Sister Mary-Ashley Esplin: White on Saturday AND Sunday

White on Saturday AND Sunday

Hello family and friends. I hope y'all had a great week. This week has been really good. My health has been pretty good.i feel that it is improving thank you for all of your prayers and support. I sure am grateful for y'all.

This week has been pretty good. This Saturday Eddie followed the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and was baptized. It was such a special day. He was so happy. Seriously, you couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Another great thing was that a lot of members showed up to support him. Funny story though… I think the only thing that compared to my happiness of seeing him in the white jumpsuit was the happiness of seeing him in the Orange suit that he brought for afterwards! XD But seriously he was so excited to be baptized. He has been talking about this for months. I really loved what the Bishop said afterwards in the welcome to the ward part. He said that in the Book of Mormon there is a prophet that talked about the coming of Christ and how he would be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He didn't need to be baptized, he was perfect, but he set the example for us and he was baptized because we all need to be baptized. Just like that, Eddie didn’t need to be baptized because of how special a son of God he is, but he wanted to be baptized to be obedient and to receive blessings from God. I was so proud of him. He was seriously doing fist pumps all before the baptism. When he got confirmed the next day, he still had a smile as big and bright as the sun. The Lakeland ward then welcomed him as the newest member of the ward and of the church!!

Some other highs this week is that we went to go see Vennice, a less active in the YSA branch and we decided to go visit another less active. Well, we knocked on the door and we were super surprised because he answered the door. Everyone said he doesn't answer the door, so we didn't expect him to, so when he did, we both just kind of stood there for a second. Then we realized that we were just standing there and we started talking. Luckily, we were able to set a return appointment for him this Tuesday. Later that week, we had dinner with the YSA Branch President’s family and the branch president told us that no one has been able to see him and that we had more than earned our dinner just by getting in to visit with Vennice. WOOT WOOT! Sister VanOrman deserves all of the praise because she suggested it. Yes!

This week we went to see Rosie and Eddie the day before the baptism and it was so cool. Rosie totally helped me remember why I decided to serve a mission. I just wanted everyone to feel of our Father in Heaven's love for us. I wanted everyone to receive the blessings of obedience and to be able to feel the spirit and truly use the atonement. I remembered the scripture, Alma 29:1-2

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

Oh that I could be an angel! I loved that I was reminded of that. Honestly, there are times that are discouraging, and after being on bed rest for a week I felt inadequate and scared. I was behind. I hadn't fulfilled my purpose while trying to take care of myself. I just wondered why things were happening to me. But at that moment, Rosie looked me in the eye and told me to try and remember why I had come out and the prayer I had said when I opened my call ( she thinks she can see the past. I’m not so sure about that, but she is really good at guessing :) ). I did say a prayer right before I opened my mission call and I just asked for help and strength. Just saying that I would do everything in my power to declare unto every soul repentance and the plan of redemption. I prayed that even if I just found one person, I would be happy. I would work hard.

On my mission I feel that I haven't been someone who has found lots and lots and lots of people to baptize. I haven't been someone who just has a flock of people they teach all the time. But I have realized that I have found the one. In both of my areas I have truly met the people that are the one who have gone astray. The one who needs help and love and strength. I haven't been the one who has helped them, but I am so lucky to have been the one to have the spirit work through me to say the things the Lord would have me say. This last week there have been so many times where I will say something and honestly, internally I am just surprised. Did I say that? I have never thought of that before. I know that the Lord can work through me, because I am taught things sometimes when I speak. What a blessing. Because, I will tell y'all, I need the gift of tongues just to speak English. I just mess up what I want to say so often. Because I want to say it. Not Him. ME. But I know I can be an instrument in God's hands.

I know this is Christ's church on the earth today. I know the priesthood has been restored. I know the atonement of Jesus Christ is a very real and very beautiful thing. I have felt it’s power in my life often and I am so so grateful for it. I know that through Christ we can be so much more than we can even imagine. I know that God has a beautiful, perfect plan for each of us and he just wants us to turn to him so that he can help us along the path of righteousness. He doesn't expect us to do things perfectly, or to even be super strong as we go through life's trials. He wants us to turn to Him and rely on Him. He wants us to trust Him. I love the gospel and the joy it brings me and others around me. I am so so so grateful to be a missionary and to have this time to dedicate to my Savior, Jesus Christ, and to the people in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission. I am so grateful for the love I feel from all of you and from my Father in Heaven. I love y'all and I hope y’all have a good week!

Sending y’all love from Lakeland, Tennessee!

Sister Esplin

A recovering mono patient

A sister missionary

Someone who inwardly giggled at her convert baptism because he wore a giant orange suit

PS. Today we are going to downtown Memphis with the Seamans for our long awaited “Sisters and Seamans PDay” (the p stands for fun, with a ph. Phun) pictures will come next week :)

Oh and it snowed on Saturday night and I seriously lost my mind. I was so happy. It was really a white day;)