Count your many blessings. Name them one by one....

Hello All!

How are things?  I hope all is well.  We taught and set a new investigator, Rob, for baptism on Monday, and met with him again on Thursday, but he missed the appointment on Saturday night and thus did not come to church. We are still trying to get a hold of him.  We found quite a few new investigators, including Bawi (pronounced "Boy") and Rem.  They are the children in a Burmese family (ages 20 and  18 respectively).  We talked to Bawi on the street and set an appointment to come visit him on Sunday, and when we showed up, his mother and sister as well as his father invited us in and said that Bawi had told them about us coming by, and they were all excited to listen.  They called Bawi, who was not home, and he rushed home to visit with us.  The parents were pulled away, and we were in a bit of a time constraint, so we proceeded and were able to teach the first lesson to Bawi and Rem.  They are very humble people and they readily accepted the commitment to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.  That was a great miracle that we saw this week.

I am continually reminded of the incredible love that our Heavenly father has for each of us, and the foresight that is His in directing this work. Now, a little background on this - When we are on the street, we see and talk to a lot of people.  Sometimes there are a few who get away before we have a chance.  However, if I see somebody twice, God is trying to tell me something, and I will go out of my way to talk to that person specifically. This happened while I was on a companion exchange in Stratford.  I was downtown with Elder Johnson (My 6 foot 10 inch twin - long story) and we crossed the street and began talking to Lorne.  as we were talking to him, another lady walked out of a store and passed us on the sidewalk.  So we finished talking to Lorne, and kept going on our way.  We walked for about a half hour, when we came to a cross, felt we should go left and did.  As we were coming up to the next intersection, who do we see on the other side preparing to cross onto our side of the  street?  The very came lady that passed us as we were talking to Lorne.  Now she was in a decent sized group, but I weaved through very quickly and started talking to her.  She told us that she was just on her way to work, but we got her information and an appointment to go back later.

It is truly amazing how the Lord works.  He directs this work.  He has a bigger hand in it than we realize.   We should reflect each day and recall the tender mercies and the miracles that the Lord has blessed us with.  They are plentiful.  The Tabernacle Choir sings a song that I particularly enjoy, in which the Lyrics teach us an invaluable lesson - "Now if you're weary and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep. And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings."  We have been abundantly blessed.  The Lord loves us and opens up the windows of heaven and pours blessings upon us so much that we don't have room to receive them.  I know He lives, and he loves each of us.

Have A Great Day!  I love you!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Lift up your heart! Lift Up your voice! Rejoice! Again I Say, Rejoice!

Hello All!

How are things?  I hope and pray that all is well.  This week has been good.  One of the things I like most about Kitchener is that we live downtown.  If we want to find and talk to a whole kaboodle (I hope that is how you spell it) of people, we just have to walk out of our apartment.  We received recent instruction from the Assistants on making our finding more effective as well, so it has been fun to apply that and see miracles happen.  This is a blessed land.  I absolutely love it here.

One thing I would like to address today is the importance of maintaining a positive attitude.  That is something that has really helped me recently. There are, of course, the adages - "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right,"  the "power of positive thinking," as President Hinckley put it, and one of my personal favorites, "Happiness is by Choice, not Chance" (Thanks Mom).  They are all true.  How many times in the scripture are we counseled by historians, prophets, and even the Savior himself to "Be of Good Cheer?"  2 Nephi 2:25 teaches us that "Men are that they might find JOY."  We are here to have joy and prepare to meet God, and oh how Joyful that will be.  The Spirit  brings joy.  The Spirit brings peace.  The Spirit brings happiness.  The ONLY way for us to experience true and lasting happiness is by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I have seen and realized that time and time again.

President Eyring has counseled us that Joy comes from Unity.  When we are unified with the Savior, we are becoming what He wants us to be.  We are living His Gospel.  Sometimes life may throw us challenges that seem difficult to overcome.  It is important that we learn, What Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught so clearly in the October 2008 General Conference - "Come What May, and Love It."  And when trials come, change the way they are viewed.  President Eyring, just a few short weeks ago counseled us that "The disciple who accepts a trial as an invitation to grow and therefore qualify for eternal life can find peace in the midst of the struggle."  The stumbling Blocks that we have are there for a reason.  We must be prepared to face them, as they are the only way that we can grow.

C.S. Lewis said, "We are blocks of stone, out of which the creator forms the shapes of men.  The blows of His chisel, which hurt us so very much, are what make us perfect."  We are being refined.  We are being tested.  We are being perfected.  I know that this is the Lord's plan for us.  He only wants what is best for us, and the things we receive from Him ARE what is best for us, despite what we might think at the  moment.  I look forward to the day that I will stand before God, and look back on my life and finally realize how each experience I had shaped me, and how My Heavenly Father molded me. I know that as each of us strives to be clay in his hands, we will become what he wants us to be.  Someone told me once, "If each of us could catch a glimpse of the person our Heavenly Father knew we could be, we would rise up and never be the same."  The Father has great things in store for us.  We just have to put our hand in His, and let Him lift us higher.  I love you all.  I know that you are all children of God with Divine potential.  You are my brothers and sisters, children of a Divine and perfect Parent, and I will love you forever.

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft.

P.S. - If there is ever anything that I can ever do for any of you, please let me know.  Please.

It may not be on the mountain height, or over the stormy sea....

Hello All!

I hope that everyone is having a good day.  Just a little update - I have been transferred and am now serving in Kitchener with Elder Peck.  It's a grand old place and I am excited to get to work.  I don't have too much time, I have been traveling and such, but I know that this work is true, and that there is work to do in whatsoever place we may be in.  In all our efforts to share the gospel, make sure that the people you share these beloved truths with know that you love them.  When we are motivated by Charity, all things will work out for our good.  I know the Gospel has been restored to the Earth.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Son Of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  I love you all!  Have a great week!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Search, Ponder and Pray, are the things that I must do....

Hello All!

How are things?  I am doing just swimmingly up here (not literally, of course - Missionaries are not supposed to swim...).  But I am loving Barrie, Ontario.  The weather is starting to turn a little brisk - The temperature dropping, the Cold Northern winds blowing - it's magnificent! We had a good week.  A lot of finding.  But we were able to see some fruit from it, and we have a lot of appointments set up with the people we met last weekend.  The Lord truly blesses us and leads us to those whom He has prepared.  We were not able to meet with any of our investigators, but we found a few people who will listen to us.  Hopefully we will be able to help them realize that they need the gospel in their lives!  It truly is the greatest blessing that any of us could receive!  I love being able to tell people about it and seeing them change as they accept it.  This truly is God's work.

I am So excited for General Conference!!!  What an amazing opportunity to hear from the Prophet of God!  I encourage each of you to come up with a few questions that you have about your life, write them down, and then listen intently to conference.  You will get the answers that you seek.  The Lord wants us to be happy.  He wants us to have the answers.  We are promised all throughout scripture - "Ask and ye Shall Receive."  It truly is a promise with power.  Joseph Smith had a question, and he asked for an answer.  Look what has happened as a result of that!  Miracles can and will happen.  We will receive if we ask.  I know that.  I love you all and I wish you a happy Conference!  Have a Great Week!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

Beautiful Day, of peace and rest....

Hello All!

How are things?  I hope that you all are doing well.  Things up here have been.  We found 3 new investigators last week.  One of them is Greg Thompson.  He is a friend of a member in Midland, and the missionaries there called us and gave us the name.  He is a great man.  He knows the Bible fairly well, and his views match up with ours.  As we met with him, he would ask us questions about pretty much everything in the church and each response would be greeted with "That's the way I feel as well.  It talks about that in the Bible."  Or something similar to that.  Oh - and by the way - he's blind.  So we were able to get him a braille copy of the Book of Mormon.  It's HUGE!  I carried it in to his house in a box that Brindy and Noelle Both could fit it.  It came in 6 massive binders stuffed to capacity.  He was very grateful for it.  He told us as we were leaving that with all the paper and the stamping, he would give the entire copy a ballpark estimate of costing about $1000.00.  He was very grateful and we are excited to help him progress in the gospel.

The work is progressing.  As Joseph Smith stated, "No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing."  That is very true.  As hostile and negative as people may be toward us and toward the Church, it can't change the fact that it is true.  I am very grateful for that.  Nothing can or ever will alter the truth.  I am grateful to be engaged in this tremendous work. Nothing else can compare.  I love it.  I love you all!  Have a great Day! Study, Share, but more importantly, LIVE THE GOSPEL!!!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

I Love The Lord - In Him My Soul Delights.....

Hello All!

How is life in the Blessed Homeland?  I hope that you all are doing well.  I think Canada is a little  confused about the Seasons.  It is actually pretty warm up here.  It's like summer came late.  I am sure that I will be missing it though in a couple weeks.  But Anyway....

We had a good week.  We were able to meet with some of our investigators and Find a few more.  One of them, Steve, is working to be baptized on the 4 of October.  (Speaking of Which - I am so excited for GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! YAY!!! LIVING PROPHETS!!!! REVELATION!!! SPIRITUAL FEASTING!!!! YUMMY!!!! Be sure to enjoy it.  I have a feeling this conference is going to be the best one yet!).  We were also able to have Zone Conference on Monday.  What a great experience.  We learned all about how to be more bold and powerful as we extend commitments to people, and about how we should use ALL the resources around us to talk to ALL the people we come in contact with.  It was a great experience.  I just love missionary work and all that comes with it!  The Gospel is true.  I am so grateful for that knowledge and the privilege that I have of sharing that with others.  It is such an honor to be in His service, and to be an instrument in His hands.  There is no greater work than this.  I love it.  I love the Gospel.  I love God's Children.  I Love The Lord-  In Him My Soul Delights!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft

I Believe in Christ! He is My King! With ALL my heart to Him I'll sing....

Hello All!

Greetings from the blesse land of Barrie!  This week has been great, as we have been able to evaluate last transfer and set goals to improve this next one.  Elder Obando and I have addressed the concerns of the Zone and we are very excited for the group of missionaries that we have and the potential that we have.  We have a lot of good missionaries [Side Note - Sister Olsen (From Price, UT - GO CEU!) is serving in Keswick right now, which is in the Zone.  Her District Leader is Elder Ford (GO OLYMPUS!).  So that's
fun....].

                                                     

We have incredible potential and we are very excited for the miracles that we can  accomplish.  As always, I am grateful for your prayers and can truly see them being answered every day.  This is an incredible work that we are about, and the Lord truly has a hand in it.  His influence is far greater than any of us know.  We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have made promises to the Lord.  We are to stand as Witnesses of God at ALL times, in ALL things, and in ALL places. There is no exception, qualifier, or condition.  We are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We know He Lives and loves each and every one of us, and it is our duty to let everyone know that.  "Ye are the light of the world....Do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house....Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your god works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."  We have the Light.  We are the light.  And because we have that, we need to share our light with others.  A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.  Please, each of you.  Make a list of people that you know who do not know the gospel.  Pray over that list and pay attention to the name (or names) that come into your mind.  The Spirit speaks through the Thoughts in our minds and the feelings in our hearts. You don't even have to talk to this person about the gospel.  If you aren't comfortable with that, just call the missionaries, give them the name, and watch the Spirit work.  It is truly amazing.  I love each of you, and I pray for you.  If I can help you in any way, let me know.  Have a Wonderful day!

Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft