Hiyo!

Hey everyone!

 

It has been a great week here in Darwen! We had Zone Conference on Thursday which was awesome, but they announced that the Brethren sent a letter telling them to only have zone conferences once a quarter, rather than once a transfer, which is kind of a WAY BUMMER, but that's alright. I guess it's better than nothing.

 

We had exchanges with the APs on Friday, and that was awesome. I went with Elder Stevens, who is a Spiritual Boss, so to speak. He was incredible! We talked to so many people today and we ran everywhere! He is like in way good shape and skinny, so I got quite the workout, but it was awesome. We worked on bus contacting a lot, so we took a three hour round trip bus ride and talked to everyone that got on that bus. it was pretty crazy, but way awesome.

 

The next morning, we hiked up to Darwen tower, which is some tower up on top of the hill where you can see for miles in every direction. It was way sweet. Beautiful country, England is. Absolutely beautiful.

 

Well, we have a new investigator, named Joseph and he wants to be baptized! It's excellent! Hopefully everything goes according to plan and he doesn't lose the faith, so that he can come into the Fold of God.

 

Sorry this is kind of short and lame, but the computers are acting up all of a sudden, so i've got to get off real quick. But know that I love all of you and that your love means everything to me! Keep praying for me and the people of England! We both need it! Thanks for everything that you all have done for me! I love you so much!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

One month in England!

Crazy how time flies, innit?

 

I have officially been in Merry Ole England for a month! I can't believe it! It has flown past!

 

This week was pretty great! We talked to loads of people, and although not a lot of them accepted our invitation to teach them, Preach My Gospel says that My purpose as a missionary is to "INVITE others to come unto Christ," not force them to. No matter what I tell them, they still have to exercise their agency to listen to me. So I'm doing my best to invite them all, and the ball is in their court. I'm playing a lot of games, I guess haha. Good thing I'm such a baller. Not. Good thing the Gospel is such a baller. Yes. That is right.

 

So we met this guy on the street who told me to open my Bible and if there was a twenty pound note in it, he would believe everything I said. I opened it, just in case there was, haha, but of course, God doesn't work that way all the time and there was nothing but the word of God in my Bible. So we started talking and I tried telling him about Alma 32:17-18, I think, where it says that people ask for signs, but when they see them, it's a perfect knowledge, not faith, or something like that, but he wasn't having any. But after that he was really polite and all, which was nice. But I think I might start keeping a 20 pound note in my Bible in case that ever happens again....hahahaha no not really.

 

Well my companion is pretty awesome. We are a lot a like, I think, just he's Swiss and I'm American. Like Cheese. We are getting along great, and we work well together. It's kind of polar opposites, though, because I'm in my first transfer, and he's in his last transfer. I can tell that he's worked really hard on his mission because he is just way exhausted, but he keeps on trucking which is exactly what you need to do as a missionary. I'm way tired all the time too, and I don't think that it will go away, but I'm gonna keep working my hardest so that I have no regrets when i come home and so that I get a way amazing wife. Just kidding. But really though.

 

We have zone conference coming up this week, so that'll be way sweet. I'm way excited for that. Also we are going to play zone football today, so that should be way awesome as well. Hahaha i feel like such a little kid when I play, because everyone here is like twenty thousand times better than me, so I just fall down a lot and pretend like it was someone else's fault. It's pretty great.

 

But yes, it's been a good weak. It's finally starting to look like England, as far as raining goes. They're in a drought right now, so the weather is like beautiful, but now it's starting to rain a lot more. Good thing I like the rain so much. the only thing is that the weather is like A.D.D. to the max, so it'll downpour for like thirty seconds sometimes, which is just enough time to get my brolly (that's what they call umbrellas here, i don't know if I told you that) out, and then it'll stop raining so I have to put my brolly away again. Then whenever Elder Weidmann and I put our raincoats on, we walk out side, and as soon as we are five minutes away from our flat, the sun will come out and cook us as we walk up these crazy hills here. But I love it :) haha smiley face.

 

Well, This truly is the Lord's work. My testimony has grown so much this past month I can't even tell you. It has been such a great experience so far and I know that It will only get better. This church is absolutely true! There is not a doubt in my mind about that. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He is strengthening me as I preach His gospel to the people of England. I know that He is taking care of all of you back home for me as well. I love this work. Absitively, posolutely love it.

 

Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, advice, friendship, love, prayers, and also your love and prayers. They strengthening me more than you know. So not to sound greedy or anything, but please don't stop praying for me :) I love you all so much! Keep the faith while I'm over here, and after I get back and forever. I love you all!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

Darwen. 'Tis a silly place.

Hello all!

 

haha so yesterday, the city of Darwen had like this pedal car derby in the streets, kind of like the one in Little Rascals, but without motors and not nearly as exciting. But it was hilarious to watch grown Brits pedaling around in homemade cars, some of which looked pretty legit, if I may say so myself. We didn't watch it though. just walked past it. hahahahahaha.

 

last night was the World Cup final, so we really didn't get to talk to anybody because they all were watching it and they didn't want us to talk to them, which was a bummer, but that's okay!

 

There are a lot of hills here in darwen, and we don't have a car here, so Elder Weidmann and I have to walk and take the bus everywhere, but mostly walk, so my legs are a beast.

 

Yesterday was my first sunday in the Blackburn ward, which is awesome! the people there are so humble and enthusiastic, I love it! there's only about 70 people that come, but there's like 379 members, so there's a lot of inactivity. We'll work on that.

 

hahahaha I'm in the library here and someone sneezed and it sounded exactly like you, dad. hahahahaha

 

Oh remember that lady, Dot, I was telling you about? apparently she's like the candy queen and every sunday she brings the missionaries some great goodies. It's pretty excellent. I love it.

 

Well, I'm out of time, so I'll leave it at that, but I love you guys and thanks for everything you do! take care of America for me!

Church is True! And so are you! Love the Lord and He'll love you back! Do your Best, and the Lord will Bless! I love you!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

This is it!

Well, I guess they're giving us time to email today, which is sweet, so here goes!

 

Yesterday was a very, very long day. All of the Manchester missionaries in the MTC had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready and get our stuff down to the Lobby by 6:15. Then the APs showed up and we all got on a coach to the Mission home. I still can't get over how beautiful england is! We got to the mission home and there we met President and Sister Bullock, who are incredible people! They have such a strong spirit about them and you can tell that they are amazing. They fed us a little, and then we talked about the mission and their family, and then they talked to us regarding some of the policies of the mission and some of the goals. After that, they fed us enchiladas, which were super good. Then we each had an interview with the President. He is a very inspired man and you can feel how close to God he is, it's amazing.

 

Then, we all drove to a stake center in Manchester to meet our trainers. A whole bunch of missionaries had come to the chapel to welcome us to the mission, including Elder Jeffrey Moss, one of my great buddies from Utah State! He looks awesome and way excited to be out here, so it was good to see him. Then we were introduced to our trainers. My new companion is Elder Weidmann (pronounced "vide man"). He is from Switzerland, and he is pretty cool. He reminds me a lot of Austin, just in some of his mannerisms and such, which is kind of nice. We were assigned to serve in the Blackburn area, which includes the cities of Blackburn, Darwen, and Accrington. Elder Weidmann and I live in Darwen, in an old chapel thats been converted into flats (thats what they call apartments here). My new address is :

 

Elder Ashcraft

Flat 6, Belgrave Chapel

Belgrave Square

Darwen BB3 1BU

England

 

All of the missionaries at the transfer meeting said that I was getting an awesome trainer, so I'm excited to work with him. We got to our flat after like an hour train ride or so, and it's kinda small, but it gets the job done. We went to Sainsbury's, which is one of the grocery stores here and got some food. Then we came back, kinda got settled for like twenty minutes, then went out tracting. We visited the bishop, Bishop Pattenden, but he was kinda busy so we just ended up sitting in his living room with his mother-in-law and son for like fifteen minutes. then we went and visited this woman named Dot. She is a member and she is...interesting, haha. She was pretty hard to understand, but she was very lively and energetic, which was kind of funny. We shared a sprirtual thought with her, and then we went and did some street contacting. Man oh man. This Gospel is amazing! We set up appointments with two new guys that wanted to know more about the plan of salvation, which was awesome. the first person that I opened my mouth and talked to wanted to know more, so that was pretty sweet. But yeah, it's incredible how many people are looking for the Gospel but don't realize it yet. As it says in PMG, it fills a void that they didn't even know was there.

 

This morning, we went and taught this woman named Denise. She is very smart and understood everything about the plan of salvation, and the questions she had were ones that we didn't know the answer to. She went to church last sunday here, which was fast and testimony meeting, and she said she didn't feel anything. She said what everybody said made sense, but she didn't really feel the Spirit, which is kind of interesting. I figured that most people would have felt the Spirit at a testimony meeting. She said that the members were really nice and everything, but she just didn't feel a connection with them. But she wants to go to church again, which is a good sign.

 

man, I tell ya. I have never felt more like a fish out of water than I have here in Darwen, haha. Things are so different here, haha. It's way exciting, but way scary as well, but i'm doing alright. Everytime I start to feel scared or alone, I say a prayer and look at that fridge magnet that you sent with me, Mama. "Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid." That is part of my favorite verse of my favorite hymn, How Firm a Foundation. Ah you guys, I cannot even begin to tell you how much this Gospel means to me. I am out here, in a foreign country, with a man I met 24 hours ago, telling people that frankly look terrifying to me that they need to repent and follow Christ. I'm away from home, away from the people I love, and away from my comfort zone. But I am still here. I know that this is the true church of Christ, and that only through Him can we be saved, and that is why I am here teaching these people in England. I know that what I have can help them. I know that they can find true happiness in this Gospel. Ah man, this is an incredible work. I am so humbled out here, but the Lord brings us low so that He can lift us higher. Please continue to pray for me and the people of England! I need your prayers, and they need your prayers!

 

I love you all so much! thank you for your support and for your love, kindness, and examples to me! They mean more than you will ever know! Keep the faith, Don't look back, Press on, and Fear not, because He is with us! Shall we not go on in so great a cause? We Shall!

 

I love you!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

Safe Arrival

Dear Parents,

Your son has arrived to the England Manchester Mission (EMM) safe and ready to go to work as a missionary.  We held a training session Wednesday morning where we covered many things including their mission finances, their first three month training schedule, becoming a “Sacred Missionary” and the EMM vision and guiding principles.  We concluded with a testimony meeting and afterwards Sister Bullock fed the group a warm hearty meal.  I held a personal interview with each missionary and we then transported them to the Manchester Stake Center where they were introduced to their first companion and trainer. 

As parents, the most important thing you can do for your son is to be supportive and encouraging.  The first month or two can be challenging for a missionary with many adjustments in their life.  But it normally does not take long until they capture the full vision of their calling, gain a love for the people of the U.K. and get lost in the work. 

Please be supportive of the church’s policy on communications which allows missionaries to send and receive emails only with family members which in addition to the immediate family includes grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  Anyone not part of the family must communicate through letters.  Occasional efforts by some to circumvent this policy, such as family members forwarding personally directed emails from non-family members, are outside the spirit of this principle. 

We often talk and train on the principle of “Becoming a Sacred Missionary.”  While it is good to be an Honorable Missionary, there is higher principle and that is becoming a Sacred Missionary.  This involves many things but it primarily is a commitment by the missionary to purify and sanctify their life and fully commit their heart and soul to their mission.   The happiest and most effective missionaries are those who limit thoughts of their pre-mission life, put the world behind them and get completely lost in the work of serving the Lord.  Your encouragement and support of this will help your son grow personally, gain a greater depth of spiritually and impact the lives of others. 

Attached you will find a picture of your son  with Sister Bullock and me in front of the mission home and a picture of his first companion and trainer.  Sister Bullock and I have three sons who have served missions with another one currently in the Japan Tokyo Mission, so we fully understand the emotions and joys that you are going through right now.  Know that we love the missionaries in the England Manchester Mission and watch over them with care.  May the Lord bless you during this wonderful time of your life.

With warm regards,

President Bullock

England Manchester Mission

Hey y'all!!!

alright so I don't think they're gonna let us email tomorrow so they're giving us like three minutes to say something tonight. But tonight is my last night in the MTC! Tomorrow morning at six-thirty (11:30 pm salt lake time) the APs of the Manchester mission are picking us manchies (i made up that word) to take us to the mission home. so it's pretty crazy for the next few days. I think i'll probably get to email more monday, but I'm not sure. I think that's p-day out here. But yeah. after the first weekend, this place flew by. we had a testimony meeting yesterday, and it was one of the most spiritual meetings I've ever been in. awesome. I loved it. but yeah, don't mail things to the MTC anymore, mail them to the mission home, i think you've got the address Mama :) haha smiley face.

 

But yeah, next thing you know, I'll be driving on the wrong side of the rode and getting a lot of people wet (baptisms, you see. they're gonna happen, I know it!) hahaha look how I spelled "road." wow, elder. haha that reminds me. one time in class, I was trying to write my name, and I spelled it ashkcraft. I accidentally started to write an 'h' after the 's,' and then I tried to correct it with a 'c' over it, then I wrote a 'c' after that garbage that looked like a 'k'. so pretty much my whole district calls me elder ashkcraft, pronounce 'ash-k-k-craft.' yeah. and also they make fun of the way I pray, haha, but they love it. haha they say it sounds like a song. Yup. also, tonight a couple of us sang Brightly beams in a devotional, and I was the only one who was really comfortable with the song, so pretty much it was a solo mio singing the harmony, and i had kind of a runny nose, so i sniffed pretty big between the first and second verse, haha. yeah, music. I love it.

 

The MTC has been great! but it'll be sweet to get out there and start doing work. i'm absolutely petrified, but imma do my best and the Lord will bless. hey that kind of rhymes! Imma Do My Best and the Lord Will Bless! Boss. Well, I love you guys a ton. sorry this email has been kinda frantic, but it's kinda a crazy day today. I love you all so much and thanks for the love you have always shown me! also, pray for me still, cuz I can never have enough people praying for me while I'm out here bringing thousands into the waters of baptism. I mean that with all seriousness. I love you guys!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft