All Is Well! All Is Well!

Hello Everybody! 

How was Mother's day.  I hope it was a good one.  It was good to talk to yous.  I hope all has been well in the past 18 hours.  

We had a good week, despite having a lot of appointment not go through.  We invited a one of our investigators (Elvis) to be baptized, and he didn't quite accept, but we left him with a commitment to read and pray about the restoration in particular.  We were going to visit with him on Saturday, but the appointment didn't go through.  We had a great lesson planned for him about baptism and we were a bit disappointed when things didn't work out with that.  We were able to set up a lot of appointments for this next week, and we are excited for those.   There is really no one else we are working with right now.  It's been good, though. 

Discouragement is a tool of the adversary, and a proper perspective helps us to deal with that.  I can honestly say that the times that I have been happiest on my mission are those right after I am in the gutter, being yelled at, sworn at, ridiculed, and defied.  In Kitchener, we would go downtown for hours and would have person after person refute our claims, but the happiest times I have had are when I walk away and know that I Know the truth.  Joseph Smith said, (And I quoted this last night), "I knew it, I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it."  All the persecution under heaven cannot make it otherwise.  Persecution is good.  It means that you are doing what is right.  Satan would not try to stop you if you were working for him.  My testimony is the strongest when it stands up the shafts in the whirlwind, the hail and the mighty winds that beat upon us.  But because of the Rock - the Savior.  I know that I cannot fall.  The Spirit speaks to each of us, and it will tell us exactly what we need to hear.  God knows us so perfectly that he can send messages to us that strike the strings on our hearts and play the melodies of eternal truth and love.  And as we listen to and sing along with those celestial songs, we will become what he wants us to be.  I love the Gospel, and everything that goes with it.  (Sorry, mom, for quoting that again, but I really liked it the first time.....)  Anyway..... I hope all is well and that Yous all have a great week!

Your Willing Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft