Salutations!
This has been a weird week.
So MaAngeles is still having problems smoking, so we came up with a genius idea. We decided to fast for her. We went to her house on Tuesday and told her that she was going to stop smoking and we were going to stop eating (for one day.) And everytime she wanted to smoke she had to think about us and about Heavenly Father and how we were there helping her. What a miracle it turned out to be. She has not smoked one cigarette since. I am really in awe.
Wednesday night we took a train to Sevilla and stayed the night in the piso of the Hermanas there and Thursday morning we traveled to Málaga for a conference. Elder Kearon, a seventy, came to visit. It was super powerful. And it was super cool to see everyone. Now as a mission we are attacking our days. We have to jump out of bed in the morning, pour our soul out to God, excersize like fanatics, shower with cold water, eat a healthy breakfast, pour our soul out to God again, and then study with purpose. Basicially start out with lots and lots of energy. I actually think it helps a lot. I'm into this thing. And since we are just a bunch of 20 year olds, it's cool to have a new phrase to shout at eachother. ATTACK THE DAY!
Now I am back in Cádiz.
Luis recieved the priesthood yesterday. He was really excited. The Elders Quorum President bought him a a whole set of new scriptures and the manuals for all of the classes. What a ward.
We are ready to start a new week with energy. The goal of the mission is to have 250 investigators in Sacrament Meeting this next week. I have no idea how many normally come but we are totally going to meet this goal and it'll be exciting.
And that's it.
Have a good week everyone!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
Monday, November 24, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Bautismo
Hey!
It really happened! Se bautizó!
I literally have five minutes. I am the worst time manager in the world. but I will relate what I can.
We had a noche de hogar with Luis, his brother, and his sister-in-law on Tuesday in the house of a member. They were all super happy. We did a fun little object lesson about having a firm foundation. Mangeñes comitted to stop smoking once and for all. And Miguel comitted to staying active for the rest of his life. Without us saying anything to them. Mostly we were just focused on Luis. On Wednesday we went the house of a different member and watched the long movie of The Restoration with Luis. He liked it. Thursday... I don't remember. Oh! We went to his house with a different member (everyone wants to be involved when you have a baptism) and talked about priesthood. He wants to have it. Friday he had his interview. Our District Leader was surprised at how prepared he was. It's mostly bacause after every lesson he has with us he goes home and studies the topic thouroughly on the church website and then prays about it. He almost knows more than us now. Saturday was the baptism! It was incredible. The spirit was so strong. Afterwards, he asked if he could tak to us and he thanked us for saving him. I almost cried. It is all worth it.
We also had more than 10 investigators at the baptism. There were more non-members there than members. I really don't know what happened. Cádiz is on fire.
There was a family in Sacrament meeting that nobody recognized. Luis got up and hugged the father and it was super weird because it seemed like they were members, but they had never been to this ward before and we didn't have time to ask Luis who he was.Then when it was time for his confirmation the man got up and stood in the circle to confirm him. Afterwards we found out that the man was Luis's bestfriend from school but they hadn't seen each other for 20 years or so. He lives in Chiclana, about an hour away. He and his family "just happened" to decide to visit Cádiz this week. WHAT.
We had a cita Saturday night with a new investigator and after church Luis asked us how it went and we told him we talked about The Book of Mormon but we aren't sure thas this guy is really interested. Luis got really serious and he asked us if we rememebered to tell him to pray about it. we told him "of course" and then he told us that this man was going to do it and in a couple of weeks he was going to be baptised. Like that's what always happens. duh.
Well okay so now I have to go. For Reals.
I love you and I miss you! Thanks for all the prayers.
Hermana Hannah Ashby
It really happened! Se bautizó!
I literally have five minutes. I am the worst time manager in the world. but I will relate what I can.
We had a noche de hogar with Luis, his brother, and his sister-in-law on Tuesday in the house of a member. They were all super happy. We did a fun little object lesson about having a firm foundation. Mangeñes comitted to stop smoking once and for all. And Miguel comitted to staying active for the rest of his life. Without us saying anything to them. Mostly we were just focused on Luis. On Wednesday we went the house of a different member and watched the long movie of The Restoration with Luis. He liked it. Thursday... I don't remember. Oh! We went to his house with a different member (everyone wants to be involved when you have a baptism) and talked about priesthood. He wants to have it. Friday he had his interview. Our District Leader was surprised at how prepared he was. It's mostly bacause after every lesson he has with us he goes home and studies the topic thouroughly on the church website and then prays about it. He almost knows more than us now. Saturday was the baptism! It was incredible. The spirit was so strong. Afterwards, he asked if he could tak to us and he thanked us for saving him. I almost cried. It is all worth it.
We also had more than 10 investigators at the baptism. There were more non-members there than members. I really don't know what happened. Cádiz is on fire.
We had a cita Saturday night with a new investigator and after church Luis asked us how it went and we told him we talked about The Book of Mormon but we aren't sure thas this guy is really interested. Luis got really serious and he asked us if we rememebered to tell him to pray about it. we told him "of course" and then he told us that this man was going to do it and in a couple of weeks he was going to be baptised. Like that's what always happens. duh.
Well okay so now I have to go. For Reals.
I love you and I miss you! Thanks for all the prayers.
Hermana Hannah Ashby
Monday, November 10, 2014
Que yo no...
Hola!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to have a baptism!!!!! It's like really going to happen!!!!! If it doesn't, it's because a bus ran into Luis, so we are all going to pray that that doesn't happen, okay?
We met with him three times again this week and he is ready to go. We reviewed the baptism interview questions with him and he was almost offended at how "easy" the interview is.
Us:"Are you willing to live the law of tithing for the rest of your life?"
Him: "I'm getting baptized... so, like, duh."
Everytime we have an appointment with him I'm nervous that he's going to back out. But he's still going strong. He cancelled on us on Saturday, and I was momentarily devastated but then he told us it was because a member invited him to go to a Family Home Evening activity for Single Adults (mayores). Way to go members of Cadiz. I am proud of them all!
In Sacrament meeting yesterday, they asked him to stand up and they announced his baptism (THIS SATURDAY AT 7) and he waved at everyone and I felt like a proud parent. But then he leaned over to us and whispered that the whole world was going to show up except for him--and we just stared at him. Then he laughed. And we just stared at him. I think my companion made a nervous giggling sound.
I hope he was joking.
Actually, yesterday was a miracle itself. We had four investigators in church and five less active members. Cádiz is blooming.
I am just excited to be a missionary!
And now I have to go! Ill send you pictures next week!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to have a baptism!!!!! It's like really going to happen!!!!! If it doesn't, it's because a bus ran into Luis, so we are all going to pray that that doesn't happen, okay?
We met with him three times again this week and he is ready to go. We reviewed the baptism interview questions with him and he was almost offended at how "easy" the interview is.
Us:"Are you willing to live the law of tithing for the rest of your life?"
Him: "I'm getting baptized... so, like, duh."
Everytime we have an appointment with him I'm nervous that he's going to back out. But he's still going strong. He cancelled on us on Saturday, and I was momentarily devastated but then he told us it was because a member invited him to go to a Family Home Evening activity for Single Adults (mayores). Way to go members of Cadiz. I am proud of them all!
In Sacrament meeting yesterday, they asked him to stand up and they announced his baptism (THIS SATURDAY AT 7) and he waved at everyone and I felt like a proud parent. But then he leaned over to us and whispered that the whole world was going to show up except for him--and we just stared at him. Then he laughed. And we just stared at him. I think my companion made a nervous giggling sound.
I hope he was joking.
Actually, yesterday was a miracle itself. We had four investigators in church and five less active members. Cádiz is blooming.
I am just excited to be a missionary!
And now I have to go! Ill send you pictures next week!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
Monday, November 3, 2014
Brujula
Querida familia y Amigos,
I'm sorry I haven't written a ton of details, but I will try to feel you in now.
Cádiz is a city of miracles.
Okay, rewind.
Like my first week here Hna Volpe brought me to a cita with a menos activa. Name: Mari Angeles. Hermanas have been visiting her house once a week for like 15 years now and she hasn't been to church once within those fifteen years.
She was too busy to talk to us, so I asked if maybe we could come back the next week and watch a movie with her. Her husband's whole family was there and so I invited everybody but they kind of laughed at me and made some jokes about watching another movie about Joseph Smith And I was like "awkward, it was going to be a movie about Joseph Smith." So then I told them all that we could watch a different movie, and to just show up. Then we went home and panicked because the only other cool church movies we have in Spanish are either really girly or about Jospeh Smith. So we returned the next week with the plan to watch Saints and Soldiers. Neither of us had acuçtually ever watched it before. We got there and little surprise only her and her husband, Manolo, were there.
Basically it was a disaster. we didn't even have time to finish the whole movie. And as we left I told her that we were going to have an activity on Saturday in the capilla. She said, "no" right off the bat. But then Hna Volpe told her that it was my birthday, so then she asked me if I was really just inviting her to my birthday party and I was like... "yes?" and she told she would come!
And she came! It was a miracle! She had never even been in that chapel because it was built about twelve years ago.
And then she showed up the next day to church!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did a little dance in the hallway after church when she left.
And she has not missed a week since.
We have no idea what changed, or why she has suddenly reactivated herself. But Heavenly Father has let us watch the gospel change her life for the second time. She has to quit smoking and she will officially be açcounted as "rescued" and will be ready for a calling. She told me she didn't smoke even one cigarette yesterday, so it's going to happen. And about three weeks ago we saw her non-member brother-in-law (Luis) walking down the street and invited him to come to church and he came just like that. The next week he brought his inactive brother with him. We started meeting with him last week and he is GOLDEN.
Tuesday, he asked us what he had to do to be Mormon and we taught him about baptism, then invited him to be baptized on the 15th and he accepted! Then we met with him again on Thursday (we teach him on a bench outside of McDonald's because he is a single man and lives alone) and gave him a calender with the baptism date and a list of what we were going to teach him before and he kind of flipped and told us he wasn't ready, and so we asked if we could meet him again on Saturday in the chapel so that we could show him the baptismal faunt and talk more about what it means to be baptised.
Saturday we had a member from Chiclana come with us (she just got her mission call to Argentina, woohoo!) and we had a really spritual lesson in front of the baptsimal fount about the Atonement and how we can use the Atonement by being baptized and through repentance and that is the only way to be free from sin. Afterwards, the member asked him how he felt about meeting with us and he told her the story about how we invited him to be baptized, but he had a lot of doubts. And then he told her that it seemed like now all of his doubts had disappeared.
He came to church yesterday and was inviting people to his baptism.
I am just so happy.
And now I literally have no time.
I love you all,
Hermana Ashby
I'm sorry I haven't written a ton of details, but I will try to feel you in now.
Cádiz is a city of miracles.
Okay, rewind.
Like my first week here Hna Volpe brought me to a cita with a menos activa. Name: Mari Angeles. Hermanas have been visiting her house once a week for like 15 years now and she hasn't been to church once within those fifteen years.
She was too busy to talk to us, so I asked if maybe we could come back the next week and watch a movie with her. Her husband's whole family was there and so I invited everybody but they kind of laughed at me and made some jokes about watching another movie about Joseph Smith And I was like "awkward, it was going to be a movie about Joseph Smith." So then I told them all that we could watch a different movie, and to just show up. Then we went home and panicked because the only other cool church movies we have in Spanish are either really girly or about Jospeh Smith. So we returned the next week with the plan to watch Saints and Soldiers. Neither of us had acuçtually ever watched it before. We got there and little surprise only her and her husband, Manolo, were there.
Basically it was a disaster. we didn't even have time to finish the whole movie. And as we left I told her that we were going to have an activity on Saturday in the capilla. She said, "no" right off the bat. But then Hna Volpe told her that it was my birthday, so then she asked me if I was really just inviting her to my birthday party and I was like... "yes?" and she told she would come!
And she came! It was a miracle! She had never even been in that chapel because it was built about twelve years ago.
And then she showed up the next day to church!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did a little dance in the hallway after church when she left.
And she has not missed a week since.
We have no idea what changed, or why she has suddenly reactivated herself. But Heavenly Father has let us watch the gospel change her life for the second time. She has to quit smoking and she will officially be açcounted as "rescued" and will be ready for a calling. She told me she didn't smoke even one cigarette yesterday, so it's going to happen. And about three weeks ago we saw her non-member brother-in-law (Luis) walking down the street and invited him to come to church and he came just like that. The next week he brought his inactive brother with him. We started meeting with him last week and he is GOLDEN.
Tuesday, he asked us what he had to do to be Mormon and we taught him about baptism, then invited him to be baptized on the 15th and he accepted! Then we met with him again on Thursday (we teach him on a bench outside of McDonald's because he is a single man and lives alone) and gave him a calender with the baptism date and a list of what we were going to teach him before and he kind of flipped and told us he wasn't ready, and so we asked if we could meet him again on Saturday in the chapel so that we could show him the baptismal faunt and talk more about what it means to be baptised.
Saturday we had a member from Chiclana come with us (she just got her mission call to Argentina, woohoo!) and we had a really spritual lesson in front of the baptsimal fount about the Atonement and how we can use the Atonement by being baptized and through repentance and that is the only way to be free from sin. Afterwards, the member asked him how he felt about meeting with us and he told her the story about how we invited him to be baptized, but he had a lot of doubts. And then he told her that it seemed like now all of his doubts had disappeared.
He came to church yesterday and was inviting people to his baptism.
I am just so happy.
And now I literally have no time.
I love you all,
Hermana Ashby
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
897
Hey
So... Week of finding! It was miraculous! We worked hard and prayed hard and we found at least one new investigator every day. With a total of 10! We made our goal! It's cool because we normally only find about two every week. The mission found 897! That is more than our goal! Normally we only find about 200 as a mission in a week. So like big jumps here. It really was really cool.
This week starts a new transfer. We are staying the same. And we are starting the transfer strong. With a ton of investigators, and menos activos that are on the edge of being counted as active. All in all we are pretty excited.
Oooo! I learned how to roll my R´s this week! I know that I have been here for over 9 months now and I should have learned to at least make the same sounds of the language of the people here, but I didn't learn very fast. I had actually given up on that one. But it was not impossible! I can now say arriba.
So yeah. Got to go!
I love you all! Have a good week!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
So... Week of finding! It was miraculous! We worked hard and prayed hard and we found at least one new investigator every day. With a total of 10! We made our goal! It's cool because we normally only find about two every week. The mission found 897! That is more than our goal! Normally we only find about 200 as a mission in a week. So like big jumps here. It really was really cool.
This week starts a new transfer. We are staying the same. And we are starting the transfer strong. With a ton of investigators, and menos activos that are on the edge of being counted as active. All in all we are pretty excited.
Oooo! I learned how to roll my R´s this week! I know that I have been here for over 9 months now and I should have learned to at least make the same sounds of the language of the people here, but I didn't learn very fast. I had actually given up on that one. But it was not impossible! I can now say arriba.
So yeah. Got to go!
I love you all! Have a good week!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
Monday, October 20, 2014
So Close!
Hey folks!
So like I forgot about the whole everything closes in Spain at 2 oclock rule, so I am going to have to make this quick.
Tuesday, Hermana Brown came to stay with us for the night because her companion had to go to the mission home for a night. Hna Brown is the one from Benton City. It was a blast. Hey, geuss what! We found an American store! It is super sweet. They sell Reese´s and Rootbeer and Bisquick and Syrup. And like a bunch of other stuff. I have begun to teach my companion America. And she teaches me Italy. Sometimes I even speak to her in English and she relplies in Italian and we just have whole conversations like that to the point that we forget that other people can't understand us. It's pretty weird.
Yesterday the chapel was full! It was super super exciting! So many people came! We had a ton of menos activos and investigators there. The Elders did too. It is way more than I have seen in my mission.
Then after church we had ward council. This is the first ward council that Cadiz has had in a while and it sort of showed. It lasted almost 3 hours. An entire hour was spent with a conversation about what kind of drink was healthier and less expensive to bring to ward activities. Not a joke. Part of the problem actually is that the missionaries always bring cookies to the ward activities and that is just way too much sugar. Although I am pretty sure that the final decision was go coke or go home. I hope that you can imagine my headache.
So like less than 5 mintues!
This week is finding week! We have a goal as a mission to find 888 (o mas) new investigators this week! That is a LOT. Like more than ever. Hermana Volpe and I are going to find at least 10 for sure. The most that we have found together in one week is three, so we are expecting miracles. I am seriuosly pumped. This is going to be an awesome week.
Okay, thanks for everything. I love you all!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
So like I forgot about the whole everything closes in Spain at 2 oclock rule, so I am going to have to make this quick.
Tuesday, Hermana Brown came to stay with us for the night because her companion had to go to the mission home for a night. Hna Brown is the one from Benton City. It was a blast. Hey, geuss what! We found an American store! It is super sweet. They sell Reese´s and Rootbeer and Bisquick and Syrup. And like a bunch of other stuff. I have begun to teach my companion America. And she teaches me Italy. Sometimes I even speak to her in English and she relplies in Italian and we just have whole conversations like that to the point that we forget that other people can't understand us. It's pretty weird.
Yesterday the chapel was full! It was super super exciting! So many people came! We had a ton of menos activos and investigators there. The Elders did too. It is way more than I have seen in my mission.
Then after church we had ward council. This is the first ward council that Cadiz has had in a while and it sort of showed. It lasted almost 3 hours. An entire hour was spent with a conversation about what kind of drink was healthier and less expensive to bring to ward activities. Not a joke. Part of the problem actually is that the missionaries always bring cookies to the ward activities and that is just way too much sugar. Although I am pretty sure that the final decision was go coke or go home. I hope that you can imagine my headache.
So like less than 5 mintues!
This week is finding week! We have a goal as a mission to find 888 (o mas) new investigators this week! That is a LOT. Like more than ever. Hermana Volpe and I are going to find at least 10 for sure. The most that we have found together in one week is three, so we are expecting miracles. I am seriuosly pumped. This is going to be an awesome week.
Okay, thanks for everything. I love you all!
Hermana Hannah Ashby
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Mama Mia!
This was probably one of the most dramatic weeks of my life.
Monday, we went to Jerez to play futbol. Woot. Hey geuss what! There is an Elder in Jerez that went to Richland High his freshman year and there's an Hermana that's in San Fernando that is from Benton. Cool, right? The things you learn when you wear your bomber shirt to pday.
Tuesday morning, the Relief Society president called us to tell us that the mother of one of our inactive members died and she asked us to visit her. Well, we went right away and I was really surprised to see a ward support system. The Bishop and her visiting teacherss were already there. Three cheers for a functioning ward.
Wednesday, I hit 9 months. Super weird.
Friday, we had Zone Conference. Then we did intercambios. I went to Jerez again. This intercambio was actually pretty fun because we woke up on Saturday and went and played futbol all morning with members and investigators. Yay for not having to work in somebody else's area.
Yesterday. Welp last night we went to go visit this member who's mother died. She invited us in and we went and sat down and her nine year old son ran in and sat down next to us and we were talking to them both when we could here yelling in the next room. So the member ran to the next room and the yelling escalated. We sat there trying (and failing) to distract the nine year old. then they all migrated into the kitchen and I didn't really see it all because I was focused on the kid, but the sister of the mom took a knife, and then the mom yelled at us to take her son and run. Hna Volpe says she saw the brother in law trying to strangle somebody. So we did as told and we could here screaming almost until we got to our apartment building. Then we sat down and tried to call the Bishop but he didn't answer. And then we called President because, like, we were stranded with a kid and in a pretty dramatic situation. Then the cousins of this kid came to the park next to where we were at, and a huge group of teenagers gathered around them and they started fighting each other and so then we ran again. It all kind of felt like a big nightmare. President called the Elders and ordered them to jump in a taxi ASAP and come to our rescue. So we went back to our buliding and the mom was sitting there waiting for us, crying. Then the Elders showed up, and they all came up to our apartment (totally not allowed but like the rules were already out the window at this point) and the Elders gave both the kid and the mom blessings. The boy was going through our stuff and he found my robot fish and I gave it to him. Sorry Mom, that was a birthday present from you. Then they all left and we were at peace again.
So I called President to tell him everything was fine and he didn't have to worry. He told us we aren't allowed to go back to their house at least for the next several weeks, which I am not all that uspet about.
He also told me that he was just in La Mancha and the second son of the Montes family has started preparing for a mission. He is a little on the older side to be preparing for a mission, so President asked him what made him want to go all of the sudden and he said it was because of the two hermanas. I just started crying. I still feel very emotionally about Peurtollano.
And yeah, that was my week. Good times.
Talk to ya lata
Hermana Hannah Ashby
Monday, we went to Jerez to play futbol. Woot. Hey geuss what! There is an Elder in Jerez that went to Richland High his freshman year and there's an Hermana that's in San Fernando that is from Benton. Cool, right? The things you learn when you wear your bomber shirt to pday.
Tuesday morning, the Relief Society president called us to tell us that the mother of one of our inactive members died and she asked us to visit her. Well, we went right away and I was really surprised to see a ward support system. The Bishop and her visiting teacherss were already there. Three cheers for a functioning ward.
Wednesday, I hit 9 months. Super weird.
Friday, we had Zone Conference. Then we did intercambios. I went to Jerez again. This intercambio was actually pretty fun because we woke up on Saturday and went and played futbol all morning with members and investigators. Yay for not having to work in somebody else's area.
Yesterday. Welp last night we went to go visit this member who's mother died. She invited us in and we went and sat down and her nine year old son ran in and sat down next to us and we were talking to them both when we could here yelling in the next room. So the member ran to the next room and the yelling escalated. We sat there trying (and failing) to distract the nine year old. then they all migrated into the kitchen and I didn't really see it all because I was focused on the kid, but the sister of the mom took a knife, and then the mom yelled at us to take her son and run. Hna Volpe says she saw the brother in law trying to strangle somebody. So we did as told and we could here screaming almost until we got to our apartment building. Then we sat down and tried to call the Bishop but he didn't answer. And then we called President because, like, we were stranded with a kid and in a pretty dramatic situation. Then the cousins of this kid came to the park next to where we were at, and a huge group of teenagers gathered around them and they started fighting each other and so then we ran again. It all kind of felt like a big nightmare. President called the Elders and ordered them to jump in a taxi ASAP and come to our rescue. So we went back to our buliding and the mom was sitting there waiting for us, crying. Then the Elders showed up, and they all came up to our apartment (totally not allowed but like the rules were already out the window at this point) and the Elders gave both the kid and the mom blessings. The boy was going through our stuff and he found my robot fish and I gave it to him. Sorry Mom, that was a birthday present from you. Then they all left and we were at peace again.
So I called President to tell him everything was fine and he didn't have to worry. He told us we aren't allowed to go back to their house at least for the next several weeks, which I am not all that uspet about.
He also told me that he was just in La Mancha and the second son of the Montes family has started preparing for a mission. He is a little on the older side to be preparing for a mission, so President asked him what made him want to go all of the sudden and he said it was because of the two hermanas. I just started crying. I still feel very emotionally about Peurtollano.
And yeah, that was my week. Good times.
Talk to ya lata
Hermana Hannah Ashby
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