Chou Trevelin

So we got the call for the transfers saturday night just before bed, and I'm leaving to go open up a new area. It's called Plaza Huincol. My new compañera is Hermana Garcia I think... Can't remember. Anyways, I leave wednesday at 4pm from esquel. I get to Bariloche at 9pm and then leave from bariloche at 11pm and get to Neuquen at 4:45am Thursday. Then at 11 o'clock that night I leave neuquen for Cutralcol and get there just before 1am and then take a taxi from there to my new area. Definitely a LOT of traveling. I'm just hoping I can sleep more then I've been able to the other times in the colectivos. 

They called my up to bare my testimony yesterday in church for the last time, and I didn't think I was going to, but i definitely cried. It's been so hard to say good-bye to the people here. When they learned I was leaving they all were so sweet and have written me so many notes and farewell gifts. It killed me to see little 8 year old Micaela cry so hard during church when she found out I was leaving. We've been teacher her and her parents and have been helping to get them married so they can get baptised, but it's gonna be at the end of September that they are able to do that all because of papers, so I won't be here. As well as the baptism of 3 other investigators that we've been teaching that i'm gonna miss. I'm so happy for them though. I taught the gosple principles class this sunday. It's the class for the recent converts and investigators. My first sunday here we had one person in the class. Yesterday there were 9! and that's been our average for the last few weeks now. It's incredible the growth! Our chaple is nearly full now on sundays! It makes me so happy to see how the gosple can change peoples lives for the better!

Love you all lots! sorry i don't have more time... siesta... things close down early. 

Hermana Ashcroft

La Torre oe Babel

Lauren and Hermana Obando

It snowed this week in Trevelin.

Sorry...but thank you!!

Sorry, I don't really have time to write this week... yesterday was a day 'franco' por casi todo de argentina. Entonces everything was closed and we couldnt go to a cyber to write. And the cyber is only open for a few more minutes now cause of siesta.... aregentina is always sleeping... if I wasn't a missionary, id probably love it haha.

The people here have the ability to make the oldest run down cars in the world still run and work. Sometimes I can't help but smile so big when I am in the car of some of the members. It made me think though... if these cars are still running, you guys can make sure stella continues running! haha so please do that for me. 

I really am loving everythinig so much!! There definitely are hard days and times, but I am just so happy to actually be here and to be sharing the gosple with these people! Although, I often feel that I am learning more from them than them from me. Spanish is still hard... haha but it comes when needed. 

Trnasfers are at the end of this week and we found out that they are sending 2 elders to trevelin!! WOOOHH!! the work is growing incredibly here! we are so exited for the extra support! WE're also super anxious to see what's going to happen with us. One of us is going to leave (we believe atleast) but we dont't know who... The next monday though you guys will know if i'm still in trevelin or a new area... Dun dun dun.... hope you guys could hear the intensity of my voice with that. haha 

love you all so much!! haha and thanks mom and hailey for the pictures! I LOVE them! I hope I look half as good as you mom! 

I know this church is true! No doubt. The book of mormon really is so great, it's like an intense storry!! haha there's my nerdy missionary side for you. read and pray. It always helps!

Love,

Hermana Ashcroft

PS- ill try to send photos the next time! or soon at ellest... haha

Dia del nino fiesta!

Service Project

Miracles

August 12, 2013

Hola family! 

Again I don't have much time, cause we have to get back to Trevelin for a cita. But en serio (one of my favorite things to say haha) thank you so much for always writing! I absolutely love hearing from you all and your stories! 

So this week has been a week of noticing miracles. In every aspect of the work. This last Sunday we had 47 people at our chaple!!!! 47!!!! There almost weren't enough seats for everyone! It was incredible! Sure about 7 people were only there cause a baby was being blessed, and may not return (although I'm not ruling the possibility of  it out), but even so, 40 people is huge for us!! And we have 5 people with baptism dates right now and are working to help 2 different families get married so that they can be baptised. It is incredible to see how the lord works miracles to build up his church. There is no way that I could say that this progress has been because hermana obando and I are 'capas', but I know that it is only through and by the help of the lord. 

Also, as hard as it is to learn a language, I LOVE to see the moments when they lord uses the spirit to guide me. There not all that often, but the few moments when for whatever reason the lord sees neccessary, it's as though spanish is easy for me. All the correct words just come out of my mouth and I'm able to explain with perfect clarity what needs to be told to that person at that time.... And then I go back to not being able to string 5 correct words together hahah. But really, the 88 percent of the time that I can't speak is all worth it to see the 12 percent of the time when the spirit is so strong and is guiding my every word. Maybe it's a sign that I need to gain more faith so that I can have that strong of a spirit with me always, and then i'll be fluent haha. I wish I could explain more clearly how incredible it is though. 

Natalie- you almost had me convinced that soren't first words really were about me haha. For tricking me now you ahve to repeat my name to him every day untill it really is his first words! also- LOVE the picture!

Hope you guys enjoyed Thialand, it sounds awesome!! 

Love you all more than I have words for! 

Hasta la proxima semana! 

Hermana Ashcroft

Guided Footsteps

August 5, 2013

Hola!

So first of all...

I'm going to the hospital tomorrow, they're cutting off two of my

toes. Both my boots have holes in the toes now and we had a lot of

rain and snow this week and I got frost bite in my feet from being so

wet. The good news is they were able to save my big toes, so i

shouldn't have too much dificulty walking.... Only joking. But really,

I may need to buy some new boots sooner than expected. We'll see how

the weather is though... Everything here is super expensive.

Especially since we're in such a small town. Well everything but bread

and natural gas... which makes sense seeing as they eat like a loaf a

person a day and keep their heaters and ovens on full blast always.

Anyways, it's possible that I'll be buying shoes, and I don't know how

much their going to cost, so just make sure that I have some money on

my card would be great haha thanks.

We did however go to the hospital the other day to visit a member, and

the hospitals are definitely... different. Lets just say it made me

think of some camps we went to on our family vacations a few years

ago. You know... the camps.

Funny thing... People use mayonnaise here for so many things. it's the

most common condiment and they eat it with everything. I always get

told 'serve yourself some mayonnaise!'. And it's sold in every single

kiosk I realized haha.

The work is growing incredibly here! Neat experience- they other day

we had an hour with nothing to do cause all our citas fell through. So

I said 'how bout we try to encounter that contaact we had on the

street again' (we'd already tried a million times and they never

answered the door). But I'd had a feeling about this person when we

met her... anyways, my compañera wasnt real big on the idea, so we

just started walking around instead hoping to find people on the

streets that werent sleeping for siesta. And about 20 minutes later

she asks where we are and I had no idea, so we walk just a bit more,

just to find ourselves right infront of the house of this contact

again. And at that very moment the door opened and her husband was

saying goodbye to somebody leaving their house. Perfect opportunity!

So he invited us in and we talked with him and his wife for a long

time and found out that he was actually baptised years ago in another

city, and we didn't have his records. And now we've started teaching

them and their adorable 8 year old girl and we invited the wife and

the girl to be baptised, so if all goes well we'll have 2 more

baptisms at the end of this month! In a city that hasn't had baptisms

in almost 2 years, since I dot here with my companion we've not had 2

and have 2 more planned with a potential 8 more after that. The lord

truly works miracles and guids our steps.

love you all lots!

Hermana Ashcroft

The Plan of Salvation

July 29,2013

Hola Familia,

So honestly- this was a tough week. More just that it had lots of unexpeted things happen. We spend a lot of time planning for our days and weeks, but you've also got to somehow plan for the unexpected haha. We had Zone Conference this week and the Missionaries from El Bolson traveled here for the conference. So the Hermana's stayed with us, but it was a long night, cause we had to wait up till 12:30 until they finally got to our place. I know, who knew that I would be saying 12:30 was late? But honestly I was so tired after about 11. And then we had to be up by 5:30 to get ready and be in Esquel by 8. But the conference was really good. 

Sorry, I don't really have much time this week... A member of our branch passed away yesterday. Funerals here are definitely a bit different that in the states. It was an open viewing all day yesterday till midnight at the chapel, and then today the chaple was opened back up at 9 for more viewing, and then the services were this afternoon. Hermana Obando and I sang for the service. But so most of our P-day has been spent helping out and going to this funeral. There were so many people that attended. And honestly I just wanted to share the gosple with every single one of them so that they would understand the plan of salvation that we have the privilidge of knowing. The Hermano that passed away was a great member, he was 95 years old and was baptised at 83. His daughters are some of our investigators right now.

Sorry this is gonna be short. We talked a lot about the pioneers this week. Their faith and perserverance is such an amazing example. Read Ether 12:4 and think about the answer to the question- why did the pioneers continued on through all their trials?

We're planning a good service activity to help clean a house of an abuela. My comp and I really can't understand her when she says her name, so we still just call her abuela. hahah, but we're working on teaching her and I'm excited to help her out.

Love you all so much!

Hermana Ashcroft