There Are Bugs EVERYWHERE!

Well, on to my week.

President and Sister Thomas came to PA this week and President had interviews with us. We also had a member present with him and Sister Thomas and it was glorious. Jodie really loved meeting with them and when she prayed she even said "I am grateful that I got to meet the President and his wife." So cute! 

Diva is getting baptized on Saturday at seven, and we are really excited for that. She had her baptismal interview yesterday and she also tried on her jumpsuit. She looked so cute in it! I am so happy for her and I am so happy that her family is supporting her. Seeing her be baptized will really help them be active again. The bishop told me that just before their baptism they came to church for a year and didn't miss one Sunday. And they even got married, because they lived common-law before. 

I am still teaching myself to play the piano and I am getting better. Unfortunately I don't have much time to practise, but Sister Haner and I found a keyboard in the library that isn't being used, so we are going to ask someone from the bishopric if we can take it to our apartment.

Sister Haner and I went to help out at a yard sale this Saturday and it was so nice. The sun was shining and it was really nice to spend some time with the members who were hosting it. They are hilarious and Sister Haner and I even got some clothes for free. The members that we were with take in a bunch of Foster kids on a regular basis and they are such an example to me of Christ-Like service and selflessness. I have learned so much from them.  

Because the sun is shining and it is getting warmer there are bugs EVERYWHERE! We can't even go outside without walking through at least one swarm of mosquitoes. It is so bad and I really need to buy some bug repellent to spray on myself so that I can stay free from mosquito bites. The mosquitoes here are HUGE and I heard that it gets worse and that more bugs are coming. Woohoo! We need to buy a fly swat thingy this week.

We get transfer calls on Friday, so I will let you know what is happening and who my companion will be for the next six weeks. I am sad to see Sister Haner leave (she's been here for six months, so she's probably out), but I am excited for what the next transfer has in store for me.

We went on exchanges this past week and I got to serve with Sister McPhee for a day. It was so great! We really enjoyed it and we laughed so much. We got to teach quite a bit and I am grateful for the time that I got to spend with her again. We were able to talk about some things and about Brandon and I really gained a love and appreciation for her. I miss her already, but I am grateful that she will be coming up to PA again next transfer. Also, I will see her in Saskatoon when I drop Sister Haner off and pick up my new companion two days later, because this mission is so huge!

I sincerely hope that I will get along well with my new companion, because for some reason I feel like it is going to be a difficult transfer. Pray for me! Haha, I'll be fine, I'm just paranoid.

Anyways...today is my 6-Month Mark, which is crazy! I can't believe that I have already been out that long and it is incredible how time flies. President and Sister Thomas are confused about the fact that my MTC group apparently goes home a transfer early, so who knows, maybe I'll go home in June after all! We'll see.

Well, We are going out to a Thrift Store to buy ugly sweaters so we can take a district picture together. I will send it to you next week.

I hope that you have a wonderful week and that you all get healthy and stay safe!

Lots of love, Ashley

It was incredible!

Well, I got to skype home today, so I don't have very much to write about, but here are the notes that I took during Sacrament Meeting yesterday. It was incredible!

 

-"Motherhood" does not mean maternity. Every woman plays an important role in nurturing and raising children around her.

 

-Satan attacks mothers by making them feel inadequate. He knows that the hands that rock the cradle can rock his reign here on Earth.

-Mothers are the Lord's secret weapon

-Righteous women were endowed pre-mortally to be mothers

-Being a mother is a big responsibility, that is why we are foreordained 

 

I am so grateful for my incredible mother and all the life skills she has taught me. She is such an example and an inspiration to me! I am truly blessed to have her in my life.

It was so wonderful to see my family! I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's plan and the knowledge that I can be with my family forever. What a blessing!

I want to tell you a story

We made transfer guesses...

May 2nd in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

Well, on to my week!

It was good, as far as numbers go. We taught more than I have ever taught on my entire mission and it was glorious. We worked really hard, but sadly the mission numbers went down, so that sucks. President is really pushing for us to work hard, because this work is so important! Anyhow, Sister Haner and I are probably going to sit down again and figure out what we could be doing to be better. Tomorrow we get to drive down to Saskatoon to attend Zone Training Meeting, and it is going to be all about online proselyting, so hopefully we will be on Facebook soon after that! I am excited for it, because so many people always ask us if we have Facebook, and we always have to say "no". Anyhow, there are about 4 people for us to add and teach as soon as we are allowed to go online. Excitement!

We finally got to meet with one of the people we were working with again (after two weeks) and it was so great! She showed us this massive moose head that she has in her basement. It's so big! I didn't know that they get that big! She also has a bunch of really amazing Native art all over her home. I am now officially obsessed with Native art, and I can totally see me decorating my future home with it! We went into her computer room to show her a video and she had this wolf pelt on one of the dressers. So big! And fluffy and soft. And she came to church yesterday, which was so great! I love her.

This week we celebrated Sister Haner's year mark! She is now one year old! Time flies by so quickly, it is crazy. I have already almost been out for six months and I feel like I just got here. And when I hit my six month mark (which will be in two weeks) I only have ten and a half months left! Insanity!

Yesterday we got to go over to the Yawney's home, which is always so great. I love being there, they have the cutest kids ever! Brother Yawney was away, so the Elders came over to bring Sister Yawney and her two little sons the sacrament. They brought Nevin with them and afterwards Nevin ended up playing with the boys for over an hour. It was so funny! They were screaming because they were laughing so much. Sister Haner and I laughed pretty much the entire time. Today Thomas (who is 3) came up to me and said "Come sit with me!" so we went over to the fireplace and sat down. Then he said "I want to tell you a story." He then proceeded to tell me a story about a monkey...unfortunately I didn't understand very much. So cute! The Yawney's are fantastic. They always invite our investigators over for dinner so that they can fellowship them and help them feel comfortable. They ALWAYS have us over for dinner/lunch and they just support us in any other way that they can. When I grow up I want to be just like the Yawneys. Seriously, so great. 

Not much else happened that I can report on. We really just worked our little feet off. We found three new investigators. One of them lives on a reserve, so we will have to figure something out for her, because we don't have the K's to drive out there all the time. We also set a solid baptismal date for May 24th, so we are really excited for that!

I love being a missionary! It is seriously just the best thing ever. 'It's the coldest, hardest, toughest and the best!' I am excited to see you next week!!!

Love, Ashley