Meeting Elder Bednar

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!