Missing an Eclipse, Receiving Revelation, and Bugging People on their Phones

Hello from Millington, TN! 

I hope that y'all have had a splendid week and that your eyes are not burned out from the eclipse. I did not know about this because we don't watch the news, but seriously people have been talking about almost nothing else!! They are selling glasses all over the place! Members even bought ones for us...but to be honest, we don't get to see the eclipse because President Hansen told us not to because they could potentially hurt our eyes. So, I listened to him and didn't. :) But seriously y'all I hope that your eyes are intact. 😎

This week was a great mix of things! I definitely learned SO SO MUCH! We had zone conference with the Hansens which was FANTASTIC!! It is so crazy that you can receive so much inspiration and revelation from God as you go to meetings fasting, with questions in your heart. I learned so much! President Hansen is rolling out a bunch of AWESOME NEW PLANS!!!! So, first of all, I forgot to tell y'all a long time ago that when he came he started a new key indicator for our mission. It is called “Return Appointment Attempts”! So basically whenever we invite anyone to take the lessons it counts as a return appointment attempt. It doesn’t matter if they say yes or no but it does show us, even if our numbers are low, how hard we are working. If we are inviting tons of people to meet with us and hear the lessons then we are trying our hardest to share the restored gospel with everyone. It also holds us accountable and we can figure out what we are doing that isn’t working and what we are doing that is working! It is so awesome. Another thing that President Hansen has started is asking for emails from people. If we ask for their emails, then we can send them inspirational messages and videos! I was a little wary of this when I first heard it, and I thought, “Who is going to give us their email?” But then we did a role play with some other sisters and they asked for my email and I thought, “What the heck!” Of Old Navy has my email, then these good missionaries can have my email. Then when I had my interview with President Hansen the next day I told him that and he said, "and when you are in someone's house, who is going to say NO?  I don’t want you to track me down. You already know where they live, and you already know their phone number. That just doesn’t make sense!". I agree! I am so pumped. ANOTHER cool thing that he has rolled out is that we are all going to be doing visiting and home teaching!!! WHAT?! I know, it says in the white hand book not to do that, but President Hansen asked our Area Seventy for permission and Elder Beheshti said it was a phenomenal idea! All of the stake presidents in the mission thought the same thing! So we are going to be working with the bishop and relief society president (as sisters) (for elders it would be elders quorum presidents)  and they are going to give us 15-20 people that we will now be their visiting teachers! So cool! So we will be staying in areas longer with companions longer. Hehe. I don’t know how I feel about that to be honest.  But I am so excited to be the BEST VISITING TEACHER EVER!!! It is going to be so cool, the idea is to truly help the wards and stakes in the mission to grow, as there are SO MANY members that are not coming to church. Also, visiting teaching and home teaching numbers are at 30% and as we do this it should increase to 60%. So if those people are ABSOLUTELY being visited, what miracles could happen there?! YAY!!!!

I learned so so so so so much during zone conference with the Hansens and I felt so edified. I didn’t get all the answers I was wanting, but I definitely got some answers that i didn’t know I needed. I have once again recommitted myself and I am going to work myself to the BONE until they shove me on an ✈️. Even then, I hope I can share the gospel. :) 

We have just been so so blessed to have such a wonderful mission president and wife. :) Here is my funny story of the week. I kind of harassed someone this week. Hehe, not really, but kind of. Well, this week, I saw a lady outside sitting on a chair smoking and talking on the phone. I felt that we needed to talk to her so I ran up to her and asked if we could give her a card. She accepted. I was going to walk away but then the spirit nudged me and told me to get a return appointment. Inwardly I groaned, but I plastered a smile on my face and kept talking to her and asked if we could share a special message about Jesus Christ that we know can bless her life and her family, she hesitated and then said yes. I asked her when and I didn't leave until she told me. YAY! I don’t know if she will be there, but WE will. I was so excited. I felt like maybe I scared her though because I was trying to be polite so I was whispering but I was still talking to her so I sounded kind of like a witch. LOL!!

OH I studied a talk this week which was so awesome! I invite y'all to all read it:) It is from last conference from Elder Rasband entitled “Let the Holy Spirit guide”. It WAS AWESOME!!!! This is one of my favorite snippets! "First promptings are pure inspiration from heaven. When they confirm or testify to us, we need to recognize them for what they are and never let them slip past. So often, it is the Spirit inspiring us to reach out to someone in need, family and friends in particular. “Thus … the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things,” points us to opportunities to teach the gospel, to bear testimony of the Restoration and Jesus Christ, to offer support and concern, and to rescue one of God’s precious children."

May we all listen to our first promptings this week and act courageously on them. I know that doing so will bring miracles into your lives and hep you to truly be an instrument in the hands of God. I know the church is true. I KNOW THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!!! I Finished the Book of Mormon last week and I started it again! I was so excited. As I finished I didn't feel any big voice that said that the book was true but I did feel tremendous peace. I felt the spirit say to me that I cannot deny the truth in it. I couldn't. I didn’t have a big spiritual experience, but ALL of the amazing spiritual experiences that I had had while reading it over the last 8 months just all built upon each other and grew into a stronger testimony of the truthfulness of the book. I cannot deny it. I know that Jesus Christ Lives and loves each one of us and I love that! I know that repentance and faith are so intertwined and essential in really living the gospel. I love what Elder Anderson said to our mission when he visited in January. If we aren't repenting everyday, we need to be praying harder, because we ALL need to repent EVERYDAY. I truly believe that and know that to be true. I love y'all so much!!!! I am so grateful for you all and I hope that you have a wonderful week! Thanks so much for all that you do! I know the church is true! READ IT EVERY DAY AND REMEMBER TO PRAY!!!!!!! DO IT! Please. 😊 

I love you so much!

❤️ 

Sister Esplin

Ashley

BEST VISITING TEACHER EVER!

Sister Missionary

Someone who's Book of Mormon is TORN APART!

A sister who apparently has the voice of a witch…not an angel. 

My Book of Mormon is falling apart!

 Dying Sister Peterson’s hair!! 

She told me to do it even when I said I had never done it before.   

What if I mess up! 

She just told me, “You've got to start sometime!” 

I even got to pick the color!