Tender Mercies

Hola to Everyone! (pretty sure 'hola' is the word I say the most in Spanish haha)

A lot happens in a week it's hard to know what to say. First of all, thank you to Dad, Elaura Gustafson, and Kelsey Haddox that wrote me. I'm super excited for your mission call Elaura!! You are going to make such a fantastic missionary!! And thanks for the sports update Dad, Elder Asbell (from the couple missionaries in our area) really enjoyed it as well haha. 

So the reoccurring topic for me this week has been small and tender mercies. I've started to look for the more and more, especially on the days that are particularly hard. And without fail, I promise you that you can find at least a dozen things in the most hardest days to be thankful for (and that's not even counting the obvious like your house and family and bed and clothes and such). There are so many tender mercies from the Lord always. For example, it was bitter cold one night and we'd been walking for so long and I was doing my best to keep a smile on my face, when we get to the house of a lady that we were going to practice a hymn with to sing at the church branch conference this week (which is a joke, cause if you know me you know that I can't sing at all haha). But we walk in the door and the little kids were watching Dumbo!! Yeah it was in spanish, but that was one of the last movies I watched before I left (and it was totally random that I had watched it at home). But it brought the biggest smile to my face and made me soo happy to see Dumbo in spanish hahah. 

Oh, just a reminder, you guys should look up the blog of President and Hermana Lovell. They update it with photos and such and we just had interviews with them, so there should be a few photos if you guys care to see. Also- I was wearing mom's missionary suit to the interviews and Hermana Lovell totally loved the story behind it, she ate it right up. She wanted to write all about it in the blog haha. So you can go see what she wrote if you care to. 

I definitely am appreciative of being able to be fed lunch by the members most days. Not only have a learned how to be an expert at sneaking hairs and other random things out of my mouth, but it really is so much more convenient that having to cook for ourselves.  It was kinda hard trying to figure out how to make chicken with no spices... your lemon trick work great though mom to get all the juice out. Although, I would suggest that you wash the lemon before you put it in your mouth. You probably do, but I learned the hard way and had a burning mouth for awhile from whatever toxins or something was on the outside of the lemon haha. 

I'm have a hard time occasionally getting my wardrobe to match the weather. It's just as weird here as in Utah. So it will be freezing one day and really warm the next. I made the mistake of wearing my coat the day after a freezing day, just for it to be really hot that day. 

We have another baptism date though and I'm so excited for this one!! Her name is Antonella and she is the sweetest 11 year old ever! And her baptism day it for July 27th, so talk about the best birthday gift for me!!

I just have to make it to that day though... the other night I found the biggest nastiest bug under by pillow. I don't know my bugs, but I'm pretty sure it was some earwig type if thing. It's butt looked like little scissors (is that really how you spell that?). Anyways, I probably have bug eggs planted in my brain now and may not live much longer. At least it motivating for me to work harder. 

Let me know if you guys have any good ideas for simple but fun youth activities. I'm suppose to be the young women's teacher, but it's probably a good thing that no young women have come to church yet, cause they would probably not learn anything from my spanish... although I did give my first talk in our branch last sunday. Don't ask me what I said, I'm not really sure. The people were nice enough to not laugh though. 

Thanks mom for all the notes. Honestly, just when I think I can't find anymore, there is another one hidden in my clothes... some of which I've already worn. 

One of the many scriptures I like this week is 1 Nefi 21:14-15. Remember that the Lord will never forget thee.   

I love you all so very much and am so grateful for everything! I miss you lots, but I try not to think about it too much cause then I miss you more. 

And last but definitely not least (the most important actually)- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL SISTER CHELSEA THIS WEEK!! I love you so incredibly much and the other day actually I was telling (or attempting to in spanish) my companion about the times I would try to sneak you onto the top bunck with me under my blanket in the room that Natalia and I shared hahha. Thank you for everything, I truly love you more than words can say.

I'm gonna be sending a letter home this next week that has more in it of the stuff that got deleted last week. And probably the stuff Iwasn't  able to get to this week. 

I still haven't gotten the photos yet, but thank you for sending them and I'm sure they will arrive within a month at least haha. 

Love you all more than to the moon and back!

Hermana Ashcroft

Also, I don't think I ever hear about how that bike ride was mom and thea...