Kay so this week has been good but CRAZY.
Monday Sister Rivera and Sister Poudrier flew in from Petersburg, Sister Rivera and I went back to Beach Lake and Sister Poudrier went with Sister hatfield cuz her companion wasn't back from a p-day hike. I didn't go on the hike cuz I needed to be available as soon as the PSG sisters flew in. And we needed to take off for Red Robin Manager's lesson and to help Sister hatfield have a companion, Sister Poudrier stayed with her, and then that started Sister P on this whole like float-around-the-sisters thing cuz Sister Washington flew in the next day cuz she got sick up in Fairbanks and SHE was going home, and so Sister P floated between the Rabbit Creek sisters and staying with Sister Washington at the mission home for the next day or so. Finally she came to work with us in beach lake but on Friday she flew up to be companions with Sister Washington's companion, Sister Wuehler, who's been staying with the other set of sisters up in Fairbanks.
What's been fun with having Sister Rivera here is things like when El Colombiano called her and I got to talk to him again...and then this morning she had to call President Bringhurst and tell him that elders are coming to Petersburg, and I got to talk to Pres.Bringhurst for a little bit.
What's also been fun is that Sister Rivera brought like the whole town of Petersburg with her. The Baptist woman that was in the PSG hospital that Sister Hatfield and I used to sing to had hip replacement surgery up here in Anchorage and we went and saw her on Friday, and on Saturday I was on a brief exchange with the Rabbit Creek sisters and we went and saw her, and Sister Hatfield and I got to sing her one of her favorite songs, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are."
Also, the Petersburg Young Women's came up for a TEMPLE TRIP!!! Oh my heck.I love them. They used their girl's camp money to pay for a temple trip and the girls told their leaders they would fundraise for girl's camp instead. They even brought with them Sweet 15 who is now 16 and has a baptismal date set for DECEMBER 28th of THIS YEAR ---she wanted to come to the temple, even if it was just to sit in the waiting room.
Friday night President Lambertsen who's Pres Beesley's first counselor gave them a fireside on the temple in his home. So Sis Hat and her comp and me and Sis Rivera got there before the PSG Young Women's did and we were hanging in their living room and then outside we see them pull up and I said, "Can I go run out there and meet them?" I threw open the front door and saw a couple of the girls---there were 5 of them, and 2 leaders---standing in the street looking confused. "HEY!" I shouted, they saw me, and then all of a sudden all 5 girls spilled outta their rental mini van and started charging toward the driveway and I started running toward them trying not to slip on the chunky ice (everything is melting away) and it was like the bestest most exciting reunion ever, LOTS and LOTS of hugs and craziness and head-bonking. HAHAHA. They are the sweetest funnest girls ever.
The next morning they went and did baptisms, and it was a very spiritual, touching morning. It was hard for the leaders to leave Sweet 16 in the waiting room of the temple, tears were shed. But Sister Rivera and I sat with her and we peacefully and happily looked through the Temple edition of the Ensign, and then we went on a walk around the temple, and then we went into the chapel across the parking lot and watched several young women's groups playing a volleyball tournament, and Sweet 16 made comments like, "They are all so quiet, they are barely yelling. If it was us, we would be yelling and screaming and laughing with each other." I said, "You have more fun on your island." She replied, "Or these girls are just more civilized!" and laughed with her hand over her mouth like she always does.
We went back to the temple waiting room and started watching the Testaments which is exciting cuz it has (the most cheesy) love story ever in it, and made Sweet 16 ULTRA giggle with her hand over her mouth. Hahhaah. Then after the temple we had the mini exchange. The Rabbit Creek sisters had gone into the temple to help the rest of the girls do baptisms, and then we all wanted lunch. The funny part was when Bree (a leader) came into the temple waiting room and saw me and Sister Rivera and was like, "This is blowing my mind. YOU are supposed to be with Sister Poudrier, and YOU are supposed to be with Sister Hatfield." It was just funny cuz since Sister Rivera and I had been companions before, we felt totally normal back with each other again.
Anyway, Sister Rivera used to serve in Kenai and there was a group of YSA-aged people coming up that same day who wanted to take SIster Rivera out to lunch, so she and two other sisters who also served in Kenai all went out to lunch, and I went with the Rabbit Creek sisters to have lunch at Olive Garden with the PSG Young Women's.
BUT MY HECK I GOTTA BE OUTTA MY APARTMENT BY TOMORROW AND I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED PACKING OR CLEANING YET!!!
But, we've taught the Filipino Woman and her Boyfriend, they are not ready to be put on date for baptism but they totes went to church yesterday. It was very sad to say goodbye to Miss Shy yesterday, she's doing AWESOME except sometimes she doesn't go to church cuz she was "staying at a friend's house" so we talked to her yesterday about planning ahead ways to be able to still hang out at friend's house on the weekends but also go to church. Elders are coming to this ward, zone leaders, and I know them both and they are great, and hopefully they will work great with her.
Oh, I am getting transferred. I am not going very far. I'm going to the Inlet View Ward, which is the awesome ward in Anchorage (I never thought I'd serve in Anchorage until I served in the Inlet View Ward for 4 days after Sister Archer went home) to be with Sister Burbank. I'll still be able to go to Miss Shy's baptism.
So, the Inlet View Ward is one of the busiest wards in the mission, they have a lot of success. Their ward council blew me away. I am going to be with Sister Burbank and we are gonna be the first sister training leaders, that new leadership position the church has established for all the sisters cuz there are more sisters these days. President Beesley told me I will be going on exchanges with all the sisters, and Sister Burbank is SO excited cuz we are probably gonna get to go to Juneau zone and that's cool cuz Sitka just opened up to sisters so we are probably gonna get to go to Sitka as well!!!! President Beesley also called 2 sisters up in Fairbanks to be sister training leaders, I am not sure which areas the four of us will cover, but it will be a really great experience to work closely with President and Sister Beesley and all the sisters in the mission, who I really, really love.
The Inlet View Ward is shared with elders, and it will be a fun experience to see what it's like to serve with them as well.
Oh, by the way, I love my investigator Red Robin Manager. She is so funny. She says that she's been adopting Book of Mormon lingo in her daily life, she routinely now uses words like "whilst" and "and it came to pass." She told her employees at work, "Cleaneth this floor and you shalt have my blessing. That means, you'll get to go on break." HAHAH. I am so happy to see her taking even that into her life, and not forgetting about the gospel and everything we talk about the second we walk out the door, she has always been a great investigator and it is awesome to see her progressing.
I LOVE YOU. I love the gospel. Thanks for watching the fireside, it was a lot of fun, I had no idea i would be so involved in it and I was very embarrassed, and it was funny when I knocked over the microphone and Sister Rivera almost knocked over the piano....
Sister Ashbrook
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