Monday, July 28, 2014

What to say?

So this week has been great with teaching the restoration to a ton of members. We have taught 57 lessons in the past 3 weeks... I'm pretty sure I can teach it in my sleep hahhaha  but I absolutely LOVE the message of the restoration!
So there are ALOT of refugees here in Idaho and there are government sponsored apartments for them. So we helped get rid of the bark that was surrounding the apartments so they could put rock in. Me and Sister Archuleta woke up at 5:30 am to be there at 6 am to help, we took bushes out and under the pieces of bark is a net-like thing that we took out as well. We worked for 5 hours before our next service project that was already planned.  Then we went and painted this apartment house that is behind a member's house in the Elders ward, which was fun but there was no air in there so it got hot fast. hahaha! After all our appointments we went back to the apartments and helped more there. They didn't get much done from 11 to 7:30.There was sooo much to do so we called everyone in our zone to come help and some elders showed up. Yes I'm a strong believer that girls can do the same things as guys can but it was REALLY nice to have some muscle there! Hahahaha! We all had a blast though!  I love helping people out and doing service! I love you all so much! have a great week and hopefully I'll have more to write about next week! :D!
   Oh funny story! So we only get a certain amount of miles to drive each month  and Sister Archuleta LOVES to drive ha! So we had asked members to drive us to appointments and left our car at the Stake Center but Sister Archuleta didn't lock the car so Sister Smith and Manis saw that our car was unlocked and took ALL of our stuff out and put it in the trunk so when we got back the glove box was open and empty and our car was clean! I know, kinda sad that that was the reason we realized that something was wrong hahaha! So Sister Archuleta opens the trunk and everything was there! hahaha we still haven't put everything back! Too lazy! Hehehe! So moral of the story,
 LOCK YOUR CAR!!!!! hahahaha
--
<3 Sister Ashley Clawson
 
 
Oh! One of the girls we live with Bethany, she is 13 and she came out with us while we contacted some members and Sister Archuleta was really thirsty so we stopped by a member's home that said we could use their water hoes anytime! hahah so we did! :)
 

Monday, July 21, 2014

Second Baptism!!!

Logan got baptized on Satuday!!!!!!! He is such an AMAZING man! His testimony is outstandingly strong and he loves this church even through his mom does not wanting anything to do with the church and having issues with him joining. He stood strong to what he believes!!! Sunday he was confirmed as a member of the church! And our other investigator Karrie was there! She has a new job now and it allows her to come to church! She has been reading the Book of Mormon and knows it's true and wants so bad to be baptized! Her FiancĂ© Dustin still has ex-wife issues that don't look like are going to be solved for a while now.... still prayen for a miracle tho!
Speaking of miracles, we met this sweet man Reese who has stage 4 brain cancer but the faith to move mountains! We met him while waiting to take a picture of the screen that showed that the retirement home had an LDS church service and he answered a trivia question on it and we got talking to him and Saturday morning we taught him the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he loved it! He wasn't so sure if there were prophets on the earth today as in biblical times but he's super excited to read the Book of Mormon and he came to church on Sunday and absolutely loved that! He is going to pray about prophets and the Book of Mormon and during his prayer he asked that his heart and mind would be opened to this information and that Heavenly Father would speak clearly to him of the truths of what we are teaching!
I love how if we listen with a desire to act on the promptings of the spirit we will be guided to the answers we need and to people who are ready to hear and partake of the Gospel!
So we are teaching our ward mission leaders son mission prep because he can't go because of meetings and he came and taught the Restoration with us to members in the ward and I love how strong in the Gospel and prepared he already is to serve a mission next year!
This week has been a FANTASTIC week of growing for me and the members and investigators in the Cloverdale ward! I love being on a mission and love the strength the Gospel brings! I know that as we read the Book of Mormon we will feel of the Love of our Heavenly Father and know the way we should strive to live our lives! I love and pray for you all!!! have a fantastic week! Carry on!
 
 
Logan's Baptism
 

 

Monday, July 14, 2014

25 Lessons!!!!!

Now to explain what I mean by the title of this email hahaha~ So President Winder has challenged all the missionaries in the Boise Mission to teach The Restoration of the Gosplel of Jesus Christ to every member in the ward. We have about 400 or so... :D It has been THE best experience tho! I have seen so many people's testimonies grow by hearing how the fullness of Jesus Christs gospel was restored to the earth. I have received conformation over and over every time I teach this lesson as I testify to people that Joseph Smith did see God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and they did tell him that they would restore, or bring back the fullness of the gospel to the earth through him. and that ONLY through the priesthood the power of God could he have translated the Book of Mormon. I love this gospel and I know that  through the Book of Mormon can people come closer to God than by any other book! I love how the Holly Ghost of the Spirit works. I have been in a lesson teaching about the Restoration and when I'm done I don't remember half the things I said or have ever said certain things about the Restoration and I know that whatever I did say and learned while I was teaching was from the Holy Ghost and was meant to strengthen my testimony and those that I was teaching!
  I challenge you all to invite the missionaries over to your house to teach your family the Restoration! It will help you develop a deeper love and appreciation for the Gospel and Joseph Smith and our Savior! I know with out a doubt that the Gospel is true! Sister Fugal, a ward missionary and an amazing lady, gave a talk on Sunday ~ she said this "All that matters is that God lives all the questions and concerns and doubts do NOT matter!" it is soo true! As long as you have a testimony in God and know that He would love us so much to send his son to die for us and then to restore the fullness of the Gospel back to the earth none of the anti Mormon stories or attacks will matter! Stay strong to what you know and what the Spirit has already witnessed to you! I love you all so much! and love hearing from you!! Carry on!
 
one of my favorite quotes
  "How much life do we miss while waiting for the rainbow after the rain?"
find the joy in the trail!
 We chalked our elders stairs we really do love them!
 
  Fourth of July!!!!!
 
  Sister Archuleta did my hair today ~ cute huh?!
 
 Red solo cup! Don't worry its only Diet Coke!! hahaha

Monday, July 7, 2014

Confession

I love just how much every one trusts me and I hope this doesn't hurt that but I did not meet Tony Stark! hhahaha He's this guy that looks just like him and he got told that his whole life and so he decided to run with it! He built the whole suit, got the same car,  and even tattooed the battery on his chest hahaha. He's pretty cool and he said we could come by and maybe teach him more about the church :)
   So this week was pretty fun we had a great Zone meeting with our new a zone leader Elder Barnhart and the amazing Elder Stapley hahaha
  The 4th of July was great! The stake had a huge breakfast and there was a man in naval uniform there and for a second I thought it was my cousin Matt! The family that we live with had fireworks for us to watch from the porch since we weren't aloud to be near them. They are sooo sweet!!! Here in Idaho they really don't enforce illegal  fireworks and there were huge fireworks all around us. It was great! Didn't beat a 4th down in Benson tho! hahaha
 Logan is one of our investigators that we are teaching and last time we taught him we asked him to pray about a baptisimal date and after we taught the Plan of Salvation, which went swimmingly, he told us that he wants to be baptized on the 19 of July!!!!! 2 1/2 weeks away!!!! We are so stoked! He is such a smart boy and already knows a ton about the Gospel, He is someone we missionaries call Golden that means that Heavenly Father has opened their heart so much that they have decided for themselves that they would do the research and everything on their own first and then get in contact with the missionaries - someone who is just ready!!! 
 So one last thing! One of the members in the ward gave us some apricots and told us they had just picked them off their tree! And if you really know me you would know what happened next! yes, I started singing "I looked out the window and what did I see popcorn poping on the apricot tree! "
 Well I love you all and pray that missionary opportunities come your way and that your faith  helps you share what you believe!