WELP

So this is gonna be SOME email.

My life has been flipped turned upside down and I'd like to take a minute just sittin right here and tell you all about how I became fresh prince of...what is it? Bel air? I don't even remember.

Thursday after trainee/trainer training (it's training for greenies and their trainers, and then after that the whole mission has training, for an hour and a half each segment. Instead of doing LOTS of training every 3 months we do short training almost every  Thursday, in Anchorage, it's webcasted to the whole mission) UM SO after the FIRST part of training, where trainees and trainers separate and have their own individual training, President had me stay and talk to him alone. He asked me how Sister Archer was doing. He told me the best thing to do would probably be to send her home, that Alaska was not the place to fix her back problems, especially when her limbs are going numb and she's in chronic pain. He told me to ask her to talk to him after the next part of training---he'd ask her if she wanted to go home ASAP or wait til she was done being trained.

Oh man. So she did, and I waited outside, and then they called me in, and President told me that Sis Archer was going home that night on the plane. She got a blessing from him and we went and had lunch at the mission home and then went and got her medical forms from the MRI place and went home to get her packed up. That night we went to the mission home at about 10 pm and we got her to the airpot at about 11 and got Yogurtland and sat and talked with her. She was earlier in the day pretty upset, when talking to President Beesley, but soon she knew that this was what the Lord wanted for her, and she WOULD be able to come back on her mission as soon as she got better. And off she went on the plane and I went back with President and Sister Beesley and slept at the mission home that night in a room ALL BY MYSELF AHHHH FIRST TIME IN A YEAR AND ALMOST A HALF.... In the morning the Rabbit Creek Sisters AKA Sis Hatfield and Sis Hedelius came to the mission home cuz Sis HATfield is dealing with some medical things herSELF and she had to call her mom there... Pres wanted me to go with the Inlet View Sisters for a few days, Sister Burbank and Sister Platero, but since Rabbit Creek was there I ended up going off with them until about 3pm and then I went and worked with the Inlet View  Sisters in their area. I've stayed with them all weekend. It's been crazy.

On Friday, the day after Sister Archer went home and when I was with the Rabbit Creek sisters still, Miss World Traveler called and said she just wasn't ready to change, and didn't want to meet with us anymore. She sounded very sad, as if it was hard for her to say it. I tried to my best to bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel but inside I was just all a mess. I hope I was able to inspire her to keep reading and praying. The Rabbit Creek sisters were doing weekly planning and I just laid on their carpet on my stomach and soon I was like crying and Sister Hatfield was all freaking out and trying to make me feel better. HAHAH. Sigh. I think that was one the most distressing days of my mission. Later that day, Miss Shy, our 13-yr-old investigator who's on date for baptism for May 11th texted me and cancelled our lesson for that day---the Inlet View Sisters WERE gonna drive me back up to Eagle River and teach her with me. That was hard, too, to know I wasn't going back up to Eagle River. But Inlet View is a busy ward and it was awesome working with them the rest of the day, it helped me forget everything and not worry about Sister Archer and get over the feeling I was having of being all alone and not knowing where I belong, I'm such a GIRL, HAHAHHA. Inlet View is an awesome ward, it is so busy that's one of the wards they put elders AND sisters in, big deal for Alaska, guys. Saturday Sister B and P had an appointment when I had dinner scheduled in Eagle River with the recent convert who I call the Stellar Mom and so the Rabbit Creek sisters came up with me and it was so nice teaching with Sister Hatfield, she's so awesome, she got along SO good with Stellar Mom's autistic son, and Sister Hedelius is so sweet and enjoyable to be around. We saw Mrs. Blind before dinner, as well, which was nice to see her.

On Sunday I didn't even go to my WARD...I went to Inlet View. Oh my heck, their ward council is on fire. It was one of the most spiritual ward council meetings I've ever been in. So united. Everyone is on the same page. The thing everyone most cares about is missionary work. It's not a separate after-thought thing to them, it is the FOCUS of their WARD. It was very inspiring to be able to participate in that.

Today Sister Rivera and Sister Poudrier are flying in from Petersburg. Transfers are in a week, and SIster Rivera goes home then. I just emailed you the link to the missionary "miracles" musical event we're doing tomorrow. Sister Rivera is coming in a week early so she can be a part of this "miracles" fireside tomorrow night. I am gonna meet up with these two sisters sometime today and THEY will come work with me in MY ward (beach lake) this week. Sister Rivera spent 6 months in Beach Lake so it will be fun for her to see all these people before she goes home.

I love you all. I am doing okay now. It has been unexpectedly hard but I think that is the point of life, to throw unexpected difficult things your way. I know that as I focus on the work and think of the Savior as often as I can, I will still be at peace and be able to concentrate on helping others come unto Christ and not worry about what is HAPPENING with my LIFE. It's not about me!!! HAHHAHA.

LOVE,
Sister Ashbrook