Sister Mary-Ashley Esplin: What a week!

HELLOOOOOOOOOOO!

This email is going to be a little bit shorter than usual. (I know, y'all are shouting for joy for not having to read my boring novels 😉) but believe me, you ain't missing much :)

This week was kind of hard, mostly because my body completely shut down from stress, fatigue and a virus and I was throwing up a ton this week so we didn’t leave our apartment for 4 days. Also, we didn’t have a car until Saturday, which was super fun since we were completely new to the area and didn’t know where anything was. OHHHHHH, SWEET IS THE WORK!!!

Well, some really good work that we did this week, we did while we were in Bartlett with the Sister Training Leaders. I found about 3 new investigators!!! For Bartlett… This didn’t really help our numbers in Millington, but you know what? We are all on the same team!!! TRUTH.

On Monday I went tracting with one of the STLs and it was amazing to see how the spirit can work through us. Also, I developed a stronger testimony of role playing in companion study or at zone conferences. Last week we went to a mission leadership conference (MLC) and did a role play with some elders where we knocked on the door and the situation was that their mother had just passed away. I honestly didn’t know what to say. All of a sudden, I heard the words come out of my mouth, “How have you gotten through that?" Right after I said it, I thought to myself, “Why would I say a stupid thing like that?!” Well afterwards, we evaluated the role play, and they said that that question was what helped them open up and feel the spirit. Wow! Well this past Monday, we encountered a lady whose mother had just passed away. Once again, the question fell out of my mouth. She immediately broke down and she was so happy to listen to the message of the Savior and His triumph over death and how much He loves her. I feel so strongly that Heavenly Father truly prepares us for moments like that. I just love testifying of the love our Heavenly Father has for us and for the knowledge that we have that Jesus Christ is always by us and helping us each and every day.

Another cool moment occurred this week as I was struggling and feeling so bad about myself and thinking, “Wow, Esplin, way to go! You just HAD to get sick! If you were stronger, you would be able to get through this and not be sick and work really hard here..etc. etc." All things that the adversary puts into our minds. It's not true, but at that moment, I just felt so alone and so bad about myself, that I knelt down and said a prayer out loud. I asked Heavenly Father for comfort and strength and that I would be able to feel like I am not alone. At that moment, I felt so comforted. I KNEW that Heavenly Father had sent angels to help me and strengthen me. I literally FELT like angels were surrounding me and, as I sobbed, I felt that people that knew me and loved me were around me and wanted to comfort me. I was able to get up and feel so much better about myself and the great job that I have to do here.

I want to share a little from my studies this week. I read an amazing talk from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf from last general conference, called "Perfect love casteth out fear". He said: "The more I come to know my Heavenly Father, the more I see how He inspires and leads His children. He is not angry, vengeful, or retaliatory. His very purpose--His work and His glory--is to mentor us, exalt us, and lead us to His fulness. God described Himself to Moses as “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Our Father in Heaven’s love for us, His children, surpasses by far our ability to comprehend. Does this mean that God condones or overlooks behaviors that run contrary to His commands? No, definitely not! But He wants to change more than just our behaviors. He wants to change our very natures. He wants to change our hearts. He wants us to reach out and take firm hold of the iron rod, confront our fears, and bravely step forward and upward along the strait and narrow path. He wants this for us because He loves us and because this is the way to happiness.

So, how does God motivate His children to follow Him in our day?

He sent His Son!

God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the right way.

God motivates through persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and love unfeigned. God is on our side. He loves us, and when we stumble, He wants us to rise up, try again, and become stronger.

He is our mentor.

He is our great and cherished hope.

He desires to stimulate us with faith.

He trusts us to learn from our missteps and make correct choices.

This is the better way!"

I know that Heavenly Father loves us all so much and I love that He wants us to change. He doesn't want us to become something completely new. He wants to mold us and help us along the way so that we can be able to become more like Him. I love the fact that He wants to change our our natures and our hearts. Something that I have come to hold onto and cherish is the fact that I am never alone and that I have a perfect person, who has felt EVERYTHING that I have felt, to rely on. He is there, and He wants us to turn to Him. I hope that we can each look inside of ourselves and see things that we can change to become more like the Savior and more like our Father in Heaven.

As a zone, we are doing a 30 day consecration where we fasted yesterday and last night prayed for what Heavenly Father wanted us to put on the alter to give our whole selves to Him. We had a pen and paper near so we could write it down. The great thing is, we aren't asked to do multiple things at a time, just one thing at a time, until the Lord tells us that we have mastered that and we can move on to something else. I invite y'all to do that as well. I know that He will guide and inspire youth ways that you can change, because He sure has told me.

I love y'all so so so so so so so much!!!!! I hope that you have a good week. Thank you so much for your prayers and your emails and letters. I sure love hearing from you!! Love you lots and lots!!! I know the church is true and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Pass it on!

Love,

Ash

Sister Esplin

Believer of miracles

Recovered from a virus

Crazy person