Hello family. And cyber world. And friends. And other random stalkers.
Sooo
like, i am glad you got the package :) hee hee. So yeah if you may
please just send back the memory card with all the pics on it, i am sure
it can just go in an envelope maybe a padded one, that would be
wonderful and I would love it. I hope you guys cuddle with the moose
blanket and stuff. Hee hee.
Mommy, my favorite is when you used the word "butt" in your email
and then signed it, "Love Mom the cusser." She was talking about kicking
satan's butt so it's okay.
I'm so glad you saw the Bournes-- I
love that family. That's awesome Bro Hawkins' relatives are gonna be
working in the mission office....i can't wait to meet them.
How is Bonnie doing in china? And mommy could you take a picture of
all your artwork up on the walls of the piano room? I would love to see
:)
Tell your friend Tiana I say hello, mommy. She is fun.
So
before our investigator's baptism, the day before her interview with the mish
pres, she didn't have a testimony of Joseph Smith being a prophet. All
we could do was bear testimony that he was, leave her with the pamphlet
of his testimony (pictures included, my fave) and I told her that one of
the biggest ways to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet is when you
feel the Book of Mormon is true. If it is true, then he translated it,
and he was a prophet of God. She has said she feels the same reading the
Bible and the Book of Mormon, and she has seen how they go together
rather than contradict, so that made sense to her. The next day on the
phone she was expressing great worry and nervousness for her baptismal
interview. We reassured her just minutes before we were to meet her, and
then she told us that she read the Joseph Smith pamphlet the night
before and was crying and she said, "I know that he was a prophet." That
was soo cool to hear. She is awesome.
We were able to get our other investigator, the guy who we caroled to on
Christmas Eve, to commit to come to church, and he came yesterday :) He
is expecting a sign like an angel or a spotlight pointing to the answer
under a rock that this is the true church, so we are still working with
him on understanding that for most people, getting an answer is a slow
subtle process with gentle whisperings of the Spirit letting you know if
something is true. Hee hee. He is so funny. He cracks us up. We had
plans to all go ice skating today but he cancelled but hopefully it will
still happen. We dropped him off at priesthood at church (the third
hour of church men and women meet separately) and he looked at us and
was like, "Don't think about me too much," and went in. Sister Brown and
I snorted with laughter as we went on our way to relief society (where
the women meet). Sooo funny. He is a blast to teach. The first time we
gave him something to read, Mosiah 27 about Alma the younger (who saw an
angel who told Alma to CHANGE HIS WAYS....haha maybe this is why this
guy is expecting some big sign, we've addressed that not EVERYBODY sees
an angel) he read the chapter 3 or 4 times and finally understood what
it was talking about. Sis Brown said that she has never seen an
investigator put that much work into reading when, in this guy's case,
he had never read the scriptures before. It was such a testimony-builder
that understanding the gospel and knowledge can come from reading the
Book of Mormon. This guy told us what was important in Mosiah 27, and he
also told us how he himself could relate. To do that without our
guidance is amazing.
Um, it is RAINING. It has been so warm lately. Mostly about 30
degrees. A couple of days ago it was about 40 degrees. I think it is
disgusting....everything is melting and there's brown stuff everywhere,
no more pretty white, someone the other day said it best: "I don't like
this in betweener stuff. I either want it to be winter or get to summer
already." I thought there would be snow until May...Sister Brown says it
could very well get cold again and snow like crazy. Alaska weather is
so unpredictable.
I played the organ in sacrament meeting at church yesterday...it was
my first time playing organ in front of everybody. I was flippin
nervous out of my mind... I think i sweated like two cups of water all
over the keys. I thought the organ was so loud until everyone started
singing and then I could barely hear the organ and I was like "OH MY
GOODNESS SHOULD I ADD MORE STOPS????" And it was just soooo stressful.
My word. I got several compliments and felt worthless but apparently
everything was okay so I need to get over it.
Alaska is beautiful...sometimes as we're driving we'll slow down so
we can take pictures. Sometimes as our instrumental music is going,
it'll just fit the landscape exactly, it is wonderful. The big fat ugly
ravens wheeling over the dark barren treetops, against a sky that is
huge and covered in cloud, with the towering mountains in the
background....it is beautiful.
Sister Brown says I have allergies cuz I am all stuffed up and
sneezing but I think I have a cold. She says when she gets a cold, she
is just stuffy, she doesn't SNEEZE. I say you still sneeze. I say if I
have become allergic to animals....and my pea coat is currently covered
in the Gilmore's cat's fur...then I would be very sad, and join the Lily
and Dad club, and mourn with them. As far as I am concerned, I just
have a cold.
Sometimes during weekly planning (we plan once a week for the next
ten days, what we are gonna teach, who we are gonna teach, what we will
focus on, ideas, blah blah) my brain slowly dies cuz we have been
planning for two hours. I literally turn off and sit there quiet and
wait for her to say something, wait for all her ideas, and she slowly
raises her eyebrows at my lack of input, and suddenly I realized I must
explain myself, and she asked me "What can I do to make planning better
for you?" And I said "Take breaks?" so we are gonna try that this week.
Hahahah. Man sometimes I think i DO have ADD. I just could NOT muster up
the energy to keep thinking about planning. I needed a different
atmosphere, different something. Is that ADD?
The woman who speaks Spanish who we are teaching is so fun. She has a
lesson with us tonight and she is feeding us tomorrow. She teases me
endlessly, especially when I idly smack my mouth three or four times,
she smacks it right back real loud and then laughs and laughs and
laughs. She gets slightly frustrated when she can't understand us and
when we can't understand her, but she is awesome.
There are four weeks left of this transfer and then i'll get my
greenie breaker (my first companion after my trainer) and that is crazy,
I am probably gonna stay here in Palmer/Wasilla, but who knows, it is
up to the Lord, and I don't know who my companion will be, and I can't
believe I've already been in Alaska for two months.
I love love love my family. I love my friends. I've gotten some
amazing letters from friends the past two weeks and I am so grateful and
so touched. I know I shouldn't focus too much on writing or reading
letters but I love reading my letters cuz they remind me there are
people out there that know me and love me and remember me and I feel
like everything is normal and okay.
I love the gospel. I love how it brings people together. I love the
people i've met through the gospel. I love reading the book of mormon
and feeling the Spirit. I love our Savior Jesus Christ. He loves all of
his children and cares about us even though he is the supreme creator of
the earth and all of the things that are in the earth and we are
nothing compared to him. I love trusting in the Lord and seeing
blessings come into my life. I love seeing others trust in the Lord and
recognize their blessings. I love seeing how much happier we are when we
rely on our Savior and the minute we forget or revolt at anything that
comes from him, something goes wrong and it is hard to deal with it. I
know that our Savior lives and I know that he loves us.
xoxoxo
sister ashsmack
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