Week 56 and 57 Arizona

Hey Mamma,

So I've started doing a day to day thing...its working pretty well. Thank you for the Christmas Presents, they are fun. 

I love you so so so so so much

Ash

28 December SUNDAY- Today during Ward Council Bishop Lopez threw down on social conversion.  It was rad! He talked about how everyone knows that Montaña del Sur knows how to party then he said "but besides our parties what do we have?...What would happen if we stopped having parties?...where would our members go?...do you think that they would all keep coming to church? I wish I could say yes to that last question, but we can't." He then went on to talk about how if people don't read their scriptures, if they don't pray, if they don't have FHE and if they don't teach their children the gospel in their homes...how long is the once-a-week, quick fix that is church going to last? What will happen if someone gets offended? Will they still come to church or will they walk away and go down forbidden paths? As the leadership of this Ward we have an obligation to fortify and strengthen their testimonies. The Lord has trusted us to watch over this portion of His flock, let's not lose that trust and let's do what He has asked us to do. I left that meeting super pumped!

Before church I met an old man from the white Ward that talked and looked like the creepy old guy from family guy...I feel like David and Seth would appreciate that. 

27 December SATURDAY- We finally had our comp inventory and it was so good...it went in the opposite direction than what I had anticipated. Sister Bishop said that she has a pride issue and so sometimes she struggles when we disagree on things~ one of them from weekly planning was giving an investigator over to the English sisters. But it ended really really well. In case you didn't know, Hannah Frietz is back from her mission again...she tore her meniscus in two places. She went out with us and we had one crazy awesome lesson. We went to go talk to this one family, at our last lesson we drop talked them~kinda. We asked them to pray and ask God if they should move forward with us. When we went back, Kathryn was the only one who prayed. She is 22 and bisexual and has huge fears of being judged. She told us that she had a dream, in the dream she was walking in a beautiful garden with her sister. But then this scary wind came and it was picking people up and she couldn't see what it did with them but she knew that those people were dead. She said that she was so scared and so she and her sister started praying and the wind went past them and they were protected. Immediately I swear the Lord put this in my head...Helaman 5:12. 

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

She was floored. Right after that we invited them to come to a baptism at the church that night. They totally had stuff to do but they dropped it all to go. Apparently this is the most progress that they have made...ever. 

The baptism was actually for Armando Muñoz. It's actually a really cool story. His entire family was baptized last December but he didn't want to...so he didn't. The Elders had been working with him for awhile but he wasn't...progressing. Then just before Christmas, his father was arrested and they were going to deport him. So Armando said that if his dad gets released he will get baptized because then he will know that God hears and answers prayers. 3 days before Christmas, his dad was released and the government is working to help him get workers permits and a license. So, Armando got baptized. 

I finished my training for zone meeting... I am super pumped. 

Zone Meeting 

What is pride?

- enmity towards God

-when we are prideful, we distance ourselves from God

What is the opposite of Pride?

-humility

Humility is what helps us to become closer to God

Prodigal son- Luke 15:11-24 this time the father is Our Heavenly Father and the son is...us

11 ¶And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

The son left, he distanced himself from his Father

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

He was humbled by his circumstances

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

He returned to his father~~~repentance 

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

How well did the son know the father?

- not very well

        —He thought his father would not forgive him

        —he thought his father would take him in as a servant

-to me it seems that the son didn't know his father very well, he did not see the compassionate side of his father

As we become humble we draw closer to our Heavenly Father. 

Alma 32:13-15

13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.

14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?

15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed--yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty.

COMMITMENT 

So my commitment for you all is to humble yourselves today. Don't waste time playing around. Don't wait until you must be humbled by circumstances. Choose now, act now, and be humble. I promise you that as you do so you will come closer to your Heavenly Father and you will then be able to help your investigators to do the same. 

So will you all take a self inventory, try to identify some pride, and then ask Heavenly Father for His help and guidance as you work to be more humble?

26 December FRIDAY- Weekly Planning...this is the second awful one in a row. I don't really like the "mother-daughter" for trainers and trainees but today I really did feel like the step mother..."you're not my real mom!" It was really frustrating...it felt like everything had to be debated and the debates ended in even more frustration. I had a meeting right after Weekly Planning with the Zone Leaders and Sister Morris so we missed comp inventory but...i found out that I get to train on Humility and the prodigal son for zone meeting! I am so excited...that was my favorite part of MLC. Ranch Market for lunch...carne asada tortas...mmm. We had to work the early shift at the temple lights so we rode up to Mesa with Sister Rogers and Sister Mello. It was the coldest night ever. It was not the funnest. At the end of it, Hermana Rogers made us all apostates. There is a hot chocolate booth and an Indian Fry bread booth out by the lights and missionaries get everything free, so Hermana Rogers wanted to go get both. We ended up not getting home until 9:25. That was a bad call on my part. I should have said something. 

25 December THURSDAY- Christmas Day! It was weird...I remember this day last year. Skype-ing home was weird too. I only have one more skype session left. We had "linner" at the Jones's at noon. For the rest of the day we napped and wrote letters and cleaned and did laundry. That night at zone activities the Zone Leaders had a box for me...it was a present from Blake. She knows me too well. It was three things that I was so stoked for. The Magnetron carabiner, The Miracle of Forgiveness, and...essential oils. (Her mom is a doterra dealer) I have to admit it, they work pretty well. Dang it! I miss her. 

24 December WEDNESDAY- Christmas Eve and we had the late shift at the Christmas Lights...i kinda hate the lights. It was packed there, I think I hate it so much because taking people's pictures just doesn't feel like I'm fulfilling my purpose as a missionary. One fun thing was that we saw Hermana Prieto and Hermana Christianson at the lights. I really like Hermana Prieto. I never really had a chance to talk to her until then but she is super cool. She asked for my help with making a language plan and helping Hermana Cristianson learn Spanish...as if I know what I'm doing!

Also, I'm just so dang creative...when we got home that night I sent out our "we're home" text like this, "'twas 12 minutes past curfew when into the house, the sisters were sneaking, quiet as a mouse. They got all snug in their beds while visions of Skype-ing danced in their heads." So creative. 

23 December TUESDAY- We went to the temple and we hit the early session. I got to see the new presentation where Satan is bald...my favorite is still the first one that I saw. While we were in the Celestial Room, I got to hug president and Sister Toone. 

After that we had MLC or Mission Leadership Counsel

It was crazy awesome. There was no stats council. We drove out for 3.5 hours, for 45 minutes of training. We went past Gila bend to go out to the Hyder Branch...in the Yuma Zone.

Map quest this address-
73521 North County 18th Street
HYDER, ARIZONA 85333
UNITED STATES

On the way up, we stopped at "Christmas Camp." It was where the Mormon Battalion stopped for Christmas. It was really cool. He told us how Brigham Young referred to the Mormon Battalion as "the ram in the thicket" which references back to Abraham and Isaac and how because the ram got caught in the thicket, Abraham had something to sacrifice and Isaac was saved. Brigham Young called the Mormon battalion that because he believes that if those men had not left and made that sacrifice, the saints would not have been so blessed to have made the journey so safely in such great numbers. He also told us how only two people in the whole battalion died- one from an accident with a horse, and another from "natural causes" they think cancer.

President wanted to take us out there to help us all grasp the "theme" of this transfer. He wants us to realize how small and insignificant we are, but how significant it is that we mean so much to our Heavenly Father. It was so Rad!!!