Hello All!
Greetings from Canada! How is everybody doing back in the land of
Milk and Honey? It was so good to see temple square on the Satellite
Broadcast. There is a special spirit that is in Utah that you don't
usually recognize until you live somewhere else. It is not the same
outside of it. And it is such a wonderful place full of so many wonderful
people.
CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!! I was so excited to hear from the
leaders of the Church and the Prophet! The hour before the broadcast
started was a very long hour, indeed. And when the live feed actually
started, I was practically hyperventilating. It was so good to hear from
them, and as soon as President Monson started talking, my Spiritual Truth Radar
went off the charts. Throughout his whole address, I had a confirming
witness that Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God. It was
incredible. Such good messages - how to pick one that is a
favorite? One of them that stood out to me in particular was Sister
Allred in the Saturday Morning Session. It was a great talk, and it
probably stood out because it was centered on Missionary Work. I really
liked the part where she said, "If you know missionaries out in the field,
SEND THEM LETTERS OF LOVE AND SUPPORT." Sorry, I got a little
carried away. She did say that, though. And I challenge ALL to heed
to the exceedingly wise counsel that was given by our church leaders. I
thought that was kind of fun. Her talk, though, was essentially her
quoting Preach My Gospel. It was incredible. If you want to know
how to be a missionary (as all of us should), I urge you to study that
resource. Study it as if you were a full-time missionary out in the
field. Because each of us IS a full-time missionary, and the
field is different for each one of us. What can I say? Conference
was an incredible spiritual uplift, and I can't wait to get a copy of the
Ensign so that I can read the talks again. By the way, was it just me, or
did I see Elder Hugh Pinnock near the very end of the last song in
Priesthood Session? I was not sure if He was still in the MTC.....
This week has been rough. We taught one lesson. We worked
hard, but with transfers, conference, and a brand new companion, it kind of cut
in to our proselyting time. It was good though. My new
companion, Elder Smart, is from Centerville and went to Viewmont High
School. He is a tall lanky missionary, and looks like Ryan Perry (Crazy,
huh?). He is a great missionary, and is very in tune with the
spirit. We had an incredible experience yesterday as we prayed to know
where we were supposed to go tract. The Spirit is an incredible
thing. We get along great and it is going to be a great transfer.
It is such an exciting thing, to be doing the Lord's work. I
challenge each of you to pray for an opportunity to share the gospel with
someone. The most effective contacts are member referrals, and
Missionaries are always looking for those. I know that it might be a bit
more difficult in Utah, where there are members aplenty, but there will be an
opportunity if you pray for it. And it will be a perfect opportunity as
well, because it will be set up by our Father in Heaven, not us. God
answers prayers. I know that. This is such a great work, and I
invite each of you to prepare yourselves to share it. Prepare for the
work of the Lord, and you will never go wrong. Doctrine and Covenants
Section 6 is a great section that I have come to love. Read it.
Apply it. It will bless your life. I promise you that.
And now for randomness....Mom - the whole thing with Sister Cecol shows
how small of a world this really is.....I hope Braden's Birthday went
well. There is something coming for you - I promise. Last P-day was
very hectic with transfers, and I was not able to get any letters mailed....Dad
- sounds like work is going well. Hopefully some those projects will
work....The After-Priesthood extravaganza - I am glad that you had Branson,
Alex, and Rob to pick up the slack for me. Hopefully, they measured up
(Just Kidding)....Bryson - Where is the Commentary? Hope the play is
going well with you and Tay.....Tanner - Starting Varsity? That's what I
am talking about!....Pieface - thanks for the letters.... I love to hear from
you....Anyway....I love you and miss you all! I hope that everyone has a
wonderful day!!!
Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft
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