Week 32

Tuesday: Well we had our normal district meeting, until in the morning and we see a the Red Nissan Frontier pull up..... (that's what the assistants to the mission president drive/ highest authority

missionaries) they came to evaluate my district meeting! It was so stressful but it was a really good meeting. I gave a training on finding and related it to fishing! How we need to do certain things to be a good fisherman and the same qualities apply to finding new people to teach. It's a good thing Elder Morris (one of the APs) loved to fish because he loved the training. Then I also had a purpose training and I asked everyone to take off their plastic name tags and I asked them what it meant to them to put on the name tag. Is it just a piece of plastic or does it truly mean something to you. It was again perfect for the AP's because they talked to a man who was from a different state and he asked them why they had a name tag on and they explained to them the meaning behind it. Let's just say the district meeting was perfect for the AP's hahaha! Hopefully they don't think I did too good because I definitely can't be a Zone leader next transfer like everyone keeps telling me.

Wednesday: We found a good potential investigator for the sisters in our district. We went over to the Salt Lake community college to give sister Conn a blessing because she wanted one but didn't know why. We went out with a couple of priest age kids (16-18) to go visit some people in their ward. We also went out with brother Wardle, one of our ward mission leaders. We had some good visits.

Thursday: We had a short exchange (with a different companion for some time) with the Zone leaders. Elder Gehrett and I were together. It was crazy windy and we went and picked up everyone's trash that was falling out of their recycling bins that were falling over! It was too crazy but so fun. We also found them a new investigator! At night we had a lot of stuff to talk about, I was on the phone for about an hour talking to the Sisters on our district, and the Zone leaders about some problems.

Friday: We got a lesson set up for Sunday with an Unbaptized  kid and his family! We stopped by to visit The Ratcliffs  (less active family) and sister Ratcliff needed a blessing she just had surgery a few days ago. Then we talked with them for a bit and set up some service for them on Saturday!

Saturday: We did some service for the Ratcliffs which had a wide variety of things to do but it was good to help brother ratcliff out with service because his wife is in a boot. We stopped by at night to visit the Strattons an active family but with a son who is atheist, we've also taught him in the past. He wasn't home but hey said he is doing a lot better and is going to church without being asked now.

Sunday: Happy Easter! We had to give a talk in a senior care center in our area and it was really cool to see the smiles brought to their faces by talking about the true meaning of Easter! Luckily it was only a five minute talk so there was no stress there. We went to the Copperview 1st Ward sacrament meeting and there was some good talks given. We went to the Copperview 6th Ward Elders quorum meeting and it was also a really good meeting! I loved a phrase the teacher used in his lesson. He said, "Time is irrelevant when we know the knowledge we know, life does not end at the grave but life is eternal." (Talking about the plan of salvation and Jesus Christ making it possible for us to live after this life with Heavenly Father) I add my solid testimony to his, we need not to be sad when love ones pass, but to rejoice that they have lived their life to the fullest and that we WILL see them again.

Love you all,
Elder Aaron Ashby

Week 31

Tuesday: We had a Zone meeting in the morning. Our Zone leaders did a
good training on companionship unity. They were mad at each other for
the whole first half of the meeting and when it was their turn for
their training they talked about how people could read body language
and how important it is to have good body language and companion
unity. They were playing it as if they were mad at each other when in
fact it was just their training. We had dinner with the Peltiers. They
are a good Christian family and wanted to feed us. We shared the new
church initiative the price of piece video. It's a short 2 minute
video of how we can find peace through Jesus Christ and what he did.
There was a brief statement in the video that said "he turned water
into wine" and when we asked them what their thoughts were. They found
it interesting that if LDS people made the video and we can't drink
wine, why was it included. We explained that through modern day
revelation Joseph Smith was commanded to make those changes. They said
if God is the same today, yesterday, and forever why would he say it
was okay back then and now it's not? They had a hard time believing
the need for a modern day prophet. We met another family called the
Engh family. The parents are members that don't go to church, and they
have a 12 year old son who is not baptized. We met with them and we
connected really well. They don't want to go to church because others
want them to. They want to go for themselves. We invited them to pray
and ask God when is the right time for them to come back. They know
they need to go and that their son should be baptized it's just a
matter of time.

Wednesday: We had interviews with our mission president to see how we
are doing. President and Sister Lansing were really pleased with how I
handle Elder Gilchrist with his symptoms. The sisters have been
craving McDonald's cheeseburgers and in our district leader training
they told us we need to "walk on water for the members of our
district" so we went out and got them some cheeseburgers on our way up
to the mission office.

Thursday: We made our Zone picture for last Monday's activity. We met
a family that is less active. Brother Ratcliff is a bomb defuser. He
told us a bunch of his crazy life stories! He seems so cool.

Friday: we had our correlation meeting with our MLS couple(senior
missionaries) We had a Zone leadership meeting where we had to account
for someone in our district that we are the most concerned about. I
didn't feel it was necessary for me to account for Elder Gilchrist
(who wasn't in the meeting) because he is a two transfer missionary.
He has aspberggers  so it is hard for him to change. It is easier for
me to change. So I accounted  for myself because I needed to work on
my ability to help Elder Gilchrist reach his full potential. We taught
Zack and Jaylee the law of chastity and tithing. We are going to move
their baptismal date because they haven't been going to church lately.
They want to do it when the stake has their baptisms so they are now
on date for June 3rd. The Sisters were having a rough time and they
told us it was that time of the month... yes they told us that. So
they said they needed a pizza so we went to little Cesar's  and  got
them a pizza haha!

Saturday: We met our last Ward mission leader finally! He seemed
pretty cool and knows how to handle his calling. We also met our soon
to be MLS couple for the Riverton North stake. So we will have an MLS
couple in both stakes we cover! They are from California and know how
to do missionary work! Well at night it turned into a blizzard! We
couldn't see at all! We were on our way home and we were talking to
our Zone leaders and out of no where elder Gilchrist swerves a little
bit in the other lane and we almost hit a car! As the car drove by we
realized it was our Zone leaders! We almost crashed into them! That
would have been real awkward to explain to the vehicle coordinator!

Sunday: We went to the Copperview 8th Ward sacrament meeting and
Bishop Ashby bore his testimony and talked about how it was a pleasure
to have the missionaries with them to watch conference! We also talked
to the most uninterested people ever in one day haha! But bad days are
preparing us for the good days!

Love you all,
Elder Aaron Ashby

Week 30

Tuesday: We had Zone conference with the South  Jordan Zone. There were a lot of good trainings, I especially loved when we watched a video of Dieter F Uchtdorf addressing mission presidents and relating their missionaries to the apostle Peter in the Bible. Through Peter's trials he became that great chief apostle after Jesus died.

Wednesday: We had a call on Sunday to visit a guy who wanted a Book of Mormon in Spanish. So we dropped it off and it was the perfect timing because the home owners where there and the man was a paint contractor working. So he introduced us to him. He told us that he doesn't live here in the Salt Lake Valley, he lives down in Provo so we will not be able to teach him, but no effort is wasted! We taught Zack and Jaylee the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We did the ABC's of repentance.  Acknowledge, be sorry, confess, don't do it again, endure to the end.

Thursday: In the morning I had to go to District Leader Training.  (District leaders are to watch over a few sets of missionaries) President and Sister Lansing both gave wonderful trainings. We had an open discussion type thing to answer some questions or problems  we might have.  We focused on two things. Correct correction, so when a companionship is breaking the rules we need to let them know something's wrong. Another thing we focused on is helping problem missionaries. So missionaries who struggle at being obedient and doing the things they need to be doing. It all came back to the Savior, and his leadership and charity towards one another. The assistants to the president gave a great training on charity and how we need to walk on water for those in our district to show we truly love and care about them and their work. At night we taught Zack and Jaylee again, we taught them the 10 commandments with the hand signals to remember them. We also taught the word of wisdom using CATTS coffee, alcohol, tobacco, tea, substances.

Friday: we had our weekly correlation meeting with our MLS couple (senior missionaries) and as we were eating and discussing the work we ha din their stake we got a call from the Peltiers. A family that isn't of our faith and wanted to feed us! Maybe we can teach them as well! We started our exchanges with the Zone leader  (with a different missionary for 24 hours and to learn from their leadership) I was with Elder Gehrett. Half way through the day we had to pick up my companion Elder Gilchrist because one of the Zone leaders was going to the temple with his recent convert. We taught a man who took his names off the church records and deeply regretted it and wants to be baptized again. At night Elder Gehrett and I talked about so much stuff we ended up got to bed at 2am.

Saturday: It's April already?!? We ended the exchanges a little bit early so we could watch the Saturday am session of General Conference(where we hear from our prophet and apostles) I had to leave half way through the first session because I needed  to get down to the conference center in Salt Lake City to watch the Saturday pm session. I had a ticket and was able to go with other missionaries that were selected by random. It was an amazing session of General Conference and the talks were great. After it was done we headed back to our area to watch the Priesthood session.  That one was by far my favorite session. They talked a lot about missionary work and leadership which is exactly what I needed!

Sunday: In the morning we ate breakfast with our home owners the Ashby's (my second cousins) and then watched the Sunday am session of General Conference. Half way through elder Gilchrist had to head down to the conference center. He got selected to go to the Sunday pm session. In between the sessions and after the pm session I played board games with the Ashby kids. We played some Monopoly empire, spy ally and payday. It was a good way to end the great week!

That was my week...

Love you all,
Elder Aaron Ashby