Come What May and Love It

I would like to apologize my email was so short last week. Monday was kinda of crazy and not much happened so it was a little short. However, we started this week of with a great day. Monday we were doing our laundry when a member, Hermana Mejano, called us asking for our help setting up for her son's wedding that day. So we went over to help set up chairs and put seat covers on them. As well, we put a purple band on them with a bow in the back. Let us just say, Hermana Williams is really good at bows and I am not! She didn't let me make any bows,only put seat covers on. Afterwards we ran to Walmart to do our shopping and then home to put everything away. Then over to the mall so Hermana Williams could get her eyebrows done. Then we spent the evening at a wedding. It was our ward mission leader and his fiance who got married. It was kinda of crazy. We first grilled some meat and then served the food and by the time we looked at our watches, we realized we had to go. The wedding went well and she looked beautiful.

Tuesday we had a district meeting and it was interesting. Hermana Williams gave the workshop and it went really well! Then we had service for three hours--moving mulch and I got a nice sunburn. Hermana Williams couldn't stop laughing at me because she didn't realize how white I am. Then we took Anguie out with us to try and have some lessons but we ended up just knocking doors. We had some success but not much. We also looked some people up and then went home.

Wednesday was a pretty full day. We first had to get our tire changed so while we waited we walked to a Burger King to relax and use WiFi. We also found out while we were there that one of our investigators moved to Boston. Then we were hungry so we got salads. Once with our car we went to our appointment where the elders where there. Both the English and Spanish elders and the elders the Spanish zone leaders were on exchange with so let's just say there were 7 missionaries at the home. The member ended up only feeding us pizza. Then we went to our next appointment which we had forgotten was our lunch appointment where she feed us soup, rice, and vegetables. Let me just say I didn't eat anything else the rest of the day. I was so full, no wonder I am gaining weight!! We spent most of the rest of the day knocking doors. Then we had a lesson with Lourdes and Mynor!! It was a really good lesson!! They are realizing the importance of baptism and having the Holy Ghost in their lives!

Thursday was a simple day and we had a lesson with Cesar and Sayda. It was our last lesson with them because they moved to Alabama Friday. It was so sad to have to say goodbye to them and wish them well in Alabama. Especially since he is the person we have really been focusing on to help him progress. We have been fasting and praying for him for the past couple of weeks and he was just beginning to look upwards. Now we pray and hope he goes to church in Alabama. Then we had weekly planning and that took kinda of long. Then we knocked doors. Mari Rodriguez, Yanci's sister, asked if we could go to her friends house to have a lesson so we went. It was a ok lesson we spent most of the time just getting to know them.

Friday was pretty good. We had zone conference and we had some LDS salesmen come and talk to us on how they do door to door sales. They took a long time but I learned a couple new things on how we could do door approaches. Then we had a lesson with Kelly and Geraldine. They are really progressing towards baptism! I am so excited! Then we helped decorate for the Father's Day party, had dinner at Hermana Qusipe's house and it was sooo good we had pasta! Then we knocked some doors. Let's just say it was an adventure.

Saturday was a pretty good day. We went to Yanci's to help dig more of the hole for the pool. It might be a pool by the end of the summer. We will see if that happens. Then we had a lesson with a new investigator. She seems like she has potential. She has a bird that walks the house. It just walks around our feet while we are having a lesson. Kinda of weird but that is ok. Then we knocked some doors before going back to Yanci's house for a lunch. Then we went to another investigators house and had a lesson with them. It was Milargo, Javier, and Monica. Hopefully they we start seeing the importance of the gospel. Then we got ready for the party. The activity was huge!!!!!!!! There were so many people there!!!! We also got quite a few of our investigators there which was awesome! We spent most of the night running around serving people and helping the relief society in any way possible. We had a DJ come and he dressed up like a guy from a mariachi band--like the ones we see at the river walk!!! Super fun! Super loud! Jokingly I told my companion we were breaking mission rules because we weren't in hearing of each other even when standing right next to each other because the music was so loud.

Sunday everyone was on a party hang over. He whole ward kinda seemed out of it. I know I was. After church we had left over food from the activity so they just served up dinner to anyone who stayed around to have food. We then said goo-bye to our ward mission leader and his new wife as they left to move to North Carolina. We then had a couple of appointments with some new investigators and some less actives. Over all a slow kinda of day! Today has been pretty good. We went to the mall and just hung out and relaxed most of the day.

Well my thought for the day comes from the November 2008 Liahona titled "Come what may and love it." By Joseph B. Worthlin. He whole talk was good but I like this story because my whole life my dad always related things to sports and so instantly this story made sense to me.

"When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted.

When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life. “Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.” I have often reflected on that counsel.

I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result."

The mission isn't easy and there are days I don't feel like picking myself up and moving on with the days. There are times when I just want one person so badly to listen to us and want this greatest joy and the best thing that could ever happen to something. I want someone to hear and apply the things we teach so there lives can be lived in happiness and not have to worry about the hard times. And when the hard times come they can say come what may and love it because they have the true and everlasting gospel to lean on. In those moments is when ever door is shut only a card is passed out or people turn away because they don't want us to talk to them. It is these moments I learn so much how to grow from the hard times. It is in those moments I feel the importance of the Savior in my life helping me to grow and become stronger through the times when I don't want to move on or another no. I know this is the only true church in this world. I know this gospel can change lives and I can see it in the lives of those we teach! I love he mission and I love New York! I hope you guys have a good week come what may and love it! I love y'all!!!!

LoveHermana Ashford.