friends! Then that night we picked up Anguie Artola and took her out for a mini mission! The first thing she did is cry that she was away from her family. She soon got over that the next day when we busily got to work visiting person after person and knocking doors. She was a contributor to our investigators and members. There were many times you could see the Holy Ghost work with her and have her make comments and she felt guided. It did feel like I was in training again teaching someone how to be a missionary cause she didn't do too much in the way of planning and participating in studies and didn't know how we did things. Yet you could tell she knew what she was doing. I loved having her with us! At the end when we took her home Friday she was crying cause she wanted to stay with us forever and never leave us or the mini mission. It was super funny.

Another week long event was our temple trip! We took Alex, Carlos, and Leslie to the temple for their first time. I have to say it was a miracle and a blessing we even made it there! When we set the appointment they told us we needed to have three Melchizedek priesthood holders. On Monday we had one and one maybe. Then a lady called us saying she and her husband would be there so then by Tuesday we were at two and a maybe. So we called about 3-8 people on Wednesday and Thursday. Come Friday morning we found out that the other lady could t come any more and our maybe and all of those 3-8 people we called or texted couldn't go. So now it is Friday and we have one person and the temple trip is the next day. Friday was a stressful day! Big freak out moments. We called around 25 people to come with us and none of them could come. Then a miracle happened and the temple called saying a couple of different people called saying they would be there so we were going to be ok and we didn't need to look for anymore people. The temple itself was an amazing experience! It was so fun to see them do baptisms. You could see a true glow around them afterwards.

Baptism one: so throughout the week we had an interview and quickly taught her all the rest of the lessons! She is a young women of a mom who had been less active. She was a taught a little bit by Hermana Williams and I when I was here a year ago. Her name is Kiara. She was baptized Saturday after we got back from the temple. The baptism went smoothly and it was so fun to see her shine and glow in such great happiness finally be baptized!

Baptism two: then on Sunday two girls got baptized who have become part of my life and my heart. We meet them six weeks ago at the beginning of this transfer. They are cousins of Alex Carlos and Leslie who we took to the temple. Anyways these past six weeks we have worked hard with lots of love to know how to best prepare them. There has been many road blocks along the way and there were days we didn't know if they would get baptized. However at the end of the transfer they got baptized on Easter Sunday! What a way to remember the resurrection of our Savior then watching someone take their first steps toward Him! They were baptized by their cousin Carlos and it was so fun to see him use is priesthood. The girls Cindy and Johanna gave the sweetest testimonies. They truly have changed and come to know their Savior a little more. It was awesome to see them change and grow over these past six weeks! I love Cindy and Johanna so much!

This past week our mission president invited us to read in a conference talk every day, so I have been trying to do that. One of the talks I read was a suggestion from my mom from this past general Conference by Elder Jeffery R Holland untitled Song Sung and Unsung. I love one part of his talk that hits home to me. He says:

"...then our Heavenly Father delights to have us sing in our own voice, not someone else’s. Believe in yourself, and believe in Him. Don’t demean your worth or denigrate your contribution. Above all, don’t abandon your role in the chorus. Why? Because you are unique; you are irreplaceable. The loss of even one voice diminishes every other singer in this great mortal choir of ours, including the loss of those who feel they are on the margins of society or the margins of the Church."

I have faced many days when I didn't feel unique or worth much. I have faced days that are hard and it would be just easier to give in. I know we have all faced those days, weeks, months, or years. I have come to see on my mission to see just a portion of how much God truly loves us. As I was seating at church on Sunday on the stand because I was playing the piano I was looking around at the Brentwood ward and I was over come with such love for each person. For each person who I had taught and interacted with. For each person who showed me how to be a little better, how to love a little more, and how to improve myself. I can only a portion of God's love for everyone and that portion I can see is already too much for me to understand. I know God loves us individually. I know he wants us to come back to him. I know each and everyone of us is important to Him! He loves us and is cheering us on as we fight through the battle of everyday life to return to Him. I love y'all and I pray that this week we will all take the time to talk to our Heavenly Father and feel of His love and peace. Have a great week!


Con Amor
Hermana Ashford


Picture 1-3: Anguie Mini mission
Picture 4-5: Temple Trip!
Picture 6: we had started filling up the font for our first baptism and there were ants and spiders and other weird things in the water so we stoped filling the font and hoped in to go swimming and clean! Luckily the water was only up to our shins so it wasn't too high. Then the water want warm enough so we boiled water and dumped it in.
Picture 7-8: Kiara's baptism!
Picture 9-11: Brentwood Squad!
Picture 12-14: Cindy and Johanna's baptism!
Picture 15: Yanci and I!