A kid in Queen Elizabeth's Court

Hey Everyone that I love!

 

Well, From the subject line, you would probably think that I was just saying some clever things about me being in England. Little did you know, it's a bit more literal than you think.

 

When I was in Newcastle, I can't remember if I told you this, but I witnessed a crime, an assault. And so a couple of weeks later, after I got transferred to chester, I got a call from the police saying that they would like me to make a statement. So I did, and a few weeks later I got a letter from the police saying that they probably wouldn't need me to appear in court. So I thought that was that. But it wasn't.

 

A couple days ago, I got a call from Elder Rapata saying that someone from Staffordshire police called him looking for me, and that I was supposed to call them. So I called them on Tuesday and they told me that they wanted me to be a witness in court at the hearing on Thursday Morning in Cannock, which I had no idea where it was. I was quite shocked and a bit surprised, but I said I'd need to make some calls first. So I called President Preston and explained the whole situation to him, and he was just laughing. He then told me that Cannock wasn't even in our mission boundaries, it was in Birmingham's! But he told me that I should go. So not only did I go to court outside my own country, but I went to court outside my mission boundaries as well. Fish out of water anyone? Oh me! Pick Me!

 

So we went to the court house and they showed us around, and told me what was going to happen, and so then we went into the witness waiting room. The Birmingham accent sounds pretty good, by the way. We waited there and talked to the people there who were fascinated with us. It was great. But then after about 2 1/2 hours of waiting, they came in and told us that the Magistrates wanted to thank us for coming. So they took us into the court room and they said thank you and that the sentence would be passed in 3 weeks time. So I wasn't needed anymore. I didn't even get to testify, which I was kind of bummed about, but that's alright.

 

So while we waited for the Assistants to come pick us up, we did some street contacting in Cannock. It felt weird. Like talking to Zombies. they just had a different aura about them than our mission. Dead weird. But good.

 

But yes, it was quite a good week. Swinton is great! We have a really great investigator Sally and she is primed and ready for the Gospel! Please pray for her and Paul!

 

Well, I know that this is God's work and His Church, and nothing's going to stop it! I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that it is the Word of God! I love it!

 

Thank you all so much for everything that you do for me and for your prayers! I feel them! Keep up the good work and Keep the Faith! I love you!

 

Jesus Lives!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

 

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Hello Everyone that I love!

 

It has been a great week once again. We had specialised training and interviews with president, which are always a treat. I have such respect and love for that man. It's amazing being a missionary in the England Manchester Mission right now. I am eternally grateful for the privilege that I have been given to serve here. I love it!

 

Our investigator Paul is doing well. It's just hard to see him very often at the moment, but we are doing our best to overcome that hurdle. In the lessons he is so great and he loves coming to church as well. He just works ridiculous hours and sometimes has to cancel appointments.  But he's great.

 

We found some sisters (or sistas) from Gambia, which is the same country that Isha in Liverpool was from. They are really great. One of them, Alice, has investigated the church before in Yorkshire and the other one, Sally, is really great. She is reading from the Book of Mormon and we are seeing them again tonight! Pray for us and her please!

 

Elder Sutton is great. He's so pure and charitable, it's ridiculous. I love him a lot and am learning a lot from him.

 

Well, I love you all so much, and I am so grateful for you! I pray for you everyday! I hope you do the same for me!

 

Jesus truly is our Saviour. I am learning that more and more as a missionary. It's brilliant how much He can change our lives if we let Him do it. This is His church. It's the Only one sanctioned by Him. And that's the Gospel Truth.

 

I love you! Keep the Faith!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

Lovely Life

Dear Everyone that I love,

 

Haha! I love you all! I just thought I'd start by saying that. It was a great week this week. I love mission life so much. IT's amazing.

 

On Sunday, there was a fireside at the mission home, and it was fantastic. One of the recent converts in the ward, Florence, from Nigeria, was one of the speakers there, and so we were able to go. It was great. I saw some familiar faces there as well, which was great, including Anne, one of my investigators in Chester as well as Sam, who is probably my favourite member in the U.K. It was so great to see them. Amazing how friendships are grown on a mission.

 

Easter was great! It is always an amazing time of year to think about life and about the new beginnings that come. I love it so much and there are so many things to learn from the Atonement. The Saviour truly did die for all of us and He did rise again, just like He promised He would. It's amazing.

 

Elder Sutton is great. He is so charitable and always looking to serve me. He's just very thoughtful. It's nice to be here serving with him.

 

Well, I love you all and I am so grateful for everything that you do for me. Please keep praying for me! I can feel all that extra support.

 

The Church is True! Jesus Lives! The Book of Mormon is the Word of God! I love it!

 

Keep the Faith!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft

General Conference is amazing. I love it.

Dear Everyone that I love!

 

Wasn't Conference amazing?!?!?! I loved it! It is always such a privilege we have to be able to listen to the Prophet's voice and hear the words of God. The messages that they gave to us come from the Lord and as we follow them, we will find greater strength, stronger faith, and more love for our Father in Heaven and those of His children around us.

 

It was so great. I loved Elder Hallstrom's talk about the difference between being active in the Church and being active in the Gospel. It's very true. It is not enough for us to simply go to church and do church-y things all the time. We have to become Latter-day Saints. Someone in our ward said something interesting last week. He said, "I don't date Mormon girls, I only date Latter Day Saints. It is not enough for us to simply be a "Mormon." The purpose of the church and the Gospel is to help us become Saints in these, the Latter Days. Isn't that an amazing thought? I love it. We have the potential to be like Peter and Paul and James and John, saints of the Lord who through their righteousness and example have changed the world.

 

Please don't squander your chance to be a Latter Day Saint. Be more than just a Mormon.

 

I love you all so much! This is the Lord's work and we are all a part of it. Thank you for everything that you have done for me! I wouldn't be here without all of you! Sorry if this email was a bit preachy, I just get fired up when Conference comes around. I love you all so much!

 

Jesus Lives!

 

Love,

Elder Ashcraft