Do not be discouraged, God is over all....

Hello All!

Greetings from Woodstock, Ontario!  It's a little warm here and I feel like I am melting every time I walk out the door, but life is great!  We had a good week and I am excited to be here in Woodstock.

The week was a little slow lessons-wise.  The only investigator we were able to really make progress with was L.J.  He is still working for 11 July to be baptized.  His older brother Jermaine, picked up and went to Jamaica for a while to visit his dad.  We are not sure when he is getting back.  We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon to take with him, and he told us that he would continue to read and pray every day, so it will all work out.  We have enjoyed our week.  I spent yesterday in Kitchener with Elder Obando on a companion exchange.  That was fun.  Talked to some crazy people.

Anyway, I apologize that this is later than usual, but the server at the library was down, so we had to wait.  Also, Next Wednesday is Canada Day, and all the libraries are closed, so I am not quite sure what is happening there.  It will all work out, though.  So if an e-mail doesn't come until the day after, forgive me.  Have a great Week!  Enjoy the Summer Break! Live The Gospel!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done....

Hello All!

I hope that things are going well in the blessed homeland!  Things up here are going quite swimmingly (seriously.  I feel like I am swimming every time I walk out the Door.  It's SO Humid here!)  Things are going well though.

So we had an interesting experience last night.  We dropped by Lee and he wasn't feeling good, so we were walking back to the car and looked at the apartment building across the street, and we saw that something on one of the balconies had caught fire.  So we called the fire department and then went into the building, pulled the fire alarms and knocked on all the doors (something we have a lot of practice at) telling people to get out of the building.  We got everybody out safe and the fire department came and quickly got the fire under control.  It was not very big of a fire, probably only about the size of a  campfire, and there was not a huge amount of damage from what I saw outside, but it was a rewarding experience.  The superintendent of the Building came up to us after (Everybody was outside waiting) and he said, "Thanks for what you did.  My name is Douglas - Apartment 102.  Come by in a couple days or so.  I want to talk to you." That was cool.  Hopefully we will see some fruit from that.  So that was our eventful experience for the night.  Definitely a Journal Moment.  Anyway....

We were able to meet with L.J. and Jermaine a few times this week.  They are the two investigators with baptismal dates.  They are preparing for July 11th.  We were talking to them yesterday, and Jermaine mentioned that he had been having second thoughts about baptism.  He doesn't want to make a commitment and then slip up again.  We reassured him that the Lord would help him, and that, although it might be a sacrifice and it would be difficult, the reward that we receive from our Father in Heaven is far greater than anything we can imagine.  If we give the Lord our best, He will give us His best.  and His best is more than enough to pay the price for us.  They are going to, each night, read from the Book of Mormon and pray for a confirmation to know that it is true.  The youth in the branch are getting involved as well.  Jermaine and L.J. are going to one of the Mutual activities tonight.  We also identified a family in the branch that would be good to fellowship their parents, so we can bring an entire family into the gospel!  It is an exciting time here is Woodstock.  The Lord is really blessing us here.   I am grateful for the opportunity to be here.

This is the Lord's work.  He wants us do it and to do it His way.  He will bless us and guide us in our efforts to share the gospel.  Something in Preach My Gospel (The First Presidency Message - Page v) is really amazing. it says, "More Happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among his children."  It's true.  President Hinckley has said,  "You want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause, and bend your efforts to helping people."  Such wise counsel.    We are promised that whosoever shall lose his life for Christ's sake shall find it.  This is a true principle.  I know that each of us, as we serve others, will receive more joy and happiness than we have ever known.  This is Christ's  Gospel. This is His Church.  This is His Way. I love you all.  Have a wonderful day!  And remember (Thanks, Mom) Find Joy in His Service Today!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Count Your Many Blessings, Name them one by one....

Hello All!

Greetings from the blessed land of Woodstock.  I have some tremendous News - Tamara is Getting Baptized!  (I know - some of you - possibly all - might be thinking "Who the heck is Tamara?"  Well, let me tell you)  Tamara is the Girlfriend of Mark Dustow, one of the members in the branch.  he talked to her about marriage and he told her that if he was going to get married, he wanted to do it right and be sealed in the temple.  He told her about the church and we met with her last Friday and she accepted the invitation to be baptized!  The baptism won't be for a few weeks, but I was so excited, I couldn't wait that long to tell you (not like I would wait that long anyway....).  We are meeting with her again this evening.

L.J., our 9-year old genius of an investigator, also wants to be baptized. He is aiming for 11 July.  We are trying to teach his family as well, but they are always running around like chickens without heads when we come by. We did have a good visit with Victoria, the mother, and we shared some scriptures with her that show how Christ loves us and wants us to be happy, and how that by turning to Him, He can lift burdens off our shoulders and give us the strength to carry on.  L.J. usually has the time to meet with us (after all, he is only 9) and he wants to be baptized.  He and his 16-year old brother Jermaine came to church on Sunday and I think they enjoyed it.

They are also going through a rough time financially, with both parents looking for work.  We are trying to help, but we can only do as much as they will let us (Which, as of yet, isn't much).  But keep them in your prayers and miracles will happen.

Great Things are happening in Woodstock.  I am excited to be here.  Little side note: transfers are today and Elder Call and I are both staying in Woodstock for another 6 weeks.  The Lord has blessed us so much as we have diligently worked in this area.  Just last night, we had a dinner appointment with the Mitchell's and afterwards, we were walking down the street to the car and we decided to cross the street and talk to an older couple who was just getting home.  We did, They invited us in and we were able to share the Restored Gospel with them.  It is so amazing how the Lord Works.  I am so grateful to be a part of this great work.  It is something that blesses the lives of all who participate in it in any way.  I love this work.  I love the Gospel.  And I love the Lord - In Him my soul delights.

Have a Great Week!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Jesus Said Love Everyone. Treat them Kindly Too.....

Hello All!

Greetings from Woodstock Canada!  Life up here is just grand!  The work is great!  I am so very grateful to be a missionary!  So it's June.  And usually in June the weather is warmer, right?  Well, not so up here.  The first day of June was a little bit....how do you say....cold?  Yes, that is the right word.  About 50 degrees.  For the first day of June.  That's not quite kosher (Which, believe it or not, is okay anyway because I am not Jewish).  Anyway....That was probably enough of my ranting for one e-mail. so yeah....

We had a good week.  We were able to visit with a few investigators and we feel that they are making progress.  Lee Walters, who I believe I have mentioned before, loved the Plan of Salvation and he asked us when we were coming back before we suggested it.  I love it when that happens.  We were not able to meet with him last night as we had planned, but we will be dropping by tonight to visit with him.

One of our new investigators, L.J., we are very excited to work with.  He is 9 years old.  His parents had been investigators when we came in to the area and we have not been able to meet with them yet (They keep shrugging us off) but the one time we dropped by, Victoria (The mother) sent L.J. to the door to tell us that she didn't have time that day, and he added "I would like to study with you."  So we visited with him.  He is the smartest 9 year old I have ever met.  We had looked at/investigated/been to 13 different churches.  He understood everything we taught and we hope that we can get the rest of the family back into active investigation.  We have an appointment with them on Saturday, so we will see how that goes.

Elder Call is doing very well from what I can see.  We had a good talk about the spirit right after an amazing lesson that we had.  He mentioned at one point that it is difficult for him to discern the promptings of the spirit from his own thoughts, which is a problem/concern that I had and continue to have.  It is a constant struggle, and we were able to talk about that and I hope that Elder call learned as much from that conversation as I did.  He is a great missionary and he will accomplish great things.

I hope that everyone has a great week!  Know that the church is true and that the Lord watches over each and every one of us.  "His eye is on the sparrow.  And I know He watches me."  True statement.  He knows each of us perfectly.  His arm is constantly reaching out to us.  (Jacob 6:5)  Take his hand and let him lift you.  I love you and miss you all!  Have a great Day!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft