Sister Mary-Ashley Esplin: General Authorities, Testimony meeting visitors, and A BRAND NEW CAR!

Hey y'all!

I hope that your weeks have been AMAZING! I know that ours here in Arkadelphia has been pretty great. I sure do love this area. The people are so sweet here! I also for a moment have to talk about how much I love being a missionary. There is nothing like it. I love being able to talk to people about Jesus Christ and witness how He changes people and see through His eyes how no one is a lost cause. I love the fact that I am able to feel even just a little bit of my Heavenly Father's love for my brothers and sisters and that I can share that love with them. I love that I am out here in Arkansas finding my brothers and sisters and helping them to repent and come closer to Christ. Seeing the light of the gospel enter into their lives is so breathtaking. I love it when people hear a truth (that I take for granted because I have known it my whole life) and, as they come to understand it, it becomes an aha moment. I love that as I help others to come closer to our Savior, I also come closer to Him. I know that He understands and loves these people here and that He cares about them so much. He wants them back. I love it when people have a genuine desire to learn and are "truth seekers”, as we call them. I feel a little bad that they get me as a teacher, but God works with the weak.

Okay!!! So this week was seriously AMAZING. I don't know how else to describe it. We were able to have interviews this week with President Hansen and that was great! Also, this week we were able to go to North Little Rock and have a meeting with Elder Klebingat of the quorum of the seventy. He was amazing! He had so many wonderful instructions and I learned so so so much! My mind felt like it was just going to explode-in a good way. :) I was taking so many notes. Here are some of those awesome notes:

There are two types of pain in life:

-pain of discipline, which weighs ounces

-pain of regret, which weighs tons

The pain of discipline brings joy. The sooner you will come to love the pain of discipline, you will be blessed.

He talked about how when you take anything to an extreme, the adversary will use it against you. Don't be a Pharisee. (That was my own little note)

He talked about how knowledge saves us ultimately and how the adversary will always attack first prayers and scripture study. He also told us some amazing things about the plan of salvation and, oh my goodness, it has changed my life. Seriously. He talked about how if you are from the tribe of Ephraim you have the RESPONSIBILITY to share the gospel. So when people ask why I am on a mission he said that President Nelson would want us to say, "I am here to fulfill my pre-mortal covenant to gather Israel". I promised before I was born to be here and to bring my brothers and sisters back. To prepare for our brother's return. This mission is so much bigger than we thought it was. He said that we already did this in the premortal world, as we begged our brothers and sisters to follow God's plan. That, as a missionary, Heavenly Father is asking us to be his witness one more time.

He also instructed us on how to use the Book of Mormon more in our missionary work. We need to be reading with our investigators and helping them. He said that people who are elect will respond to the book. He also told us that the less that we speak in a lesson the better we will teach. We need to be using the pamphlets and the Book of Mormon. We are there to lead, guide, and clarify, but I cannot speak better than the Prophets and apostles, and actually, God.

He taught us a lot and I learned SO MUCH! I wish I could just have had more time to learn even more! It was amazing and it gave me a renewed energy to work and find all of my brothers and sisters. We got to shake hands with him afterwards and he shook each of our hands and then STARED INTO OUR SOULS and asked how long we had been out and then lifted us all.

Okay, so after that amazing day on Saturday, we had a CRAZY Sunday. Oh my goodness gracious. So it was fast and testimony meeting in the Arkadelphia branch and this is probably one of my craziest church stories that has happened YET! So there we are sitting in testimony meeting, feeling the spirit, listening to the testimonies of those around us, and there is a new couple in the branch who have just moved in. The sister that was sitting in front us of would ask Sister Black at the beginning of each testimony who it was that was speaking so she could write it down and remember. Good idea, I thought. Well, I looked over and there was a man that kept trying to stand up to bear his testimony, but since he was in the very back everyone in front of him would stand up without seeing him and get there first. I just wanted to look at him and tell him to just keep walking. Well, he finally DID get up and he went to the stand and started talking and he introduced himself. Sister Black didn’t know who he was. He then said that he wasn't a member of our church and that he just felt like he should come here. At this point, our eyes went huge and we looked at each other and freaked out silently (in our heads, of course). The branch presidency kept looking at us as if asking if he was one of our investigators. Not yet. Then he said that he heard everyone having confessions and he felt like he should speak as well. So he started Confessing, which was a little awkward. But then he said that he just felt a very good spirit and he just felt love and that he has a lot to offer this church. He spoke for about 15 minutes. I turned to sister Black and told her that if he finished and walked out we were going to chase after him and talk to him. He luckily just sat down once he was finished. After the meeting, we walked over and talked with him and introduced ourselves and he looked at us and said, you have to be pulling my leg. He thought that we were 15!!! But, he really did want to meet with us and learn more. Also, last crazy thing. The man that just moved in came over and talked to Willie and introduced himself and GAVE HIM IS QUAD. His engraved, giant, written in quad. We were not even able to give him a standard Book of Mormon and now he has all of the standard works. Miracles never cease, folks.

Well, I just want to end with what I studied this week. Some of my favorite scriptures are in Mosiah 27 and 28.

In Mosiah 27, it says:

36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.

37 And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

In Mosiah 28 it says:

3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

I know that there are people that are ready to hear the gospel and they "know not where to find it" and I feel so blessed to be a missionary right now and wear out my life in the service of my God and my brothers and sisters. I hope that I can be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I KNOW that I am a child of God and that He loves me so much and that He loves each and every one of you. I know that He will help us as we come to Him in prayer. He is always there to lead and guide us. I am so grateful to be a missionary now and I know that even though my time might be getting shorter (sob), there is still SO MUCH TO DO. I know that my name tag is just a piece of plastic if I do not become changed inside. If my heart and my soul are not truly converted and desirous to help those around me to repent and come closer to christ it means very little. So I will strive always to wear my tag proudly and reflect what is in my heart and truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 5:13).

I pray for you all and I am so so grateful to have y'all in my life. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and Redeemer. I invite y'all to read the Book of Mormon every day. EVERY DAY!! I know that as you do that and pray that you will come closer to Jesus Christ and feel even greater of God's love for you, and understand what he wants you to do. I know the Book of Mormon answers questions. I love y'all so so so much!!! I hope that you have a great week! Remember that I LOVE to hear from you!!!

Love,

Ashley

Sister Esplin

Shocked testimony meeting attendee

Mind blown missionary

Searching for my brothers and sisters