Senillosa

Feb 10

First of all,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATALIE!!! Sorry I'm a bit late... I love you to the moon and back! Hope you had a great day!
 

Also, Welcome home addison! (Someone should tell him for me cause I'm sure he's not wasting time reading the blog) You look the same, but old, that's weird. Emmie and Peter look the same but old as well haha

 So we had a great week in Senillosa:) Our investigator 78 year old investigator Luis Guerra Got baptised! It really has been incredible to see how the Lord works miracles. He went from saying that he couldn't accept the gosple if it said that he shouldn't drink wine, to telling us straight up that he was never drinking wine again. It was super special to see someone of his age change so much in not only accepting the gosple, but seeing how the gosple changed him.

We met a new investigator this week as well named Ezequiel, he's 20 and it's like he already knows that this is what he's been looking for his whole life. He really has an incredible story he told us how much he's been looking for God in his life and all the churches he's gone to, only to end up leaving them because they never seemed to fall right with him. He came to church this week and wants to know everything now to prepare for baptism. Our other investigator recieved incredible answers to his prayers through the Book of Mormon and the Bible. It is so amazing to see all the miracles that are happening. In all of the mission there are dramatic changes and miracles.

So something funny- there's a tiny part of our area just outside of senillosa that's called ¨China Muerta¨ which litterally means dead chinese... Know how it got it's name?? A china man died there years and years ago... They're very creative here.

I'm attaching a pìcture of luis's baptism and a photo of my tiny district of senillosa.

 

 

oh and this is me cleaning the baptismal font the day of luis's baptism. Zoom in on my feet and see if you can see the great tan line i've got going on.

love you all sovery much!! Look for the miracles that are happening around you, cause there are so many every day.

Also something I read recently that I loved was ether 1. The whole chapter, but especially verse 47 (if i remember right). We should be willing to go wehre the lord wants us to go, cause it's there that we will recieve the blessings if we listen and obey. Also... it takes patcience and time and effort of our part, but we always recieve what we need from the lord and the answers always come.

LOVE YOU!

hermana ashcroft

 

Merry Christmas!!!

Feb 3

Merry Christmas everyone!!

So it was a lovely surprise to recieve about 5 christmas cards this week! Thank you Walters, Reynolds, Sirrine, and Tippets!!! I definitely have the best home ward:) Funny note about the letters though (apart from arriving a bit late).... I'm pretty sure from what they wrote me that the tippets sent me a few dollars.... If that was the case, they disappeared like the stamps dad sent me. Investigating the envelope you cant just barely note that someone opened it up and then re-sealed it shut haha. So, thank you so very much!! It was very thoughtful! However, a suggestion to all- probably don't send me money.... especially with the inflation that is going on. I get asked all the time if I have dollars. Thank you so much to the whole ward though that sent me so many christmas notes and thoughts! As for grandma's calender, I'm still really hoping that it arrives (I love the calenders!!!).... There are even more problems with the aduan now and there supposedly are lots of packages that are sitting in costums that the mission is still trying to recieve. Some are even from october.

So our investigator Luis is progressing a lot!! It's incredible how much more he understand now than from at the beginning! he shared with us some of the scriptures that he read from the book of mormon that her really liked and all of them were about baptism and he commited himself to being baptised this saturday!!! It was so incredible and truly a miracle, especially because of some of the dificulties that we were having with him. We just need to help him out with the word of wisdom now and if all goes well he'll be baptised this week! I'm super excited for him! He's the sweetest old man ever and he makes me think of grandpa lutnick cause he always gives us old hard candies when we go to visit him now:)

Things are going well here, this is the last week before transfers, however I think both my and my companion might be staying here in senillosa. I'll let you kow next week though.

love you all so very much!!

I'm praying lots for the family.

hermana ashcroft

PS- Congrats Jessica Fife for getting engaged!! FELICITACIONES!!

PSS- let me know who else gets married;)

Oldies...

Jan 27

Buen Día!

So I met a super awesome family this week! It's an older couple that are members here in Senillosa. The both were widows and three years ago they got married and the husband got converted and baptised in the church and then they got sealed in the temple. Oh, and they have over 80 years old... Really their story is so awesome!

Also, we ate lunch yesterday with an older couple in our ward yesterday and they drove us out to their house which is way out in the campos and i couldn't help but laugh the whole way there. This old couple was driving us in their old car and basically just off roading the whole way to their house hahaha. Really it was just too funny how crazy he was driving over mounds of dirt, sand, rocks, and everything else. Don't worry though we made it there safely and in good enough condition to be able to eat raw bacon... yup. We definitely ate really thick really raw bacon. And when I say raw I mean i'm pretty sure they might have just chopped their pig up in the morning and put the meat in the fridge and then they served it to us. So at least it was cold raw meat. And then to top it off we had a really great lesson after they crazy ride back into town with Luis who is our 79ish year old investigator and he served us fruit salad afterwards. With bananas, peaches, apples, oranges, and lots of fruit juice. Only one small detail was that I'm pretty sure he made it weeks ago.... My companion threw up later that day. It may have been fermented or something... it definitely was brown. We couldn't not eat it though.... haha. Pretty sure my stomach can take anything now.

Things are going really well though! Super weird that I passed my 9 month mark on friday. And as a gift to me we had a really good turn out to our dessert competition activity!! And then on sunday we had 50 people in the sacrament reunion!!!! Which is huge from the week before with about 23! We've got a super awesome part member family that we're teaching too and we've got 4 baptism dates now!

Really hope all is going well for you guys! love you all to the end of the earth and back (cause that's where I am).

Hermana Ashcroft

PS- I still haven't thrown up from our interesting food yesterday which is awesome. 

PSS- lots of people think i only have 16 years old.... haha.
PSSS- I think you all are awesome.
PSSSS- Still love you lots!

Suerte

Jan 20

Lots of suerte today cause we managed to find a cyber open for a bit more....

So this week we found quite a few new investigators knocking doors, we now have about 5 and they all share in common that they're single and over the age of 75 (with 2 with the age 80 or a bit more)....  I've always loved old people:) 2 of them are progressing quickly towards baptism and we're working with the others.

It really has been a miracle though to see how prepared some people are for the gosple.

So mom asked me what we're doing for service... the elders actually steal lots of our serivce... but we do lots of cleaning. We're actually trying to find more service to do in this area. We're going to be helping with re-doing a house in a bit which will be fun:)

So Im officially called ¨mi gringita¨ to a good seleccion of people... pretty sure the majority of argentina will never remember my apellido cause it's too hard haha. Although some know me for hermana Ash (i stole that idea from hailey).

So I just finished reading alma and I'm pretty sure that moroni is my favorite now. Also, I think the most epic movie ever would be one based on the book of mormon. Really every time that I teach about the book of mormon to someone i feel an even stronger assurance that it is true and I can feel and see the power that it has to change lives. It's really so simple... if you want the blessings that god has ready and waiting for you, read the book of mormon and pray. And then there's a few other things I can suggest that will help the inflow of blessings to increase if you want. But go ahead and start with that;)

Love you all so very much!!!

Hermana Ashcroft

PS- try not to have any more accidents while im gone... thanks:)

From the Princess of England

Jan 13

 So according to mom, I'm the princess of england now. I rather like the title, so I would prefer it if you all address me as such now.

Haha love the e-mail mom and the photos dad.

So senillosa is interesting. I know im a gringa and blonde, but I've never had quite so many people point it out to me and then say very casually in front of me to my companion that all gringas and blondies are dumb (assuming that I can't understand) along with some other choice phrases. It's a good thing I guess that I'm not easily offended, and it makes for some good laughs I guess!

We sprayed the life out of out pension so there haven't been any more signs of ants yet... so that's good. And it's possible that we might be getting a cell phone this week which is good news!! Poor elders had to take a taxi in the middle of the night a few times to make sure we were safe in our apartment cause the mesages didnt get sent from some members. So now we switch off running from eachothers pensions when we need to make a call to the offices or give our numbers to the district leader. It's pretty funny actually trying to coordinate everything. Never realized the necesity of a phone in these days untill now.

Hermana Garnica is a champ. I'm basically not even training her cause she came super prepared. So it's super nice:)

We're planning a dessert baking contest for the ward here which we're really hoping will have a good turn out. Ummm... don't know what you want to know??? haha sometimes i feel like I've already told you all the same things.

we're starting as a zone a 40 day fast. It comes from the talk 'effective missionary' (i think thats how it translates in english). Anyways, read matthew 4:2-11. Talk about how jesus fasted for 40 days before stating his ministry. So us as missionaries are trying a 40 day fast as well to start of the transfer in new areas and pray for miracles. It will preobably help me lose some of the kilos i've gained. Just kidding, dont worry, its not really a 40 day fast, just in the sense of leaving behind all our mistakes and wokring our best to do our best for 40 days, starting with a fast specifically for help with this, and then ending with a fast after the 40 days. it's a promise that by doing this, after the 40 days we will have become more effective missionaries and we'll see the success from our efforts. I really love this concept because i know its true. The power of fasting is immense. We shouldn't take for granted the first sunday of every month that we have for this opportunity. Fast for some specific, and you'll recive specif answers and blessings. I've seen innumerable examples of this in the mission. A 10 year old kid fasting for his father's heart to be softened so that he would sign the papers necessary for him to be baptised. A friend fasting for her best friend to be receptive to the missionaries. A mother fasting for her children's health. The mircales that have come from this are incredible. So.... think about what you need. And fast for it. I can promise that if you do it sincerely that you will see the lords hand in your life. It's incredible.

love you all so much!!

hermana ashcroft

P.S.- most importantly.....

FELIZ CUMPLE AÑOS MAMÁ!!!!! TE AMO MUCHISIMO!!! Pienso en tu ejemplo cada día y estoy tan agradecido a mi padre celestial por vos. Eres una mamá muy pero MUY capa y copada!!! Gracias por todo lo que hace!

Con Cariño, tu princesa de Inglaterra (viviendo en Argentina jaja)

Senillosa

Jan 6, 2014

 Happy new year!!!

 New Years was great here! Hope it was for you guys as well! The whole tiny town of Allen sounded like bombs were falling from all the crazy fireworks!!!

 
First off, thanks for the photos mom! I'm glad dad is still wearing the same shirts.... makes me feel good to know that not much has changed:) Also... we better make sausage when I get back! Also, It appears that our christmas tree didnt have a star this year.... don't worry though, cause I'll be coming home with the huge red sparkly star that a member gave to me that she made for christmas! (I nearly cried when she took it off her tree to give it to me....)

 Speaking of why she gave me this gigantic start...the transfers are in and I have left Allen. Kinda sad cause I didnt really get a chance to say goodbye to all the people cause I found out and then left super quick. I'm gonna miss Allen, but I'm now opening up a brand new area in Senillosa. My companion hermana Silva stayed in Allen and I'm training a new comapnion named hermana Garnica. She's from Salta Argentina which is awesome cause maybe I'll actually be able to learn argentine spanish instead of a mixture of columbian, mexican, puruvian, and nicaraguan (is that how you say that in english?)

 So we just got here friday night and it's been interesting in our house that we live in (it's actually a house...). However in the 2 and a half days it's flooded a couple times which was super funny. Not so funny is what happened afterwards... those that know me well, what is the bug/animal that I hate and that scares me more than anything else?? You all should be able to guess that. Anyways, yesterday we got an INVASION of red ants (honestly it was COVERING the floor with thick armies of ants!!!) So there randomly were these like 10 colonies of red ants when we got home last night and the only thing we could do was pour lots of water and try to drown and sweep them out. We have bites all over our legs and arms, cause then they started climbing the walls and we had to brush them off. I hate ants.... But I guess it was good to help me face my fear. Aside from the ants though, the amount of mosquitos in our pension is incredible as well... we've basically been eaten alive now hahah. So now we are just wondering what is going to happen when we get home tonight... it's definitely made for some good laughs and funny videos though.

 So senillosa seems nice, we were about 35 people in the church on sunday with us 2 hermanas and the 2 elders that are here now as well. It's a SUPER tiny town, it makes me think of Trevelin, but completely dry and more desert-like. There's no grocery store and there's one tiny cyber, but it's never open, and mail will take a bit longer to get to me cause there's no bus station here so we don't get the mission bag as often. We're about a 30 minute bus ride from the town Plottier which is a new zone now that just got oppened as well. I seem to always been in the smallest towns in the mission, but I like it:) So my district is just 4 of us... us two hermanas and the 2 elders. Super tiny. It's been interesting cause we still don't have a phone cause the mission ran out of phones. So every night we have to stop by the nearest members house which is a 10 minute speed walk from the boonies that we live in to tell them to send a message to the elders that we are home (or walking home atleast). And It's made it interesting trying to get to know the area without a phone to call members and without a map still haha. We should start getting stuff within about 2 weeks or so though.

 Things are going well though, and I really like opening areas, so I'm excited to work here:)

 Stats of the mission- did you know that when I got here we were 17 hermanas in the mission with about 100 missionaries. Now there are 100 hermanas and about 250 missionaries in the missions, SUPER CRAZY!

  Anyways, love you all super much! Try not to freeze up there.

Hermana Ashcroft

 
PS- Hope the hormigas aren't biting you guys.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dec 30, 2013

 So i hope you all enjoy your new years!! I'll be watching lots of ilegal fireworks go up in the air with bangs as loud as bombs:) Beauty is, they arent ilegal here haha. They go all out with the fireworks and supposedly new years is even bigger than christmas.
 
Soo... dont know what you want to hear since i just talked with you all a few days ago for chirstmas:) Transfers actually arent going to be untill this thursday now, so we'll learn if we're changing on wednesday. Entonces.. i'll let you all know the next week what my fate is.

                I'm eating lots of Pan Dulce, which is the norm here for christmas time... and im turning into an argentine cause im actually starting to like it. It like a dry... hard... really dry bread with.... what are those called in english??? pasa de uvas... its the dry grape things.... cant remember..... as well as lots of other random dry fruit in it. anyways, none of the gringos like it, but its kinda growing on me. it helps if youve got some milk to wash it down with, otherwise it gets stuck in your throat cause its so dry. ALthough im wondering if its really suppose to be like that or if all the people are just giving us their old Pan Dulce and its actually usually really moist and delicious... who knows...  in other new with food, a member gave us some necterine jam that she made!! It's Delish!

And in some more important news than fodd- We've got a new investigator! its the same one that we walked waaaayyy out into the chacras for one day. We've been walking out there more and she came to church this sunday with us! Her names cristina and she seems very intersted in the gosple:) Although all the missionaries laugh at me cause I seem to get all the investigators that need to get married, 2 couples of the many have already gotten married though so that's awsome!.... she's been with her 'husband' for over 36 years though so hopefully the concept wont be too hard for them to think about haha.

 
anyways, love you all so very much!!! hope your new years is great:)
 
scripture for the week- alma 39:19. I really do believe that god sends angles today just as he did anciently. miracles still happen.

con cariño,

Hermana Ashcroft