Week 8

Tuesday: We had a New Missionary Training meeting at the mission office and learned about how it is okay to have some anxiety but too much of it can be a problem. My first dinner appointment that fell through and we didn't call someone last minute happened... yes in Utah we had dinner at our home... by ourselves for once. We went to go visit a woman late at night and she didn't answer so we were walking back to our car and some kids were playing basketball and we stopped by and started talking to them, they were members but less active so it was good to meet them. They asked me if I could dunk and the hoop was only about 8.5 so I did some dunks for them and they seemed to love it. 

Wednesday: not much happened, we went to visit our list of recent converts and got some days to go teach them the follow up lessons after they are baptized. Dinner fell through again, our ward mission leader seems to be struggling in this calling because we haven't gone on any visits with him this past month. So we went to Arby's. Our lesson with Roberto got canceled at the last moment which was sad to hear. 

Thursday: We started our day off by going to a technology meeting/ survey on how missionary work is being used on the iPads and I felt so weird because they focused on an app that we should be using more often but my trainer never really taught me how to use it. Elder Costa had a Dr appointment for his acne, not sure if it was necessary because my acne is worse than his. It was funny when we were picking up this prescription for his acne and the pharmacist told him it was $175 and he was so confused and I had to talk to the pharmacist to figure out what the problem was, she had a complication with the missionary insurance but we got it all figured out. We went by to the Albertsons home to set up an appointment with them and nobody answered. But later at night we got a text from Ory (the Husband of the couple) and in the text he was very angry with us for stopping by his house when he wasn't home and the fact that his wife is uncomfortable when he isn't home. And was mad that we have been popping by lately, but he canceled our appointment last Monday and we asked when a good time for him was, and didn't get an answer, so we stopped by to set up a time. Not sure if it was necessarily our fault or not but we will see what happens with them in the future. 

Friday: we didn't have our usual meeting with our Elderly Missionaries for our stake, their son in law has cancer and only has a few more days to live so they were down visiting him in St George. We had a lesson with a recent convert Ryker Mast, a 10 year old boy. He was a little rusty on what we were teaching him but by the end he had a good understanding of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We had dinner with the bishop in one of our wards and he served in Brazil so he had Guaraná which is a Brazilian soda so that was nice for elder Costa. Had another good lesson with Evelynn but after the lesson her aunt came and talked to us outside and said she isn't applying what we are teaching her into her life which was sad to hear since her baptismal date is set for November 26th. 

Saturday: our day did not go as planned. We got ready to go do a service project for an elderly man and when we got to our car we realized that our car had been broken into. They took Elder a Costa's bag with his wallet and credit cards in it, as well as his Brazilian documents. On my end they took my new Oakley Sunglasses sadly. But what I don't understand is that I always lock our car, Elder Costa thinks he didn't shut his door all the way but we don't know what happened really. Sadly they didn't take a Book of Mormon or a restoration pamphlet so they didn't get a chance to learn about repentance, or the gospel. But as long as we are alive that's good right? Dinner fell through again. So we went to a ward party with a chili cook off. We taught brother Vocanas daughter again who is about to be baptized and was good to teach a lesson to a active members to practice our teaching skills. 

Sunday: we went to the Heytesbury Ward hoping that Roberto would show up, but sadly he didn't. After that we went to the Crescent Ridge 4th Ward and talked about service with the high priest group. We had a lesson with a less active Bryce Handy, and it didn't seem like he was less active, he had a strong testimony and had a good lesson with his mom, sister and him. His mom started crying when we started talking about Forgiveness and feels that she can't be forgiven because all her kids aren't active in the church now. But it was good for her to say her feelings and to get it out. I feel that it helped her a lot. After we had a lesson with Anya Benifield and we had a good lesson and answered most of her questions and feel that she is progressing very well. Her father was present during the lesson which was amazing because she is the only one interested in the church in her family and her father said he supported her with her decision, to be baptized. Now we gotta change her date from April..... (because it's her birthday month) to a sooner date because she is ready to be baptized and receive the blessings that come from it! 

Love, 

Elder Ashby