Transfer Time, Already?

I've come to discover here that time moves steadily faster. I seriously can't believe that I've been here for six weeks already with Elder Jones! It went way too fast! We did great work, it just all seems to pass in a blur. I'm having to fight back tiredness and laziness (which are constant temptations!) and make good use of every second. It's SO HARD sometimes. I've been doing well though! I'm trying to apply everything that I've been learning. That's really the biggest secret to living the Gospel in our lives, learning and applying! We can learn so much in life if we keep our minds and hearts open. Then, we have to take the initiative and use our God given talents and skills (and His divine help!) to apply everything. We can't simply learn about the importance of reading the scriptures, we have to show it and read every day. We can't merely learn the importance of using our time wisely, we also have to do it! That's what I've been trying to do.

We had a super cool week! We met this one lady who was just amazing. We visited a former investigator not expecting too much. However, we invited her granddaughter Tamires who's 26 to join us as well! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we need to have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and then endure until the end of our lives. We talked about baptism and weren't scared to invite the people there to follow the example of Christ being baptized. Tamires accepted!! We left a Book of Mormon with her without explaining much and we returned to find her almost reciting the story found in the Testimony of Joseph Smith! It was so cool!!! She had read the pamphlet about the Gospel as well and loved how taking the sacrament each week was a way to renew our covenants with God and be clean again! We got SO excited!! After the lesson, I said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for helping us find her, the type of person I had so long searched for. Too cool! She came to church and loved it!

We then baptized a man nicknamed Tom this Sunday! He had the biggest smile I've ever seen coming out of the waters. He has known the missionaries for years, and got converted about two years ago. He's been trying to get married for the longest time, but his "wife" Joice didn't want to. He battled with this for a while, but a couple months ago they marked a marriage date! They were married last Saturday and Tom was baptized the day after. Now we just hope and pray that his faith will spark Joice to really search for herself to see if the church is true! Their family is awesome, and I believe that their son, Vinícius, will be baptized as well when he turns 8!

Lastly this week, we got a call on Sunday about transfers. I'll happily be staying here in Perus for the next transfer! Unfortunately, Elder Jones will be going to a new area and I'll get a new companion, Elder Abdom. We'll see how things go! I sure am grateful for my mission and all the great experiences I'm having! I love this time so much. This day in four months will have mixed emotions for me as I leave Brazil and land in good 'ole Texas!! I hope that everyone has a good week!!

Elder Ashford

The Best Feeling

We had a great week. We're working on constantly improving and getting better. Sometimes we slip and wind up behind, but God will always show us the way to get back up again. We keep moving! We have purpose and we keep getting up, wiping off the dust, and doing what we know is right!

I don't have much time, but I just wanted to share one of the best feelings I've ever had. The other three people that were baptized two weeks ago were all confirmed and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost! It was seriously super cool. The Spirit was strong there in the room with us. The best part came afterwards. I was sitting there in the meeting and I looked around at everyone. I saw the people with whom I'd had a part in helping come to be baptized and then confirmed that day. I looked back and saw a few more people I'd had the chance to help as well. I knew that I was being used by the hands of God to help these people. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. I'm sure that's what the Celestial Kingdom is like. There with all these people we love and have helped. Interacting with them and working to be better still. It'll be wonderful! I was able to catch a small glimpse of heaven. I know that it'll still be much better! I can't wait to have an eternal family and then to be able to live with them forever in God's presence. Now is the time we have to prepare for that moment! I'm doing everything I can to be prepared, and I hope that everyone else is as well! Have a great week! Be prepared!!!

Elder Ashford

Walking Dead

There have been times this week that I've felt absolutely dead. Like on Sunday morning when we woke up early to participate in Ward Counsel. Even my fingers were tired. It hurt to move them. This is crazy! I keep moving forward though. I'm working hard! We walked and talked and searched and found and helped and were helped a ton this week. Unfortunately, we weren't able to baptize anyone this week, but we're working with people still and there are a lot of good people set up for this month. I love doing this work! 

I don't have much time, because we went shopping today in the center of Sao Paulo and got back later, but it was super fun today! We rode up to the top of the tallest building in the city and looked out at all the buildings. It was crazy! The work is going well here. Rodrigo got the Holy Ghost on Sunday! I found out that he had a ton of member help. The members here are great and are really willing to visit with us and help people. Rodrigo was a member's friend who was invited more and more to be around the member family. They introduced him to the truth and he accepted it! It was so cool! I pray for more great experiences like this one, where the members can almost completely carry someone to change their life through the Gospel of Christ! 

I love this work!! Have a great week everyone!

A Week of Miracles

This week was cool. This week was miraculous! We've really been working hard, and we were more than rewarded for our efforts this week. We had a few baptisms planned this week, but we got more than we bargained for! I'll take you through some of the stories for the week!

The lady we helped baptize last week, Glória, was supposed to be working this Sunday, so we were hoping that there was still some way that she could receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We had run into her several times during the week and always reminded her to ask the day off from work, however, she didn't get it. We were passing close by on Sunday morning, when we decided to see if her children would go to church with us. Who meets us at the gate other than... Glória!! The train was having problems, so she returned home and was going to go later in a friend's car. She went to church and was confirmed a member of the church and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost!! Too great!

We are teaching one young man named Rodrigo who absolutely wants to be baptized. Talking with him, we decided to change his baptism date to Sunday instead of Saturday so that his friends and family could be here. He was super strong! He said he had work on Sunday and would be baptized afterwards, so we were surprised to see him there at church! He had quit work a couple days before to go to church that Sunday and every other Sunday. We knew his baptism would go through, but were hoping and working for more baptisms!

Monday night, we had stopped at Luciane's house and talked with her and her three children, Lucas (19), Nicoly (13), and Tayna (8). Luciane was in a mess. Tons of crazy things were happening and she hated all the hardships she was passing through. She had tons of questions, like why bad things happened to good people and vice versa. We talked things out and helped her understand God's plan for her and she calmed down a little. She left after a little and we chatted with her children about how they could help their mother. It was a super cool lesson. I felt like a family counselor. Friday we went back. Luciane started off saying that she wanted to be baptized as soon as possible, so we marked her for Sunday on the spot. She spoke about the prayer she had said, the comfort she received, and the miracles that happened. She then gave us a weird look and expressed her fears about her readiness for baptism. I had no idea that she was smoking and drinking coffee. Luckily, the Spirit was with us and we skillfully helped her understand the need to stop before baptism, but didn't give her a specific new baptism date. We waited in silence a little, then, she said that coolest thing I've ever heard. "After today I will never put another cigarette in my mouth or drink coffee. You may mark my baptism for this Sunday." The Spirit was SO STRONG AS SHE SAID THAT. We knew it was right for her. We gave her every piece of advice we could, including drinking water, praying for help, and reading the Book of Mormon. Then, we prayed fervently all day long Saturday for her. We got to church and saw her and she just smiled real big and nodded. :)

Luciane was baptized by her work manager who referred her to the church. Tayna, had decided to be baptized on the same day, and we had one more surprise baptism. About 5 minutes before the meeting, Nicoly went up the Bishop here and asked if she could be baptized as well. Luckily, she'd already passed the interview and was baptized as well!!! It was a fantastic day. I felt so happy. I got to baptize Tayna, and it was super special! It was like baptizing my sister Paige all over again. Now, we will work with Luciane's son to be baptized this week with a few other people we hope! We are truly being blessed here. It's so great! Heavenly Father loves us all so much and wants everyone to be closer to Him through baptism and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost!! I'm so happy to be a part of this amazing work! Christ lives and loves us!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Ashford

PS: The guy next to me is a missionary that did the interviews, Elder Bustamante! Rodrigo asked to be baptized by him!

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was two days ago and marked my year and a half mark of being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That's a long stinking time!!! I entered into the MTC over 18 months ago. The Sisters that I met my first day in the MTC all finished their missions. Lastly, in exactly 5 months to the day, I'll be landing in Austin, Texas to see my family after a long time of service that has changed my life forever. That's weird. Oh dang.

Before I get too homesick though, it's good to use this kind of stuff to put everything in perspective. I don't have much time left to consecrate everything I've got to God, especially all my time, talents, and efforts! So I'm working hard and extremely thankful for all the experiences that God has given me and the circumstances that He puts me in to allow me to grow and develop. I'm working a ton here and always go to bed completely exhausted, but I love it! This week was rough with bad weather and a few other factors that didn't allow us to work as much as we would have liked, but we are working well and trying to focus on what's most important. I'm learning a ton! This area has lots of prepared people that already want to know the truth and even already want to be baptized. With many of them, it's just helping them overcome laziness and fear to get done what they need so badly. We were planning to have SO MANY PEOPLE in church this week, and then it just didn't happen. We called people beforehand, we sent church members to go pick up investigators, and we went (as asked by their mother) to wake up three investigators in any form possible. We spent 45 minutes, yelling, knocking, calling, and clapping for these people to wake up, but they never did! It was frustrating. Work impeded a lot of others from coming. However, we had two super great investigators come to church and they loved it. They've been coming for a while now and really, really, really want to get baptized. They finally marked a day to get married, March 28th being the soonest the government would allow, and then asked us if they could be baptized on the same day about two hours after the wedding! I felt so blessed to know these two special people and their family. It was great!

So, Sunday didn't go as well as we wanted, and then we spent the time running around teaching lessons and helping a special lady named Gloria. She was all set to get baptized Sunday at 7, but we knew she was a little hesitant so we went to help her! We walked all the way to her house, found she wasn't there, went and found her in the street, helped her understand how being baptized would help her in her life, then walked home with her, waited outside for her to get ready, found a member to give us a ride to the baptism, and then got everything done! Dang it was hard. I was exhausted afterwards. It was so cool though to see the difference in her face after she was baptized. It was special! Surprisingly enough, she asked me to baptize her, even though I barely met her two weeks ago. It was super special though! She didn't want to take a picture because apparently she doesn't like them, but we'll try to get a picture with her when we visit this week and help her get all ready for the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday! God truly blessed us for our hard work and endurance in the face of trials and sadness. It was great!!! I'm so grateful for the love that Christ offers us and the mercy He shows. We are loved!!! How great is that!!!

I love Christ so much and am so thankful for having been able to grow to understand everything about His Gospel this past year and a half. It has been truly amazing! I'm thankful for my Savior and the sacrifice He made to help every single one of us! It's truly marvelous! I hope that everyone has a great work and continues to work hard and remember the blessings that we have!! Love you all!

Elder Ashford

PS: Here are some pictures of my area and my companion! Perus is basically a neighborhood of São Paulo, but it's a little set apart, so there are tons of houses in a little spot and then there are tons of hills and green stuff! It's cool here!

The Neighborhood of TurkeysWell, I'm in a neighborhood way in the north called Perus, or turkeys! I got transferred after all and am now sitting yet again in a small, dark internet cafe. Man I miss my computer. Oh well. I can't complain! I have zero time to send this message, so it'll be short and I'll get more out next week. This area is SUPER BLESSED. There are TONS of people who for the longest time were just waiting to have a baptism date marked with them. We marked 7 in a week, 5 of which are for this Saturday and Sunday. We'll be marking a bunch of other ones this week as well! The members here are great, and I'd actually already met the Bishop here! He works with mission finances and I went into his office one time on secretary business! So far people think highly of me, which is nice! My companion is Elder Jones and he's from Poway, California. He's pretty cool! I'm finishing off his training which is SO HARD TO DO. There are lots of things to be learned. I'm developing more patience though! I'm trying to work my hardest always and just keep pushing, because I know that this area deserves it. It's different not being in the office anymore, but I've liked it so far. I'm exhausted, but content thus far. The next time anyone hears from me, I'll have more than a year and a half as a missionary. It's crazy how time flies, but that's why it's so important that we make every second count! I hope that everyone has a great week! Love you all! Elder Ashford

Well, I'm in a neighborhood way in the north called Perus, or turkeys! I got transferred after all and am now sitting yet again in a small, dark internet cafe. Man I miss my computer. Oh well. I can't complain! I have zero time to send this message, so it'll be short and I'll get more out next week.

This area is SUPER BLESSED. There are TONS of people who for the longest time were just waiting to have a baptism date marked with them. We marked 7 in a week, 5 of which are for this Saturday and Sunday. We'll be marking a bunch of other ones this week as well! The members here are great, and I'd actually already met the Bishop here! He works with mission finances and I went into his office one time on secretary business! So far people think highly of me, which is nice!

My companion is Elder Jones and he's from Poway, California. He's pretty cool! I'm finishing off his training which is SO HARD TO DO. There are lots of things to be learned. I'm developing more patience though! I'm trying to work my hardest always and just keep pushing, because I know that this area deserves it. It's different not being in the office anymore, but I've liked it so far. I'm exhausted, but content thus far.

The next time anyone hears from me, I'll have more than a year and a half as a missionary. It's crazy how time flies, but that's why it's so important that we make every second count! I hope that everyone has a great week! Love you all!

Elder Ashford