SO MUCH

I feel like every week lately has been a SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED week, and so OH MY HECK I will try and organize my thoughts into a really quick email.

First of all...holy cow. My parents are gonna be in my singles ward. And I get to harrass them.

Sister Hatfield got transferred to a different ward in Anchorage, she's now in the singles ward, and she just came and told me there are two girls in her new ward who know me from MEXICO and we are gonna try and go grab some food this week with them, she can't remember their names, I think it's probably Genelle and Hana cuz they used to come up to Alaska in the summer to work---any bets? Do Tara and Andrea read my blog? I will bet you one gingerbread house that I shall judge via phone picture that it is them. HAHAHA.

Okay I know I am weird.

SO LIKE....I am in like an awesome area. It's the CITY, man, Alaska, man, it has a CITY.... Well it mostly just feels like home, similar to some parts of Orange County.  The bishop got the sisters a GPS last transfer (it will stay in the area) and so we get everywhere with GPS. I've never had so much work before my whole mission. We have several investigators, recent converts, and less actives that we see, and they all have a pretty good relationship with missionaries, the previous missionaries have done such a great job.

So also I am a Sister Training Leader and so I'm like a bit more busy, not as busy as the AP's, but we are similar to AP's cuz we cross zones. And unfortunately, Sister Pete-pete is going home a few weeks early cuz of medical reasons ---the third sister in about 3 weeks! (CAN I JUST TELL YOU how crazy it is that yeah, it IS 3 weeks? Like, it feels like I was comps with Sister Archer about a billion years ago, and that being in Beach Lake Ward was about three months ago, and I feel like I've already been comps with Sister Burbank for about a transfer, so just thinking that 3 weeks ago I had no idea that any of this was gonna happen is the most insane thought) okay so Sister Pete-pete is going home and Pres is gonna now have Sister Burbank and I be the only STL's and so we now get to visit every zone in the mission somehow, before the end of the transfer... We are driving down to the peninsula to work with the sisters in Sterling this week. The week after is zone conference, Elder Zwick is coming. The week after that, we are going to Juneau and Sitka, and we'll probably take a fast ferry to get to and from the two towns, and I only heard about the fast ferry in Petersburg, and I'm excited to see that, and I'm excited to get to know the new sister that is being trained in Juneau right now. The week after that, we will probably do exchanges with sisters in Wasilla/Palmer and with Sister Hatfield and her comp in South Anchorage, and somehow we'll now, also, somehow, factor in a visit to Fairbanks. It's hard sometimes cuz like President will call and I struggle with being professional and now I'm like, an STL, and like, I gotta be reliable and trustworthy, and somehow I gotta tell President kay FINE we don't need the RED TRUCK we will stick with our CHEVY MALIBU (sigh) and it's NOT AN IMAGE THING....

So, at the beginning of this transfer I told SIster Burbank that I felt like Heavenly Father is gonna bless me so I get to know the people in this area really well, really FAST. Cuz usually it takes a bit to get to know an area, and your companion. But from the get go, he has blessed me. THere has been no awkwardness in teaching with Sister Burbank, we got into our "teaching groove" the instant we had our first lesson. From the time I was on exchanges with her and Sister Platero for a coupla days in this area, and I met several people in the ward, til now, I haven't felt overwhelmed or like I don't know anybody. Yesterday we were walking through the halls at church before sacrament started and we passed a few people and SIster Burbank cracked up cuz I already knew them. Seriously, you guys, this is an amazing blesssing.

Sister Burbank is the most amazing missionary. She is focused, and hardworking, diligent, Christlike, easy-going, and hilarious. We had a laugh attack yesterday...we were supposed to be getting outta the car to go contact a less active and we were about to say the prayer like we always do before we get outta the car and we could NOT stop laughing enough to say the prayer. I kept saying, gasping between laugh attacks, "Sister! Will you stop laughing and be reverent?" and for some reason she just kept laughing harder---oh my heck our abs hurt SO BAD.

Oh, and then we were leaving a lesson a coupla days ago and the investigator had come out with her 3-year-old daughter so we could get them the book of mormon for kids with all the pictures, and we were driving away, I was driving that day, and we were waving goodbye--and I was turning the corner to get outta the parking lot---waving goodbye--and I looked in front of me (finally) and OH MY HECK THERE WAS A CAR and um OOPS I hit them. OH my heck I was SO INCREDIBLY EMBARRASSED. It's okay, guys, we just scratched the paint, and maybe like punctured something in our bumper. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I EVER HIT SOMEONE, guys. WHAT IS THIS with all the cars.

I feel like I have a lot to work on to be on the same level as Sister Burbank. I am now very conscious of all the things that hold me back and I just needa try and catch up with her.

We have a baptism coming May 18th but the girl is in another ward, she's 17 and the daughter of a recent convert, she just wanted sister missionaries. I hope she is ready, she's a very sweet girl. We have another investigator on date for July. The elders in the ward are teaching the most AMAZING couple, this couple lives in the elders' half of the ward. The couple fed us dinner the other night and we were inspired to teach them the Word of Wisdom. THe husband sighed and said, "Dangit, I just bought a whole bunch of coffee." Then later on in the lesson he said, "I know I can't drink coffee anymore, because Heavenly Father will bless me tenfold if I am obedient." And they said they were gonna get rid of the coffee right away. They are on date to be baptized May 17th.

We just picked up another investigator this past weekend, the wife of a less active, he kinda "sprung the lessons" on her but she is very nice and very willing to listen.

We have two first appointments set up for tomorrow with two different women. One of them already really likes us. She said she thinks our voice mail is a hoot. She is hilarious, she was a referral from her upstairs neighbor and we went and contacted her and she talked to us on the doorstep for a real long time and she just loves to talk and is very cheerful and friendly and we think a little lonely, and has been looking for a new church. We hope it goes well tomorrow.

Man I just love this work, guys. I love missionary work. I love teaching with Sister Burbank---she has the Spirit when she teaches, and always focuses on how the Atonement is for each of us individually, and how the love of God is the most important thing. We had a lesson with an interesting investigator on Saturday, I don't quite know how to describe her, and Sister Burbank had to do the very hard thing of telling her that if she was really interested in taking the lessons, then she would need to call us, and if not, then we will not be able to come back, cuz it would be wasting both hers and our time. There are some cases where you just gotta do that cuz of how the investigator treats their learning of the gospel.

Anyways. I love you all.

Oh and this Sunday, for Mother's Day, I think we can Skype around 4:30 our time so that would be 5:30 your time, right?

I LOVE YOU
Sister Ashbrook