Bright as the Sun This Heavenly Ray.....

Hello All!

Greetings from the thriving metropolis of Sudbury, Ontario.  How are things going back home?  Have the leaves changed yet?  Football season is in full swing - Go Cougars!- and it is a wonderful time to be living! 

It has been an interesting week here in Sudbury.  We have been trying to improve our teaching, so we have had quite a few member lessons.  We have gone over to a few members homes and taught them, both as they were pretending to be investigators and just reviewing the lessons with them.  It has helped us teach better and in more unity with each other.  We have not had too much contact with investigators, however.  We have worked and worked, but we just can't get a hold of anybody.  We taught one lesson on Monday to Veronique, who is a college student that doesn't really know what is true, and another partial lesson to Ramona, a young mother who is interested in her family being together forever.  Other than that, we have not gotten in contact with our other investigators.  We teach people, though.  When we are talking to people on the street, we teach them, and some discussions that we get into are more productive than actual lessons, but, alas, we cannot call it a lesson.  It has been a very hard, very humbling  week.  Jean Guy was confirmed on Sunday, though.  It was good to be a part of that and to see him receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I know that he will be edified and blessed by it. 

Elder Opfar and I are both getting a little nervous because Transfers are coming up next week.  We have been together for 2 transfers and chances are that one of us will be leaving Sudbury.  We don't know what will happen, though.  It will be interesting to find out. 

Randomness!!! YAY!!!... Brindy Sang a Solo.  I wish I could have heard it.  I am sure it was amazing....300 tomatoes - that's a lot.  Have fun with the Salsa.  Make it spicy for me.  That's one thing I miss - spicy food.  Canadians are not too fond of that, for the most part.  And the "pumpkins" sound interesting as well..... Tanner - why did you not tell me that you were playing Volleyball?  Oh blessed Volleyball - My first love!  And it's good that your team does well also..... Bryson - Be patient with Opperman.  I never had her as a teacher, but people have said that she is a lot like Bishop, and I learned more from Bishop than from anybody.  The writing will come.  Patience.  The  best advice I can give to you is to have people proof your essays.  The more feedback you can get, the better.  I used to tell people to be brutal and tear the writing to shreds.  Point out every flaw, everything that does not make sense.  I know it helped me a lot.  And if you do your best, it doesn't matter what your grade is.  God doesn't care about your GPA.  He only cares that you did your best.....Braden - Way to be with the duck!  Make it a good one for me!.... The Hebdolympics sounded like a blast.  That will be one tradition that we will have to continue.  I have to admit, I am a little bit jealous, but that's okay.  I will play when I get back.....Bryson - thanks for the commentary.  Never apologize for the length.  Longer is always better.  Details.  Yes.....Anyway...  Have a wonderful day, all of you! I love you and miss you all! 

Your Obedient Servant,

Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Shines the Gospel Light of Truth and Love...

Hello All!

Greetings from Canada!  And Happy Japanese Day!  It is kind of weird not being home for it, but I guess the boys will have to eat some gyoza for me. 

The weather has been fairly Utah-ish lately.  Cold mornings and they turn on the heater in the basement, the heater stays on all day and then the Lady upstairs complains that it is too hot, so they turn the furnace off, and then it's back to that cycle.  It has been interesting. 

But anyway, the work has been going well.  We picked up 5 new investigators this week and a few of them seem willing to progress.  We met Caroline on Thursday.  She is a 19-year old college student that lives with her boyfriend.  She was practically in her backyard, and we were walking on the other side of the street, so we just walked past, but as soon as we had done that, both of us stopped and felt like we should go talk to her.  We did so and taught her about the Plan of Salvation.  Her mom passed away when she was 13 and she has been wondering what happened to her.  We taught her and invited her to church.  Other than that, there is not much to report on with them yet, but I will keep you informed.  We are also working with the Bishop to get Jean-Guy confirmed.  We had Stake Conference on Sunday, so we could not do it then, but we are planning on getting it taken care of this Sunday in Sacrament Meeting. 

Stake conference was Sunday Morning.  Zone Conference was Sunday Evening and Monday Morning.  They figured that they would postpone Zone Conference a few weeks (it is normally in the second week of the transfer) and just have it in the Fifth week because all the missionaries would already be in town for Stake Conference.  It was great.  The theme of the Zone Conference was "Becoming a Master Teacher."  I learned a lot and am starting to apply it.  It was a great conference.  On Saturday, we had our interviews with President Middleton.  Let me just say, that President Middleton is the most inspired man I have met.  The spirit that he carries is so strong.  Talking to him is like talking to an Apostle.  He counseled me on a few things that I can work on, and we talked about how the work is going in Sudbury.  At the end of the interview, we knelt and He offered the most sincere prayer I have ever heard.  I was touched by the Spirit that rested upon me as he spoke.  As he prayed, he prayed specifically on my behalf.  He prayed that I might grow and progress and enjoy success on my mission.  The words were so sincere, the prayer so heartfelt that I wept with gratitude for even being in his presence.    His testimony is incredible.  He is an incredible example of how to be a missionary.  He truly is a man of God.

We had a session on Sunday night, after which President and Sister Middleton pulled out "The Other Side of Heaven" and let us watch that.  First Movie I have seen in three months.  That was fun.  Watching it with a bunch of other missionaries made it even better.  We had 10 missionaries staying at our new apartment.  It is always fun to have that many Elders in one place.  We learned a lot and we got to eat some really good food (always a bonus).  After the conference, Elder Opfar and I went with Sister Middleton to get some things for our new apartment.  We got a lot of stuff for the kitchen and a bunch of random things.  We have to wait until we finish the kitchen to put stuff in it, though.  We still have to finish painting.  It is coming along.  We don't want to spend too much time, because that takes away from Proselyting time, but we are hoping to get it done before the transfer ends (2 weeks left).  Overall, Things are going well and I am learning and progressing.  I can feel my testimony strengthening each day. 

And now for something completely Random.....Mom - I am working on getting a coat.  We were planning on doing that later today, but the Zone leaders are out of town and we don't have a ride.  We will see what we can do.  It is not too cold yet, though.....Dad - Good luck with the boards.  Hopefully Dan will be able to have a good trip to Japan next week.....The tree house tree is dying - how sad.  It is going to be weird without it in the backyard.  And it sounds like the Fence is going well.  And of course as soon as we decide to build a solid fence to keep the neighbor's dog out of our yard, they move and we get some great neighbors instead.....Bryson - Where is the Play by Play?.... Taylor - I got your letter.  Thanks Bro.  It was great..... I also got a package of cookies from Becky (Thank you) and a package that completely made my day when it came.  The package of letters from the primary was just what I needed.  It made me smile and was a wonderful piece of correspondence..... Anyway, have a wonderful day!  I mean it.  Don't make me force you to. I love you and miss you all!

Your Obedient Servant,

Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Oh How Glorious From The Throne Above....

Hello All!

How is everything back in Utah?  I hope all is going well and that everyone is getting into the swing of things with school and all your other endeavors.  It is also good to hear that my cougars are undefeated.  I would like to take this time to thank Bryson for the commentary.  I really appreciated it.  It was a great e-mail to read.  Keep it up.  I also hope that everyone is enjoying the fall weather.  It has started to cool down lately up here.  This morning we woke up and our apartment was a balmy 7 degrees Celsius.  That is about 45 degrees.  Quite a change from the 31 degrees Celsius that we had a day or two ago.  from about 90 to about 45 in one night (It happened, it was not pleasant - trust me).  I have not yet gotten a coat (sorry, mom) but I am working on that and I will be fine.  It is not yet that cold. 

Jean-Guy was baptized!  It happened right after church on Sunday.  It was kind of a hectic day.  Elder Opfar and I went up to the church at about 8:00 to fill the font so we wouldn't have to do so during the block, but we found that there was no hot water.  We had to wait for the bishop to come, and we borrowed his keys to get into the attic to check the water heater.  Reminded me of doing the same type stuff back at the stake center - good times.  We found the heaters that supplied the font, and when we checked them, we found that neither of them had been working.  They both had failed the ignition sequence (Sounds kind of like a rocket...). We were able to reset them and we waited for them to start heating water, but still no luck.  We ended up having to fill the font with cold water.  The person who was going to baptize Jean-Guy told us during church that he couldn't do it, so we ran back to the apartment to get my clothes so I could baptize him.  It was like running around with my head cut off, but it was worth it.  I was able to baptize Jean-Guy and it was awesome.  The Spirit was there and it was a great experience for everyone. 

We have been moving stuff into our new apartment.  We spent a decent chunk of time yesterday and Monday packing stuff and moving things to the apartment.  We have pretty much moved everything, though.  We took two loads with Brother MacIsaac, and one with Christa and Harley.  We don't have too much stuff, but it is still hectic.  We got to our apartment last night and started to set up our beds, but we could not find the screws to put it together.  It was interesting, but we put it together as best we could and prayed that it wouldn't collapse during the night.  It's all good though.  We survived. 

And now for randomness....It sounds like the work on the house has been incredible.  I hope it is turning out like you pictured it.  You will have to take pictures of it and send me some.  I am working on sending some pictures home, but it is difficult to get them developed (the place to do so is not in our area, and seeing as though we don't have a car.... it is a long walk and we don't have the time to do so), and the last few p-days have been very busy.  I will work on that though....Shanna - a new laptop - nifty.  hope that works out for you....BYU Football  - Undefeated!  And Utah is ranked as well.  It sounds like it is shaping up to be a great season.  Thanks again to Bryson for the commentary - if e-mail commentary ever goes big, you are the next Greg Wrubell.  It was so good I had to read it twice....I got the cookies and the Japanese candy - thanks.  It made my day.....I have been able to find most of the Ensigns that I sent home.  The last two would suffice.  And the notebooks - the purple one (yes that is the right one) and the red one that has my General Conference notes would be wonderful.... Elder Opfar and I are doing great.... Zone Conference is Monday - I am excited for that.  I have to do a musical number and I haven't given the slightest thought as to what I will do, but I am sure I will figure it out.  I would ask for suggestions, but I fear it would be too late when I receive them..... Oh, why not?  Any suggestions?....

Anyway, I hope that all is going well for everyone.  I love you and miss you all, and I pray for you every day!  Keep on truckin, Keep the faith, and Keep Smiling!

Your Obedient Servant,

Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Lights Every Land Today......

Hello All!

Greetings from the Frozen Tundra of Canada!  It seems that summer has hit late, here in Canada.  It has been an average temperature of 27 Degrees (it's not that hot in and of itself, but I am not used to it, and it is really humid.)  One of the days, was 28 Degrees and 99% Humidity.  It was really warm.  But that's life and I can't complain.  The work is progressing, and I am learning and growing a lot.

We have been doing some member work with the PEC lately.  We are trying to visit them and gain their trust.  We visited with the Bishop's Family, whose children remind me of Tanner, Braden, Brindy, and Noelle.  Same Ages and Everything.  Kind of weird, though.... The youngest, Amber, really was almost the spitting image of Pieface, except with the most insanely piercing blue eyes I have ever seen.  They were almost an electric blue color.  It was awesome!) But anyway, we also went to visit the Bymans.  They have three young kids and the oldest, Heidi, is five years old and now has a big crush on Elder Opfar.  Micah, the three year old, was sitting in Sacrament Meeting and during the Sacrament, he saw Elder Opfar and I on the stand (We  were blessing the sacrament) and he stood up and yelled, "Look at what the Missionaries are doing!"  It was really funny.

We also had a wonderful day on Monday.  We taught 4 lessons and picked up 4 new investigators.  One of them was stoned at the time and he said, "you know, guys, I am not really catching all that you're saying because I'm kind of high, but can we do this another time?"  We agreed and rescheduled our appointment.  It was kind of weird, because he wasn't out of it.  He was answering our questions and everything.  We also taught a lady who is frustrated with the Catholic Church because she had a son who died before he was baptized and she refused to believe that he was "not saved."  We talked to her about the Family Proclamation and hopefully she will come out to church.  She is supposed to call us today to schedule another appointment.

We are moving probably late this week.  The address changed and so now it is:

Elder Austin James Ashcraft
332 Eva St. Main Floor
Sudbury, ON P3C 4N3

the postal code changed as well.  I wasn't sure of that last time I wrote. It is a very big apartment.  1300 Square feet.  It will be a nice change.

Hey Dad, I am running out of time and the computer is going to kick me off, so this e-mail might be in two pieces.  If you could put them together and send it off that would be great. I probably could have finished, but I would have had to leave out the randomness.... that's just no fun....

Jean Guy is going to be baptized!  We have him planned to be baptized on Sunday after Church.  It is finally happening.  It has been a month since we first planned on getting him Baptized, but it's actually happening this time.  It is very exciting.

We haven't heard from Siscoe, yet.  He went down to Toronto, and we were hoping that he would show up at church on Sunday, but he was not there.  We hope to hear from him this week.  He is a good guy and he wants to be baptized.  We just have to wait for him to call us.

But now, let the randomness begin.... Mom - Pieface is in school.  That is weird.  She is a smart girl, and she will be a great student..... Tanner - Way to go on the Star.  You are way ahead of where I was.  Tay and Briz - Don't give up.  I know you can do it....Tay - how is everything with yearbook?  Did you find an adviser?  Are things working for you?  Play practice and everything else?  I hope that it is not too crazy.  Random tip -  drink lots of water.  It helped me for some reason.  And don't forget, among everything else that you have to do, to read your scriptures.  I didn't study as much as I should have in High School, and I wish that I would have.  Don't lose sight of what is important....That is pretty funny about Maria and the Tile.  Wish her well with her surgery.  I only have one question about it - did she catch the Frisbee?  Just kidding.  What a way to go out though.  Playing Frisbee..... Mom - about the food -  We are only allowed to have 3 Member only meal appointments a week.  If there is another person, a less active or a non-member present, we can eat there whenever we are invited.  We have not had to turn down any meal appointments because we had too many in one week, though.  We had one of the members take us to Costco and we got some stuff (big bag of hamburgers, chicken, veggies, etc.)  So we are taken care of.... But anyway, the computer is wigging out, so I will send this before I lose it.  Take Care.  I am praying for you!  I love you and miss you all!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

P.S. - Cougar Football - What's going on?  I know it's that time of year again.....