Saying Good-bye to President

So this week was definitely full to the brim. We had an amazing week,

with many cool experiences and miracles. This week, we stuck around

inside half a day because Brazil was playing in the World Cup, so I

sent a picture of our street here, as well as one of me, cheering in

my Brazil gear. Brazil tied against Mexico, and everyone's hoping that

they do a lot better today in their game. 

Beyond that, we also had a

very cool Multi Zone Conference this week. This was the chance for

President and Sister Martins to say goodbye... Too weird to think that

they'll be leaving in less than a week, and that after that will be

only our new President, President Farnes and his wife Sister Farnes. I

learned a ton from President Martins, and I'm super glad to have been

able to serve under him for this time. He has a strong focus and

dedication to the mission that he shared with us. I've learned tons

from him about the importance of being exactly obedient, and serving

the way our Savior served. President Martins is very knowledgable, and

I was happy to learn and serve with him. We got to take pictures with

them, hug them, and hear their strong testimonies of the truthfulness

of this gospel, of the Book of Mormon (which President Martins

actually helped translate to Portuguese), and of the power of the

Priesthood in our lives. I have a much stronger desire to live the

gospel always now, in part because of President Martins. I thank him

profoundly for his service and wish his family the best as they return

to their home in Hawaii.

During the conference we had, we learned more about the importance of

bringing members to teach with us to strengthen our investigators and

their desire to visit church, read the Book of Mormon, and pray to ask

Gd if it is true. We decided to follow that counsel with miraculous

results. I've been teaching an older couple for almost three months

now here, and they are great! They just haven't been wanting to get up

in the morning for church, or read lots of the Book of Mormon.

Finally, we decided to bring a recent convert who got baptized 4

months ago. His name is Francisco, and his wife, Darci, and he

absolutely love the happiness and blessings they've received having

come to know the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We brought him with us

to our investigators Joaquim and Nilde, and he worked miracles! They

have the same age, and Brother Francisco began to talk about his

conversion story, about his health and happiness in the Church of

Jesus Christ, and shared his testimony with them that this is the only

true church on the face of the Earth. Joaquim and Nilde began to

change. They said that they could see a light in him that they had

seen in the missionaries. They could feel the spirit of God remarkably

strong in that moment, and we invited them to visit church again and

be baptized the following week. They accepted!!! They are planning and

are super excited to be getting baptized this Saturday. We're going to

be working hard with them this week to keep that excitement level, but

I have faith that they will be able to do this super sacred ordinance  

this Saturday, and be baptized with God's power and authority into His

one and only true church. It's such a blessing, and God really helped

us with this. Pray for these people please!

I also know that this gospel is totally true, and that the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is here on the Earth to bless

absolutely everyone with God's love and power. I'm so glad to be a

missionary! I love this work! I'm sending love back home to everyone!

Keep strong and have fun this summer!

Elder Ashford

"I do not know what we did in the preexistence to merit the wonderful

blessings we enjoy. We have come to earth in this great season in the

long history of mankind. It is a marvelous age, the best of all. As we

reflect on the plodding course of mankind, from the time of our first

parents, we cannot help feeling grateful."

     -Elder Bruce R. McConkie

World Cup--Brazil 2014

HOLY SCHNIKES!!!! I've never seen anything like that, and I'm almost

scared that I'll be seeing the same thing happen again tomorrow and

next week and probably more times still. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYONE SO

CRAZY ABOUT SOCCER. It's ridiculous. I have a few pictures, and I'll

send more next week. Thursday, we went to lunch, adn the member was

having this HUGE barbecue, and I felt SO at home. It was absolutely

wonderful and I left just completely stuffed, almost bursting at the

seams. We tried working a little bit, but to no avail as everyone was

busy glued to the pre-game stuff on tv shooting fireworks and making

noise. Anyways, one hour before the game, we went home like we were

told to. It was like quarantine. We stayed inside for the rest of the

day. The people here have painted the majority of the streets here, as

well as hung up tons of little flags and done a whole bunch of other

things to decorate. We were inside, and I started to write a few

things down with all this noise. Suddenly, everything stopped and went

silent. It was super strange, but I understood afterwards when this

crazy sound started. Literally the ENTIRE COUNTRY was screaming

together at the SAME EXACT TIME. Brazil had made a goal and everyone

had gone crazy. We went to look out the window, and there were tons of

fireworks shooting off from all around the city. Looked like the 4th

of July. Seriously. People were honking horns and screaming and it was

CRAZY! But, kinda cool to see their culture here. Anyways, they kept

going for about 3 hours, and then it finally started to get normal

again. It was a cool experience, but I've never seen anyone get so

excited for any kind of sport. Literally every single person was

wearing a Brazil shirt.

Anyways, I'm doing well and helping loads of people. There are so many

people here who are proving God's words and reading the Book of Mormon

and praying to know of its truth. Super cool! We're trying to get them

to come to church this week so they can understand that this church

really was made by Jesus Christ Himself, and not by any man. It's

going well! I love you all and wish y'all a great week! Have fun and

keep safe!!

Elder Ashford

A New Twist

Soooo I was super right about being excited to do baptism interviews

with people, because it's pretty much this amazingly spiritual moment

when you get to see if someone is ready to be baptized. I got to do

two of them this week, and I loved being able to help these people in

a different way than normal. One lady was saying that she was going to

wait on baptism when we got to her door, so we asked to say a prayer

with her. We entered, read Alma 7:14-15 with her, and then I asked to

do the interview. We got rid of her fears, she passed, and then was

baptized the following day! I heard from the missionaries there that

she was super grateful after the baptism. The other one was from a

young man whose family is already active in the church. He's normally

very quiet, but started talking a bunch during the interview because

he felt so good during that time. It was super cool, and he'll be

baptized this Saturday! It's super cool to be helping in new ways!

I hope everyone has lots of fun plans for the summer! I'm planning to

stay here and be a missionary! Woo hoo! Awesome! Sending lots of love

back home! Take care of yourselves!!

Elder Ashford

"The more seriously we work on our own imperfections, the less we are

judgemental of the imperfections of others."

     -Neal Maxwell

Well, that was unexpected!!

Hello one and all! Guess what! Transfers were this last week and I

broke my pattern! Until now I've only stayed two transfers in each

area that I've worked in, but that was crushed when I was blessed with

the opportunity to stay here in Vila Medeiros! Elder Hossaenian and I

are working together again for one more transfer, and more

surprisingly still, I was asked to be District Leader here! It's a

little nerve wracking, but it's all good because I know God helps His

servants fulfill what He asks them to do! As District Leader, I get to

help out more people, missionaries and their investigators. I check up

on a couple other areas and make sure they're okay and try to give

advice when they're not sure what to do. I will also be giving

training to missionaries during our weekly meetings, and even cooler,

I'll get to interview people in other areas to see if they're ready to

be baptized or not. Super crazy, but I know that I have help and I'm

glad to be able to help more people in a different way.

This week was super cool, as we met lots of people who are loving the

Book of Mormon and who are really trying to find out if this church is

true. So much faith here! Several people are really reading and

praying to know if Joseph Smith really was a prophet, called by God,

to restore Christ's church on the Earth again. We are working hard

with these people and others to help them come to this knowledge,

because I have a certainty that they will come to know with a

certainty that these things are true by proving the Lord's words and

reading the Book of Mormon and asking Him in prayer if these things

are true. It's just too cool being here!!!

That's really all I have, but I'm seriously so grateful. I love being

a missionary! I'm doing well and pushing on always! I'm sending love

to everyone and prayer for you all! Keep working hard, and always

searching for God in your lives! Have an amazing week!!

Elder Ashford

"God is weaving His tapestry according to His own grand design. All

flesh is in His hands. We have no need to fear. We have no need to

worry. Our imperative need is to be found doing our duty."

     -President Gordon B. Hinckley

Well, That was a bummer....

Hey y'all! I had a great week! We got to teach lots of people and it

was fantastic! There was just one kinda overly-large downside... Elder

Nelson was supposed to talk to us, and it was all planned out

perfectly. The day before the meeting, we were working with one of the

President's Assistants here in our work area, when he got a phone call

from President. They had cancelled our meeting with an Apostle!!! It

was crazy. There was a planned strike of all the police and bus

drivers in 13 of the Brazilian states, including the state of São

Paulo. They were protesting their low wages before the World Cup

began, because it would mean tons of more work with their already

super low wages. To ensure our safety, they cancelled the meeting and

we all had to stay inside our homes for the entire day. Luckily, the

strike didn't happen and nothing went wrong, but it still stunk. Oh

well! No use crying over spilt milk! We were super excited though,

also since the missionaries from the São Paulo East and West Missions

were going to be there as well, and we would have gotten to see

friends from those missions. Of course though, we were more excited

for the Apostle.

Beyond that though, our week went well! We met some super cool people.

One day, Elder Hossaenian had to use the bathroom REALLY bad while we

were walking, so he knocked on a random house to ask to use the

restroom. Turn man was a little hesitant at first, but then let us in.

We marked an other day to meet with them, and taught them about the

Restoration of the Gospel on our return. The spirit was super strong

there, and they really understood everything. They thanked us for

sharing the Book of Mormon with them, and the tear-full look of

gratitude they gave us was just absolutely unforgivable. Too cool! I

just felt super good at that point and super grateful for God and all

He does to help us!

Beyond that, we have transfers this week! This time it was only 5

weeks, not 6, which is why it seems early. We'll see what happens! I

really hope I get to stay in this area, but I'll go where the Lord

calls us! I hope everyone is doing well and having fun and working

hard! Love you all!

Sincerely,

Elder Ashford

"All progression is spiritual things is dependent upon the attainment

of humility."

    -Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Recap and Fast Forward

This one should be good. HOLY COW THE TIME FLIES. We got to go to the

temple last week, and we had almost no time to do anything else. We

got lost on the way. Almost went to the city of Francisco Morato

instead of the Avenue. Soooo we missed the temple session, but managed

to find something else to do there. Still was super cool. This week

has been tough. No one feels like talking to us. Usually, tons of the

men are drunk at the bar and painting the streets for the World Cup

coming up here, and the few people who are actually in their house

during the day don't feel like listening. We're trying to find new

ways to let people feel comfortable with us entering their house and

hearing a quick message from us. It's hard! But we continue on! We

don't get let down!

It'll all pass with time. There are tons of things happening these

weeks. I'm also fairly certain that the devil is working extra hard in

this area right now, considering that WE HAVE AN APOSTLE COMING TO

VISIT US THIS WEDNESDAY!!! That's right. Elder Russell M. Nelson, a

living apostle of Jesus Christ, is coming to São Paulo to speak with

us help the leaders here, and will also use the time to speak with the

missionaries in the São Paulo North, West, and East missions. Super

cool! We are super pumped to hear from him and get some advice and

encouragement. Woo hoo!

Don't think everything here is bad though. We did have two baptisms

here last Saturday after all. Their names are Ryan and Roger! They are

the part of what was a less active family here. It's a super cool

story. A different area had records of our area from seven years ago,

and brought them too us. We found three baptism records of a family

and went there. That night, one of the older brothers returned

immediately and has been super strong. He's preparing to serve a

mission even! He's 19 and his name is Renan. We helped his mom and the

rest of his family start to come back, and also helped his little

brothers get baptized, so now the whole family is complete!! It's just

too cool! We love that family so much.

Anyways, I'm doing well. Tired, but working hard! I hope everyone is

doing well and working hard as well! Love you all! Until next week!

Elder Ashford

"Worrying does not empty of its troubles... It empties today of its strength."

     -Anonymous

The Miracles are Strong With This One

FINALLY. I managed to get a Star Wars quote as a title. All is well.

Anyways, we had a super awesome week, and have seriously seen the

miracles God has set before us. We doubled the number of lessons we

had, and met a lot of new people with potential to progress. We only

had 4 non-members at church, but we're gonna work to get a lot more on

this upcoming Mother's Day! Speaking of which, I'm SUPER excited to

get to make a Skype call to my family! We only get to call our

families two times a year, Christmas and Mother's Day, and this next

week will be my second Skype call home!

We have seriously been working hard though. We work our butts off to

help as many people as possible, it just doesn't always go the way we

want. Like Sunday, when we did absolutely everything possible to try

to talk with people and share our message, and everyone rejected us.

We managed to stay in good humor though. We saw a sign on someone's

gate that said "Jesus is welcome here." My companion was laughing,

thinking it would be funny if we made a contact using the sign. So, to

his surprise, I did. I knocked and the man finally came out. I said

something along the lines of, "Hello, we saw your sign here saying

that Jesus is welcome in your house, and we're representatives of

Christ here to share His message with you." He still rejected though.

I insisted again, saying that his sign said that Jesus was welcome

there, but he didn't buy into it. Oh well. It was funny. We kept

trying with other people to no avail. FInally, we stopped and said a

prayer, begging for a miracle with the 45 minutes we had left, with no

more plans for that day, and already feeling super tired. We asked for

help, and set out again, trying to talk with people on the streets.

After some searching, we passed by a house that we had tried before

but the person didn't have time. So we tried again! Low and behold,

the lady came back out, and this time we got to teach her an awesome

lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can be saved. She

was super interested, and wants to bring her kids with her to church

this Sunday. Woo hoo!!

These are just some of the miracles that happen every day of our

lives. One of the biggest, is the Book of Mormon, which I have the

pleasure to study and share every day. It's such a cool story, with so

many great examples of people who truly followed Jesus Christ. It

brings so much peace in a troubled world. I feel a need to read every

day, even if just a little, because I know life is so much more

difficult without the scriptures in my life. I love seeing the Book of

Mormon change the lives of other people. They sleep better, some are

healed from physical sickness like diabetes, others feel the spiritual

healing power and the power of forgiveness. Having a book to prove

that Christ restored His church to the Earth in these latter days is

something amazing. God speaks to and loves all His children, and I

know that the Book of Mormon is proof of that. Read this book! It's a

must read!!

I wish all a good week! Love you all and praying for everyone! Keep

safe and have fun!!

Elder Ashford

"The Book of Mormon was written for us today. God is the author of the

book. It is a record of a fallen people, compiled by inspired men for

our blessing today. Those people never had the book. It was meant for

us."  ---President Ezra Taft Benson