Meeting Elder Bednar

Monday, December 9, 2013

I hate the snow!
I want it to melt!
I hate it!
 
I woke up to a cold Tuesday morning and looked out my window to see nothing but white.
I thought to myself, "Oh! How pretty! I just love the snow!"
The day started and I was excited to be in the snow!
Except for it was crazy windy!  
Those who know me know I hate the wind with a burning passion.
I just hate it!
 
I soon realized that my boots don't keep the snow out and my toes were literally frozen.
I was slipping and sliding every where because my boots were slick on the bottom.
My gloves were pathetic and they were wet from all the snow that was falling.
Then I slipped and ruined the zipper on my jacket and now it won't close.
 
I had to walk around with an open jacket.
I just about froze to death!
 
The people we were supposed to teach called and cancelled because it was too cold.
They wanted us to go inside.
Uhh, missionaries don't go inside!
If you call and cancel, we will continue to walk the cold snowy streets. 
The way we get warm is by you letting us come inside and share a nice spiritual message so, "we are warm physically and spiritually."
 
That's my new punch line when people tell me it's too cold to be walking outside!
We stopped by a member's house to defrost and she offered us a ride to our next appointment.
Sure!  We'll take it!
She drives a monster of a car {Lincoln Navigator} and as I'm getting out I decide that I'm going to be smart and not step on the running boards, because I know that they are covered in ice.
 
Well...
...the ground was nothing but a ice sheet!
Yep, you guessed it!
Both my legs went out from underneath me.
I whacked the back of my head on the car's window
Then I smacked my head on the running boards.
And last but not least, my head bounced off the running boards to the cold concrete that was hidden by a sheet of ice.
 
Ouch! 
 
I laid there like, "What the crap just happened?!" 
I'm looking a little confused and see my companion laughing hysterically.
I didn't know it was physically possible for her to make that much noise!
She was laughing so hard she couldn't even help me up!  
Then I hear the member yell, "Dang it Sister Ashcroft!  What have you done to yourself now?!"
I laid there for a minute and realized I was feeling a breeze!
About then I noticed that my skirt wasn't covering a single thing!
It's all the way up to my shoulders!
 
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
Laugh because it was funny...
...or cry because I had just had enough for one day.
I decided to laugh.
I'm trying to get up and I felt like Bambi.
The part of the movie when he was trying to stand up on the ice and his legs kept slipping.
It took me about five tries until I finally got on my feet.
By then I was really wet, really cold and had a really bad headache. 
It turns out that the person we were on our way to visit wasn't home, so we decided just to walk to dinner early.  I'm still a little dizzy and I'm trying to cross the road and someone yells, "Sisters!  Want a ride?!" Which scared me and I fell again.
I considered calling Sister Swain in case I had a concussion...
...but I didn't.
 
I woke up alive the next morning so I figured I was okay.
Anyways...
This week I had the privilege of meeting Elder Bednar!
He came and did a devotional with our Mission.
It was so cool!
His sweet wife talked to us, then he talked to us and then he left it open for questions.
We could ask him anything we wanted!
That for sure was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
He taught us so much!
Some things I learned from him are below.
If you manage your money like the Church, you'll always be financially stable.
Never spend more than what you receive.
In all things assume how much you plan on spending and never spend more than the assumption.
Become and agent and not an object.
When we are trying to learn something or develop a new attribute you get a Book of Mormon.
For example...
...I'm doing charity.
 
I got a Book of Mormon and as I read it I highlight anything that talks about love & charity and write notes in it.
Just mark it up with charity!
It's a great way to receive personal revelation!
He said he has a bookshelf of hundreds of Book of Mormons that he has done throughout his life. He said his boys always want to read them.
He tells his boys, "If anyone touches my Book of Mormons I will kill them!"
Then they ask, "Well after you die can we have them?"
 He said with his last breath he will catch them on fire and will not pass to the Spirit world until every book is burned.
It's because those books become your personal revelation...
...and you just don't share every spiritual experience you have.
Your personal revelations are meant for you, not the world.
It was a super duper spiritual meeting!
I just love my mission.
I hate the snow!
I just love the gospel.
I hate the snow!
In closing...
...I would really like to express how much I hate the snow!

Celebration of Christ - Interfaith Christmas Concert

Monday, December 2, 2013

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? 

I ate at two members homes...
...it was so much!
I did so good, I ate really small portions at each home so I was never uncomfortably full.
After that we went and played volleyball with some Polynesians.
Uhm... I almost died! 
They can spike the ball hard!
Geez!

Yesterday we had our Mission President Devotional.
It was all in Spanish!
It was pretty cool to sing the songs in Spanish. 
I understood the songs... obviously, but I have no idea what the videos talked about or the testimonies.
It was still so cool! 

Elder Arnold from the Seventy was there, as well as his wife. 
I got to meet them and shake their hands!
It was pretty neat!
Those men are so amazing!
It's such a blessing to be a part of this mission and meet as many general authorities as I have so far. 
It's always a great experience!

I got to go to Temple Square on Saturday night.
Man, it was quite an experience!

One of our investigators got tickets to the Celebration of Christ - Interfaith Christmas Concert. 
It was really neat!  

They had BYU Vocal Point, Jenny Oaks Baker and a man named Kevin who is a Seventh Day Adventist who beat boxed and played the cello at the same time. It was amazing! They had a Pastor come and sing and awesome song, they had a Baptist choir.
It was all really cool!

They had a lot more perfomers there, I just can't recall them all. 

Our investigator got the tickets and her son was supposed to come but something happened and he didn't want to come. 
She came and picked us up and said her son was still at home and she can't get him to get ready.
She had me go to the house to talk to him.  
I walked in the house and said, "Daniel! Will you come to Temple Square with me tonight?" 
Two minutes later he was dressed and had a smile on his face. 

We were late.
Our investigator dropped my companion, Daniel and myself off and we went and got seats.
I felt so bad because our investigator couldn't find a spot to park and it took her 40 minutes to get into the program, she watched two performances and then we had to leave 30 minutes early to make curfew. 
I felt so bad...
...she had a great attitude about it!

We briefly got to see the lights on Temple Square.
It's official...
...downtown Salt Lake City is my most favorite place in the world during Christmas time! I just love it! 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!