Hello all!
This week was a pretty good week. I hope that y’all had a great week as well and were able to see God’s hand in your life. I also hope that you have been consistently reading the Book of Mormon. I have been studying like crazy!!! Oh my goodness, I love that book. There are so so so many ways to study it, and every time that I open the book I feel like I learn new things and the spirit just flows through me. With this last General Conference, where several people talked about the importance of studying the Book of Mormon and then in our mission tour Elder Klebingat talked about how it was the “great sifter”. Oh my goodness, I have been trying so hard to focus more and more on the Book of Mormon and do you know what? I have really been able to see the blessings in my life. I have found that the Book of Mormon is so relatable to our times. The Prophets in the Book of Mormon saw OUR DAY!! I love the music “Cumorah’s Hill” that we performed when I was in young women’s. I listened to the music this week and I felt the spirit so strong. I love the last song where they say “From Cumorah’s Hill there comes a witness and a warning. Out of darkness shines the welcome light of morning.” As missionaries, we are here to share that light with others. Some people would rather not listen and feel the gladness that comes from the gospel. They would rather hide in the darkness. But I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it’s purpose is to help us and guide us. I invite and beg you all to READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!! With the days that are here and forthcoming, we all need the strength that comes from reading it. I KNOW that as we read we are putting on our spiritual armor. We are better able to see the cunning plan of the adversary and fight back and be strong. We will be able to stand on holy ground. Being able to testify of the truthfulness of the Book is such an amazing experience for me. Every time I do, I feel like so many are there with me. I know that I am putting my name with the Prophets in the Book.
This week we had a lesson with Maria and oh my goodness! It was amazing. She was kind of distracted because she had her little nephew but we were able to talk to her about the Book of Mormon and she just loves it! I shared 1 nephi 15:7-11. We need to ask god to help us to understand things that we don’t understand. As we turn to him in faith, he will answer and teach us. We talked more about how she feels about the Book and we asked her if she would pray about it and again she told us that she doesn’t need to. She already knows it is true. We still asked her to pray about it though. She agreed and then we invited her to baptism....and she said YES! We set the date for November 4th. She said that it was about time for her to rededicate her life and this time she didn’t want to do it for anyone, for friends, for family, because of pressure. She wants to change her life to the Lord. We are excited to keep teaching her.
We were also able to be in a Spanish lesson this week with Jose while the Little Rock Hermanas Skyped in. We had to use our phone since Jose didn’t have any way to have a lesson with them. But it was cool to see how the spirit was there even if I couldn’t understand a word. Sister Johnstun also came with us and I am so grateful for her help because she was an amazing member helping teach the lessons to him!!!! I love the Arkadelphia branch. The members are seriously amazing.
We also were able to have some lessons with the Bradys this week and we were able to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before my mission, ‘the gospel’ felt a little abstract to me. I just heard everybody talk about it all the time and just thought it was this “thing” that we did. When I went to the MTC I realized that the gospel was actually much easier than I thought! Knowing that through Christ we can be cleansed from sin, then having faith in Jesus Christ, which leads to the next step of Repentance, which leads to baptism (or if you are already baptized, working towards the temple and partaking of the sacrament), receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost (and trying to keep him with us all the time), and enduring to the end. We had Michael take giant leaps with every scripture we read about those things. He would take a leap towards a picture of Jesus Christ. It was great!!!
I love y’all so so much!!! I want to end with a quote from elder Holland, “[The Lord] has offered us one last covenant, given us one last testament, as part of his final outreach to fallen man. He has offered us one last written witness of his love and his mercy extended for the final time. … That testament and culminating witness, that ‘new covenant’ offered to the children of men but once more, is the message of the Book of Mormon. “No record teaches more of God’s promise to those in the last days.
Those promises focus on his Only Begotten Son, on ‘the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah … [who] shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved’ [2 Nephi 2:8–9]. “The task of the children of God in these concluding days of the world’s history is to proceed with ‘unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save,’ to ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men[,] … feasting upon the word of Christ, and endur[ing] to the end. This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God’ [2 Nephi 31:19–21]. “No other book helps us do this so well. No other book was ever divinely produced and protected solely for that purpose. No other book has ever been written with such a full view of the future dispensation to which that record would eventually come. … “… In its message of faith in Christ, hope in Christ, and charity in Christ, the Book of Mormon is God’s ‘new covenant’ to his children--for the last time” (Christ and the New Covenant, 8–10). I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ’s Church once again restored to the earth. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that as we turn to our Heavenly Father in prayer, he will answer us-but not always in the way or time that we want. I know that God sees the big picture and that He is taking care of us. I know that when State Farm asks “Are you in good hands?” I can say, “YES!!! I am in God’s hands!!” :) There were definitely days this week that were kind of hard, but yesterday before church I knelt down in prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help me and strengthen me. I asked for answers and reassurance. In sacrament meeting my prayers were answered. As we turn to Christ and our Father in Heaven, they can help us. I tell people that if we want to feel better spiritually we need to evaluate how our Church attendance is going, how meaningful our scripture study is, and how personal our prayers with our Father in Heaven are. As we strive to strengthen those areas I know that we will be okay. I love y’all so so much!!!! Thank you so much for the updates and emails and letters! I am so grateful for all of you. OH ALSO!!!! President Hansen has asked that we ask all of our friends and family to pray that we can achieve 80 baptisms for the rest of the year so that we can get every soul that is ready. Please do that if you can:)
Thanks!
Love y’all!!!
Love,
Sister Esplin
Ashley
MISSIONARYAYAYAY!!
Book of Mormon testifier
Happy Dancer
Sweet is the work with Sister Black!
Our new car!
Whoah! Christmas is already at Walmart!!!
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